Distant voices and repeating thuds echoed throughout my small, dimly lit room. I shuddered at every thump, looked in the mirror, and like the fool I was, I told myself that today would be different. Today would be a good day. It was the same foolishness that made me lie to my reflection which brought me to my current situation.
Before I arrived in my current home, I was promised shelter, food, and care at the expense of some “medical experimentation” in a competitive environment with other subjects. We would be scored for our participation, and if we reached a high enough score, we would be given substantial compensation for our efforts. I was in desperate need for any outside help, and when I saw the advert that brought me here, it seemed like very good luck at the time. One might say getting two out of three isn’t bad, but the lack of any actual care and the presence of something far worse invalidated the comfort any food provided or the security that any shelter can give. As I nearly let myself get lost in thought, the ground shook and the dimness of my room was washed away as the lights overhead brightened automatically. A voice over the PA echoed through the halls.
“Good morning, subjects. Please turn your attention to your scoreboard,” announced the voice. “Yesterday’s demerits have been calculated and your score will update momentarily to reflect the change.” I turned quickly to the LED display on my wall and held my breath as I waited for the red digits to change. The number “9950” glowed dimly on the display. My heart pounded heavily against my chest as I waited. The number vanished, and then updated to show “10000”. My surprise at the increase of score was interrupted by a nearby wail of terror. “As per the agreement, any subjects with a score below zero must exit the facility to face immediate termination from the program. Failure to comply will result in a forced removal.”
Tense moments crawled by, and the wailing had been replaced by incoherent gibbering. The voice on the PA started again. “Subject 1324, this is your final warning. Exit the building now, or you will be forcibly removed.” Everything suddenly became very silent, except for the continuing noises of Subject 1324.
In an instant, the roof of the facility was gone, and the colossal body of a woman wearing a lab coat and a black headset dominated the view above. Subject 1324 began to scream as the slender, gloved fingers of the woman reached into his cell, and plucked him from the ground he attempted to cling to. The fingers rose above the woman’s lips and, in full view of the other subjects in the building, released their screaming prey into her welcoming mouth, sending the unlucky subject into the depths below. As the screaming was replaced by gasps, then silence, I remembered what had taken the place of “care” in the initial promise.
It was cruelty.
The woman called herself Queen and expected all subjects to do the same. Her voice sounded through the PA once again, as she lowered the roof back onto our building. “Subjects, please proceed to the building exit to prepare for today’s tests,” she stated callously, as if nothing had happened. “Subjects who are not present in the courtyard within the next 30 seconds will have 10% of their total score deducted.”
I dropped everything and rushed to the exit of my tiny room and proceeded through the hallway along with dozens of other panicked subjects. We stepped out into a much brighter, much larger room. After it seemed all subjects settled out of the containment units and into the ‘courtyard’—which to the overseers was simply a waist-high table—Queen stepped forward, covering the view of the distant walls of the room. Murmuring began as a female subject stepped forward to address Queen.
The subject cleared her throat. “E-excuse me my Queen, but I would like to inquire about a potential… mistake with today’s scoring.” Queen’s eyebrow twitched as she regarded the 3-inch tall subject which caused the tiny woman to falter, yet still continue her query. “You s-see, yesterday I should have earned 50 points for good performance, but m-my score is still the same as before.”
Queen leaned forward, which to the subjects appeared as though a large building was about to collapse on top of them all. Without a moment’s hesitation, Queen raised a device in her hand and pointed it at the subject. “We do not make mistakes here, and yours will cost you greatly,” Queen said flatly. A beam shot from the device and its light enveloped the tiny woman. The woman began to dwindle in size, becoming even smaller than her already miniscule stature. “Before today’s tests begin, I will make an offer,” announced Queen as she disengaged the beam, leaving a speck where the subject once stood. “The subject to crush the ungrateful Subject 15B3 will receive her total score as a bonus”.
Not a moment passed before someone sprinted towards the poor, near-microscopic woman and brought their foot on top of her. He stood there a moment, dropped to his knees and then began to sob.
“Stand up, Subject ABE. You have received 450 points for your initiative and cooperation,” said Queen, almost playfully. He rose, averted his eyes from the mark that was once Subject 15B3, and skulked back to his place in the group. “Unless anyone else has any further interruptions, we will now begin today’s event.
Everyone stood at attention, some visibly struggling to maintain their composure after what they had just witnessed. I stood in my place, wondered what I would have done if I had been closer to the front, and then hated myself even more for entertaining the thought. Despite all of what I had been put through, I had managed to avoid the overseers’ games to pit subject against one another.
“As many of you are aware, and as some of you have witnessed, when a subject reaches a score of ten thousand or greater, it marks a very special day for everyone,” announced Queen to the small collection of people before her. As everyone began to glance around, I began to feel quite nervous. “Today is indeed a very special day for subject 6D,” she continued, gesturing to me. “She is lucky enough to be one of the few remaining subjects of the first two hundred fifty-five volunteers, and through more than luck has reached a very important milestone.” Everyone looked at me, and in that moment, I felt even smaller than I already was. Faces mixed with contempt, envy, apathy, and even pity all turned my way. I stared ahead and waited for Queen to finish.
“Today will be simple. Similar to the before, our sole subject will need to overcome trials to prove that they have met the expectations of out research,” Queen announced. As she spoke, the surface on which the subjects stood began to shift. Walls and platforms rose from the table, displacing and separating the other subjects as they scrambled to find solid footing. A larger, circular wall emerged and surrounded the entire surface, enclosing everyone inside. A small pedestal rose beneath me. “Subject 6D has shown… restraint in her interactions with fellow subjects. As a result, we have specifically designed a trial to put her strategy to the test.”
After the testing area settled, the murmuring of the scattered subjects turned to gasps as they all started to shrink even further, until they were each reduced to specks before Queen. My heart pounded, waiting for that sickening sensation of falling and contracting to overtake me, but it never came. I could only see one other subject remaining, as well as the man from before who was made about as small as the woman he crushed. “We have selected an opponent for our star subject,” said Queen, gesturing to Subject 100, who had also avoided being shrunken. “The rules are as follows: At the end of the timer, the competitor with the highest trial score will be complete their participation in our research, while the loser will be forcibly removed from the program.” A wave of sickening anxiety washed over me and I found it hard to breathe. Subject 100 glared at me, unflinching. “To increase your trial score, you may either retrieve the diminutive subjects and deposit them into the receptacles scattered about the arena… or you may eliminate them at your discretion.” As she finished speaking, the arena’s screens lit up with a 30 minute timer and our scores below.
“Good luck,” Queen said flatly, The time began to count down.
Subject 100 quickly rushed towards the pathetic Subject ABE, and continued running after her foot flattened him. She kept going until she turned a corner, out of sight. The screens flashed 10 points for Subject 100. I spun around and ran in the opposite direction, making note of the placement of receptacles as I went. I sprinted through the paths formed by the arena walls, desperately scanning for the tiny, disoriented people.
Not far from the center of the maze, I found two subjects at a dead end. They attempted to run, but I scooped them up in both hands. They screamed for mercy, but I had no time to listen. I tossed them into a receptacle and continued searching. My score updated, showing… 10 points. Meanwhile, my opponent had gained another 50.
My mind raced. I couldn’t kill these people. Every single day that had I suffered through, clinging to hope of one day escaping would have been for nothing. I ran, scooping up and depositing every tiny being I found. My score was only a little over half of subject 100’s and at this rate, I would surely lose. Even knowing this, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
In the final 5 minutes of the trial, Queen’s voice boomed above us once again. “Subject 6D, your strategy is clearly failing.” I ignored her and continued on, until I came up Subject 100. We locked glances. Her eyes were full of madness, and her face and jumpsuit were stained crimson. She charged at me, teeth bared. Before she could reach me, a beam from above engulfed her, reducing her to the same size as the dozens of others she had callously killed. Queen sighed. “You have one final chance. Terminate the errant Subject 100. If you do not, she will be given the same opportunity”
I looked down at the now tiny woman and she tried to run away. I reached down and plucked her up between my fingers. She flailed uselessly in my grasp and shrieked at me. I stared back at the miserable creature, attempting to mask the myriad of emotions that were ripping me apart. In my hand, I held a life, both literally and figuratively. All I needed to do was close these fingers, and the exchange of her life for mine would be complete. I would be free.
* * *
I screamed to cover the sound of her body breaking and fell to the ground.
Queen loomed over the arena and peered down at my trembling body. “Good,” was all she said before scooping me up.
I awoke to the sound of muffled thuds and distant voices. I struggled to stand as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting. An LED display on the wall displayed the number “100”. A bright light from the ceiling washed over me and a voice echoed reverberated throughout the space. “Good morning, winners. Please turn your attention to your scoreboard,” announced the voice. The display flashed and “WELCOME TO PHASE 2” slowly scrolled across.