There was a sudden sharp incline downwards as the van went down what felt like a hill but then flattened out and came to a stop. The back doors opened and they could see that they were inside a building. An upward ramp was visible through the building doors that were just closing. A guard dressed in a typical security uniform ordered them out of the van and through a wide set of doors to their left.

They entered a large bare room with four smaller rooms along the left side. The rooms had glass walls in front but solid partitions between them. As they walked further in they could see a hospital bed in each room with various, identical machines near each. Other than that the room was empty except for a woman in the white lab coat standing in front of them.

“What is this?” she asked.

One of the black-dressed guards who had captured them stepped forward and saluted.

“Ma’am. They were accompanying the targets, ma’am.” He spoke sharply.

She glared at the 8 teens huddled together in front of her. “Well why didn’t you leave them, you imbecile? They are useless to me.”

“Ma’am. We could not safely detach the targets from the civilians, ma’am. They could report the situation if we left them, ma’am.”

“Well the obvious solution would have been to dispose of them now wouldn’t it? And stop calling me ma’am.” She turned her icy glare away from the teens and settled on the guard for the first time.

“Never get a man to do a woman’s work,” she mumbled under her breath. “Put them in the living quarters. I have no use for them.”

Four security guards stepped from behind the group and grabbed Michael, Max, Alex, and Kyle by the arms. Michael jerked away from the guard when he grabbed his arm and the woman focused on the action.

“What happened to him?”

“Ma’am. Um, excuse me ma’am. Uh sorry… Um, he had to be subdued.”

She shook her head and sighed at the poor quality of work she had been able to hire for her most delicate assignment. “Very well, give them a first aid kit. We don’t want him bleeding over everything.”

The guard now pushed Michael by his back as all four were led towards the rear of the room. Maria and her sisters watched in dismay as they were led into the room and a first aid kit tossed onto the floor. The door was closed and locked and the guys were alone. An armed security guard took stand on either side of the door.

The woman hadn’t taken her eyes off of the girls the entire time. Now she smiled. “Well, the infamous Parker sisters. Finally.”

She walked towards the girls and circled around them. “Now let’s see. Who’s who?”

She stopped in front of them. “No wait. Don’t tell me. It’s fun to guess.”

Maria could feel her face getting hot as her anger towards the woman built. Just as she felt like she couldn’t keep quiet any longer she felt Isabel gently squeeze her hand. Izzy always knew exactly the right moment to intervene. Maria was sure Isabel had saved her from more than one confrontation by a simple glance or touch.

The woman pointed at them. “You must be Tess. That’s an easy one. You have pathetic written all over you.” The woman had correctly identified Tess from the group and driven the other’s anger up a few notches in the process.

“Now Liz is a little harder. You would be the quiet, introspective one but neither of you is saying much of anything.” She smiled at the girls again and then reached out and tapped Liz on the shoulder. “But I’m going to guess you anyway.”

“Isabel and Maria. That’s the question of the day. Both strong, defenders.” She walked closer to Isabel and Maria who still had their hands clasped. “But I saw that exchange between you.” She pointed at Maria, “You’re the firecracker, Maria.” Turning to Isabel she said, “And you’re the ultimate protector, Isabel. Keeping this one calm must be a full-time job.”

She turned to walk away; satisfied that she had gotten them correct even though they hadn’t acknowledged her guesses.

“Put them in the rooms and start the procedures,” she snapped to the guards.

The guards swooped in on the girls who immediately started to struggle. Each of them was easily picked up by a guard and carried to a room. There was a medical attendant dressed in scrubs inside each room who stripped the girls while the guard held them in place. They were fitted with a gown and laid on the beds where their arms, legs, and bodies were strapped down. Electrodes from the machine were attached to their chest and head.

Just as Maria thought the violation was over she saw the attendant turn towards her with a needle. She heard a scream from another room and knew that all four of them were going through the same procedure. She saw the edges of her vision grow fuzzy as a warm liquid was inserted into her vein and coursed through her body. Her head lolled to the side but she did not pass out. She was jerked to attention as an electric shock ripped through her body.

She glanced up and tried to focus at the attendant standing over her. “You’ve been given a serum to relax you. It should make it easier for you to tell the truth. You will be asked a series of questions and if you fail to reply, or lie, you will be shocked. Do you need to see another example?”

Maria’s only coherent thought was that the attendant sounded like a robot. She wondered if there were wires sticking out of her stomach for a quick tune-up. She laughed to herself, she thought, but realized it was out loud as the attendant’s face turned into a frown.

“I see you do.”

Maria’s body jerked off of the bed as far as the restraints would allow before falling back. This time there was no smile, no laughter. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she felt her skin beneath the electrode pads sizzle.