"Maria."

"What?" Maria answered, her voice pained.

Her mother moved close to Maria and whispered. "You cannot do this. It will be of no help. If you want to get something accomplished here, you need to start acting. Just like they have cameras on them, they most likely have cameras on us."

Maria nodded. "I know." she whispered, and dropped the hand that had been gripping the side of the table.

"You knew this was going to happen. And you have been prepared for it. And you have an advantage. You know there weaknesses. Make them believe." Amy told her daughter trying to give her the strength she needed.

Maria stood up. "I know. Just get them strapped down first."

Amy nodded to her daughter and left the room to make the preparations she needed to for her daughter. Right now they had two things to accomplish, and both would stress her daughter to an extent. Maria would have to replace any feelings their newly acquired subjects felt towards her, with hateful ones. And in the mean time convince the people working around them that Maria hadn't grown soft towards them. By doing one, the other could be taken care of. But that didn't make it any easier.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maria struggled with her conscious for the next couple of hours. Sure, she had been raised for this. Not specifically this, but she had been raised to push all feelings aside and put up whatever facade would be needed. But she had known every minute, of every day, that she would be driven to this point of having to face this. And she had been prepared for it. Her mother had, everyday, went over everything. From what they would be put through, to what they would eat. And half of the time she went to bed crying. Of course her mother wasn't much help at comforting. That women was teflon. But soon Maria had found herself becoming immune to the things her mother told her. Maybe that had been her mothers plan. To imprint the things that would happen in Marias mind so that when she saw them they wouldn't take her with so much shock, and hurt her as much as they would have. Now instead of letting her emotions go at home, here she had to keep them in. Not letting a thing slip.

"Ms. DeLuca?"

Maria turned. She hadn't even heard the door open. "Yes?"

"Their ready for you."

Maria nodded a dismissal, and the door shut leaving her alone once again. Maria stood up, grabbing the white lab coat that had been laying on the chair. She slipped it on slowly, hoping maybe it could help to keep all of her emotions in, and keep whatever they shot at her out. She moved over to the long mirror, and watched herself as she buttoned up the lab coat. Her hand slipped into the pocket of her coat, pulling out a pictured ID. She clipped it onto her jacket, and she became the person she knew they feared. The ones that where secretive, with there clean white coats, and crisp voice. That's how she would have to sound now. Her voice would have to lack any emotion. And her eyes would have to be stone hard, no reflection any emotions. Because emotions, where the root of all problems. To stay safe, you keep everything on the inside, and show nothing. If you do show something, then they have something to use against you. And by keeping all emotions on the inside, you are safe, they have nothing to use against you, and they fear the fact that nothing affects you. Maria continued to repeat the things that she had been told to prepare her for this. And mentally began to hide all emotions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maria walked slowly down the clean white tiled hallways. She hated this place. When she arrived at the first door, that one of them would be in she stopped and listened. The crying, and pleas, for her brother gave away who was behind that door. But she asked anyway. She would not let them know that she noted any of those things. "Who is behind this door?" Maria asked the man, who was at least in his 30's.

"Isabelle Evans, Ma'am."

Maria nodded. She noted the tone of his voice, and the sarcasm when he said Ma'am. He obviously didn't like having to show respect to a sixteen year old. She would take care of that later. She just nodded at the guard and began typing in her access code. She leaned forward and let a small ray of light pass over her eye.

"Welcome, Maria DeLuca."

Maria rolled her eyes at the crisp tone of the computer voice, and waited for the door to open. A sound of air release could be heard from inside the door, and she stepped forward and pushed open the door. Calm, that is how she would have to remain. Calm and unattached. But when she saw the almighty Isabelle Evans, wearing a papery, white, material, and strapped down to a bed with restraints, Maria felt her inside begin to come up. Her chest clenched around her heart, and she couldn't breathe. Why had she gone to Isabelle first? "Report?" Maria said as she entered the room and walked towards the doctor in charge.

"Isabelle Evans, all vital signs normal, except for her being excited from being brought in. But she is safe. We have injected her with something to calm her down. But the dosage did not take affect. So we used a stronger one, and it seems to be working." The doctor reported.

"And did you take all of this down in your notes?" Maria asked him superiorly.

"Yes." The doctor glared at her. "We take everything down."

Maria let him have a small smile. "Good."

"Maria?"

Maria felt shivers run through her body, at the patheticness of the voice. And the only question inside of her now, was when she would be able to be in the safeness of her own bedroom and cry. She turned to Isabelle. "Yes?" She noted the confused look that came over Isabelle's face as she surveyed Maria's attire. Maria no longer wore the crazy outfits she normally wore. Instead she wore a tan knee length skirt, and a tight fitting white shirt. It allowed easier movement in the jacket. Her hair was pulled up neatly out of her face, and any make-up she wore was minimal, and so was the jewelry. But the labcoat and name tag threw Isabelle off. Maria walked forward for Isabelle to get a better look. "Did you need anything?" Maria asked in a blatant tone.

"Maria what-?" Isabelle asked but couldn't finish the sentence as she read Maria's name tag.

Maria backed up away from Isabelle slowly and turned to the doctor. "Mr. Bernard," Maria said in a mocking tone. "If you would please." Maria said and motioned towards Isabelle. "I have other things to attend to." Maria told him and walked out of the white room quickly.

"I was right in the beginning! You were a traitor, you bi-!"

Maria closed the door on the last word, but she knew what had been coming out. Maria turned to the guard and smiled, now she needed to recover any kind of emotions that may have shown. "She's a little upset." Maria told him and shrugged. He didn't respond. He wasn't supposed to respond. Maria walked down the hall at a slow steady pace. Although she was putting it off, she was also giving the impression of not caring about what laid ahead of her. Once she reached the next door she stopped in front of the guard. "Who is in here?"

"Max Evans, Ma'am."

Maria nodded. Maybe this one would be easier. She began typing in the numbers again and going through the same process as last time. And the same computer voice responded to her. She pushed the door open to Max's own personnel white room. Unlike Isabelle, Max noticed her right away.

"Maria? What are you-"

"You will not refer to me as Maria. You may call me Ms. DeLuca." Maria told him sharply and walked towards the doctor. "What is Mr. Evans' status?" Maria barely heard what the doctor relayed to her. She was drawn away from him but Max's voice. She would have to put a stop to this. Because if he continued to talk she would break. Maria spun around in the middle of the doctors boring speech. "Mr. Evans," Maria advanced on him, "it would be kind of you if you would allow me to confer with the doctor. Because it would not be nice if they mistakenly cut off your finger or something in an experiment, because of some miscommunication between he and I." Maria smiled sweetly. "Now would it?"

"You lied to us." Max said with realization, as he surveyed her appearance.

"No, I did not lie. You never asked, 'Maria are you working for the government with a secret plan of taking us hostage and learning about or insides?' No, I do not remember that conversation." Maria turned towards the doctor. "I would advise you to keep your subject under control. Mr. Bernard was not doing much better." Maria told him sharply and walked towards the door.

"You can't get away with this!" Max yelled after her.

Maria stopped and turned to him slowly. "Look around Maximillion," Maria added the name for touch. And she noticed the flinch. "You're strapped down, in a white room, with doctors in white lab coats, and knives all around you. This is everything nightmares are made of. Except this one came true." Maria smiled at him. One that at an earlier time could have been taken as a kind smile, but now it was sickeningly sweet. Maria began backing away to the door slowly. "You tell me, Mr. Evans. Who got away with what here?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maria shut the door behind her. So far so good. But this was just the beginning. She liked to look at Max and Isabelle as preparation. What good luck for her that they had been lined up this way. Maria began another walk down the halls. This one maybe even slower. Her insides where so nervous she wanted to throw up. Her throat began constricting and for a moment she was scared she would lose the ability to breath. Once in front of the guard she stopped. "Who is in this room?"

"Michael Guerin, Ma'm."

Maria didn't even nod. She went through the whole process slowly and evenly. And cringed inwardly at the crisp sound of the computer. Maria turned to the guard. She didn't know this one to well. He seemed to be in his late 20's. Why did she feel so old compared to him. "Mr. Swanson?" Maria said as she eyed his name tag. The guard nodded. "Do you know what lay behind this door?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Aliens. Are you afraid of them. Scared that while you are asleep they will come into your dreams and kill you, or through some invisible force cut off your air supply, or maybe their mother ship will come down and take you up and perform the same tests we are performing on them here?" Maria asked him. And she so much wanted an answer.

"No, Ma'am." Swanson answered quickly.

Maria smiled. "Of course not."