The Initiative (A Sleeping Beauty Remix)

Four

Four

"I'm hesitant to put her in the field. There are signs she's not ready, though she tells me she is. Nevertheless, she will be evaluated again.

--Dr. James Messenger, psy D. [Correspondence to Commander Adrian Leonger]

Dr. Freed rotated my ankle. "It's amazing. Your muscles hardly atrophied--even after sixteen years," he shook his head, "I can't believe it."

I pulled the thin red stretch band between my hands. Physical therapy was mostly the same little exercises each day. In the mornings, I walked into Dr. Freed's underground office and he put me on an uncomfortable examination table or plastic blue chair and led me through boring stretches.

"I was in a practically magical suspension tank for 16 years and you can't believe my muscle mass? Doc, we gotta get you out more."

He put my foot down and moved to my left. Damn his hands were cold.

"How long until I'm good to go?" I asked. Sitting in this tiny white room doing various stretches and pacing was not my idea of a good time.

Doc clicked his tongue, watching the muscles in my foot and calf closely. "I'd say another week."

"Another week? But you just said my muscles haven't atrophied!"

"I did. However, it is still going to take some time for you to get them working right again."

"They work fine."

"When you're doing simple tasks. What about the field?" He sat back and rolled his chair back to the desk across the room. He scribbled onto my glorious medical records. "The last thing you need is to go into the field and get blindsided because your legs give out."

"That's what training is for."

He shot me a warning look. "A week more."

I pressed my lips together and dropped the stretch band on the floor. "Fine. Are we done here?"

Doc Freed nodded.

The paper cover over the examination seat crinkled as I got up. At least I didn't need the cane anymore. Moving wasn't hard. Though I did notice a wariness to my muscles that weren't there in the past. Walking for too long or quick movements tended to wear me down.

No matter, I'd simply build them back up.

I left the room, saluting the good doc on my way out. "See you tomorrow."

The examination/office room was in one of the sublevels of the underground facility. Marlee had called the underground the Tunnels. Made sense. All the hallways down here were slim and interconnecting, much like tunnels. It was easy to get lost down here.

The last couple of days I'd spent getting to know my surroundings. If this was going to be the headquarters we operated out of, then I was going to know the ins and outs of all of it. I needed to know where the easiest exits were, which places couldn't be guarded.

I needed to know where to go if something went wrong.

Another elevator at the end of the hall led further down into the tunnels. This place had everything necessary to house a couple hundred people. Part of me wondered if it were a bunker of sorts should Sarias ever worry about a major disaster or attack.

The Tunnels had a cafeteria (not in use), a kitchen, library, medical wing, sleeping quarters, training room, indoor track, and a full-scale armory. And that was what I noticed from my tours. No doubt there were more things lurking underground.