Forbidden Lights

Stereotypes say that children are starting to find themselves at fourteen, they’ve tanned, bruised and experienced the world with friends. There are however always outliers, for instance one ghost like child who hasn’t set foot outside the sterile floor he was brought to as a child. Gadget more frequently called Number-27 was raised in a sanatorium where even sunlight was never seen. When he wasn’t being groomed into a surgeon or perhaps a mad-scientist he was confined to a tiny cell, the room was padded in white, furnished with a simple cot that had thin blankets and a flat pillow, a small chest of drawers. A divider at the foot of the room concealed a makeshift washroom, making the room feel smaller and more uninviting.

Pallid, listless, and alone Gadge was lonely, with no opportunity to make friends. At least until three years ago. One day returning from the labs, he found a tiny white teacup kitten with a few gray and black patches on its fur. Clearly it escaped from somewhere then got lost. The small creature was sitting in front of a door that was normally tightly sealed shut. Beyond the door there was a captivating green light shining from a dangling sign, perhaps an old mutilated exit sign?

Footsteps began rushing towards the hallway, perhaps having noticed the ajar door. Gadge quickly scooped up the kitten and hid it in his lab coat. Turning on his heel Gadget continued back to his room, gripping his pocket to hold the kitten safely. He attempted to slow his breathing as he walked to conceal the nervous curiosity brewing inside him; Had he truly found a hope? Was this a way to escape this tiny prison? He flinched hearing the deafening thud of the door sealing once more, it would be no easy feat to get past that thick metal door.

Two years had passed since Gizmo the tiny kitten came into his possession, both kitten and master grew to be clever and sly. While they grew Gadge taught them both. Gizmo learned to hide when anyone other than his owner was around. With brief access to books and documents, Gadget learned of chemicals, and compositions for general anesthetics. Careful of the eyes of the other researchers he also slowly learned the passcode to the door. Escaping the researchers’ notice wasn’t very hard, when they had a large-scaled project ‘For the betterment of humanity’ he was left to fend for himself.

Feeding him enough to survive and teaching him only what they required. Mostly anatomy, human biology and chemistry, just more extreme things that normal children would never witness, and no justifiable science center would do. Things too inhumane for adults let alone the child they taught to wield the scalpel. Gadge was numbed to it, although he still recalled basic morals from his first few years, he could recall his life outside the floor vaguely.

Although he was a toddler at the time, he and his brother were abandoned in a fancy glass-faced building with white halls. They had barely turned five. A set of identical twins glue together, with different personalities. Giz was the sweet, sensitive one, while Gadge was the protective, cunning one albeit timid at times. Having sensed ill intentions, Gadget locked his younger twin in a nearby tiny utility closet wanting to protect him. Promising he’d be back soon. At the time he had no idea that could be the last time he saw his brother. The door muffled the inside so Giz’s cries were inaudible with other noise in the hall, so Gadget didn’t know that Giz had hurt his hand when he fell into the closet.

All he knew was the discomfort of inhaling decay scented breath. His focus was stolen by the figure that lifted him by his shirt, with an eerie smile that haunts his dreams. The researcher made a judgement based on how shabbily Gadget was dressed, covering his eyes he was carried away. Leaving the muffled sobs of Giz hidden in hopeful safety.

Even now, as Gadget planned his escape beyond the sealed door, he was thinking about his foolish twin Giz, hoping that he was found by better people and was happy. His first goal after getting out, was of course to find Giz. Little kitten Giz walked across the paper map Gadge had drawn and pawed his cheek. Stopping Gadge from chewing on his inner cheek.

The four scientists were fawning over a new subject in the lab, it had two way glass with a view of the door; They could see out, but he couldn’t see in. The chemical closet was in the same hall Gadge’s cell was. Getting there and mixing the chemicals was the easy part, there was a security camera watching the ventilation duct where he needed to place the container which he had no way of evading. Punishments here were things of nightmares, and usually lead to Gadge getting to dissect some new types of organs the human body no longer required. He had of course made several attempts in his impatience to see Gizmo again. His ivory skin sports a barcode tattoo between his shoulder blades, and various incision scars.

Shaking the thought away he took a breath, scooping up Giz he put him snuggly inside the inner lab coat pocket, and tying a thin sloppily made bag under his coat with rations in case he was somewhere remote. With his preparations done he pulled on a mask.

Without hesitation he walked into the chemical closet and began making a stronger anesthetic than the one he normally mixed, a version of cyclopropane. His goal was to knock out anyone who inhaled it for a short period of time, once he got out of the door, he needed time to orient himself and find an escape. So the dosage was potent. Even with the mask Gadget was starting to feel woozy, once he finished he slid the dish by the vent and scampered away to a blind spot in the hallway, listening to the sounds from the main lab. Keeping the mask on he steadied his breathing, the cloudy muddle-headedness began to fade and he pet gizmo in his pocket.

As Gadget waited he heard the sounds from beyond the two-sided glass fading into incoherence, the sounds of machines halting with no one to operate them. Gadget clapped his cheeks and forced himself to focus, he sprinted to the door and entered the code number by number, praying he recalled it correctly. A satisfying beep and the release of the latch answered after the input, he gratefully yanked the door open, and ran out pulling it shut behind him without hesitation.

Beyond the door was dim, only scattered green lights to what appeared to be exit signs were visible and some faint flickering fluorescents that seemed to be dying. Making the hall feel long and oppressive, there were no traces of life in the musty hall, at the end there seemed to be an endless stairwell. Gadge had no intention of wasting time being curious with the other rooms on this floor, and he moved cautiously and quickly towards the stairwell. Following the greenlights to guide him out.

Heart hammering he rushed toward the stairs, Gizmo not enjoying the fluttering of the robe crawled out of the pocket and was clinging to his shirt front, habitually being supported by Gadge’s hand. Fingers stroking the warm fur while his eyes darted about preparing himself for obstacles that might appear. A facility like this one, based on the vague concept of humanity he recalled, would be frowned upon and thus highly protected and secretive.

Despite his high strung nerves, nothing appeared. Just the neglected, dust coated, decrepit stairs that lead upward as far as the eye could see with no visible exit. Flight after flight, there was no concept of time, only his labored breathing and progression of perspiration. The stairs changed from metal to concrete, and later there was a carpet in the center of the stairs. Windows started appearing on the walls around then, while the exit signs vanished. The new source of light was painful to the eyes, still he persevered, until finally a door came into view, which he timidly opened. Confusing himself and drawing a passerby’s attention to himself.

Outside this new door was a new world, the walls were modern, clean and covered with paintings, computers or other screens, the floor was tiled and classy. Stepping out of the door, Gadge found he was steps from the closet he had pushed his brother into and it was still there, though it seemed to be serving another purpose now. Gadget looked around, petting Gizmo with one hand, wondering where he was. The passerby walked over and called out in a monotone voice that seemed incredulous “Giz? What are you doing here?”

Gadget’s eyes widened and the boy's eyes narrowed. The two spoke in overlapping timing “You know Giz?/Who are you?” A standoff, the boy pulled a gun and pointed it at Gadge, who didn’t even flinch and asked “You know Gizmo? So is Giz really safe? After all this time? I’m so glad.” He hugged the kitten to his chest, continuing to ignore the gun. It wasn’t that he was unaware of its dangers, he just truly expected, this person who knew his brother wouldn’t harm him. Slowly Gadget lifted his empty hand, pulling the mask covering his mouth away, he smiled faintly “My name is Gadget, Giz is my brother, if he’s someone you could confuse with me… Then that’s proof he is doing well… Where exactly are we? This place… It’s changed since the last time we were here... “ The gun trained on him didn’t fire, but followed him as he walked to the closed door where Giz would have been found, he traced over the low latch that served no purpose but was untouched. Muttering softly he frowned “We were so close all this time? If there’s no security down there perhaps even Giz has found hell?”

Following that thought Gadge’s eyes hardened, the expressionless face beyond the gun gave no answers, only an instruction “Follow me.” It was an order, he was going to be led somewhere in this building, and likely not to his brother. Petting the kitten he reluctantly followed the instruction he was given, a pass marked visitor was thrown around his head. He was guided through winding hallways into the heart of the building where they took elevators up to a white floor with onyx tiles and various memorial pieces on the walls. Similar to the sanatorium below, but brighter, it hurt his eyes. He focused on the flecks of silver in the dark tiles instead as they walked through a maze of halls to another elevator.

The floor numbers continued to ascend, from L where they were originally there had been buttons B1 and B2 levels, but there were no indicators for the far lower floors, perhaps not connected but affiliated? This elevator climbed from 35 to 50, it required a special keycard to operate and a biometric scan. The green indicator changed quickly, soon they arrived at the top floor, and Gadget was directed, with a gun trained on him, he walked down a straightforward hallway, to a decorative door that had an empty secretarial station outside. Inside there was a thick glass wall with shades rolled up that would black out the windows if needed.

Swallowing Gadget walked in, inside there was a plush carpet, the walls were lined with bookshelves on the left, crammed with books and files. On the right there were various monitors showing news feeds, the surveillance of key points of the building, then there was a fireplace laden with certain photos and a keycard reader beside that making the ‘closet’ door beside it seem intimidating. In the center was a desk, with the chair facing its back toward the door.