Page 77 of Crewel (Crewel World 1)

‘Very well,’ he says, sliding the small pad into his pocket. ‘I will be placing the mapping device over your head. It will scan various parts of your brain. During the process I will ask you questions, and it will map how your brain creates an answer.’

‘I thought you said I could sleep,’ I squeak.

‘You can,’ he assures me. ‘You’re being given a mental stimulant right now. It allows you to process information even in an unconscious state.’

I want to rip the needle out of my arm. There is no way I’m sleeping through a questioning.

‘I will be sitting in the next room observing. You will hear me through this comcuff,’ he says, hooking a small black device around my right ear. ‘Nurse Renni, can we fit the mapper?’

She nods and enters a code on the companel. Above me, the ceiling splits wide, and out of the gaping hole, two spotlights burst on. Blinking against their brightness, I watch the mapper descend. It’s a large dome, but as it comes closer I realise it’s not solid; it’s a series of connected wheels and gears so intricately bound together they appear to glide against one another. My eyes shift to the doctor ducking through the observatory door, and then to the nurse, who is checking my medcuff. As the device lowers over my head, I try to determine how it functions but a beam of green light breaks across my vision and I’m blinded.

‘It’s normal,’ the nurse murmurs next to me, fiddling with my medcuff. ‘You’ll be able to see again after the procedure is over.’

I arch up from the table and try to shove the device off my head.

‘Deep breaths, Adelice, or I’ll have to get the Valpron,’ she warns me.

This forces me to settle back into the darkness. My arms and legs tingle with the chill in the sterile room. Without my sight I feel trapped and immobile, like a fly in a spider’s web.

‘Adelice.’ The doctor’s voice sounds in my ear. ‘We’re beginning the test.’

I take a strangled breath and let it out slowly.

‘Adelice, where were you born?’

‘Romen, in the Western Sector.’

‘Good. Answer specifically like that,’ he says. ‘What were your parents’ names?’

I take another breath and answer, ‘Benn and Meria Lewys.’

‘Your father’s occupation?’

‘He was a mechanic. He worked on the Guild’s motofleet in Romen.’

‘And your mother?’

‘She was a secretary.’

‘What is your sister’s name?’

‘Amie,’ I whisper. Each time I say her name, I see the wispy curls behind her ears.

‘Please repeat.’

‘Amie,’ I say more authoritatively, pressure building in my chest.

‘Are your parents living?’

I suck in a breath and exhale my answer. ‘No,’ I lie.

‘Adelice, did you maintain purity standards before your testing?’

‘What kind of question is that?’ I demand, my hands clenching into fists.

‘Please answer the question.’

‘Yes,’ I say. ‘I maintained purity standards.’