I followed Anna down the steep ladder and into the corridor beyond. The tunnel was old, almost ancient, and the ground underfoot rough as it curved around in a sweeping bend. Before long, it felt like we'd walked miles. Every six feet, another feeble light was set into the ceiling.
'This tunnel was originally built during the civil war,' she said. 'It was used to store ammunition and supplies. Later, The Agency constructed its base over it. Very few people even know it exists.'
'I don't care about your tunnels,' I said. 'What is going on? What does The Agency intend to do?'
'It's not what they intend to do.' Anna turned off into another corridor where a feeble light illuminated a door at the far end. 'It's what they've already done.'
'What do you mean?'
'Doctor Richards was the lead scientist involved in The Alpha Project. He was able to convince many of the others that what they were doing was wrong. They transported you out of here despite knowing it would probably cost them their lives.' Anna unlocked an ancient iron door and pushed it wide open. 'But he wasn't able to get everyone out.'
My heart was pounding as I entered the room. It was barely six feet by eight feet. In it was a kid, maybe thirteen years old with thin black hair. He sat on a bunk located close to the floor. The kid wore a t-shirt and shorts and shoes too large for him. On his arms were the same needle marks that we'd had on our arms, but they were almost imperceptible. Hanging from the ceiling was a single light bulb suspended from a chain. To one side sat a small hand basin and toilet. On the other side of the chamber was another iron door with bars in the grate that looked onto blackness.
At first, I thought the paint on the walls was peeling, but then I realized the marks were writing. Words. Formula. Languages. Lines and lines of information covered every inch of the cell.
The kid looked up without seeing me. It was as if he were looking through me. My throat was dry. If I tried to speak, I knew it would come out as a whisper, and my legs were shaking so hard I could hardly stand.
I leaned against one of the walls for support.
How was this allowed to happen?
'This is Ferdy,' Anna said.
'Mister Jones said they tried to make the procedure work with adults,' I said. 'He didn't say—'
'Modifications have been going on for a long time,' Anna said. 'There were others before you. There have been different processes. Some did not survive. Ferdy is the last one of the previous batch who—'
'Batch?' My voice rose. 'You make him sound like some kind of experiment.'
Tears filled the doctor's eyes. 'We did not know it would be like this. I swear it. We thought we would be experimenting with animals. It was only after we started that I realized we were using human subjects.'
'You should have refused—'
'Refused?' Anna looked at me in disbelief. 'It's impossible to refuse Twelve. Other aliens within The Agency are not like him. But as far as Twelve is concerned, you are either with him or against him. He rules with an iron fist. Most people here have no idea as to what's really going on.'
I turned to the figure sitting on the bed. 'Ferdy,' I said. 'Are you all right?'
He remained silent.
'Ferdy?' I tried again. 'Can you hear me?'
'The area of a triangle.' He stopped. 'The area is calculated by multiplying half the base times the height.'
I didn't know what to make of this. 'Okay.' I continued. 'My name is Axel. I'm here to help you. We're going to leave. Do you understand what I'm saying?'
He looked through me again. 'The highest known mountain is Olympus Mons on Mars. It rises to a height of 69,459 feet. And yes, Ferdy understands you.'
I nodded in relief. 'I am a friend.'
'The most abundant element in the universe is hydrogen.'
'He has a photographic memory,' Anna said. 'In addition to a genius IQ.'
'Was he always like this?'
She shook her head. 'No. He was a perfectly healthy little boy when he arrived.'
'Are these experiments still being carried out?'
'Not now. Doctor Richards destroyed all the research before he ran away with you and the others. Twelve has been trying to get me to reproduce Richard's work, but it's impossible.' Anna's face was so yellow in the pale light that she looked unwell. 'I swear I didn't know it would be like this—'
'But then,' the voice said from behind us, 'sacrifices must always be made for the greater good.'
We spun about to see Twelve with a gun pointed directly at Anna.
He pulled the trigger.