Thalia drifted up toward consciousness slowly. It had been a deep-dreamless sleep. The same as it always was when they drugged her. The first thing she felt was a dull anger, both at herself for losing control of her emotions and at the gearmen for being...well, like they always were.
The bright white of the room hurt her eyes, her head felt like it was full of cotton. It must be late in the morning if the lights were already so bright. Clearly it was past the time she should be up, on the way to breakfast. She could even hear the footsteps of the other girls passing by her door. Somewhere in the distance, someone laughed. She knew she was risking another encounter with the crew by staying in bed so long, but she couldn't bring herself to care too much. He must have given her something to quell her frazzled nerves, along with the drug to make her sleep.
She pressed her eyes closed and tried to focus on what she knew, instead of worrying about all the things she didn't. Although the gearmen were largely unhelpful, at least they were always honest. Well, as far as she knew.
She had been brought to Human Quarantine Ship X33465 by a shuttle when she was nine years old. There were fifty human girls housed here at all times. If a new girl appeared, an older girl disappeared. Every new girl was disoriented and afraid. None of them knew where they had come from. Their memories had been wiped clean. The gearmen answered most of their early questions by producing instructional discs. While factual, these discs were not overly helpful in quelling the girls' emotions.
The discs instructed the girls on what they were—human. Basic human needs were outlined and explained. They were assured that all of their needs would be met and all that was asked of them was patience and obedience until they were relocated.
That was all they knew.
The door to Thalia's room opened with its characteristic snap and she glared up at the ceiling.
"It is important that you eat." The familiar voice chirped. After a moment of silence, and no movement from Thalia, the gearman added: "Do you require assistance?"
That was as close to a threat as the gearmen came. Thalia nearly flung herself from the bed, and became instantly dizzy. When a clear, whirring hand reached out to steady her, she stumbled back into the wall to avoid contact with it.
"No," She answered, glaring at him angrily as she righted herself. "I don't need you to force feed me, or drag me to the dining room. I just need you to get out of my way!"
"You must eat." He responded, but backed out of the room to give her some space. "I will wait while you change. Unless you require assistance?"
She slammed the door in his face, but quickly went about dressing. The gearmen were not known for their patience and the thought of his cold hands dressing her made her shudder. Her nightgown was abandoned on the floor and she pulled a clean dress over her head. It was white, like everything else, with a lacey hem poofing out around her knees. A human dressing disc had explained it was called an A-line, and had been picked as it was sure to flatter all human body types.
Thalia hated it.
The gearman was waiting when she exited the room but thankfully remained silent as he followed her to the center room of the ship. The cafeteria was still very busy, but most girls had already finished eating. Feeling the gearman at her back, Thalia sat without comment. He quickly retreated and was replaced by an identical crew member who sat a dish on the table before her and bid her eat.
She picked up her spoon and the gearman left.
Thalia ate the mush without really noticing it. It hadn't gotten any better tasting, she had just gotten better at ignoring it. The mush was perfectly nutritional, a balance of every little thing her body needed to be healthy. To expect something that tasted good, or had any personality to it, was ridiculous.
Most of the girls were crowded around the new girl, attempting to comfort her. From what Thalia overheard, she had been convinced to stay in bed without being drugged. This morning, however, she had been unable to stomach the foul taste of the mush. The gearmen had assisted by force feeding her.
"It's important that you eat," One of the other girls, Brittany, said while petting the new arrival's hair in a comforting way, "You have to keep up your strength."
Thalia laughed suddenly, and choked on her mush. A gearman appeared with a glass of water but she waved him away and swallowed again. Every eye had turned to her.
"You have to be kidding me," She said, when she could speak, "You sound like one of the clock-work boys." She nodded her head toward the gearmen. "The only reason you should eat is because if you don't, they'll make you. Just like everything else."
The new girl began to cry again, and the grouped tightened around her. While everyone else shushed, and cooed, Brittany stood and faced Thalia.
"There's no point in scaring her!" She said. Her hands were clenched into fists. "She needs to learn to take care of herself, so that they will leave her alone."
"And," a small voice came from the middle of the girls, "If I stay strong...maybe I can escape?"
The group slowly leaned back from her, their expressions grave. Some glanced at one another, at a loss, others looked like they might cry themselves.
"Oh, Sweetheart..." Brittany began, turning toward the nine year-old, and then stopped when her eyes fell on the small, tear-stained face. Even she was at a loss.
