The Suicide Project (Rebirth Book 1) (13 page)

Shaking my head in confusion, I protested, “I don’t get it. We’re not
that
interesting. We’re all ordinary. Why are they all watching us so closely? And by the way…earlier you mentioned that some of the others were jealous of us. I want you to explain what you meant by that statement. We haven’t even moved into the other building yet. None of us want any trouble Sarge.” My earlier feelings of fatigue had completely vanished in the face of our current conversation. Glancing to my right at Gideon, I did a double take as I noticed that his face was bright red. I sighed as I realized he was probably mortified knowing the others in the program had been watching us dance. Gideon was a little on the bashful side, so I could understand his embarrassment. His fists were clenched tightly as they rested on top of his legs so I reached over and patted the hand closest to me.

Sam, being ever observant, leaned his head forward on his end of the couch so he could take a peek at Gideon. Noticing his flushed cheeks he commented, “Maybe they’re just jealous because all three of us are such good dancers and they wished they were as awesome as we are.” I know Sam was only trying to be helpful, but his comment only made Gideon blush harder.

Aiming to soothe Gideon’s ruffled feathers, Sergeant Ramsey conceded, “Some of the others are jealous of you three because you developed an instant bond with each other from the moment you woke up at the military base. You’re all very close with each other and the other guys wish that they had that type of relationship with everyone in their own units. Each of the other units have one or more troublemakers, and it’s been problematic in getting them to advance with the project since each unit is supposed to function as a team, and make all their decisions together. For this reason, multiple test subjects have privately approached their own sergeants, requesting to transfer to your unit,” he informed us proudly.

My eyebrows rose as I stared back at the sergeant in surprise. Once again, I was confused. Didn’t the sergeant say that the majority of the other guys were repulsed when they heard about the program, and didn’t want to have anything to do with it? I refrained from pointing out his earlier words and instead, I pointed my finger at him as I demanded to know once and for all, “Can you read my mind or something? I’m about to ask a question but I have a feeling you already know what I’m going to ask!”

“No, I can’t read yer mind,” Sergeant Ramsey snorted. “It’s just that you have an expressive face and because yer so intelligent, usually I can anticipate which direction yer thoughts are gonna go.”

“So what am I thinking about now?” I prompted testily.

Shaking his head at me, he explained, “Earlier, I mentioned that the majority of the others were not in favor of the project and resented being thought of as “test subjects”. They wanted nothin’ to do with DNA experimentation. That is, until they started watchin’ y’all on the live camera feeds.”

“How the heck do you do that?!” I implored, perplexed and troubled that he could read me like a book. “It’s uncanny not to mention totally creepy by the way.” I pointed out.

His lips twitched as he just continued on as if I hadn’t spoken. “A few of them thought it was hilarious that you kept waving directly at the cameras, so they kept watching you to see what you’d do next. They really started payin’ attention the first few times we rewarded you for your good behavior. Some of them demanded to know why you guys got gifts and they didn’t. At that point, we gave them the lecture on how only disciplined, obedient soldiers got rewarded for their hard work. When they were going through boot camp, all they did was cry, complain, and talk back to their sergeants. They were angry, disrespectful, and they fought with each other all the time. It was an enlightening moment for most of em’ when they realized they’d get rewarded too for their hard work and compliance. In any case, unlike you three, none of the others ever bothered to ask for anything because they were too busy being royal pains in our asses.”

Dr. Duffy coughed out a laugh before adding, “I know for a fact that they’re entranced by you three because they’ve been able to visually see the benefits of all your hard work. None of you have missed a single day of exercise and it shows. Take Sam for example. Yes, they’ve seen you crying on camera a bunch of times but it’s only because you hate to run. It’s the only time you ever really cry. Despite that, you still get up every morning at the same time and you join the other two with a bright, sunshiny smile on your face as you prepare to tackle another day. You’ve become an inspiration to some of the girls. The other guys have only received one injection, but you three have received two so far. Because of it, Sam has shot up a whopping five inches in growth and he’s definitely not done growing yet. He’s also lost all of his “baby fat”, and he’s now built like a linebacker on steroids.” The Doc nodded his head at Sam in acknowledgement of all his hard work before turning his gaze to Gideon.

“Gideon, you’ve probably gained about 50-60 pounds in muscle mass alone. You were already quite tall when you arrived, but have you noticed that you’ve grown another two inches since you’ve been here? When you take off your shirt the others can see all the muscle definition in your body, and your abs alone have been a hot topic at the other barracks. You should hear the way the girls all squeal with excitement every time you take off your top. You’re like a God and they idolize you.” Dr. Duffy and Sergeant Ramsey both chuckled amongst themselves as they obviously both recalled such an incident that must’ve happened fairly recently at the other barracks.

“Oh my God,” Gideon groaned in embarrassment as he covered his face with his hands.

I just laughed in glee as I nudged him with my elbow and crowed, “Did you hear that Gideon? You’re a stud!! Just wait until they get a load of your new haircut and your clean shaven face.” Directing my smile to the military staff, I confided in a loud stage whisper, “You guys will have a riot on your hands when they feast their eyes on this sex symbol next to me.” They all chuckled but nodded their heads in agreement.

I felt a nudge to my left side and indulgently gave Sam my full attention as he whispered low, “What about me, Teagan? Do you think I’m a stud too?” I heard the worry in his voice, and it caused me to crack up. Slinging my arm around his neck, I pulled him close to me in a half hug so that our heads were nearly touching. I nodded my head as I whispered back, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for the past few months! There is no doubt in my mind that you and Gideon will be the studdliest muffins up in that joint. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Gideon heard what I said and finally uncovered his face to throw back his head in laughter.

We all shared a laugh together before Jamie held up her hand to point out, “This is another thing the others were initially jealous of. It’s your guys’ ability to have fun with each other and laugh together no matter what. They’re envious of the camaraderie between you three because it’s obvious to anyone watching that you truly enjoy being in each other’s company. You spend nearly every waking moment together you’re so close.” She cleared her throat before shooting a hesitant smile at Gideon. “I know you’re embarrassed that everyone was able to watch you guys learning how to dance in the gym, but you really shouldn’t be. You guys have groupies!”

I laughed again over this news as I waited for Jamie to elaborate. I noticed that Sergeant Ramsey was biting his lip, probably trying to hold back a chuckle in order to prevent further embarrassment to Gideon. “Four of the girls from different units all befriended each other, and they sort of formed a dance group in the gym. When you guys were learning the choreography for Sam’s favorite songs, you guys always had a habit of practicing on Wednesday and Friday nights at 7pm. The girls would head to the gym on those nights and they actually learned the dance moves by watching you three on the screen. I was with them a couple of those times, observing them as they danced along with you. It was really cute.” Jamie was smiling at the three of us tenderly like a mother would to her beloved children.

Dr. Duffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly as it looked like he was trying to formulate his next words. The serious expression was back on his face again. “Even though it may seem like you haven’t done anything yet, please believe us when we tell you that you have restored our faith in the project. You’ve brought us hope at a time when we were considering terminating the project. Simply by being yourselves, you’ve brought inspiration to the others, and along with it, the will and motivation to go on. They’re beginning to change their minds about the project and it’s all because of you guys!”

Not to be left out, Sergeant Ramsey was eager to add to the conversation. “Due to the fact that Teagan’s acrobatic displays in the gym always tend to occur after 1am, all the military staff and I made the executive decision to show the video of Teagan to the others. We wanted to see their reactions to her enhanced physical abilities. We stressed what they would be missin’ out on by refusin’ to take the project seriously.” He gestured to Gideon and Sam as he added, “Their reactions were pretty much identical to your reactions when you two saw that video. Teagan pretty much sealed the deal for the majority of the others because the clip was what helped to change their minds. In the past couple of months alone, the others have shown an interest in resuming physical activities again. They’re all scramblin’ to catch up with you three. They’ve been askin’ their Sergeants to increase exercise drills so they can get back in shape. After they finished boot camp, the majority of them had become listless and complacent. Just from observing you guys on the live feeds, they’ve become re-inspired. They all want their bodies to look like yours.”

Aiming a cheeky grin at the Sergeant, I confessed, “I guess I should probably thank you for this amazing ass. All those hours of lunges and squats you forced us to do, have probably eradicated all possibility of ever developing cellulite in my booty.”

Turning to waggle his eyebrows at me, Gideon grinned as he said, “You do have a great ass.”

Without skipping a beat, I played along “Thanks! I can probably bounce quarters off of
your
ass, it’s so rock hard!”

From the other side of me, I heard Sam’s worried voice, “How about mine?”

The conversation took a decidedly silly turn, and I got a serious case of the giggles. “Yes, Sam. Your ass is amazing too. I think it’s from all that running around the track that you hated to do. It was actually good for your body.”

Gideon and I smiled at Sam as we watched him contemplate what I had said about the running. Turning to Sergeant Ramsey, he blurted, “I suppose I should thank you for my great ass too, then. Thank you!”

The sergeant’s shoulders were shaking with mirth as he pointed his finger at me and admonished, “Teagan darlin’, you really need to stop your swearin’. Seriously.”

“Why?! Do you have
any
idea how hard that’s going to be for me?” I complained. Swearing had always been a bad habit of mine. Even though the Sergeant didn’t like it, he had always tolerated it. Up until now, that is.

“Because your roommate is young and sweet, and I don’t want you to be a bad influence on her. She’s a wee lil’ thang and all the sergeants are over-protective of her. You’ll like Kyrie when you meet her. Since you’re nosy, I know you’re prolly gonna take one look at her and wonder what the hell she’s doing here but I can’t tell you her story. Only she can do that. Do not pressure her for information Teagan. She’s only 14 years old and she’s our youngest participant. I’m sure she’ll confide in you once she trusts you fully. I understand that you’re 9 years older than her, but I think you two will be good for each other as roommates. Kyrie already worships the ground you walk on. She might be your biggest fan.”

I wasn’t sure what to think about Sergeant Ramsey’s statement. It left me feeling completely poleaxed. My curiosity was 100% completely aroused and yet I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Also, it was a really sneaky maneuver on his part pairing me with the youngest member of the program. Of course I wasn’t going to corrupt a young 14 year old girl by cussing in front of her. It was different with the guys because…well, they were guys.
Damn it all!
This was going to be a true test of my willpower because I wasn’t used to censoring myself. The sergeant had already hinted over the possibility of denying me chocolate if I didn’t tone down my swearing. Now I knew he was serious. I shot a frown at him as I realized that he had me cornered.

“I challenge you to improvise and make up new swear words. Just make sure they’re all kid friendly. Use yer better judgment. And remember…you have your chocolate at stake. Don’t let me down.”

I just nodded my head as I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. I was suddenly hit with another wave of drowsiness and I knew if I didn’t go to bed soon, someone was going to have to carry me there.

Jamie realized I was on the verge of passing out and blurted, “We’re escorting you guys to the large barracks tonight. That way, the others won’t have a chance to gawk at you as they wait for your arrival. You’ll already be safe and sound in your new quarters and they’ll be none the wiser. It’ll also give you a chance to sleep in tomorrow.”

Sergeant Ramsey got to his feet and said, “Gideon, you’ll be rooming with Sam in the guy’s wing. Teagan will be in the opposite wing with Kyrie. The Mess Hall separates the male and female dorm rooms. We’ll finish our conversation tomorrow. For now, you three go grab any clothes or toiletries you wanna take with you tonight. We can always come back and pick up whatever gets left behind at a later date.”

I stumbled to my feet and made a beeline for my bathroom to brush my teeth. I really didn’t have that many personal effects in my room, just a small pile of clothes and my sneakers. I threw my toiletries haphazardly on top of my clothes, zipped the top of my duffel bag, and headed back for the Common Room in record time.

Gideon and Sam were just exiting their rooms when I walked out. We each looked at each other in anticipation. I couldn’t believe we’d be sleeping in the new building tonight! This evening was just turning out to be one surprise after another.