"It's 1984." Hadi murmured quietly.

Liu looked up for the first time in a while, at the tiny shape past the distant wall. "Look, it's bad. It's constraining. But complaining about it will get us nowhere."

The minuscule neck shook. "Not what I meant. I counted 1984 tiles. On the walls. And floor."

"OK." Liu turned away again, moving to make sure she still could. "That's... precise. You know, I... I keep hearing the guys' voices. As if Tessay and Pedro aren't... But I didn't tempt them here. We all came of our own will, right?"

"It's 2024." Bello's voice had a slight boom.

Liu jumped again. "What? It can't have been that long. When we came in it was... September?"

"No." She stretched herself out. "I mean, there should be 2024 tiles. Counting the ones below our rooms."
Hadi suddenly jumped on her. "They're cages. These aren't our rooms. This isn't our home!"
"Anywhere with you is home." Bello stroked her hand with one finger, for the third time since they'd heard footsteps past the halls outside.

Anderson bashed his arm against the wall. "I've done terrible things. They don't know, my mother... She was the model for that story... I, I sold my own mother to the internet for views..." He kicked it, even knowing nothing would budge - inside or out.

Bello whispered, "He's lying. He said he was raised without a mother, last time he went on and on about his life story."
Hadi covered her mouth. "It's like he confesses to a new thing every hour. As if he's saying something to a torturer and hoping they'll stop."
"Wonder if that thing about the bug crush video was true."
"It wouldn't line up, there'd be too much evidence. That one about hiding small cameras, though."
"He didn't say anything about hidden cameras."
"He didn't? I thought I heard..."

As dampness continued to build across Anderson and Pedro's chambers, Liu felt her own sweat droplets carving their way across her thin, pale neck. She kept her breathing in sync with the incoming pace of steps, hoping that this would be the time...

Veronica. Once more. The small girl relaxed, letting herself sink down. "I'm so glad you're here again."

The massive head looked over her black collar. The array of stitches leading up over her nose tilted in confusion. "You're glad...? I... You don't even know what I'm here for."

She looked to the folding hands, in pale gloves - and her own palms rested together as well, right over her chest. "It's just so good to have someone to talk with again. Everyone here has, they've kind of sunken into each other. You seem so... Like you're the one normal person here."

"Normal?" With widening, dark eyes, she kept looking in quizzically. "Me, a walking armory... Normal?"

Liu blushed, and fell back. "Well... Y'know, you... You don't go on about stupid things. Dumb... fetish stuff that probably can't be... The things they say aren't real..."

Veronica was about to respond, when another set of legs followed her in. Fran. Her presence made Anderson return to his confused screams and fetal position. Presumably, Tessay and Pedro did the same, though nobody could hear him anymore. She scratched the back of her head, scribbled notes on a pad, and reached the remaining arms out to her sister.

"Si~is..." Fran's stitched hand landed on her shoulder. "You really should be running security. The next client needs to be restrained. I can't do that myself..."

Sparking up, Veronica turned back. "Hey, Fran. Can't you just fix them?" She swung her finger around the room. "Rewire the part of their brains that makes them... freaks? Make them stop saying weird things? Then you could... let them go?"

Fran tapped her chin. "Veronica, these aren't our toys to tamper with. They're patients who put their trust in us. The Professor taught us, we should be respectful to each patient's sensibilities~"

"There's nothing SENSIBLE about how they act! Or what you do to them!" She swung her hands out, pulling on Fran's coat. "Come on. We've seen a lot. This isn't normal. They're sick. Just... Make them STOP being sick!"

Fran had a long, delayed reaction, only slowly shrugging her shoulders. "They're mature adults who can take responsibi~lity for their choices."

"And there's nothing RESPONSIBLE, either!" She choked up, collapsing to the ground. "Please. Please, Fran, you said you would help them."

Fran stepped to the side. "Veronica, you're full of love. And that's good! But you have to recognize... these two have their own kind of love. Don't you, love buu~ugs~?" She fluttered forward with a cheerful smirk, tapping her fingers against the glass - closely enough that they could see some detached stitches. "Are you two being gentle with each other~?"

Bello took a stand, curling her fist up. Hadi was against her chest. "I'm not going... I'm not going to let you take her."
"We don't agree to any weird experiments!" Hadi shrieked.
"She's perfect this way!"
"I like her like this!"

Veronica, from below, shook her head rapidly. "Don't..."

Still looking in, Fran's yellowed eyes blinked once, and she let out a relieved sigh - holding her heart. "Oh. Thank goodness. I had no idea what I was going to try with you two..."

The two of them blinked. Hadi scurried and made herself small into Bello's belly, feeling her beating heart. "You're lying. You have to be lying. You've been - you've been ripping us apart..."

"I wii~ish I had more time with you." Fran rubbed her temples. "But patients keep coming in and out. I have two video conferences to attend just today... Assistance with appendectomy, rhinoplasty, eosinophilic esophagitis, achalasia or cardiospasm... Three men with strange symptoms I need to diagnose... Ah, and a general checkup on the latest Sentinel." She patted her clipboard to her forehead. "Really, I just came here to check on your condition. And get Veronica back."

At that, the larger of the two quickly breathed in, and glanced back down to her cellmate. "Then we can... We're... free?"

"There's still three more days for rehabilitation. But you can do whatever you wa~ant. Everyone's happy that way... Right?" Her blonde locks fluttered down as she reached for her sister.

Veronica gulped, and covered her face. "Yeah. That's right, why should I care?" Gradually, she shuffled across a few of the 2044 tiles, boots leaving a faint trail. "Why did I even come here...?"

After a quick wave, Fran followed - the door slamming shut.

Hadi murmured, hiding away from the sounds outside. "There's so much happening in the rooms above."
"The world really does keep going on without us..." Bello made heavy, desperate mouth-breaths, as if she were peeking her head above water.
"My world can't without you. I'm so glad... So glad I could be... Here... With your breaths..."

"I want you to always be part of me... Is that weird?"

"No. Everything around here is weird. Everyone else... I just want to sink into you. Your lips. Your chest..."

"You're perfect. Let me... Let me protect you, Hadi."

"Bello, this..."

Hadi was small enough. Small enough to be easily lifted parallel to her companion's face. Small enough that gravity gave only minimal resistance. Small enough that the smile before her was like a billboard. Small enough that she could fit in perfectly.

It was just a moment of pressure. A moment of pleasure. A moment of flavor. A moment of lost breath.

And then, Bello had her meal. Her lover slid down her internal passageways, lovingly masticated by the powerful, gushing walls around her. This couldn't last long - so Bello made it endure. She drank in as much of her girlfriend as she could for the brief, intoxicating moment she descended. Her finger slid down her esophagus, giving Hadi one last, loving stroke in her nethers - before she joined the rest of the bolus in her churning stomach.

A moment where she could fully be in control...

A place where she could finally rest...

Bello and Hadi were able to sleep in peace that night, in a mutual gurgle. The same could not be said for Liu, covering her head with her dress.

***

Through their walk down the halls, Veronica kept staring down. "Fran. Do you ever wonder... If the Professor is happy with us?"

"What's brought this on?" Fran circled to the other side.

The younger sister played with her gloves. "Nothing. I just keep thinking that if he came back... maybe he'll say that I haven't been doing my job well."

"Hm. Well, I do keep wondering about him. What he would waa~aant..." The older sister scratched her hair. "...He would want us all to hold hands and be smiling for him. As long as the people in this house are happy and healthy, you're doing all he asked for."

She murmured. "That's what I'm afraid of... Are they really happy, Fran?"

"Hey, that reminds me!" Suddenly, Fran's cheeks perked up. "I'm busy today, but if my little sister wants to be stronger, I could still pencil in a few upgraa~aades!"

"Gah! Did I touch a sore spot--!?"