Chapter 55

-Jianna-

**2007**

I lay on the floor of my cell, and I was covered in bruises, sweat, and blood. I was barely able to move my body, and my throat was so hoarse that even drinking any type of fluid was like swallowing razor blades.

It has been two days of nonstop torture, and Dr. Mondrich has still not told me what he wanted to do to me. What the endgame of this brutality is still unknown, and how long it will last is anyone's guess.

I closed my eyes, trying to escape the pain, but the memories of how I ended up in this hellhole came rushing back. I just wanted out of the game. I tried to get out, and James gave me that out. We were so close, too. Or so I thought. I knew it was too good to be true. They have been following us since Spain. They're not the type to let someone walk away from their organization.

My mind wandered back to James. I wondered what had happened to him. Had they caught him, too? Was he being tortured somewhere else? I couldn't bear the thought of him doing the same thing. I couldn't bear the thought of him suffering because of me.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the hallway, and my heart raced. I tried to stand up, but my body wouldn't cooperate. The door to my cell opened, and Dr. Mondrich walked in with a smile.

"Jianna, my dear, how are you feeling today?" he asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.

I didn't answer him back. Instead, I focused my eyes on the ceiling, and my breathing became shallow.

"Jianna. Prinisepesa. Everything would be done soon. You just have to trust the process." his voice was condescending. "Your papa trusts my process; the results would be worth it."

I glared at him, refusing to answer. He chuckled and approached me, crouching to meet my eye level.

"You know, Jianna, you could make this much easier for yourself. Just give in," he said, his voice taking on a menacing tone.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, refusing to give in to his demands. The pain was excruciating, but I would not let them break me. I had to stay strong for James, wherever he was.

Dr. Mondrich stood up and sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Very well, Jianna. I guess we'll have to continue with the next phase of the procedure."

My heart sank as I realized that the torture was far from over. Dr. Mondrich motioned to the guards standing outside the door, and they entered the cell, grabbing me roughly. I could feel their firm hands on my arms, dragging me out of the cell and down the hallway to a new room. I tried to fight them off, but I was so exhausted that I just let them drag me.

Inside, I saw an oversized metal chair with restraints on it and a table full of medical equipment. Fear gripped me as I waited for what was about to happen. The men forced me to sit on the chair and placed the restraints on my wrists and ankles. They then strapped my head down and put a rubber gag in my mouth.

"Isn't she a beaut?" Dr. Mondrich said, gesturing to the machine I just noticed encased me. It was like an MRI machine that didn't have the tunnel.

He began to explain what was about to happen to me, but I couldn't hear him because of the gag in my mouth. All I could do was stare wide-eyed as the machine began to hum and whirr to life. My heart raced in fear as I watched a screen light up in front of me, showing a live scan of my brain.

As the machine began to scan the rest of my body, I felt a sharp pain in my temple. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The pain continued to intensify until it felt like my head was going to explode. I screamed into the gag, but it was no use. The pain continued to spread throughout my body until I thought I was going to pass out. I tried to scream through the gag, but no sound escaped my mouth.

After a while, the machine stopped humming and started returning to its original position, and the pain became a numbing throb. Dr. Mondrich took out the gag and took my vitals. I almost passed out, but Mondrich injected me with something, and a few minutes later, it was like I had just drank 5 energy drinks, one after another. My adrenaline started pumping. Dr. Mondrich chuckled as he watched me thrash in the restraints, my body now full of energy.

"Ah, yes, adrenaline. Always a crowd-pleaser." He leaned in close to me. "But don't worry, Jianna. We're not done yet. Not by a long shot."

The pain and adrenaline intensified as my body convulsed. My mind felt like it was being torn apart as memories flooded in. Memories that weren't mine. Memories of other people's lives. Their joys and sorrows, their loves and losses, everything.

"STOP IT! PLEASE! STOP!" I pleaded. I don't understand where all of these memories are coming from. They aren't mine.

Dr. Mondrich just laughed and continued to taunt me as the memories flooded. It was like my brain was being hijacked. I didn't know what was happening to me. All I knew was that it was excruciatingly painful.

But then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The memories faded, leaving me gasping for air and covered in sweat. Dr. Mondrich leaned in close to me, a sick smile on his face.

Dr. Mondrich just laughed. "This is just the beginning, my dear. You see, we've been experimenting with a new drug. It allows us to extract and implant memories into the brain."

He walked over to the table and picked up a syringe. "And we're going to be implanting many memories into your pretty little head."

I tried to scream, but the memories were coming too fast. I saw images of a young girl playing with her dolls, a man proposing to his girlfriend on a beach, a soldier saying goodbye to his family, and a woman giving birth to a baby. None of these memories were mine, but they felt so real, so vivid.

Dr. Mondrich injected me with the syringe, and the pain intensified even more. I felt like I was being ripped apart, my mind and body unable to handle the onslaught of new memories. I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't anymore.

My mind is numb after a couple of hours, and my brain is soup.

"I think that's enough for today." Dr. Mondrich said. "Jianna?" he raised my head and shone a flashlight at each of my eyes. When he saw the reaction in my eyes, he snapped his fingers and two men finally released me from my restraints. My body just slumped forward, and one of the men caught me. Dr. Mondrich lifted my head again.

"See you tomorrow, *prinsepesa*." he let go of my head and, without a second glance, waved for me to be taken back to my cell.

I looked up at the men. "Hey. Where am I? Who are you?" I asked.

Dr. Mondrich stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Jianna, do you know who I am?" he asked.

"No. Should I?" I asked between winces.

His eyes widened.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked again.

I looked around and narrowed my eyes. "The hospital?" I posited. "This is the worst hospital I've ever been in though."

"Who are you?" he asked as he rechecked my eyes.

"Jianna?" I answered awkwardly.

"And what do you do, Jianna," he asked.

"I'm in sales." I lied.

"Jianna... what do you do?" he asked again.

I narrowed my eyes. "Well, with the way you're asking me right now, it seems like you already know what I do."

"Do you know a sergeant James Barnes?" he looked at me, anticipating my answer.

"Again, should I?" I answered.

"Good." Dr. Mondrich smiled.