I laid in the hospital bed trying to ignore my throbbing arm. The tv only provided three channels. The news, sports, and a Spanish soap opera. I sighed. The surgery was supposed to be today but some politician had taken my spot. And what’s a fractured arm compared to a heart failure? At least they gave me worker’s comp. As if the job wasn’t already killing my brain cells.

Laughter echoed through the open window. And I looked down into the enclosed courtyard. Three girls were running around, they’re hospital gowns more like dresses on their small frames. The gowns were a different color from what I’d seen here too. All the other patients wore boring green ones. But the ones these girls wore were red.

I tried to get a better look but the IV started to pull at my arm. I hissed at the sting but it was nothing compared to my fracture. But for one brief moment those girls had made me forget.

So, I grabbed the IV stand and left the room. The courtyard wasn’t too far and I could use the fresh air. The nurses paid me no mind, too busy gossiping about the political patient. It was all too easy to take the elevator down a floor. And from there I just had to follow the sound of laughter. I made it outside and sat on a bench.

Upon closer inspection it seemed that the girls were closer to my age. But something had stunted their growth. They were like children as they ran and giggled.

But the black girl spotted me and walked over. “Do you want to play.”

I motioned to my cast. “I wish I could.”

She touched the cast with light fingers. “Did you get shot?”

“Of course not.” I cleared my throat as my voice echoed in the courtyard. “It was an accident at work.”

“Did you catch the guy who did it then?”

“No one did this. An assembly line machine just chewed up my arm a bit.”

“But did you get the job done?”

I blinked. “Ok you lost me. What job are you even talking about?”

Her hand flew to her lips. “You’re right. I shouldn’t talk about it.”

The blonde and brunette quickly joined us. Both of them gawked at me. But it was the blonde that touched my hospital gown.

“This green is perfect with your hair.”

“Thanks.” I touched the red curls I’d been forced to cut short the day I got kicked out. Not that my hair had gotten me much cash.

Kinda think of it the girls had similar cropped hair. It made them look oddly uniform. They all stood the same too. Like soldiers waiting for orders.

“I can’t wait to graduate to green,” The brunette said.

The sentence made no sense. What were they graduating from in a hospital? “What do you mean graduate?”

The gave each other a look I didn’t understand. But the black girl spoke up. “It means we want to be just like you.”

“But you don’t even know me.”

They couldn’t know how horrible my life had become. To get a factory job at 16 when most kids worried about school. Even getting kicked out the orphanage to make room for the new kids. Hell, I fought with my landlord everyday to keep the rent the same for the cramped space in her attic. The crazy old witch. Why would they ever want to be like me?

“That’s the point.” The blonde said, confusing me even more. “You’re…”

The black girl glared at her before she could say more. “What she means is that the best are never really known. That’s what makes you so professional.”

I blinked at her. “You’ve lost me.”

Before they could respond a nurse appeared. Or at least I thought she was a nurse. She didn’t dress in scrubs like the others I’d seen. No she looked like the type of nurse you’d see on an old show. She was in a white dress uniform with that funny little hat with the Red Cross.

She didn’t even spare me a glance as the girls lined up in front of her. After a once over she nodded and they followed her inside. The brunette waved at me as they disappeared.

I sat in the courtyard alone for a moment. But my thoughts wouldn’t stop whirling around. Something about them didn’t seem right. They were like the new kids that arrived at the orphanage. Oblivious to the hell that awaited them. Or maybe the delusional orphans that thought the disappearance of kids in the middle of the night was normal.

That’s how I found myself in an unfamiliar wing in the hospital. It looked nothing like the halls I’d come from. These halls were bare cement with dim light bulbs hanging on the walls. There were metals doors every so often. Some of them had windows. I glanced in them. There was one room with a whole wall made of mirrors. Another room seemed like a makeshift movie theater with a projector screen on one wall and rows of folding chairs. Then more rooms more akin to classrooms in a detention center.

I’d been in them more than once when I was caught trying to steal my birth certificate from a government building. I was still a minor so they were in charge of it. Meaning I could only work under the table. And those jobs barely paid anything. Just enough for me to keep up with school fees and get cheap clothes for the uniforms. Forget the school supplies. I’d stolen paper and pens from the teachers lounge until one gave me a notebook. And I’d used old textbooks from the library. Not that I could afford school now. The only reason I was at the hospital was because my job was paying for it.

But these kids wanted to be like me. And looking around I started to understand why. This place was devoid of any life or personality. No cheesy art pieces like in my wing. There were no windows. Their cafeteria like a prison hall. Their room just a bunch of small beds in a row. Even my orphanage had provided more than this. Had allowed us to add personal touches. Drawings tapped to walls. We could wear whatever we could afford. And come and go as we pleased as long as we didn’t bring any trouble.

Voices echoed through the halls. And ducked into a room. This door had no window in it. So, I was safe as the voices passed by. I was in a laundry room with enough machines to serve an army. But everywhere I looked it was only those red hospital gowns. Nothing else.

More voices came from the vent set into the wall near the floor. I crouched down and peered into it. There was some kind of lab with several exams tables. All three of the girls were there joined by others in those red hospital gowns. A team of doctors were examining them. While a woman in a military uniform talked to the nurse I’d seen earlier.

“…ahead of schedule.” The nurse was saying.

“Is that why those three were late?” The military woman asked.

“They would’ve been on time. But they were waylaid by a greenie.”

The military woman stiffened. “How did a patient make it back here?”

“I don’t know how she made it to the courtyard. But she was talking to them. Nothing too bad. They seem normal.”

“They will be operatives one day. They can’t be normal. And it’s too early for them to be exposed to outside influences.”

The nurse looked at her. “They’re almost 17. Surely they are mature enough to…”

“Until they graduate from training they could still be influenced in the wrong direction and we can’t afford it. Not with war on the horizon.”

“So what would you like me to do, General?” The nurse asked.

“Find her. I’ll need to speak with her.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. But I also couldn’t leave the hospital. Not with my arm messed up. I wouldn’t be able to work. Then I’d be thrown out into the streets without a job. This country didn’t tolerate useless people. So it was either work or die. That’s why we hadn’t had a single homeless person since the edict 80 years ago. The police had killed them all. There weren’t many options besides speaking to the general.

Taking a breath I entered the hall again. It was still empty. But I kept opening doors hoping to find someone. That’s when someone cleared their throat behind me.

It was that nurse again. “Follow me, Miss Thurman.”

So, she knew my name already. Which meant they had access to my hospital records. Probably more if this place was connected to the military.

I entered the office behind the nurse. It was as plain as the rest of the place. The general sat behind the metal desk scrolling through her laptop. But she didn’t say anything until I sat in the wooden chair in front of her.

“You’ve got quite the record.” She looked at me. “Which could be useful for us.”

“What are you trying to lock me up in here with your other operatives?”

She smiled. “You’ve gathered quite a bit of information in the short time you were here. Which makes you perfect. But not as a operative. What we need are more spies.”

I laughed. “What makes you think I’d be a good spy?”

She glanced down at her laptop. “You’ve broken into a government building multiple times. Successfully stealing your birth certificate. You managed to find a place to live despite not knowing anyone. You’ve even broken into the library multiple times if the books in your hospital room say anything about it.”

“The fact that you even know all that means I’ll just get caught again.”

“Not if you accept our training. It’ll be in a different facility of course. Room and board will be provided. Along with a good salary. With chances for bonuses.”

It sounded too good to be true. “What do you get out of this?”

“Your loyalty. And trust me that’s hard to come by.”

I looked down at my arm. It had begun to throb. “If I accept this deal, I want it in writing. With the added clause that if I get severely injured I can get out with a pension.”

“I see all those trips to the library haven’t been wasted.” She nodded. “Very well. We’ll have it ready by the time you get out of surgery. Which I believe they are ready for you now. And don’t worry. We’ll foot the bill since you won’t be returning to that factory job.”

I nodded and followed the nurse back to my room. She settled me in my bed. And when she left I took out what I’d lifted from her pocket. It was a small recorder. And evidence of our contract. I wasn’t stupid. And it would come in handy later. Voices came closer. Just as the doctor opened the door, I managed to swallow the recorder. He smiled at me before explaining what would happen in a few minutes. I listened knowing that now I had a better chance to survive.