Phase 1: Psych Ops?

August 1st, 2022. Bellevue Medical Center. A young lady is being pulled in on a stretcher. Her wrists and ankles are cuffed to the bed as she attempts to pull and tug her way out of bondage. 

"Stop, he said it was safe!"

She yells. As two non-sympathetic staff members roll her onto the upper levels of the hospital. 

"I didn't mean anything by it. I feel better. I promise."

The staff remain unsympathetic. Relaying an aura of simply doing there jobs. No hard feelings. But to the patient in question, her feelings were beyond hardened. As she stared around the hospital in duress, emulating the most obvious of SOS signals, to no surprise, her cries went unanswered. By the time the girl arrived to the 6th floor, she was met by nurses and assistants with even less empathy. 

They started by removing her shoes first. 

"What are you doing, stop that!"

"It's for your own safety dear. Any shoe laces, strings, loose clothing must be removed for your safety as well as the safety of the other patients. I regret to inform you."

An uptight, polished nurse with a slick hairdo emphasizes. The girl curls her toes in attempt to make it harder for the nurse, who mercilessly yanks the shoe off of her foot just as quickly. In disbelief, the girl begins to yell and jolt her body in hopes of breaking free of the hold. 

"Did she bring a phone with her?"

"Probably. Check her pockets."

"Wait, what are you doing!"

The girl protests. 

"This is a safe space. You will be able to contact relatives, loved ones, and employers using the facility phone located in the hallway. However, due to client confidentiality, we can not allow personal cellphones on the floor."

"Do not touch my f*****g---- ugh!"

She grows distracted trying to yank herself free.

"Give me my damn phone!"

"It's only for safe keeping."

The nurse smiles uncannily. 

"You'll get it back upon discharge."

"Are there any numbers you'd like me to write down for you while you're admitted."

The girl pauses and looks around. She notices the plain white walls of the hospital corridor. The blank looks on the faces of the staff. The patients staring off from the distance before sighing in defeat. 

"M--my mom. And my sister please."

"Alright, what are their names and numbers?"

"Alicia's my sister."

The girl hesitates as she continues to look around. 

"Yes, and what about mom?"

The nurse redirects her. 

"Calima. That's my mom."

The girl answers hesitantly while continuing to scan her environment.

"Alright, we'll be sure to let the staff know these are your designated contacts. If you think of anyone else to add. Come up to the front desk and we can turn the phone on to grab their numbers."

The girl nods in submission. Unsure of what else to say. 

The nurse sits near a laptop and begins to document as the assistant begins to uncuff the girl from the shackles. She sits up and rubs her wrists, continuing to gauge her surroundings. The assistant disappears briefly only to return with a hospital gown. 

"Put this on for now."

The staff member instructs.

"If you have family and friends that live near, you can ask them to bring you clothing during visiting hours. 

"W-what time are visiting hours?"

"From 5 to 7pm."

The assistant responds unenthused, without making the slightest bit of eye contact. The girls eyes widen in relief as she thinks of more questions to ask. 

"Well, h--how long can they stay?"

"From the start time until visitation is over."

The girl sighs in relief before getting up from her stretcher to change into her night gown. 

"This'll be your room." 

The assistant gestures to a room across from the front desk as the girl returns from the bathroom. He walks her inside and guides her to her bed. 

"I'm really okay. I don't need to lay down."

"Well, we need to administer a few things before you can mingle."

"Administer?"

Before staff could answer the question, a nurse walks in with a fresh packet and a small white cup in her hand. She smiles wide as she approaches the girl.

"High there! Welcome to Montifiore. I'm going to be your nurse for today."

The assistant walks away, trading the girl off to the peppy, young nurse.

"To start off, I have a packet for you. I just need you to read and sign."

The nurse instructs while handing the girl a pen. The girl receives the package hesitantly before beginning to work on it. 

"Also, did they make you a bracelet yet downstairs?"

"Yes."

The girl confirms as she raises her wrist in demonstration. 

"Perfect."

The nurse cheers as she scans the bracelet. 

"Just need you to take these and then we'll let you be for a bit."

"What are these?"

"They're basic stabilizers. We start all new patients off with these."

"I'm okay, I don't need any medicine."

"It's a requirement."

The nurse's once friendly demeanor quickly wares off as the girl grows timid. She takes the cup and looks into it skeptically while the nurse stands over her shoulder menacingly. She hesitantly places the cup to her mouth and swallows the pills with regret. 

"Here's some water to wash it down."

The nurse quickly follows up. The girls grabs the cup without hesitation and quickly drinks from it. 

"Excellent, now can I see under your tongue please?"

"What?"

"Go like this."

The nurse demonstrates for the girl. Bewildered, the girl crosses her arms defensively and looks away.

"I need to see under your tongue please."

The nurse repeats impatiently. The girl hesitantly returns her gaze to the nurse, revealing her tongue in utter humiliation. 

"Well done. I'll let you finish up the packet. We'll return to collect it a bit later."

The nurse walks away before the girl could respond. She sits in her bed cautiously, listening to the sounds around her. She can hear nurses speaking amongst one another, and light moaning from another client down the hall. She pulls her knees to her chest in fear as she sits in contemplation for a bit. 

After a while of passing observing, she gets up from her bed and makes her way into the bathroom attached to her room. As she attempts to look into the mirror, she realizes that the mirror's material is not made of glass, but an unknown product. She touches the glass briefly before tears begin to fall from her eyes involuntarily. As she continues to inspect the bathroom. A knock can be heard at the door. 

"Hello, nurse coming in."

The girl quickly wipes her tears and returns to her bedside.

"Did you finish the packet?"

The nurse inquires. 

"To the best of my ability."

The girl responds before reaching to hand the nurse her packet. The nurse quickly scans through the packet before flashing a half hearted smile and returning to the floor. The girl waits for the nurse to leave before returning to her bed and hugging her knees once more. 

What happens to this girl, you ask? Lots of things. This is simply the beginning of her tale. But in this phase is where we meet important characters. Let's see what happens next.