Carl awoke from sleep to discover a tray of food on the small table near the door of the cell. He got up, went to examine the tray’s contents—it seemed to be basic, nutritious fare, not unlike what was served at the Academy. He took the tray and sitting down on the cot, began to eat. A slight hesitation at the idea of drugs in the food was easily dismissed. He was totally in their power, so that sort of trickery was completely unnecessary.
After his meal he used the toilet unit in one corner of the cell, and then lay down again. The operation of the luminance plate was standard: it dimmed when he lay down, fading to darkness as he fell asleep, and became brighter when he sat or stood up. Registering this idly, he soon fell asleep.
He was awakened sometime later by the door opening. Jamal
