After the aliens left the room, and the other three were left alone, the pilot started freaking out again: "DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU SEE THAT? What are they gonna do to us? What DID they do to ME?! We can't stay here, we got to find a way OUT!"
Just then, his helmet started glowing, and a buzzing sound filled the room.
"Oh man, guys, this is it! THIS IS IT! I can feel something. It's happening. I don't know what it is, but whatever they're doing, IT'S HAPPENING!"
"What is it? What are they doing to you?" asked Commander Hernandez in an authoritative voice. "Stay with me, White!"
"I ... I don't know. All at once, I was scared and nervous, but now ..."
"White? ... Speak to me, White!"
"I feel different. My heart is slowing down. I can breathe again. I don't feel better, though. Do I? Maybe."
Lamont went silent. Julia tried to get him talking again. "Can you speak, White? Are you alright? Answer me! That's an order!"
Yuki was awake now and looking at Lamont with deep concern.
"Come on, Lamont! What's wrong with you? The commander is ORDERING you to speak to you! We're your friends! What have they done to you? Why won't you answer?"
Lamont's eyes had glazed over, and his facial expression did not betray any hint of recognition or malice. He seemed to be trying to decide something. Apparently, he had decided with some difficulty to answer Yuki's question.
"I ... know I should speak, shouldn't worry you, should obey orders. I should be sorry, but ... I'm not."
"Lamont," said Julia, "Are you gonna be okay?"
"I'm fine. Well, no. I think something's wrong with me, but maybe it's not too bad." He paused for a long time. It seemed he still had great trouble speaking, as though he had to build up the motivation to do so. "I'm not scared of the aliens anymore."
"Are you saying you actually WANT to stay with them? Get probed in the fucking BALLS again?!" asked Yuki in disbelief.
"No, I don't WANT that ... but ... it doesn't ..." his voice trailed off again.
"What's wrong, Lamont, you can tell us," said Julia trying to put him at ease. He didn't answer, though. She wasn't sure whether he still just didn't really care to, or if he just couldn't figure out the answer to her question at first. Maybe it was both. Finally Yuki snorted and crinkled her knows.
"Might as well just give up," she said derisively. "He's turned over to THEIR side now."
"No, I'm not," he finally spoke up. "I think I understand. It's not just that I don't feel scared anymore. I don't ... FEEL anything."
"Wait, they've numbed you?" asked Julia. "You think maybe they're coming back to do some mad surgery?"
"No, not that kind of numb. I can feel my body. I just can't feel ... well, I can't feel good or bad. I don't think it would bother me if they ripped my leg off right now. Or yours. But I wouldn't like it either. You'd expect me to care what happens to us, and I did a few minutes ago, but I don't."
No more attempts at questioning Lamont received any response. Yuki even started cussing him out as a traitor but there was no response. Apparently, he longer cared what they said and couldn't think of anything worth saying. He didn't smile, didn't laugh, didn't frown, didn't cry. The helmet, having finally stopped glowing, had completely removed his emotions.