Three

"How are your rock-climbing skills?"

"My what?"

Baen pointed to the craggy path ahead of them. "It's quite a hike to the entrance."

"I've climbed worse. How about you?"

"I'll manage," Baen responded, tapping his shoulder. "I'm feeling no pain."

Deryn rolled her eyes and began the trek up the mountainside. It didn't take long for the rocky path to incline and soon Deryn and Baen were climbing and stepping up the craggy wall. More than once Deryn had to reach down to help Baen.

"We're almost there," Baen grunted as Deryn pulled him up onto a narrow ledge.

"It's convenient how inconvenient this entrance is," Deryn remarked, leaning against the rock to catch her breath.

"We had to block off the main gate," Baen explained, holding his shoulder as he panted.

Deryn didn't question the statement because she knew why. People had began to congregate around the entrance in hopes of gaining entry but the larger the crowd grew the more creatures were attracted to the gathering. It was a massacre and those who were not killed mounted an onslaught against Ochrana, even killing themselves in the process.

"We just need to pull ourselves up the next ledge. That's where the entrance is."

Deryn nodded and started to climb. Within minutes they were facing a circular metal gate at the end of a short concrete tunnel. Baen approached a small box affixed to the gate and pressed a button.

"Baen, two-two-five-seven, requesting re-entry."

There was silence, then a crackled voice responded.

"Confirmed. Proceed."

There was a soft click and Baen was able to push the metal gate open.

"After you."

He entered the tunnel behind Deryn and returned the gate to its locked position. He stepped around her and led her down the concrete tunnel. The air thickened and moisture dripped from cracks in the walls as the tunnel gradually angled down.

"The main areas are environmentally controlled. Only the entrance and service corridors are this muggy."

Deryn nodded. She was not comfortable being confined in such a small space. Just when she was certain the tunnel went on forever they reached a large metal door.

Baen stood in front of it and waited until a voice burst from a small speaker.

"You sure you want to come in here?" A woman's voice asked.

"I'm not likely to want to stay out here," he replied.

"You're in a world of s**t. You know that, right?"

"Story of my life. Now let us in?"

"'Us'? Did you bring the hunter?"

"She came with me, yes."

The voice didn't respond right away. Baen looked up and tapped his foot.

"Well?" He asked.

"Proceed," the voice replied. "Bring the hunter and report directly to the level three med unit. Understand?"

"Completely."

The door slid open, leading them to a small room. A woman sat behind a glassed-in counter. She shook her head at Baen.

"Best get your a*s in gear, Baen," she said through a small hole in the glass.

Baen gave her a lopsided grin. "Are you still going to write my eulogy?"

She pushed a button somewhere on her desk and another door across from them opened.

"Proceed."

The next room was a stairwell and Deryn followed as they headed upward. They climbed two levels until they stopped at a door labelled "L3".

Baen led her through into a brightly lit corridor.

"This is level three," he said as they walked the length of the hall. "Our labs are up here as well as the main medical facility and some living quarters."

Deryn was in awe and unable to ask ay questions. Everything was so bright and white. And clean. The environment was so stark that her eyes began to sting.

Once they arrived at the medical unit, Deryn was asked by one of the nurses to sit on a long, hard bed. She flinched and moved her face away when the young man grabbed her chin.

The nurse turned to Baen who was seated on the neighbouring bed.

"He's a nurse," Baen explained in an assuring tone. "He's going to fix up your cut."

Another nurse appeared, this one a young woman who asked Baen to remove his coat and shirt.

"It's fine," he said as he undressed. "You don't want it to get infected."

Deryn said nothing but allowed the nurse to hold her chin. He held a damp cloth to the cut. It only stung slightly but she flinched anyway.

"Hold still," the nurse ordered, moving the bulb of a nearby lamp to illuminate the wound.

"Once we're patched up I'll take you to your quarters," said Baen as his nurse gently pulled the bandages from his shoulder. "You can clean up and have a rest."

"I want to know more about the experiment." Deryn tried to hold still as the nurse stitched the tear closed.

"Ow!" Baen jerked his shoulder away as the nurse began to peel the cloth off the wound. "I'll take you to the labs as soon as I can but I have to report in first. Damn!"

"Almost done," said his nurse as she examined his shoulder. Deryn glanced over and noticed that the foam had dried to form a clear shell over the gashes.

"I'm going to bring the doctor in," she said before leaving the room.

Deryn's nurse snipped the surgical thread. "Done. Try to keep it dry."

As soon as Deryn and Baen were alone in the room a voice bellowed from beyond the doorway.

"Baen!"

"Here we go," Baen muttered.

A woman appeared in the doorway. She was beautiful and clean and well kept. She had short, bright blond hair and different colours on her face - some on her eyelids, some on her lips and a little on her cheeks.

"Do you know how many regulations you violated?" The woman asked, planting her left foot firmly to the ground and crossing her arms.

"I'm guessing about seven."

"Twelve. Where's the device?"

Baen motioned to Deryn who pulled it from her pocket. The woman snatched it from her hand.

"Command. Now."

"Can I at least get fixed up first?" Baen asked, gesturing to his shoulder.

The woman looked at his shoulder, over to Deryn, then back at Baen.

"Make it quick."

She turned on her heels and marched away.

"That's Kori. She's the one that would have thrown a bag over your head."

"No doubt."

Baen laid back on the examination table.

"Please let me take you for dinner?"

"What?"

Baen laughed. "I know you're itching to see the labs but the more I can distract myself with you the more I can prolong reporting to command. And I imagine you're quite hungry by now."

Deryn was about to respond but the doctor bustled into the room.

"What kind of dumbass situation did you get yourself into, Baen?" The doctor asked.

Baen sat up. "It would have been a lot worse if this one hadn't saved my a*s."

The doctor turned to Deryn and held out his hand.

"I'm Doctor Gurish."

Deryn took his hand. "Deryn."

He was an older man with a round face and a graying beard. He wore thick glasses and a long white coat.

Deryn waited silently as Doctor Gurish examined Baen's wound and decided to simply rebandage it. He ended his visit by giving Baen a bottle of pills for the pain and a sling for his arm.

"I want you back in the morning," the doctor said as Baen and Deryn left the room.

    "Hungry?" Baen asked.

    "Starving."

    "I'll take you to the cafeteria," he said. "It's one of the places we all go to eat."

    On their way to the cafeteria, Baen was making visible efforts to not overload Dery with too much information. He often paused, allowing her to either respond or change the conversation but Deryn asked questions to get him to continue. She was curious about how everything worked.

    "We are on the third level," Baen explained. "It's sort of the research and development centre of Ochrana. Above us on level four are private quarters for senior staff and below on level two is sort of our factory floor where manufacturing is done."

    He stopped talking as he held open a door that led to a large room. Deryn entered.

    The dull murmur of conversation silenced and all eyes peered in her direction. She hesitated to walk into the open space. She felt like she was on display.

    "You're not the first hunger they've seen," Baen whispered reassuringly. "They're just ignorant and curious."

    As Deryn looked around the room, eyes darted away from hers. These people were clean and well groomed, like Kori. It looked to Deryn as if they had never done anything difficult in their life.

    Baen led her over to a long counter and grabbed a tray with a plate of food on it. He passed one to Deryn. They sat down at an empty table. The low conversations around the room started again.

    Deryn watched as Baen lifted a fork from his tray and copied his movements.

    "It's nothing fancy," he said as he shoveled a forkful of a brown chunky substance into his mouth. "Meat, vegetables, dairy, grains...meets nutritional needs."

    "What is it?" Deryn asked, eyeing the unrecognizable items on her plate.

    "Not roasted squirrel."

    Baen smiled and continued to eat his meal. Deryn hesitantly picked up a piece of food with her fork and put it in her mouth. The taste was bland but the texture was pleasant.

    "What do you think?"

    "Baen!"

    Before Deryn could respond a voice reverberated throughout the room. Baen spit his food onto his plate and stood.

    "Yes, ma'am!"

    "I thought I ordered you to command."

    "Indeed you did," Baen replied, wiping his face with a napkin before throwing it onto his plate. He nodded toward Deryn.

    "I was going to escort Deryn..."

    "I'll have someone show the hunter to her quarters."

    She eyed Deryn up and down before turning to leave the cafeteria.

    "I've already pushed my luck for today," Baen sighed. "Are you okay to hang here?"

    "Sure."

    "Great. I'll touch base with you soon."

    Baen waved to her as he hurried from the cafeteria.

    Deryn stood in the middle of a small room with enough space for a small bed and a chair. One door led to a tiny bathroom and another to an even smaller closet. The bed was attached to the wall with three drawers underneath. She looked down at her bag, the small sack that held all of her possessions. She didn't bother unpacking it. Most of what she owned would be considered junk in this clean and pristine world. And she wanted to keep her bag packed in case she had to leave in a hurry.

    She unloaded the various weapons from her body and placed them on the chair. It had been a long time since she stood unarmed. Slowly, and cautiously, she began to peel off layers of clothing, dropping each piece to the floor. When she got down to a thin tank top and underwear she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself  protectively.

    Stepping into the bathroom she noticed two folded towels piled on the closed toilet. She inspected the shower stall, unsure of how it operated. When she stuck her hand in, the shower head burst to life. She gasped and fell back against the sink.

    She slowly inserted her hand again, this time allowing the warm stream of water to fall against her skin. Deryn had never felt anything like this before. In the wilds she simply washed with whatever water was available, which was usually cold streams.

    Deryn removed the rest of her clothes and stepped into the stall.

    She crouched down, her back to the flow of tepid water. She ignored the nurse's warning of keeping her closed wound dry. She allowed the water to flow along the crown of her head and down her face. She found a small bottle of a pleasant smelling liquid and decided to work it into her hair. The substance foamed and bubbled as she laced it through her strands. There was nothing she could liken this experience to...maybe a balmy summer rain but she had never dared to strip down to nothing and feel each drop sooth and caress her skin.

    The entire bottle of liquid was gone by the time she scrubbed it against every pore on her body. She tried to ignore the grime and dirt that washed off her skin and swirled around the drain. Once the water rinsed clean she dreaded having to leave the comfort of the shower but she was concerned with the way the skin on her fingers puckered up and wrinkled. Quickly stepping from the stall, she dried her hands and pressed her fingertips together to make sure there was no injury. She stood for a few moments trying to figure it out when a knock on the door interrupted her investigation. Deryn wrapped the largest towel around her still dripping body and cautiously tiptoed from the bathroom.

    Another knock.

    "Deryn?"

    It was Baen. Deryn approached the door and opened it. Baen stood in the hallway, clean and changed with his arm in a sling.

    He looked at Deryn's towel. "So, I can come back later.

    "No," she replied, stepping aside to let him enter the room. "I just finished cleaning myself."

    Baen walked in and closed the door. He eyed the chair full of weapons while Deryn began rummaging through her backpack.

    "Looks like you started unpacking." Baen lifted the sword.

    "If you don't want the blade through your neck I suggest you put it down."

    "Sorry." Baen sat the sword on the chair. "Where did you get it?"

    "In a fallen town," Deryn replied, pulling old and torn clothing from the pack. "In a place called Moozeeam."

    Baen chuckled at her pronunciation of the word. She must have read it somewhere without ever hearing it pronounced.

    "A museum?"

    "Sure. You know where that is?"

    "No, but I know what that is. Before the chaos people used to display old items and artefacts in a museum. It was a way to visualize our history and past I guess."

    "Oh." Deryn stepped toward the  bathroom.

    "Wait," Baen said. "You're not going to wear that stuff, are you?"

    Deryn looked down at the pile of clothes she held in her hands. "Yes. Unless you suggest I stay in this towel.

    "Here," Baen laughed, pulling open one of the drawers under the bed. It contained clean and folded clothing. He threw a stack to Deryn. "These should be more comfortable."

    She took the clothes into the bathroom and dressed. The outfit consisted of a simple black t-shirt and loose fitting black pants.

    Deryn stepped from the bathroom.

    "I feel too light," she said.

    Baen motioned to the weapons. "That's a heavy burden to carry."

    "So what now?"

    "Well, now that you're patched up, fed, clean and I've already had a strip torn out of me I thought I would show you the labs. I'm going to show you the experiment."