Facility 004

Mai Mercer has been in a facility for almost a month with no idea why and how she got there. Only now does she start to discover why she's there. Also it's very long so you'll have to get comfortable.

Facility 004

July 21st

Mai

I ran as hard as I could, rain pelting my face as I did. I used to like the rain and how beautiful it was, but now I despise it, for it’s only slowing me down. Where am I headed? I honestly have no idea. Anywhere far away from there sounds like heaven.

All of a sudden a siren goes off. It sounds more like a buzzing bee than an alarm.  At first it’s slow and soft but as the seconds fly by it gets faster and louder. I cover up my ears but the sound doesn’t go away. Could this sound be just in my head? The alarm is more like ear-piercing screeching now and I can’t hear anything else, not even the rain. Suddenly I start slowing down and I lose control of my body. I feel myself fall to the flooded ground and then, boom, I black out.

I wake up on cold, hard metal. I try to lift my head but I can’t. I start panicking and try to move the rest of my body. Nothing moves. I start breathing heavily and my eyes go wide. I’ve never felt this before and I hate it.

“Calm down Mercer.” a loud and powerful voice calls. If there were people talking in this facility they would’ve shut up right away. But, of course, it's completely quiet. “Good to see you back here.” Captain Cire said sarcastically. Had I not heard her footsteps? She beams as she looks into my cell. She would be smiling if there wasn’t an organized cluster of soldiers behind her. Too many witnesses, I thought, She would never smile in front of her bloody followers, she’s too strong for that.

“I’m surprised on how far you got this time. New record.” She said as if she was describing the weather. Though, knowing on I’d gotten farther than before brought a smug smile onto my face. The general’s cheerful face faltered into a glare at the sight of my smile. “That ringing you heard was a new… weapon we made. You just happened to be our first test subject. Glad it actually worked.” I let her rant on.

“Our scientists have been working on a technology like this for years. We’ve never gotten close, that is, until now. The weapon is supposed to send a ringing, or supposedly an alarm through your mind. As you waste more energy the ringing gets louder and stronger. Then causing you to lose all control of your body and eventually crash, yes?” she asked as if to ask for my confirmation. I send a low growl back to her and she finally puts on a smile, satisfied with her power over me.

“I’ll have you know Miss Mercer, no matter how many times you try to escape, you’re never getting out of here. Even if you do, you’d have to run over 10 miles to find a town. And even then, they just would turn you back in.” She glares over me as she searches for anything in my eyes. I search through hers as well. We both find nothing.

She leans away from my cell and turns her head to the soldier posted outside it. She nods her head at him and he nods back. I hear a clicking noise and all of a sudden I can feel my body come back under my control, but very slowly. The general takes one last look at me before turning away and walking down the hall. Her soldiers follow, their footsteps all in unison. Metal shoes against metal floors make their footsteps intimidating as they walk down the hall. It’s supposed to scare us prisoners and it definitely works. With every one of their footsteps, a wave of fear pulses through me.

When their footsteps finally echo out, only then do I feel comfortable enough to start moving. I lift my head and pain shoots through me. I groan and carelessly lay my head back down onto the metal floor. After laying there for what feels like an hour, I lift up my head and it doesn’t hurt as much as before. I shift myself so I’m laying on my back and I prop myself against the metal wall. I stare at my legs which are outstretched in front of me. I finally realize that I am in new, fresh clothes, ones that haven’t been drenched by the rain. I shiver at the thought of someone dressing me.

I glance up at the guard who is a stiff as a board. He’s been properly trained to follow orders and to guard me. Ugh. I don’t recognize his face so he must be new. I stare at him longer and he can feel it. He takes an unsteady deep breath out of uncomfortableness and annoyance, possibly fear as well. I smile at his uneasy state.

        I look around my cell. It’s just like all the others that I’ve been in. Empty and cold. The floor, walls, and ceiling are all metal. There’s nothing in this cell besides an uncomfortable cot in the corner. On the wall across from me is a small room, the bathroom. It doesn't have anything in it besides a sink, a shower, and a toilet. Every once and awhile they would bring me clothes for me to change into. The door to the bathroom can't be locked so if I were to try and escape from the bathroom they could easily get to me and that just made going to the bathroom even more uncomfortable.

        They deliver food to me 3 times a day. The food they give me isn't half bad but it isn't glorious either. I don't know what game they're playing here but they obviously don't want me dead.

I don't know what they want.

 

 

 

July 23rd

Mai

 I leaned against the cold metal wall. It would normally feel nice but now it just feels uncomfortable and it’s leaving a metallic taste in my mouth. I checked off every possible way to escape. Nothing could work. This is what they planned, no escape. After the other 6 escape attempts they made sure I couldn't find another way out. And they succeeded.

            I sighed and looked at the guard. He was standing up straight, of course, but he looked extremely bored.

The guard I knew this time for he guards my cell the most. He’s quite regular compared to the other guards. Not too big; not too small. Even though he seems to be on the small side, he is quite gangly. He has reddish blonde hair but it’s more on the blonde side- well from what I can see from under his uniform hat anyway. His eyes never seem to choose a color. One day it could be green while another it could be blue-gray. On his wrist is a small tattoo of a constellation I could never be able to name.

His name I do not know. Though I like to call him “Space Nerd” for the time being.

“Hey,” I call from the floor, “Do you know when I’m getting out of this hell-hole?” No reply of course. The guards are not allowed to speak to the prisoners unless necessary. “Hopefully soon because I’m getting sick of seeing your disgrace of a face.” This ticks him off a little bit and he puts his hand on his belt full of weapons as if to warn me. I’m not sure if they are allowed to use them on prisoners for I don't want to find out.

I snort at his move but I am honestly afraid of what he could do. There are at least 10 different weapons on his belt and he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me, or, heck, even kill me. “You are so weak, it amuses me.”

“Zip it!” he said sternly. His voice could quiet a room as well though I doubt he would ever be a high enough rank to actually use his powerful voice.

I laugh at him. I covered my fear with laughter and I'm not sure if he noticed or not. He moved his hand away from his belt and back to his side. Good, he's not going to hurt me. Hopefully.

I sit for a few more hours, I think, before they finally deliver breakfast. Their footsteps echo throughout the halls as they walk towards my cell. There are three soldiers with my food; one carrying the tray and two flanking him. One of the flanking soldiers is a girl which was rare. Usually girls didn't get hired for this facility.

As they approached I look up at them. The guard in the front, the one with the food, kept walking as the other two stopped. They are only here to guard, just in case I do something. When the guard opens my cell I stand up. He hesitates, afraid I might hurt him. I look over him as if he was from another planet and put my hands on my hips- “What's taking so long?”

He hurries into my cell and places the tray onto the floor, about ten feet away from me. As he stands back up he looks at me. I give him a smirk and he tenses. He scurries out of my cell and quickly locks it. He doesn't look at Space Nerd as he turns around back to the two flanking guards. They follow him, their footsteps all in sync. They echo in the halls as if someone was banging a metal pan in an empty cave. It rings through my head, every footstep.

Once their footsteps are out of range I sit back down and pull the tray up to me. Today they brought me two pancakes, two sausages, and a small milk carton. This was less food than they usually gave me. Probably because I tried to escape a couple of days ago. The facility isn't very forgiving.

I ate my breakfast in peace. I didn't feel like mocking Space Nerd at the moment. He was my favorite to mock out of any of the guards for he was the quickest to snap.

I chugged down my milk and placed it onto my tray. I pushed my tray forward so it hit the bars with a bang. “Done.” I said to annoy him. The bang was enough to tell him that I was finished. He walks over to my cell and unlocks it. It seems as if every guard in this facility has a copy of a key to my cell. He opens the cell door and quickly takes my tray.

When he stands up he makes eye contact with me, just like the guard before. I give him a face with little expression and he returns the same. Right now his eyes have chosen the color green, a dark forest green.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were wild animals running around in his eyes.

He looked away before I did. Once he was out of my cell I looked back at him. He didn't look back at me when he was locking it with one hand, the other holding the tray. I stared at him as he walked out of view and when he came back he didn't have my tray. He wasn't gone long and he didn't walk far for I could hear his footsteps. I never really knew where they put my tray.

He stepped back into his original position and went stiff again. It's crazy how quickly they can change back into a guard. One second they're a normal person and the next they're a professional soldier. It's quite cryptic.

 

 

As the hours pass many more footsteps echo throughout the halls. Many more mini panic attacks. They normally don't come for me but I never know. Their footsteps always sound the same, no matter what situation. They could be walking towards me to take me away and escort me to death. The thought of it burns through my mind and I can never get it out.

Lunch never comes. I don't know why. They gave me lunch yesterday so why not today? The guards usually change at meal times, especially lunch. Space Nerd usually stays from a couple hours before breakfast to lunch. I can tell he's getting bored and probably hungry for he hasn't eaten in many hours. “I wonder why they haven't come with lunch.” I say.

I don't know if it's just my imagination or hopeful thinking but Space Nerd actually nods. It's not drastic, in fact it's kind of hard to notice but at least it's a nod.

There aren't many footsteps in the halls as more hours pass. None of them are close, they are all distant which is good. I don't need to worry about my death coming to me.

Soon enough hunger sets in, as well as thirst. I walk around my cell like somehow it will solve all my problems. I can only imagine how hungry Space Nerd is. He hasn't eaten at all this whole day. I guess I could count myself lucky but then again I'm the one in a cell.

I'm tempted to go into the bathroom and drink the water from the sink but I already know it tastes disgusting. As well as the shower water. I guess they only want me to drink the beverages they provide for me. All their regulations confuse me. Don't do this; you can't do that. I feel like there's nothing I can do.

After waiting for what feels like 3 more hours, (it seems like that's the only thing I can do, wait) guards come to my cell. At first I don't think about them for their footsteps are distant, just like all the others. But soon enough they get closer and I realize they are coming towards my cell. I sit down on my cot as their footsteps get closer.

When they actually arrive at my cell they don't even spare a glance at me which bewilders me. The two of them step towards Space Nerd and murmur amongst each other. It's too low for me to hear so I stand up and start walking toward the cell bars. One of the guards notices me and nudges the other guard which makes me stop walking. They stop murmuring and before I know it the two guards are off, their footsteps traveling throughout the halls.

Sadly I didn't catch anything they said. I wish I did. I wish I got up sooner and walked there quicker. Then I would probably know why I'm trapped here.

I look at Space Nerd who is still standing guard at my cell. He isn’t looking at me- thank God. He still stands stiff and he acts as if nothing happened. I try to look down the hall through the bars where the two guards had walked off. Of course, I see nothing but an empty hallway. They walked off as quickly as they came.

I slowly trot to my cot and plomp down onto it. My bum hits the cot too hard and it aches. I don’t care though, I’ve had worst pains. I lean back onto my hard bed and sigh.

As I lay on my cot and think. I start wondering if I will ever get out of here. And just thinking of leaving gives me an escape plan.

 

•  

 

I wait for the perfect moment to put my plan into action. It isn’t a completely original plan but it’s worth a try. I stand up from my cot and slowly loiter around my room. I keep an eye on Space Nerd as he tries to hide his fatigue. He’s yawned 5 times in the last, what feels like, twenty minutes.

I walk up to the bars of my cell. Space Nerd is posted on the wall right next to where my cell bars end- just in arm’s reach. He doesn’t acknowledge me. I stand there for a little while before I finally speak. “You must be getting annoyed with me.” He doesn’t move.

“It’s okay though, I’m already annoyed with you.” No reply.

“So why did those soldiers come? Are you in trouble? Ooo I hope you’re in trouble. I would pay to see that. Maybe they’re secretly planning to kill us both by starvation. That would suck. I wouldn’t like dying with you.” He still doesn’t move which is odd. He’s usually yelling at me or threatening me.

So I stand there and wait. It’s the only thing I can do.

When I can’t wait any longer, I decide it’s time to put my plan into action. I’m still at my cell bars, leaning against the cold metal. I stare out into the hallways but I can’t see much (not that there is much to see anyway.) I occasionally sigh or do small things like tapping the bars. And by every passing moment Space Nerd seems to be getting even more exhausted than before. Perfect.

I push myself off the bars so I’m not leaning against them and walk over to the edge of my cell. I lean against the wall and look at Space Nerd. He doesn’t seem to acknowledge me but he knows I’m here. I shift so I’m facing the bars and I slip my arms through, resting them on a horizontal bar. I talk to keep him distracted.

“I hope you really are in trouble. Then you would get demoted and wouldn’t have to guard me. Thank God.

“So… Are you ready to retire yet? Please tell me you are.” There was a short pause as I waited for him to answer. He didn’t. “I just realized that I mostly just talk about you leaving. Wouldn’t it be nice to talk about me for once? Well, I was born and raised on a farm,” This is all a lie of course. “And my family was very poor. We could barely afford dinner. I-”

And then all of a sudden I bolt my hand for his belt, where he keeps the key to my cell. He reacts quickly and grabs my wrist with his warm leather glove. But I was ready for this. With my other hand I reach for his belt again, this time successfully grabbing the key. He realizes and with his other hand tries to grab my other wrist. He fails for I pull away fast. I accidentally pull away too fast and my hand hits the bar as I bring it back into my cell. Pain shoots through my hand but I don’t acknowledge it.

His hand hits the bar as it tried to reach for my hand. He winces back but still keeps his grip on my wrist. I try to pull away but his grip is too tight. I don’t know what else to do but yank him back. His whole body hits the bars- hard, and he falls to the ground. He’s unconscious.

I stand there in victory with my wrist and hand hurting. I ignore the pain. I have to get out of here before they notice. I quickly make my way over to the lock and shove the key into it. I turn the key too fast and my wrist sends a whole new wave of pain through me. I bite my tongue and shove my cell door open. It flies open with ease. I smile and start sprinting down the hall.

For once I actually know where to go. I’ve made it out once, I can do it again. And I hope to make it further this time. As I dashed down the hall my footsteps were silent. The directions to the exit flashed through my mind. Left, right, right, another left, long hallway, and one last left. But then I remember I was in a different cell than the last and I freeze. I look around to try to find where I was. Nothing looked familiar, just more cells that are all identical.

I curse under my breath and bolt down the hallway, trying to find something that looks familiar. I make random turns and hope I don’t run into any guards. I luckily don’t. I seem to be the only prisoner here. But there would at least be some guards roaming around right? This confuses me but I don’t take it into consideration. I shouldn’t be worrying about something that’s giving me an advantage.

I finally make it to a hallway with doors along the walls instead of cells. I don’t slow my pace to read their numbers but my eyes catch some of them. 426... 448… I have no idea what they mean nor do I want to. I’m not staying here long enough to eventually need to know.

All of a sudden a door about 5 feet away from me opens. I stop immediately and my feet stick to the metal floor. Three soldiers walk out of the door. Luckily the door is blocking their view from me but I still duck down anyway. Along with the soldiers is Captain Cire. She talks a guard that seems to be of higher rank than the other two. As they walk down the hall, their footsteps echo, and they don’t look back. The door starts to close. I look at the number on the door. 502. Afraid I’ll be seen by them, I sneak into the room. A mistake, I know.

Once I’m in the door shuts behind me with a soft thud. Inside it’s pitch black and I can’t see a thing. I feel for a light switch but fail. My eyes adjust to the darkness slightly but I still can’t see much, only dark shadows. I start walking around and I bump into almost everything I pass. Suddenly, the lights turn on and I flinch. I look around to see if anyone had turned them on. I find no one.

I look to my right to see a motion sensor. So that’s what turned on the lights. I only pray that it doesn’t send a message to someone.

I look around the room and find out I haven’t made it far in at all. It’s a larger room than I expected. In the middle is a long table, probably for meetings. There are too many chairs to count. Along the back wall is a bookshelf; half of it filled with books, the other half empty. On the wall across from me is a portrait of someone I cannot recognize. He has a uniform on with a long cape. He seems to be about my age. He has a gold crown on with a rainbow of gems and jewels. Most likely royalty, but we don’t have a monarchy.

The mysterious man has chestnut brown hair that swoops up into perfection. He has a beard that is starting to sprout from his face. It looks imperfect yet completely perfect at the same time. His eyes are an ocean blue and I wonder if they are even his real eye color. His face shows no emotion but a smile sparks at his lip; like he wants to smile but something is holding him back.

His uniform is one fit for battle though it looks like it’s never been used. He stands firm with his hand on a sword that’s sheathed on his hip. His stance seems forced. One of his feet are on a rock while the other is simply on the ground. A victory stance maybe. Overall he looks strong and mature; a perfect prince.

I look away from the portrait and at the rest of the room. Everything has intricate details on it. It must've taken a long time to do and it makes me wonder how old this facility is. Just how many prisoners have been here. It sends a chill through me.

I finally get back to my mission and try to find a way out. I look around and find a window. Excitement leaps through me and I run to it. On the way my toe hits one of the chair legs and I wince. I limp the rest of the way to the window. Once I'm there I immediately try to pry it open. It doesn't open. I look down to see it has been sealed shut, or it had been made to never be opened. I curse under my breath once again and slam myself against the window out of frustration. It makes a soft thud and I realize it's never going to break; bulletproof most likely.

The pain in my toe has gone down and I can walk normally again. My hand and wrist still ache but I've gotten used to the pain. I jog to the door but stop myself from opening it. There could be soldiers or who knows what beyond the door. Is it worth the risk? Well I don't see any other way to get out.

I put my hand on the cold knob and twisted it. I slowly and delicately opened the heavy door and peered out. There was a guard walking away from me and luckily didn't see me. I waited for him to turn the hallway before I snuck out. I darted down the hall in the opposite way the guard had gone. I was not getting caught by a guard today. I looked around as I scurried down the hall, trying to spot something familiar. Nothing looked promising.

I eventually made my way to a set of stairs. Seeing as there was no where else to go I went up them. When I made it up to the top of the stairs I didn't recognize anything. It was a long hallway that had wooden doors instead of metal ones. Some of the doors had pictures or drawings on them as well as numbers. But all these numbers started with the numbers 110. The one closest to me was 11067. The hallway was empty except for a couple open doors with, what I'm guessing, a few people in them.

Soon realizing that they were the living quarters for the guards I sprinted down the stairs. I wasn't going to walk down a hallway full of people that could kill me. Nor was I going to sit around and wait for someone to step out of their room.

Once I made it to the bottom of the fleet of stairs I immediately turned the corner into another hallway. In it was a guard walking carelessly and looking at the ground. He was probably going to his room. I froze and stared at him. Once I was about to run in the other direction he noticed me. I ran. I didn't care who or what I was going to run into, I just needed to get away from him.

I didn't need to glance back to know he was following me. His footsteps echoed throughout the halls like a heartbeat. I’m sure many other people heard it as well. I sprinted through the halls like my life depended on it. In this case, it actually did.

My lungs and chest started hurting as I ran. I needed to catch my breath but I couldn’t stop, not now. After for running down many halls I realized there was a shortage of on duty guards. Usually there was one or two walking down the halls, keeping an order of things. But today there were barely one in sight. What could be going on? A war? A meeting?

I somehow made my way back to my cell. Great. I thought. Back where I started. Another this is that Space Nerd was awake. It didn’t surprise me for I knew someone could hardly stay unconscious for more than 20 seconds. I’m surprised he didn’t try to run after me. He was standing against the wall with his hand against his forehead. He was probably trying to figure out on what had happened. How long ago was that anyway?

Once he noticed me his eyes showed true anger. I don’t blame him though. I stole his keys and knocked him out. Speaking of which, I still have his keys. I ran towards him which bewildered him. Shouldn’t I be running away? He was probably thinking. But he didn’t waste a second. He regained his balance and got ready for my approach. At this point I have nowhere to go. One guard behind me and one blocking my path. But I’ve knocked out Space Nerd once, why couldn’t I do it again?

I ran at him with too much confidence. Once I reached him I tried to push him out of the way. He grabbed my wrist, the one that he grabbed before, and held me back. His grip was much tighter than before and it sent pain throughout my hand. I hiss between my teeth from the pain and tried to get loose from his grip. By now the other guard was not too far away. He could easily shoot me from where he stands. For a second I wish he would.

I grab one of the keys from his keyring and stab it into his hand, maybe hard enough to draw blood but I doubt it could break through his meaty hands. He flinched but doesn’t do much more than that. I stab him a couple more times before he finally loosened his grip on me. I took this opportunity and pulled away as hard as I could. He loses his grip on me and slightly fumbles. I trip and fall against the wall. The other guard is about 15 feet away and I leap to my feet. I race off before either of them can grasp me again.

They immediately follow. My heartbeat rings throughout my whole body making my head beat. I heave heavily as I hope I can make it out of here alive. I have no idea where I’m going but I don’t care. I want out of here, more than anything. I wouldn’t flinch to slaughter someone for freedom.

I sprint through more halls. They all look different now for I am probably on the opposite side of the facility by now. That’s good though, it means I won’t see Captain Cire anywhere.

I eventually start to slow down no matter how hard I try to keep a fast pace. The two guards running for me, however, don’t slow down whatsoever. I never really took gym in school. I would always try to find a way out of it. Such as joining the marching band or any extra curricular class. The only time I took it was in elementary and once in high school. I hated all of it. I don’t get the idea of just running around and getting all sweaty. It seems like a waste.

But now I wish I could run faster and for a longer time.

I didn’t stop trying to run. Even though my stomach and legs severely hurt, I didn’t stop. I was hoping that Space Nerd’s fatigue would slow him down but it seems like it didn’t affect him at all. I guess they facility, or whoever trains them, trains their bodies for any sort of problem. Even if Space Nerd did fall behind there would still be the other guard chasing me.

I breathe heavily through my mouth as I glance down hallways. I don’t stop for anything. That is until I reach a hallway with a guard down it. I ran down a good five feet before noticing him. Once I noticed him, he noticed me. I froze for a split second, making me stumble a bit. This, I wish I hadn’t done for once I stopped, the guard chasing me tackled me. I fell hard, my chin hitting the metal floor without hesitation. “Agh!” It came out more as a groan than a word. I wish there was a word that described that sound. If there was, I would’ve made that sound.

I was about to stand back up but the guard that tackled me pushed me back down. This time I moved my chin just in time so I fell on my cheek. He put his knees on my back but that didn't stop me. I elbowed his thigh and he didn't flinch at all. He quickly grabbed my arm and eventually found my other arm, prying them onto my back. I slightly growled out of frustration. The guard on my back looked at Space Nerd and said, “God, how do you handle her?”

He panted out, “I don't.”

The guard that was down the hall came jogging down. I look up at him with a glare and he doesn't seem affected. He has a radio which he takes out of his belt. The other guard and Space Nerd don't have a radio so I presume this one is of a higher rank.

“Captain,” the guard said in the radio.

“What?!” Captain Cire barked back.

“There's been a prison escape.”

“What?!”

He clears his throat. “It's fine, Captain. We have it under control.”

“Which prisoner?”

There's more than one? I think as I try to struggle free.

The guard doesn't answer right away and he looks at Space Nerd. Space Nerd replies, “Mercer, sir.”

The other guard nods and says into the radio, “It's Mercer, Captain.”

She groans through the radio. “Of course it's her…” There's a short pause. “Just bring her to my office.”

“Yes, Captain.” he puts his radio back on his belt and looks back at the other guards. I can't see the other two but by their silence they must be waiting for orders. “Well, you heard the Captain!” he barked at Space Nerd and the guard on my back.

He turned swiftly back to, now that I see, another cell. He made sure his footsteps were perfect as all high ranks do. I wonder what's in the other cell but I quickly lose my curiosity for the guard on my back hauls me up by my wrists.

I wince at his grip and shove my elbow into his side as a warning. He doesn't acknowledge me. He turns to Space Nerd who hands him handcuffs. I glare at Space Nerd who doesn't acknowledge me either. The guard locks the handcuffs onto my wrists and grips my arm. I don't blame him though. I wouldn't trust someone who just ran for almost an hour to stay put. The guard pushes me down the hall, Space Nerd following us.

It takes a while for us to get to Cire’s office. Once we enter she glares at me. I glare back. She doesn't scare me, not at this moment anyway. She sits at her empty desk that looks almost too expensive.

“How far did you get this time Mercer?” she says in an utterly annoying tone.

“Like you care.” I spit back at her.

She does a slight laugh and takes out a paper from her desk. From here it looks like a map of some sort. She looks over it no longer than 5 seconds before shoving it back into her desk. “Put her in cell 246.” she says in total disinterest.

“Yes, Ca-” the guard holding me started but immediately stopped at the person who walked in. Even Captain Cire stood up at the sight of him.

“General.” she said in the most obedient voice.

The General that walked in looked like he was born for the position. He was tall and well built, and much older than me. He’d also looked like he had been doing this job for a long time. He had broad shoulders and if he had any hair, it's well hidden under his hat.

He nodded at Cire and then looked at me. “This is the prisoner?”

“Yes, General.” She replied.

The General studied me and scoffed as if he couldn't believe it was me. “This scrawny thing?”

“Yes, and she was just about to go to her new cell.” She looked at me when she said it, as if directing it to me. Like I was going to reply.

The General looked back at Cire. “Which is?”

“Cell 246, General.”

“On the..?”

“West wing side, sir.”

“No.” he said immediately after her. “Don't put her there.”

“Sir?” she asked, taken aback. Honestly I was very confused at this point and decided not to but in.

“Put her in one of the cells on the north wing.”

“But, sir-”

“By my orders.” he retaliated back.

“Yes, sir.” she looked back at me with a glare, “Put her in cell 27 then.”

“Yes, Captain.” Space Nerd and the guard holding me said simultaneously. Space Nerd opened the door and the guard pushed me out.

It didn't take long to get to my new cell so I guess we were already in the north wing. When we got there I automatically knew this cell was very different. First off it had a door instead of cell bars. And the door was wooden, not metal. A dark, spruce-like wood. It was almost a miracle to see wood instead of metal for once. The door had a lock, I noted. There was a gold plate, though I doubt it was real gold, that had the number 27 carved into it.

Space Nerd opened the door and the guard holding me took off my handcuffs. Immediately after that he shoved me into the cell, quickly shutting and locking the door behind me.

I was astonished at the sight I saw. This was honestly no cell. It had a freshly made bed with an outstanding pattern. Matching pillows as well. On the wall across from the door it had a window with a white frame. I immediately ran to the window to look outside.

Outside was a beautiful garden, flowers of all kind. There was a magnificent fountain with never ending water. There were sidewalks winding through everything as if they had to make sure a person could walk next to everything they could see in the garden. There were lampposts posted next to every other flowerbed. They weren't lit yet for it wasn't completely dark. It was actually almost sundown. Looking outside had made me realize how long I've been away from real life.

I turn back to my room and notice more things. A dresser with empty drawers, a clock with intricate hands and Roman numerals for numbers, another wooden door to the bathroom, a painting of a landscape, a soft rug, and a bedside table with a flower designed lamp.

I smiled at all this for never in my life had I owned such a beautiful bedroom. But as I looked around the room the same question popped into my mind. Why? Why would the General give me this cell? After I escaped multiple times, why would you treat me this well? I had no answer. But I'd have to thank him for it.

 

 

I wasn’t in there for more than ten minutes (Thanks to the clock I could actually tell how much time had past) before a guard had opened my door with my dinner in hand. He placed the tray of food on my bedside table and I just simply watched him. He didn’t seem scared or nervous at all. He walked out the door, locking it behind him.

I looked at the tray. On it was a salad, a water bottle, a mix of fruit, and a slice of cake. Automatically I could tell that this food was a lot better than the food they used to give me. Work of the General, I’m guessing.

I sat on my bed and ate my food in silence. There was no one to talk to here. Nor could I hear anything from the outdoors.

I finished eating and placed my tray back on the desk. I laid back onto my new bed, which was much more comfortable than my cot. And I fell asleep before I could even pull the blankets on top of me.

 

 

 

July 24th

Mai

I woke up not wanting to get out of bed. It’d been awhile since I've slept in a real bed. But I reluctantly sat up.

I looked over at my desk to find my tray gone and in it's place a new set of clothes. I looked around the room as if the person who dropped it off would still be here. I looked back at the clothes. They were nicer than the clothes I had on, prettier too.

 

I took a shower and sat on my bed, putting my old pair of clothes on the desk. I opened the desk drawer out of curiosity to find some books. They looked old, older than me. But I took them out anyway. I chose the one that looked the most interesting and read it, deep into the night.

 

 

 

July 28th

Mai

I had finished the book in a matter of two days. It was a murder mystery. The ending wasn't the best but it was still a good book.

I was sitting on my bed, about to finish another book when a guard walked into my room.

Space Nerd.

The last time I saw him was 5 days ago. He looked the same except for his patch on his uniform, it had another line.

“Got a promotion, I see.” I said to him as I closed my book, taking a glance at the page number so I wouldn’t lose my place.

“Very observant.” he replied calmly with a slight smile. Before I could reply he said “Come with me.”

“Why?” I asked slowly.

“Captain Cire didn’t say.”

“Of course she didn’t.” I mumbled under my breath.

“Come with me.” he repeated as he turned toward the door. I sighed and got off the bed, my feet touching the cold wooden floor. I walked out the door as Space Nerd held it open for me. I got out into the hall and had a small urge to sprint down the hall and out of this hell-hole, but as soon as the feeling came, it left.

Space Nerd closed the door and started walking, motioning for me to follow. I did. As we walked, we didn’t talk at all. I wasn’t exactly planning on having a conversation with a guy I had knocked out less than a week ago anyway.

We reached Cire’s office in less than five minutes. She was at her desk, probably organizing it or planning my death for all I know. She waved her hand, “You may go.”

Space Nerd nodded and left the room, leaving me with two other guards of high rank and with Captain Cire, “So, Mercer, we could do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“Do what exactly?”

“Looks like we’re doing this the hard way.” she said flustered and annoyed.

“Wait, wha-” but I was knocked out before I could finish. It seems like I can’t go a month in this facility without being knocked out.

I learned two things about Cire that day. Number one, she gets bored of me very quickly. Number two, she gets flustered easily, especially when the General is here.

 

I woke up to the sound of beeping. (There seems to be a lot of buzzing and beeping in this facility.) I opened my eyes to find myself not in my cell but what seems to be a hospital room. There are chairs for people to sit though they remain empty.

I sit up immediately and the light blanket that was over my chest fell to my lap. I looked around the small room and found the door to this room wide open. Excitement rushed through me and I was about to jump off my bed when a figure appeared in the doorway.

“Glad to see you’re awake.”

Captain Cire.

“Y’know, sometimes I think you aren’t glad to see me.” I hiss back at her.

She smirks at me.

“Would you mind telling me why I’m in here?” I ask her.

“I’d rather not. Besides, you’ll find out soon enough.”

I glare at her as a response. She turns to leave but she stops herself short, “Oh, I hope you enjoy your new haircut.”  and then she was off.

I threw my blankets off, and the tubes that were going into my right arm detached. I found the closest mirror and looked at myself. On the right side of my head, a third of my hair had been shaved off. I did a half goran and a half growl. I didn’t know whether I was annoyed or mad. As I looked through the mirror I saw another tube going into the shaved side of my head. It was long enough so that it didn’t break when I got off the bed.

I watched myself through the mirror, trying to figure out what emotion I was feeling. I finally concluded that it was anger. Anger at Cire, the General, and this facility.

I sat back on my bed. It felt like a hospital bed as well.

I stared at the clock, lost in thought, for about an hour before the opening of a door broke my trance. I swung my head to look at the door, a glare planted on my face due to Cire. Space Nerd was standing in the doorway. I glared at him harder before turning away from him.

“What do you want?” I hiss at him.

“Nothing. Just..” I turned to look at him, “You might want this.” he said taking out the book I was reading earlier. He threw it at me and I caught it, bending a few pages as I did. I read the cover and then looked up at him. He was just about to exit the room before I managed to say, “Thanks.”

He paused and replied without looking at me, “Yeah.” And he was gone, locking the door behind him.

I leaned back onto the hospital bed and opened the book. I read the same sentence over and over again, unable to grasp it. I eventually gave up and put down the book. I stared out into the bright room, examining things. There were many medical instruments I couldn’t tell you the name of. Some of them looked scary. Why anyone would want to be a doctor, I have no idea. I can’t think of anyone liking those sorts of things.

I looked down at my arm to see two tiny spots of blood oozing out of my skin. I didn’t feel any pain. I guess it was from when I tore those tubes out.

I didn’t realize I was tired until I actually laid my head down. Even though I was just out for who knows how long, I still fell asleep.

 

 

 

July 29th

Mai

The next day, nurses came in to put the tubes back into my arm. I tried to push them away but they were strong enough to hold me down. So now there are mysterious liquids going into my arm. I don’t know why, the nurses never spoke to me other than the occasional “Calm down.” or “Quit moving.” Their voices were quite irritating as well.

But now I lay on the hospital bed, waiting for anything to happen. To my luck, something actually does happen.

A guard comes into my room, one I haven’t seen before, and doesn’t close the door behind him. “Come with me.”

“Why?” I quickly spat back.

“Don’t know.” I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“Really?” I asked. He didn’t reply. “Alright, fine. My rights don’t matter anyway.” I mumbled the last part. I was about to get off the bed when the tubes in my arm held me back, “What should I do with these?” I asked him, nodding my head toward the tubes.

He shrugged and said, “You’ve ripped them out once before.” I nodded in return and tore out the tubes, blood already starting to stream out of my arm. The guard turned away and walked out the door, holding it open for me. I walked out and he closed the door behind us.

He walked in front of me and said, “Follow me.” Not checking to see if I was actually following. I could’ve ran, right then and there. But I had decided not to and so I followed him down the elaborate hallway.

His footsteps echoed throughout the hallways of the facility, unlike mine. I was barefoot yet again. The floor was cold, as it always was. Which made me realize that despite being moved to a different cell, the facility was still the same. I was still locked up in here, still not knowing why.

We walked until we reached a door. It was wooden, unlike the other doors in this facility, but like my own room door. There wasn’t a number on this door either, which was oddly suspicious. I gave my guard a confused look, which he obviously saw, but ignored me and opened the door anyway.

Inside was a long table, filled with people. On one end was the General and beside him was the Captain. The other end had a little girl that looked no older than 15. She had bright red hair that was too short to reach her shoulders. She was also accompanied by two guards, sitting on each side of her. And in between the General and the red haired girl were a bunch of officers. All of them were bickering about something, each officer waiting for an opening to voice their opinion. And lined along the walls were guards, all very stiff.

When I walked in only a couple people looked up to me, including the red haired girl. She seemed to show the most interest in me. The rest of the people continued bickering or just watched.

The guard motioned for me to sit in one of two chairs that were off to the side, not next to the main table. I sat in one and he sat in the other. Once I finally sat down I finally listened to the officers.

“The rebels are an elite force that are merciless.” one said.

“We know that already.” another one said.

“Apparently you don’t!” he retorted back.

“Enough guys! We just need to find out how to defeat them.” a different officer said.

“And how do you suppose we do that?” the first officer that spoke said.

“By getting an army or just using them.” he said back.

“I am not going to use them!” the General sternly said, looking at the officer.

“But sir, we can’t have them just sit around and do nothing.” the officer riskily said back to the General.

“We can, and we will. Besides they’re not ready yet.” the General said as-a-matter-of-factly back.

“Well we can’t just wait for the rebels to come and destroy our whole foundation.” another officer yelled. They were all yelling by this point.

“They’re not going to attack us.” another officer sternly said to the other.

An officer who hadn’t spoken yet pitched in, “Yes they will. After they destroyed his kingdom,” he said, motioning to a man who looked exactly like the man in the painting, only a bit older. “We’ve been their next target!”

My eyes stopped on the man. He had a glistening crown on top of his head, one like the crown in the painting. He was looking down at his lap rather than watching the officers, yet he still sat straighter than anyone else at the table. He didn’t acknowledge the man who’d motioned toward him. His eyes looked like they were concentrating on something no one else could see. I was still listening to the officers bicker but I was putting most of my focus on him, the officers were just background noise.

That’s when he looked like he’d gotten out of his trance. He sat there for a split second, guessing that he could feel my gaze. He then looked immediately up at me, his eyes not stopping on anything else before meeting mine.

At first we just stared at each other, but it didn’t last long. His face brightened and he put on a small smile. I looked back at him, slightly confused. He just lightly laughed a quiet chuckle which made me even more confused. I looked up and it seemed like no one noticed whatever this was. When I looked back at him I could tell he had been watching me that whole time. I looked at him bewildered, again. He just smiled and winked at me.

The wink wasn’t a flirtatious wink nor was it an evil one. It was a simple, calm one. And after he winked he looked up at the barking officers, marking the end of whatever that was.

He couldn't just end off like that. If he is the man in the painting, I need to know more. So I continued to stare at him, hoping he would look back, but he never did.

“Room 502?” I abruptly blurted out, causing the officers to stop their commotion. Every eye was on me, including Captain Cire, who was glaring at me. But I was still looking at the painting man.

He was probably the last person to look at me. “Ah, so you've seen my portrait?” His voice was definitely one of royalty. It was deep and charming. Usually deep voices in this facility are meant to be intimidating but his was born to be charming, just like all royal’s should.

“Yeah, but I've seen better.” I replied with a small grin.

He laughed a deep chuckled and said, “That’s a shame. I payed a lot for that.”

I smiled, letting out a half-laugh as I did. I looked at him suspiciously, like I was trying to figure something out. “Who are you anyway?”

“You mean you don't know?” He asked me, surprised. I shook my head. He sighed and said, “I am Prince Irvine of the kingdom of Tectro.”

I looked at him confused once again. “Wait, what? Prince?”

“Uh… yes. Isn't that what I said?” He asked hesitantly.

“Yes, well, it's just I've never heard of a kingdom nor a monarchy. I thought we just had the government ruling us.”

“Enough of this!” Captain Cire said, slamming her hands on the table. All eyes fell on her. “We’re here to find a solution to these rebels, not chitchat!”

“I want answers!” I retorted back to her.

“No, y-” but before Cire would continue, the General put up his hand, causing her to stop talking.

“Answers to what exactly?” He said to me.

“Everything! Why I'm here, who he is,” I said motioning to Prince Irvine, “who the heck them are, a-” but the General spoke before I could continue.

“Wait, you don't know why you're here?” he asked, glancing at Cire who was now sitting. She was looking away from the General and I.

I slowly shook my head in response to his question. He sighed and began, “You and her,” he nodded toward the red haired girl who was watching us, “have a small titanium chip inside your right arm. We don't know where it came from nor how it got there. You could've been born with it, we don't know. We barely even know what it does.”

“So you're just keeping me here for research?!” I yell at him.

“No, not exactly. You currently have no physical use for us right now. You're just here for… observation. Listen, if I’m going to be honest, your chip is useless to us, it has no power. Hers, on the other hand, has an actual use.”

“Then why do you still keep me here if I don’t have a use?!”

He laughed and leaned forward onto his elbows, clasping his hands together. He looked me in the eye and said, “You, Mercer, are here because you know the answer to a question that we’ve had for a long time.”