Captured.
The rubble stirred beneath her feet as she looked over the remnants of her home. A sob slowly crawled its way up her throat that she tried to gulp down. No use. Tears unceremoniously flowed down her dirt stained skin. Unwanted memories played themselves out on this broken stage; her parents grabbing there coats and leaving out the front door. Her and her sister not knowing that it would be the last time they would ever see them again. This muck, this mess was where her life had centred and had been her entire world. Oh how quickly it could all be ripped away. Naive Hazel Attwood had no idea what had been coming in deed. She coughed. A panic in her set in; that was how it all started. Just a cough, no one could have thought it would be more than a wimpy cold. Now as she stared at the bare house around her she knew the virus had been no wimpy cold. The virus had broken out in a matter of days. News announcements and radio broadcasts had droned on about the safety of the city was assured by the worlds leading scientists that the strain of the virus would barely affect anyone at all.
That didn't stop police taking anyone over the age of eighteen away to the safe zone. Her head spun to look over the horizon where the faint outline of thousands of crosses blurred into one. The safe zone.
Children hadn't taken long to form little clusters together. It became survival of the fittest. Houses like her own got ransacked and she estimated half of the people here were starving and the biggest clusters were to self absorbed to care. Her blood boiled as she thought of them. Technos and those bloody Mall Rats. She grit her teeth at just the mention of them. They were both trying to sell that they were all for democracy and everyone's equal benefit that they would not oppress the people. Load of bullshit. Here kids worked to the bone for game credits. Game credits. What good were they for? Nothing. These high almighty jerks couldn't give them a hole free roof over their heads or an apple to bite into but they could shell out propaganda left and right. They turned on the power grid and the water. Good on 'em but they kept this game running so that there would always be a profit. Bunch of pathetic kids she thought bitterly.
While this was all happening somehow she had managed to control her emotions enough to make a sanctuary for the little ones and a source of purpose for the older ones. Sixteen and starting her own tribe. Ambitious, she thought with a sarcastic sneer. He little sister Prue had been dragged through the bulk of it, the early stages. To her credit she had handled it pretty well and having being obsessed with finance and current affairs before the virus she made a mighty fine leader. She always had her hand to guide Prue when she could but her Military and Medical duties usually kept her busy. Before the virus her father had always let her come into the family practice and worked on minor cases. It was her passion the military was a secondary thing that just came to her naturally. Routes and retrievals were all easy but you had to have some perception of what was out there before you could make even your most simple plan carry out. This retrieval of young kids the ones Technos and Mall Rats rode off as slaves and disposable made the community adopt the name Project Life. Since the community grew stronger and now had what they called 'professionals' which were really just kids who knew a bit more than the average student about their study area. Creative ones entertained and did there thing and the farmers doubled as black ops agents scrounging and harvesting food in the above world. Soldiers were those looking for a purpose or just good fighters
Her stomach turned as she heard the workers siren. The Technos and the workers were about to emerge from the mines and return to the city. It was time to go back down home to the prohibition tunnels. Her heart wrenched as she remembered what was waiting for her down there at home. Her sister, her niece and her fiancee Axel.
It was eerily quiet as she strolled through the streets of the city. The buildings no longer had life in them and it always felt cold, somewhat dispatched here. Unlike in the tunnels where in the enclosed space kept everything in constant warmth and a sense of security was washed over you once you walked in. She sighed heavily as she made her way to the grate.
Axel was waiting for her there when she finally made her way down. The smell of him was intoxicating he had clearly just taken a bath. He smelt of pine needles and cinnamon, he had a way of finding the little luxuries at the above markets. He stood there smirking at her in his black T-shirt and jeans.
"Hazel, do you know how dangerous it is to be up there, your cutting it pretty close" he said dropping the attitude "but I'm glad you're back, you were missed"
He kissed her on the cheek then turned as a soldier beckoned him back for business. She sighed, maybe she could catch up with him later.
She shook her head in disbelief how could life get this amazingly smooth in a world that had been ripped into rough pieces. Her boots made echoing thuds as she moved through the outskirts of the tunnel system where only herself, Axel, Prue and VI5 black ops were allowed to pass during the week. It was for everyone's' safety of course. Whenever lifers go above they are at risk of being captured and tortured by technos for information in where project life was operating from. Her body winced at the thought, Axel had been one of the victims of the technos. Nobody knows how he escaped. All we saw was a broken man blood pouring profusely show up at one of our safe houses. I had treated him.
Bright light.
My eyes seared as they couldn't move away from the light being shoved in them. The dream had been so weird, why do I always dream as an observer? Tears began to form in around the rim of my eyes as I remembered the last time I had saw Axel, we had never gotten to the room because just like that the shutters came down and the technos began to raid.
My strangled cries did nothing as the inner city shut doors and closed off tunnel access to keep the invaders out. Me with them. A security measure I had put in force. Oh the irony. I remember standing there screaming my head off to let me in. It became dark and cold as all the lights and heating went off in an instant. There was no use trying to hide I could already hear them approaching yelling 'we've got one' and the shuffling of their boots. A torch,like this one in my eyes now, bore into me and behind it a sea of metallic faces focused on me intently. If I had flinched I would have been killed on the spot.
"Welcome back sleeping beauty" a nasally voice I now knew too well forced me into full conciousness.
"Good morning honey, did you come home late last night? I didn't see you at all" I groan in a half hearted attempt to stay sarcastic. He hadn't paid his usual midnight visit to try and crack me last night.
My cheek burns as he slaps me across the face. I knew that would happen. Ved, has a short temper and an even shorter ego. Tears well up as the pain begins to register, this is going to be a long interrogation today. Pieces of paper slammed on to the table I've been chained to. I already know what's in it; everything the technos could find on Project Life. To their credit they did find something which was a feat in itself. The raid, even though it didn't work, had effectively showed what they were capable of. Now without realising it, they had captured the second in command of the full operation. Of course, I would never tell them that and that is why my skin is stained with black and blue bruises and my hair is matted in blood. A story of red where I have been in this room makes my stomach turn. The rustic smell curls through and protrudes my nose.
"Oi, Virt, did you hear me!" Shit, I keep fading out of his speeches. Now, I'm listening. I give him a blank look with my bruised eyes.
"Look, you're going on a holiday. You're going to visit my older brother who found out you just got in" Ved rolled his eyes and turned his mouth up in disgust. "So we're going to pretty you up. And you're going to say how well you've been treated since getting here and you're not going to be talking about our little chats."
He grabbed me by the bloodstained collar of my shirt and with a whisper of "Got it" he was storming out of the room.
I let a small sigh escape my lips as I realised that conversation was probably going to be the highlight of my day. This room was depressing. Everything was too quiet the only noise I could here was the sound of my wheezing breath. Trying to shift around in the chair I tried my best to get into as comfortable position as possible which was hard considering my hands were forever tied to the table. Sleep was hard but I knew that I would be able to manage a small nap at least if I tried to avoid moving the side where Ved had cracked one of my ribs trying to get some 'friendly chatter' going. When in doubt hope for the best was what was going through my head as my eyes closed.
I open my eyes to see a much cleaner room surrounding me. Either someone had cleaned it or I had been moved. It was hard to tell. The walls were a brighter white. Was that natural light casting shadows? I swing my head around to see yes a full window is letting the cloudy day cast a grey light over the world. There were technos outside training, oh, other people! How I had missed seeing other human beings. I can't believe I had actually started to miss Ved after he left our little chats.
The room was immaculate. I let my lungs drink in the fresh air, letting the oxygen soak in. This feeling was amazing I had not felt like this since- I lower my eyes to look at the bright green floor. I can't avoid what I feel so when the anguish of losing my family rushes over me, I give in. There is no need to act brave here. My tombstone has already been carved because of that one night. Oh how I could relive that one night.
The clock is ticking and with every tick my nerves grind down further in my stomach. Sixty one, sixty two, sixty three that clock counts off my nerves. I believe its' time to shut it up. I get off the chair and literally drag the table with me to the right wall. I lay back calmly on the desk and lift my legs up to the clock and kick it. It rocks from side to side and teeters to my hearts desire. Yet it does nothing. So with a determined huff I roll off the table. Brainwave. I stare up at the still rocking clock. That's when I face my table and smile for the cameras and thrust my back into the wall with a resounding thud.
The door clicks open and a bunch of metal heads file in and make a semi circle around me. I look at them with my best Bambi eyes. My ears tune in only to the sound of the clock. The metal heads hold up their weapons at me unwavering, some cock their heads to the side confused as to why this manic girl through herself into a wall. CRASH. The clock finally hits the ground with a satisfying shatter. Pieces of glass fall and scratch my angles. I look at the metal heads. A laugh bubbles up my throat and it pops in my mouth. To be honest I had expected a giggle, maybe a little laugh but when I hear let it out it sounds like a broken and sadistic cackle. They look at me with more confusion, so with this awkward pause I sink back down into my chair. Slowly. So I don't get shot or anything.
"File out, this is my interrogation" A thick voice says.
I look at him and almost choke. He's gorgeous. In a guy way. This guy stands before me thin and tall with brown eyes and blonde hair which he runs a hand through as he casually brings the chair from the other side of the room to my table. When he sits down and puts his arm folded across to stare at me my mouth falls open in amazement. A little guilt swirls around my stomach as I think of Axel but I push it down, I'm on death row, staring won't hurt. His eyes twinkle in amusement at my obvious floundering expression at his godlike beauty. Awkwardly I shut my mouth and try regain my sarcastic unimpressed look, kind of.
"Surprised?" he says with a slightly lighter voice.
His voice ruins it. He puts a reality into his body and the whole twenty second personality I had built up to him crashes. I remember why I'm here. His people abducted me and have starting regular beatings and starvation techniques for experiments. This, this, this guy believes that this kind of treatment of people from a different life is fair. Taking food from everyone's' mouths and forcing labour. Bile bit up in my throat. How amusing if I threw back up the disgusting food they supplied the lower class onto his black suit. I flick my eyes over him. He's staring down at the smashed clock around my ankles. I glance and see that a number of the shards are cutting into my skin with a little of the blood staining down the white tights that they had slipped me in to. Ooh, pretty. I hadn't notice them before, I swing my legs a little to watch them stretch and contract. As I'm looking at the tights I notice that they had also put me in a dress. Obviously, the bloody dirty one wasn't up to par for this guest. It was a petty fabric though, midnight blue velvet with a high cut at the neck and long sleeves. Who was I trying to impress in this? Who was Ved trying to impress in this? Woah, what if it was Ved who got me into this? Yuck .
A slam down on the table makes me jump out of my skin. His balled up fists turn red in contrast to the cream white table. He looks at me with such underlying fury I feel like I have been chucked off the chair and into the wall behind me.
"I'm not wasting my time here" he exasperates "If your lucky enough to have escaped them then you can just let me know"
He pulls out his chair and comes to my side. There's a weird moment where I flinch at his approaching figure. There's' a knowing look shared and I realise that they plan this. This whole routine. Bad cop, Good cop how ironic that they have the brothers doing it. I decide its time to put on a little charade. I look up at him through my eyelashes adopting my best Bambi look. I let some tears well up in my eyes as if I'm realising for the first time that someone actually believes that I'm innocent. When he's walking around and within my grasp I grab at his shirt and bring him down to me gently. I look into his eyes and begin to cry full on. There's a surprise look in his gaze as he pulls me closer to him. The cameras creek as they begin to zoom in on us. The embrace is cold, he runs his hands through my combed hair and soothes me with nothings in my ear.
"You're safe with me" he says in a mechanical voice, how many times has he done this? How many people has he done this too? "I'll help you, anyway I can, we can do it as a team" He kisses my hair.
"I-I don't even know your name" I whisper
"Jay, just Jay" he murmurs into the bottom of my neck. He holds my arm as my pseudo tears rack through my body.
I bring his face up cupping it in my hand. Making my lips quiver I stutter out some words.
"What-What did you say? You can tell me" He's good, I bring him even closer to my face and breathe.
"Oh Jay. It's horrible, I was, I... I'm second in command of the whole operation. I know exactly what tactics your using and the next time you try it on me I'll kill you with or without the use of my hands." I laugh a little sadistically.
There's an almost instant recoil. He moves away and looks at me with such disgust. I shoot back daggers at him, he's upset that I found him out. I almost expect him to pout but he doesn't he just goes back to his place on the other side of the table then runs his hands over his mouth. I wait for him to speak realising it probably wasn't wise to mention the fact I was second in command. There is no time to think about what could have been but I do thinking about what would have happened if I had kept playing along. Surely he doesn't think how he was speaking was impassioned. He's shaking with fury and its creeping me out. The room feels like its burning up.