A/N: Chapter 7! Yay! This chapter was really hard to write, mainly because everytime I would get on the family computer [Mine broke :( ] somebody would find a way to kick me off! So, even though this chapter is kinda a fill-in chapter, it was probably one of the toughest ones... But anyway, hope you like it!
(Cammie POV)
I woke up to the sound of heavy breathing. I lay still, acting as if I was still asleep, listening to the sounds around me. The breathing noises (at least four people it sounded like, maybe five), stayed around me for several long moments.
"We know you're awake Cam." I heard Liz say. I opened my eyes to see Bex, Liz, Macey, Kyle, and Aunt Abby leaning over me. I felt my mouth move, seemingly of its own will, forming a small smile as I took in the faces of all my friends, and then twist slightly in confusion as I look around me. The infirmary? What am I doing here? I sat up as quickly as I could, my mouth opened in a silent gasp as pain ripped through my abdomen. I resisted the urge to grab my stomach seeing as how four of the best spies I knew were sitting two feet from my face. My mind began reeling as I attempted to figure out what was wrong with me. Macey frowned. "What's wrong?" Apparently I wasn't hiding it as well as I had thought. I cleared my throat and looked at Macey questioningly.
"Why am I in the infirmary? What's going on?" My voice sounded hoarse, rusty. I watched the group exchange worried glances. Macey, who was sitting closest to me, leaned forward to catch my eye.
"Don't you remember what happened Cam?" Her brow furrowed with concern.
"I remember escaping the pris-"I caught myself and fixed my mistake smoothly, "the base. And finding the passageway." I looked up to meet Kyle's gaze, cocking my head uncertainly. He gave a nervous smile, and gestured for me to continue. "And… the woman. The woman…from…" My voice dropped to a low whisper. I found myself staring at the wall in a daze, my mind unwillingly going back.
..:: l| FLASHBACK |l ::..
I struggled against the ropes that were binding my arms behind my back. The harder I pulled, the more the ropes burned. They seemed to bite into my skin, leaving my wrists bleeding and raw. I looked around blindly, straining to listen. The darkness taunted me; it seemed to pulse around me, squeezing until I felt smothered, claustrophobic. I whipped my head around toward the shuffling I heard on my right. I knew she was in here somewhere. The woman from Boston and her assistant, hired to torture me. My muscles tensed up automatically, waiting for something to happen. The new silence was deafening. I sat on the concrete floor mutely, refusing to make any noise.
There was the sound of someone rushing through the darkness toward me. I whirled around, right as something smashed over my head again and again. I crumpled to the ground, writhing around to escape the blows. The heavy metal crowbar slammed into my stomach, my knee, my back. I lashed out with my feet, feeling them connect at the same time I heard a loud grunt. I was suddenly hauled off the floor and into air, hands squeezing my arms tight enough to leave massive bruises.
"Where is it? Tell me!" The hands squeezed tighter as the woman yelled in my ear. "Give it up Cammie." I was thrown to the ground, my head cracking against the concrete. The woman grabbed my hair, pulling my head close to what I assumed was her face. She shook me hard. "I have lots of fun planned for you," She snarled in my face. "We can do this as long as you want. I WILL outlast you." I stayed rebelliously silent, daring her to continue her game. I would not break. Everyone I love had suffered to keep me from her. I wouldn't let their efforts be in vain.
I had lost all of my energy, all my will to keep fighting. So I lay there. I sat noiselessly when the goon hit me. When he threw me against the wall, I blinked. I detached myself from the torture and remembered. Remembered Zach dipping me in the middle of the Grand Hall. Remembered spying and pulling stunts with my best friends. Helping Liz test out all her theories. Sitting grumpily while Macey tried out hairstyles and make-up techniques on my unwilling face. Fighting Bex, both of us trying to best each other in P.E. I remembered all of it so clearly. And I welcomed the darkness when it came, pulling me deeper into my memories. I drifted off to thoughts of my dad, a song playing in the back of my head. Circus music…
..:: l| REALITY |l ::..
"Cammie!" Liz shrieked in my face. I jerked back.
"What?!" I asked in surprise, wondering why everyone looked so freaked out. I reached down to my stomach, not bothering to disguise the pain this time. I moved my hands, noticing for the first time that there were IV's and machines hooked up to my arms, monitoring my body. The heart rate monitor was beeping nonstop. I took several deep, calming breaths, hoping to stop the loud obnoxious noise that filled the room.
"Cam, what happened?" Liz's eyes filled with tears.
"I was just… what was I saying?"
"You were talking about what you remember before now," Bex said, a calm façade enveloping her. She was good, but the deep worry in her eyes gave her away. I sat up straighter. I hated that I was once again causing them to worry. I plastered on a warm smile.
"Right!" I said brightly. "I remember fighting the Circle agents in the little office. And the laser beams." I sent a wry look in Kyle's direction. He grinned sheepishly. "And after that…"my voice faded. I looked around in bewilderment. "I don't remember. What happened?"
Everyone looked to Kyle for an explanation. He shifted nervously. "We left through another branch of the passageway that you found. Ended up in a warehouse-like room. Agents flooded the room, along with two snipers. We fought as hard as we could, taking down most of them. The snipers helped, they didn't have very good aim. But they got lucky once. And once is really all it takes." He paused for a breath. "And you went down from the sniper's last bullet. I took down the last two goons. Didn't really know what to do after that. But you woke up in time to keep me from spazzing. Disconnected the bugs attached to the phones and called your mom. We walked the two miles or so to Lake Michigan, and you collapsed from all your injuries. Fancy jet came, flew us here." He finished summing it all up and shrugged. "That's about it." I nodded slowly and turned to my right towards Aunt Abby.
"Where's my mom?"
A/N: Had to stop there, mainly because my computer is broken... and I had to go to the library and use the computer to upload this for you guys... (My computer hates me :/ ) Sorry peoples! I'll try to get the nest chapter up as soon as I can. :) But in the meantime,please, please, please review and let me know what you think!
