Chapter 23-Orientation
"Come with me." A nurse said calmly as she opened Ami's door.
"Where are we going? Where is Dr. Mizuno?" Ami asked as she put on her slippers.
"We are going to the auditorium." The nurse replied. She gestured for Ami to hurry. "Now, put on this badge. It will identify you to the others so that they don't put you back in this cell. You and your friends will be relocated to Block A, your new living quarter."
Ami glanced at the badge. Visitor. Big bold letters splashed across with her photo next to it. She turned it over and the badge has a star on it. Beside it, in tiny print, it read Visitor with special privileges. Ami made a mental note to ask her mom later.
She was the first one to arrive, so she settled down and noted all the exits in the room. Soon, the rest of them came in. Usagi seemed to have been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. However, her face lit up when she saw Chibiusa and the rest of the gang.
Usagi flashed her signature smile and came up to hug Ami.
"I already know. Dr. Mizuno came to visit me last night and asked me to keep her secret." Usagi whispered while she hugged.
"Does everyone know?"
Usagi nodded with some uncertainty. "I think so...But why?..." She looked perplexed.
Ami merely shrugged. Too early to tell, plus there were ears and eyes everywhere...Ami needed to figure out who to trust here, besides her mom.
The door opened again and two guards escorted Mako in. Still in handcuffs and slightly sedated, Mako was still making their lives harder by continuing to struggle. It was only the sight of Ami, and the rest of the group, that finally calmed her down.
Ami ran up and wrapped her arms around her. She then turned to the guards, "Please take the handcuffs off. I promise she won't hurt anyone."
The guards, seeing a new side, a calmer side of Mako, finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, they insisted that the handcuffs be kept on until further instructions.
Ami was about to protest again when she caught her mom's gaze. Ami clamped her mouth shut and clenched her jaw, but she kept her silence.
"Hello." A voice boomed from the stage. "Newcomers, please sit down for the orientation. I am Colonel Demande. This here is my second in command, Major Saphir, and this is Captain Rubeus."
Saphir and Rubeus stood behind Colonel Demande, looking stern and cold. Demande continued to speak as he paced back and forth on the stage.
"I want to thank you girls for being so brave. You have survived for so long out there, we were amazed at how well you built your lives at that beach house. Now, Rubeus will give you guys a tour of the compound and will show you to your living quarters. As for you two young ladies, Chibiusa and Hotaru, Saphir will show you your new school."
Demande took a long pause and seemed to be looking at Usagi. The stare was creepy and Usagi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Ami narrowed her eyes and felt troubled. Something was seriously off with that guy...
"Tsukino Usagi. Will you please come on the stage?" Demande extended his hand, beckoning her to come up.
Usagi stood up and walked towards him. She turned and looked at the gang, fear and anxiety written on her face.
Demande took Usagi's hand and stood very close to her. "So, she is the survivor, the one with the blood that could save us all. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen..."
Saphir cleared his throat and gave the colonel a stern look. Demande took the cue and moved himself out of Usagi's personal space. "Usagi, you will be going with Dr. Mizuno."
At the mention of her mother's last name, Mako turned her head around and stared at Ami. "Mizuno? What?" She mouthed the words.
"Now, Kyoto Ami and Meioh Setsuna, you guys will be assisting Dr. Mizuno in the lab." Demande looked down at his clipboard. "The rest of you will follow Rubeus back to block A and you will be assigned jobs."
"Kyoto?" Mako was looking more and more confused now. Ami shook her head, signaling Mako to stop. Mom probably didn't get a chance to debrief Mako, since she was sedated and out most of the time.
When the orientation was over, the gang was split up once again. Hotaru was holding back her tears as she followed Saphir out. Chibiusa had her arm around Hotaru, telling her everything will be fine.
Mako was led away by the same two guards. As she was leaving, she turned and looked at Ami again. She flashed a weak smile and waved. Ami ran up to her and much to the guards' protest, she gave Mako a hug.
"Behave. Don't fight." Ami whispered to her ear before kissing her on the cheek.
Mako nodded, implicitly trusting Ami to figure everything out.
Ami watched with a heavy heart as the group separated. Mako left in chains. Rei, Minako, Seiya, Haruka and Michiru left while being escorted by two soldiers. They were all hostages now. They were all prisoners...
Then, there was Usagi. Colonel seemed to be treating Usagi like an ultimate prize, with his creepy staring and inappropriate touching.
"Come." Mom put a hand on Ami's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We have a lot of work to do..."
Usagi followed Ami, Setsuna and Dr. Mizuno to the lab. After passing several security doors and heavily guarded entrances, they reached their destination.
The lab itself looked unimpressive, just rows and rows of weird looking machines and people in lab coats walking about. Everyone stopped though once they laid eyes on Usagi.
"Nice to meet you guys." Usagi waved and smiled at the doctors. She blushed and felt like a specimen on display, as they continued to stare.
"Get back to work!" Dr. Mizuno barked her order and they reluctantly turned their gazes away. "Now, Usagi, please get on the table."
Usagi climbed onto the cold examination table and prepared herself for more needles. Truth be told, she hated this part. She looked towards Ami for comfort, but she and Setsuna were led away by another doctor.
"Dr. Mizuno, what are we going to do?" Usagi wasn't referring to the blood test and the doctor knew.
She looked around the room. No one seemed to be paying attention to them. Still, the doctor dropped to barely a whisper. "First we need to develop the first batch of vaccine. Then, we will need to get out of here..."
"It's not safe here?" Usagi could feel her palms getting sweaty. With her heart thudding loudly, Usagi studied Dr. Mizuno's face. There was fear in her eyes.
The doctor shook her head. She quickly glanced behind her again before she dropped a final warning. "We need to get you guys out of here...before it's too late."
The group followed Rubeus back to block A. He gave them a brief tour of the building and then he handed them some worn out uniforms. "Put them on."
"What are we doing here?" Minako looked at Rubeus in the eye. This whole situation simply didn't make any sense. She knew the researchers needed Usagi, but why did they take them too? The compound certainly had enough people to work its various jobs, so what purpose were they filling here?
"Let's see.." Rubeus looked down on a piece of paper. "Haruka and Seiya, you are chopping wood today. Michiru, Rei, Mako and you will go help in the kitchen. Any questions?"
Minako narrowed her eyes. Rubeus smiled and walked right up to her. He leaned in and whispered, "unless you want to warm my bed for me..."
Rei grabbed Minako's hand before her fist made contact with his face. Rubeus merely laughed and then left the room. "Do your jobs and be patient. All will be revealed soon enough..."
Minako relented and let her shoulders drop. Feeling trapped, Minako looked at her people and felt helpless. She had no idea what they were doing to Usagi now and if Hotaru and Chibiusa were safe...
"Don't trust anyone." Dr. Mizuno's warning on the paper. It was etched in Minako's mind since the first night. The good doctor came in like an angel…
"We need to get out of here." Seiya slammed her fist into the wall. "Did you see the way he looked at Usagi?"
"We have no weapons. We are outnumbered." Minako reasoned. Sure, they could probably fight their way through by taking some of the guards down and then turn the guns on the rest of them...but how far could they run?
Mako stood up and started to pace around the room. "Look, Ami told me not to fight and to behave. I think, we can't let them know what we know. We will do our jobs and wait for further instructions from Ami. She and Setsuna will also make sure that Usagi is safe."
"What about Hotaru and Chibiusa?" Michiru said sadly. "They are all alone..." Haruka walked over and wrapped her arms around Michiru.
Minako nodded. She had to give it to the enemy alright. That was one smart move to make sure they would obey. Take the kids and stuff them in a separate building...also, the little ones would make perfect hostages when the time comes...
She slipped on the uniform and turned to the group. "So, we keep our heads down and do our jobs. Keep your eyes and ears open for any weak points in the system. Hopefully, Ami and Setsuna will give us an update soon..."
