Joan Ascends

Chapter 22: Rats in a cage

As two Deans lead me out of Lexi's office, I'm hit with a headache, a painful reminder from Lexi not to step out of line. As if I could, with Addie under her control.

There's no gel to block the signal, so there is no way to end the pain. I'm at Lexi's mercy. I'll have to ride it out, as I have so many times before. Everything appears blurry, and I stumble so hard that the Deans have to hold me upright. I'm not surprised that when I'm this weak I'm hit with a vision, one that is brighter and louder than the others I've had.

A girl with long, tangled black hair wearing what looks like a blue worker's jumpsuit is curled on a small cot. At first, it appears as if she's sleeping, but then her eyes suddenly pop open and she sits upright on the bed.

I recognize her from a brief vision I had when I was with Lexi several weeks ago. This is Lozen, the warrior and prophet, if Lexi's word can be trusted.

Her eyes connect with mine, and even through the fog of the vision I'm shocked. It's almost as if she can see me.

"Get the pen. On the table, by the elevator. NOW!"

I'm jerked back into my body. One of the Deans is passing smelling salts under my nose.

"Looks like she's suffering side effects of the H2IV. Probably forgot to take the antidote before she came here today."

"Let's get her to Dr. Rodriguez."

Just in time, I see the table by the elevator that the girl from my vision mentioned. I lurch toward it and knock the whole thing over, tumbling to the ground with it.

"Damn it!"

I'm jerked to my feet but manage to shove the pen up my sleeve without either man noticing. With a rough shove, I'm pushed into the elevator, which speeds down to one of the basement levels.

My mind is sluggish, the pain short circuiting my ability to quickly process my surroundings. I try to make sense of how the girl in my vision spoke to me, but all I can see is Addie, unconscious, being dragged across Lexi's carpet. Was that the last time I will ever see her?

The elevator doors open, revealing a white, tiled hallway lit by bright lights. I follow the Deans toward a plain door and notice a small smear of something red on the doorframe. It stands out against all the sterile white. Some part of me knows it must be blood.

Inside the room is a metal desk that is screwed into the floor. Sitting behind it is a Throwback of the Sofia clone type. She greets the Deans who are with me but doesn't so much as look at me.

One of the Deans pushes me into a metal chair that is also bolted to the ground and handcuffs my hands behind my back. The other Dean then cuffs each of my ankles to one of the chair legs. They attach sensors to my fingertips and pulse again, as they did in Lexi's office. They are taking so many precautions that, even with my mind working slower than usual, I realize two things.

The first is that someone before me must have caused a lot of trouble trying to escape, which is why there are now so many safeguards. The second is that whatever is going to happen next is going to make me want to leave, and they are making sure that won't be possible.

After the Deans double check all my cuffs, they leave, and I'm alone with the Sofia.

"Please, help me. There's a woman, a Molly—"

"Silence, please," the Sofia says firmly. "I'm not allowed to engage with you. If you talk, other than to answer my direct questions, I'll be forced to call the Deans back to silence you. It's not pleasant, and I would prefer not to have to do that."