Techno

Chapter 18

     "These will subdue your powers," and agent explained, typing a code into the cuffs.

     She allowed herself to be led down the hallway and out of the prison center. As she passed Merlin's cell, she craned her neck to get a glimpse of her mysterious new friend. All she managed to see, however, was a figure curled up on his cot fast asleep.

     "If you resist, we will kill you," an agent threatened.

     Ellie hesitated before nodding, "I won't do anything. Just tell me about Gabriel. Where is he?"

     The agent looked away, instead he leading their captive further down the hall.

     "Are you going to answer any of my questions?" Ellie asked.

     The agent ignored her.

     "Well, all right then," muttered Ellie.

     The prisoner complex was extensive, and it stretched for what seemed like miles in every direction. Ellie wondered if the facility was underground, or secluded in an isolated environment. Cells stretched like packs of sardines along each corridor, and there were at least four visible levels extending upward. Hard, concrete, walls reinforced the prison and virtually everything was bare. It was a depressing sight.

     Ellie was led to the far wall with an elevator carved into the thick, concrete, surface. One of the agents, a shorter man, pressed an "up" button on the wall. Ellie tried to peer through his visor, a little curiosity prying at her.

     "What's your name?" Ellie asked.

     The officer was silent.

     "Are all agents who work here like you?" asked Ellie.

     "Only the good ones," the man responded.

     Ellie felt taken aback, "Oh...okay."

     The elevator arrived and the three of them stepped in. As the doors closed, Ellie heard one of the agents clear his throat. There was a shudder, and the rickety elevator began to climb the levels. Overhead, some classical music could be heard through an old speaker. It was an awkward, quiet, couple of seconds before the elevator reached the top floor.

     "We'll escort you," the taller of the two guards explained.

     Ellie stepped out, her feet slightly cold in her shoes, and into the mysterious facility. The beauty of the place, and its stark contrast to the prisons below. took her breath away.

     The upper-most levels of the Central Intelligence for National Assurance Prisoner Facility were the pinnacle of technological industry. Giant, electronic, billboards displayed strings of information pouring in from all over the world. Beautiful, pristine walls glowed with maps of the world and the status of several dozen nations. Interesting, abstract, architecture dotted the scene to add an artistic flare to the secretive organization.

     They nudged her along and into an off-shooting hallway that led to a completely different part of the building. Ellie walked in silence, the whole time wondering where she could be going. After a couple of minutes they arrived, and Ellie stepped into a blank room with nothing but a single table and some chairs. There was no technology to be seen.

     At the table sat one woman: Olivia Jones. Ellie recognized her by her brown hair.

     "Ms. Jobs," Olivia beckoned. "We need to talk."

     The two agents took a step back and closed the door behind Ellie. Slowly, she walked toward Olivia and the extra chair that sat at the table.