Error Code 503

Chapter 7- A Needed Explanation

I stepped out of the shower and got into my jammies. Looking in the mirror, I realized that I had a light purple bruise on my face from the guard who punched me in the jaw. Oh well. After I finished using the bathroom, I went downstairs.

"So I punched the guy in the stomach but he really wouldn't go down!"

"What'd you do after?"

"I punched him in the throat and then ran. But I ran straight into that lady. What was her name again?"

"Adrianne. She's one of the main instructors and CEOs of the Desert Eagles."

"Oh. Well she's super strong. She grabbed me and choked me for two seconds and then I was out. That's all I could recall after I thought long and hard."

I walked into the living room and noticed that everyone had already set up their beds. Tara sat wrapped in a blanket on the purple couch while "Natechael" claimed the king air mattress in front of the futon. Ackerman sat on the smaller air mattress in front of the loveseat.

"What's up?" I said to everybody.

"We were just talking about the epic fights against the bad guys." Tara responded.

"Where's Mairi and Cedric?" I asked.

"Mairi is taking a shower and Cedric's in his room." Nate told me.

"Okay. Don't sleep too late! We did a lot today so I wanna make sure everyone gets proper rest." I nagged.

"You don't sleep too late, since you're with Cedric. Oh, and Jairi too." Michael replied, smirking and winking.

"Jairi sounds really stupid." Jason said, frowning.

"Well does Mason sound any better?" Michael asked.

I waved at all of them and then walked down the hall to Cedric's room. He was sitting on the bed, playing with his phone.

"I can switch beds if you're uncomfortable sleeping here." Cedric said, looking at me with his glossy green eyes.

God. It was only the first day and I couldn't stand his charm.

"It's fine. No need for that." I said, not wanting to make a fuss out of things.

"Okay. You sure you're good?" He asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.

"Alright. I'm gonna go finish a few things before bed. Sleep well." He finished, walking out of the room.

I peeled the covers from the mattress and slipped under the covers. Man was I exhausted. I laid there, staring at the ceiling. Laughter erupted in the living room--probably a Nate joke.

Thoughts slowly crept into my mind. Would we ever find Karina? What if she was already dead? No. They needed her for a reason.

"Hey Irene, sleeping already?" Mairi said, shaking me out of my la la land.

"Yeah. Long day. The side effects of the d86e are really killing me." I answer.

"Ah, I really wonder what benefits I'd get with that. I'm a type O, universal donor." She said, setting her things down next to the pullout mattress.

"Ackerman mentioned healing abilities or something." I told her.

"I wonder which one I'll get." She added, sitting on her mattress.

I agreed and was off to sleep land.

Karina

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

No answer.

"What do you want with me?"

Again, no answer.

They were there sitting in front and beside me, watching me intently. Yet they couldn't answer any of my questions.

"Who are you?"

"Be quiet." One of the guards ordered.

I waited, just in case they'd answer me.

"Screw you, where are you taking me!" I yelled.

"Look, you don't need to know shit." Another guard said.

"I have the right to ask."

Adrianne sighed and looked up, glaring at me.

"Shut up. All of you," she warned us angrily, "We could do this the easy way or the hard way. You can be out cold or you can be quiet."

I didn't reply.

"Good." She smiled.

The plane was more of a plain ride. No food, no bathroom, and no talking for four hours. After we landed, I was transferred into a black GMC. One that you'd see government officials or undercover cops driving.

I sat between two guards and Adrianne sat in the front. It looked like a frontier outside with orange-red rock structures and red sand. We were soon on a highway and passed a few signs. One read "Lake Powell".

Then Adrianne turned around.

"We should've done this earlier." She said, motioning to the guy next to me.

The guard to my right grabbed my head and sunk a needle into the back of my neck. My vision slipped away from me and my thoughts cleared. Sedation.