After a couple of months almost rounding a whole year they fell into a routine. "If it wasn't for Lalani this place would be heaven. Training, fresh air, hunting, good times." "She's got a lot going on use benefit of the doubt. "Jared replied back to Addie in a teasing voice. "Look um me and some of the others found some old trunks with old clothes in it from before this place turned all to crap. They were full of colors and gorgeous actually." Taking a big breath before she continued.
"There was this whiteish brownish dress that caught my eye and I brought it back. I thought after we find Tess and Julian drags his ass down here we could rope some of the others to come down for a trip and you know we could it. Settle down... and all that stuff." Addie was asking nervously her cheeks slightly turning pink as she was aware of what she was asking. "That's the second greatest thing you've ever said to me. I'm still waiting for the first but I'm in no rush." He winked.
"I'm still waiting too, ya know." She grinned. They enjoyed their moments alone until they get interrupted. "Addie you are good with interrogations yes?" "I'm second best." She gloated. "Jared you go on labor watch in the fields prisoners are digging a well and garden today need more eyes and man power. Addie there is a special job we have from you. You'll be gone most of the day. Let's get started people!" Lalani shouted through the whole barracks. "I hate that hard ass." "I don't know she could be worse." Ben said.
"They think they may have leads one on our missing and one on Tessa. Jack will be going with you. You will have a new guard prisoner was relieved of his crimes and will now serve here. Just watch yourself Addie. Lani is a changed person since being here on she was part of the rehabilitation program too. Sometimes she's hard it's almost like her soul is missing. She perks up when Jack's around though. Anyway Jared when President Rodriguez. Comes in days' time you are to be his right?" "You mean I'm to be his right until Tessa returns, right?"
"No you will be his right until she's redeemed free and goes to trial. But fear not I've already dropped all the charges. A simple testimony on file and she will be done." Ben said. "Thanks, its deeply appreciated." Jared felt excited they knew where to find Tessa area but now many actually have it. His best friend is first President to touch the ground in decades and once Ben signs his papers he is granted permission to have his own name here and marry Addie. Now he realizes Addie isn't doing this for his benefit she's just as nervous and excited as he is.
She really wanted all this and she really wanted it with him. Today's going to be a great day he thought grabbing his gear heading out to his post prisoners loved him he was just and fair just as Tessa is. Yet would not let you cross a line or tone. Some of the other guards were a little different today he sent two home. They could not stop fevering off and on, than random vomiting some were getting crashing. Hope there wasn't a flu bug going around. For a second he could have sworn their brown eyes turned bright blue.
"Jack these are dangerously close to the restricted grounds." Addie reminded him. "I didn't realize we had a camp this close Lani." Jack said in curious tone. "We don't this is just a pop-up tent." Lalani said walking up to holding it open for others to go in. "The captive is in there we believe she knows where the missing are. Don't worry she's not diseased." Lalani finished off flatly.
The other guard stayed at watch of the entrance as the others were in the tent. The young girl that was chained was the captive not much younger than Addie but still was a small age gap between them. Addie looked at Jack shocked at the sight before her. "My name is Adelyn but I like you'd to call my Addie. We will not hurt you. I would like to ask you some questions and after that I promise you I will make sure I get you home even if I have to deliver you myself."
Something about the way Addie spoke to her made her feel a little calmer. "Just to start trust every question you answer I will do something for you." Jack looked back at Addie shocked at what she just promised this captive, but still nodded his head in agreement he also felt the need to help the younger woman. "What is your name?" After much hesitation she spoke up. "Tula." Addie held a canteen of water to her mouth for her to drink. "I'm still newish to this land Tula but you are quite bit away from home correct me if I'm wrong but these lands here there not of your tribe. SO how did you get you cross two regions here alone without one scratch and not even no one noticing?"
"I didn't I was taken by three men more like demons with bright blue glowing eyes. They put sack over my head I never realized I was in enemy territory. "Addie looked down at her feet and unchained on foot. "I believe you. Do you or your people know where any of our missing people are or have you seen any of them?" Addie asked hopefully.
"No. We don't like your kind of people. It was your kind that set forth on our lands and you brought those evil blue-eyed Tentoria with you. These lands here. They help you wake your mind up and then banish you back around here to where you belong. But most of you demons go to the Shadows and the Tentoria. They want destruction and another way of life you are different you have no blue eyes, no chips. You have kindness and as well as a soul in your eyes. You are no shadow."
Addie again believed her although she didn't understand most of what she said. It was like a big puzzle was being put together right in front of her eyes as she unchained the other foot watching Tula rub her now free ankles as they were sore. She looked at Jack who was just as confused as she was almost as if they were listening to this poor girl who was speaking in some sort of riddles that they did not understand. "Jack she knows nothing of our missing people."
"What do you suppose happened? When prisoners get injected they are to be controlled all the way until memory comes back. They are turned blue by the serum to know it works when they are controlled or being monitored by the control head. Or mentors as we call them, and their eyes remain a glowy blue until the mentor turns off the monitor on them. Chips were being prototyped to be theory to never let certain people never be in control. They were the one whom were classified as clinically insane and danger to society or themselves. This was considered to be inhuman and to this day we are not sure if they were developed and test or not. It was scared should someone over ride those chips are took control of the person who is now chipped if enough were taken they would basically have a remote-controlled army to do their bidding."
"We seem to have some traitors in our midst I can guarantee you it's not a theory and they have already been using people as the experiment for those chips, how else would these villagers who don't contact us have seen it? Get her home secretly and delicately." Tulia I am so sorry of what's happened to your skin this is a reaction of the serum being rejected by your body of the serum that you call blue eyed demons. You will not be a shadow as you called it for your body has expelled it out and made an allergic type of reaction it will clear up soon as long as you keep your skin clean as possible." Addie explained to Tula while tucking a stray hair behind her ear tenderly, who just nodded grateful she wasn't going to be a monster like the ones who took her.
"The other lady put many things into my neck but my body won't accept it and rejects it thanks to the other tribes healer who made us all a serum he said it was like a vaccine to your kinds of evil injections. I began to vomit and get fevers and rashes from everything she tried to give me." Tula said looking scared across her face. "What lady?" Jack asked nervously.
"Me." Lalani said as she shoved an injection to the side of Jack's neck. Addie got struck down by the surprise hit from the other guard who was standing by the door whose eyes were mesmerizing glowing blue staring blankly at her as if he was looking at her but not seeing her just going through the motions. Jack laid knocked out on the floor he was breathing but not moving. What the hell did she put in him? "You're the traitor! You just wanted Tessandra!" Addie yelled out Lani.
Addie was quick to her feet fighting both shadows for a strong few minutes managing to take her knife and stabbing both of the guard man's eyes out leaving him screaming crying bleeding everywhere. Falling to the floor. She managed to slash her knife down Lalani's right eye she cut good and deep her eyes stopped glowing blue and she managed to slam her head with the back of the gun knocking Lalani out on the floor. Addie quickly grabbed Tula and dragging her from the tent
. "Look I know your scared and I'm going to admit I'm not hundred percent of what's happen right now but I need you to trust me because I am going to make sure you get home safe and sound in one piece." Tula just nodded trusting her and being too scared to stay in this spot a second longer was rushing through her.
"Ok let's go." They moved quickly and ran. Addie would pick Tula up every so often as her body was still sore from getting injected by so many things, what torture she has been put through. They came up to a cliff that was a waterfall. Looking down Addie turned to Tula." "Can you swim?" "Ya." Tula huffed catching her breath. "Good jump!" "Why?" "It's the only way down to get to you home unless you want to go back the way we came. Where they probably made me out to be a traitor by now?"
"We jump." Getting a running start, they leaped off the cliff and hit the water, fighting off the little fish trying to take a bite out of them and finally made their way to land. "You good?" "Good enough." Tula huffed back. "Up come on we still have a long way to go before we can even think about catching our breath." Tula coughed up some water and then they made their way through the forest neither one willing to stop making their way all through the night to get back to Tula's land
Lalani looked at jack wo stood before her after they returned. Jared came to greet them with Riley. "Where's Adelyn?" I'm afraid the captive had tricked us and some of her people had surrounded us and took Addie." Lalani said in sad voice with her right eye patched up. "Were doing all that we can. All we can do now is hope she is as strong as we think she is." Jack followed up in the explanation. "I need to help where was the captive from?" Jared spoke out quickly.
"No! We need you here. You'll be too close to the problem to focus correctly you know how these things work soldier your too emotionally connected to the issue at hand." Jack answered back with a sad tone as he and Lalani parted ways with them. "Jared it's ok, were going to get them back both girls." Riley said as Jared start looking all around with his hands on top of his head as he felt his breath leave his body heart sinking past his stomach he felt as if the world was crumbling around. Was she hurt? Is she lost; how far could they have gotten by now it's about midday sun getting ready to set. Is she hungry?
His mind going haywire as he has never been this far apart from her. He was growing very angry. "He's lying." Riley said flatly trying to get Jared's attention back to reality. "There couldn't have been anyone to grab Addie the captive was from a different part of the villages nowhere near where the captive was found and she was a young girl who was already tied up when Lani found her."
"Some of the guards are having a reaction to something around here it's time we go check the labs studies research and logs it seems something is going around." "You think they hurt Addie?" "No, I bet she sensed a rat and broke out to the restricted lands. We need eyes out there. Let's get a prisoner on it. "I need a code blue Ben." Riley radioed on a private channel.
"Yes sir, come take your pick. You're going to activate a prisoner to find Addie?" "NO! God no. I'm activating my baby." "You have a baby?" Jared asked confused. "Well he's more like a dog." "You have a dog you injected the rehab serum into?" Jared asked concern, just when he thinks Riley couldn't get any weirder, he gets proven wrong every time.
"Yes, I found him hurt one day very badly wasn't sure if he'd make it so with nothing else to lose I injected him with it. It does contain healing components. Poor baby. Come on than hurry up this way" Riley cooed for his secret pet. They headed down for the labs but it wasn't any way Jared has been shown before a secret way no one else knew existed as they entered in the secret location Jared was left in Awe as he took everything surrounding them in. "Must be good being Vice President." Jared muffled out in complete shock at what's around him.
"Mr. President the pod is ready." Derek called out. "I'll be right there." Julian hollered back grabbing his bag of his emergency supplies." "Going somewhere dangerous?" Connor asked sarcastically. "I want you to hack the launch code to put me in the same place or close enough to it as Tess landed." "I can't do that Jules that's a fifty percent suicide and fifty-one percent crazy."
"It's almost a year and they still can't find her or heard anything about her. We can't even get close to the other tribes to ask for help unless we fall and crash into their lands that's the treaty bylines, remember?" "By tribe who are always at war with each other, remember." Connor replied back. "We're family Connor at least by heart. Help me." Julian pleaded. "I aint to proud to beg Connor please." "Fine, but you better not die." Connor snapped back. Julian walked through the people waving his hand and saying good bye to his people on the ship. "See you guys in a few months. Please be good help Connor Derek."
"Will do boss." "Don't forget to send Alderman down for trail." "Yes, sir was sent hours ago." "Good." He got in the pod as the doors sealed shut he pulled out the three pictures and stared a few minutes smiling. He puts them back inside his jacket pocket and zipped them into it next to the note he found with the box. He then pulled out the box and starred at the rings. " I really hope you can forgive me." Speaking to himself out loud with a heavy sigh. The pod detached and launched out down it was silent as two other guards with him made their way down to the ground .Julian put the rings aside back inside his jacket pocket zipping it in sealing it shut.
Julian found himself wondering what Tess was doing. If she was cold, scared, hungry, were the tribes being good to her where was she staying.? Would he find her or get injured in the search. Could he win her back over if not could he be enough for her a second time? Could they return home later or would they stay down on the ground to make their life and home there? Could they ever return to the ship again with all the traitors running around everywhere? How could you not tell me Tess he thought to himself halfheartedly. He watched as the burning pod its way down the to the ground. Julian has never been this scared before, beginning to get a migraine. They would be on the ground soon and then the real headaches will come.