~Conrad~
Clumsily, I search for a pulse in her wrist. I couldn't feel it though. I'm not sure if it's my own inexperience or because I'm too focused on the sound of my own heart beating violently in my chest.
She can't be dead!
The agent hovered above me in a protective manner. I grab his coat. "Do you have medical training?!"
The agent completely ignores my question and continues to scan the area, his gun still drawn.
" ...that hurt..."
It was so quiet I almost didn't hear Astra's monotonous voice. Or maybe I'm shocked that she could be shot and then say something with such a deadpan tone.
"Astra? Are you ok?"
I sure as hell wouldn't be ok.
She sits up and inspects the wound. Her mouth forming a grim line again. "I'll live. We need to leave though."
Astra made a gesture like she was going to stand. She stops herself and instead holds her arms out.
...She doesn't want me to carry her does she?
Before I could weigh her mentally, I'm roughly pushed aside by the agent. He kneels and lifts her up without even a grunt of effort. Her face taunt with pain, she gestures for me to follow her as she is carried away by the agent. Neither of them checking to make sure I was following.
Escape!
I could hear that word echoing in my mind. But I could also clearly picture Astra's concerned aqua eyes when she examined my knees. Could I just abandon her now? She just got shot because of me.
...Does that bother you?
It does.
Why? You owe her nothing. These men were only here because they were looking for her. It's her own fault she got shot. Leave now!
And then what? What were my prospects? I had always assumed I was under surveillance but I honestly didn't think they would bother to actually send an agent to physically watch me. Doesn't matter now. The CIA will know about this soon enough. I doubt I will be allowed to leave that cell again. I could feel the nausea beginning to build up from the pit of my stomach. It was so dark in there. So quiet.
Too quiet.
All I can hear is my heartbeat, each breath I took, and the incessant noise of water dripping from the ceiling. It was so quiet but it was so loud. I could feel the thud of my heart in my chest and I can't breathe in deeply enough. My hands went up to hold my head.
Snap out of it.
Shock nearly stopped my heart. That wasn't my thought. I'm sure that it wasn't. It worked though. I had almost had an anxiety attack, a parting gift from my time period of imprisonment. I shouldn't have thought about the cell.
The thought itself hadn't been yelling at me but what scared me is it had sounded...like Astra.
I stand up and avoid observing too much of my surroundings. I didn't need any more memories of dead bodies. Astra and her agent were walking down a small path lined with trees that cut through the parking lot. The wind still blowing from the storm made the trees sway as if beckoning me to go forward.
There's no going back from here if I follow her. Not that my prospects of staying had any real pizazz to it either. I would no doubt be thrown back into that cell and be questioned by dozens of agents from branches I've never even heard of.
...And Laura...I can't bring this upon her. I love her too much to make her endure this with me. But they would probably question her anyways because she was the last person I had contact with. My nails bit into my skin.
My life as I knew it is ruined.
My feet were running after her before I had even realized I made my choice. I caught up to Astra quickly and out of breath. Damn! I have to start working out again. I haven't had to run in a few years. The agent gently places Astra on to her feet and she props herself up using a nearby white car. A mustang.
An old one and it looks beat up as hell.
I peer through the windows. Piles of clothes and crumpled up bags of fast food litter the car. I wrinkled my nose in disgust when I saw Astra opening the driver side door.
Who knew she was so messy?
Astra motions me to get into the car.
...Like I had much of a choice. Reluctantly, I open the passenger door and close my eyes waiting for the stench of old clothes and stale food to hit my nostrils.
But instead I faintly smelled...cinnamon? Like something baking? I open my eyes and nearly pass out from disbelief. This couldn't possibly be the same car I had seen outside.
We were surrounded by a circular dashboard lit up with aqua blue buttons. The roof curved like a dome over our heads and I had a clear view of the stormy sky. Strange violet symbols floated around me in disarray. I couldn't make sense of the random symbols that would drift by me. It was foreign to me.
I reached out to close the door . But it was gone, consumed by darkness. I feel trapped all of sudden. The door had closed so seamlessly that I couldn't even feel the cracks when I rubbed the area where it should've be.
"Don't touch anything."
There was a quiver in her monotonous voice that hadn't been there earlier. I shift my gaze to Astra. She had tied her short yellow jacket around the bullet wound on her right thigh. She grits her teeth while she tightens it. It slowly becomes red. Astra made no comment on her obvious pain. Her voice had given her away.
"Are you going to be ok?"
"Put your seat belt on."
The straps of the seat belt were more complicated than what I've ever seen before; it reminds me of the straps for a toddler's car seat. She takes out her smartphone and places it in an empty space, free of lit up buttons, in the middle of the console. I watch in awe as it fuses into the dashboard.
"State– your-destination."
A robotic female voice spoke. It's voice echoing throughout the car. Is this a car? Because I've only read and seen cars like this in comic books. The panic began to seep in.
What have I gotten myself into? I should've gone back to Laura. Her family could've helped me with this. Or at least I think that they would. She's a terrorist! What the hell am I thinking? I'm not going to make it out of this alive. My breathing became shallow and I force myself into taking deep breathes.
A gentle pressure on my shoulder reminds me that I wasn't alone. Astra seat had moved close to mine. These seats can move?
"Calm down, Conrad. Everything is going to be fine. I promised I'll protect you and I will...until the end."
The end of what? Her life? Mine? My eyes met her aqua eyes, full of tender sincerity. Her gaze didn't falter under my scrutiny as I gaze into her eyes. Trying to understand why she was doing this for me...why I believed her.
"Registering-an-additional-occupant. Enact-protocol-C?"
She breaks off her stare and faces forward, her chair moving to resume its original position.
"Cancel Protocol C. Occupant is authorized Guest One. Engage auto-pilot to destination coordinates provided by Cell Excalibur."
I hear the car, if you could call it a car, hum loudly and watch as the console's aqua blue lights were wiped out in a wave of violet light. Astra leans back against her seat and took deep breathes.
I ask again because I couldn't help it.
"Are you really going to be ok?"
Silence answers me. Is she ignoring me ? I lean in and the chair as if sensing my intentions shift closer to Astra.
Her eyes were closed and she had grown pale. Is she out cold?
I snap my fingers by her ear. No response. I hope she hadn't lost too much blood.
The car began to pull forward slowly and maneuver its way around the parking lot. I could see everything. It reminded me of a bubble. It could've been pretty had it not been so ugly outside. Was this really a tropical storm or did it become a hurricane when I hadn't been paying attention to the news?
My gaze shifs to Astra again. She's still breathing. Her blood loss though....
"She's been losing a lot of blood. Is there anything you can do about it?"
It seems silly to talk to the car but I'm pretty sure that this is a smart car.
"Guest-One-is-not-authorized-to-give-orders."
My hopes deflated, I slump into the surprisingly comfortable chair.
Is this leather?
I steal another glance at Astra. As if her current state could've improved in the two minutes I hadn't looked at her.
I sigh and turn around to study the car. It seems like a large circular space. I could probably walk around unhindered if I wanted to.
I spot a couple of dark blue blankets neatly folded on the back seat. I reach for it and the chair shifts back close enough for me to grab the blanket. I move towards Astra, well the chair did, and drape one over her.
I cover myself with the other one. This useless gesture made me feel a little better. At least, she wouldn't be cold.
I closed my eyes and tried to settle into a more comfortable position in the chair. It didn't matter where we were going. I had chosen to stick with her. The most I could do is roll with the punches for now.
All I can hear is Astra's labored breathing and the hum of the vehicle. I focused more on Astra's breathing, waiting for it to turn worse and praying it would just get better.