Kyra tapped her fingers against the tabletop as she skim-read her book; at the end of each page she had to start again, unsure of what she'd read. Her mind was jumbled, constantly tossing between her night with James and her brief farewell to her mother that morning – anything to distract herself from the churning pit in her stomach. The constant beeping of the Control Centre security room did nothing to ease her nerves.
"It would be nice if at least one of these screens showed anything other than an empty room," Ethan mumbled. The words were muffled as he spun in his chair, his head lolled back against the seat. "Even a channel focused solely on Boomer would be more riveting."
Kyra sat the book down with a sigh as her eyes scanned the wall of screens bearing over them. Every second or so the screens would flash white and the picture would change, showing yet another blank cell. She was sick of seeing nothing. "As entertaining as it would be to watch him accidentally blow things up, I feel like we'd have to be there in person, just in case he set himself on fire or something."
He snorted, stopping himself mid-spin with a foot against the tabletop. "He could be in an empty room and still find a way to start a fire."
Kyra breathed a laugh but couldn't manage a smile. "How long do we have?" she asked.
"Ten minutes, give or take." Ethan cowered in his seat, his tall frame somehow small and vulnerable. "Have you thought anymore about Ashley?"
"I haven't been able to think about anything else." Sighing, she rested her head in her hands. "I just... I don't see any way we can get from the uniform room to the supply trucks without help from the Exempt. The plan is improbable as is, even before the Commander's conditions."
Ethan's feet fell from the tabletop with a slam. "The Commander's conditions. The Commander, who regularly lies and manipulates to get what he wants."
"Where are you going with this?" She raised a brow.
"There's no way the Commander would do his own dirty work." Ethan breathed a laugh. "I'd bet my blowtorch that the Commander only told one person about his conditions. If he told anyone else it would spread, and there would be an uprising before anything could happen to Ashley. And there's a good chance that person is our escort to the trucks."
"So what are we going to do? Ask them nicely to not kill my friend's sister?"
Ethan shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
"And what if that's not the case and everyone is hell bent on killing her?"
"When there's a will, there's a way. As long as we stay undetected we can find a way out of here."
A piercing beep startled them both to their feet.
"What was that?" Kyra asked. Before Ethan could answer, the far wall opened up like a jaw, exposing three opaque containers.
Ethan's nose wrinkled as he lifted one of the lids. "Dinner. Not ours, thankfully."
"The prisoners."
Ethan nodded and shrugged into the jacket hanging over his chair. "Showtime."
Nodding, Kyra slipped the book into her bag and picked up her stun gun. It was light and fit easily in the palm of her hand; though it only contained darts, the thought of carrying it made her skin crawl. She shivered as she slid the safety feature into place before hanging it from her belt loop. "All ready?" she asked.
Despite the pale tinge to his skin, Ethan said, "As ready as I'll ever be."
Kyra balanced the trays on her palms as Ethan led the way through the dark, confusing hallways. The dim lights above flickered, casting deep shadows on the stark white tiles underfoot. Her gun slapped against her thigh as she walked, reminding her with every step what they were about to do - as if she could forget. The plan was imprinted in her eyelids after endless hours of memorising.
Each corner led to another empty hallway lined with rusted doors. Paint peeled off the walls in spirals; it tugged on her clothes as she passed, pulling at the threads. Kyra couldn't imagine living down there for more than a day, let alone months as Ashley had. How could she live in the dark, no idea what was happening in the world around her? How was she still sane? Then again, maybe she wasn't. Kyra would find out soon enough.
"Are you scared?" Ethan blurted, eyes darting around the dark hallway.
That question had come up too often for comfort lately. First before her Vinctures, and second the previous night. It was hard to remember whether she'd been this afraid before then. Had she always jumped at quiet noises? Had the word 'outside' always made her chest tighten?
"I don't think I've ever been this afraid before, to be honest. I think the worst part is realising we were never in control; the Exempt pushed us into it, and we didn't even realise. It just... scares me."
"I don't think we should be so harsh on ourselves. I mean, we're just kids, how are we supposed to rise up against a secret society with four hundred years on us? Did we ever really have a chance?"
"No, we didn't." Her voice trailed off as she thought over his words; it seemed the odds had been against her for as long as she could remember. "Are you afraid?"
"Definitely–" he rubbed his temple "–I just don't know what I'm more afraid of: that we won't find anything out there or that we will."
"What do you mean?"
Ethan stopped walking, his lip caught between his teeth. "What if we're trying to find people who don't want to be found?"
Before Kyra could react to his words, Ethan had taken off again, unaware of the girl with parted lips trailing behind him. She hadn't considered what would happen if they actually found her father. What if he turned her away? Perhaps he liked it out there - if that's where he was. Maybe he didn't want to come home. She could already picture it: her, covered in dirt and blood, standing at the entrance to a gate not so different to the one they would be escaping through soon. And her father, his eyes colder and darker than she remembered, telling her to leave and never come back.
Kyra jogged around the corner to catch up, skidding to a halt behind Ethan's frozen figure. Light escaped from under a door at the end of the hallway. Her breath stuck in her throat. "Is that it?"
Ethan nodded and walked towards the door as if he'd done it many times before. "Just remember to stick to the script when we get in there - the microphones will pick up every word."
As the door clicked shut behind them Kyra's nose wrinkled. She scrunched her eyes as they adjusted to the dim light. Each cell was empty, the beds free of blankets, the toilets scrubbed clean – all except for the last three. Glass walls snaked with metal bars separated them from the shifting shadows on the other side. The longer she stared into the dark depths, the more defined the shadows became. She made out an arm, a leg, a pair of dark eyes reflecting light.
"Stand against the far wall and raise your hands above your head."
As the figures scampered back Kyra tried to catch a glimpse of their faces. Ethan nodded towards Kyra. Breathing deep, she placed each of the trays on small shelves built into the glass walls. The gap was barely big enough for her fist to slide under.
"Collect the trays." The superiority of Ethan's tone made her shiver; it was identical to the robotic voice she'd heard for years, the one she still heard despite the lack of drugs in her system. She shook her head to clear it just as the room plunged into darkness.
Gasping, Kyra stumbled backwards into Ethan. They were so close she could hear him breathing, feel it warm and uneven against her cheek. Her hand gripped his in a vice. "What's happening?" she exclaimed. The words were scripted but the shakiness of her voice was real.
"The power grid must be down," Ethan whispered, gulping as a clicking sound marked the beginning of their plan. His hand gripped hers tighter. "I'm sure it'll come back on soon."
Whirs and clatters sounded as the light above flashed red, exposing three shadowy figures no longer separated by glass. "Right you are."
A sharp jab in her abdomen forced Kyra to double over. She gulped a raspy breath. A kick knocked her to her knees as a hand gripped her by the neck, forcing her face into the cold, rough floor. The light flashed red again, exposing Ethan's spluttering, red face inches from her own and the knee crushing his spine.
"Ethan!" The script she'd spent days memorising flashed before her eyes. "Please, stop, he can't breathe! I'll give you anything you want, please just-"
"Did I say you could speak?" A cold ring pressed against her neck. The barrel of a gun. "Ash take this one. Loosen up, Demario."
The redness in Ethan's cheeks subsided. In her mind Kyra knew it was fake, knew their actions and words were following the same script as her own, but the people above her filled her veins with lead. She tensed her muscles to keep from shaking as the hands holding her down changed to a gentler set.
Metal encircled her wrists before she was yanked upwards. Ethan was soon beside her, his glasses sitting crookedly across his face. He nodded, a gesture so quick and slight she almost missed it. But it was enough.
Her first look at the Outsiders wasn't pleasant. The man holding Ethan had a short, stocky build. His arms were bulging, as were his legs - the mere sight of his body made her gulp. She wondered what his face looked like without the thick layer of mud. The other man was well built and tall, his skin a deep, reddish-brown colour. As she looked into his eyes he glanced away; there was something nice about the shape of them, the faint creases on either side. Smile lines. The kindness lingering in his features was overpowered by the gun in his grip.
"Let's go." The taller man crossed to the door.
"We should leave them here, they have nothing to do with this. They'll only slow us down," a familiar voice argued. Ashley. Kyra's breath caught in her throat as she tried to catch a glimpse of the girl reflected in the glass.
The tall man shook his head. "We need them to get out of here."
"Use me instead, spare them. You can't do this to my people Nico. It isn't-"
Nico directed the gun at Kyra; she yelped as Ashley's grip tightened on her wrists, uncut nails digging deep into her skin.
"Did I say you had a choice?" he muttered.
Ashley froze, deliberating. Kyra yearned to turn and see her face. She wondered if Ashley was a good liar like James. After a second that lasted an hour she swung Kyra around so that she was facing the exit, pushing her ahead into the hallway. Her grip on Kyra loosened but she could still feel the indent of her fingertips, the marks where Ashley's nails drew blood.
"What way?" The short man's words were muffled by a foreign drawl. She recalled his name: Demario. It was rare to meet someone with such an odd name, let alone an accent. Curiosity made her fingers curl - where are you from? How did you end up with those people? - but she bit her lip; she would have time later if everything went according to the plan.
Ethan jerked his head to lead them out of the maze of hallways. Demario, small and well built, set a quick pace. Icy metal burned her wrists as the handcuffs dug into her skin. As they rounded the next corner the elevator came into view.
"There, that's the exit. Now can you let us go?" Ethan murmured between deep breathes.
"Afraid not." Demario yanked Ethan forward, his eyes scanning the hallway. Kyra followed his gaze to a camera nestled in the far corner, to the elevator button, and finally to the fingerprint scanner. "Unlock it. Now."
The panel scanned Ethan's finger with a blue light as the doors slid open. Nico weaved past them and into the elevator, scanning the space quickly before waving them forward. "Let's go."
As the door slid shut behind them Ethan scanned his finger again and selected the correct floor. "It's safe to talk here."
Kyra sighed as the tight grip on her wrists loosened. She rubbed her raw skin and turned around to get a good look at the group. Ashley's golden hair was long and matted, a reddish-brown liquid gluing the strands to her forehead. Demario had a strong jaw and eyes set low in his face; as Kyra looked at him he nodded, smiling tight lipped. She gulped. Between her and Ethan was the tall man, Nico, a gun held in each of his hands. In the brightness the trio looked worse, dirt deep in the cuts and grooves of their faces thrown into focus.
"How long will it take them to figure out what happened?" Nico asked.
"An hour, if we're lucky. Which I'm hoping we are," Ethan added.
"That's long enough to get to the wall."
Nico turned to the Controllers. "Look, it's not going to be fun out there. Do as we say, and we'll keep you safe. Disobey and we'll cut you loose, understand?" Nico's eyes flickered between Ethan and Kyra, wide and dark. They nodded.
"Good. For once someone actually listens to me." He smiled. "We'll get along well when we're out there - better than Blondie anyway."
Ashley poked out her tongue. "A little disobedience keeps it interesting."
"There's the reaction I was going for." He grinned and turned his back to them. "Get ready."
The panel sidled open, exposing a bright hallway with a large set of metal doors at the end - a set that she'd become very familiar with. Beyond it was a dark cavern; the trails it contained would get them where they needed to go - wherever the innocent person being dragged into their ploy was. The innocent person surely walking towards death.
Kyra clenched her eyes shut, hoping beyond reason that when they opened she would be in bed, cuddled up under a thick layer of blankets; hoping beyond reason that she could go back to before everything started. The dark chasm before her drained all the hope she had left.
Ashley's icy grip held her once again. "Let's go."
-- author's note --
The plan has begun. Only two chapters after this...
Hey y'all! Sorry again for going MIA, finally finished this semester of uni so while I'm on a break I'm going to try finish 'Citizen' (and hopefully make a good start on my next project). How is everyone?
I'm not 100% happy with this chapter so any feedback would be much appreciated, thank ya x