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But no Bennet.
My head whips around to Luis. “He's not here.”
Luis swears under his breath. Pressing his hand to his ear, he speaks, “Lukas, Tony—we don't have eyes on Bennet. He's not in the room.”
“Shit. Hold on. We're searching the cameras for all the other rooms.”
My eyes water as the seconds drag on. Every moment that we wait for information on Bennet’s whereabouts, my throat gets one moment closer to closing.
Luis paces up the hall, looking in all the other cells. They're all empty and look like they've either never been used or haven't in a very long time.
I continue staring through the small window, as if I could will this to be easy, for him to be sitting on the edge of that bed waiting for us. Suit not remotely rumpled, looking aloof and irritated that it took us this long. Oh God, what if it took us too long?
“Alright, we've got a problem. Bennet is in one of those glass labs, but he isn't alone.”
Luis stops pacing. “Fuck. Shit. Okay. We've got this. What's the status for the other guys? Have they found the server? We might need them for backup.”
“They've found it, but there's a…complication.”
My heart rate picks up considerably. “What? What's wrong? What's happening?”
“The server is in Adley's office…And so is Adley.”
I gasp.
Luis growls. “I thought he was supposed to be in Atlanta?”
“He was.”
“He knows. He knew we'd come for Bennet if he left.” I feel sure of it. This has been too easy. Adley is smarter than that.
“He doesn't seem to know we're here yet, though. So we still have the advantage. Tony has a mock feed playing over the live one, so no one even knows you're walking around right now.”
“Yeah, but for how long?” Luis' jaw clenches. “What's the plan for Jackson and Micah?”
“They were hoping to create a diversion once Bennet was out, but now they're reevaluating.”
“Are they nuts?!” It's hard to keep from screeching. “How would they get out after that?!”
“Okay. Let's just think. I think it's best that they abandon the server for now and meet us in the lab area to retrieve Bennet. He's our number one priority. There's still a chance we can just walk out of here without any alarms being raised.”
Nodding, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself so I can focus. Thank goodness Luis is able to remain so level headed.
“Alright, they're backtracking to meet you at the lab area. But Luis, you've got company coming down the hall.”
Luis eyes cut to me. I'm the only person who would seem out of place, since he's the acting guard on patrol. I push down on the handle for the room, but it's locked.
“Lukas, can Tony unlock the door?” I whisper, looking up at the camera and gesturing at the door.
Just as the double doors buzz and open, I hear a metallic click and the latch gives, allowing me to squeeze into the room and close the door behind me just in the nick of time. Pressing my back to the door, I slide down to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest as I take in the room around me.
The sterile cinder block walls feel like they're closing in on me. My breaths get shorter, gagging on the smell of cleaner and blood with each inhale.
Tiny flashes of what might be memories spark through my mind, quick and violent as the lightning had been the night I escaped this place. I know, rather than remembering specifics, that I escaped during a storm. Before that, this was my home. The only home I'd ever had.
My clothes are still folded mostly neatly in the open locker, although it looks like they've been disturbed and are disheveled now. There are no personal effects because I never had any. I spent most of my life in a haze, either drugged or on some kind of dissociative autopilot.
The details are all hazy, and I can't remember more than these handfuls of things that come to me more as facts than actual memories to process. It's enough to remember the pain and fear of being here, though. That fear weakens me and yet strengthens my purpose and resolve. We have to get Bennet out. He'll die here. I was always meant to die here.
