Page 44 of Reclaimed

A311

Acacophony of high-pitched wails jerks me awake, eyes snapping open to red lights flashing violently from above the door, splintering through the darkness with every burst. My heart lurches into my throat as I shove upright, still in a haze of confusion as the door flies open and slams against the wall.

What the fuck is happening?

Boots hammer against the concrete as two Enforcers charge into the room, flanking our beds with their rifles drawn. A third blocks the door, respirators covering all of their faces.

“On your feet,” one barks. “Possible gas leak, we’ve got to evacuate.”

“Hey!” I shout as an Enforcer tears off my blanket.

“Shut the fuck up,” he fires back, his gloved hand clamping around my ankle and yanking me to the edge of the mattress. “Hands,” he commands, pulling plastic cuffs from his pocket.

I cast a nervous glance towards Kenzie as I swing my legs over the edge of the cot. Her eyes are wide, lips pressed in a thin line as she gives the smallest shake of her head.

Something isn’t right.

My throat bobs with a hard swallow while I steel myself for whatever comes next. Plastic bites into my skin as the Enforcer cinches the restraints tightly around my wrists, his fingers curling around my arm. His thumb jabs into the still tender flesh of my bicep as he shoves me toward the door.

Kenzie’s shoulder knocks into mine as we stumble forward in tandem, the menacing glare of the third Enforcer forcing us to a stop.

“Identification,” he states flatly.

“You don’t–” I start to say, but then the barrel of a rifle stabs into my spine, reminding me that resistance is futile. “A311,” I rush out, fisting my hands so tight my fingernails pierce my palms.

“A297,” Kenzie chimes in.

The Enforcer jerks a nod at the others, slipping his phone back into his pocket and pivoting on a heel. “Let’s go,” he says, flicking his wrist to beckon us.

The rifle barrel nudges me again and I quickly stumble forward, following him into the hall. The sirens are still blaring, my skull throbbing from the noise and the flashing lights making me nauseous.

We weave through the corridors, making it about halfway down before I realize we haven't encountered any other Assets– or anyone at all, for that matter. My hackles raise, mouth going dry as I ask, “What kind of gas leak?”

“The kind that’ll kill you if you keep asking stupid fucking questions,” the leader growls over his shoulder as he swipes a badge at a door marked ‘Authorized Personnel Only’. It glides open with a buzz, then he reaches back to grab my arm, wrenching me through. “Move.”

My bare feet slap softly against the metal stairs as he rushes us down them. Hazy yellow lights buzzing in the stairwell, the sound of the alarms growing more distant the further we descend. At the bottom, he approaches the door to a mechanical room and pauses, pinching the top of his shoulder and tilting his chin.

“Control, bravo team, south corridor secure. Initiating handoff.”

Handoff?

I blink up at him, the pit in my stomach growing heavier. Something isn’t right. He hasn’t said anything more about the gas leak, nothing about an evacuation.

My pulse races, breaths coming out in short, frantic bursts.

Any time I start to get comfortable or let my guard down in the slightest, the world serves me with another cruel twist of fate. Turns out, safety is just another luxury I’ll never be able to afford.

Things had grown quiet and seemingly uneventful– too uneventful, clearly. I knew I was in a fucking government prison and not some sleep away camp, but the borrowed illusion of quiet contentment was nice while it lasted.

“Copy,” the Enforcer murmurs. “Standing by.”

The door locks suddenly whir, disengaging. The Enforcer yanks it open, leading the way into a bleak concrete room with nothing but another door on the opposite side. It opens, another Enforcer stepping through carrying a Guardian cuff and a syringe.

Ugh. As if this night couldn’t get any worse.

“A297?” he questions.

“This one,” the Enforcer who led us in replies, motioning to Kenzie, as one of the men behind us moves in to unfasten her restraints.