When the helicopter finally sets down, the giant bay door opens, and fresh air fills my lungs—a total relief from the sweat and heat of the carrier. But with the fresh air comes the sight of what lies beyond the opening door. Another helicopter lands in an open field, and beyond it, I see a massive compound-type facility. The sun is rising, and I reason that means the trip has taken a little under twenty-four hours.
The guards order us out, and we comply. We are marched across the field, and halfway across, one of the prisoners tries to make a run for it. She doesn't make it far before realizing that the entire field is surrounded by a laser fence, stretching high into the clouds, beyond what the eye can see. A jet-packer flies over to the girl and picks her up and places her back in line.
We cross the field in about twenty minutes, and there is a checkpoint waiting for us at the front gate into the facility. One by one, we walk through a metal detector. I don't really care that my phone is taken, and almost everyone else has something electronic or metal. Soon, the line of hostages stops in front of a metal door. A Vexon in a hazmat suit waits just off to the side. It looks toward the first in line.
"Strip and put your clothing in that basket!" it says, pointing to a tipping metal basket, dumping its contents into a fire below. Must be a waste chute. The guy in front removes his clothes and does as he is told. The young man doesn't care if everyone sees him shamefully vulnerable. As far as he is concerned, his life is over anyway. The Vexon removes his ankle clamp, and he steps inside the metal box.
Vexon repeats the instructions to the next person in line, and they numbly obey without question. I look up to see who's next, then quickly stare at my feet again as it is Nat's turn.
"Do you not understand?" the Vexon shouts at Nat.
"I don't want to." I can hear her voice just above a whisper. At least she has some humanity left.
"I can remove them for you if you are not willing to do so yourself." At that, Nat begrudgingly complies. Two more people enter the box, and then it is my turn.
By this point, I still don't have the full picture of what is going on, but a theory is forming about what the Vexon virus or parasite plans to do with us. I undress and drop my clothes in the basket, then step inside like the others. It's already starting to stink from all the BO. The room is getting hot, and I start sweating too.
I hear Nat crying softly as more people enter. I try really hard not to look at her in this heartbreaking state, even though I just want to run up and hug her.
Bree is the last one to enter, and the door closes behind her. Two seconds later, sprinklers overhead spray us with a liquid that smells vaguely of ammonia and moldy juice.
The shower ends, and a new door opens. We file out of the box and get new ankle clamps. A woman who isn't wearing a hazmat suit throws each of us a gray jumpsuit. She must still be fully human.
"Put it on!" she snaps, and we do. We are marched by Vexon down a wide corridor lined with offices, then turn a corner and stop in front of another human. She puts up a hand.
"Welcome to facility 101. All of you will be assigned lodging in pairs. Those cuffs on your ankles will prevent you from leaving this sector in the facility. You will follow the schedule that is in your cells. If you are late to anything, you will be punished by a Vexon. Who, I might add, have no sense of mercy! Follow me." We follow the woman, and each of us are assigned cells. My roommate ends up being that teen from earlier who got knocked out after kicking a Vexon. I claim my bed and sit down. My roommate just sighs.
"I'm Macky," I say.
"Jeff," he replies. I look up at the schedule posted to the wall:
Wake up at 07:00 AM
Breakfast at 08:00 AM - 08:45 AM
Cell time 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lunch 12:00 PM - 13:00 PM
My eyes quickly search the cell for a clock, and I find one. It reads 11:44 AM, almost lunchtime.
"Jeff, we gotta go!" I rush over to the door, and Jeff has the same idea.
"But the doors are still closed," Jeff says. The clock turns to 11:45, and our cell, as well as the others in this block, open. Jeff and I race out, halting just six doors away. "Shoot! Which way do we go?" Jeff says, panicked.
"Follow me," says a female voice. We both spin around to see who has spoken. "I'm Trixie." The girl holds out her hand, and I shake it, and so does Jeff.
"I'm Macky," I say, "and this is Jeff." Jeff nods.
"Come on, I'll show you where to go. We can't be late."
Thanks to Trixie's help, we arrive at the cafeteria with a couple of minutes to spare. The compound is definitely a lot bigger than I originally thought. Trixie vanishes, and to my relief, I see Bree and her roommate arrive, and Nat with hers. Jeff and I make our way to the food counter, get our lunch, and look for a spot to sit down.
"You can join me if you want," a male voice says from one of the tables we have just passed. I turn to see a buff dude looking in our direction. He looks so familiar. We sit down. "You two are new here, you look lost," he says. I nod and poke at my strange food. "It's safe," he says, "or at least that's what I've been told." He sticks out his left hand, "I'm Thighbolt." I shake it and introduce myself. He then proceeds to tell us about our new life and how we might not survive when all of this is over. Whatever that means. We also receive a few good tips. And as he talks, I can't help but notice that something about him recalls a memory of sorts. Thighbolt almost reminds me of… well, me. I make a mental note to come back to this later.