Defector

I didn't dream due to the fact I didn't sleep. I faded in and out of consciousness for the majority of the night. It was in that drift where I was forced to wake up. The smell alone would've woken me up if the commotion in the hall didn't first. Quick feet scurrying throughout the hall and the shouts which followed were enough to alert me.

I fumble out of bed and force the door open with a good tug. A few people sprint past completely ignoring my confusion as to what is happening. I go to move, but trip over a collapsed Fierce. I kneel next to him and notice the empty flask in his hand. The air is clouded, strong, and familiar, but too overwhelming. I shift my gaze down the hall and notice the obvious smoke spreading throughout the area. There's a fire in The Tunnel. I glance upward and notice the sprinklers scattered along the ceiling. If we have a sprinkler system, why isn't it activated?

Against my better judgement, I leave an unconscious Fierce on the floor by my room and head toward the plant where the heat has intensified greatly. I peer around the corner and become aware the office is in flames. I turn away covering my mouth and nose immediately while accidentally bumping into Hunter. His eyes are watering and narrowed as he latches onto me, keeping me stationary. He forces the back door open and directs the line of people behind him out the door.

"Why aren't the sprinklers going off?" I ask through my arm, hoping to keep as much smoke out of my lungs as possible.

"They were deactivated ten minutes ago." He pulls me out the door with him as he inhales fresh air.

"What do you mean?" I ask frantically.

"When Brestion had the backdoor lock installed, we got the sprinklers as well. Brestion did the code for the lock and Fierce did the sprinkler code. He always had it activated so we would never have to worry about knowing the code, but now that it's deactivated we're going to lose everything."

"Can't we reactivate it?"

"Not without Fierce. I don't know where he's at. I've been getting as many people out in shifts. Quela is," he motions toward the top of the stairs where her eyes are wide and filled with panic, "keeping count. I think you were the last one." He nervously whips his head around counting the moving, anxious bodies.

"Fierce is still inside." I cling to Hunter's arm drawing his attention to me. The look on his face matches mine as we collectively head back into the inferno.

The fire is spreading and the air is thin. We race down the hall to a slumped over Fierce. Hunter crouches down next to him and rips the flask out of his hand and tucks it away in his pocket. I pull him up to a sitting position, but he remains unresponsive. Time is dwindling and we have to move now.

"Get him out." I order him. "I'll try the sprinklers."

I help Hunter lift Fierce up. The amount of dead weight is too much for Hunter to do alone as he collapses to the floor with him. I sneak under Fierce's other arm and assist Hunter to the backdoor. We get him outside as I take another inhale of fresh air. I slip back inside before Hunter can stop me.

The panel isn't far from the backdoor, but it's closer to the fire than I'd like it to be. I tap the panel as it appears red and deactivated, just as Hunter said. I tap the keypad button and the screen changes asking me for a code. I swear under my breath feeling the heat on my neck. Fierce did the code so think like him. I'm unaware how close the fire is to me as it licks my bicep. I scream moving away from the fire. I watch the flames dance in front of the panel. In a swift panic, I enter the only numbers I can think of.

1-2-2-4

A green light flashes on the screen and the sprinklers suddenly turn on. I quickly dash from the flames to the door as I let the sprinklers take care of the fire. I force open the backdoor and join the other rebels on the staircase. They all look at me as I appear coated in water and I'm the last out of The Tunnel.

Quela continues with role call with the list of people who were signed in and everyone seems to be accounted for now. Hunter has rested Fierce on the ground and has him propped against the wall as he keeps a close eye on me while he chats on the phone with someone.

I crouch down concerned that Fierce has been knocked out for all of this. I study him profusely. Maybe he was drugged, but who would've drugged him? And why? Is it connected to the fire? Was he supposed to burn in it or was it an accident?

Hunter opens the door and lets everyone know the flames were extinguished. He props the door open to release the smoke. He instructs everyone to follow Quela down a few blocks to the unused second location where we will be stationed temporarily.

The second location was opened when we had an overflow of rebels, but it appears that over the years, the numbers have dropped significantly so I guess they shut down the second location and upgraded the main.

Hunter asks me to wait with him and Fierce outside the backdoor. I have a seat on the stairs holding my now throbbing arm. Fierce stirs slightly, but doesn't wake. Hunter remains quiet moving his gaze between me and Fierce. He pulls the flask out of his pocket and opens it giving it a whiff. He caps it and narrows his eyes at me.

"How did you know the code?" Hunter asks breaking the silence.

"Honestly?" I shrug. "I guessed."

A car pulls up next to the curb near the door. I stand up and turn around to see who it is.

Her hair is longer than I remember, but it's still curly as ever. She smiles revealing the dimples on her cheeks. She carries a huge tote bag on her shoulder and stops at the top of the stairs.

"Well, well, well," she takes a step down with each word, "look who rolled into town." She stops on the same step as me reaching over and hugging me tightly. She pulls back and slaps me hard across the face before pulling me back into her. "I'm glad you're alive." She whispers into my shoulder.

"Mae, I didn't call you here to fraternize with Detope." Hunter pulls her off of me and points to Fierce. "Your brother has been knocked out. My guess is he was drugged."

"Okay, well I can't find out right now. He's still passed out. Can we get him out of this cold weather?"

We lift him up and shuffle him up the stairs and into Mae's car. She drives us down to the second tunnel location. We carry him inside where the others are trying to calm down from the fire. We rest him inside Drax and Gabe's old office. I crash into a chair and cough out any toxins still lingering in my body. Quela joins us in the office and closes the door separating us from the others. She cuddles up to Hunter and acknowledges Mae and thanks her for coming.

I try my best to ignore the pain emanating from my arm and keep my focus on Fierce. He shifts in the chair catching everyone's attention. His eyes stutter open as he attempts to adjust to his surroundings, utterly confused about his location.

"What the hell happened?" He asks glaring at all the faces in the room. He's fixated on me as I'm the only one drenched. He slowly sits up and presses the palm of his hand to his forehead grunting. I lean forward concerned for him. "What happened?" He asks again, but this time he directs the question to me.

"I need you," Mae speaks up rummaging through her bag and retrieving a small clear cup and places it on the desk in front of him, "to pee in this." She smiles nudging it closer to him.

"What?" His mind still not comprehending what's going on.

"We would like to know if you were drugged, so I need you to pee in the cup while it's still in your system."

He looks around the room before grabbing the cup and leaving the room. Mae notices how I'm sitting and that part of my clothing has been singed. She examines my arm as we sit in an uncomfortable silence. She fusses in her bag again and pulls out gloves and ointment to tend to my arm. The door swings open and Drax joins the mix. My heart begins to pound aggressively against my chest. Mae moves suddenly startled by his entrance. He glares daggers at me making me feel uneasy. Fierce follows in shortly after scowling at Drax and handing Mae the cup. She makes a comment on the warmth which only she finds funny. He has a seat on the other side of the room.

"We all know it was you." Drax walks in front of me. "Did you really think we wouldn't suspect you?"

"Why would I do it?" I argue immediately.

"Because you don't belong anymore and you took revenge on us after what happened yesterday. It makes sense. You know how to set anything on fire."

"If I did it, there wouldn't be anything left. That fire was done by an amateur." I cross my arms across my torso. "I put the fucking thing out. I was the one who reactivated the sprinklers."

"Yeah, how exactly did you know the code?" I remain quiet. "You need the code to deactivate them. You could've deactivate them and then reactivated them to make it seem like you didn't start the 'amateur fire' to begin with." I bite my lip. His accusations aren't far-fetched. He has a pretty valid case and I'm sure within a few minutes he'll have everyone believing it was me.

"I'm guilty of multiple arsons, but this was not one of them." I take a deep breath. "You're so quick to blame me. Did you set the fire? It was so poorly done, someone stupid must've done it. Obviously it was you."

"We all know I didn't do it. The guilty one is you." I'm quiet for a moment processing the fact I saw it. Just passed Drax's head, Fierce's ear twitched. Drax is lying and he knows it. The room is still as Hunter and Quela try to determine who to believe.

"Get out." Fierce announces to the silent room. Nobody moves. He rises from his chair and walks over to us. "I said get out." His tone firm and aggressive.

I look up realizing he's saying it to me and not Drax. I question him silently, but he snags onto my burnt arm. I release a cry of pain as it's sore, tender, and throbbing. Mae gasps next to me as Fierce drags me out of the room. He tosses me outside and lets the door slam behind him. I hold my arm whipping around to face him. I reel back with my good arm ready to punch him, but he holds his hands up backing away.

"What the fuck, Fierce!" I snarl through my teeth.

"Get in the car." He instructs. "I'm going to grab Mae and we're getting out of here." I'm stunned, unable to move as though my feet melted into the concrete. "Get in the car." He gives me a nudge. "Phoenix, I know there's a lot of bullshit going on here and we'll fix this later, but right now I need you to get in the car."

I don't know if it was the tender way he touched my arm or the sound of my first name on his lips which got me to move, but regardless I find myself strapping myself down in the backseat of Mae's car. He retreats back inside and no sooner returns with Mae giving the ones inside an excuse that he needs some air and time to process everything. In reality, he knows Drax is a liar and we are left to wonder what else he's been scheming while he's been away.