Defector

I'm worried.

Elle leads me into the elevator and presses the button for the fourth floor. The building has a total of eight floors and I've only seen the top floor and the lobby. I can't help but wonder what else is hidden in this building. I roll my eyes at the thought. These people would never allow me to wander this building unsupervised. I mean the rebels at The Tunnel wouldn't let me and I was in that group for two years prior. I'm starting to wonder what about me gives these people an untrustworthy vibe.

The door opens and she insists I stick close to her as we shuffle our way past staff members in the hall and she escorts me into a room at the end of the hall. Inside awaits a dentist looking chair and five people in white lab coats. I examine each face before one of them steps forward to introduce themselves.

He's my height which makes him shorter than most men I come in contact with. He appears young, maybe early to mid thirties. His sleek black hair is tied back into a petite bun at the nape of his neck. Several strands of hair hang loose around his glasses. His eyes, as well as, the faint stubble on his face are dark which matches his hair. He informs me his name is Sun as he extends his hand to me and I accept it to shake. He introduces me to the other members in the room.

Gwen and Javier are an older couple and have been working here for years. They're close with Ernest as they went to college with him. Elle warns me to watch what I say in here and around them. Gwen's strawberry blonde hair looks freshly dyed and wrinkles are creeping up on her faster than she'd like. Meanwhile, her husband, Javier, looks younger even though he admits he is a year older than her. His hair is gone on his head, but is still thick on his arms which are exposed from his rolled up sleeves.

A fair skinned, petite girl sits in the corner behind the desk glaring at a computer screen. She doesn't acknowledge me which Sun claims is very normal for her. He calls her Dani, but she doesn't seem to answer to it. The lab coat she wears looks like it's eating her leading me to believe she's just bones under her clothing. Her pale blue eyes are both coated with rings of black eyeliner around them. Her pitch black hair which possibly is darker than Sun's is secured in a top knot bun. Her arms are lined with bracelets which she fidgets with as her eyes scan the screen.

Lastly, a large muscular man with dark skin is leaning up against the wall behind Dani. His arms are folded across his chest acknowledging Sun's introductions with a quick lifted smile and an eyebrow raise as a hello. The man introduces himself as Ace and dignifies himself as the brains and the brawn of this operation.

Sun turns away from him ever so slightly shaking his head. I guess Ace is also the comedian of the group. Elle instructs me to have a seat while Sun gets everything prepared for this morning. I'm nervous and feeling very uncomfortable. Elle places a hand on my shoulder to show support, but it makes me feel worse about the situation to come. She knows I have to do this or else her son will and she knows I wouldn't allow that.

"Okay Ms. Detope," Sun has a seat on the wheeled stool and scoots towards me with a syringe in hand, "this is Casandra's serum which we've tweaked for training purposes." He rests the syringe onto a metal tray with a towel on top of it. He reaches over and places suction cups connected to wires on my temples and chest. Sun whips around and looks at Dani. She looks up to him and nods. "So, the point of this serum is it will make you very sleepy. Your objective is to fight it as long as you can. Remember, most people pass out immediately so please don't get discouraged if you do, too."

"Does it hurt?" My voice shaking as I struggle to moisten my dry mouth.

"You'll feel the twinge of the needle and then your body will want to relax. The resistance and tensing of your muscles will make it slightly painful, like a burn." I blankly stare at him and then find myself chuckling.

"That's why he picked me, isn't it?" I ask looking up at Elle. She licks her lips and sucks in her bottom one looking away from me. Sun looks between the two of us completely lost as to what's happening.

"Sun, do you know what I'm known for?" I ask leaning forward. Elle's hand reappears on my shoulder and pulls me back from him.

"No, he does not. And that information is confidential. Just like this training is confidential. You are not to tell anyone what is happening in here and what your training entails. Are we clear?" Elle's tone is assertive and aggressive. I roll my eyes looking away from her. "Are we clear?" She repeats again, but this time louder and angrier.

"Yes!" I bark snapping my head up to glare up at her.

I move my attention back to Sun. The room has fallen dead silent as everyone is unsure of what to do. Everyone attempts to seem busy and trying not to stare except Dani whom is now intrigued by the yelling. Sun clears his throat and takes a deep breath.

"Once you do fall under, the serum effects last about ten minutes. We can attempt to wake you up, but the side effects can be rough when administered too many times."

"Depending on how well you do will determine if they wake you or not." I don't bother looking at her. "Meaning if you do a good job, you can wake up naturally. If you do poorly, they will force you awake." Elle continues still not receiving a glance. Sun moves his gaze up to her.

"We will not use the waking method more than four times in a day. Also, the serum can only be administered into the system approximately fifteen to twenty times in a twenty-four hour period. Our longest time is nine point three six seconds held by our very own Dani." A smile slowly grows on her face as her eyes narrow at me. "Followed by myself at seven seconds even, then Ace, Gwen, and then Javier."

"Don't worry, Ms. Detope." Javier speaks up. "You can do better than point zero four seconds." He giggles along with the rest of the group.

"You've tested this on yourself?" I ask studying the group.

"Of course." Sun responds grabbing onto the syringe. "We're men and women of science." He grins ear to ear. "Are you ready?" He asks excited to see what my results will be. I close my eyes and nod slightly. "Alright, Ms Detope listen carefully," Sun scoots closer, "all you need to do is keep your eyes open. We will time you from the second the needle is retracted."

Sun leans in and slowly angles the syringe by my neck. I feel a pinch in my neck and I give a slight wince from the sudden bee sting feeling. A liquid is plunged into my body and he pulls the needle from my skin.

Sun points to Dani while I struggle to keep my eyes open. My blinking is slow and heavy and my chest tightens as I push to stay awake. The burning sensation which Sun described begins to ignite. I grip onto the armrests of the chair as I lurch forward. I push myself back staring up at the ceiling continuing to keep myself awake. I forget to breath, thinking the moment I do is when I'll collapse. The burn stings my entire body making it ache as though I were actually on fire. I've been burned before but never to this extent.

My grip on the armrests loosens as my head begins to lull. The burn in my legs fades which allows relief to wash over me like a wave. The pain dissipates throughout the rest of my body reaching my head last. I give Sun one last look before my eyes shut themselves.

When I come to, the room fills with applause. I struggle to focus and my hearing is slightly muffled. My eyes fully open as I gain feeling back in the rest of my body. My ears pop allowing me to hear clearly. Sun wheels himself over to me handing me a glass of water. I happily accept it feeling parched beyond belief. I chug the glass allowing some droplets to slither down the corners of my mouth to draw lines along my chin. I finish the glass and wipe the access water from my mouth on the back of my hand.

"Incredible first time, Ms. Detope! Completely outstanding!" Sun cheers. "Sixteen point seven three seconds. You beat all of our records on your first try."

My times over the course of my training have gotten better. My longest time was forty seconds or so. I set the bar too high for myself and never got close to it no matter how hard I tried. Elle was impressed for awhile, but when my times slipped she allowed the team to punish me. I hated being forced awake as immediate nausea would consume me and I would vomit the second my eyes opened.

Hiding my training from Logan wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be as he was busy with physical therapy. We would meet up at dinner and then spend the rest of our nights together. Most of the time when I'd wake up for the day, he'd be gone.

He ditched his crutches after a week of us being here. He's been spending a lot of his recovery time at the pool or the gym. I guess Ernest hired a physical therapist to assist him. He seems almost back to normal. As our deadline creeps closer, he fills with more and more anxiety about seeing Casandra again. I don't blame him as I'm not thrilled to see her either.

The other thing I'm worried about is neither one of us knows the full plan. We have our set parts which we're not allowed to share, I'm assuming for compromising reasons in case something goes sour. Other than that we are left in the dark. Who's to say at the end of the plan, Ernest leaves us behind. Maybe not Logan because of Elle, but he might leave me behind.

I just have a bad feeling.