Efferent

Chapter 46

They left us in the cells and the room emptied just as quickly as it had filled up with soldiers, doctors, and officials. My mouth was left unbound to allow for me to speak quietly to Blaise.

"We have no choice, do we?" I asked, eyes wandering about the ceiling as I searched for a plan of action. "They do not plan for an extraction and therefore will not transfer us to the infirmary, thus nullifying your plan."

"They'll have to escort us to the arena-."

"And surround us with ten officials each to protect and ensure their precious commodities arrive in time to distract and entertain the masses." I finished for him. "We are stuck. We need a new plan. Not to mention, Walter speaks of displaying our abilities, and I have none."

"He does not know that." Blaise leaned his head against the same wall as mine, and closed his eyes tightly, before opening them in a flash. "But he does not have to know."

"What do you mean, Blaise?" I sighed, too tired, and too worried to read in to his cryptic messages.

"It is a performance. There is no way that the audience can know- truly know- if we are not actually utilizing our powers or not." Blaise sat up in his excitement, his eyes dancing across the far wall as he thought. "We will stage it."

"Stage what?" I asked with my eyes wide, still bewildered by what he had said earlier.

"Stage the fight." He grasped my hands in his, a desperate look taking over his expression. "We have to stage the fight. It is the only way to fool Dr. Ross into still thinking that you are of use to him."

"Where does that get us after the fight?" I questioned lowly, stating next, "We would still be locked in a cage preparing to face our deaths through extraction. Or worse: We end up like Clark."

"We will use it as a diversion than. Create so much chaos, so much tension in the arena that they- the audience- have no choice but to take to the streets in fear or protest. That is when we can slip out. In the midst of the chaos."

Doubtful once more, I pinched my brow and leaned onto my knees. "Will it even work?"

"It most definitely will not if we do not even try, Ardyn." He offered pleadingly.

"We could die." I added stubbornly, but I felt my resolve waning.

"And we are sure to if we remain silent and obedient. The best case scenario if we stick to that plan is the officials might make it less painful." He inhaled sharply, holding my gaze trapped in his own as his eyes hardened over. "And if we die, so does Clark."

I felt as if I had been stuck at the mere mention of his name. We could not save the Afferent who came before us. We had been too late to interfere with their fate. But we held Clark's life in our own palm and I sat here debating if we should even attempt to escape. Self disgust crept up my spine as I nodded.

"We need to get the sedatives, then, on our way out. Do you have a plan for that, too?" I asked in a whisper. Blaise pondered that for a moment, eyes shuttering closed.

"The officials have been ordered not to harm us, not to kill us, in preparation for the fight," He trailed off, but gave a firm nod. "But they must be carrying some tool or have some tactic to subdue us without causing us harm."

"Are you suggesting that the officials carry the sedatives around with them?" I paused, turning to face him fully, "Do we- you- have any proof of that?"

"I am going on faith," Blaise shook his head. "And observation alone."

"Faith and observation are not concrete things. We can not base the whole purpose of our plan on a simple guess." I furrowed my eyebrows. "We need a way to make sure."

We fell silent, and the quiet seeped into my mind, lulling me into deep thought that was abruptly broken with a loud groan of frustration. "We are wasting time!" Blaise shouted lowly, "We need to begin staging the fight so that Walter does not immediately pull us from the arena and begin extracting the Efference from our veins."

"I will not risk my life, your life, Clark's life, on a single assumption. We need proof, or we need a new plan." My volume rose and I stood up abruptly as he followed suit.

"The plan is fine!" Blaise slammed his fist against the cell door and it rattled on its hinges as he continued loudly, "You are jeopardizing it with your meaningless questions. You can poke holes in anything, Ardyn. Faith is what keeps us afloat."

"Meaningless question? Small holes? Excuse me if I am not willing to jump aboard a small ship without a bottom to it and expect faith to carry me to shore!" My face had grown red with fury and my volume now matched his as anger pressed at my seams.

"You do not know what you are talking about." He grit out, eyebrows lowering.

"I think that I do. What is wrong with you?" I pushed at his chest, "Why are you acting this wa-."

"Stop!" A loud voice echoed above our heads and came crashing down like rubble from a building. I turned on my heel to see the same official from earlier, a stern expression painted on to his face and a hand inside his uniform pocket.

Blaise stalked forward, pressing his face between the bars as he spit on the soldiers heavy boot. "Make me." He challenged with a glare. "You can not kill me. You can not even touch me, without Dr. Ross calling for your head."

"Do not push me," The official grit out, hand going deeper into his pocket. "I have orders."

"Orders that you are too afraid to break." Blaise slammed his hand against the cell once more, and the official snatched at his arm, and withdrew a needle that caught the limited light in the room and reflected it back to me. I sucked in a breath as trepidation and realization settled in my mind.

He had been trying to draw out the sedative, to reassure me, and he had jeopardized his own plan in doing so. The official reached across and pressed the needle to Blaise's skin with a hard glare he refused to drop. "You are not untouchable." He grit out, slowly withdrawing the needle.

It had not even broken the skin, and yet the official's words had a numbing effect, just, as I imagine, the sedative would have. Slowly, the soldier walked backwards towards the door, and Blaise hung his arms through the bars, watching him as he closed the door behind him and locked the knob.

Without turning his head to face me, Blaise leaned against the bars and stated slowly, "They have them." He exhaled sharply, "They have the sedatives."