As my body begins to materialise so do my thoughts. Every adrift memory, thought or idea that became lost to me in the mere few seconds it took to travel through the tubes returns with a vengenance. The disorientated mess of my brain scrambles over one particular face.
Iron.
Do I tell Ally I saw him? Do I make it even more difficult for her to leave him? Do I sacrifice my happiness for my friend's?
I feel abominable as my gut instinct insists that I keep quiet.
"She doesn't need to know" Jared's voice within my mind whispers. I whimper softly.
What makes me panic even more is that the recurring memory flashes glimpses of Warriors - hundreds of Warriors all lined up behind him in single file; ordered, structured and powerful. They're coming.
A rescue team for the rescue team - how ironic.
With my thoughts in line, my eyes open, I'm ready for the view of the Sicarii base.
Yet when my eyes open I do not expect what I see. My heart lurches into my throat and my hands press upon the suffocating tube, leaving wet finger prints against the glass. My breaths scratch upon the dry surface of my tongue, making each breath more laboured and shallower than before.
Before stands a black room lit up with the neon blue lights of control pads, computers and thousands of Letos. I turn my head to the right to see Kyle staring on, panic seeps from his widened eyes and dropped jaw.
Hoping to maintain a low profile is now out of the question. We've landed directly within the heart of the Sicarii as if we purposefully meant to throw ourselves in the middle of the spider's web.
The tubes are on an elevated platform above the central floor of the vast room. In some way it looks similar to the centre of the STO block. As I peer closer, I note that the computers, the desks, the enormous screens upon the walls are all set out in an indentical fashion to the one of the STO. The flashing blue lights create an eery, secretive aura that raises the hairs on my arms. The three large screens that are set in triangle formation around the sphere chamber display smaller screens upon them; each one alternating between videos of what I presume are different areas within the Sicarii base. My eyes flick between each of the videos, searching for Jared in every one. None of them strike a nerve.
Before us stand a crowd of Sicarii, all dressed in black, their outfits similar to our own. Despite the situation I find my head nodding in disgust - they really cannot think of anything for themselves. The two faces I despise most stand at the front of the V-formation; the Leto Rex and the Auctor. The Leto Rex smiles eerily at me and I can now see why. His shoulder is raised so that his hand grips tightly onto Ally's shoulder as if she'll escape at any moment.
I curse, carefully slide the dagger that I've held poised in my hand into a pocket of my suit.
I shrink back against the walls of the tube. I can't hear them, they can't hear me. My head turns to glance at Kyle who stares back at me in equal stupor. What are we supposed to do? This was not part of the plan. I turn back to face the Leto before us. If we go out, they'll kill us or lock us up but we cannot turn back now. My eyes wander to Ally's, desperately searching for some help no matter how useless. She's done her part.
Yet as our eyes meet, I notice that she deliberately looks done before refocusing on me again. She repeats this a few times before I catch on and look down. Discreetly, her fingers curl and then relax, signalling for me to come out of the tube. Her face remains nonchalant; she's Leto. My heart pounds as my fingers trace the latch on the door. If I unlatch this and climb out, I don't just open the door. I surrender myself to the Leto.
YOU ARE READING
90 days to live
רומנטיקה'My mother used to tell me that life is just a series of battles; it is up to us whether we are brave enough to fight them' Arriving back to Earth, Lara Hall has just completed her conditions. She finds millions of people desiring her attent...
