Compound

Chapter Two







I awoke to the bouncing of the floor beneath me. Trust me, it wasn’t the most pleasurable experience of my life. My black hair was tickling my nose as well.

I tried to sit up, but the wave of nausea that hit me was enough to make me lie back down and wish for death. It was as if someone had cut open my stomach and made me eat it. Never before in my life had I ever felt so horrible. I was supposed to be immune to every sort of medical bug there ever was. Then again, I suppose the scientists overlooked the possibility of being drugged within the walls of my own home and then kidnapped.

Looking around instead, I couldn’t make out any familiar objects. Everything was blurry and I was bouncing too much to help any. What I could see was that I was in the back of a vehicle; most likely a van. The interior walls were white and had a thin layer of cushioning on them. The floor beneath me was carpeted but it didn’t offer much protection for my poor body. The back windows of the van were blocked off with heavy, beige pieces of linen. They were thick enough to keep out the wandering eyes of passerby’s but thin enough to let natural light seep through.

I could feel that my hands were bound in front of me with metal handcuffs. They were tight enough that I wouldn’t be able to wiggle them off but loose enough so that they weren’t cutting into my skin. My feet were bound in a similar way but with a longer chain connecting the shackles. Whoever had me knew that I could be lethal in the right circumstances; this was one of those times.

Eventually the can rolled to a stop outside what sounded like an electric gate. I could hear the whirring noises of it being opened and then we started to drive again. Soon after we must have reached out destination because the van stopped and the engine was cut. Wherever we were it was our final destination for now.

I could hear footsteps approaching the back doors of the vehicle. They crunched over the gravel on the road outside and suddenly the lock turned. I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious again. More than likely they didn’t know that I was awake yet and with that upper hand I might have the ability to surprise them and escape. When the doors were finally wrenched open, it looked as if I hadn’t moved at all.

“You sure she’s safe to transport inside?” asked a high male voice. It seemed as if he was scared of me, even when I wasn’t able to defend myself.

“Of course you numb skull. Those drugs she was given were enough to knock her on her ass for three days. Even if she were able to fight them off sooner, it wouldn’t be this soon. Besides, she’s all tied up, just like the others. They’re still out too.” This voice was deeper and harder sounding. I imagined that he was a large fellow, heavy set and tall.

Without any warning, one of them reached in and grabbed me by my hair. I wanted to scream from the unexpected pain, but I kept a straight face and played the limp rag doll. I was then hauled over a shoulder and the men started to walk away from the van.
I peeked through the curtain of my hair and saw that there was indeed an electronic gate behind us. There was also a fence that looked as if it ran the entire perimeter of the encampment. It was metal and well over fifteen feet tall. Several layers of lethal looking barbed wire topped it and what must be currents of electricity ran through it all. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird fly into it and fry instantly. Even with my enhanced capabilities, I would never be able to escape over it.

Then, just as I was about to come to life and beat the crap out of my kidnappers, another van pulled up through the gate and stopped. It looked just like the one that I had been transported in. the men quickly ran around to open the back doors and extract their cargo. I was going to see what it was when I was spun around and faced the building I was about to be taken into.

Conversation passed between the different men, but I took no notice of it. What I did focus on was the house.

It was monstrous. The red brick walls of the house seemed to go on for miles in both directions. In fact, I would have thought it another wall had it not been for the windows adorned with lace curtains. One of those windows was open too and there was someone looking out at the commotion. Someone who saw that I was fully awake.

Before I could do anything, I was being hauled back around. Then I saw Andrew being hauled in behind me. I could tell by his regular breaths that he was still under from the drugs we were given. He never had been able to fool me when he pretended to be sleeping. The lucky jerk was being brought in on a stretcher though. I suppose his greater weight was more than one guy could handle thrown over his shoulder. And by the looks of the guys who were bringing him in, they might have had problems with my weight anyways.

I then decided not to do anything. I wouldn’t lash out and risk being shot, especially not when Andrew was there with me and unable to do anything. Plus, if the two of us were here, that meant that Jake and Allison were close too. After all, it had been the four of us who were asked to stay behind.

They would have to bring the four of us together eventually and when they did we would be able to think of a plan together. Then we could leave and find our other siblings. If we were here, I hated to think of where they might be. I just hoped that they were together and safe.

The next while passed by in a blur. Both Andrew and I were thrown into a room together, each on a separate bed. Before they locked us in, they removed the shackles and adorned out left wrists with titanium trackers. With those on, we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere they didn’t want us to.

Over the next few hours, Andrew started to gain consciousness and Jake and Allison were thrown into the room with us; each with the same jewelry on their wrist. By the next morning, all four of us were up and pacing the room.

“Becky must be so worried. They all must be,” said Allison. Her eyes were dry; she wouldn’t let herself show weakness by crying. That had been lesson number one while we were growing up.

“Ally, I wouldn’t worry too much. If they’re able they’ll find us. Besides, if something had happened to her you would feel it. It’s a twin thing.” Andrew always was the one who had a head on his shoulders. He knew that we were all worried about the others too, but especially Allison about Rebecca.

“What we need to do is come up with a plan,” Jake said from the corner where he was sitting. He had been trying for the past hour to escape the bracelet with no luck. If anything it grew smaller as he tried.

“No,” I retaliated, “What we need to do is find out what they want with us. We wouldn’t be here, cut off from the others, if there wasn’t a reason.”

The other three nodded in agreement. They understood what I was saying. There had been a reason that the ten of us had been created together. Each of us had known for as long as we can remember that we had a purpose in life to protect our country at some point in time. It’s why we had been kept together and not shipped off, each to a different base. We had needed the bonds of family to work together and understand some things without speaking. Doc would have kept us together until we all died too; we all knew that. So why were we now separated into two, possibly more, groups?

“So there’s a plan behind all of this madness. The question is what is it?” Allison flung herself back on to one of the beds and started up at the while tiled ceiling.

“There’s also the question of why they separated us in the first place,” added Jake.

The rest of us then sat down to ponder the problem.

“Ok, let’s figure this out,” I finally said. “They separated us out from the other six. Why would they do that though? I mean, I can understand placing us into two groups of five. We’ve done that plenty of times for the war games and our own separate battles. We’ve always been even that way. The only reason that I can think of is that we’re somehow different from the others.”

“That’s impossible though since we have the same strengths and weaknesses. We’re all the same that way. Aren’t we?”

“I don’t know Drew. You would think that we would be, but each of us is different. I have always felt different from the rest of the group. Even Ally and Becky have their differences, and they’re identical twins. There has to be something though.” I stopped to think.

There was silence then. Each of us thought over why this would have happened. It still didn’t make any sense at all. Finally, Jake spoke up, “Maybe it has to do with Eleven.”

It wasn’t a question. It fit too into what we were all thinking. The only thing was that she was supposed to be dead.

We were unable to discuss that though because suddenly the locks popped open on the door and we were asked to come outside. Following the orderly, we were walked down many different hallways. Each door we passed was shut and probably locked. From some there were lights glowing through the manipulated glass. We couldn’t see into those rooms though. When we finally stopped, we were each so turned around that we were unsure where we were, something that never happened to us.

“You’ll eat here in the cafeteria. Any funny business and it’ll be the isolation room for you.” Sneered to orderly. He didn’t seem to like his job as glorified babysitter.

The food was better than we were used to. In fact, in comparison it was gourmet. The hamburgers were juicy looking and had real vegetables beside them. For years we lived off of dehydrated and frozen. These looked fresh from the garden and tasted like heaven. Rice pudding was for desert and it was obviously homemade. Each of us gathered as much food as we were able to and went to sit down at a table.

To say that the number of people who looked to be our age surprised us would be an understatement. Once we stepped foot into the actually dining area of the cafeteria we were assaulted with the various conversations that were going on. Tables were packed with teens in uniform and each was brimming with smiles and laughter. Food was being tossed around playfully as were friendly insults.
There was only one table left for us to all sit at; it’s only occupant a girl with black hair and blue eyes. I shrugged at the other three and we waded out way there through the mass of people. It was odd to see her sitting alone. There were some tables where two people were sitting on a chair together and here she was surrounded by empty ones. When the four of us sat around her, her blue eyes became wide with fright. It seemed as if no one ever sat with her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice rising in octaves as she spoke.

“Sitting down to eat.” I responded. Honestly, if the answer were any more obvious it would have bitten her.

“No one ever sits with me though. They aren’t allowed.” We all gave her questioning looks so she elaborated, “I’m different from the others. My father is the director of all eternal affairs with the League of Free Nation States. They aren’t allowed to speak with me because I’m of higher rank than them. If you get caught, you’ll be punished for sure.”

She genuinely looked scared for all of us. She didn’t seem to know that we weren’t ordinary cadets.

“I think we’ll live,” I said. “I’m Katrina. These are my siblings Drew, Jake and Ally. We’re – well – we’re new to this establishment.”

I leaned forward with my elbows on the table, my hands clasped together. It was then that she noticed the bracelet on my writs. She then did a quick check to the others and saw that they had the same manufactured article on their left appendages.

“I’m Evelyn. You can call me Eve though,” she said when she finally recovered at realizing that we were virtually prisoners. Yet, there wasn’t any fear in her eyes with the wonder of what we had done to be treated like convicts under house arrest. It was almost as if she understood what we were going through; almost as if she was one of us.

Then it hit me. We had been wrong all along about Eleven. What Doc had told us ever since we were fist informed about Eleven was a lie. She hadn’t been destroyed in the tube like we all thought. No, she had just been taken away as soon as she was fully developed. She had been integrated into society, a pleasure that the ten of us never had. She also was treated to a loving home and parents. She was Eve. She didn’t know about us though, or about whom she really was. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

One look at the others and I could tell that they knew what I knew. So now we knew why we were here, at least part of why. There was still something missing that we needed to find out before things got too out of hand.