“Ah, good! You’re up, Karen,” he said.
“Believe it or not!” she quipped. “What do you need, Justin?”
“Ah, um, you see, there’s this guy who’s new to Pod Two and he, uh…doesn’t speak much English?”
“The tall guy?” Karen said. “Dark hair?”
“Yeah! Him. Did you see him yesterday?”
“Yeah, I heard him murmuring to himself in Portuguese.”
“Which, as it turns out, is different than Spanish. Or at least what I flunked out of in tenth grade. I was hoping you could…lend a hand?”
His voice held a tremor as he spoke, one that I was used to hearing from myself when I felt awkward or nervous. As he spoke, he swung his arms back and forth as if trying to build up his own momentum.
Karen’s response was blunter. “Does Bixby know about this?”
“Ah, no. She’s not there. Went to see Casey last night.”
“I don’t know how Sam puts up with that,” she said, shaking her head. “But yeah, I’ll come. Just give me a minute to pull myself together.”
“That would be great!” A smile spread over this face. “I’ll, uh…be outside. Take your time.”
With that, he exited the room.
“This is gonna be a mistake,” Karen said, reaching underneath her pillow.
She pulled out a comb, likely something that had been tucked in her own pockets when she had arrived. Gerry had a deck of cards and a small notebook he was always scribbling in. I had come in with my own keys, but those had been confiscated in my sleep. Guess they were too easy to turn into a weapon.
Karen ran the comb through her hair multiple times before pulling it back in a braid.
“We get showers today,” she said.
“Huh?”
“After dinner they open up the showers. Yesterday was odd-numbered pods. Today’s evens. They’re group showers, though, so be prepared to see way more of the female inmates than you’ve ever wanted to. And if you did want to, don’t be creepy about it. You need this?”
She passed the comb to me, and I nodded, moving down from my place atop the bed.
“Doesn’t change how much your clothes might smell, though. They’ll be here for those tomorrow. They’ll take what you’re wearing now, launder it, and let you look through a bunch of clothes for replacements. You’ll…probably have a hard time finding something in your size.” She frowned, taking a closer look at my tiny frame.
“Um…where do the clothes come from?” I asked.
Karen winced. “Best not to think about that.”
“What?”
“Let’s just say you’re not the only person to sleep in that bed, kid.”
I swallowed as I ran the comb through my hair.
She was right. It was best not to think about it.
A handful of people already sat around the tables in the Big Room, waiting for breakfast. Unlike yesterday, we ignored them, heading to the entrance of Pod Two. The layout was the same as Pod Four, and as we passed by the first bedroom, a white girl stepped into the doorway. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and wore a long cotton dress. Apparently, she had also come in with some sort of brush or comb because her long, blond hair lay in perfect waves. Her eyes held a hazy, dreamy expression. She smiled at us as we passed.
From there, we entered the second bedroom, where the guys of Pod Two slept.
Two lower bunks were in use, their occupants perched on the edges. One was a long-limbed Asian man with floppy black hair, and a scraggly beard. I could tell that the second guy was the newcomer Justin had mentioned. His dark hair was cropped short and he was practically clean-shaven. He rubbed his hands together and gave us a nervous look as we stepped in.
Karen immediately took over, sauntering over to the man, speaking in a language that sounded a lot like Spanish, but was apparently Portuguese. Relief spread over the man’s face, and for a second, I thought about how crazy-scary things had been since being abducted. Not having access to someone who spoke my language and could explain things to me, would have made the situation even worse.
They spoke for a few minutes before Karen broke off and turned to Justin.
“You should have come for me yesterday,” she said. “This man has no idea what’s going on. His name is Luiz.”
“Sorry,” Justin said. “It’s just…you know Bixby doesn’t like you all that much.”
“And with good reason,” the Asian man muttered to himself.
“Do you have a problem with me, Khuong?” Karen snapped at him. “Because if so, you should speak up.”
“Sure, you want me do that in front of your latest recruit?”
Karen jerked in his direction, looking like she wanted to smack him, but was cut off as Luiz reached for her arm, speaking in rapid Portuguese. Karen shook her head and replied, a confused expression on her face. Luiz repeated himself, and then Karen did something very strange. Instead of speaking, she moved her right hand in a small circular motion, a confused expression on her face. In response, Luiz nodded aggressively, his hand moving in the same motion.
And then every light flickered off, plunging the room in complete darkness.
Everyone reacted at once. I heard a scuffle as Khuong jumped to his feet, smacking into me. Feeling surrounded, I scrambled backward, only to collide with Justin.
“Oh man, oh man,” I heard him murmur behind me.
This was mostly drowned out by Karen and Luiz, speaking over each other in Portuguese. The lights above us flickered before turning all the way up. I shielded my eyes. The light let out a sharp crack, and suddenly the room was darker again.
But not completely dark. I looked up at the twin fluorescent lights above us to see that one was back on normal “morning mode.” The other had burnt out.
“Justin,” Karen snapped. “Did the Black Hats notice that?”
“I-I don’t know,” he stammered.
“Then go fucking check!”
Justin jumped, then sprinted toward the exit.
“Shit,” Karen muttered. “That’s bad. If someone happened to be looking at the cameras.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “What just happened?”
“Fuck, Karen! You haven’t told her?” Khuong shook his head.
“Hey! She’s been through a lot already. I didn’t want to overload her on day one.”
“You seem to be an expert when it comes to misleading people, Karen.”
That was a new voice.
The four of us turned to the doorway to see not only Justin, but an unfamiliar woman. Like Karen, she was blond, white, and around the same age, but beyond that, they looked completely different. Where Karen was tall, this woman was short, no more than five feet. Where Karen was lanky, she was thickset, her face round. The twin scowls on their faces were pretty similar, though.
“Bixby,” Karen said, her voice half a growl.
“What did I say would happen if I ever saw you in my pod again?”
“It’s not like I didn’t have an invitation.”
Bixby looked up at Justin, who ducked his head and looked in the other direction.
“Fine,” the shorter woman replied. “Consider yourself officially uninvited.”
“None of you speak this man’s language,” Karen said. “You’re gonna need—”
“I think we can figure that out for ourselves.”
“Fine!” She threw up her hands before turning to Luiz and saying something in Portuguese. He blinked, then nodded in response.
“Go!” Bixby snapped.
My new roommate scowled but complied, pushing past Bixby. I followed but paused when I felt a hand grab my shoulder on the way by. I paused and turned, only to see Bixby standing right behind me.
“You don’t have to stay where they put you, you know,” she said. “And just because your roommates may seem nice doesn’t mean they’re trustworthy.”
“Dawn, you coming?” Karen snapped from the end of the hallway.
Bixby let me go
.
“Talk to that ex of yours,” she said. “He knows.”
I felt a twinge of pain at the thought of Mark as my “ex,” as opposed to “boyfriend,” as I half jogged out of Pod Two. I passed through the Big Room, ducking around a group of people exiting their pods. My mind was a million places at once. Bixby’s warning. The way the lights had flickered out. My memories of the first night here. That boy being crushed to death. That woman on fire…
The moment we entered Pod Four, Karen wheeled on me.
“What happened back there?” she asked, grabbing onto my right arm.
“What?” I asked, drawing back.
“With Bixby,” she said through clenched teeth. “What did that bitch say to you? Was it about…” Her voice trailed off. “Shit, what a morning already.”
“Th-the lights,” I replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my right ear. “Um…that clearly wasn’t an electrical malfunction.”
Karen closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
“Dawn,” she began. “It’s not…”
“Khuong implied that you were keeping things from me?” I ducked my head. “And what Luiz did…that was just like what happened the first night here.”
“Dawn, keep your voice down—”
But it was too late. I was on a roll.
“Those horrible things. I thought that they were happening to us, but that’s not quite right, is it? We’re doing them. Karen, did those injections give us powers?”
“I…yes.”
“Then why are we even here! We should be planning an escape, figuring out these abilities—”
“That’s dangerous thinking!” Karen’s voice was a harsh whisper. “Displaying powers, that’s what gets you behind those doors.”
She pointed out and into the Big Room, straight at the pair of frosted glass double doors, where Mark had emerged from yesterday morning.
“Hell,” she finished up. “Even talking about them can be dangerous. And the people that go through there don’t always come out.”
I paused, looking at the doors again. Now that I thought about it, someone had entered those doors right after Mark had left, a woman. I searched back through my memory from the day before. Had I seen her coming out?
“Is everything okay?”
I turned and saw Gerry standing outside of the door to the guy’s room. As he spoke, Mark stepped into the doorway. His eyes met mine and his expression cooled. My gaze dropped.
“Yeah,” Karen replied with a sigh. “We’re fine.” She turned to me. “We’ll continue this conversation later. Tonight.”
Her tone was firm, not to be questioned. But my mind was swimming with them. My eyes darted around the Big Room as I made my way to the table. At the glass doors, the people around me, most of them with their eyes on the floor like our still-nameless, still-silent roommate. Was this why no one stood up to the Black Hats? Did they have powers too? Did I? You’d think I’d notice if I suddenly had superpowers. I’d read more than my fair share of origin stories.
There was so much that I didn’t understand. Pieces to the puzzle that were obviously missing. Only, how could I find them?
Come on, Dawn, use your brain.
My gaze lingered on the table. Luiz had displayed powers this morning. If what Karen had said was right, he would be brought in for testing.
I jumped slightly as the glass doors opened and three Black Hats arrived with breakfast. And just like yesterday, Karen offered to get me food. Only the look she gave me was very different. There was warning in her gaze, and a little bit of pleading. Her message was clear. Don’t talk. Please wait.
I didn’t have to do that for very long.
Five minutes into breakfast the glass doors opened again. And just like yesterday, everyone went completely still.
Only this time, the person that emerged wasn’t Mark.
No, it was three men in the identical black uniforms I’ve come to associate with the Black Hats. Two of them were white, with one of those men being noticeably older than the other two. There was more than just a hint of gray in that mustache of his. The other white man was younger, and somewhat overweight. The third man was the youngest of them all. Could have even been a student at Bailey U. He sported dark-brown skin and a slight build. All three strode with clear purpose as they made their way past table one.
As they drew close, everyone from Pod Two tensed up. A sheen of sweat could be found on Luiz’s face, the language barrier doing nothing to shield him from the danger he suddenly found himself in. He closed his eyes as they stood behind him.
And kept on going. Moving past table two, table three…
All before stopping directly behind our silent roommate at table four.
“Diego del Toro,” the man with the mustache said. “You need to come with us for testing.”
And, despite finally knowing his name, our silent roommate remained…well, silent. I watched as his jaw clenched. He placed a plastic spoon down on the table next to his bowl of oatmeal. And there, he remained completely still.
“Dammit, doesn’t speak any English,” the older man murmured before leaning down close to Diego and speaking directly into his ear. “Diego del Toro,” he repeated, his voice slower and louder. “You need—”
The Black Hat’s voice cut off as Diego slammed him, face first, down into the table. The plastic surface shook from the force of the blow. Several chairs scraped against the floor as the rest of Pod Four automatically jerked back from the violence. But the other Black Hats weren’t deterred. Instead, they dove for Diego, ready to pin him down.
But Diego wasn’t there anymore.
Instead, he darted backward, swift and smooth as water, putting several feet between him and his would-be attackers. Crouching, he raised his hands, protecting his face.
The two men went for him, one right after the other, only to have Diego dispatch them just as quickly. The first one, the youngest one, dove for his middle. Diego redirected his attack in a single, smooth move, sending him sliding across the floor. The second one came next, having taken a couple of seconds to remove his nightstick from his belt. I blinked, and there was a blur of movement I couldn’t quite catch. All I knew was that one second the nightstick was in the Black Hat’s hand, and in the next second, it was in Diego’s. My roommate reared back and struck the man across the face. He went down, hard, and from Diego’s lips, a word, a single word, finally emerged.
“Teresa.”
I heard a sharp whine from nearby me and looked down to see the older Black Hat pull a taser gun from his belt. He pointed it at Diego.
“Look out!” I screeched.
At the sound of my voice, Diego straightened up to attention. The Black Hat pulled the trigger, and the charge arched across the ten feet that separated them, only to have Diego dart out of the way at the last second. But the movement wasn’t smooth. Instead, he tripped over the Black Hat at his feet, the nightstick falling from his grasp and clamoring against the concrete floor. He twisted his body, trying to control his fall, ending up on his hands and knees.
And the heavyset man, the one that Diego had struck in the face, was back on his feet again, his mouth twisted into a snarl. He reared back with a right as if to smack Diego. Diego raised his hands to protect himself.
Then something strange happened—a blue sphere formed between Diego’s hands. The sphere pulsed outward, engulfing the guard.
He froze in place before lifting his hands to his throat in a movement I recognized from health class: the universal gesture for “choking.”
The heavyset guard gasped for air, his face quickly turning red. I watched Diego’s eyes widen as his opponent crumbled to one knee, completely helpless to Diego’s powers.
And then a taser cartridge hit Diego square in the chest. He immediately went down, his body convulsing with electricity. The blue sphere flickered out, and the guard’s gasps were replaced by large gulps of air.
For several seconds, my roommate lay on the ground, convul
sing.
And no one moved to help him.
The realization hit me like a shock of cold water. I felt my arms and legs jerking forward, eager to what? Check on him? What could I do?
Karen reach out and grabbed my arm, pulling me away.
I looked back at her, my mouth already forming the word “why,” then froze. Her eyes were full of unshed tears.
Tears that couldn’t just be for a man that she had barely known for twenty-four hours. Who she hadn’t exchanged a single word with.
After grumbling some complaints, the guards moved to their feet and began dragging Diego’s unconscious body across the room.
And not a single person stood up to help him. Instead, they sat in silence, eyes on their food. Some, I swear, breathed a sigh of relief as the glass doors closed behind them. Because at least someone else had been taken.
And it felt…wrong.
Karen tugged at my arm. I sat but found that I couldn’t pick up another spoonful of oatmeal.
Diego had used his powers and was still defeated. Which made sense. He was outnumbered, after all, and the other men had weapons.
But if everyone else had pitched in…
I turned and looked to Karen, who was also staring at her breakfast, unable to eat another bite.
It looked like we did have a lot to talk about.
12
Alex
Alan crouched next to the dead woman for half a minute. He nodded, then rose to his feet.
“Bullet holes,” he said. “Several of them. Clearly, this woman didn’t die like the guards.”
“Looks like they got a few shots off before going down.” Connor nodded down at a dropped firearm.
“You theorize she was the one to kill them?” Alan turned to the big archer.
Connor looked back at the SUV, with its open doors, and frowned.
“I dunno. It seems like an awful lot of defense for just one person, but we don’t know what she was capable of. It’s safe to assume that Dawn isn’t the only one who came out of here empowered.” He paused. “Of course, if that’s the case, then it looks like they shot her in the back around here.” He pointed to where the blood trail started. “As she was running to the crates for cover.”
Silver and Gold (Red and Black Book 3) Page 12
