No one knew how it had happened.

The citizens blamed the military and the military blamed its scientists. But everyone agreed on one thing. Something had happened to the plants that day.

They called it the Event.

The day when the oldest inhabitants of the earth had taken over the surface. Annihilating everyone and everything in its path. No one was even sure how the plants could sense out living creatures, but they could. And it wasn't just the humans; animals, birds, fish ... nothing survived the toxic Vines.

For some reason, the Vines only attacked during the day. When it was supposed to be bright and safe. When children were playing in the parks and families were out having a barbecue.

When the world used to be normal.

After the Event, nothing made sense anymore. Everyone was busy panicking and dying until the military stepped in. And with them came the Absolute Rule. An artificial intelligence whose sole purpose was to ensure the continuation of life.

But the Absolute Rule was more than that now, it was also the rules that it had implemented to ensure a peaceful life. And it was the people, who had submitted.

Life should have gone on unhindered. The real problem should have been for humans to find a way to coexist with plants again. Yet the Tectans emerged. Idiots who believed the Absolute Rule was lying because it wasn't human.

Idiots that thought the Vines were a conspiracy. And so the Final War had begun. Between the Tectans and the Absolute Rule. A senseless war that had dragged Trent and his team and had them needlessly captured.

Trapped.

In a tall building surrounded by savage idiots and murderous plants. And he had no idea how long into the night they were.

"Captain!"

Trent made his way back to his small team. They were all crowded in the spot where he had left Axel. Silently huddled around Pikkins.

He knelt in front of his second lieutenant, forcing a smile that camouflaged how he really felt, "Looks like someone finally got up from their beauty nap, Pikkins."

Pikkins returned a weak smile amid his raspy breaths. He opened his mouth in an attempt to speak but let out a small gasp instead. Trent glanced at Dex, who had been supporting the wounded soldier up with their arms.

"Right," Dex said in the same fake brightness that Trent had used, "I think we've had enough fun for a day, time to get some rest. Doctor's orders."

Pikkins gave Dex a lopsided grin, "You're not a real doctor," he said, voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Well tough luck," Dex retorted, still feigning a smile, "you and I are stuck together until the end."

Pikkins half-nodded before his eyes rolled up into their sockets. Dex's smile faltered just as quickly and they turned to face Trent with a small, grave shake of their head.

"How bad?" Trent asked. If there was even a chance that he could save Pikkins, he would take it.

"Obvious signs of a brain bleed," Dex whispered, their eyes darted to Pikkins and then back to Trent. "I'm sorry captain, he doesn't have long. Not if we're stuck here without technology."

"Then we sit and plan an escape," Trent declared, turning to each of his soldiers, "I'm not giving up on Pikkins."

"He wouldn't give up on us either," Freya admitted softly, running a hand through her cropped red hair. From her eyebags to her gaunt face, she looked tired. They all did.

"Okay then," Trent looked around them, "they must have expected to end us here and then head back. Listen," he added, pausing so that there was nothing to hear in the stillness of the night, not even crickets, "hear that?"

Dex frowned, "No ... ?" they responded uncertainly.

"Exactly," Trent hissed, "we're nowhere near the place we got jumped. No guns, no explosions." Getting captured was still a bit fuzzy. Trent remembered being surrounded, he remembered Pikkins' scream, and then nothing until the cage. "Wherever we are, it's far enough away from help that they believe they've stranded us."

"They couldn't have gotten us this far from our camp on foot," Axel said, scrunching his nose in concentration.

Trent smiled, a little proud of his sharp team.

Freya nodded, "Which means they have a vehicle," she surmised, "Something airtight so the Vines can't sense them."

"Which means ... they hijacked one of ours?" Axel turned to each member hoping for approval. Dex was the only one who shook their head.

They motioned towards the gun before they spoke, "The serial numbers are all sequenced," Dex said pressing their lips into a grimace, "which means these weapons weren't stolen from us."

Trent nodded, he had thought the rifles looked far too familiar as well.

Axel's eyes widened, "Wait wait wait—" he began with a nervous chuckle, but Dex interrupted him.

"They took out Pikkins," they continued quietly, "somehow they knew it would hurt us more if they hurt, maybe even killed our comms expert." Dex looked straight at Trent, "How did they even know he was our comms guy and not Freya ... or even me?"

"We have a spy," Trent deduced, and then shook his head, "but why separate us so far from the fight? Why create an elaborate trap when they could have shot us when they knocked us out? Why torture Pikkins?"

"Information," Freya said with a small shrug, "they don't have our technology, so they resort to savage means to obtain it. That's probably why the cameras," she added, "they want to listen in on our discussions."

A loud silence followed.

Trent pinched the bridge of his nose again, all of this was too much for a Captain whose youngest team member was barely nineteen. He needed to get higher authorities involved.

"There are no cameras here," Axel said quietly, "that means at least this conversation wasn't recorded."

Dex shook their head but didn't take their eyes off Trent, "No, it doesn't."

So much relied on the unknown. Trent looked away from Dex and to the dying second lieutenant, "Wake Pikkins again," he ordered, "we need answers before we can formulate a plan." The situation had changed now.

Dex didn't respond, but their steely gaze said more than enough.

Trent would normally have retaliated with an icy glare of his own, but an argument was the last thing their team needed. "Axel, Freya," he said in a forced calm that caused both of them to glance between the pair, "I need you two to scout the location behind the broken wall and funny-smelling crates."

They stood up rather slowly, still sneaking glances for a moment. Axel may have opened his mouth to say something but Freya snatched him away before he could.

Trent watched the pair vanish behind the wall before he turned to Dex with cold anger, "Are you going to disobey a direct order, Second Lieutenant Dex?"

Dex scoffed, "Don't go barking orders at me, Trent," they snarled, "you're asking me to kill Pikkins!"

Trent swallowed, yes he was ... technically. But Pikkins was dying anyway and if he could use the information to save the rest of them, it would be worth it. At least that's what he was going to tell himself for the rest of his life.

"You're right," Trent agreed, switching to a gentler tone, "I'm sorry." This was going to be his burden, not Dex's, "But what else do you suggest we do?" he asked, not breaking eye contact. Gentle voice, eye contact, empathy ... he may as well have been manipulating a Tectan.

Trent hated using inquisition techniques he had learned from the Absolute Rule on his own team. But no one else seemed to understand the gravity of the situation they were in.

If the Absolute Rule was eliminated, there would be nothing controlling the temperature, oxygen and every other necessity underground.

If the Absolute Rule was eliminated, everyone would die.

It was why he had to say the things he did, manipulative as they were. His team was very important to him, but his loyalty to his colony outweighed that.

"Wait for the others," Dex insisted, their eyes searching Trent for more than just empathy, "what if there's a vehicle just—just waiting to be used?"

Trent doubted it would be that easy, but he nodded anyway, "one hundred ticks," Trent warned. It was all he would spare.

"Fine," Dex agreed, "if they're not back in the next hundred ticks, I'll wake him myself."

But they barely had to wait another fifteen ticks before the pair scrambled back to their side.

"Good news?" Dex asked hopefully, their face lighting up a little.

Trent didn't share his medic's sentiments, neither of the two soldiers looked happy. Freya's cropped red hair were frazzled, and like Axel, her breaths were uneven. There was also the fact that she was swallowing far too fast and too often. And then there was Axel. He was constantly running a hand back and forth on the short bristles on his head.

Something was wrong.

"Well spit it out," Trent snapped when neither of them said a word.

"There's a balcony and some kind of emergency exit," Freya whispered. Her eyes darted to the route she had just scarpered from.

Another pause.

"And?" Trent demanded, his patience running thin.

Axel spoke next, frantic and wide-eyed, "And we're not just in a prison, Captain!"

"Shh!" Freya hissed, turning back to the broken wall once again.

"Oh for the love of ..." Dex turned to Trent, exhibiting the same irritation he felt, "it'll be faster if the Captain and I just go at this rate!"

Axel clamped a hand over Dex's mouth, "Stop shouting!"

"Okay that's it!" Trent stood up, he'd had enough of their drama. If two soldiers couldn't stay still long enough to tell him what the hell they had seen, he was going to go and see for himself.

"Captain wait!" Freya cried, her voice high, "this isn't just some abandoned building!" she whispered, "We're trapped in the middle of their base camp."

All of Trent's annoyance seemed to fade in a heartbeat, "What?" he asked, hoping he had misheard her.

"We counted over a hundred Tectans," Axel said, his voice breaking a little, "armed Tectans!"

Trent gave a small sigh. This was a million times worse than he had imagined. He turned to Pikkins and then back to the exit.

"Vehicles?" Trent asked.

"Yes, but—"

"Great!" Trent announced, turning back to him team, "I have an idea."

(1759 words)
(Tally: 6404 words)