Year E3029

Ocea

When someone asked how I would die, I thought of the Men of Suits. Out in the City of Rise with a gun. Dylan would cry while Wyatt hunted down the one who ended my life. Stopper would leave the group and find himself in a dark place, not knowing how to move on. All three would realize how simple death would be with one second of blissfulness and the next, tears and sorrows.

Thomas would join Dylan with tears down his cheeks while holding me, praying for more time, and confessing his love for me, the sad romance from an Earth book, ending his story. With no fireworks or steamy scenes, he would experience loss before he lived a life with love.

I knew the MOS would be part of my death, but ending my life while tied up on a metal table as I am one step away from bringing down their headquarters. The group leader was in my hands, but her grip was tighter on my palms, mocking me.

"Where are you taking me?"

The man rolled my table down the vast hallway, laughing at my question. The two nurses stayed in pace behind me with their hands in their pockets, steps in sync. A light down the corridor flickered before a deep voice yelled in pain from a dim room.

"Help!" the man's voice yelled with fear. "Someone, please help—" He cried before the lights flickered, stopping his sentence.

"What are they doing to him?"

They rolled me by the window while I arched my head, feeling the rope on my forehead, not seeing anything. The lights dimmed again with another scream.

"What are they doing to him?" I yelled, but the man rolled me faster. "Leave him alone!"

"Ha!" a familiar voice mocked me. "We like to torture freaks like you."

Mr. Cop slammed his fist on the table, stopping the wheels while the other man stepped back. His orange eyes glared at me before he adjusted his tie. I fisted my palms, not meeting his gaze.

"All of you half and half are an abomination, and I will kill you one day," he said and leaned closer. "The leader may have saved you for now, but she will not be there every time," he whispered.

His breath masked my cheek as he smiled with an evil grin. The man rolling my table coughed before bowing his head at Mr. Cop.

"Sorry, sir, but I have an order to place her with the others." He clenched his jaw, almost nervous with Till Cop.

Mr. Cop stepped back and gestured for us to keep moving. He tilted his head and waved at me. I spat, watching the liquid land on his suit. Till froze, white-knuckling his fist, but the man behind me wheeled me away before Mr. Cop could react.

The man rounded the corner, rolling his eyes at me. "You sure like to make things worse, don't you?"

I arched my head, feeling the rope dig into my forehead. His badge hung out of his pocket, dangling. His suit fit too tight around his arms, and I noticed the nurses watching his ass. He fidgeted with his hands, gripping tighter on the handles before seizing his biceps, the chipped arm. His eyes were uncertain, but why would the MOS have him at the headquarters when he still had little brain activity?

I scoffed. "I think my life will be short here, so why not have fun with it?"

He paused, just for his badge to stop swaying. "Mr. Cop is all bark and no bite."

Glaring at the stain on his tie. "And yet, you bowed your head to him, Rob."

"I am ordered and forced."

"Why are you here?"

He glanced at the nurses, waving them on. "Please attend to cell twenty. I can finish this." Rob's wrinkles around his eyes told me his age. Older than my father would have been. "I am here because the leader wants me here. The chip only does so much, but I—" He slapped his arm in pain before freezing, his eyes glossing over.

Without a word, he continued us down the hallway of chemical smells and screams.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, knowing he wanted to fight but couldn't.

The table opened a swinging door into a white room with bright lights.

Squinting, I noticed three other tables with bodies lying still. In fear, I wiggled, trying to get out of the ropes. My table wheeled between Thomas and Becca while Dylan sat on the other side of the room.

"What did you do to them?" I yelled, watching zero movement from them and realizing a woman in a suit analyzing them.

"We prepared them for the chip. Takes an extra dose since it is their second time," the lady said, placing her hand on Becca's throat, feeling a pulse. "Sleeping."

"Don't touch her," I said through my teeth, hating everyone in this building even though they didn't have a choice, given the chips in their arms.

"The leader will be back for you," Rob said, escorting the woman out of the room. She smiled at me with evil intent before the door swung shut.

"Fuck you!" I yelled at them as I watched the door swing close. "I will escape!"

"Shh," Dylan hissed from across the room. "Stop provoking them."

"What?" I strained my eyes, seeing Becca wiggling.

The rope near her head sat on the table, not containing her forehead, while she gained space around her wrist. Blood dripped from her arm as the restraints rubbed her skin, showing how long she had been working on escaping.

"I'm almost out," Becca whispered. "Just one more—" Her arm flung up with a pop. She whisper-screamed while she cupped her wrist.

"You okay?" I asked, peeking at Thomas and his eyes closed.

"Yes," Becca replied, with a tear on her cheek. "I think I dislocated my thumb."

"Can you untie yourself still?" Dylan asked, rubbing his wrists raw.

"Yes." Becca quickly untied herself with pain on her face.

She worked on the ropes around her ankles, hissing with every movement. The lights above flickered, followed by a yell down the hallway. Becca froze for a second, but continued once again.

Glancing at Thomas, I watched his chest rise and fall. "What did they do to Thomas? Why are you two awake, and he's not?"

Becca jumped from her table and raced to me. "They did something else to him after they noticed his brain activity with memories."

I swallowed hard and sat up when Becca untied my chest. "I got the rest," I said, lighting my blue flame and burning the ropes.

Becca turned, slipping under her feet. She slammed into my table, grabbing my flame-covered palm. The blue fire burned her skin with a loud sizzle as she screamed in pain.

"Becca," I said while she glanced at me with tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Natalie," she said, freezing and glancing at her burn. "I have a little sister." Her blue eyes met mine. "I remember her and my grandparents. We lived with them when my parents died in a car accident."

"You remember?" I asked, glancing at Dylan. "How?"

Becca smiled at her burn mark. "Your fire," she said before looking at Thomas. "Did you ever burn Thomas?"

I shook my head, but stopped. "Yes." My memories of losing him. "I barely touched him with my flame the day the Men Of Suits chipped him."

"Oh, my goodness!" Becca whisper-yelled in excitement. "Ocea!" She gripped my shoulders. "You are the key to recovering memories." Her smile grew. "Everything is coming back to me. I remember my entire life."

We paused, staring at one another, expressionless, while I watched her eyes focus on nothing around us. The images flashed through her mind, and the memories of her family were reborn within her. A tear fell from her eye, lonely as it trailed down her cheek, remembrances of the good and the bad. Becca's bottom lip trembled before she cupped her eyes, falling to her knees.

I ripped the burnt ropes off me and knelt on the ground with her. Rubbing her back, I pulled back her hair with my other hand before forcing her into a hug. Her body shook under mine, tiny in a ball against my chest.

"I'm sorry, Becca," I whispered, knowing she watched again for the first time someone died.

"They killed her," she wailed between sobs. "My baby sister. Only four years old, and they shot her in the head because her brain overpowered the chip."

"I'm sorry."

Becca sniffled, pushing me away from her with rage. "They killed her," she said with a snarl. "And they are going to pay."

She stood quickly from the tile floor and raced over to Dylan. She wiped the tears on her cheek with her sleeve before aggressively untying him. Dylan glanced at me with wide eyes before smiling at her.

"Yes, let's get those bastards."

I rushed to Thomas and untied the rope around his head. As I worked on his wrists, the lights above flickered once again while a man cried down the hallway. Dylan managed the ones at Thomas' feet while Becca worked on the other wrist.

Brushing my hand to his sleeping cheeks. "Thomas," I whispered. "Time to wake up."

Thomas fluttered his eyes open with a slight smile. He cupped his hand over mine, leaning his face into my palm. His deep browns gazed up at me with haziness.

"Am I dead?" His eyes widened with fear as the lights blinked, and screams of terror followed.

Dylan lightly chuckled under his breath. "No, but who knows what they gave you?" He rounded the table. "Do you remember how we got here?"

Thomas glanced at me before sitting up. "Yes, I don't feel any different."

I smiled at Becca. "Okay, let's take that bitch down," I said, helping Thomas off the table.

"Bitch?" Dylan asked with confusion. "The leader is a woman?"

Thomas wrapped his arm around my shoulder, leaning against me while his legs wobbled. The door to the room creaked open, causing Becca to gasp and step behind Dylan.

"Now, it's not nice to call your aunt a bitch," the leader of the MOS said with her hand on her hip.

She smiled as the mask on her face tilted with her cheek. Two men in suits stood behind her with gun pointed at us. Rob stood in the hallway, propping the door open with his foot, not making eye contact with anyone.

"Aunt?" Thomas asked, studying the woman with only one eye. "Did your dad have a sister?" He peeked at me with concern.

"No," I replied, shaking my head.

The leader chuckled, rolling her one eye. "Put these three in cell nine, and Ocea will accompany me on a family walk." She smiled at me while the men moved toward us. "I have a surprise for you." 

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