Ezra could barely breathe. A black cloth hooded her head, a gag muzzled her screams. Her hands were bound tightly at her back. They made her shuffle. Where to, she couldn't tell. Tehreem's lab? The specimen storage? Her own lab, where she studied various pathogens to harness the very genes that made them deadly and see if she could find a good use for them?

Why haven't they killed me? Maybe they need me for something... but what? She fought against the brawny arms gripping her biceps, but they wouldn't budge. It put a new spin on rough handling as they led her out of the building.

Dad. I have to tell him what's happening... how? Dad! Help. Someone help me! Let me go!

But her screams went unheard. Soon, the cool breeze of the night hit her skin. Rain pattered down on her hands. It was still raining. A strange sound pulsed in her ears that she couldn't place until they hoisted her onto some platform, feet stomping all around her, and the thudding of some door. A helicopter. I'm in a helicopter.

"Where are you taking me?" she mumbled through her gag, thrashing about on the cold metal floor as the thing rose into the air, its rotors rhythmically whomping. A strange sound she'd only heard of in movies and old TV shows.

No one bothered to reply. Perhaps they didn't hear. Or worse, they simply didn't care.

Is this what happened to Archer? The thought crossed her mind again, sending cold shivers down her spine. Am I going to die? Did he die? Is he dead?

She couldn't tell how long the ride was. Between trying to stay calm and freaking out, between trying to slow down her galloping heartbeat and keeping tears at bay, she had no energy left to figure out how long they'd flown. It wasn't like she had ever flown before. Those were for the rich. Flights of fancy, her mother used to say once. Anything that cost more than their salary was a flight of fancy.

She tried to rake her brain. Why would they want me? What have I done? Have I done something? Maybe it's a rival lab? But why would they waste their resources by kidnapping me? What for?

But no matter how long she pondered one thousand and one questions, she was no closer to the answer

At least tell me where you're taking me.
Ezra tried now and again to shake off the claustrophobic hood, but it seemed anchored around her neck. Dad. Shaki... what will happen to them now....? I promised I'd be home...

When the adrenaline wore off and exhaustion took over and Ezra drifted into a haunted sleep. It wasn't till the chopper made a rough landing that she jolted awake, feeling as though she had the world's worst hangover. Heavy head and heavier stomach.

As hands grabbed her again, a second bout of adrenaline surged through her. When they dragged her off the thing and made her shuffle over some hard ground, tormenting thoughts returned. She felt her body shake uncontrollably, as if she was freezing cold. Her teeth chattered—thank god for the gag. 'Don't let them see how scared you are,' Dad's age-old words, spoken to a young, bullied Ezzie, rang loud and clear in her head again.

Don't let them see how scared you are!

Thus, as they shoved her into what sounded like another building—highly fortified from the heavy sounds of the doors on hydraulic hinges—Ezra steeled herself. I will not show them how scared I am. I will not...

One of the men escorting her into the building shoved her forward then. Then hands cleared her body.

Behind her, she heard a clearing of a throat. "The package you ordered, Sir. Dr Ezra Mayur, lead scientist at GenDesign labs."

Ezra's spine tingled. Someone had 'ordered' her kidnapping. Who?

"Hmm." Heavy boots stepped closer to her, coming to a stand a few feet away. For several seconds, he remained silent. "Remove her hood and cuff."

Ezra didn't know how to take this gesture, but soon, the hood flew off her head and her eyes burned, adjusting to the bright lights. But with her hands free again, relief flooded her chest.

A man she didn't recognise stood before her.

"And the gag, too."

A hand untied the knot on the cloth behind her and as soon as she felt it loosen, she pulled the gag away herself, gasping for air as if she'd been suffocating. "Who the hell are you?" she spat.

The man, in full military gear, with badges and star she knew little about, smiled, but briefly. It was a flash in the pan.

He studied her with a gaze that made her uncomfortable, like she was a measly fly.

She stood taller, as tall as she could. "Who are you and why have you brought me here"—she glanced around the concrete bunker and at the soldiers clad head to toe in black behind her. Five men. They had sent five men to grab her—"wherever this is?"

"Come. You must be exhausted. Captain Rai will show you to your room. Rest up and we'll have a chat in the morning once the sedatives wear off." The man moved with authority past her as if they were chums, and this was just a fateful meeting.

At the mention of sedatives, Ezra felt ten times more tired. That would explain why she'd fallen asleep in a noisy helicopter. A woman who struggled to sleep through city noise every day despite having grown up in it. She would not have passed out so easily on a loud chopper. They tranqed me!

"I'm not going anywhere. You had your men grab me from my office. I'm not your guest here." She gritted her teeth. It was for show. Inside, she was trembling. "Not until you tell me why I'm here."

When the man turned a hard gaze on her, Ezra almost crumpled. "Ar—are you, are you going to ki—kill me?" She hadn't meant to, but her stutter, under control for years, broke out then.

"Kill you?" The man laughed. His soldiers also scoffed. They knew more than she did. "Why would I kill you, Dr Mayur, when I need your expertise?"

Ezra's eyes narrowed. "My expertise? What? On modified crops and GMOs?"

"That's an oversimplification of what you do, or can do, isn't it?" The man laughed again, heartier, before it died shortly, and he waltzed back to his desk, where he flipped through a dossier and read from it. "If the world human population isn't brought drastically under control by 2100, the hunger crisis will not only be an issue for developing countries, but all countries we tout as the first world. There will be no difference between us and them..."

He looked up from the papers straight at her and Ezra felt the blood drain from her face. "Where did you get that?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he continued to read from a long-forgotten paper she had buried in her mind. "The only solution to delay that possibility is for us to bring down the human population, and the easiest way it can be done is by creating—"

"Stop!" Ezra snapped, feeling sick suddenly. She staggered back, possibly dizzy from the sedatives and not the shock of having that nightmare paper read back to her. She'd written it for an exercise. Just an exercise. It meant nothing. Nothing. Yet, how did he have it? The only person who had a copy was Dr Archer... but would he have kept it?

"These are your words, are they not, Dr Mayur?" the man asked. "Albeit you weren't a doctor then."

Yes. She nodded. I wish they weren't.

"And are you or are you not Dr Archer's prodigy, in the field of hybridised microbes that serve distinct purposes?"

Ezra nodded again.

"Good. That is all I need for now. We have the right person." He addressed his men next. "Take her to her room and keep her there tonight. The site's not entirely neutralised for foreign visitors."

"Yes, General Watergate," a chorus of synchronised voices sang out. They saluted the General and without another word, two men grabbed her and escorted her through maze-like tunnels with no markers until they reached a room she'd rather call a cell. She couldn't run away even if she wanted to or could. It was designed to confuse people.

"Cosy!" Ezra commented as they waited for her to walk into the said room.

"At least you're not dead, right?" one soldier threw back, standing in the doorway.

Ezra couldn't tell if he was serious or jesting. The man had a kind face. She'd like to believe he was also kind inside.

"Mind telling me where we are?" She tried.

"A military research base. That's all I'm authorized to disclose, ma'am. General will bring you up to speed in the morning when he has a clear picture." He reached for the door handle, ready to lock her in. "If you need anything, there's an intercom on the wall. You can ask for me."

"And you are?"

"Captain Krishna Rai, special forces." The man also had an easy smile, a smile Ezra would have liked a lot under a different circumstance.

"If I need to pee?" Of all the things she could ask, she didn't know why she'd asked such a silly one.

"Behind you, there's a door. That's your private privy. The bed's there." He pointed at a cot with bundled up mattress and covers. "I assume you know how to make a bed." He pointed to a built-in closet and a mini kitchenette to the side next. "And there are the other amenities you may need. You'll find we have provided some clothes for you, as well as some food in the fridge. You can microwave it. I'm afraid our kitchens close after nine. I'll be by to grab you at o-eight-hundred tomorrow morning."

He went to shut her in.

"Am I in danger?" Ezra bit her tongue. Why did I ask that? Why?

Captain Rai paused for a moment as if it was a question he had to think about. "Depends. Will you cooperate?"

There were no more words exchanged after that as he pulled the door shut behind him and locked her in.

Ezra stood in that tiny room, smaller than the one she shared with Shaki, feeling more alone than she had ever been. Her senses were telling her she would not like what tomorrow would bring.

Cooperate with what? She sat on the edge of the cold metal bed frame, shivering involuntarily. What did she have to cooperate with?

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story. Excuse any mistakes as it's typed on the phone at night (I'll clean it up in the morning when I get a chance. 😅)
Anyway, Ezra has no idea where she is! I'd be freaking out in her place but she's doing well.
What do you make of the General reading something Ezra wrote? What do you think he's referring to?
And what do you think she'll discover tomorrow?
Any thoughts? 😊❤️