Displaced

Wicken - Eighteen

The time I spent in the cell was only a few hours, I think. I know for sure it wasn't a full day because it didn't feel as if that much time had passed. I didn't need to use the bathroom when I was there. While a lot of people shouted out angry demands to be let go, I sat still and listened, absorbed, and processed. If what Justice had said was true, and I was indeed on a spaceship, then I needed to be smart with how I played my cards. There was a lot going on that I was still clueless about, and freaking out would not get me my answers any faster.

I'd decided to try taking a nap on my cot, but that was easier said than done with all of the yelling going on around me. Still, I could try, because anything could happen, and rest might have been something hard to come by in the future. You just never know. If anything, closing my eyes was nice because it helped me block things out and stay inside of my own happy place.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a man standing outside of my cell. He had to be in his mid to late thirties because there was the beginning spread of gray in his otherwise dark hair. His dark eyes were worn with age as well as wisdom. A light, manly scruff outlined his face. I don't know how long he had been standing there, because I hadn't noticed when he arrived. For one, my eyes were closed, and second of all, he was so quiet. And all he did was stare at me with the most unusual smirk on his lips.

I sat up in my cot and rubbed at my eyes to make myself just a little less drowsy.

"Uh, hi?" I said.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll definitely take this one. Good eye, Justice, good eye."

Justice sauntered up next to him, now free from jail apparently. "He hasn't had a meltdown yet, so we'll have to watch for that still, but obviously the kid has brains."

"Obviously." The first man's smirk widened. "I'll talk to the boss man about getting something all set up here."

They left me alone for a short while again, before I was released. No handcuffs or restraints of any kind were put on me, but I could tell by the massive weapons in the new guy's hands that he meant business.

And he still smirked. "You're mine now."

I was marched to a small group of other young men close to my age, and as a group we left the prison. We went through a number of metal hallways. All of the clanking of our feet on the ground was starting to drive me bonkers. Finally, we entered into a large, bland, concrete room. Justice and his boss took the time to line us all up carefully in a row. Then the strange man stood in front of us all.

"My name is Patriarch. I'm your new supervisor. If I say jump, you don't say anything, you just do it. I don't deal well with a whole lot of talking, do you understand?" He paused, and no one said anything. I'm pretty sure we were all hardly breathing at this point. "When I give you an order, you need to tell me 'yes sir' or 'no sir' so I know who's keeping up and who isn't. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," the rest of us said, though none of us with any confidence. They were all mumbled or whispered or choked out. Some people, myself included, didn't even bother. I wasn't some kind of a soldier or slave.

Patriarch shook his head. "You gotta do it better than that because I'm kind of hard on hearing."

This time, the "yes sir" was significantly louder, but not with my help, that's for sure.

Nodding, his approval, Patriarch continued. "All right, everyone. We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted later. Just remember to call me by my full name. Nobody gets to call me Pat unless you're on my good side and that's a position that needs to be earned. Eventually, you'll all have your own new names as well. It helps with the bonding experience. We're all in this together."