INIZIO

XXXIII | THIRTY-THREE

Vadim's eyes rose to the large and rusted building that towered over them. Most of the windows were gone, and through the glass, he could see the age of the building; perhaps a century old. This place used stairs instead of floaterstairs.

Rachel tensed next to him. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

He didn't answer. He too doubted it. The place was on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by a handful of many other decaying buildings.

Instead, he got on the bubblefloater again, waited for Rachel to get on, and headed toward the inside of the place. They were welcomed into a space, more like a shell of a building. Getting off of the floater, Vadim began roaming around the place in search of life, when he heard a yelp from Rachel. Spinning around, he saw a masked person holding a gun pointed at his head, with a hand wrapped around Rachel tightly.

Eyes narrowing, and mouth pulling into a snarl, Vadim began preparing to leap onto the person when this one spoke. "Easy beast. I've got my people pointing at you from all around, I wouldn't do that if I were you," His eyes narrowed, and recognition seemed to flood his eyes, "Say, I heard the UNIPO is searching for someone like you."

Vadim scowled. "The UNIPO can't search for what's dead."

"Ah, clever. I guess we'll have to show the UNIPO resurrection exists."

Vadim smirked. "You do that, by the time they receive that message, the Turncoat's location would have been exposed, leaving this place is nothing but ruins."

Conflict flared up in the eyes of his opponent, as did fury. "Guard down!" he barked. His grip on Rachel loosened, and she pulled away from him, stumbling into Vadim's arms.

"Not so fast," the guy spat, "tie them!"

The sound of ropes whiplashing down, smacking the concrete made Rachel and Vadim shrink back a bit, and down slithered people dressed the same as the man who stood in between them and the floater.

They circled them and tied Rachel, before centering their attention on him, and tying him.

"Wait!" Rachel cried, "my brother is in the bubblefloater! Please help him!"

"Take the guy out," The guy ordered before turning to them. "You guys have quite the explaining to do, you especially, humanoid."

Vadim scowled.

They were led into a small rusted cell-like room, and the masked guy punched a few buttons that barely seemed to shine, and the machine seemed to pull them upward. The ground was shaky and the chains that pulled them up seemed unsteady.

"This doesn't feel very safe," Rachel whispered to Vadim. He took her hand into his. "We'll make it out," He whispered back.

Jayden still seemed unconscious, except that now he mumbled incoherencies. Few people were sardined with them in the cell, and the terrible screeching finally came to a painful halt.

They pushed them out, with a few laser guns pointed at the back of them; the only piece of modern that this place seemed to have.

They finally reached a floor that differed from the rest. On this floor, instead of a dry and rusted view of old desks and empty rooms, this one seemed like a dead-end, seeming a wall of black that contrasted with the gray cement of the building. Vadim had seen these kinds of walls before. His own home back in Patmos was full of them.

One of the masked guys pulled out a worn-out card, showing it across the wall, and this one disintegrated to reveal an ample room abuzz with people running about, floaterscreens hovering and moving around with the people, as data was being displayed, coordinates being passed.

The guy that had threatened Vadim pulled off his mask revealing a worn face, dark eyes, and light sandy hair. "Welcome to the Turncoat, kiddos," he drawled, as a wry smile spread across his face.

Ushering them inside brusquely, the man motioned for them to be dragged down a few aisles, turning a few times, and Jayden was pulled away down another hall, into a brightly lit room, while Vadim and Rachel were pulled toward a dark room, where the silhouettes of two chairs could be seen.

"Reinforce that guy's hand ties. He's altered."

They tied his hands with smart plastic, before leaving the room.

"Now that that is settled, tell me, who and what has brought you here?"

"Who cannot be answered," replied Vadim, "what?" he snorted, "you know what."

The man rose his brow challengingly. "You answer all I ask unless you wish sorrow to befall on the brother of your lady here," he said curtly. His eyes hardened, his dark brown eyes becoming rocks as they rested on Vadim's. "Who. Brought. You. Here?"

Rachel squirmed on the seat next to his. Vadim tensed his jaw, his hands wringing behind his back. "Acelynn. Acelynn brought us here. And as for the what, we escaped the UNIPO," he barked out.

A rueful grin spread across the man's face. "Do I look stupid to you?"

Vadim furrowed his brows.

"Acelynn died years ago, did you not know?" The man pressed a few buttons on a walkie-talkie, and continued, "don't heal the boy, torture him."

"No!" cried Rachel. "He is telling the truth! We were told that Acelynn had funded the Turncoat and that she had the exact location of it! We've been following the Turncoat ever since we arrived at Patmos!"

After a long and hard stare, the guy pulled out his walkie-talkie again. "Leave the boy. Any reports?"

"He's got the variant of the red bacilli, his companions likely have it as well, we're on our way to give you pills to avoid infection."

"Bring me pills for two and bring me the cure, and give the kid the cure as well."

Vadim eyed the man, puzzled by his sudden change of heart.

"Being from Patmos, you both seem pretty sharp. At least, you do." he nudged toward Rachel. "I'm guessing it must have something to do with you," he looked at Vadim. "They've been planning to destroy Patmos ever since they found out that some troublesome mathematician purchased a house there."

Rachel tensed yet again. Vadim eyed her out of the corner of his eye, and the way her face seemed to slowly redden.

The door opened and in strolled a woman carrying a tray with pills and a needle. She was wearing a facemask and glasses. Handing the tray to the man, he took the pills and down a pair, while he stood and shoved the other two into Vadim's mouth. "I know you are practically invincible, but you must drink this as a preventative," he then gave him a small amount of water, which Vadim begrudgingly downed.

"The injection is going to evacuate any infection you might have, we already gave it to your brother," the lady explained to a squirming Rachel. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you. It'll heal you."

After the exhausting fight, Rachel hung limply to the chair, her arm looking slightly bruised.

"We managed to create a cure for the variant a few years back, but the side effects are too strong for most of the population to bear. We only apply it when necessary. Hopefully, your lady here and her brother do fine."

Vadim eyed Rachel worriedly. She offered him a tight smile. "I'm fine," she mouthed. He offered her a small smile dubious she was telling the truth.

"Now tell me. How do you know Acelynn?"

Vadim glared at the man. "Can't I answer your questions without these things?"

"Not until I've gotten the last ounce of truth from you."

"It'll be a long story," replied Vadim.

"Thank goodness I've got time then," the man retorted.