Sector B

9

When Rory woke up, her head was fuzzy. Her vision cleared and all she saw above her was a white ceiling. She blinked and pushed herself up, then realized that she was hooked up next to an oxygen tank. Where exactly was she? She glanced to her left and right and pulled the mask down.

"You're awake." A man dressed in nothing but black walked over to where she was sitting. His sleeves were ripped. Something about him looked familiar, but she wasn't able to tell since the bottom half of his face was covered. But those eyes of his were ones she had seen before. She just couldn't remember. "Finally." The man mumbled.

It wasn't until Rory saw the pins clipped to his jacket that she realized it was a general standing in front of her. Rory panicked and got out of bed immediately. "Where am I?" She huffed. "What happened!?"

"Relax," Decha rolled his eyes. Her breathing was still heavy, so he grabbed the pill bottle off the stand beside the bed and held it out for her to grab. "I'll call the Doctor and he'll take you off the oxygen. Take your medicine first."

"Why am I here?" Rory coughed. "This isn't the hospital! What doctor are you talking about?" For the first time in a long time, she feared for her life. There were so many Astellian posters and decorations on the walls. Was she back in Sector A? It was late! Were they going to punish her?

"I brought you here."

"Why!?"

"That's not how you speak to someone who saved you." Another general with a face covering also walked in and crossed his arms. Amir was equipped with a blaster in case Rory tried anything strange. But Rory thought they were going to kill her. If you got stuck in Sector A past curfew, the punishment for it was a hefty sentence.

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"We didn't say you did." Decha snapped. "Are you going to take your pills or not?"

Rory hesitated but took the pill bottle out of his hands. She opened it and popped two pills in her mouth. Decha offered her a bottle of water, but she refused. The warning her father gave echoed in her mind. Don't take any food or drink that belongs to the Astellians.

Decha didn't care much and placed the bottle on the stand. "When you're fully stable, you can leave."

"Where's my phone? And my things?"

"Here." Amir handed her bag to her. "Everything is inside. Your father says he's on his way to come and get you—"

"You called my father?" Rory's expression changed drastically. Her hands were shaking because of how cold it was, but hearing that her father was coming made her blood boil. "Why?" She growled.

"It was an accident. Your stupid toy called when I was putting your phone away."

Rory snatched her phone out of Amir's hands and shoved all her things into her satchel. "I'll take my leave before he gets here."

"You can't." Decha held his arm out to stop her from moving.

"She can't?" Amir raised a brow. Decha glared at him.

"Why can't I?" Rory challenged him.

"Your breathing is still heavy. The last thing any of us need is you collapsing at the front door. It will only waste our time if we place you on Oxygen again. Allow for your medication to kick in first."

"I'm fine!" Rory rebuked him.

"She looks fine to me," Amir snorted. "Just let her go."

"Wait until your guardian comes to take you." Decha stepped forward. The action intimidated Rory. His body loomed over hers. No warmth came from him. His aura was terrifying. But all generals had that effect. "That's an order."