Children of the New Dawn n-logy: Book 2 - Liberated.

Chapter 1: ''Broken boy(s).''

The door to 'The Dragon's Inn' opens, and a tray is pushed in. Wakened up by the clinking metal tray, Fae gets up from her bed. Before walking over to pick up the tray, she stops at Dylan, sleeping on the floor, and gives him a stroke on the shoulder. ''Morning, sleepy head.'' Fae whispers, knowing he won't wake up just yet. She picks up the tray, and places it on the counter. With a rather disgusted face she looks at what's on it. Cereal, again.

 Taking two bowls, she starts pouring up the milk, before adding the cereal. She puts in a spoon in each, walks over to Dylan and sits down. Placing one of the bowls next to Dylan, she shakes his shoulders lightly. In a soft voice, she tries to wake him. ''Wakey wakey, I made breakfast.'' Fae tilts her head, smiling slightly at him.

Dylan laid down on the floor, with his head on a pillow that Fae had slid down under. His eyelashes flakey, and dry from the tears and some sleepless nights he had. His nose red and clogged up.

He breathed rather slowly. He blinked after each exhale. His mind filled with thoughts and whispers. Each of his memories overlapping each other. From the past, up until now. Nothing was clear anymore. His hair covered most of his head as it had overgrown just a little more. Dylan stared at the edges of the bowl, then with his shakes and weak hand he pushed it away.

Fae sighs and looks at Dylan. ''You've gotta eat Dylan. Please?'' Determined, she pushes the bowl back, even lifting up a spoonful. ''Come on, I'll choo-choo train you'' Fae grins a bit, and the milk slowly drops back into the bowl. With a look of Sympathy, she lays a hand on Dylan's lap. ''I won't eat then.'' She places her bowl next to Dylan's.

He looks at her, and then at the two bowls. Dylan sighs furthermore forcing himself to sit up. He sits and grabs the bowl with his two hands, taking a spoon full of cereal. He forces himself to swallow as his throat had been dried out. Coughing as he chews, he looks at Fae. Smiling, Fae grabs her bowl, scooping up a spoonful. ''Good Flynn.''

"This is all my fault. I'm stupid. I've been stupid, since out there..." He speaks into the silence, his voice deep and groggy. He sniffs. "We're in here because of me. We're never going to get out of here. This is our life now." He puts down the bowl.

Fae puts her hands on each of Dylan's shoulders. ''Hey, this is NOT your fault. they found us, how, we don't know.. we'll find out.'' She puts a hand on Dylan's chin, lifting his head a bit. ''Why don't we go out, us two? Let's go take a walk out in the hall, get out of this disgusting place.'' She looks around at all the dirty trays and water bottles laying around. Looking back at Dylan, she lets go of his cheek, takes his hands and tries to get him up. ''We'll find a way out, somehow..''

Dylan allows her to carry him up. He stumbles up to his feet. He sniffs and wipes his face. He pushes back his hair that's now heavy with despair as well as sweat. He walks slowly along Fae's side.

Fae opens the door for Dylan, escorting him out. Opening up her arms, Fae speaks sarcastically. ''Ahhh, fresh air.'' She looks at Dylan, as she closes the door behind them.

Outside the room, it's much more scruffier than the floors upper. There's a huge significance between the attitudes of the different floors. People down here tend to keep to themselves and stay in their shadows.

They get their lunch, and head into their own personal little bubbles. There is about two doctors down here, but not the mama and papa types. Guards walk around in strides with intimidating weapons.

There are rooms down the hall, some custom made, even though the rest had a look of typical cells. Lonely, empty and shallow. Dylan and Fae stood out Infront of their door. Dylan noticed Evan, the new guy on the floor of his room. Awake and observant. He seemed very worried for Caleb... what did Caleb mean to him? Dylan coughed, and squinted his eyes as the lights seemed to be too bright.

''What's wrong?'' Fae puts a hand on Dylan's shoulder, scrunching her eyebrows as she looks around, searching for the problem.

"I'm okay, it's just a little bright." He says in a groggy whisper. "How much did I miss?" He asks as he walks down the hall, looking down at the floor rather than up. He'd need time to adjust his eyes after laying on the floor in the dark for some time.

Shrugging her shoulders, she replies. ''Just as much as me. I've been stuck in there caring for your ass this whole time.'' Looking away from Dylan, she continues. ''I couldn't leave you alone.'' She lowers her chin a bit.

"You should have. We have to be smart. We need to know what we're dealing with around here", he responds and makes a stop to analyze. "Where's our friends? Roach? Manny? Lamark?" Dylan looks around with a confused expression.

Fae sighs. ''Upstairs, I suppose. I don't know. I know nothing, Dylan.'' They've almost reached the end of the hall by now, and a small 'ding' can be heard coming from the elevator. ''Fuck. Dylan, hide. Quick.'' Fae drags his arm, and runs behind a metal supply-cart.

The elevator doors slide open and a woman's voice is heard.

"...time for the check-up anyway. I must say, 13-2 has been the most manageable of our 'guests' down here in the 'bowels'. It's this way."

The voice belongs to a plump woman with dull, straight hair the colour of mature hay. She's wearing a white lab coat with a pen holder in the breast pocket; only it isn't pens it holds, but small syringes, the plungers showing that they're filled halfway with something. She is followed by the click-click of stiletto heels that somehow manages to carry an extra ominous vibe and a familiar cadence to the gait.

"Still no sign of 13-2 waking up?" Enquires the voice of the woman known for her noticeable lipstick.

The two women turn away from where Fae and Dylan are hiding and proceed down the corridor at a brisk pace; the woman in the lab coat struggling to keep up with the other. She doesn't have to struggle for long though. Still within sight of the elevator door, the Lipstick Lady stops next to a pneumatic door with a round porthole and turns to face the lab coat wearing woman with an impatient sneer.

"Well. Dollerhove, hurry up. The air down here disgusts me."

"...Yes, Directress," the woman in the lab coat says as she hurries up to the door.

The plump woman called Dollerhove enters a code on a keypad and the door slides open with a hiss.

"Really, Dollerhove? His designation?" Directress asks in an admonishing tone.

"It makes it easier to remember, Directress, " Dollerhove replies. "And I'd prefer it, if you called me Doctor Dollerhove. "

"As far as I recall, your license was revoked, Dollerhove. It's part of why The Order was able to...."

The rest is muffled beyond understanding, as the two women walk through the open doorway.

Fae, with a rather shocked face looks at Dylan. "Dylan.... he's here. Lamark is here!" Fae whispers as she pulls Dylan up. "We need to get inside. We need to see him." Dylan says as he whispers and watched the doors slide close. "We need to form an alliance down here with the other guys. Try to get that code and get to him. It's going to take time but it's good we know he's alive. Come on, let's go." He says getting up and hurrying along the corridor quietly.