Fragments

14

The sirens blare, their piercing wail echoing through the sterile corridors outside the room. Kellan's face hardens, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him as he works quickly to complete the transfer. Panic rises inside me, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it's going to burst from my chest. This is it. We're out of time.

Kellan grabs my hand, pulling me closer to the console. "Listen to me," he says urgently, his voice low and intense. "I need you to take the flash drive, and keep it safe." He presses a small, sleek device into my palm. "The transfer isn't complete, but if we can get this out of here, we might still have a chance to recover your memories."

"But the sirens-" I stammer, my mind racing as the situation spirals out of control.

"We have to move now," Kellan tells me, his eyes fearful for once which makes me more nervous. "There's no time. We'll take the drive, and we'll figure it out later."

I nod, clutching the drive in my hand. The door to the room suddenly rattles, the sound of heavy footsteps and muffled voices just beyond it. My breath catches, my entire body freezing in terror.

"They're here," Kellan mutters, his eyes darting toward the door. "We have to go."

He moves toward the back of the room, heading for an emergency exit hidden behind a row of metal cabinets. I follow, my legs feeling like lead. As Kellan yanks open the door, a burst of cold air hits us, the darkened hallway beyond beckoning us into its shadows. Just as we're about to slip through the exit, the door to the main room slams open, and a figure steps into the doorway.

"Marek," I breathe out, my voice barely a whisper.

Marek's eyes land on me immediately, his usually impassive face twisted with a mix of anger and something sharp, almost gleeful as if he wanted an excuse to hate me and had finally gotten it. He moves forward, his eyes narrowing as he takes in the scene-the open console, Kellan standing protectively in front of me.

"Lena," Marek snaps, his voice cold and calm amidst the chaos. "What have you done?"

Kellan doesn't move, his stance firm, his entire body coiled and ready. "She's leaving with me," he growls, his voice low and dangerous.

Marek's gaze shifts to Kellan, and confusion flickers briefly in his eyes before turning to contempt. "I don't know who you think you are," he spits out, "but you're interfering with Ministry business."

Kellan's lips curl into a sneer. "You don't know anything, do you?" he says, his voice edged with venom. "You have no idea what's really going on here."

Marek's eyes flash with anger. "I know enough," he snaps. "I know you're one of those Recallers-those delusional fanatics. And you've dragged her into your madness."

I feel the words like a blow, a cold, cruel dismissal of everything that's happened, everything that's been taken from me. "Marek, listen," I start, my voice trembling. "It's not madness. The Ministry-"

"The Ministry keeps order," Marek interrupts, his voice rising. "The Ministry keeps people like you from falling into chaos. Look at you, Lena. You were one of us. You had a life, a future. And now you've thrown it all away for this... chaos."

"Thrown it away?" I choke out, my anger flaring. "You mean the life they forced on me? The memories they erased? I'm fighting to get back what they took."

"You've been manipulated," Marek says, his eyes locking onto mine with a look of pity that makes my skin crawl. "You've let these Recallers fill your head with lies. But it's not too late. Come with me now, and we can fix this."

Kellan shifts, his body a shield between Marek and me. "She's not going anywhere with you," he says through gritted teeth. "You won't touch her."

Marek's lips curl into a cruel smile. "So noble," he sneers. "You think you're saving her, don't you? But what you're really doing is dragging her down into your delusion. You're dangerous. You're broken. You're a threat."