The Sector

Chapter Eight

Seth stumbled down the corridor, the Officers' fingers digging hard into his biceps. He had no idea where they were going and no idea what they planned to do with him.

Frasier had seemed set on killing him if he got too close to the truth, but the Officers hadn't been so sure that Gianna would allow it.

Around corners and through doors, the men navigated the maze that was the Testing Zone and before long, Seth lost track of how many dark hallways he'd walked down.

Eventually, they came to a dead end. Frasier—who had been following close behind them, should Seth make an attempt at escape—flipped a switch by the door and fluorescent lights overhead glared down at Seth angrily.

He squinted through the brightness, letting his eyes adjust.

When they did, he found himself in another empty room, much like the testing room. The only difference between the two was that this room was perhaps one third of the size of the other, and a pair of shackles lay bolted to the floor in the centre of the small space.

This, Seth realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, would be his prison.

With a weighty thump, Frasier swung the room's thick steel door closed and the Officers threw Seth to the ground.

He landed palms down, his right shoulder throbbing fiercely. Carefully, he allowed himself to fall to his side on the cold cement floor. The fight had well and truly gone out of him.

Without missing a beat, the two men dragged him roughly to the shackles and locked them around his ankles.

"You won't be going anywhere fast, kid," one of them whispered in his ear. Seth could practically hear the smug smile that was plastered across the man's face.

"I'm sorry, Seth," Frasier said from where he still stood by the door. "Truly."

The Officers finished up, tightening his chains and double-checking the locks. Satisfied, they rose together and joined their superior.

"If things run smoothly, this will all be over in the morning. I don't want to draw this out any more than necessary. It pains me to have to do this to you."

That sparked a fire deep within Seth's belly. In a matter of seconds, the spark had risen to a blaze.

"What?" Seth spat, a bloody smile splitting his face as he laughed a sharp, humourless laugh. "It pains you to lock me up like an animal? Is that what it is? Is that what pains you? Or, somewhere deep down inside, do you actually have a conscience? Somewhere deep inside, do you actually feel bad about murdering me and Patrik and every other Occupant who 'didn't meet the criteria'?"

Before Frasier had a chance to respond, the green-eyed Officer was looming above him, sending a boot hurdling towards Seth's stomach. The kick connected and Seth coughed and sputtered, more blood spraying grotesquely from his mouth. Groaning, he pulled his head towards his knees to protect himself from the blows that followed.

"That's enough!" Frasier's voice rang out, echoing dully off the walls. "We'll speak to Gianna at dawn and figure out where we go from here. Until then, let him sit in solitude. Perhaps he will learn that running his mouth won't actually get him very far."

When Frasier and the second Officer turned and left the room, the green-eyed man lingered for a moment longer.

Seth stared at his bloodied boots, waiting for the next assault.

A silent moment passed, and then, with an enormous wave of relief washing over him, Seth watched the man's boots recede.

The door swung shut a moment later—someone locking the deadbolt from the other side—and Seth was alone.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed...

Seth found no respite in sleep. Blood had stopped dripping from his nose, but his shoulder still ached, his cheekbone still throbbed, and sharp bolts of pain shot through his stomach every time he tried to move.

Eventually, he heard a muffled thunk-thunk-thunk from the great steel door as the deadbolt was unlocked. A second later, it swung slowly open to reveal Frasier and, beside him, Gianna herself.

With no windows in the room or the corridor outside, it was impossible for Seth to tell what time it was. He felt like he'd been lying there for days.

"How long has it been?" he croaked from his place on the floor. He grimaced in pain, his face contorting with each word he spoke.

"Eight hours," Gianna answered coolly, stepping into the room to appraise him. Her high heels clicked on the floor delicately.

Seth saw her in a whole new light.

Gazing down on him was the woman he'd grown accustomed to seeing each and every morning for breakfast in the Hall, the woman who had scolded him for climbing the tree outside his window, and forgiven him each time he did it anyway, the woman who had taught him and praised him and watched him grow... But as he lay on the floor of his cold concrete cellar looking up at her, he saw someone else entirely.

The woman standing over him now was a hard one—clinical, scrutinizing, emotionless.

"How much does he know?" she asked, her eyes flicking back to Frasier.

"I'm not sure. I assume he heard the Officers and I speaking in my office last night, but I can't say how long he was there."

Gianna lifted her chin and gazed at the ceiling, processing the information.

Her eyes returned to Seth.

"What did you hear?" she asked.

Seth glowered back, his lips pressed firmly shut.

"Seth, please don't make this harder than it has to be. We don't want you locked up in here any more than you do."

"Ha!" Seth scoffed. "I find that hard to believe."

She sighed. "Listen, Seth. If you cooperate, one way or another, this will be over quickly. If you don't, all you'll be doing is drawing out the inevitable."

"My death, you mean?" He raised his eyebrows at her, waiting expectantly.

"Not necessarily."

That got Seth's attention.

He'd expected Frasier to convince Gianna that killing him was the only chance they had at keeping their project—what that project was, he still wasn't entirely sure—a secret. Apparently though, Frasier hadn't been successful. Perhaps Seth had put too much faith in the man's ability to twist others to his will.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, sending her a sideways glance.

Gianna gave him a pointed look back. "First, tell me how much you know."

***

Author's Note: Hey guys, I know this chapter is fairly slow and not much happens, but it's necessary in order to set everything up for what happens next so please bare with me! 

As always, thank you guys for reading. I love you to the moon and back. :)