The Immunity

Chapter Five

I knew an hour had passed when the door clicked and opened with a low groan. I looked over from where I lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I raised my eyebrow, he was a handsome man, chiseled features, bright gold eyes, dark black hair, strong figure, and dressed in a very flattering guard's uniform. I looked at him and he threw something at me, "Get dressed." And he slammed the door closed after he walked out. I examined the clothing for a minute, before I decided that they were okay to wear. I stripped off the sad excuse for clothing and put on black leggings, black boots, and flowy white top that slid off my shoulders on one side. Whoever picked out this outfit was the only person I decided was a little decent in this place. I knocked on the steel door and stepped back as it opened. The guard stepped back in, leaving the door open a crack, giving me a warning look when he saw my gaze on it. He pulled something tiny from his jacket pocket, I looked at it. It was the size of one of the old iPhone 5s from like eighty years ago, except it was paper thin and more advanced in technology. The guard handed it to me and I took it, pressing the power button, holographic images appeared hovering in the air above the remote. The images were circular apps - only four - one with the food symbol, another with a bullhorn, another one with a clock, and finally one with the music symbol.

"The food app is so you can order what food you want, the bullhorn is a direct line to the President, the clock is for time purposes, and the music is for music," he explained to me like I was a child.

I clenched my teeth, giving a slight nod that indicated I understood and clicked the remote off, setting it on the nightstand, "Can we go on that walk now? I hate this place already."

He grunted in what I assumed was yes and opened the steel door, letting me walk out first before he followed me, closing the door behind me. I looked around, it was just a long narrow hallway that led to my room (or prison, whatever I felt suited my mood). About three feet away from the steel door behind me was a long black conveyor belt in the floor that would pull me to the end of the hallway. I stepped on it along with the guard and we stood there in silence as the walkway brought us to what I assumed was the grand lobby. It was probably as big as the Museum of Natural History in New York. It had a lot of conveyor belt walkways that people were riding on to and from the lobby. The lobby's floors went up about twenty levels and I figured that I was on level one since there were large glass doors a few yards ahead. The people that milled around the lobby were dressed differently, some in lab coats, guard uniforms, or even those creepy hazmat suits. I decided that staying with this guard was probably my best option at this point since this facility was huge and I had been knocked out enough already.

"What is this place?" I asked him incredulously.

"It's the headquarters for special military operations, we call it SMS - Special Military Secrets."

I scoffed, "How original," he looked offended.

I didn't apologize, these people deserved every bit of disrespect I could give them. I must have made him mad because I didn't expect him to say, "So have you enjoyed getting knocked up yet?" I felt my jaw clench in anger and stopped walking towards the door, watching him continue until he realized that I was not following him. He turned and walked back to me, looking like he was about to drag me out the door like a stubborn child who wanted to stay at the store, but I made a fist and gave him the hardest right hook I could muster.

He staggered backwards, holding his jaw in pain. I watched him before spitting words at him, the words thick with venom, "Here's a tip, sir: never, ever, make a joke about a woman who became pregnant against her will. And since her mood swings are all over the place, she could rip your puny head off in less than a minute."

He stared at me stoned faced for a long time, surveying me until he quirked an eyebrow and spoke, "Darren."

"What?" I snapped at him, my anger subsiding a bit.

"My name is Darren Brown, not sir. Now come on, you want to go outside, right?" He asked me before turning and heading out the door. I stood there dumbfounded for a minute, why has he just told me something personal about him? He looked back at me, irritation written on his masculine features and I sighed, beginning to walk to him as he stood at the huge glass door, holding it open for me. Once we exited the building, I breathed in the smell of trees, grass, and fresh air. I felt free, but knew I wasn't. I wouldn't be free while this tiny human grew inside of me.

I looked at Darren, realizing I had no idea where I was, "Where am I?"

He took a minute, probably thinking about what I meant, "Chicago. Pretty much in the center of Chicago."

"How high is your rank? I mean, the fact that your job is to watch the US Military's most prized possession must mean you're pretty high up there."

Darren cracked a smile, "Oh? Someone's self-absorbed."

"No, I'm just going off what I was told by your precious President," I told him, putting my hands up in surrender, "Now answer my question."

He smirked at me, "Well it was either watching a pregnant twenty year old  young woman who was very important or training stupid new recruits that were so out of shape it'd be like that really old TV show from years ago, Biggest Loser." He saw my judgmental stare and added rather quickly, "You know, where they have people who are pretty fat and they make them exercise and eat healthy until..."

I cut him off by laughing at him, thinking that he was absolutely insane. He smiled and chuckled a bit, shaking his head at me before we continued to walk on in silence. I looked over at him, "Darren, uh, is there any way I could contact my boyfriend?"

"No. I'm sorry Phoebe but you can't, even if you fought your way to the communication center in SMS he wouldn't get it. The United States has cut off all communications everywhere. Only 911 works, and that's only for really important matters."

My tiny hope of possibly hearing Shawn's voice was crushed and rubbed into the ground just for good measure. I stared at Darren, he didn't look at me and I knew he felt bad for me, I didn't blame him, I probably looked like a weak young woman who didn't seem to have any strength or confidence left in her. That's how I felt anyway, my life ended the year I turned eighteen and RD15 started terrorizing the world.

I don't know how long we had been walking on sidewalks around in the back of the building, I was too absorbed in my thoughts and the fact that they had a garden that was full of newly blooming flowers. I only realized it was time to go in when Darren cleared his throat and started to lead me back towards the big concrete building, back towards the prison I would be calling home for the next eight months.