MINE

Chapter Twenty Seven

"I'm truly sorry, Nathan. I know how hard this is but you need to keep it together. We're already working to figure things out and I need you. Your smile is like sunrise."

Nathan's tears reduced to mere sniffs. Borgina always found a way to calm him down and he was grateful to have her there.

"What happened at your assignments?" She asked.

"They shot some guy dead for falling ill." He replied. "That's what they're going to do to all of us."

"I knew something caused your outburst. It's okay. We'd figure things out before you fall ill. I promise." She encouraged.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked.

"Because we're already making progress. First off, I found out there's no Ruling Council. This place is run by Colonel Ford alone. What we need to figure out is why he's lying to everyone." She replied.

"Really? Some guy I met at the water extraction assignment said he didn't believe the Ruling Council existed." Nathan stated.

"...and he was right. They don't. We should focus on getting the answers we need, while making the best of the situation. I'm sorry you feel bad about the dead guy but you need to be clear headed for your task tonight." She said.

"Yeah, about that. Guess what I noticed out at the sites of my assignments?"

"What?" Borgina asked.

"We weren't given Oxygen masks. The air outside had just enough Oxygen for everyone to breathe freely." He replied. "Didn't Colonel Ford say there wasn't enough Oxygen for the air outside? Do you think he's turning it off to make us believe there isn't?"

"I think we need to start finding answers now." Borgina replied.

The sound of the door opening made them put their conversation on hold. Nurse Reese walked in with her usual green box, beaming with a beautiful smile.

"Hello, Nathan. It's time for your evening shot."

"Hey, Nurse Reese." Nathan smiled back.

Borgina's stare was icy cold. She watched as Nurse Reese made small talk with Nathan while administering the shot. Her smile was brighter and she stared at Nathan longer. Why in the world would she do that? Her job was to administer the shots and leave, not to smile at the patient or engage in any form of conversation.

Nurse Reese helped Nathan back to his bed in her usual manner and walked to the table where Nathan had his laptop open. She looked straight at Borgina and smiled.

"How did your latest attempt at software malfunction go? You're getting rusty."

Borgina didn't reply. She simply watched Nurse Reese as she walked out of the room.