This Conspiracy

Chapter 2

Author stuff: So, I forgot to say a couple of things in the first chapter. This is a mishmash of the books and movies. There were things I liked from each piece that I just kind of shrugged and went, "This'll work. Kinda." This means you'll get a patchwork quilt of things. I hope you enjoy it, because I mostly made it for myself because I'm selfish like that.

Also, this is being crossposted on wattpad, ff.net, and ao3. Ff and ao3 are both under forgottenyogurtgods, while wattpad is under my old username because I actually remembered my password (and all three original chapters I initially posted were saved as drafts).

Also, TRIGGER WARNING. Blood and vomiting are mentioned in this chapter.

Chapter 2

In Which Their Arrival Is Not What They Expect

He woke up to his own retching and the sound of metal painfully grinding on metal. He gagged and coughed, trying to breathe as the stomach acid, water, and drool dripped past his lips and through the grating beneath him. The taste of bile was stale and familiar, as if he'd gotten sick many times before. And he felt like he had. He was only human, after all. Though he couldn't recall any specific time. How odd.

He didn't register that there was anyone else with him until his stomach had emptied itself, and he was dry heaving.

"Hey, shh," the person said next to them, their hand rubbing soothing circles across his back. The voice was soft and distinctly feminine, pleasant to listen to. "It's okay. Just... just let it all out."

He looked over at the person crouched beside him. Yes, they were most definitely female – from what he could see through the periodical, rapid flicker of red lighting – if the long hair was anything to go by. A look of concern twisted her features as she watched him, curious and cautious and a bit grossed out. He would be too, if he was attempting to comfort a vomiting person.

He wondered who she was and how she'd gotten there, with him. How had he gotten there? That was a good question.

"Where are we?" he managed to choke out as he looked around. They were in a tight space of some sort – a caged elevator, from what he gathered, with various supplies. The boxes and crates and drums had a word painted on them, one he couldn't read. The letters didn't look quite right to him. It didn't help that their speed was rapidly increasing as they climbed higher and higher. And the red lights seemed to flicker as they passed them. It was an unsettling feeling.

If he'd been alone, he was certain he would have had a panic attack.

"Not sure. I woke up here, just like you did." She brushed her hair behind her ear, eyes flicking about. She looked beyond him and nodded. "Can you check on him? I didn't want to step on you."

He turned to see who she was talking about. 'Lo and behold, there was someone else in there with them. No wonder the already small space felt so cramped. The other boy had been propped up on a crate, arm draped over it nonchalantly.

He made a move to the other boy and gently shook his arm. His head jostled to one side, revealing his face – a boy about his age, from what he could guess, if a bit older. Though, he wasn't sure how he remembered his own age and not his name.

"Hey," he said, squinting through the dim lighting. "Hey, you need to –"

He stopped short when the light reflected off his face. There was a dark substance staining the boy's skin. He touched it and drew his hand back immediately. It was warm and slick, smelling strongly of copper.

"He's bleeding!" he said, turning to look back at the girl, who'd crawled over to them. Which was probably the most she could do with the dizzying lighting and the rapid rise to the top of... wherever the cage was racing.