Spectrum

4. Isolation

Nic paced back and forth in his black cell. "This is not happening." He told himself over and over. "It's a mistake! I did nothing, absolutely nothing, wrong." They were out of their minds if they believed he was at fault. They'd searched his house just as they did the others, and they had found nothing. But, what was taking them so long? The question haunted him for hours, his worry growing. He knew his parents would be sick, fretting over his absence. Had they been told what happened? Or, were they sitting in the dark, waiting for him to burst through the door? "It must be well into the night." He thought, apprehensively. "Surely, they would've figured out they made a mistake by now. They had to." Nic whirled down onto the bed and fell asleep, his mind still stirring with the possibilities, but he got little rest.

His head swam with harsh dreams, the worst beginning at home, in his front room. His family was there, smiling and laughing, he was laughing too, but soon, their faces soured and their temperament changed. The room became cold and hard, a cloud covering the sun outside. Nic tried to talk with his family, but they didn't hear him. He yelled at them, banged his fists on the table, but they didn't even flinch. His family saddened and wept in front of him, but he couldn't help, no matter what he did. Then, he was in a fog, a fog so thick he couldn't see more than ten feet ahead.

He felt grey concrete below him, and knew he was in the Grey Area. He called out again, his voice echoing off the buildings, but no one answered. He ran, the fog hiding each turn, but he found no buildings, no people, nothing but concrete. Off in the distance, Nic heard something, a faint growl in the fog. The sound made him shiver as the fear took hold, slowing him down to a halt. He heard it again, but this time it was behind him. No, it was to his left. Then, it was all around him. He tried to run, to get away from the noise, but it was everywhere, and then the noise turned into a deep humming sound, a sound he knew, Camouflage. They were after him, he knew it, but he couldn't run away, they were everywhere. The fog began to choke and sting as he gasped.

He could barely see them now, the dark drones as they searched through the haze, looking for him. He ran from them, but his path was soon blocked by others, their white eyes blazing. The fog had changed to smoke, clouding Nic's vision with tears. All he could hear now were the sounds of the Camouflage as they drummed against his ears, making his head throb. They surrounded him on all sides as they closed in, reaching to grab him. Nic tripped over his own feet, and woke up with a start, drenched in sweat. The sound still persisted, but not as loud and painful. His throat was dry and his eyes were watering. He looked to his cell door as it unlocked. "Finally, they've come to free me." He thought, relieved.

The door opened in a blinding display of white light. He reached to cover his eyes, but a cruel hand wrenched it away and pulled him from the bed in one violent jerk, and then another hand flung Nic into the white hallway. He almost ran into the opposite wall had it not been for the other guard who caught him and jerked him to his knees. Nic was still blinking from the lights, trying to figure out what was happening. This was no rescue. For some reason, they still thought he was responsible. As the realization clicked, the other guard grabbed his arm and yanked him off the ground. They carried Nic flailing towards a door at the end of the long corridor, a Camouflage following close behind. He tried to gain a foot hold, but the guards dragged him head first down the hallway with so much ferocity it was impossible. They both had harsh and frightening expressions. "Guys, look. You made a mistake. I didn't do anything." Nic tried to plead, but they squeezed his arms harder, making him wince from the pain.

The guards brought him to another small black room, but it was no cell. It had a table to sit at and a mirror on one wall. They chained him down, glaring at him just before they left. "You don't understand! I'm innocent! Come on, guys." He yelled after them, but when the door shut, he knew it was useless. "You have got to be joking." He grumbled, struggling to get comfortable in the hard chair and metal claps around his wrists that pressed too firmly into his skin, leaving an imprint. This was bound to end, eventually. Nic just hoped it was sooner, rather than later. If Apex was this confused about things, it was no wonder the Color Blind had gotten into their Mainframe.