Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 16

My breaths are uneven and ragged by the time the three of us manage to locate the pickup truck and pile inside. The rest of the team is already there, and after briefly checking me for injuries, Adrius grabs me by the arm and pulls me to the back of the truck. He pulls out his earbuds, and I do the same.

He stares at me for a few moments, and I meet his gaze awkwardly, barely able to hold in the hot tears that are threatening to spill out. I don't even know why I have a sudden urge to curl into a ball and cry. He can barely hide his anger as he finally opens his mouth to speak. "What in the world were you thinking?"

I start to speak, but nothing comes out. My throat constricts in fear, anger and hurt, and my lips are trembling. Adrius just stands there, waiting for an explanation. "I saw the passcode," I say in a small voice.

"And?"

"And I...I heard the announcement about the breach so I...decided to enter the passcode myself."

He lets out a bitter laugh. "And if you enter the passcode correctly, you thought you could what? Save the day? Did you think you could just barge in there and save the 10 kids? Did you think that it would be that easy to get inside the cell?"

His mockery makes me feel very small and stupid. And angry. "I didn't know it detected fingerprints!" I say in a shrill voice. "How was I supposed to know that the cell was guarded so..."

"The cell," he says. "contains 10 Abnormals. 10 dangerous people. 10 threats to the government. The soldier compounds, are under the central government's full control. I have no idea why you would be so naive to think that a passcode-a single set of numbers..."

The bus stops. Adrius goes silent. A single muscle twitches in his jaw. 

We've arrived at TCD.

We hop off the truck one by one, and several soldiers greet us at the front door. Then a guy with close cropped blond hair runs up to us. "The Commander," he pants, "wants to see all of you immediately. In his office." 

I can see glances and mutters being exchanged in the group, and I frown. Aveline and Adam come up to me, and Aveline says, "So what happened? What did you do to..." 

I shake my head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"No," Adam said. "You don't understand. Every time a mission fails, the Commander...calls a meeting. And then he...finds someone to punish. Even if it's nobody's fault that we didn't succeed."

A chill goes through my body, and I feel numb with fear. "And if there is someone to blame? What happens to them? What does he do to..."

"We don't know. We heard it's different every time. But if they talk about what happened in the Punishing Room, they will be punished again. So nobody really knows what happens."

We arrive at the office, and the Commander smiles at us coldly. "Sit down, sit down. Welcome back, soldiers. Now we should talk about...what happened."

Nervous glances are passed around, and I can feel the tension in the room. Everyone seems to be on edge. "You see," the Commander continues, "I had constructed this perfect plan to rescue these poor Abnormals from becoming lab rats. I laid out a detailed plan for you, and labeled all the steps for you to follow. But somehow," his gaze locks onto mine. "The plan failed. Because someone did something that wasn't planned in the first place. I need an explanation." 

He doesn't say my name out loud, but I can feel him waiting for me to speak up. So I do, because I am left with no other option. "I saw the passcode," I say as calmly as possible. 

"Ahhh, our new recruit!" The Commander says delightedly. "Please continue, Lyanna."

I swallow hard and take a deep breath. "So when the announcement came on and the soldier left..."

"...I told her to try to get in using the passcode. She had no choice but to obey." Adrius finishes. I turn towards him, and his words fill my stomach with dread. And then he...finds someone to punish...

Could that someone be his own son?

I have no idea what Adrius is thinking. His face is stone cold, expressionless. I don't know why he is standing up for me. But I do know that he wants me to stay quiet. 

The Commander sighs and leans forward against the table. "My own son," he says, shaking his head. "What a disappointment."

He turns towards the doorway. "Guards!" he calls. Two young men in military uniform materialize, and walk towards Adrius, their guns tucked safely in their belts. "Please escort my son away. I'll deal with him in a moment." I know where they're leading him. The punishment chamber. I'm having difficulty breathing. This can't be possible, I tell myself. This can't be happening.

"The rest of you may return to your quarters," the Commander says as Adrius is lead outside.

My whole body is shaking as Aveline and Adam take me back to our dorm.

I can't imagine what Adrius will be going through. I can't just let him take responsibility for my actions. 

I know what I need to do. I need to go tell the Commander what really happened on the mission.