The Institute - Propoganda

Chapter 1

I was most definitely not fine.

"I'm fine." I breathed in, and out through gritted teeth. "Just focus on getting us out of here".

Admittedly, Iyer wasn't the best person to have around in times of emergencies. The cool guy façade was slipping from him by the minute. He was going to lose his ranking if he didn't get his shit together fast.

But in his defense, it did look like I was shot. In reality.

And it sure hurt like I was.

"Okay, Okay. Oh my God." Iyer cupped his face with his hands, fingers spread. " We need to call the Johnson. Oh my God. I......I don't remember." He clutched his head and looked at me in panic.

The sight of me must be gory. I could imagine. I was lying on the ground, my fingers digging into the smooth, wet red dirt. The side of my cameo shirt was dark with blood, somewhere near the abdomen. I looked up at the sky, it was a very typical forest, with birds faintly chirping and the organic, living silence in the thick green trees and their tough barks and the shrubbery and the tall plants all around us. There was no sign of the tribe. At least that was good news. The chirping was sounding fainter. I was getting dizzy.

Meanwhile Iyer was still losing his head.

"Dude." I said with my voice weak and hoarse, "stop it. You're going to lose your ranking. It's too late to call a Johnson, and it's probably a test anyway. We need to keep cool." Iyer looked slightly relieved, he shook his head very fast. "Yeah, yeah. It's a test. It's totally a test." Sweat dripped from his hair. He had a lot of hair.

I wanted to believe my advice too. If I thought otherwise, I would go crazy. I looked around; if this was a test they must have given us something to work with. We just needed to find it.

"Okay, listen to me. Go get me some tree moss. I'll probably need to....pack the wound. Prevent blood loss." I briefed Iyer, feeling sick to my core. I needed him to go away and let me inspect the wound. I had a feeling that it maybe was a real shot and also kind of knew he wouldn't handle it well.

This can't be happening, this is not real. The institute had done this before; they have made chemicals which trigger parts of our brain, making us think like something's happening to us when it really isn't. I just need to fight through.

As he took off with resolute gait, I took a deep breath, it was getting harder. I lightly touched my lower abdomen and found it sticky with blood, the ground around it equally soggy. I tried sitting up, kicking my combat boots against the dirt, but to no avail. I laid down instead, propped up on elbows and head still resting against the trunk of the tree. I took off the cameo jacket and exposed the white undershirt which now had a large red stain. I lifted the T-shirt and indeed saw a very real bullet wound and fresh blood oozing out. My breathing became shallow and I bit back tears.

Who was I kidding, it was a real wound. Somebody really put a bullet in me.

Iyer came running up with an armful of powdery, soft tree moss which now had some real use. I couldn't think straight anymore, I needed an antiseptic before I could put the tree moss in here. I push the stray brown hair off my sweaty face. I could barely manage to say to him, "Ground....ground ivy." To his credit, he nodded and ran off without another word. Against my better judgment, I got up. Standing wasn't the best idea, the world started spinning and I stumbled, almost blacking out completely. I went towards some bushes and picked up a fallen branch for support.

My body screamed and every inch of me wanted to forget it all and wake up in the clean fluorescence of the institute's hospital wing, everything spun and the front of my shirt was drenched in sweat, I needed strength. I searched the clearing, there were bright orange berries dotting a bush ten steps ahead of me. We called them 'Lives'. They were artificially designed berries by the institute loaded with glucose, and other sugar and a special immunity serum. They showed up in almost every terrain they set up. Halfway through my ordeal, I stopped to see what Iyer was up to. He was reaching towards a long creep of distinct looking leaves.

"Iyer!" I screamed. I was frustrated and very tired, "poison ivy!" Iyer jumped back and clutched his head and pinched his eyes shut, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." He mumbled as I pointed him towards the undergrowth of leaves and purple flowers. I made it to the Lives and clutched a handful of them.

I thrust them in my mouth and felt a slight relief. I collapsed under the bush and Iyer brought me the moss, the ivy and some water he collected in his flask to me.

I checked to make sure I'd got the ivy right, chewed it and put it over the wound after Iyer cleaned it with the water. I then took the moss and put it over the wound the best I could. It hurt like hell and I cried out, I dug my fingers deep into the soil. It was over; I nodded to Iyer, whose face was grim line. He picked up his pack, my pack, slung it over one arm and held me with the other.

I don't know how long it took us to get back to the end point. By the time we got there the only thing holding me up was Iyer. By routine, a team of people including a cool down paramedic, some other rangers, a supervisor, an emergency paramedic and the instructors, sometimes with junior onlookers were supposed to be waiting for us here. This time, however, we came up to the campsite to find it deserted. Not a single person was to be seen. Iyer, fortunately, was a lot calmer now and had handled the journey back all by himself. He first tried the comm. system which was a large metal pole in the center of the camp. Camp was just jeeps parked on one side, a table and a few chairs on the other and a large ambulance center stage.

"Shit," he said as the comm. failed. I sat in a chair; the ambulance was nowhere to be seen. Iyer looked at me and made a regretful expression. He hesitated one moment but the squared his jaw and picked up the branch I'd used as support. He walked up to the very end of the camp, behind a bush and parted it to reveal a compact computer panel, attached to nothing at all.

"Iyer," I said, sitting up.

He didn't turn around before lifting the branch and smashing the panel, sparks flying everywhere.

The forest terrain immediately changed. We were now in the white and grey corridors on the second floor of the institute. I hit the ground as the chair disappeared. Iyer ran towards me. We didn't think, we hobbled across the corridor, people all around giving us strange looks as we passed. We pushed through the large doors at the end of the corridor. We were in the common area of the hospital wing. Medical students milling all around us.

Iyer turned towards me as we moved to a far wall, "I'll get a medic. You just hold on..." he couldn't finish because a large man with dark skin ad a bald head took hold of his collar. "Sir?" Iyer looks behind him. We were both shocked to see Mr. Micheals, he was in-charge of the junior program and actually not supposed to be on the second floor at all.

"Mr. Iyer. If you'd come with me." It was an order, before Iyer could protest he pulled him by the collar and dragged him out of the wing.

I leaned against the wall. I could hear nothing but a buzz around me. Everything felt far away and trivial. I couldn't feel my legs anymore. Through the haze, I saw a guy jogging into the area and up to the phone .He caught my gaze and appeared confused for a moment. The buzz by now had turned into a full mute and the dark spots in the corner of my eyes were a veil slowly descending. My legs gave away and I saw the guy talk rapidly on the phone and shifting from one leg to the other, never taking his eyes off me. As my knees hit the floor, he ran across the room towards me.

The last thing I see is the phone receiver hanging from its cord. Then everything goes black.