Turncoat: Turncoat Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 14.3

I worked on a spider, a small surveillance 'bot used mostly by dead head special forces. With the orange sized 'bot completely reconstructed on the desk in front of me, I brought up the controls on the tablet in front of me and ran it through its paces. The man's face from a week ago burned in my skull, his horrifying scar that split his features. I shook him from the front of my mind, Vicki told me not to worry about him. The less I knew the better, but I still had questions.

Who was he? Why did they break him out of the Pit? Why hadn't we heard anything about it on the news yet? It was all so strange, with a class a political prisoner on the loose, you would think that the government would want to warn the public. Why weren't they telling us?

With a glance in Carly's direction, I saw her sitting at her desk, working on paperwork. She'd been doing paperwork for two days now, her lips twisting further and further into a scowl as she did. Whenever I tried to ask about it, she'd glare at me and continue working without a word. Allen would shake his head and continue with what he was doing.

I sent the spider skittering across the desk and onto hers. It sat at the base of her holoscreem, various cameras and sensors flying through the different zoom rates and tests. Carly worked completely oblivious to the spider on the desk. I allowed it to sit there as I began to clean off my station, brushing metal shavings on the desktop into a small tray. As I separated the wire bits out since they had to go elsewhere, I heard a piercing scream from Carly followed by a venom laced "Tawny!" and something solid smacking into my arm.

I saw the spider standing up and beginning to crawl back to the position I had placed it in since I didn't program a secondary position.

"Sorry Carly, I needed to test the systems on the spider," I said. I deactivated the spider and it curled up on the spot.

The anger on Carly's face melted as she collapsed back into her seat. "I'm sorry, Tawny, my father has been trying to get me out of here and I keep having to file paperwork for reasons to not leave."

"Where does he want you going?"

"There's a position as Chief Warden of Detention Sector Five, open to Dead Heads and well, I qualify," she sighed. "I don't want to be a Warden, I just want to stay here with you guys and work on the transports."

"Speaking of dead heads," Allen said. He pointed to a group entering the floor consisting of four officers in their dress uniforms flanked by six men in full riot gear.

"What's going on?" Carly asked.

I looked over at her and shrugged. "That looks like an arrest party," I said. "We saw them a lot in the slums, only with far more members in riot gear."

"An arrest party?" Felix asked.

"Don't stare at them," I said. "They'll leave you alone."

I turned back to my desk as panic began to build in my chest. No, this didn't fit. If they were going to arrest someone it would be silently, otherwise it wouldn't make much sense. I continued to work diligently, cleaning my work surface and sorting the scraps.

"Sergeant Jameson, step away from the desk and put your hands where I can see them," a voice rang out from behind me.

"Tawny?" Carly asked.

I did as the officer asked, turning to face him and keeping my hands up by my shoulder.

"Using one hand, undo your utility belt and place it on the desk and then put your hands to your head, interlacing your fingers," the officer ordered. "If you resist or try to run, you will be shot."

I complied, my heart beating frantically in my chest as I tried to keep a straight face. "What is this about?" I asked.

"Sergeant Jameson, you are under arrest for treason," the officer said as another grabbed my wrist and pulled. I allowed him to guide my arm down to my back but then he applied torque, sending a spike of pain through my arm.

I gasped, clenching my teeth.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Carly shouted.

"Allen, stop her," I said through tight teeth.

Allen nodded and ran over, grabbing Carly.

"Leave her alone, Tawny hasn't done anything!" Carly shouted from Allen's arms.

I felt the handcuffs clip around my wrists and the officer looked me in the eye. Captain Otto? What was...no, that can't be true. Otto was a Special Forces dead head, not an investigative. What was my old CO doing here? "I can't believe you actually survived that little accident," he said. "Say good bye to Sergeant Jameson everyone, you'll never see her again."

"My father will hear about this!" Carly shouted. She thrashed in Allen's grasp, trying in vain to free herself. Her tears sent pangs of sorrow through my chest. I shouldn't be the reason she's crying.

"Who do you think authorized this?" Otto asked.

Carly's face twist into disbelief and feel silent as she slumped against Allen. "No..."

I'm sorry Kai, Nick, Vicki.