When something finally happened, it wasn’t what Logan had expected.
They had spent few moments discussing their options and sipping coffee. Marie was starting to relax, but something kept Logan on his toes. There was no identifiable threat, nothing tangible to point out and shout warning, but his whole nervous system was buzzing, sending alarm. He was about to shrug it off, to turn his back on his instincts when soft whirr coming from the ceiling made them both look up. What they saw made Marie scream, and Logan cringe.
There were few spotlights mounted on the ceiling, much like in Logan’s bunker had been. Grey smoke started to waft from under those lamps, falling towards the floor.
“Gas. Some sort of gas. Get up… Get up!” Logan pulled Marie up when grey mist swirled around their ankles. Level of it was rising rapidly, and soon it filled their quarters completely. Marie went down first, coughing and spluttering, trying to hold her breath as long as possible. It was useless effort. Logan could only watch, lungs burning and eyes watering when she lost consciousness once again. He lay next to her, feeling already dizzy, and curled around her, locking her to his embrace. No matter what would happen he wasn’t going to let go of her.
When room cleared from the gas and masked men entered, pushing a gurney in front of them, Logan bolted on his feet. He wasn’t hundred percent, not even close, but he was awake. As long as he was awake and alive, nobody would lay a hand on Marie. Claws erupted from his clenched fists. He staggered slightly, took a swipe towards the masked men but missed. Instead of cutting flesh and bone he only managed to scratch the gurney men had shoved him with before other of them pulled a gun and shot him. Instead of small, green dart very real bullet tore through the right side of his chest, just below his collarbone and he fell flat on his back.
He had been abusing his mutation for days, relying too much on it. Trusting it would take what ever got thrown on him. That last blow had been the last straw. It was a bitter realization. He could only squirm on rapidly growing warm pool of his own blood when men walked past him, grabbed Marie, lifted her to the gurney and disappeared to the room from which Logan and Marie had originally entered to their quarters. He tried to crawl after them, got as far as to the doorway, before blue force field flickered back on. Through it he could see the woman wearing the lab coat undressing Marie. Opening her jacket and shirts, pulling off jeans. Last thing he saw before blood loss rendered him unconscious was that same woman strapping Marie’s legs to stirrups and pulling a chair between her legs.
He woke up from the bed. He still had his pants on, but somebody had taken his jacket and shirt off and bandaged his wound. Marie lay next to him, naked. Their clothes were neatly folded on a chair next to the bed, and on top of them were his guns. There was an envelope on the nightstand. It wasn’t as interesting as Marie. She had a new scent on her. Scent that he knew from memory. Artificial hormones. Birth control.
“Marie?” He whispered, rolling on his side and drawing her closer, against his chest. She woke up, gasping for air and screaming.
“Hush… It’s okay; I’m here. We’re okay…” He held her and kept whispering until she calmed down.
“What happened? I feel so… My hand hurts and I feel so sticky and…” Her hand flew to the juncture of her thighs. Fearing that her fingers would find blood. But she had to know. When she brought it up, there was only clear fluid on her fingertips.
“They examined you. That’s probably some sort of lubricant. I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep you safe. I tried but…”
“Why would they examin me from down there?”
“To see if you were pregnant.”
“And how the fuck it would have been anybody’s business if I had been?” It was a good question. A question Logan did have several answers, not one of them pleasant.
“What is this?” Marie asked, fingers brushing over bandage on his chest. Small droplets of blood had seeped through already.
“Nothing. It’ll heal in time.”
He reached for the envelope and opened it.
**We apologize any possible discomfort caused to you. You both have been vaccinated, and you have been given a birth control injection. Free Zone doesn’t encourage occupants breeding randomly. Injections will continue monthly, until genetically suitable partner has been found. Thank you for your cooperation.**
“Genetically suitable? That doesn’t sound normal…” Marie whispered.
“It doesn’t. It sounds plain weird. Like everything else that has happened in here. We have to find a way to get out,” Logan said, sitting up. He groaned when sudden movement made his head spin alarmingly and leaned back on the bed.
“You really are hurt!” Marie gasped. Cold sweat had broken to Logan’s skin and he was pale as the sheet they lay on.
“I’ll be alright… Stop fussing.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, willing away the dizziness and nausea settling on him. He struggled back up, leaning his elbows to his knees, resting his forehead against his knuckles. Bile rose to the back of his throat, but he forced it back. Now wasn’t the time to be sick and hurt. It was time to break out from this compound.
“Gather everything you can carry. Food, clothes, that kind of stuff,” He told to Marie, standing up and pulling on his shirt.
“Is it safe? I mean the food.”
“They haven’t tried to kill us. I doubt it’s poisoned.” He checked his guns. Everything seemed to be okay. Except the fact that he didn’t have any spare ammunition, and only one of them had a full clip left. It would have to be enough. He couldn’t risk using his claws, not with impaired healing.
“How are we going to get out?” Marie asked, pulling on her jeans.
“Through that force field. I’ll go and see if I can break it.”
She stuffed their backpack she had found to the brim, piling fresh change of clothes for them both to the bottom, several pouches of rations and small bottles of water on top. After a moments hesitation she retrieved the shampoo, soap and toothbrushes from the bathroom. Small luxuries. When she returned to Logan, he was leaning against the doorframe, face mere inches from the force field, gazing upwards. He extended a finger and brushed against the blue glow. Nothing happened.
“It feels solid. Cold.” He spread his palm and pressed it against the field.
“And it comes straight through the wall. No weak spots, no laser eyes to break.”
“But there’s just a room behind it. What’s the point to break in there?” Marie asked.
“After they gassed us, I saw that doctor in there with you. One of the walls was missing. There has to be some sort of cloaking device what they use to hide entrances around here.”
“Let’s see…” Logan trailed his fingers along the doorframe, looking for any weaknesses. It was useless. His eyes told him he was looking at a doorway, but his fingers told him there was a solid wall in front of him.
“Shit.”
“Can I look?” Marie asked. He moved over.
She had never done it before, but something told her it could be done. She placed both of her hands against the force field and breathed deeply. She could already feel the power seeping through her skin.
“I don’t know if this will work, but as soon as the field goes off, grab me and pull us through,” she said, concentrating to her mutation. Trying to make it take in more. More of the power that was pulsing under her palms.
It was cold. So cold she felt her blood cooling. Blue light danced behind her closed eyelids. She could feel it rattling over her skin. Blue. Blue world around her. She was drowning, but the power of the flow was already weakening. She was consuming it, welcoming it in to her. It was cool, blue, calm and radiant, filling her with power, and it felt so good…
“Marie?” No. Blue. Pretty blue glow that was now flickering in front of her, diminishing. She whimpered and tried to grasp it tighter, but it was crumbling under her palms, evaporating.
“Marie?”
“Now!”
Field was coming down. Doorway was opening. Marie was radiating that same blue light the field had pulsed just few minutes ago. When she spoke, her voice was cold and hollow.
“Now!” He grabbed her and pushed them through the now open doorway and they stumbled to the other room. Field behind them closed immediately, leaving them trapped to the room where they had woken up first. And Marie was still glowing, blue mist hovering and pulsing around her. Brown eyes completely engulfed with cold light of it.
“Which wall?” She asked. For a moment he could just stare at her.
“Which wall, goddamned?” She repeated her question, puffing blue clouds of mist with every breath. Logan pointed at the wall he remembered seeing open. Marie walked to it, palms flat in front of her and leaned against the concrete surface. Wall in front of her started to evaporate, crumble under her touch.
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