Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1)(9)
She glares at the Guards. “No one is to touch Evelyn again. Ever.”
Gavin raises his brow—it seems to be his way of asking questions without saying a word—but no one else responds. They haven’t been given permission.
Mother turns her attention back to me. “The Surface Dweller was answering your questions?”
She seems honestly curious, which gives me the courage to keep going. “Yes. He seems to trust me.”
“Not anymore,” he mutters under his breath. We ignore him.
“You have your appointment with Dr. Friar soon, Evelyn. But I suppose…” She gives Gavin a considering look with her lips pursed. “Very well. I will permit you to postpone your session for now. This will be the perfect opportunity to see how your training is coming along.” She turns to the Guards. “Take him to the Detainment Center. On full lockdown. If he tries to escape, kill him.”
CHAPTER THREE
… Peace is not free. For some the cost is too steep. But for the enlightened—for the peoples of this city, those who choose to start anew—peace is worth every sacrifice. To secure the safety of our families, we will pay the cost willingly. No, my friends, there is no cost too high.…
—MOTHER, FOUNDING SPEECH
They have placed him in the deepest, darkest part of the Detainment Center, which is in Sector Two on the bottom-most level, set into the trench wall. Water drips down the walls to form small pools on the concrete floors. It’s dark, dank, and dreary. The exact opposite of everything I’m used to. Most of the time, we have no need for the Center, so it’s not taken care of like the rest of the facility. But Mother delayed me by instructing me on the questions she wanted answers to, and now I have to travel the route by myself.
Some kind of animal—a rat, perhaps?—darts across my path. Mother will not care to hear more rats have found a way in or that maintenance has allowed them to continue breeding. They eat the food supply.
Since it is of no concern to me at the moment, I ignore it.
The click of my shoes echoes back to me and the yellowish lights flicker as I pass. Several times during the trip I pass DNA cameras and turrets set into the wall. Worry tickles my nerves as I pass each one. While rare, it is not completely unheard of that one might go off without provocation. That’s why there are none in the Palace Wing—wouldn’t want one to accidentally go off and shoot Mother, Father, or me.
I finally enter a large room that is divided in half by a glass wall. The half I’m in has a control panel on the wall, but the other half—the one Gavin is in—is completely empty except for a toilet in the corner.
Though it’s fairly large, it makes me feel claustrophobic. I’m used to the openness my ocean-view garden provides me. Even in the other Sectors there’s always some kind of view. There is none here. Not even a tiny glimpse.
The Guards who watch Gavin’s cell straighten when they see me. I breathe easier when I see there is no Enforcer. Gavin, on the other hand, does not even acknowledge my presence, though I’m sure he knows I’m there as he was looking straight at the door when I walked in.
The burliest of the Guards allows me entrance, but locks me in. This, of course, makes me instantly wary. If they are unconcerned he’ll hurt me, what have they done to him?
Even though the floor is the same as outside his cell, the sound of my steps is muffled, which means the cell is soundproofed. A quick glance shows a camera in the far right corner. Anyone who is watching will be able to see everything that happens in the room, even if they can’t hear what we’re saying.
Gavin sits in the far corner, his eyes closed. He doesn’t so much as flinch when I go to him. Something in my chest tightens at what they’ve done to him in the few minutes since I saw him last.
One of his eyes is blackened and swollen shut. There are cuts all over his face. His shirt is bloody and torn, practically into rags. His right arm hangs uselessly by his side. I wonder if it’s broken. However, the skin is split and bleeding over one of his knuckles.
I smile grimly. At least he fought back.
“What do you want?” he asks. His voice is strong, at least. “If you’re going to kill me, can you just get it over with?” His body trembles like before, but he doesn’t open his good eye.
I raise an eyebrow. “Most people don’t beg for death this early.”
That gets his attention. His good eye opens and focuses on me. “How would you know?”
With a cautious look to the camera, I extend a hand to touch his forehead. It’s hot to the touch and I pull my hand away. “You’re running a fever. You didn’t get that from what they did to you. What happened?”
Gavin keeps his mouth shut and his one good eye on me. It’s dilated and bloodshot. Whatever happened to him was bad. He needs medical attention.
He watches me warily as I get up to go to the door and wait for one of the Guards to notice me. I ask for medical supplies and a cleaning kit. I’m not as good as the Healers, but I can do some basic first aid. It appears my humanitarian duties as a volunteer in the Medical Sector will come in handy.
The Guards exchange a look. “Medical attention hasn’t been authorized.”
I smile sweetly. “Neither was the beating this prisoner has endured. Mother requested certain information. I don’t suppose she would be very pleased if the prisoner died before I was able to obtain it, do you?”