Something Good

[Toaster]

Cara’s senses were ablur. She could feel her legs moving without her consent and could see the streetlights passing by around them. She wanted to scream and cry for help, but her mouth refused to open. Through her cloudy vision she could make out the dark-haired man walking a few steps ahead of her, occasionally looking over his shoulder and giving her a glance. Behind her she could hear the footfalls of the other stranger, following them at an inconspicuous distance. Groups of pedestrians passed by, not paying the three of them any heed, not noticing that she was being kidnapped by armed strangers.

What the hell is going on, she thought, her clouded mind trying to make sense of things. Why was this happening? Who were these people? What did they want?

Her feet continued to propel her forward against her will. How long they had been walking, Cara couldn’t tell. But judging by the buildings around them – warehouses, workshops, and garages -, they had reached the edge of town. The man before her came to an abrupt stop before what appeared to be just another midsized storage facility.

“Wait,” he said, and Cara’s legs seized. She stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, unable to move. Out here, there were no more pedestrians. The other man came up beside her and stood watch as the former approached the warehouse’s front door and typed an access code into the panel beside it. The door opened and he waved his partner over.

“Follow,” the blond man muttered, and Cara’s legs started moving again. They followed the dark-haired man into the warehouse as the interior lights flickered on. Instead of rows of tall storage shelves, they revealed a ship standing in the center of the building, pointing its bow straight at her, its wings swooping forward like those of a raptor clawing at its prey. Cara recognized the shape – any Libertonian would. It was an Avenger.

Cara’s thoughts came to a screeching halt. This ship was made iconic by one organization in Liberty. The Security Force. This has to be a mistake, she thought. She tried to say as much but her lips still wouldn’t obey her. Instead, her body continued forward, towards the ship whose access ramp had now lowered to greet her. The blond man beside her grabbed her by the shoulder and guided her up the incline into the vessel’s interior.

It was cramped, crowded with computer arrays, reinforced lockers and chests, and two rows of two large containers each. They were cylindrical and stood roughly three meters tall, glass covering half of each. Within, swirls of dense mist danced in faint currents. The man at her shoulder shoved her towards the devices. The other already stood before one, punching commands into a small screen attached to its side.

The glass hatch swung open, fog pouring out of the bottom onto the narrow deck. It wafted over Cara’s feet, a sensation of freezing cold shooting up her legs.

Oh god, she thought as she realized what the container was. The dark-haired man turned towards them and nodded at his partner, who brusquely pushed Cara another step forward before spinning her around by the shoulders.

“Step backwards,” he ordered, and her body obeyed. She took a single step backwards into the large metal tube, the cold mist within embracing her body. Even through the delirium of the drug they had injected her with, she reflexively gasped for air as the frost grabbed at her. Again, she tried to scream, but nothing but strained wheezing escaped her lips.

The dark-haired man was looking at her, a hint of sympathy on his features. He reached out for the hatch and slowly swung it shut.

“Try not to fight it,” he cautioned before closing the container. A moment later, there was a hissing sound and the temperature dropped even further. Cara’s vision started going dark at the edges and her body shivered uncontrollably. Through the glass panel, she could make out the two strangers exchanging words with each other before the blond man disappeared into the cockpit. The other remained with her, typing another command into the small screen. The hissing intensified and a moment later Cara blacked out.


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Olivia Sable