Code Red

Chapter 1: Following The Crowd

Mary’s arm burned as she held her arm out for what seemed like a lifetime. Her fingers began to shake and her muscles tightened. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead and onto the cold floor below. She locked her gaze with the apple that was sitting on the metal table before her. She had stood in that position many times before, but she was determined that this was the time it would happen quicker than the last. This time it would go the way she wanted it to, she just needed to focus. Suddenly, the red apple rose off the counter and into the air. Mary’s eyes widened as her heart gave a flutter of accomplishment. No sooner did it begin, the apple plummeted back onto the table and it rolled off onto the ground. Her arm dropped, not just out of soreness, but out of disappointment,

“Very little improvement,” a doctor sighed from the corner of the room as he scribbled down everything, “But improvement is improvement and that’s what the boss wants to see so in that case you did fine.”

Mary nodded along with the hurtful words she was met with each time as she rubbed the top of her arm. Trying to get the pain to cease,

“Let’s see where you’re headed next,” he reached his pocket and pulled out a type of tablet, he clicked the screen a few times before turning it off and putting it back into his back pocket, “Looks like you’re headed back to the Unit. Didn’t realize how late it was, sorry to keep you.”

Mary shrugged, “It’s fine.”

“You may go,” the doctor nodded and gestured to the door.

Mary nodded and walked towards, but her feet stopped moving. It was as if a force was pulling her away, she had a question she’d been begging to ask for weeks but she hadn’t brought up enough courage to ask anyone. She knew what would happen if she got too curious around here. She turned around,

“Well?” the doctor raised an eyebrow.

“Sir,” Mary blurted out, “I’d like to know when I can see my brother again? It’s been months and he’s the only family I have left. I’d like to see him as soon as possible. I don’t see him during meals since he’s in a different Unit.”

The man shifted in his seat, he hadn’t been asked such a question, he took the cap back off his pen and placed it on the paper, “What’s his name and age?”

Mary’s face lit up with a little bit of hope that had been restored to her, “Holden Foster, he’s twelve.”

The doctor nodded as he wrote down the description of her little brother, “Alright, I’ll do what I can.”

Mary nodded and walked out the door, maybe there was still some hope left in her miserable life. For years and years of living in a prison, she might have the tiniest bit of happiness. It had been months since she had seen her little brother and she was determined to not make it the last. He was all the family she had left. A few months after Holden was born, they were placed into foster care after their parent’s untimely death. Since then they could never find a place to stay for long. Once the government finally found where they were and the powers they both possessed, they made a few calls and their foster parents at the time and the parents willingly gave them up. Despite all being in a literal prison, it was probably the longest they’ve stayed in one place.

Waiting in the hallway for her was her patrol officer, he had never cared to tell her his name so she just never bothered to ask. He had narrow eyes and a muscular build, he had plain brown eyes and he never talked unless he needed to. Mary held her hands out as he put handcuffs around her wrists. She knew the standard protocol by now. As she walked down the hallway towards her unit she stared down at the tiles that coded the floor. She knew each c***k, each discoloration, each little chip like the back of her hand. She’d memorized every detail around the facility, she figured there was nothing better to do with her time. As she stared down at the ground, a piece of red hair fell into her face. She rolled her eyes and blew on the hair, trying to get it out of her face. She sighed in defeat as the piece dangled in front of her right eyes.

Past the red hair, she could see two people walking down the hall. When they got closer she saw a boy with sandy blonde hair and bright red glasses that he had always worn. He had freckles that were sprinkled along his cheeks and nose bridge that made him look childish in some odd way. His whole vibe had a sort of warm feeling. Mary’s lips couldn’t help but form a small smile. She had made good friends with him ever since she had arrived. They had the same Unit and they shared the same meal times. He had a great sense of humor and seemed to always make awkward situations hilarious. His smile was so contagious that she didn’t think she had ever not smiled around him. He helped her through her problems, he always made her think on the bright side of things. Even when it seemed impossible. His eyes looked over in his direction as he caught a glimpse of her smile.

His lips melted into a smile back, he raised his hand a little and did a small wave to her. Mary waved back with her finger as he turned into the Unit door and walked inside with his patrol officer. Mary and her patrol officer followed close behind. The officer used his keycard to unlock the front door of the Unit Pod. From the lounge area of it, it may seem like a school library of sorts. Two bookshelves faced each other on opposite sides of the wall. In between, there were small desks and chairs scattered around for people to do work, along with little posts where they were chained up so they wouldn’t be able to run away. There was a small walkway in the middle of it all that led to three different hallways lined with cells.

Instead of bars, they were encased in bulletproof glass, as Mary walked past some of the rooms she was able to see into, but privacy was still an option and you could blur out the glass if needed. After some walking, they approached the F section. All cells were sorted in alphabetical order and by age. Finally, she arrived at her cell, once again, her patrol officer used his keycard to unlock her cell door. The doors were very different, they had no handles, only a scanner for a card. No way someone could get out from inside. Once the door was open, Mary walked inside before the door slammed shut. There was a small click that followed, locking the door behind her. Mary pressed a switch that was on the wall next to the door, making the glass blurred so nobody could see in.

She went over to her drawer and pulled out an old grey t-shirt and some baggy black sweatpants. She used an old rubber band to pull her hair up into a low ponytail to keep it out of her face. She walked over to a poor excuse of a sink and turned on the icy cold water. She grabbed an old towel that had a lot of holes in it and put it under the water. She used a worn bar of soap and scrubbed it on to the ragged washcloth. She scrubbed the sweat off her face from the day and rang out the cloth after, placing it back into the sink counter. She sighed before turning back around and pulling back her covers. She sat on the edge of her bed and let the mattress sink in. She could hear the creaking of the rusted box spring under her thin mattress. She laid down and pulled the covers over her and stared up at the ceiling.

Her mind would always wander to the same place every single night. The same thoughts filled her mind. Would she ever be able to leave this place? Was it ever a possibility to live a good life if she were to ever leave? She didn’t have all the answers, she figured she’d just have to play it all by ear. But whatever it took, someday, she’d get out of here. With her brother.

~

There was a loud buzz and Mary awoke in her bed and shot straight up. Even though it was the same awaking every single morning she could never get used to it. She groaned as she rubbed her face with her hands as if she could have wiped off the sleepiness from her tired face. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and let her feet hit the ice-cold floor. She walked over to her drawer and grabbed her bright yellow jumpsuit and pulled it on over her sleep-wear. She didn’t care enough to get changed. She took her hair down out of the ponytail and left the rubber band on her wrist. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make it look somehow less greasy, but to no avail. She sighed and put on her old pair of sneakers, she tied them tightly so they wouldn’t slide off during the day.

She waited on a chair in the corner of her room for her door to pop open. It happened five minutes after the buzzer every single morning. The buzzer was like a school bell in ways. It told them when to wake up when to eat when to switch to working instead of studying. It controlled her life. Suddenly, her door popped open and the sound of footsteps flooded the hallway. She got up and opened her door wider and left her room. She walked with the crowd of people down the hallway and towards the front of the Unit. As she reached the end of the hallway she felt a tap on her left shoulder. She turned around and saw no one. She looked the other way and the boy with blonde hair was leaning against the wall,

“Gotcha!” he smirked.

“Haha Atlas,” she laughed sarcastically, “I’m going to get you back one of these days.”

Atlas let out a chuckle, “I’d like to see you try Ms. Mary.”

“Oh really,” Mary giggled, “Well I’d give you one swollen eye if I wasn’t being monitored 24/7.”

“Oh I bet you would,” Atlas chuckled as he shook his head and started walking towards the very front of the mini crowd,

Mary gasped, “Was that sarcasm?”

Atlas turned around as he walked backward and smirked, “Take it as you’d like!”

Mary shook her head at him as she followed close behind as they made their way towards the front. As always, standing in front of the doors out were three armed guards and the CFO of the M.F.P.C. She stood in front of everyone and stared at them like a hawk looking for its next victim. Her hands were neatly folded in the front and her suit made her seem even more intimidating. All it took was for her to clear her throat once and it was dead silent,

“Good morning,” she exclaimed as she took a few steps forward, “You know the drill line up.”

Everyone listened to her instructions and stood shoulder to shoulder in a line from youngest to oldest. Everyone was so silent that Mary could hear the racing heart of the person next to her. She could feel their shoulders rise and fall, almost like they were all out of breath. One of the guards pulled out a scanner. He started at the end of the line and worked his way up, making sure he got to each kid,

“Step forward,” he commanded.

The short boy stepped forward,

“Arms out chin up.” the man barked more instructions.

The kid did as he was supposed to and lifted his arms out and looked up at the ceiling. The guard pressed a button on the scanner and a bright light came out of it in a line formation. He scanned down the boy’s body and back up, making sure he had nothing on him. Once the scan was complete there was a loud beep. The guard nodded and gestured for the boy to back up into the line. The boy did so and the guard continued down the long line. Finally, it was Mary’s turn. She remembered how scared she was of him when she had first arrived, but nothing fazed her anymore… that is until the scan was complete and there were two beeps after. The guard glared at her,

“What do you have on you?” he demanded in a low gravely voice.

“N-Nothing,” Mary managed to stutter out.

Mary was shocked, but most of all confused. She didn’t have any weapons on her, she was pretty much harmless. The guard grabbed her wrist and threw her back at the two guards,

“Search her,” he commanded.

“She has nothing on her!” Mary could hear Atlas try to stand up for her, “She doesn’t have any weapons!”

“Back off kid, this doesn’t concern you.” the guard yelled at Atlas, making him go silent.

One of the guards harshly pushed Mary up against the wall, face first. They started searching her clothes for any bumps or lumps indicating any possible threats. Another one of the guards with long brown hair brushed back in a ponytail grabbed Mary’s wrist and took off the rubberband she had forgotten about on her wrist. She slowly walked over to the head guard and showed it to him. The guard scanned the small piece of trash and the scanner beeped twice. The guard nodded and took the rubberband, placing it into his pocket. The remaining guard that had a hold on Mary let her go and shoved her towards the line again. Mary rubbed her nose as it bled a little,

“Continuing,” the guard barked as he continued with the line, acting as nothing had happened,

Atlas sighed and stepped out of the line, putting his hands out and chin up.

The guard frowned at him, “Glasses off, Phillips!”

Even though it was hard to tell, Mary knew Atlas was rolling his eyes. Atlas removed his glasses and gently placed them onto the floor. He then put his hands out again and his chin up,

“Nice underwear Ward, pink suits you,” Atlas said aloud.

Everyone’s hands went to the mouth, trying to contain their laughter. The guard growled under his breath,

“Watch your tone buddy, or you’ll end up having a little talk with the boss.”

Atlas chuckled a little and his scan was complete he grabbed his glasses and returned to his position in line. He peeked over at Mary,

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

Mary nodded, holding her nose to prevent the blood from getting all over her clothes.

Atlas nodded in response, “I’ll get you some napkins when we get to breakfast to help with it.”

Mary gave a little smile at him, she didn’t want to talk in case the guard would hear her.

~

Atlas returned to their table with a few napkins, he sat down my Mary and handed them to her,

“Here, I think this should be enough. I can get more if you need them though.” Atlas told Mary.

Mary removed her hand and swapped it out with a napkin, “Thanks.”

“So,” Atlas sighed as he grabbed his spoon off his tray and began to play with his oatmeal, “How’d your assessment go last night? I saw you got back pretty late.”

Mary nodded, “Yeah, I think it went fine.”

“Did you ask?” Atlas inquired as he raised his eyebrow.

Mary silently nodded.

Atlas smiled at her and lightly elbowed her shoulder, “Atta girl! I knew you could work up enough courage to ask! What did the doctor say?”

“He said he’d do what he could. I don’t know what the means.” Mary sighed as she held the napkin up to her nose.

Atlas shrugged, “Sounds like he’s gonna try to get you two together somehow. You just gotta stay positive.”

Mary rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I’ll try to stay positive in the hell hole.”

“It’s not all bad,” Atlas said taking a bite of his food.

“Atlas,” Mary frowned, “I got shoved into a wall because I had a rubber band on my wrist. They acted like I had a weapon on me, where the heck am I going to get a weapon around here? It’s not like I’m going to beat up a guard or anything!”

“I know you wouldn’t,” Atlas said, “But that doesn’t mean they know. All they know is they’re doing their jobs. They’re getting paid to bully around teenagers who don’t deserve to be here. They don’t care about us they only care about getting money and raises. So I wouldn’t be surprised by anything more.”

Mary put her head down into her arms, “I just wanna see my brother! Is that too much to ask. I don’t get what’s so hard about it!” she raised her voice as her anger rose.

“Mary,” Atlas said in a soft tone, “Calm down before you get caught.”

Mary peeked up from her arms and saw her cup of water floating a few inches off their table. Mary immediately blinked and the cup dropped back onto the table, spilling water everywhere. Atlas got back up,

“I’ll get more napkins.”

~

Daeva’s head pounded with pain as her eyes slowly opened. The tips of her toes brushed against thin sheets. Daeva suddenly realized she was not where she was last time she was awake. She sat up a little and took in her new surroundings. She was in a small room with a tinted glass window to a hallway. She pulled the covers off of her and pulled her knees into her chest as she continued to try to figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered was being placed into the back of a black van and driven away. Maybe she hit her head on the way to wherever she was. She brushed her black curly hair out of her face with one hand as she used the other to steady herself. Her vision blurred in and out,

“Why am I so dizzy?” she wondered as she slowly placed her bare foot down onto the cold floor.

She lifted herself and stood up, only to stumble over to a mirror that was across the room. Her eyes darted straight to her head where there was a huge bruise. She sighed and met her own dark brown eyes staring back at her. Her brown skin had mud smudged all over it along with dirt. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what happened after the van. Suddenly there was a loud buzzing sound. Daeva quickly covered her ears and tripped backward a little into the sink. She heard a small clicking sound that followed and the handless door popped open. The silence was soon replaced by lots of footsteps. Daeva managed to gain her balance and walk over to the door. She peeked out and saw lots of people are her age and younger walking down the hall to somewhere,

“Maybe it’s a way out?” she thought to herself.

“Sadly it’s not, it’s just role call.”

Daeva’s eyes widened as she looked around for the tiny voice who had just answered her question. She turned to her right and saw a small redheaded boy standing there with his arms crossed,

“I-I’m sorry?” Daeva raised an eyebrow.

“I said it’s not a way out,” the kid repeated, “It’s just where everyone goes for role call and a scan. That way they know everyone is still here. So it’s a bad idea to escape. Especially in your condition.”

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?” Daeva frowned and took a few steps towards the kid.

The kid didn’t flinch, “You look exhausted and you have a big bruise on your head. I can also see by the way you’re walking you don’t quite have your balance. So I mean ‘your condition.”

“Why are you being such a smarty-pants? I’m older than you, shorty.” Daeva glared at him.

“Why are you being so defensive? I’m only trying to help.” the kid shot back with some sass in his tone.

Daeva’s hand went into a fist, “Excuse me?!”

“Did. I. Stutter?” the boy asked before walking away.

Daeva was left speechless. After she was able to process everything, she figured she just blew her chance of knowing where exactly she was and why. She looked around the mini crowd and spotted the small kid’s bright red hair. She shoved past people and got behind him, she was about to tap him on the shoulder when four men with big vests, helmets, and g*n walked into the bigger room they were all in. Daeva stood still, frozen, she couldn’t move. Sweat started to form on her hands. Another woman walked in behind them. She was wearing a suit and looked all important,

“Who is she?” Daeva asked herself.

Suddenly, the little kid looked back at her, as if she had said something out loud and he mouthed to her,

“Your worst nightmare.”

Daeva swallowed hard and looked up at the people. The woman looked at every and a small smile appeared on her face, more of a grin or a smirk. Whatever it was, it was devilish,

“Good morning, children,” she said in a gentle voice.

Too gentle for Daeva’s liking. Everything about this seemed off… seemed weird. She just wanted to go back home. She wanted to be in her room with her parents. She wanted to cry to them about her problems and have them cuddle with her and say-

“Daeva Dennis!” the woman’s now loud voice interrupted her thoughts, “Please come here.”

Everyone turned around and stared at her. She felt like she was back in school again. She slowly made her way towards the front of the room. The woman looked down at her with a judgmental glare,

“Follow me please,” the woman said in her gentle voice and she started leaving the big room they were in.

Daeva stood where she was, beyond confused, was she supposed to follow her? The woman turned back around and waved her hand,

“Come,” she gave her a look before continuing to walk out the doorway.

Daeva picked up the pace and walked after her. As she walked next to her down a huge all, Daeva scanned the area. She had to squint,

“Why is there so much white in here?” Daeva questioned.

“Because white looks clean and the boss likes it.” the woman answered without hesitation or turning to look at Daeva.

Daeva looked back at her, “Aren’t you the boss?”

The woman scoffed, “No Ms. Dennis, I’m the CFO. I handle our money and other financial things. I make a weekly visit to each Unit to see how people are doing.”

“Unit?” Daeva raised an eyebrow.

“There are four Units here at the M.F.P.C. They’re sorted by age. Unit one is used for adults, Unit two is for people 16-18. Your Unit, Unit three, is for children 8-15. Finally, Unit Four is for small children anywhere from 1-7.”

“What did babies do that landed them here at this prison?” Daeva asked.

The woman frowned, “This place is many things, Ms. Dennis. But it is not a prison.” she argued in a very stern voice, “Children who come here are mostly here for help with their abilities. We help them learn to control it so that hopefully one day they can leave here and live normal lives.”

“Didn’t think you’d get all defensive about this place,” Daeva crossed her arms.

The woman sighed, “I’m sorry. I’ve just grown attached to this place is all.”

“No kidding,” Daeva mumbled.

“Watch your tone,” the woman snapped.

Daeva kept her mouth shut as she continued to look around the ‘prison’, but it got too quiet, “What’s your name?”

“Dr. Danielson,” the woman replied.

“No first name then?” Daeva smiled at her joke.

Dr. Danielson looked over at her, “I am not required to tell you my name, therefore I won’t.”

Daeva rolled her eyes, “Okay then, are you required to tell me where you’re taking me or are you just don’t going to tell me anything because ‘therefore you don’t have to’.” she mocked her.

“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” Dr. Danielson spat.

“You’re acting like my mother,” Daeva frowned.

“Well I am one thank you very much, so I hope I do!” the doctor crossed her arms and looked away from Daeva.

“How old is your kid?” Daeva inquired.

“Five months,” Dr. Danielson said in a calmer voice.

Daeva just nodded and looked away, but anxiety took over, “So is that a no and telling me where I’m going or…”

The doctor let out a low grumble of not so nice words, “You’re going to see my boss so he can take notes on you.”

“Notes?” Daeva questioned, “Like my height and crap?”

“Like your ability and crap,” the doctor mocked her.

“You’re as childish as me, you aren’t professional at all!” Daeva laughed.

The doctor’s face went red with frustration and anger. For a few minutes, it was dead silent again,

“I’ll shut up if you tell me your name!” Daeva sang.

The doctor groaned, “Fine, it’s Nancy.”

“My sister-in-law’s name is Nancy,” Daeva smiled.

The woman looked over at her, “Shush! You said you’d be quiet!”

Daeva sighed and continued to be quiet for the rest of the walk. Eventually, they came across two big doors. They had a name plastered across the upper door frame: “Henry Brown.” Daeva looked over at Nancy,

“Is that guy your boss?” she questioned.

“No, Henry is dead. He passed away a while ago, but now his son runs it. We just haven’t changed the name yet. The man you’re seeing is Colfer Brown.” Nancy answered.

“He was at court with me,” Daeva remembered.

“Consider yourself lucky, he barely ever draws people out of court once their fate was decided.” Nancy nodded.

“Well, why did he?” Daeva asked.

Nancy shrugged, “I have no clue, but he did it for a reason. So why don’t you go in there and figure it out? You don’t want to be late.”

Daeva took a deep breath as she grabbed the handle and pushed the heavy door open. She laid eyes on the man she saw in the courtroom, now sitting in a leather chair flipping a coin,

“Welcome to M.F.P.C Ms. Dennis.”