I allowed myself some time to gather my bearings before I really thought about what was going on now and what I was going to do next.
The first thing I realized once my head cleared a little was that I was obviously in a vehicle. The ride was bumpy, and my back kept banging against what had to be the side of it. And even though I couldn’t see because of the bag over my head, I had to assume I was in the back of a larger vehicle, a van, maybe an SUV, given the fact that I was stretched out on a flat, hard metal surface and not in a seat.
My hands were tied together in front, the rope tight, the nylon digging into my flesh so hard I could feel the skin had become raw. My feet were the same, tied around the ankles, my immobility causing more panic to fill me.
My hearing was muffled because of the cloth over my head, but I started to make out the conversation of two men clearly, presumably in the front seats.
“He was a bitch to take down,” one of the men said, the other one chuckling in response. “Too bad we can’t turn them to work for us. Can you imagine that kind of strength on our side?”
“Don’t let J hear you say that fucking shit,” the other man snapped. “We don’t join forces with them. We take them. That’s what our job is. Who the fuck you think we fight? Them?” The other man’s voice rose. It was clear he was a loyal asshole to this crazy organization. “That’s not what any of this is about, Jack. And if anyone in the top tiers heard that crazy bullshit coming out of your mouth, they’d throw you in a Session with one of them, you hear me?” I could imagine he was glaring at the one named Jack. “They’ll let one of those beasts tear your throat out as they rip your limbs from your body.”
The other man cleared his throat, and I could sense his discomfort as it filled the vehicle. Good. I hoped these bastards felt so much discomfort they were bleeding out of their ears and eyes because of it.
There was a heavy moment of silence, and although I couldn’t see, I could feel someone looking at me. I feigned being unconscious, not moving, keeping my breathing even. I wasn't a good actress, but right now my life depended on it.
“J hit her kind of hard, yeah?” Jack muttered softly. “I didn’t know a woman could have that kind of… gumption. Hell, it's the first time I’ve seen a woman in the field with us.”
The other man didn’t speak for long seconds before finally saying, “She’s as dangerous as any man in the Assembly. She’s… yeah. Just watch yourself with her, okay?”
Jack cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Since when did we start taking humans?”
“When those humans are known mates to these creatures, that’s when we take them.” There was acid in the other man’s voice, as if he was annoyed at having to explain any of this. “Listen,” he said, his voice a little less harsh, as if he lowered it because he was speaking to a petulant child. “I know you’re new with us, Jack. And I know you got this position because your daddy is one of the higher-up soldiers. But I’m gonna give you some advice, yeah.” He didn’t phrase it as a question. He was clearly going to give Jack the advice whether he wanted it or not.
“When you start asking questions, that's when shit goes south. Your job is to help secure the subjects and bring them to the facility. That’s it. We don’t question. We don’t wonder about the what-ifs. We do our job, we keep our mouths shut, we get paid, and we mind our damn business in all things.”
The other man cleared his throat, his discomfort once again clear as it filled the vehicle with this heavy, toxic feeling.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of men just like you ask one too many questions. And then poof.” I heard him snap his fingers. “They’re gone. You feel me?”
A long, pregnant moment of silence filled the air before he answered, “Yeah, I feel you.”
The vehicle stayed silent for a while, and when I felt like I wasn’t still being watched, I tried to silently loosen the ropes binding me. I held my breath off and on, my heart racing as I shifted my hands, working the rope looser and looser until I was able to pull a hand through. I gritted my teeth as the nylon tore at my skin, wet warmth sliding down my wrists from the now-ripped skin.
“We have to meet at drop point A for the transfer.”