by Catty Diva
There were few men in the facility. At least ten women to every men is what she’d heard a guard say once. Males were shipped off to other labs if there were too many. They’d sent some off not long ago. The ages had varied from forty to four days. This was a breeding facility mostly, according to the guards she’d overheard.
She was relieved when Eb came back later and looked fine. He looked better than she had and her lip still ached from the fall. Donnie ran her tongue over her lip and it felt swollen. It would be better tomorrow and maybe she could stop worrying it then. Darren went to grab lunch and two other guards stood by the entry door talking.
“Darren’s being a right bastard today,” Glenn said.
“What did you expect? The Devil got his ass pounded. Never seen anything like it before. That new guy is impressive,” Colin whispered.
“Yeah, until Darren stabs him in the back with a pig sticker like he did the last guy that pissed him off.”
“Did he really do that?”
“Hell, yeah. He’s done it more than once. I heard the manager told him to leave the guy be for now. He’s investigating him. Wants to make sure he’s not a ringer.”
“Why would a ringer want to get in this place?” Colin asked.
“Yeah, that’s what everyone wants to know. I doubt he’s a spy. He told the manager he used to do street fighting. The kind that pays a lot. I bet he cleaned up when he fought. The good ones bet on the side.”
“I’m no good at betting. I would have bet on Darren but I’m broke so I didn’t bet.”
“Someone would have loaned you money,” Glenn said.
“Yeah, then I would have been worse than broke, I’d a been in the hole.”
“Ha ha, you are an asshole might as well be in the hole.” Glenn laughed like crazy. Donnie heard a slapping sound. “Ouch, that hurt.”
“Pussy!” Colin yelled.
“Asshole,” Glenn yelled back.
Now they were both quiet but Donnie thought over what she’d heard. Was it possible Gabe was a spy for the people raiding labs? Oh, if only that could be true. It was easy to dream about a life where she was free and maybe, if Gabe were still interested, they might be together. Donnie sighed. Yeah, that was taking the dream too far. She rolled over on her side and went to sleep.
Chapter 4
Another Day
Gabe got to work only to be reassigned for the day to C section. He was usually in A section where Donnie was. Once he ran through the section delivering breakfast, he went back through picking up the trays. Once breakfast was done, he started on showers and changing sheets. It didn’t take long to figure out why he was here. He only had one guy to help him and he was a new guy. Going to the first cell, he saw the woman wasn’t well. Normally, a crew of three handled showers and sheets.
“Can you walk?” He asked. She moaned. Gabe sent the new guy to get a medic. The next cell contained a man. “Are you okay to shower yourself?”
“I’m fine. Who are you? We usually have Darren.” The man grimaced when he said Darren’s name.
“My name is Gabe. I’ve not been here long and I usually work A section.” By now they’d made it to the shower room.
“I’ve heard of you. My name is Fil. I’m fine to shower myself.”
“Great. Here’s a towel and your change of clothes. If you don’t mind, I’ll get the next person ready.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll run?”
“Where will you run to?”
“Good point. Go on and I’ll go back to my cell when I’m done.”
Gabe turned and went to the next cell to get the lady in there. Once she was waiting at the shower room door, he went to check on the woman who was ill. “Hey Steve. What’s wrong with her?”
“She has some broken ribs. I’d say she’s been getting abused. I gave her something for pain and ran the med stick over her. It reduced the swelling and will speed the healing.” Steve looked at her. “You need to be careful, but you’ll be able to move and I’m leaving you another pill but don’t take it too soon. Okay?”
“Yes, thank you.” She said.
“What’s your name?” Gabe asked.
“My name is Nomi.”
“Okay, Nomi. I’ll help you get to the shower room and you’ll be next in line, okay?”
“Okay.” He helped her up gently and she leaned on him as he guided her to the room. The man had already finished and was back in his cell with the door closed. The woman that had been waiting was taking her shower. He left Nomi waiting by the door.
Gabe went to the supply closet and got fresh sheets for the three rooms. He handed Fil his sheets so he could change them and he changed Nomi’s for her. Once finished, he tossed the dirty sheets by the door to the section once he left the cell.
As he changed the sheets in the third cell, the woman came back. “You need anything else?” Gabe asked.
“No, I’m fine. I’m just glad Darren isn’t here.”
As Gabe worked his way through the section with the newbie, he heard that remark a lot. It worried him, because he knew Darren was in his section and would abuse his people. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it either. Donnie worried him the most because she was fragile and attractive. It was a combination that would call to that sadist.
By lunch, they were two thirds of the way done. He’d put the newbie to changing the sheets while he escorted people to the shower room and back to their cells. Everyone did exactly what they were supposed to and one woman even told him she appreciated the privacy he gave them. That made him believe Darren watched them shower. It made him want to beat Darren up again when he thought about the prick watching Donnie or any of the other woman shower.
Once the raid was complete, he’d make sure that Darren got what he deserved. The man needed to suffer like he’d made others suffer. Gabe watched the others and the only one that didn’t seem heartless was Steve the medic. He planned to put in a good word for that guy.
He took the new guy, Smith, to lunch. Darren was there surrounded by the usual ass kissers. It seemed he was still as popular as ever since he was the head guard. None of his buddies were holding the loss or the fact that Darren was an asshole against him.
The Devil just ignored him and that suited him just fine. He grabbed a tray and showed Smith how to go through the line at the cafeteria. The new guy had just started this morning and knew absolutely nothing. Poor guy was better off learning with Gabe because Darren had no patience.
The menu had spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and carrot cake for dessert. Looked like they had brought the food in from outside because it actually looked like food. “This is better than what we usually get.” He told Smith. “Maybe we’re having the good stuff to welcome you to the team.” Yeah, right. They were probably shorthanded in the kitchen or something.
They sat down at a table away from the one Darren had sat at. The Devil had left while they worked their way through the line. He couldn’t deny he was glad to see the back of that guy. Gabe wasn’t naïve so he knew something was coming as far as Darren was concerned. The man wouldn’t let his humiliation go unspoken for. Watching his back was the one thing Gabe did best and that was where the Devil would attack.
Gabe could only hope the raid would come before Darren tried to get revenge. He and Smith got back to work and finished the work early. After that, they just guarded the section by making rounds circling the hundred cells, half of which were empty. This facility supplied subjects for all the others. They bred, both naturally, and by artificial methods, whatever subjects they were instructed to.
By the time the day was done, Gabe was ready to go to his room. All he was doing was counting down the days until he could leave here. He got ready for bed and watched a couple vids before he went to sleep. Normally he would have gone to the gym, but he didn’t want to see the Devil.
In the morning, he headed to his section and was glad when he wasn’t reassigned. It was weird that after such a short time, he alr
eady missed Donnie when he didn’t see her for a day. She was a weakness he couldn’t afford but he didn’t know how to stop it. Today, he would just walk the rounds and take the meals to the people in his section.
He walked his usual circle around the section. Donnie was still asleep, or at least it looked like she was. Gabe slid the breakfast tray into her cell. “Hey, Donnie, time to eat.”
When she rolled over and he saw her face, fury washed over him. That fucking Devil had done a number on her pretty face. Her forehead was bruised, her lip split and her chin scraped. She picked up the tray and retreated to her bed. Shit! Gabe acknowledged there was nothing he could do. Not only was he unable to get vengeance for her attack, anything he did would draw attention to the fact that he was attached to her.
Darren was a slimy coward, attacking those who couldn’t fight back. Sadly, this place didn’t discourage the mistreatment of the residents. It was just another day here, only the section Darren was usually in had been given a break and section A had taken the hit.
“I need to talk to you.” Donnie whispered low enough the audio surveillance shouldn’t pick it up.
“Okay. Here I am.”
“The manager suspects you of being a spy. He pulled Devil off you until he has time to investigate.”
“Who told you?”
“The guards who worked the section yesterday were talking before Darren came in. You’d be surprised what they know and what they discuss.” Donnie informed.
No, he wouldn’t be. That was where he’d gotten most of his information. If only the raid was on its way. But reality was he had no idea how long it would be. Now, with the new information Donnie had given him, it couldn’t be soon enough.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“It’s true, isn’t it? You here to spy for the lab raiders.” Donnie guessed.
“If I was, Sweetheart, I couldn’t tell you. I better get going. If the Devil thinks I like you, it wouldn’t be good.” Donnie nodded and Gabe continued his rounds.
His mind was in a different place now that he knew Jameson was suspicious of him. All he could do was continue to make rounds, hand out the next meal, and hope for the best. Gabe struggled to get through the day and he avoided Donnie as much as he could. Hopefully, she understood why.
Leaving work, he clocked out and headed down the hallway. He stayed sharp, knowing Jameson might turn the Devil loose on him at any time. The other guards watched him as he walked past, but few nodded and none spoke. They all knew the Devil’s feelings toward him and even if Gabe beat the hell out of the asshole, Gabe didn’t have any power here.
In this place, Darren was second only to Jameson. Darren also wasn’t afraid to hurt people, in fact, he loved it. Gabe only hurt someone when it was necessary. He’d feel bad about the fight he’d gotten in with Darren, but in retrospect he didn’t believe there had been any way to avoid it. Darren had been spoiling for a fight and certain he’d win. There was no way he would have taken no for an answer.
It was clear he’d been preparing for it by the quick way he contacted everyone and had them there in no time. Gabe also knew he couldn’t have let Darren win. The Devil would have probably killed him if given the chance. It had been a situation where there was no way to win.
Gabe went to his room where he showered, changed, and took a nap. When he woke, he headed to the gym and was happy to find it empty. He worked out aggressively for nearly two hours before he headed to the cafeteria. Maybe evening meals would be better than the earlier ones were.
He was once again overly optimistic. The gelatin was left over from lunch and the main course was unidentifiable. It was labeled as chopped steak but looked like a science class experiment. The hot roll looked like a mouse had chewed on it and the mashed potatoes were gray. Gabe stared at the lady who dumped the potatoes on his plate but she just shrugged.
This meal seemed to be worse than the dayshift food. It was made up of leftovers and food he couldn’t guess where it came from. There was no choice, he sat down at a table and tried to choke the food down. He needed it to keep up his strength. No one entered the cafeteria while he was in the dining room eating. Night shift must not come in here until later.
Chapter 5
Space Station Theta
“Hey, how is your face feeling?” The night ship guard asked with a sneer.
“Just fine.”
“Thanks for the laugh. You look like shit!”
“You too.” Donnie returned. He didn’t even know he’d been insulted.
The night shift guard was an asshole, but he was harmless. The guy like to leer at the women and say rude shit, but thankfully he either wasn’t the violent type or he was too lazy to go through the trouble. It was hard to say which.
As he moved on, she heard him calling out rude remarks to the other subjects. He made the rounds slowly and after an hour or so, Neal would either find a place to take a nap or slip out of the section and play cards with his buddies.
Nothing ever happened here at night once the last meal was served. All the tasks like showers and sheets were assigned to the dayshift. Night shift also had only one guard per section. That was just one more reason the guys got so bored. The oldest, slowest, and sometimes the injured guards were the ones used in night shift.
Donnie was glad things eased up at night. It allowed the subjects to relax. That would be too much if they had to be alert at night too. No one would be able to sleep. All their lives, sleep was the only good thing they were able to count on.
Silence ruled the section, Neal was either sleeping or had slipped away. She knew everyone in the section would be glad he was gone. It wasn’t like he was the worst, it was just nice to have some kind of privacy even if it was just from the guards.
As a child, the guards hadn’t bothered her. The people running the place had been nicer. Things just kept getting worse and all the lab raids had made it almost unbearable. The subjects weren’t the ones raiding the labs, being harsher on them was just a way to release the frustration of those in charge. Darren the Devil was an example of everything that was bad in the labs. He was using the stress the manager felt to grab more power.
Jameson, the manager, wouldn’t realize the power he’d given Darren until it was too late. Once Darren killed half the subjects, it wouldn’t be worthwhile to run this place anymore. Maybe death was the only way out for Donnie. Sometimes she wondered why she tried to stay alive. Was it the fear of death or was it the will to live? She didn’t know but whatever it was it burned inside of her and kept her going even when she wanted to give up.
Some time passed and Neal was back but he wasn’t alone. “Neal, there’s money to be made. All you have to do is what Darren tells you to. In a couple years, you can get out of here and retire,” a new guard said. Donnie didn’t know the guy who spoke to Neal.
“I’m interested, but I get the feeling Jameson won’t like it.”
“What Jameson doesn’t know won’t bother him.”
“I just don’t see how we can make money on these subjects. You can only take so many before it’s noticed.”
“Let Darren worry about that. This organization is about to fall. If you don’t get some money and get out, you’ll fall with it.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing things like that too. Several of the other labs are gone. I heard they never saw it coming and then it was too late. I heard the Phoenix, the Mazlans, those damn Moon Hunter’s and other groups have gotten together. Any truth to that?”
“Man, it’s all over the news. The Moon Hunter’s leader says he’s evacuating the facilities. Must be some kind of damn code. The Mazlans are in on it too. Not sure about the Phoenix. I’m not even sure what kind of alien they are. Just look out for yourself because our bosses are only looking out for themselves.”
Donnie couldn’t believe what they were saying. It sounded like they were planning to sell subjects to outsiders. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. It was possible to end up someplace worse
but it was also possible to escape when being moved. That the guards would discuss this openly was unbelievable. They wouldn’t just be fired if they were caught, they would be killed. Everything the labs did, they did with extreme prejudice. The unknown guard spoke to Neal a little longer before he slipped away.
Neal acted differently towards her. So much so, she wondered if she was one of the targets to be sold. The thought seemed more real as the night wore on and Neal was hanging around near her and would never meet her look or speak to her. Were they planning something soon?
Some of the other night guards came into her section and they stood talking to Neal and looking over at her. Why would they risk taking her? Gabe would miss her immediately. Taking anyone from section A would draw suspicion. Neal walked over to her cell.
“Looks like you’re getting moved today.” Neal explained as he opened the cell.
“Darren sell me?”
“What do you mean? Who told you that?” Neal asked. “Come on out or I’ll have to come in after you and you won’t like it.”
“I’m not going anywhere willingly.” Donnie answered. “And by the way, everyone knows Darren plans to sell off certain subjects without permission for profit. The labs will find out and they will kill you.”
“If I don’t take you to him, Darren will kill me now. I’ve no choice.” Neal came in the cell and walked toward her. She knew she was too weak to fight, but she tried to run around him.
Neal caught her wrist in a tight grip and squeezed. She was sure that would leave a bruise.
He started dragging her to the cell door and one of the other guards came to help him grabbing her other wrist. Between the two of them, she had no hope and they just pulled her along out of her section and to the dock.
Donnie looked around and saw other subjects mostly women also being herded to the ship that was positioned at the edge of the dock and looked primed for takeoff. This would be her first time off the station and if she was honest, she was terrified. Darren stood nearby, supervising the loading.