The Algorithm

Chapter eight - Home Sweet Home

The familiar honey colored smoke filled the van, causing the room to smell and taste of lemon. Adrien and Marinette's heads fogged and began feeling anemic as their eyes grew heavy. They were already exhausted and staying awake was a daunting task. Despite their efforts, tiredness won in the end. They both fell fast asleep, letting darkness consume them.

Marinette woke up to bright lights and the scent of plaster. The blinding white caused black spots to dance across her vision. The smell of drywall filled the thick dusty air. Marinette lifted her hand to her throbbing head only to feel the heavy weight of chains pull on her wrists. She was laying on a cot with her hands shackled to the sides. To her left were two small empty beds and to her right was the blond boy, laying on his cot, still asleep.

She scanned the room, quickly taking in all that was around her, but it made no difference, she knew this room all too well. It wasn't the same room she grew up in of course. Tikki and Plagg had found them in Australia when she was 16 and brought her back to Paris with them before destroying the facility she had been trapped in. Marinette knew they had been asleep for a while but not long enough to make it to Australia. They had to be somewhere nearby. A small town or city a few hours out of France at the most.

The large room was a pale grey, almost white, with empty walls and a few games on the floor. These 'games' were all they had as children to entertain themselves. The games would change every now and again. The children would wake up and find puzzles or a checkerboard. Anything to keep them occupied during the day. A deck of cards, some dice, and paper along with pencils laid in front of the large metal door that was painted the same bland color as the walls. The door had a wheel-like lock that spun open. Marinette had tried for years to open that door but despite her best efforts it didn't turn a centimeter. Not even her abilities could pry the door open.

From ages 11 to 16 Marinette had been stuck in a room just like this one. She almost felt safe there. Nothing bad had ever happened to her in the 'refuge' as they called it. Not a hair on their head was to be hurt in the refuge. The refuge was meant to be a place for Marinette and the others to grow and learn to control their abilities. As kids they weren't all that good at it and fear and anxiety only made it more difficult. So Akuma kept them in the refuge, turning it into a safe haven of sorts. The only time they were hurt or beat was when they were taken out of the refuge. Sometimes they would be taken and would not be brought back to the refuge for weeks and other times they would stay in the refuge for months on end. Either way, once you saw the armored soldiers walk into the room, you knew what was about to come. You would watch them enter, batons in hand as they would take one of the kids and drag them into the blackened darkness that waited outside the door.

After they took you, they would bring you wherever they needed you. Sometimes they would beat you until you were on the ground bleeding in hopes you would learn to fight back, other times they would rip you open and stuff metal and wires inside of you. Being taken from the refuge was never a good thing. There used to be two other kids with Marinette, then they were taken from the refuge and returned as half dead. Rose and Max, they looked to be 9 and 14 when they died.

Rose was a small young blonde with short hair, deep blue eyes, and a kind heart. She lights up the entire room, always telling stories and laughing despite their horrible circumstances. Every night before bed, Rose would remind them that one day they would be rescued. At the time Marinette didn't have the same optimism she did but as it turned out, Rose was right. They were saved, Marinette just wished she had lived to see it. They had only been in the refuge for five months or so, but one night after Rose reminded them they would soon be saved, she went to sleep and never woke up. Her body couldn't handle being ripped open and stitched back together any longer. At least it was peaceful, Marinette told herself. She could still remember Rose's frail lifeless body being dragged across the floor by the armored men and out into the dark hallway, never to be seen again.