Straight through the Heart

Chapter 21

I pound my fists against the metal door as I yell for anyone's attention. I don't know how long I have been doing it but I do it until my hands are numb. The ringing  response of my futile pounds don't do anything besides hurt my already damaged body more.

My heart squeezes as I think of Robin. I wonder if he's okay, if he will be fine. He is probably being tortured for information. I can barely hold myself together after the electroshock torture I went through. I hope Robin can stay strong.

And I won't deny that it doesn't take long for me to cry. The water I drank from the doctor sure went to waste since I'm crying out the only liquids in my body. I cry until no more tears come out so my body is wracked with dry sobs. With each sob, my body shakes in pain and I cry a little more from the pain.

This is the worst. 

I'm the worst.

My family would probably be disappointed if they saw me like this. I am disappointing my parents for being and acting so weak. What would my parents do if they were in my situation? Most likely, they would have escaped by now.

I'm also angry for my parents for dragging me into this. The people who are capturing us is probably only using us as bait. I live in current fear of dying because I don't know whether they need Robin and I both alive or not. This isn't a movie where the bad guys explain their ultimate evil plan before the good guy escapes somehow and defeats the bad guy afterwards. 

 And that only makes me feel worse.

 This is reality. There is nobody here to save me. I need to save myself. 

Eventually, a different pair of bodyguards decked out in black attire unlock my prison door. This pair of guards tower a foot over me with their muscular, strong frames. The guards seem to increase in size and strength each time I see them. 

They forcefully grip me by my shoulders and shove me forward. The guards slap on some heavy metal handcuffs and tighten it more than they need to.  I twist my wrists to see if I can escape but the cuffs bite into my skin too tightly. 

We march down the drab concrete hallways before reaching another door. However, this one seems newer and not as heavy. I almost lose track of the twists and turns we take as we head to what it seems like a higher ground. I notice the multiple heavy metal doors but lack of windows and cannot tell where we are. The possibilities could be that we are underground but if so, then we could be anywhere on Earth. 

The door slides open surprisingly to another large room. This one is filled with computers and fancy equipment. It seems like a central intelligence room of some sort with its intricate computer systems. I am overwhelmed by the sudden presence of over fifty people as they rush around completing their work. In addition, the ones working in front of the dozens of computer work intently without batting an eye. There's also the sudden brightness and I feel disorientated by my environment as I feel a wave of dizziness rush over me. If the guards had not been holding onto me so tightly, I would have fallen. 

The employees bumble around, some shooting quick looks toward me before continuing their work. We head down a small pathway towards the center of the machinery. It feels surreal that I am here because this seems like a movie scene. At the center, I'm not surprsed to see the man from before. He is dressed in a clean black suit and looking at a bunch of screens above him. I don't believe he ever introduced himself. However, I just assume he's Lucian Barsetti or Lucian Barsetti's right-hand man. 

I am surprised that Robin is seated next to him. Robin's wrists are both cuffed to the metal bar under the computer desk. He sits at a chair as he works on some complex algorithm on the computer. As soon as I approach, he pauses to look at me with his weary eyes. A pair of new, ClubMasters eyeglasses frame his face. I let out a sigh of relief when I see his bandaged body and change of clothes, albeit the clothes are ill fitting and dreary. Despite the bandaged and change of clothes, he still appears like a truck ran into him with his unkempt hair, slight, beard, and bruises all over.