SONDER (IV): tmr thomas

012: I should know the place

Ella 12

A different man greets me. He comes in the room, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. In a swift movement, he drags me down the bright corridors. Our footsteps echo off the otherwise silent hallways. The sirens have long since stopped. Someone finally remembered about me.

The man stops. His long lab coat swishes as he pulls out his key card. With the flick of his wrist, he unlocks the door and pushes me into the room in front of him.

"What are we doing with her?" He asks the room. There are other lab coats here, all as pristine as his. They sit around a boardroom table.

The smoke man is among them. He stands up, moving to take me off the man's hands. "She wasn't taken with my subjects?"

"No," the man notes. "I found her in a different room, halfway across the building. You might want to keep a better handle on your most prospective subject, Dr. Withers."

The Smoke Man grabs me, pulling me aside. His eyes scan the members of the board room, as meticulously as he as looked at me a thousand times. Eli holds my empty hand. He gently rubs my fingers between his. I try to lean on him, but the frail boy can't hold me up in front of the Smoke Man.

"I believe this solves our dilemma," the man points out, looking around the room. "We send Ella to meet the subjects in Denver. She will be able to gain their trust easier than we will be able to launch another military attack."

"Your girl is senile," the man at the head of the table notes. I don't recognize him. We haven't spoken before. "Also, we aren't even sure your subjects are heading to Denver."

A younger guy at the table stands up. He sniffs, looking up at me and then down at the folders in his arms. "Subject A59 seemed aware of the Right Arm in our interview, although she said nothing of them. It is most likely that she is guiding her group to Denver. Given the connections between the traitors which accompany them, the destination is highly probable."

The coats at the table shift. I don't know anything about Denver. Really, I don't know anything about anything. I want to stay here and talk to the Smoke Man. I'm finally where the answers are. Deep is this building hides the answers to my questions.

Who was the betrayer?

I chose to forget to try and take down WICKED, but I buried myself deeper than I had ever expected. I lost Eli. I live having forgotten him. Those responsible for telling WICKED about our plan are here as well, walking amongst us. I've just got to know why.

If the answer lies in Denver, I will go.