Calamitous (Kaylor)

17

 The room was white. All four walls, the floor, the ceiling...all white. There was no furniture. The lights were bright and hot, and Taylor did her best to shield her eyes from the harsh glow. Her head was pounding. How did I get here?

Taylor knew where she was. This was one of the holding cells at the headquarters. She had been in them many times, but never as a prisoner herself. A part of the wall slid open, startling her. She'd forgotten how the doors worked here. Then, the last person in the world she wanted to see stepped into the cell, leaving two others at the door in case Taylor tried to escape. Taylor didn't recognize them, which was concerning in itself. Had some of the members been replaced?

"Catastrophe!" Arsyn called out cheerfully. "How nice of you to join us! I'm so glad that we got to see each other again."

"The feeling's not mutual," Taylor muttered, refusing to look at the black-haired girl.

"Oh, don't be like that. It was just business! You were holding us back, that's all. We're stronger than ever under my leadership." The girl circled Taylor predatorily as she talked. "You're not looking so good, Cat. Surely their medical capabilities are better than this?" She gestured to Taylor's entire body.

Taylor ignored her. "We were doing just fine under my control. I provided everything you'd ever need. Food, security, a place to call home, the thrill of adventure, fellowship. What else did you want?"

"Uh, money?" Arsyn said with a laugh. "You see, that thing you wanted us to steal, 'Lights Out'? Turns out, a lot of people are pretty desperate to get their hands on it."

"What, so you're not planning to use it?"

"Oh, come on! Do you take me for a supervillain? You wouldn't have used it either."

"Of course I wouldn't have! I didn't trust EchoCorp or the Government with it, so I was going to lock it away where no one could ever use it. Which you already knew, because I discussed my plans with you!" Taylor said furiously.

"Don't take it too personally, I don't tell anyone my plans," Arsyn giggled. "Selling to the highest bidder's my game. We'll be rich after this. We could move to a bigger headquarters. If you behave, I might let you stick around. We could use a maid."

Taylor huffed and turned away from her. "I'm not sticking around," she snarled. "Karlie will come for me."

"Really? The girl who left you alone and defenseless behind a dumpster this morning?" Arsyn scoffed. "Newsflash: she's using you. She wants to shut us all down, probably for some big promotion or something. Once she's got what she wants out of you, you're done. Thrown back in jail, or worse. You can never trust a detective. They're sneaky."

"Oh, and I suppose I should trust the person who tried to murder me," Taylor said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Once again, it wasn't personal. What is personal, however, is you turning your back on this organization and helping them. Have you no loyalty?" Taylor staggered to her feet and got in Arsyn's face, barely controlling her fury.

"You don't get to talk about loyalty," she hissed. "Especially not to me."

"Oh, please. We both knew your heart was somewhere else the whole time we were together. So before I forget, I've got to ask: did you ever love me?" Taylor stared at her, dumbfounded, for a few seconds. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find any words. Her hesitation was all Arsyn needed, and she turned to go.

"Wait!" Taylor called out after her. Arsyn stopped, but did not turn around. "I...I'm sorry," Taylor whispered. "We were happy once, I think. But I...I don't think I know what love is." There was a tense silence for a moment before Arsyn nodded and continued on her way out.