Love For A Cowboy

Safe

I found the old subway station and hopped onto the tracks. I looked behind and in front of me. Both ways led to darkness, but I continued down until I found a heavy metal door. I put my hand up and took a deep breath knocking on the door hard. An eyehole slid open and a pair of dark eyes appeared staring at me angrily.
"What do you want?" The eyes shouted from the other side of the door.
"I-I wish to join SEP."
"Speak up soldier!"
"I wish to join SEP sir!" I said louder.
Suddenly the eye hole closed and the door creeked open.
I could now see the man who was speaking to me. He stood holding the door open almost rudely, but I didn't even think that was possible.
"Follow me." He said.
I followed through the dimly lit halls of what looked like some sort of bomb shelter. The walls were made of reinforced steel. I followed the big man to the end of a hall where he opened another door. I stepped through the door and found what appeared to be a makeshift office. An older lady with her dark hair in a bun was sitting at a desk in front of me. I heard the door close behind me. The lady looked up from her glasses.
"I understand that you wish to join SEP."
"Yes ma'am."
"You know that there could be consequences?"
"Yes."
"You understand that there is a procedure that must be performed on you and there is no reversing it?"
I thought carefully.
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. Please have a seat."
I took a seat in front of the desk and watched as the lady started taking notes on a holo tablet.
"Before we can let you join SEP we will need to perform tests on you to make sure you're healthy as well as put you into a small training corse. The training will only last a week as we need the fluids to distribute themselves equally throughout your body."
"Yes ma'am."
"What is your name?"
"Y/n L/n."
"Not anymore."
"You are now Soldier 143. You are not allowed to tell anyone your real name unless you leave this program permanently. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Have a good first week. Jose will show you to your room. Clothes and amenities are provided. In the morning you will be briefed on where to be for your first day."
I nodded and stood up and looked behind me to see the man who opened the door usher me down another hall. As we walked I tried to make conversation.
"So...your name is Jose? Are you not an SEP soldier? I thought all soldiers got a number."
He opened a door and turned down another hall with many doors.
"Are you just some kind of security guard?"
My mind was full of questions.
"Do you know what they'll do to me tomorrow? How early do I start training?"
We stopped at a door. Jose slid a keycard next to it and the door slid open.
"Listen kid." Jose began. "I'm probably never gonna see ya again. At least not for a while, but all your questions will be answered soon. Get some rack. You have a long first day ahead of ya."
He handed me the keycard and walked back down the hall. I turned my head to look into the room that Jose opened. It was dark. I stept inside and felt for some kind of switch, but then a pale yellow light flickered on. The room looked dull. A small trundle bed sat in the corner with a thin mattress and 2 pillows sitting against the wall. Opposite of the bed was a long dressernwith drawers full off training uniforms, socks and underwear. There was a small connected bathroom beyond another door in the room. I could walk at least 5 steps to reach each corner of the room. I walked over to the bed and placed my hand at the foot of it.
"Well, at least it comes with sheets."
On the bed was a pair of pajamas and socks. Sitting under the bed were a pair of heavy black boots. I shut the door to my room and changed into the pajamas. It was then that I noticed a mirror in the bathroom. I looked into it solemnly. It had been a while since I'd seen my reflection. The pajamas didn't look to bad either, comfy even. I walked back to the bed and began to sit on the edge slowy easing into it. My butt touched it and I started adding weight to the bed. It creaked all the way until i sunk myself in. I cringed a bit, but layed down to sleep. I tried to think of what they were going to do with me tomorrow, but I also knew I was safe.