Refracted

- - 18 - -

"What do you mean, they think it's me?!" I demanded.

"Well, of course we have had setbacks in the past but it seems that the really major ones have only started once you arrived at the compound. Look, I know it isn't true, no one who came from a facility would ever do that. We would never work for the Higher Authority but..."

"But, what?!"

"Well, some are even doubting that you ever went to a facility in the first place. They are saying that you lied to gain our trust and betray our secrets."

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as my hands grew clammy and my face became thunderous.

"Again Verity, I know this isn't true. I can recognise the emotional and physical scars that your time there has left on you. But times are hard and the others perhaps aren't as observant as I am."

Despite my intense fury, I was grateful that Elyse was on my side. But she started off hating me and she still trusted me! Why couldn't the others do the same?

As if that problem wasn't enough, there was still a real spy out there and we needed to clear my name and find them. Hopefully, the Resistance workers would come around soon enough. I made my mind up and explained to Elyse.

"I am furious that they think I would betray them but I can understand it from their perspective. Hopefully, they'll realise soon enough that I'm not to blame but meanwhile we need to gather evidence and find the real spy. There has to be one and it can't be a coincidence that the really awful things only started happening when I arrived."

"What are you saying?" She asked me.

"I'm saying, it looks like someone is trying to frame me," I finished.

Elyse was silent for a moment, deep in thought.

"You may be right," she eventually replied, "but you are in no position to be doing anything right now. You need to recover. I'll keep you posted if we find the animal that attacked you."

I sighed again. Another impossible choice: I needed an ally but if Elyse was the mole, I was screwed but if I didn't tell her then no one would have my back... I knew that my current condition would prevent me from doing what needed to me done. I was reliant on Elyse helping me.

"Elyse," I began, "there's something I need to tell you now."

She looked at me expectedly.

So I told her, and I told her everything. In the back of my mind, Rachel's warning echoed but I desperately needed an ally. Alliances were built on trust. Rachel would have been my first choice but she was in worse shape than me so Elyse had to do. That's why I told her about Lucas and Rachel. That's why I told her that there was no animal attack and instead someone in the compound did this to me. That's why I told her about the blood in the classrooms and the fire.

"That's strange," she interrupted when I told her of the fire, "there's never been any mention of a fire and that part of the compound is only abandoned because of a cave-in a couple years back."

I shook my head at her; it was all just a cover up. Lies. Everywhere. 

I continued telling her everything I knew, though I hesitated on whether to include the kiss with Rachel or not. I decided that that part should stay private as it didn't seem relevant to the story. I explained that Rachel's injuries were inflicted by a mysterious 'they' who didn't want her getting too close to me.

When I was done, the world was spinning and I felt extremely weak again. Pathetic. I should be stronger than this.

"What is the actual extent of my injuries?" I asked Elyse when we had both fallen silent.

"Head concussion, surface cuts and a couple fractured ribs," she muttered, "I'm so sorry, Verity, I can't believe that I ever thought it was an animal that did this to you."

"It's okay, you didn't know. But who was it that said it was an animal?"

"Rachel said that. She saw Juan find you and ran ahead to warn the infirmary of your state. A couple minutes later, Juan carried you out of the abandoned wing and took you to the infirmary."

Rachel said that? Odd, she knew more than anybody about the danger I was in. Why would she lie? I needed to talk to her.

"Can you get Rachel to visit me?" I begged Elyse, "I really need to talk to her."

Elyse shook her head slightly but didn't say anything else.

"Elyse, I'm fed up with all the secrets. Just come out with it," I ordered.

"Rachel's gone, Verity. She was transferred outside of the facility just after you were taken into the infirmary. Lucas said he had been setting this up for months and that we desperately needed an insider."

"She's gone to work for them!" I exclaimed

No, no, no, no, no! It was way to dangerous! If she was caught...

My heart split for her. I wanted nothing more than to see her safe again and with me. My breathing sped up and soon I was hyperventilating. The nurse rushed over and pushed Elyse away from my bed. I saw her preparing a hypodermic needle.

"No! Just give me five more minutes! This is important."

The nurse eyed me up and down and ignored me. I took action. Before the nurse could inject me with the sedation, I wrenched they syringe out of her grasp and sent it flying across the room.

"Five more minutes."

I wasn't asking that time.

"Two," she replied and stalked off. Great, another enemy to add to the list.

Elyse was by my side again immediately.

"What's the plan, Verity?"

"I need to remember what happened last night. My attacker probably is or has some connection to the spy."

"How do we do that?"

"We need to go back to the abandoned wing, it might jog my memory. We can gather evidence and inspect the effects of the fire too. There has to be something I missed, I know it. We need to figure out what really happened. I'll meet you there at midnight when everyone's in bed."

"No way, Verity! You are way too weak at the minute. I'm sorry but I'm doing this alone. I'm still squad leader, you take orders from me."

I knew that there was no room to negotiate by the tone of her voice so I acquiesced.

"Okay fine, but go tonight and tell me about anything you find in the morning," I demanded, hoping that I sounded convincing.

"I will," she promised.

Then the two minutes was up and the nurse stormed back over to us. She said nothing as she pointed to the door and reluctantly, Elyse left. I hoped she would forgive me for what I was about to do.

But my attention was directed elsewhere.

Glinting in the fluorescent lights, I saw another hypodermic needle behind the nurse's back. She took a step towards me. I held my hands up in surrender and pleaded.

"I'm okay, I'm okay now. I promise!"

She harrumphed and turned away from me, back over to her little corner. It probably wasn't worth the fight.

I continued to behave and lay down to sleep despite me realising it was mid-afternoon by the DigiClock on the wall.

How long was I out for?

Had Elyse been with me the whole time?

I felt guilty but not enough to not go ahead with my plan.

It was going to be a long night.