Imaginary - Book 2 - Chapter 38 - Taking Shelter (Patreon)

The trip back to the clinic was a harrowing experience. Although the truck did have few bench seats, complete with seatbelts, they were bolted to the side walls and obviously designed for function rather than comfort. In addition to that the seatbelt was extremely loose, even when tightened as much as possible; Which wasn’t too surprising considering they’d been designed for people in full tactical gear, and not a teen aged girl. 

I spent the entire trip clinging to the belt, trying desperately to keep my feet from swinging around and accidentally kicking Kira every time we went around a corner. 

Although Kira was starting to look a tiny bit better, she wasn’t as deathly pale as she was outside and she appeared to be breathing better, she still hadn’t regained consciousness. I didn’t know if it was because of the trauma, or if the medic had given her something to keep her stable and calm, I was just glad she didn’t appear to be in pain anymore. 

By the time the van came to a screeching halt in front of the admin building I’d become extremely nauseous from being thrown around so much. I desperately wanted to push open the side door and step outside, so I could stand on solid ground and get some fresh air. However, I wasn’t willing to try and step past Kira while I was feeling even the tiniest bit dizzy; I didn’t want to risk stepping on her by accident, so I just sat there waiting for the nausea to settle. 

Before I could recover, the van’s door was violently yanked open from the outside, making me jump.

“How is the patient?” Eva asked as she jumped up the stairs and knelt next to Kira.

“She’s in shock, but I’ve done everything I can to stabilize her,” the medic replied. “I’ve tended to the wound the best I can and secured the limb, but from what I can tell it wasn’t a clean cut; it looks like her arm was torn off rather than sliced off.”

“I’ll make sure to let the doctor know,” Eva replied. She quickly took Kira’s vitals before backing off. “Let’s get her out of here and onto the gurney. We need to get her into the clinic as quickly as possible.”

Working together, the pair quickly and carefully maneuvered my friend to the door and over to the gurney sitting just outside the door. Glancing past them I could see the clinic’s security team standing outside, creating a loose perimeter. Neither of them acknowledged me in the slightest, so I just sat there, watching, until they disappeared from view.

“Hey kid, this is no time to be sitting around; we need to get you inside,” the Hawkins declared, making me jump again. 

She’d somehow slipped out of the driver’s seat and into the back before I’d even realized she was there. She leaned down and looked me in the eye. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, just a little nauseous. Kira is the one you should be worried about,” I said quietly.

“Just because you weren’t injured doesn’t mean you’re good,” she replied. “I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you were in shock after everything you went through.” She patted me on the shoulder with one hand and undid my seatbelt with the other. “Come on, let’s get you inside. The security team’s waiting for you.”

I nodded slowly and pushed myself to my feet. “Right,” I muttered, shooting her a smile before making my way over to the door. “Thanks.”

By the time I arrived, Eva, Kira, and the medic had already disappeared into the administration building, but most of the security team were still in place. 

“Alright, you lot, let’s get this one to safety,” Hawkins announced as I stepped out. The security team closed in around me as I awkwardly jogged towards the front door, only to back away as soon as I stepped inside. 

“They’re going to wait here for the rest of your friends to arrive,” Hawkins explained as I turned back to look. “I’ll escort you downstairs.”

“Do you have security access?” I asked as we crossed the eerily quiet lobby. “I’m not sure if my tracker will let us through during a lockdown.”

“Don’t worry, the response team have the highest tier of authorization. We can access anywhere on campus, even in the middle of an emergency,” she said. “In a life-and-death situation seconds matter, so we can’t wait for someone at the security office to give us access to a secure area during an emergency.”

“Makes sense,” I muttered. 

She jogged ahead and scanned a card that had been hanging from her bullet proof vest at the security door so she could pull it open just before I arrived. We stepped through together and I immediately headed to the stairs.

“You don’t want to take the elevator?” Hawkins asked.

“I thought the elevators were for the disabled and medical emergencies,” I replied, pausing at the top of the stairs. “Besides, I thought you were supposed to avoid elevators during an emergency situation.”

“That’s for natural disasters and when there’s imminent danger,” she replied. “They’re fine to use if they’re not compromised. They’re actually safer in some situations; you spend less time exposed and get to your destination much faster. It’s not necessary here, but we can use them if you want.”

“I just want to get downstairs,” I said. “I’m comfortable taking the stairs, and besides… I feel like standing up here, just waiting for the elevator to arrive would be murder on my nerves. I want to keep moving.”

“Fair enough,” Hawkins replied before gesturing to the stairway. “After you.”

“Any news about Grey?” I asked nervously after we’d descended a couple of flights in relative silence.

“I left the team’s comm channel and joined the operational channel as soon as we left the combat area,” Hawkins replied, “so I don’t have the most up to date information, but the captain did report that Grey was down and the team was moving to take him into custody. The second response team was moving in to support.”

“The campus has two response teams?” I asked, in surprise. 

“Not normally, but once we became aware that Grey was still in the area, another team rushed over from the regional office. There was even talk about sending a third from headquarters, just in case,” she said.

“I don’t know if three teams would be enough,” I muttered.

“We train just for this sort of situation,” she said stoicly. “It’s always bad when an Empowered person goes Rogue, but when someone as strong and experienced as Grey goes Rogue it can be disastrous. That’s why the BEI has studied and created specific plans and tactics to deal with the top hundred or so Empowered people on the continent.”

“What?!? Isn’t that, I don’t know… Unethical? Maybe borderline illegal?” I said.

“We have no plans of ever acting on any of these plans, unless the people involved go Rogue. Most of them are capable of channeling enough power to easily destroy a city block, even if they don’t accidentally create a Rupture. It’s our job to protect the public during crisis, and if we hadn’t studied some of these people, and determined their weaknesses, we would never have a chance against them. Is it ethical? No, not at all, but it’s nessisary in case of emergency.”

“I’m not sure I fully agree with you,” I muttered. 

“Even though those plans helped protect you and your friend?” she asked.

“You didn’t, Tyberious did,” I replied. “And even if you had… I don’t know. When I think about the fact that someone coud one day design specific plans to take out me, or one of my friends, I can’t really say I’m all that thrilled about it.”

“Well, unfortunately, if any of you ever get that strong, you’re not going to have a say. The bureau will profile you whether you like it or not,” she said.

I paused just before the final security door and waited for her to step forward to open it. “Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about you right now,” I muttered.

“I get that a lot,” she replied, pulling open the door. She flashed me a fake, professional smile and waved towards the open door. “After you.”