natcat

This Means War

"What the..." I muttered as we entered the dining hall. The bright colour in the room was like a smack in the face, there was no escaping it.
"There are so many people here." Joe said in awe as we stood like children in the doorway staring into the buzzing room.
"I wonder how many there are in this base." Spencer added before he pointed excitedly at two waving girls sitting at one of the red tables. "There! Em and Nina!"
They were the only two at the table, it seemed they had only just sat down.
"Well, that's a relief. I was starting to give thought to Spence's stupid comment." Joe smiled at them before we turned to follow Spencer and Daisy to the food line.
I didn't know what I was smelling, but I knew it smelt good. My stomach was rumbling suddenly and I swallowed quickly, trying to fool myself into thinking I hadn't just almost drooled.
"You made it!" A familiar voice came from a few spaces ahead in the line. The four of us pulled our gazes from the teasing food and spotted a grinning Isy holding a tray with a plate of steaming mashed potatoes and beans. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to send someone to get you." She raised her eyebrows quickly before holding her tray forward to the capped lady behind the counter. Within seconds, a juicy looking steak had been dropped onto her plate.
"Trays and plates are in front of you, hurry up before you drool all over yourselves." Isy winked and turned, walking over to a table of young uniformed soldiers laughing and eating. They welcomed her happily, and she slid in between two beefier looking guys that looked as identical as the hallways we'd been passing through.
"Quickly then. I'm about to die of hunger." Joe hurried us along and passed trays to each of us. It was in a half dreamlike state I moved down the line, watching hot delicious food being dropped onto my own plate.

This Means War

Spencer grinned and grabbed the handles of Daisy's chair, he was pretending to rev them like a motorbike. Joe rolled his eyes at his little brother and spoke to Daisy.
"Yeah, I'm starving. I have no idea where it is though... that red headed girl said it was this way." He pointed down the hallway, the way Daisy was headed before I bumped into her.
"She said the laundry room was that way too..." I said with a shrug. "Everything looks the same to me, it's driving me crazy."
"Ah well, let's just walk, I'm sure we'll get there at some point." Spencer said and started pushing Daisy along, leaving Joe and I to follow together.
"You seen Em or Nina?" Joe asked me and I shook my head.
"This is the first time I've bumped into any of you guys." I looked at the doors as we passed them. "Didn't Isy say we were all in this hallway?"

This Means War

I lifted my head at the sound of someone knocking echoing down the hallway.
Looking over my shoulder, I realised my door was still gaping open, so it wasn't me they were wanting.
I sighed and pushed myself up, supposing it was time for me to start the next loop around the hallways that weren't sick of irritating me yet. Deciding against one last attempt to the laundry, I glared at the discarded uniform on the ground and reached for the door to my room, closing it behind me as I walked into the hallway. Not a moment later, I saw Daisy in a chair, wheeling herself towards me.
"Daisy, hey." I smiled at her and happily took into account how refreshed she looked, her leg was no longer in blood stained pants. "How's your leg? I'm guessing you saw a doctor?"
I'd barely asked the questions before a shout came from up the hall, where Daisy had just come from.
"Sam! Daisy!" I looked up and saw Spencer and Joe jogging down the hall, waving happily, looking just as clean as I felt.
"Whoa, Daisy. Nice wheels." Joe nodded at the chair as they approached.
"Jealous. I feel like sitting down for the next ten years." Spencer sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Think I could share?"

This Means War

I had to admit it. I was lost.
I'd been going around in circles for the last ten minutes looking for the damn laundry room that Isy had mentioned to me. I was starting to wonder though whether she was pulling my leg, every door in every identical hallway looked the same. How were we supposed to get anywhere around here without someone leading us?
With a sigh, I turned to the next door on my left and grabbed the handle. I'd eventually started popping my head into rooms in hopes of finding the right one. I'd only come across two doors that had been locked and at the same time passed frowning bodies in uniforms matching my own. I didn't bother trying to explain myself, or attempt asking them where the room I was seeking was, just hurried along as if I knew exactly where I was headed.
Turning the cold door handle, I stuck my head through the door as I pushed it open as quietly as I could.
I let the door swing wide open. The small space was empty, another bedroom identical to my own. Even the bags on the desk were the same... I rolled my eyes and strode into the room, throwing myself on the bed. To be honest, I couldn't quiet believe I hadn't done this earlier. I wondered faintly if I would ever get out of here and find the others. Maybe that was the point.
I scoffed and threw the dirty uniform I'd been carrying around onto the floor.
Why on earth would that be the case? These people had saved us from the possibility of sudden death in the forest we'd been traipsing through for days. Who knew how much longer we would've lasted if we hadn't wandered across this extremely well hidden base.
I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. There was now only fifteen minutes to give up on the laundry and attempt a clear course to the dining hall. I wasn't sure if I couldn't even be bothered trying, I was starting to get a headache from the constant bright white walls.

This Means War

I don't know how long I ended up spending in the shower, the hot water cascading down my stiff shoulders, washing away the last few days of grime, blood and worries.
For those few minutes, however long they were, it was like nothing mattered anymore. The only thing I could focus on was how relaxed I had finally felt. I'd ignored the stinging it caused some of the smaller cuts I had and watched the murky water swirl around the drain before sinking out of sight.
Now, I was sitting on the bed, my wet hair dripping onto the back of my neck, soaking the collar of the fresh uniform I'd put on. Reality was coming back to me as I stared at the two packs I'd been carrying and the gun I'd not let go of since I first picked it up. They sat on the blindingly white desk, looking so out of place, just as we must have when we had all walked through the hallways of the base.
I crossed the few steps it took to reach the desk from the desk and grabbed the gun. Without a second thought, I tucked it into the waistband of my pants.
Collecting the pile of old clothing I'd discarded as I entered the bathroom, I thought for a moment, did I even want to wash it? The urge to throw it into an incinerator was one that I seriously considered before shaking my head and tucking it under my arm.
I left the small tidy room and looked up and down the hallway. How was I supposed to find my room again? Every door looked the same.
Even if someone did try to break into this base, they wouldn't get very far, even I couldn't remember which way we'd come to get here.

This Means War

Isy didn't even apologise for potentially offending me, just carried on leading me down the hallways. After what was a very confusing few minutes turning corners that all looked the same, Isy stopped outside a door just as white and pristine as the rest of the underground base.
"Here we go. Doors lock from the inside in case of a breach, but you shouldn't really need it. Most doors are unlocked here." She gestured to the door before taking the stainless steel handle and turning it, pushing the door open for me.
It was a small but comfortable room, within it was everything I could expect for such a place. A neatly made bed was pushed against the wall opposite the door, a few freshly laundered towels were laid on the end of it.
"Extra uniforms and basics are in there. If you want anything washed, there's a laundry room down the hall." Isy pointed at the set of drawers that sat to the left of the door. On the right side of the room was a plain metal desk and chair, a white lamp sat on it and that was about the extent of the decoration.
Next to the desk as a door which Isy was already moving towards. "In here," she pulled it open and grinned at me, "is your wildest dream." I moved to look through the door she still held. A small spotless en-suite was apparently my wildest dream. A skinny shower with a white curtain stood tall next to a small toilet and sink.
"Wow, wildest dreams, huh?" I smiled at Isy, but in all honesty, she was right.
"One of your friends- I think his name was Joe- literally whooped when I showed him this. it's not great, the best thing about it is that it's private." Isy shrugged and went to leave. "Dinner is at 5.30 in the dining hall." She pointed at a small digital clock that sat on a small side table next to the bed. "See you there." She wiggled her fingers at me and I didn't even get a chance to thank her before she left, swinging the door closed behind her.

This Means War

The glass door swung shut behind me and I looked down the hall to where Daisy had been resting. Reid wasn't lying. I spotted Daisy's head turning a corner further down the white hallway.
"I expect you'll want to shower now?" I turned to the voice that came behind me. It was Isy. She had her hands on her hips and was regarding me curiously.
"I suppose so." I said and shifted the bags on my shoulders. They were aching handsomely now.
"Follow me then. Your friends have already settled in fine." She had started walking away from me as she spoke and I hurried to follow. "What was your name again?"
"Sam."
She looked back at me and smirked. "Ah, Sam. My cousins name. So generic."
I didn't know whether to frown or laugh. I'd always thought the same thing, but to have someone say it to me created a defensiveness for the name I wasn't used to.

This Means War

"That'll be all then." Reid said and walked away, head down as he headed for a desk across the room. I waited for the dismissal but it seemed that was all I would get.
I turned to walk away and spotted Daisy leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"I have one request." I said turning back to Reid who looked up from his clipboard, the silent question on his face as he waited. "My friend. Daisy. She needs medical care." I paused, hesitated, then continued. "She was shot two days ago in her leg. We did what we could, but I'd feel better if someone looked at her."
Reid stood up straight and nodded. "Of course, we'd be happy to help. I'm fairly certain I sent word to Doctor Davies, someone will be along to collect her. If I'm not mistaken, almost momentarily."
I nodded, said my thanks and left the room.

This Means War

"Samuel Pace." I stood still, arms folded as I resisted showing my discomfort.
"Your age?" The man stood towering in front of me as he filled in the boxes on his forms. He may have been taking notes, but he was built like a fighter. He was broad and strong, the uniform he wore hid nothing. He had introduced himself as Reid. Whether that was his first or last name, I couldn't be sure.
I was the last to go through this process and every second was making me more and more anxious. Had the others answered every question they were asked?
Reid was asking questions that touched on our time in the army, our home life, what we'd done while enlisted and how we happened here. The whole time I stood still, despite being offered the seat across the room. I didn't like being split from the others, the longer I stayed here, the more I wanted to get out.

This Means War

The six of us followed in shocked silence. We hadn't been expecting anyone to be here, let alone something so high-tech. Was this the cross that had marked the maps Nina had now stuffed out of sight in her bag?
I was hardly concentrating as I helped Daisy down the stairs. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted a man dressed in the same uniform as the rest of us. He was stationed outside the door we'd just gone through, ensuring it did it's job as it slid closed behind us and cut him from my sight. We were all doused in a white spotless light, making the shadows on our faces more pronounced. I suddenly realised how dirty we all were, I wondered if there would be showers where we were headed.