Chapter 32: Intervention

I woke up with his soft caresses and an occasional sweet kiss on my face.

"Good morning, my beloved."

He smiled at me.

"Good morning. Are you better?"

"Oh yeah," I whispered as I kissed him.

His cell phone rang. It was abandoned somewhere on the desk. He didn't seem to want to answer, so I smiled and pulled away. I looked for the device and gave it to him.

He received it with a reluctant smile and answered curtly, "What."

I chuckled and went to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

***

Sirius told me that Max wanted to infiltrate a Security facility. I was a little worried. I didn't let him go without giving him a soft and passionate kiss. I had given him the most prolonged kisses of my life, and I didn't want to kiss someone else either.

Things were the same in the laboratory, but today only I seemed to be completely happy. However, when I saw that a new body had arrived, I got distressed.

We began to examine it. It made me shudder to think of who he might have been if this silly inter-species struggle did not exist. They were another intelligent life form, and they had their good things. I didn't know why the government couldn't see that. I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if Sirius had fallen into the hands of those men if Orion had not sent him to me. If I had not met him... It was not fair to those evolved men.

***

After lunch, I got ready to make an appointment with the governor. Perhaps I could convince him to be the first state to integrate the two cultures or allow us to live in peace with them so that other states would follow our example. Rosy was ready and waiting for me in the entrance hall.

"After doing that, we can have a girls' afternoon. What do you think?" she asked, making me smile.

"Sounds good. Let's go."

It was a long way, almost an hour. Although I didn't feel it, we had to take two trains, even though this city was not as huge as other megacities in other states. I texted Sirius: 'I'll try to get an appointment, and then I'll be around town with Rosy. I'll call you later. I love you.' I smiled. If he didn't know how to read it yet, he would ask for help, and I didn't care if the annoying Max or the pesky Tania read it.

We got off the train at the central station, an underground shopping center. I had to drag Rosy to the exit because she already wanted to go shopping. I convinced her we would do it later, just as we had already agreed.

The mayor's office was in a huge building. I would never understand why they required so much space, but anyway.

We entered through the enormous doors of thick reinforced glass. An elegant young lady was waiting for us in the huge reception. There were black leather chairs, white walls and floors, and silver columns. The young lady cleared her throat, and we turned to see her.

"How can I help you?" she asked somewhat impatiently.

"I would like to speak to the governor," I replied.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, that's why I want to see if I can get one."

The lady arched an eyebrow.

"And you are...?" she said as if she expected me to be someone important. I got a little angry.

"I work for the government and care about trying to stop a silly fight."

A male voice interrupted the slight silence that had formed in the place. "That sounds interesting." We turned to see him—a tall man dressed in a black suit. He was undoubtedly over fifty or more and seemed to be kind. "You can talk to me about it if you like. I'm the Security manager, and I least want to start a fight. Please come."

Rosy and I looked at each other for a second and followed him. We headed for the elevator. The man activated it by placing his palm on a panel next to the buttons and pressing the fortieth-floor button.

"We are somewhat tense about the situation," he commented. "You are aware, right?"

"What situation?"

"About the alleged abuse of the evolved in our facilities."

"Oh, yes..."

We both glanced at each other.

"I have tried to see the facilities, but the colonel refuses. He assures us that nothing happens. If I could find out if that recording circulating in the news were real, then..."

The elevator doors opened, and we entered the spacious room. There were some armchairs in front of a large window. We could see the city before our eyes. Farther back, a large desk and three men with dark glasses also dressed in black suits.

"But you are the one in charge. You should demand them to obey," suggested Rosy.

The man smiled kindly and invited us to have a seat.

"My business is limited to the office." He pursed his lips for a second. "So, I'm not 'the boss,' not quite."

"But are you processing a permit to intervene on the premises?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm doing that, but I want to hear you. What did you want to say to the governor?"

"Yes, well... The government tasked us long ago with working with one of the deadliest toxins. They wanted us to fix it so it can be used as a weapon without losing its toxicity."

"Oh, sure, sure. You were in that investigation."

"Yes, but..."

"Nice meeting you. I'm Héctor Orlandini."

I smiled a little. We had not introduced ourselves—what a shame.

"I am Marien Ramos and my partner Rosy García."

"It's a pleasure, too," she said.

"Well, continue, Miss Ramos."

"Thank you. As you know, there was an attack, and the investigation was left unfinished, although we had already made considerable progress. My coworkers brought the toxin..."

"What happened with you?" he interrupted.

"I came later. I had to do other things. Anyway, the government got hold of the toxin again, and as far as I know, they plan to use it."

"That's right. We've already warned the evolved people who rebel to keep them at bay, but by now, you all know the paperwork is in process."

"I wanted to suggest that..." I glanced at Rosy, and she encouraged me to continue. "Please, don't use any weapons. Not only because it is not ready, and millions would die, including us, but it is also unnecessary."

"Sure," he said, concerned. "I also thought it could kill us, but why unnecessary?"

"You see... The evolved people are not what everyone thinks. They are a fairly well-organized society. They live similar to us." The man seemed surprised, but I could see that he believed me. We could make a deal with them and live in peace."

"That would be the best, but if they are as civilized as you say, why are they attacking us?"

I thought for a couple of seconds. Maybe this man could help, too.

"I have witnessed that National Security is acting on their own, attacking the evolved, capturing them, doing experiments with them... And that is why they attack us."

The man now looked worried.

"Do you have proof?"

I thought again for a second.

"The recording that has been on the news is real. I know... I saw something similar," I explained as he was more surprised.

He got serious.

"I see. I better do something soon."

He stood up and walked over to the three men to say a few words. The men approached us.

"Come with us, please," said one of them.

I frowned, confused. We didn't have to go somewhere else, did we? We stood up, and the men grabbed our arms roughly, scaring me. Rosy gave a short cry of surprise and fright.

"What do you think you are doing!" I claimed.

I struggled a bit but only managed to get the other man pinning me from behind. I screamed and kicked, hoping someone would hear me, but the man covered my mouth roughly, bruising my skin.

"Marien," Rosy muttered, completely scared.

I glared at the man, who didn't change his serious expression. Panic flooded me. I had mistakenly trusted someone who had something to do with Security or the government. Maybe the same thing would have happened to me with the governor.

I thought of Sirius, the other evolved man, Max. I had not revealed anything about them, but they would find out soon enough. Sirius didn't know I was in trouble; he would suspect it at night when he saw I didn't return. My eyes watered at the thought that perhaps I would never see him again, that that kiss I had given him early was the last. No, no, I had to be strong.

"I'm sorry, ladies," said Hector. "But I must thank you... We were having a hard time finding the people who broke into one of the facilities."

"We are not them!"

I observed the room once more. There was no way to escape. I could pretend to pass out and run if they let me go, but there was no way. Besides, there was Rosy. I was more distressed.

"We also know the evolved people, their level of advancement, and even their precarious technology," the man scoffed. "That is why we cannot allow them to exist. They could attack us with weapons at any time."

I shook my head, unable to free myself from the hand of the man who had my mouth sealed. They were wrong. They wouldn't attack us like that anymore. There were no real reasons to erase them from the face of the planet except ambition for power or fear.

"Now we will get rid of the witnesses, and this will be over."

"They will avenge us," Rosy exclaimed.

'No, Rosy, do not talk!' I tried to warn her with a look. We should not speak anymore because we would put them in danger, too. I regretted having come. We were so far from the hospital; maybe they would avenge us, but I didn't want Sirius to expose himself for doing such a thing.

It was a few hours before nightfall, and they would realize it, but anything could have happened by then. I remembered Max telling Sirius that they would try to break into a building today to see if they could get more information. If so, perhaps he would return to the hospital later than usual.

They covered Rosy's head with a black cloth bag, and she began to sob. I felt guilty. The man released my mouth; they would cover my head, too, but my cell phone rang, making me jump with fright.

"Oh. I forgot they didn't go through a revision," said the man. "Anyway. We plan to keep you alive. Your knowledge can help us end the toxin issue and put it on the weapon, so I suggest you answer and say that you are okay. We don't want to raise suspicions, or I'll have to kill someone if they come looking for you." They released my arm so I could answer. "And do not say or make strange sounds. We will trace the call and kill those who get in the way," he warned.

Were they so confident that there would be no problems if I answered the phone? They were very well prepared. I looked at the cell phone and had to contain my sadness when I saw who it was. I didn't want them to suspect more.

"Hello," I replied in the best tone I could.

"Marien," Sirius sounded happy to hear me. "Have you already gone to speak with that governor?"

"Oh, yeah." I sounded pretty casual and relaxed. I surprised myself. "Don't worry."

"I wanted to accompany you," he murmured with some disappointment.

I swallowed hard, and the lump in my throat was excruciating. I noticed that Hector was impatient, and it was convenient for me to respond casually and formally, so I did.

"Another day will be, thank you. See you soon." I hung up.

The man who had me imprisoned snatched my phone, turned it off, and threw it without looking where. They also grabbed Rosy's, doing the same. They covered my head with the black bag and led us somewhere. I realized we were going through the door at the back, leaving the main elevator behind. Maybe we were going through a private exit.

Perhaps they would get us out of town, so they were confident if I answered the phone. I began to breathe in anguish. It was a fact that they would have us for a few days, and then they would kill us. I would never see Sirius again.

They transferred us in a vehicle. It was a forty-minute trip, perhaps. They yanked us out of the car and entered a building. I heard murmurs from men. Some seemed delighted to see us, probably because four men were dragging two young women, quite an event.

I shuddered to hear the growl of an evolved person in some nearby place. Suddenly, they pushed me, throwing me to the ground, and did the same with Rosy. I took the bag off my head and saw how they locked the gate and left. Now, we were prisoners without knowing where.

"Sorry, Rosy," I mumbled regretfully. "We shouldn't have come."

"You didn't know this would happen," she answered. I heard her terrified.

This was new to her, but it didn't make it less painful, having been in a similar situation before.

"I shouldn't have tried to mess with the government. Marcus was right." My voice cracked.

"Calm down," she begged me; I had distressed her more.

I took a deep breath and slowly blew the air out to relax. A security soldier appeared in the corridor our cell faced.

"I wish I had the keys to have some fun," he commented, looking at us in a perverted way.

I shuddered. This would not be easy, and I didn't want to be touched by another man other than Sirius, but apparently, my incredible life had other plans. It had already taken my parents from me, and now it sought to ruin more of my dreams.

The man continued walking, and after a few minutes, he passed back, looking at us again. I was against the cell's back wall, next to Rosy, waiting for someone to do something with us.

I felt helpless; actually, we were. I always grunted at the difference between the two sexes and that most women were not as physically strong as men. With so many evil men, nature must have endowed us with some defense but nothing. I remembered Ursa. She was able to fight Sirius.

I sighed. I wish I were that strong. I wanted to be as strong as Sirius, breaking everything and escaping into his arms.

"Perfect, ladies. What will we do with you? " said another soldier.

I looked up. Now, there were two soldiers outside our cell. I felt my hands go cold. Rosy was shaking a little next to me. The men laughed in silence. One of them gave the other a couple of pats on the arm, and they withdrew. I saw in their eyes that they had a plan.

I closed my eyes and hugged my knees. They sure wanted to get the key. "Don't be scared," I told Rosy, whispering, even though I was scared to death.

"What will they do to us? How long will they have us here?" she asked, frantic and with a broken voice.

A couple of hours passed, the sun went down, and the anguish did not diminish. It was torture. We heard footsteps. I took a deep breath and tried to get strong. The man who had brought us appeared.

"I hope you are enjoying your stay," he said in a friendly tone. "It's time for private training, so don't be scared by what you hear, okay? Then, we will go out of town."

He retired. I snorted, frustrated. Indeed, they were going to torture more evolved people.

After another while, we heard screams, laughter, grunts, and even gunshots. Rosy tightened her arms around her knees when we listened to a riot after a crash or something. I breathed deeply.

"When I came here with Sirius, we passed through a town I didn't know existed. Well, we found a lady who said she had heard stories about things happening here."

"We should have assumed that the government would do things like this," Rosy said sadly.

Laughter made me react. I looked up and saw that the two soldiers from earlier were there. I was terrified. They had many keys that maybe were the spare ones, so they started testing one by one.

"Go away," Rosy murmured.

"Sure, sure," said one with a laugh.

A key fit.

"Seriously, please don't bother us," I asked.

"Everyone is very busy, and there is a lot of noise," the man excused himself as the key turned. "They will not notice it."

They both entered. Rosy began to breathe hard and let out a loud cry when one of them took her arm and lifted her.

"Leave her!" I screamed as I watched him take her away, and I started kicking the air while the other held me. "LEAVE HER!"

"Be quiet! We won't hurt you!"

The guy put me against the wall and started smelling my hair. Tears welled up in my eyes when I heard my friend scream more out of my field of vision. I began to sob and cry without being able to control myself.

Sirius...

I stomped on his foot with all my might and turned around, giving him a blow, screaming in rage. But he just swore and stopped my other arm before I could hit him one more time, so I started kicking again.

A loud crash made us jump, and I got petrified. Did someone blown to pieces? I began to hear the scandal that broke out and the shots.

"What's going on?" asked the other man, releasing Rosy and running outside.

Men were running and yelling orders. I froze when I heard many roars. Apparently, the explosion had released the evolved, and they were now running free, attacking.

"Oh no," muttered the other one, releasing me too.

He closed the cell.

"Don't leave us here!" I shouted.

"Now we will die, right?" Rosy asked me, black tears streaming down her cheeks because of her eyeliner.

I wanted to reassure her, but we heard the Evolved approaching. I couldn't know how many there were. I covered my mouth when I listened to their loud growls. Soon, an EH appeared outside the cell. He was bleeding and had a cut on his face, and Rosy sobbed in fear. The evolved let out a short, aggressive roar at us as he hit the fence, and we both screamed from the heavy impact.

Another appeared to push him forward, and my eyes widened. It was Altair, and hiding was useless because he knew my scent. How did he end up here? Maybe he was looking for Sirius. When he saw me, he would know that he was also close.

He looked at me sideways as he pushed his partner, then turned to see me completely surprised. I couldn't hide my face. He frowned, looking at me with some rage and disbelief. I swallowed hard and prayed that he did not rush at us.

By a strange stroke of luck, he preferred to continue with his escape route. I breathed in relief and realized that the gate was almost open from the blow that EH had given it. The shots had decreased to a few in a distant place. I approached the gate, and I barely smiled when I saw that just by pulling it, it would open.

"What do you do? It can be dangerous," exclaimed my frightened companion in a low voice.

"We must try to escape," I said, hope fluttering inside me. "It's now or never. Come on."

I pulled the fence, but it was not as easy as I thought. Rosy came to help right away, and we pulled hard. The metal gave way, but the gate was so warped that it crawled over the concrete floor when opened, causing a loud and annoying noise.

I looked down the hall as I left, and to my horror, I began to hear several people come running. They appeared down the hall. There were six of them, Security men, and they wore helmets. For a millisecond, I thought they were looking for evolved and would also capture us, but it was impossible for me not to recognize the man in the lead.

I ran to him: that skin, that body. I would recognize him even with his back to me. He took off his helmet and dropped it.

"SIRIUS!" I screamed.

He spread his arms, and I could see his smile of relief before jumping up and hanging onto him, burying my face by his neck. The tears came out again. He held me tight, keeping me off the ground. Again, I began to cry unbridled, this time for being with him.

"Easy. I'm here," he calmed me in a whisper.

I took a deep breath, filling myself with his scent to relax. I opened my eyes, and I could see Rosy hugging Acrux while he held his helmet in one hand and patted her back with the other to reassure her. He looked at us, somewhat confused as well. The others took off their helmets, too: Max, Alpha, Centauri, and finally, Tania, who also looked at us, confused. I didn't care.

"They almost abused us," sobbed Rosy.

"How did you find us?" I asked.

"I'll tell you later," replied my boy in a soft voice. "We must go. I can't bear that they wanted to abuse your human rights in whatever way," he added angrily. "I can't take it." He squeezed me against his body.

"Now I'm fine," I whispered. "Let's go."

I felt him release his hug, letting me land on the ground. Max answered his cell phone.

"Yes, we are going there," he said thoughtfully and hung up. "Let's go."

We moved down the hall, and I clutched my hand to Sirius's. I had thought I would never see him again. They had acted faster than I could have imagined. I had thought that, at best, I would be alive for a few days.

We arrived at what appeared to be the training arena, and I saw several bodies lying, many, actually.

"They're sedated. It's okay," my husband murmured, responding to my expression.

A small group of evolved men, many gravely injured, was surrounded by members of Max's platoon. An EH, in particular, broke through the group: Altair.

"Sirius," he called with some surprise and sinister satisfaction.

Sirius growled violently and savagely at him, which scared even me. A soldier aimed the gun at Altair, driving him back a bit.

"Traitor," he said.

Sirius growled at him again, and I clung to his arm.

"Do you know him?" Max asked.

"How dare you betray us? To us. We were practically your family," claimed the man.

"Well, two of you, my family, tried to kill me without even having the permission of the senior leaders," Sirius challenged. "So you all don't mean anything to me anymore."

I felt him tense up more and more, getting ready to fight.

"Let him go, Marien," Max muttered slightly, pushing Rosy away and wanting to pull me out, too.

"What about me? Brother?" Altair added angrily.

"I don't have much against you, but I didn't have a choice. I was hoping you understood, but I can see that you don't."

"No, I don't understand. Orion appreciated you as a father."

"Orion attacked my father, going against the rules as well, and I will not forgive him for that."

"Orion attacked your cowardly father because he took away the only thing that mattered to him. Your mother went against the rules, too, by rejecting him." I looked at Sirius, and he seemed stunned. After seeing that he had achieved his goal, Altair continued, "That's why you were Orion's favorite; you would have been his son. But you are rubbish and rejected that honor he gave you!"

Sirius slipped out of my grip as swiftly as ever and lunged at Altair.

"No!" I screamed and covered my mouth.

Both fought savagely. They looked like two angry lions, hitting each other and ripping their skin with their claws with each blow, beginning to drip blood after the bites and the wild punches. The further evolved men just watched without flinching. I despaired. Altair slammed Sirius to the ground and lunged at him to bite him mercilessly.

"MAX! DO SOMETHING, DAMN IT!" I screeched as I put my hands on my head, desperate for my man's scream.

"I can't aim!" he exclaimed with the gun ready.

Sirius kicked Altair, freeing himself from the bite before he managed to rip flesh from him, and lunged back on the attack, full of fury. He held him back, but Altair nudged him hard and lunged at him. They crashed into a kind of metal hut, which fell, and the door opened, letting some weapons scatter. He got to his feet quickly.

"Sirius," I murmured, "please." I didn't like that anger that shone in his beautiful eyes.

He glanced at me and relaxed his face after a few seconds. Suddenly ceasing to growl, he looked back at Altair. The man was also a bit more relaxed but smiled sinisterly. He was strong and almost as fast as him.

"This is all because of her," Altair muttered suddenly, and I could see, for the first time, the terror in Sirius's gaze.

Sirius lunged at him in seconds, but Altair, anticipating that, pushed him back, coming towards me with fury in his cold feline eyes.

"Marien!" Sirius yelled before growling and ramming him so hard they broke the window next to me.

My breath hitched as he turned to look at me one last time before slipping out of my sight and plummeting along with Altair.

I felt my heart stop, too, and I sobbed. I put my hands on my head again, closing my eyes and screaming with all my might.