A New Administration Ch. 02

"I have no idea, has she just gone and left us here?" asked Aaron, though he found it difficult to believe.

When he received no reply, Aaron turned his head towards his two companions only to find that they too had succumbed to the gas. He realised at this point that trying to fight it was futile so, with Hannah's question still burning in his ears, he took several long gasps of the sedative and quickly passed out.

The screen switched itself off.

Michael promptly removed his glasses and turned to face Helana, "You know that's a very good question; where is Katie?"

"She escaped, though I'm sure she won't last very long. I've made sure the rebels think it was her rather than Miss Anderson that betrayed them. I understand you have ways of dealing with traitors."

"Ha! How did she get away then?"

"We're still investigating..."

"You don't know, do you?"

"Not right now but we will find out. She'll be recaptured, either by us or by the resistance."

"You're underestimating her, ma'am, Katie's smart. You've missed the best chance you'll ever have," said Michael, with confidence. He knew that, if anyone could get out of a locked room monitored by Videolink and flooded with drugged gas without being detected, it was her.

"Perhaps, that remains to be seen. In the meantime I wanted to discuss the real reason for bringing you here. As you can imagine, I'm a busy woman and I don't normally spend my time watching home movies with my prisoners."

"I'm delighted you made an exception for me," Aaron said sarcastically.

"As a Lev-1, I'm going to give you a choice; the first option is for you to continue this petty insubordination, in which case I'll send you to the farms. The second option is for you to come and work for me and, after you've gone through the usual conditioning process, you'll be given a team to lead and a position here at Overwatch HQ."

Michael pretended to think about the options for a moment or two. In reality he was considering whether he should make a break for the open door, overpower the guards and somehow improvise a means of escape. Before he could respond, however, he heard the sound of several pairs of feet running along the corridor outside his cell.

"What's the commotion?" Helana asked.

When there was no response, she hefted her enormous bulk towards the door and peered out. The bland tiled corridor stood completely empty. At the far end, a large metal security gate was open and swinging slightly on its hinges. That's supposed to be locked at all times, thought Helana, growing anxious. She reached for a red panic alarm positioned at chest height on the outside wall of Michael's cell.

She didn't get to it in time. Instead she felt a searing pain on the side of her head and her world seemed to explode into a sea of dancing colours and bright lights. Then she slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Michael, meanwhile, had raced to the door and could hardly believe what he was seeing. Standing over the immobile form of the UN Overwatch Committee's director was Katie. She was clutching a large metallic paperweight, flecked with Helana's blood.

Michael looked at her for a moment; her dark blonde hair was dirty and unkempt, she had a small cut on her cheek and the black jumpsuit from the Videolink had been replaced by a dishevelled Overwatch uniform. Despite her appearance, she seemed uninjured.

"Michael, it's been too long...!" she said casually.

"Katie...I...you...how?" was all he could manage.

"It's a very long story and I'd love to tell you all about it, just as soon as we've gotten out of the most secure building in the country."

"Err, yes, of course. Lead on."