To The Nest

“Sorry for any inconvenience during the trip. Just standard protocol when we have to bring a stranger to base.”

Those words greeted Gemma as she opened her eyes. From her unobstructed breath, she could tell that the veil on her face had been removed. But why does everything seem so blurry... And dark? There was only one spot that was so bright, it had been shining on her even when she was still half-dreaming.

At first, Gemma thought it was a lamp used during interrogations. But it wasn’t. The light came from the moon, perfectly round white, hanging over the vast bluish-black sky. The moonlight was the only light here and made Gemma’s interlocutor, who was sitting opposite her, appear as a perfect silhouette.

One thing was clear, he who was sitting there was a middle-aged man. Looks like her father’s age.

“I won’t introduce myself, but I will tell you where we are right now.”

Gemma didn’t have to wait for the man to say it, but Gemma already had an idea of ​​where she was.

“Archturian headquarters. Floor... Three, no, forty. The top two floors where not just anyone can enter.”

There was no answer, only the sound of breathing. From those sounds, Gemma could hear that they weren’t alone. Is Jo here too?

Gemma still felt unsteady from the drugs. She swore she’d beat Jo up once this was all over. That’s if she gets out of here alive.

“No Archturians, apart from this division, know about this place.”

That man said, clearly displeased with Gemma’s answer, which turned out to be on point.

“I’m not an Archturian.”

“How did you know about this place?”

Gemma was silent for a moment before deciding to answer.

“I counted the number of floors visible from the outside, and while I was taking a tour of the Archturian HQ, I found that the number of floors listed on the elevator was less than it should have been.”

Gemma imagined her interlocutor pouting at her answer. Gemma knows she sometimes does stupid things, but that’s what she likes to do. Especially if she is already obsessed with something.

“Gemma Amaire. Twenty three years old. Coming from Fiend, raised by single parents. A student who didn’t stand out in high school.”

That man arrogantly showed that he knew about Gemma. Did he expect Gemma to be surprised? Standard information like that can be obtained easily. They must also have Gemma’s file because she once tried to be an Archturian.

“You registered as an Archturian, three years ago.”

There was a pause, then he asked, “How does it feel to be rejected?”

Sure enough. They memorized the information about Gemma before bringing her here.

“It hurts. But life has to go on.”

Honestly, life had stopped there, or at least a part of Gemma’s soul was still circling in those days, looking for answers why the Archturians didn’t accept her. Gemma never believed their accusations. Gemma always felt that something was hidden from her.

It was this assumption that made her love for Archturians slowly turn into hatred.

“That’s a shame. And your accomplishments have been amazing. You would have been an Archturian with an incredibly brilliant career, had that stumbling block not been.”

Another pause, not long but enough for Gemma to feel the humiliation of the last sentence.

A tightness filled Gemma’s chest in a split second. She hated it when people brought this up. Especially people she doesn’t know at all.

“Was I brought here just to be mocked?”

“No, of course not. I just wanted to know your background before giving you an important assignment.”

“Assignment?”

After picking at her wound, they now gave her an assignment? Who do they think they are to order Gemma around?

“As I said, I’ll tell you where we are. We’re in the anti-insurgency and terror division.”

“Archturians have no such division.”

Gemma answered quickly. She knew because she memorizes all the Archturian divisions.

“Oh... we have. It’s just that we don’t write it down. We don’t want to make the people of Elenio think that there are rebels and terrorists in this small country. But of course, as in every country around the world, there are always rebellions. From millions of inhabitants of Elenio, some people like to spit out their conspiracy theories. Gather like-minded followers, who justify that criticizing the government is commendable.”

That man cleared his throat. Gemma could faintly catch his movement. Now he leaned forward slightly.

“Elenio’s government is open to criticism, but not to hateful, insulting, and distrusting speech that has the potential to cause riots. For example, like your friend.”

“My friend? Who?”

“Take a guess.”

Gemma tilted her head. There weren’t many people who could be called her friends. Like a saying, the older we get, the fewer people we can call friends. So is Gemma. She just had Purity, who was more like a fierce mother than a friend, and...

“Maya?”

Gemma gasped as her interlocutor grunt.

“You really don’t know? Or are you pretending?”

Maya is an insurgent? The manager who often cleans up Gemma’s mess instead of taking care of her concert schedule?

Maya’s beautiful face immediately flashed into Gemma’s head. Maya rarely smiled, but her appearance was too dazzling for an insurgent. With white skin, long black hair, pretty eyes, and a sharp nose, Maya is more suited to be a model or an artist than looking for trouble with the government.

“We’ve investigated everything about you. That’s why I brought you here, because my people have confirmed that you’re not one of them. You’re just a singer in an illegal place who likes to make a fuss.”

Gemma’s blood boiled at the words of that man in front of her. If only this wasn’t in their base, she has battered this fellow in the blink of an eye.

“What? Do you think we don’t know what you’re doing? Do you think we don’t know there are places like that in Elenio?”

“No. What surprised me was, how can the places you call illegal still operate freely, even though you already know about it. I don’t think Archturian is as clean as it looks, huh?”

Gemma smirked. She could feel the vexation radiating from him.

The anesthetic had completely disappeared from Gemma’s body, and her eyes could now adjust to the darkness of the room, which wasn’t so dark in the moonlight.

As Gemma had expected, they weren’t alone here. About two or three people were standing behind Gemma, and one of them was Jo. Gemma could tell that because Jo always felt familiar around her.

A large, glass-covered conference table separated Gemma and the man she spoke. The wall behind that man was made up almost entirely of glass.

“Looks like you forgot to write in your data that your mouth is so presumptuous.”

“Oops... Sorry. I won’t forget it again.”

It did not surprise Gemma when the man hit the table, followed by a cracking sound.

“That’s enough! I’m not going to mess with you anymore. If you really can’t keep your mouth shut and do as we tell you, don’t expect to live your life in peace.”

Gemma gave him a sharp look. “Are you threatening me?”

That man chuckled, sounding pleased because he thought Gemma was getting mad.

“We know where you live, what you do, who you are close to. Do you think you can live in peace if you refuse this offer? That is, if you are still alive.”

*