Chapter Text
FLEETCOM Military Complex, Reach, Epsilon Eridani System
September 24, 2517
“Get up you maggots!” A voice boomed over Annya’s head. Her eyes blinked open in a snap and all at once the feeling of oppressive heat hit her. She heard other movement, of more yelling in English. A hand grabbed her and pulled her out of her bunk bed, sending her sprawling on a hard, stone-like ground.
As she whipped around she snarled at the adult. He held a baton in his hand. The tip of it crackled like a warning. As he went to strike her with it, Annya grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward with all her strength. Her teeth found purchase in his forearm as she bit down with all of her strength. She ripped a piece of his skin off with a shake of her head. The man yowled as other men in similar attire surrounded Annya. She took three strikes to her shoulders and head before releasing the man’s arm from her mouth. Her final act of defiance of the day was her spitting his skin and blood at his face as the other men hauled her off to the showers.
She only changed when the men walked away. And she did it as quick as she could. The smell of copper seemed to linger on her skin until the warm, almost searing water hit her head. In moments she saw red pooling from her head as her seemingly red, dingy hair cleared to its brownish hue. Her gaze wouldn’t lift too far as it felt like there were eyes on her. Her eyes were stuck on just how much blood was running off of her.
“Are you okay?” A blonde-haired girl, pale faced and spotted with freckles, appeared next to Annya. She nearly jumped out of her own skin.
“Are you hurt? Is that all your blood?”
Annya didn’t know what to say. Her gaze finally lifted as the other children around her glanced away and continued scrubbing themselves down. But the girl next to her took a bar of soap and began to rub Annya’s blood-stained skin with it.
“I don’t know” Annya finally replied in her native tongue. She had to think hard to form the words in English. “No…know if…my blood.”
“Oh, you don’t speak English, do you? Beszélsz magyarul?”
”Beszélek magyarul” a boy a few shower heads over called out. An adult came around with a baton in their hand.
”Quiet down in here” he called out. Annya covered herself until he departed, and only when she was sure he was gone did she finally relax. The girl scrubbing her glanced at the adult before looking back at her.
”Did I see you bite one of them? I saw someone leave with a hole in their arm.” She smiled at Annya, revealing a missing front tooth. The rest of her teeth were pearly white. "I'm Brittany. What's your name?"
Annya looked back down at the water pooling at their feet. She swore she could still see red dribbling down her legs.
"A-Annyastasia" she replied, her eyes still down. Brittany continued to smile. She turned Annya without a word and scrubbed her back and used her other hand to massage some shampoo into her hair. Her hand turned pink until the third application of shampoo.
"Wow, that's a pretty long name. I'll call you...Annya, how bout that? Nice to meet you, Annya!"
Annya winced as some of the shampoo streamed into her eyes. Brittany forced her head up and rinsed her eyes out just as the water was shut off. She led the smaller girl unto a moving conveyor that dried off the recruits without the need for a towel. Annya used her hands to run through her knotted, matted hair and dry it as best as she could. No, instead of it being caked in blood, it was frizzy save for the chunks clumped together.
They were each handed a black sleeveless top, matching sweatpants, thick socks, and a set of underthings. Everyone retreated to their bunks and got dressed quickly. Annya slipped back towards the showers and hid in the corner to get dressed. By the time she was lacing her boots up she saw Brittany standing at the opening to the bunks.
"They want us outside. Come on."
"I don't want to" Annya replied. She stopped, cursed herself, and repeated in English. "I...no want to."
"I don't think we get a choice in that, friendo." She approached Annya and took her hand. As gently as possible, she led her through the bunkroom with everyone else. A pair of boys, both larger than Annya, followed in close. They both smiled. One of the boys began to speak the language that Brittany was trying to earlier, and the two hit it right off.
Annya stared at the boy walking beside her. From her angle, he had the same face as Oli: same brows, eyes, nose, and the same smile. Even his hair was similar.
"O-Oli?" Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes. The boy turned to look at her fully, and that's when she realized it wasn't him. Her heart dropped to her feet, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. But, the boy caught her and held her up.
"Are you okay? You're really pale."
He wasn't Oli. She hadn't seen him.
No. She had.
The images of what remained stuck to her mind. She felt her legs grow weak. Now, they had to stop. Brittany and the other boy stopped too, and adults were closing in around them.
"Is she sick" one of them asked above them. The boy holding Annya up carefully set her down. His hand reached up and touched her forehead.
"Anya" Brittany asked. "What's wrong? You're so pale."
A large hand all but hit her in the back. The images stopped playing in her eyes. The world around them returned. Annya looked around as her breath returned to her lungs. Her eyes landed on the boy kneeling next to her.
"Are you scared? It's okay to be scared."
Annya blinked back her tears. She wasn't scared of this place. She was scared of the adults around them. It would be her job now to keep everyone safe here, like Oli tried to do back on Prime.
"Her English isn't good" Brittany explained. "I don't know what language she talks in."
"We'll figure it out" the boy Brittany was talking to replied. Together, the three of them got Annya to her feet and to the large green lawn outside of the barracks.
Now that the last of the stragglers came in, a man with a cigar in his mouth began barking out orders at them. He reminded Annya of the headmaster's assistant who seemed to adore beating on her and the other 'rogue' orphans. As he began ordering them to do exercises, and the group all began to follow his lead, she concluded that she hated this man.
A baton's tip poked her side when she wouldn't move. It sent shocks through her body, making her tense up and fall to the ground. She writhed in pain but didn't cry out. Instead, her fingers dug into the ground-
Dirt. Grass. And dirt.
This was what dirt felt like. And grass. Both were cool in the early morning. Before she could take a mouthful of the green stuff, large hands pulled her up. A voice boomed over her head yelling at her to 'get with the program.' She glowered at the adult beside her, but slowly began to comply and copy the exercises everyone else was doing.
As if that torture wasn't enough, as the sun began to peek over the trees, they began to run. Where the trees covered the path it was cool, but where the sun hit the trainees, Annya felt like she'd step into an oven. She wanted to stop, throw up like some of the others did, but there was no room. If Brittany didn't help her forward, it was the boy running on the other side of her.
Annya didn't know when they were going to stop running. Her eyes kept to the back of the trainee in front of her, and her mind began to wander. She wondered if Oli was dead. If he was dead, what would happen to the others? Would they remain in the sewer, or would they seek help from Rumen and the others, now that there were so few of them they could likely be housed aboveground? She began to miss Rumen, tears welling in her eyes at the memory of his beaming face. Did he know what happened to them? Was he okay?
"Are you okay?" The boy next to her held her arm. He had a look of worry on his face. "I know it's bad. Are you getting a cramp?"
"No. No…." Annya struggled to breathe. It felt like her chest was being vacuumed into a point in her spine. She couldn't slow with his grip on her arm. Her vision blurred, disallowing her to see the building they ran towards and into. As the group slowed and eventually came to a stop, she fell to her knees and gasped for air.
Brittany and the boys were on her in a second. Brittany kneeled in front of her, lifting her head up and away from her chest. Her thumbs wiped tears and pouring sweat away from her eyes.
"It's done. It's over. We did it together! It's cold in here."
"There's snacks" one of the boys muttered.
"I'll grab us some" the one who nearly carried Annya replied. He hurried off to a side table and grabbed enough snacks for each of them before returning. Meanwhile, it was a joined effort to get Annya off the ground and back on her trembling legs.
"I want Rumen" Annya muttered. "I want Rumen. I want Oli. I want…."
No. she didn't want to go back to the den. Flashes of bodies blinded her, making her cover her face with her hands. She felt Brittany pull her in and give her a hug. Annya tried to stop the whine from her throat, but it came out regardless. A soft, pitiful noise. She wanted to go to Rumen's house and curl up on the couch while cartoons played on the TV. She wanted Rumen to brush the mats out of her hair, call her careless for getting them, then braid her hair up and put a pretty green bow at the end.
But that felt like a dream that slipped from her fingers the moment she woke up wherever she is.
"It's…going to be okay. We can stick together." Brittany pulled Annya along towards the middle of the room where everyone else was gathering. The boy next to her was sipping his water carefully and he took a bite from his snack. He glanced at the blue figure in the middle of the room, but his gaze turned to the girls every minute.
Eventually, her chest released its iron grip on her lungs. Annya stopped her quiet crying. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and wiped her hands on her pants. The boy from earlier helped her take her first sip and bite from her snack. She wanted to rip it out of his hand and devour it so quickly that fingers might be ingested, too. Her stomach was loud as it growled. Loud enough for a few trainees to glance her way before returning to the figure. She couldn't pay attention- instead, she focused on the small snack offered to her in smaller segments. She saw Brittany split her snack and began offering parts of it to her, as well.
"You're skin and bones. You need a bigger snack."
Annya took the offered food with a deep nod. It wasn't enough to fill her stomach, but combined with the water, it kept her from getting the cramps that this hunger would often accompany.
It was a good thing they ate. Before she knew it, they were running again. Annya wanted to tackle the adults in charge of this novel form of torture. This felt like a new breed of cruelty, done upon them by a new breed of horrible people. There were trainees falling off to the side, vomiting what little food and drink was previously offered. Even Brittany looked a little green in the face. Annya made motions with her hands, to tell her to take big, deep breaths and let them out through her nose. Her tone returned to normal after a few minutes.
This run seemed longer than the last. Everyone began to go at a slower, constant pace. She heard the other three talking to one another, and kept her head down to the gravel path they ran on. When an elbow poked her arm, she turned to look at the boy beside her.
"You're Anastasia, right? Brittany was telling us. I'm Kurt."
She didn't have the brain power to correct him. She merely nodded to him as her gaze drifted downward. But Kurt poked her arm again, and he flashed her that smile that seemed to glow with the rays of the sun.
"Annie. Is it okay for me to call you that?"
Annya nodded. And smiled back at him. She liked it when he called her that. Hell, he could call her 'ugly troll under a bridge' and she could probably be fine with it. After giving him a punch.
The group was stopped in the opening in the woods. Here it was shaded and a gentle breeze drifted through, rusting the leaves of the canopy above. It made the sunlight dance, and something metal at the top of a large poll glisten. Her eyes began to scan the poles, ropes, pulleys, and baskets above them.
A man was barking out orders in front of the group. She saw the other adults began to separate them into rows. Kurt, Annya, and the other boy stood beside each other but in their own columns. Brittany fell in behind the other boy.
"The first person in every row will be team number one. The second person in each row will be team number two, and so on. If you do not understand this, speak up now."
The only sound was the wind blowing through the trees and rope maze above. Annya's eyes continued to scan it. She presumed you could climb it all, and you would have to ring the bell to prove you could do it. It hit her then what the man in front was saying. She glanced at Kurt, then the other boy. Brittany wouldn't be on her team. She felt the girl's hand rest on her shoulder.
"You'll do fine. Kurt and Jorge'll take care of you, friendo" Brittany whispered in her ear. Annya nodded, her eyes blinking as a beam of sun hit her face.
"The game today" the man in front boomed out over the breeze, "is called 'Ring the Bell.'" He pointed with his baton to the bell at the very top of the rope maze. So, she was right that they would have to get up there.
"There are many ways to get to the bell. I leave it up to every team to find their own way. When every member of your team has rung the bell, return groundside on the double and come across this line."
Heads craned and angled as the man drew a line in the dirt with his baton. There was a hand further up the line that raised up. The man's gaze landed on the questioning child. It wasn't a friendly look.
"A question, trainee?"
"What do we win?"
The man's brow raised as he stared the boy down. The cigar in his mouth shifted a little.
"You win dinner, 117. Tonight, that's roast turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, brownies, and ice cream."
Dinner. Annya's stomach seemed to speak for the others around them. A shot of pain ran through her and she grabbed her shirt. Jorge looked at her with a look of concern before looking at Kurt. Kurt glanced at Annya, then to Jorge, nodded, then smiled.
"But, for there to be winners, there must be losers. The last team to finish goes without food."
The murmuring fell silent. Annya felt eyes on her again. She glanced at her teammates, the look of desperation evident in her eyes. They both smiled and nodded at her. They weren't going to be last.
"Get ready….Go!"
Annya watched as one boy, alone, darted forward and began the maze. Kurt pulled Jorge and Annya aside as his eyes watched the boy dart upward.
"Anyone know a way up?"
Annya raised her hand as high as her face. Jorge and Kurt looked at her, their brows raised. They'd only began to try figuring out the maze before them, and the pipsqueak that landed in their team already knew a solution.
"Alright, here's the plan. Annie, you lead up to the top. Jorge and I will help you if it gets to be too much, okay? Then we get to eat good tonight."
Annya nodded. She saw other teams making a go at the same route she was going to take. She glanced at them before dashing for a pole no one else was using. Kurt and Jorge followed her.
Two thirds up the poles, they heard the bell ring for the first time. But they saw the lone boy up there, grinning and ringing the bell. Annya glanced down and saw a pair still struggling far below them. She sighed and continued with Kurt and Jorge. The three of them pulled themselves up via the basket, and rung the bell together a minute after the boy. They slid down the metal pole and hurried over the finish line.
"First team" the man called out above them. Annya sunk to the dirt, her chest heaving, her stomach tightening up like a twisted sheet. Kurt pulled her up while Jorge held her arms over her head.
"Breathe, Anya" Jorge muttered behind her. "Focus on breathing."
"You did great!" Kurt was grinning from ear to ear. "I couldn’t figure it out that quickly. Great job!"
Annya grinned through the pain. She gasped and wheezed until the aches began to reside. The boy who'd finish first simply stared at them. Her gaze met his, and she smirked at him. Someone didn't know how to listen to directions, or work with a team. They watched as every other team followed in behind them over the span of about ten minutes. Brittany's team came in third, fourth if you counted the boy as first place like he'd declared. They approached Kurt, Jorge, and Annya with smiles on their faces.
"We're all eating tonight!" Brittany jumped up with her fists in the air.
"Who figured out the maze so quickly?" A boy stood next to Brittany. He didn't seem angry but genuinely curious. Jorge smiled and lifted Annya off the ground.
"This one right here! She figured it out before we even started."
Annya felt her cheeks flush. Other groups glanced at her, and the boy in front of her nodded and smiled. He held his hand out to Kurt.
"I'm Fred."
"Kurt. The big guy is Jorge, and Annya's our brains."
Our. Annya was certainly blushing now. Jorge plopped her down and shook Fred's hand. He shook Annya's, his gaze as if trying to figure out some sort of secret.
"It's nice to meet all of you. Good job being first."
Annya merely nodded and smiled. Fred let her hand go as Brittany moved off to speak to the other teams around them. Kurt was conversing with another group. Jorge followed after Brittany. Now she was alone, surrounded by her fellow trainees. An ache in her chest hit her. She felt alone. The feeling persisted until Kurt walked over and took her hand in his.
"Come on."
After another grueling run back to base. At least Annya's feet didn’t hurt in her boots anymore. They felt broke in already. It was the first time she'd gotten new boots no one else had worn before.
They arrived to rows of tables full of food. Everyone was in a good mood as they conversing while grabbing trays. Kurt grabbed one for Annya and helped her sit down. He sat down next to her. Jorge and Brittany sat across from them.
She felt bad for the team that would go without. But Oli always told her to feed herself first and give your leftovers to those who were less fortunate. Food was a scarcity. But here? It seemed to be in abundance. Kurt got Annya a whole leg, wing, a big chunk of the breast and skin from the turkey. He grabbed most of the breast meat and some of the thigh before getting a large pile of mashed potatoes for them to share. Annya pointed to a metal dish Jorge had just set down.
"What is?"
Kurt glanced at it before handing it over. He dipped a spoon into it and offered it to Annya. She only studied the strange, brown liquid for a few seconds before taking it in her mouth. Her eyes went wide as the deep flavor of the gravy hit her. She reached for the dish and poured most of it on her turkey, making Kurt burst out in laughter.
"You've never had gravy before? What about turkey?"
Annya took a bite of the gravy-soaked meat. Her eyes went wide again as tears formed in their corners. It was the best food she'd ever had. Better than pizza. Even better than rat. She liked turkey, but she loved the gravy so much more. Kurt took the gravy boat away before she could just pour its contents directly into her mouth.
"Eat the food. Let me get you some corn. I'll smother it in butter for you."
As she cleaned her plate, she watched Kurt return with a plate full of what she had to presume to be the corn he mentioned. It was another new food. The individual nobs glistened in the overhead lights. Kurt gave her a small cob, showing her how to hold it so her fingers wouldn't get as dirty and how to eat it. She tried it, and found it to be okay, but not as good as gravy. Nothing topped gravy. In fact, she snatched up the gravy boat and poured it all over her corn cob. Kurt watched and began to laugh again.
"Everything's better with gravy, huh, Annie?"
Annya nodded and grinned at him. If they could eat like this working together every day, she'd follow him to the deepest parts of Hell with this grin on her face.