We've known each other our whole lives. I had to be the one to tell
his family.
+Before that could happen my squad leader arrived in silence, looking a
+little uncomfortable. It took him a few minutes to work up the nerve
+but he broke the silence. He said we needed to go to Central Base to
+meet with the Lieutenant Colonel and then he'd take me back.
+
+"I can drive" I offered as we approached the vehicle. "Leave me the
+wheel," he laughed and we zipped through the desert air and down the
+compound's tight, gravel trails.
+
+Pulling up before the entrance to Central Base half hour later I got
+out and went around the gravel parking lot. I had to walk through an
+armed gate in order to approach the the door. I nodded and waited for
+the door to be opened.
+
+The Lieutenant Colonel turned to face me as I walked in to her office,
+smiled, and shook my hand. "I'm glad to meet you", she said. I nodded
+and then realized I had to sit somewhere. In front of the door was a
+vinyl chair and while I sat down, I felt my arms burn up. My squad
+leader remained standing near the door.
+
+"When did you last talk to Rodrìguez?" she asked.
+
+"I haven't spoken to him since I left him in the detention center," I
+told them. "He called me this morning."
+
+In that moment the office door opens and in comes the General, who
+promptly orders me to come with him.
+
+We walk down a guarded hallway to a large white box marked "Isolation
+Cell", the exterior of which which was decorated with two small
+paintings and flowers on the walls. It had "1.0" written next to the
+sign by hand. The door was closed so that I couldn't see what was
+inside.
+
--
Copyright (C) 2019 Jason Self <j@jxself.org>
You can redistribute and/or modify this under the terms of the GNU
projects / the-compound.git / commitdiff