Separated in war, chapter 2: confinement

Sapa awoke struggling against the straps on the medical bed, panicking for a moment until she remembered how she had ended up there. Thinking more clearly, she discovered it was a simple matter to slip out of the straps, as the machine-bed had been designed for people over twice her height. She was interrupted by a voice from behind.

"You'd better not get caught slipping out of bed like that by the Metin. They'll add restraints if they catch you."

Sapa turned around and slipped back under the restraints

"What's your name? Did they take you from the city too?"

"My name is Mukeo," the woman replied, "and before I answer your other question, could you tell me your name?"

"Oh, my name is Sapa. I live in Pakasu district, Nateuo complex, flat 71-79A. And my family communication number is..." she undid a button sized device from her vest and unfolded it, revealing an interactive screen, and began to fiddle with it with her fingers. "7B6... 11...3AA...4297..."

"Woah there kid, that's too much information. So your name's Sapa, huh? I can't beleive that they'd take a child as young as you."

"Do you know them, ms. Mukeo?" Sapa gestured to the other two people strapped to medical beds, who were still sleeping.

"Yes, I certainly do. Kaepena, wake up! They picked up another one. It's a little girl this time."

An annoyed grumble came from beside them as the man on theur left rose his head.

"Yes, I saw her when they beought her in. My head is to cloudy to think right now."

Kaepena quickly returned to sleep.

"While he doesn't want to talk, and Lusake..." Mukeo pointed to the sleeping form that Sapa had just learned the name of

"can't talk as far as I can tell. He and that gagged woman on the wall were already in here when I was picked up, and it seems to me that they are crazy or something because all Lusake does when he is awake is babble on about all this weird stuff he's

seen and shout like he's been panicking after being cornered. I get the feeling some pretty nasty stuff must have happened to those two, but I suppose a girl your age doesn't care about all that."

"Do you know where we're going, ms. Mukeo? That man told me that he could take me to where my mama and papa are."

Simply mentioning her parents seemed to kill her mood, and Sapa went to the verge od crying.

"Oh, no, you don't have to cry. Maybe their taking us to the inner capitol, I bet that was where your parents were planning to go to."

"But what if they got lost too?"

"You just have to hope for the best. I'm sure that's what your parents would want you to do."

"Hope for the best?"

"Just think about us meeting your parents at the end of all of this."

"But what if they aren't!"

"Just ..."

Their conversation was interrupted as the door to the medical room was opened from the outside. In stepped the tall man from before and a stern looking woman with a red cloak on, much more ornate than the dress of the other strangers. Her eyes widened when she saw that Sapa had partially undid her straps and spat out an order to the man, who then meekly walked forward and tightened the straps over Sapa. After that, the woman began to speak harshly to the man. Although Sapa didn't understand a word spoken, she noticed the woman kept referring to the man as what sounded to her ears to be "hindemu sulehe" and the man replying to her with "hilotu". Sapa mimicked the woman, and said "Hindemu Sulehe, ndanonomuladamatasindekou!"

This interrupted their conversation,

and the woman stared at Sapa with anger and confusion, spouting something off at her in her native tongue. The man chuckled, and said "Child, you say it wrongly. You say "Fidemu tloçe"."

The woman carried on shouting at "sulohie?"(Sapa could not pronounce it) and then turned to Sapa and it seemed she was trying to tell Sapa something, not realizing that Sapa didn't know a word she was saying. After a few moments of failed communication, the woman said something to the Tloçe, who responded to Sapa."

"Child, My commander Kïtoq thinks that you were insulting her. She wants you to stop talking."

The woman Tloçe called "Kïtoq" asked him something else, and he walked over to where Mukeo was lying down. Mukeo began to panic as he approached her.

"Mukeo, my commander thinks that you conspire with the child Sapa."

"We weren't conspiring, we were just talking, you brute! She's a little girl, she can't conspire!"

Tloçe reached for something on the inside of the vest, but then hesitated. Sharp sounding word's from his commander pushed him further, and he raised a hypodermic needle out of his vest. Mukeo began to panic even more, but right as Tloçe injected her with whatever was in the vial, he said "Mukeo, this is not the true punishment drug. Mimic the effects to the camera and they will not know."

Mukeo stopped panicking for a second, but then started again when she remembered she had to put up a show. Kïtoq's face softened, and she said something to Tloçe as they left. After they were gone, Sapa decided to start asking Mukeo questions again.

"Why did you get so scared when Su, Sulohe gave you the medicine?"

"We can't talk anymore or they'll come back. Go to sleep." she whispered back. Sapa took the advice and went to sleep quickly, not waking up until the engine turned off and the aircraft landed hours later.