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Authors: Susan Willshire
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soon as you get up in the morning and we can all discuss before this “training” class starts again tomorrow? " Gabriel asked with the heavy eyelids of a newborn child. Gabriel knew his father naturally awoke very early, so they should have some time to talk then.
“Yes, Gabriel, I think that’s a good idea. Normally, I don’t think we would sleep, but my body is tired as if I’ve been up for two days,” Alexander Aquila replied.
“Mine, too,” agreed Enam.
“The morning, then” Gabriel affirmed, giving his father a hug. He entered his room and collapsed on the bed fully dressed, asleep within one minute.
Chapter 6
As Gabriel predicted, Alexander Aquila did rise early. Even though he’d been exhausted, his body still was not one to sleep late. He showered quickly, brushed his teeth and donned clothes from the assortment hanging neatly in the closet. The clothes had been there, perfectly his size, but slightly different from his own taste. An array of jeans, slacks, shirts and shoes with no bright colors, no tags, labels or designs, all comfortable, all functional, and a few sets of athletic gear. He didn’t really care about the lack of selection much, but just noticed in the inquisitive way that was his trademark.
After hanging his robe neatly back in the closet, closing the door and making the bed, Alexander turned his attention to the window. He examined the frame and the seals. There was no way to open the window and the construction appeared to enter directly into the wall for some depth. If the glass had been set into a window frame resting in the opening, it would have been fairly easy to chisel along the edge with a knife or some implement and remove the window. This, however, was not the case. He put the nearest dark mahogany chair in front of the door to his room and climbed up on the bed to check out the ventilation system. It was barely large enough for a cat, much less a person. ‘Not even one of the smaller females’ he thought, dismayed. There was no crawl space outside of the ventilation system either; the ceiling tiles were only a few inches below the subfloor of the floor above them. He knocked above his head on the subfloor of the room above him. It appeared to be something similar to concrete, maybe a bit thinner.
Removing the chair from against the door and replacing it at the small matching desk in the alcove area of his suite, which was identical to the suite of every other recruit, Mr. Aquila left his room and ventured out into the hallway. Assuming they had cameras in the common areas, he wanted to check things out without appearing to be looking for an escape route. He could hear mild stirrings in the quadrant of running showers, muffled voices and the whirr of a coffee machine down the hall with the occasional splunk of dropping water. A few others were starting to rise and prepare for their day. George emerged from his room across the hall from Mr. Aquila’s.
“Good morning,” George said, barely awake, moving on autopilot toward the cafeteria for some coffee. While each room had a refrigerator for drinks and snacks, they did not have their own microwaves or coffee pots. The recruits had to eat in the common area for their main meals. George turned the corner into the cafeteria, disappearing from Alexander’s sight and the hallway was once again empty. To Alexander’s left stood about four or five steel doors before the door leading to the training room. To his right was a long hallway. These doors were not all being used as living quarters. In fact, they seemed to be spaced to one vacant suite between each occupied suite.
Fortunately, Gabriel’s room lay at the very end of the hallway, just prior to the opposing door. Gabriel moved down the hallway, looking at the floor boards and ceiling structure subtly as he walked. There were no additional vents in the hallway and the general construction seemed to mirror what he had found in his room. At the end of the hallway,
“Yes, Gabriel, I think that’s a good idea. Normally, I don’t think we would sleep, but my body is tired as if I’ve been up for two days,” Alexander Aquila replied.
“Mine, too,” agreed Enam.
“The morning, then” Gabriel affirmed, giving his father a hug. He entered his room and collapsed on the bed fully dressed, asleep within one minute.
Chapter 6
As Gabriel predicted, Alexander Aquila did rise early. Even though he’d been exhausted, his body still was not one to sleep late. He showered quickly, brushed his teeth and donned clothes from the assortment hanging neatly in the closet. The clothes had been there, perfectly his size, but slightly different from his own taste. An array of jeans, slacks, shirts and shoes with no bright colors, no tags, labels or designs, all comfortable, all functional, and a few sets of athletic gear. He didn’t really care about the lack of selection much, but just noticed in the inquisitive way that was his trademark.
After hanging his robe neatly back in the closet, closing the door and making the bed, Alexander turned his attention to the window. He examined the frame and the seals. There was no way to open the window and the construction appeared to enter directly into the wall for some depth. If the glass had been set into a window frame resting in the opening, it would have been fairly easy to chisel along the edge with a knife or some implement and remove the window. This, however, was not the case. He put the nearest dark mahogany chair in front of the door to his room and climbed up on the bed to check out the ventilation system. It was barely large enough for a cat, much less a person. ‘Not even one of the smaller females’ he thought, dismayed. There was no crawl space outside of the ventilation system either; the ceiling tiles were only a few inches below the subfloor of the floor above them. He knocked above his head on the subfloor of the room above him. It appeared to be something similar to concrete, maybe a bit thinner.
Removing the chair from against the door and replacing it at the small matching desk in the alcove area of his suite, which was identical to the suite of every other recruit, Mr. Aquila left his room and ventured out into the hallway. Assuming they had cameras in the common areas, he wanted to check things out without appearing to be looking for an escape route. He could hear mild stirrings in the quadrant of running showers, muffled voices and the whirr of a coffee machine down the hall with the occasional splunk of dropping water. A few others were starting to rise and prepare for their day. George emerged from his room across the hall from Mr. Aquila’s.
“Good morning,” George said, barely awake, moving on autopilot toward the cafeteria for some coffee. While each room had a refrigerator for drinks and snacks, they did not have their own microwaves or coffee pots. The recruits had to eat in the common area for their main meals. George turned the corner into the cafeteria, disappearing from Alexander’s sight and the hallway was once again empty. To Alexander’s left stood about four or five steel doors before the door leading to the training room. To his right was a long hallway. These doors were not all being used as living quarters. In fact, they seemed to be spaced to one vacant suite between each occupied suite.
Fortunately, Gabriel’s room lay at the very end of the hallway, just prior to the opposing door. Gabriel moved down the hallway, looking at the floor boards and ceiling structure subtly as he walked. There were no additional vents in the hallway and the general construction seemed to mirror what he had found in his room. At the end of the hallway,
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