I headed down the dimly lit hallway, not knowing where I was going. But I had to move; I had to do something. 

The farther I walked, the brighter the tunnel became, until it opened up into a large room, lit by dozens upon dozens of hazy, flickering lights hanging from the high ceiling. Long tables covered most of the floor space and along a far wall was a line of people. They stood patiently with trays in their hand as those before them got served with food and found seats on the long tables. It was a busy room, full of energy and conversation. 

I stood in the doorway for almost a minute, just watching. I saw families eating together, some even with small children. They laughed and played with their food, completely content and without fear. 

I turned away from the sight, feeling sick to my stomach. That's when I noticed a smaller hallway, marked with a sign that designated it as the medical wing. I headed towards it, thinking that perhaps I might find a clue as to where my children were located.

I passed several doors on either side of the hallway with numbers lined in silver on the doors, but I didn't see anyone. I tried one of the doors, but it was locked. I walked a little farther down and pulled on the handle of another door, but it too was locked. 

"Looking for something?" 

I spun around to face Lindar. He smirked, his brown eyes seeming to mock me. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

"What do you want?" My voice didn't come out as calm as I had intended, instead it sounded accusing, and malicious. 

Lindar shrugged, shifting from one foot to the other. "I just thought you might have some questions. And by the looks of it," he gestured around us before continuing, "I was right."

"Where are my kids? When I was in the government facility I found out that you guys have them. Now," I took a step closer to him, balling my hands into fists, "tell me where they are." 

Lindar raised his hands to pacify me. "Calm down there, Lucas. Now, what do your kids look like? How old are they?"

"They're just infants. One girl and one boy. Both have dark brown hair." 

Lindar rubbed his chin thoughtfully, taking his time to answer. While I waited, two people--a man and a woman-- passed by, both wearing scrubs. They nodded towards Lindar, but didn't say anything.

I watched them go until they had turned the corner then looked back towards Lindar. He met my gaze steadily, then spoke.

"Unfortunately, we don't have your kids," Lindar said, causing my heart to sink. If they weren't here, then where were they? How would I ever find them? 

"But," Lindar continued, "I might know how to find them."

I straightened. "Go on. I'm listening."

He chuckled and scratched his ear, a gesture I found slightly odd in the way he did it. But I dismissed that thought and focused on paying attention. 

"The government lied to you, Lucas. Just as they have been lying to all of us for so long. Obviously, they still have your kids. And we can help you get them back."

"How?" I cut in, a desperate plan beginning to form in my mind.

"By fighting. We've been planning to fight back for some time. You can fight with us, and when we attack, we'll make sure to find your kids. Sound like a deal?" Lindar asked, holding out his hand.

I shook it. "What do I have to do?"

[]

"Here's where we train all of our new recruits," the training instructor, Asha, said. She had golden, chestnut hair that was woven into about a million intricate braids so tight they looked painful and an exoctic accent that I didn't recognize. As she walked through the training room, her hair swung back and forth, occasionally getting caught in loops on her soldier's uniform. I watched, mesmerized, until Asha turned to face me. 

She raised a trimmed eyebrow and I moved my eyes to the racks of weapons hanging on the walls. All sorts of weapons from guns to knives to even axes lined the walls while others rested on several tables throughout the room. 

Towards the center of the room were several large mats where people practiced fighting and dueling while others watched. At the far end, a line of targets were being used for target practice. 

"What's first?" I finally asked Asha when she came to a stop at the corner to the left of the targets. She walked past me and grabbed some articles of clothing off a table.

"Change into these. Then we start," she said, slurring her words slightly because of her accent. 

I quickly did as she said, pulling on the soldier's uniform that consisted of camouflage pants, heavy duty boots, and a grey t-shirt. Once I was dressed, Asha handed me a long, wooden pole and I followed her over to an empty training mat. 

She grabbed some chalk and dusted up her hands before stepping onto the mat. I followed after her, rubbing my hands with the dusty white chalk until they were ghostly pale as well. Then I grabbed my pole and took a stance on the mat. 

"First lesson. Always watch your opponent," Asha picked up a pole from the edge of the mat and swung in between her hands several times. She stepped to the left, and my gaze followed her. 

Behind Asha, I caught a glimpse of everyone else heading for the door. Then a something hit the floor behind me, causing a loud banging sound to echo around the room. 

I swung around, taking in the now empty room and a box of weapons that was scattered across the floor. Who had knocked the box down?

Before I could finish that thought, something hit me across my back, sending me flying forwards. I smacked on the ground and rolled onto my back, groaning. My vision was blurry and spinning; I blinked several times and as it cleared, someone came into view. 

Asha smirked down at me. "I thought I told you to always watch your opponent."

And there it is! Chapter sixteen for you all! I hope you liked it :) And a little FYI, keep your eyes peeled for a new story coming out by me :) 

Also, don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed it!

Ithildae