Chapter 4

-Riley-

Walking through the door to find a disgruntled looking Joseph and the girl lying safely on a cot was possibly the biggest relief to come to me in a while. I'd been driving around for what seemed like hours before I'd gotten the call. In that time I'd gone through all the possible ways that either the girl or someone in the compound could've gotten hurt. So really to say seeing the two of them was actually an understatement.

"About time you got here" grumbled Joseph

Rolling my eyes, I rushed over to the girl to check the monitors "Brief me on what happened" Joseph stood from his chair "I found her in the back alleyway. When I got there, she was incoherent and feverish, so I brought here to the nearest room and administered medications and hooked her up."

I nodded "Good good..."

"We need to inform the council on her condition"

I turned to face him with what I hoped to be an indifferent expression "There's nothing to inform them of Joseph" He huffed "Really? Because I would say her little escape is definitely newsworthy."

"Joseph"

He threw his hands up and glared at me "No Dr. Palvo, the subject is awake and stable. I have had it with your disdain for the council! Subject 14 is not someone to protect, she is an Outsider!" I felt my anger rise as the young idiot continued to pace and rant "We have a duty to the compound to get what we can out of the Subject. If we are ever to see the outside of this dome, if our people are ever to see the outside of the bunkers below us, we need to discover what we can so we know what we're facing on the outside!"

I crossed my arms, burning holes into the blonde "You know I understand that more than anyone. Don't you think that I want Darla to be able to-"

"Not if you keep pushing for leniency with these people! What can we possibly learn from them when we're tip toeing around them? When you know they would never grant us the same kindness on the outside!"

Pressing my lips together, I attempted to stay calm "And what about our humanity Joeseph? You know that they don't just gently ask them about their lives and their hopes and dreams or whatever. When we are out of the room or refuse to care, what do you think happens?"

He swallowed looking at the ground

"The council's little henchmen have their own twisted way of getting information from them. They don't give a rat's ass that they the majority don't speak our language. They don't give a damn about how old they are or if they are a man, woman or child."

I grabbed him, forcing his eyes upward until they were on mine "All they care about is the fact that one time they decided to play explorer outside the walls and nearly died. They care about the one time a building collapsed. They care about the one time a few wandering outsiders made it into the compound."

I grit my teeth, letting him go as I turned to the girl and forced my voice to become softer "The point is they don't care because they are scared and if we are too then these people, who have not done anything, are going to pay for it."

Turning back to him, I sighed "And we are not going to come out any better for it"

He shook his head "We might not, but at least we will survive out there."

With that, I watched as Joseph turned and left the room.