The wind slipped through her hair, blowing it past her face, as she waited for her diver to arrive. She texted her destination as the car pulled in, leaving her hair ruffled when she got into the grey car. The closing of the door freed her from the allergen-ridden air outside and she took a deep breath in this reprieve.
"So, where to?" the driver asks the girl.
She buckles her seat belt and brushes through her hair to fix it. The driver pulls out of the parking spot, driving away from the girls office building. She thinks of the lack of time they have to get home.
Before pulling out of the parking lot, the driver asks again. "Where are you headed?"
The girl's thoughts are interrupted and she responds, "Oh, didn't I send the address?"
The driver looks at his phone and shakes his head. She sends a new message, then wonders who received her previous one. A notification blips onto the drivers screen and he starts driving, turning on music to shorten the ride.
Turning down the music, the driver asks, "How was your day…" He looks at his phone, checking what his passengers name was, "…Claire?"
"Oh, um, yeah, my day was good," she distractedly responds, not looking up from her phone. "How was yours?"
The driver thinks for a second then replies, "It was pretty fine, it could get better though."
Claire ignores this and the driver turns the music back on, continuing the drive. She starts to feel tired, which isn't too unreasonable after her long day at work. Her eyes start to droop, and she realizes that she won't be able to get home awake if she stays seated.
"E-Excuse me, I'll walk from here," Claire tries to ask, feeling her mind start to go blank.
"No can do," the driver smirks, "we haven't gotten to our destination yet."
As he says this, Claire slumps over, fully asleep and unable to do anything anymore.
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Claire woke up in a large cement cell the only way out appearing to be a thick metal door on the far wall. The cell contained a bed with a metal frame and mirror spanning one of the walls. There was also an outcropping with a toilet and sink, hidden adjacent to the mirror, and a curtain blocking the restroom area from view.
In the room was where Claire waited, receiving food through a small slot in the door, food which wasn't half bad, but thoroughly bored, with nothing to do except wait.
That was until the door finally opened and Claire stepped outside. Guards standing on either side of the door directed her to a shower, handing her a change of clothes with soap and shampoo. She took the shower silently, slowly drying herself off afterwards. She examined her clothes - which contained underwear, a lab-coat, an undershirt, and a pair of clean pants - and while she put them on, a name tag fell out of the pockets.
The front of the name tag contained a photo of Claire with her full name, a small circular logo with a few letters printed under it, and a clearance level pasted on the edge. outside. The name tag's back had a bar-code and a mark which she couldn't quite identify and that constantly shifted in her vision, thus confusing her. After she looked away, she completely forgot the symbol, clipping the name tag on to her coat with no trouble. Claire finally exits the room and the guards are still patiently waiting outside.
"Hello researcher Darwin," the guards welcome in unison. Claire gives a confused look as they guide her to another area of the facility. As they walk down the hallways, they begin to brief her on her current situation.
"You have been commandeered to deal with a certain anomaly," they describe. "We, well so do you now too, work at a foundation dedicated to the covert protection of humankind."
They arrive in a lobby-like room with a protected desk in the middle, at which Claire is directed by the guards. As she hands card to the guard at her request, she see a sign plastered behind the desk. It contains the same circular logo and couple simple letters.
"What does that sign mean," Claire asks aloud.
"You'll find out soon enough," the guard smiles, handing the card back.