"Would you like some?" he asks Gasard.
"Sure," comes from the redhead as he continues to busy himself with the control panel.
"So the poison is in the drinking water?" Mak sets the glass and the bottle on a table. Gasard nods, though neither he nor the other looks at their conversation partner. "Do you know who was the last one in there?" Mak asks, walking to the cupboard. He retrieves two more glasses.
My gaze shifts from one to the other. I'm surprised they're discussing the matter so casually. But I can also imagine that panic would be the wrong approach to something like this.
"Unfortunately, yes," Gasard sighs. Immediately, he has Mak's attention, who is busy filling all the glasses with juice. "Someone from Marto's group was the last one in."
"From Marto's group?" Disbelief colors the dark-haired one's expression at the other's words. "He has his group under control!" He shakes his head, then turns to the glass.
"It will take a while for me to fix everything," Gasard sighs. "It's going to be a stressful and protest-filled day. Later, I'll let the kitchen know to distribute the fruits as much as possible..."
"But I just got those!" Mak protests as he brings our glasses. "Why those delicious ones specifically? The guys can surely endure a day of hunger!"
"Are you voluntarily joining in on the hunger?" Gasard bursts into laughter.
I take a sip from the glass, observing the two of them curiously. I'm eager to see Mak's reaction.
"I can't stop you anyway, so I'll sneak into the kitchen later and grab a few for myself!" Mak laughs. He goes to his glass and sits on the table.
"That's just like you!" Gasard says, shaking his head.
"There will surely be trouble again downstairs in the prison," says Mak. He takes a sip from the glass.
Trouble doesn't sound pleasant to me. I can imagine I'll have to be especially careful not to step on anyone's toes then.
"Just stay close to Musator. Nothing should happen to you there." Mak winks at me.
"And please don't tell anyone about what you've heard here," Gasard pleads with me.
I nod to both of them. Mak's advice is clear to me. Musator seems to command a lot of respect there, but also possesses a lot of power, as I saw during the attack on Nora and me. The prisoners almost obey him on command.
Mak finishes his drink.
"I'll take the little one back to where she belongs," Mak calls out to leave. He sets down his glass and walks away. I quickly finish mine, then follow him.
Mak leads me through the corridors of the station until we reach the door leading to the guards on the platform.
As the door opens, protest cries reach us. The prisoners protest against the shutdown of drinking water and the cancellation of all meals. They shout for an explanation, but the guards only say they're not authorized to provide one.
Mak gives me a gentle push to keep going. I obediently follow and slowly descend the stairs. Behind me, Mak talks with Marto. It seems to be a heated conversation. Mak looks shocked and excited, but I can't understand what they're talking about.
Halfway down the stairs, I'm already facing the angry crowd. They hurl insults and curses at the guards, shouting about injustice and how they're being left to hunger and thirst.
I would love to go back, but I can't, so I try to push through the crowd. It's not easy. Occasionally, I get shoved, and one of the men even hits my upper arm as he fights with another prisoner.
My hand rubs the sore spot as I finally emerge from the crowd. Happy to finally be out, I lean against the wall.
"Did someone do something I don't know about?" the question reaches my ears.