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like an athlete. His uniform was sharp and pressed, but it wasn't the same as the soldiers' outfits. Drake squinted and made out the letters "BICC" on a badge he was wearing. The soldiers got back into the helicopter and the BICC man walked over to him. Drake felt a powerful hand on his shoulder.
"Hello, Drake," he said. "Welcome to your new home." He headed down a concrete ramp with Drake in tow.
"I don't need a new home," Drake puffed. "I want to go back to Pyote, where my family is."
They reached a large, metal double door with guards on either side. One of them waved Drake and the BICC man through. The door opened into an elevator. The man guided Drake in and waited for the doors to close, then inserted a key and turned it. They began to descend. It took a long time. In fact, it was probably the longest elevator ride of Drake's life.
"Who are you?" Drake tried unsuccessfully to push the hand off his shoulder.
"You can call me Antonio," the man said. "Or you can call me Justice. It's up to you, but use a respectful tone in either case. That goes for how you speak to everyone here."
"Yes, sir." Drake almost choked on the words. The doors opened into a reception area with more guards and a couple of people sitting behind their desks, typing or maybe just trying to look busy. They all stopped what they were doing when they saw Drake.
Justice guided Drake over to the nearest desk. There was a woman sitting behind it. Her pinched face and ugly-ass hair made Drake think she hadn't had any fun in her entire life. "Show Drake Thomas as arrived."
"Affirmative, sir." She pushed a button on her desk and another door opened with a faint hiss.
Drake followed Justice into a huge, brightly lit area. The illumination came through a glassed-in ceiling at least twenty feet above the floor and looked like natural sunlight. Drake didn't see how that could be the case given how far down they'd come. Corridors radiated out from the center in several directions, like the spokes of a bicycle. There was a kiosk in the very center with a couple more guards. Drake could see they were carrying automatic weapons and heavy batons. Again, no one was smiling. This was feeling more and more like a prison to him.
"Follow me," Justice said. Drake did as he was told. His footsteps echoed noisily off the metallic flooring. Justice paused about fifteen feet down the hallway at a doorway. He inserted his BICC badge. The mechanism beeped, and he pushed open the heavy door. "This wing of the facility is the taupe area. All the sections are color-coded based on the type of guest who's staying there."
"What kind of guest am I?" he asked.
"The kind who isn't going to be any trouble, I'm sure," Justice replied. His tone wasn't mean or taunting, just instructive.
I just want to go home. Someone get me home, Drake thought.
The walls were painted a soft tan. The hallway itself branched in several different directions from the main corridor, reminding Drake of an ant farm. This place was bigger, much bigger, than he'd imagined. Halfway down the hall, Justice opened a door, this one leading to a small room. There was a single bed, a half-open door leading to a bathroom, and a television bolted to the wall. Drake brightened at the sight of the TV. He hadn't had access to one since things went all to hell.
"At least you gave me a TV. That's something." Drake looked around for a remote.
"Right. All you can watch right now are the DVDs. There's only a few but we'll try to get you some more," Justice said. "I'll give you a tour of some of the facility later on, but for now you'll be required to stay in your room. We also need you to take that." He pointed to a pill in a plastic cup, sitting next to a glass of water on the end table.
"I'm sick of pills and stuff."
"I'll make it worth your while."
Drake shrugged and took the pill. They'd only force him if he didn't, and he was curious about the payoff.
Justice walked over to a paper bag on the floor and fished out a T-shirt, which he tossed over to Drake. "Just so you know we're not the bad guys." He gave Drake an unconvincing smile and left, locking the door behind him.
Drake unfolded the