Restraint

"He's coming to, doctor!" The voice pierced through the fog in his brain. Everything hurt. He tried to remember where he was, but he couldn't even remember his name. Panic pricked his drug-induced haze.

"Max, can you hear me?" Another voice asked, a head peered over him, shining a blinding light in his eye. Max nodded. He tried to sit up, but the man with the light pushed him back down.

"Don't try to sit up yet," The nurse said, "You're still very weak." Max rubbed the back of his head, feeling the coarse bandage scratch at his fingers. He felt as if he'd fallen from a building. Suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. The mission, the betrayal, the fire. He pushed the nurse away and hurried to stand, but restraints jerked him back. He pulled at it, trying to get it off, but it was only getting harder to escape from.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," The voice was soft, barely audible over the beeping of the machines that surrounded him, "The more you struggle, the tighter the restraints get." Max looked up to see the thin figure emerge from the shadows.

"You," He hissed. The woman smiled regretfully. Considering he was in the Facility, he was expecting many things. But he wasn't expecting her.

"Yes, me," She said, "It's been a long time, Max."

"You betrayed me!" His voice was rising fast. He was angry. That doctor had been his friend! He had saved her! Now she was watching as he struggled to escape his sterile prison. The smell of antiseptic tickled his nose. He coughed, struggling against his restraints with all his strength.

"Calm down, Max," She scolded, "They're going to sedate you if you can't keep yourself under control!" She glanced toward a red light in the corner of the room. Max followed her gaze and reluctantly stopped thrashing. He glared at the doctor. The metal of the restraint felt cold on his skin. Cold like the sorrow and hatred that seeped into his brain. He never thought he'd see his friend again, not after her disappearance.

"Just listen," She pleaded, "I can explain everything if you just give me a chance." She paused, waiting for his answer. His face hadn't changed, but he crossed his arms expectantly. She sighed, knowing that was all the answer she was going to get.

"I never meant to wind up with the Facility. I never meant to become one of their pawns. But fate had other plans, Max." Max scoffed. Nina had never believed in fate. The doctor was logical enough not to. But the sorrow in Nina's eyes kept him from speaking. Maybe she really was sorry; she had never lied to him before the Facility took her. He doubted she would lie now.

"One day, they showed up at my door. They had pictures of my brother, Max. I was terrified. They offered me a deal. The operative said his employers had taken notice of my research. Apparently, I'd run into one of them before; it was only then that I remembered the man. He was sickly and feeble, watching me from a corner. I was talking about a genetic alteration surgery I'd just completed. I didn't think much of it. After all, what would the man want to do with some geneticist's conversation? He gave me this... business card. It was bugged. When the other operative showed up, he didn't just have pictures of my brother, but my friends, my coworkers, and you. He told me that if I didn't comply, people would start going missing. I refused at first, but he said that you and my brother would vanish first." Tears streaked the doctor's face now, "I had to spy for him, Max, I had to!" She paused, hoping that he would understand, hoping that he would forgive her for everything, or at least something. Max just stared. No emotion gleamed in his eyes. She lowered her head, defeated. "I'm sorry, Max. If I could fix everything I did, I would." She never expected a business card to bring so much trouble. She never thought that they would go after Max anyway. A drop of salty water fell into her mouth. She wiped the other tear away quickly. Max had never liked to see her cry. Even now, he had something like sympathy in his eyes. He's always been too soft for his occupation, no matter how much he argued otherwise.

"Are you really sorry, Nina?" Max asked. Nina could tell there was something going through his head. If she wanted forgiveness, she had to answer his question correctly.

"Yes." She whispered. She stared at him anxiously; his eyes met hers.

"Good," There was life in them again, the cold detachment slowly fading away. He beckoned her over. She knew what he was planning. Her hands moved furtively to unlatch his restraints. No one ever noticed her movements unless she wanted them to. Max knew this; he had watched her disappear into thin air countless times. Max was glad that the doctors hadn't exchanged his jeans and t-shirt for one of those infernal nightgowns. Somewhere out there, though, the Facility was going to regret it. The restraints released their hold on him silently. Nina was still blocking the view of him from the camera. She was fiddling with a computer now, a look of concentration plastered on her delicate features. Max wasn't fooled; he knew that she wasn't some flower that needed constant care. He had spent countless hours with the geneticist, watching her work. In the distance, alarms were blaring. Shouts of panic could just barely be heard over the sound. He forced back laughter, trying to remain as quiet as he could as Nina worked. She clicked off the computer, satisfied.

"What did you do?" He raised an eyebrow. She smirked.

"Just gave them a little surprise." Max grinned. Nina smiled at the camera as the feed went dark.