The Beast-bound Captain's Captive

Staggering on his feet, Ren let his backpack, which dug into his shoulder like guilt fall to the ground so he could catch his breath and relieve the ache in his entire back.

He had just escaped a chase from Beast-bound.

With his back to the sunken Beast-bound, he raised his head and stared at the gigantic Faction12. It wasn't just a fortress; it was less a base and more a colossal, self-contained city, its sleek, dark grey and metallic surfaces reflecting the blinding lightning from above.

It was a defiant monolith piercing the orange-tinged clouds, a stark, almost brutal contrast to the ravaged dunes that stretched endlessly to its formidable gates.

Gleaming, angular walls of reinforced metal rose impossibly high, studded with unseen defence systems and punctuated by the steady, unblinking sentinel light atop its highest tower. It exuded an aura of unassailable power, a beacon of order in a chaotic world, yet Ren couldn't shake the chilling thought that such order often came at a monstrous price.

Its sheer scale dwarfed the dunes, its imposing gates a gaping maw that promised either salvation or an inescapable trap.

This was not just a stronghold; it was a declaration.

He looked at himself and realised that he looked very unpresentable; dirt had covered every inch of his clothes, and his scarf was lying on the ground next to his backpack.

'How are they going to let me in looking like a Beast-bound?' He thought, furrowing his brows.

With a determined huff, he picked up his scarf, dusted his face and his entire body before wrapping it around his face and neck once more.

He picked up the backpack, took a deep breath, and limped forward.

He hoped that the chase he got from the sunken Beast-bound would be the first and last misfortune he faced that night and for the rest of his journey.

Soon, Ren stood in front of the towering, sleek, grey gates, unsure of how to get his presence known.

He slung the backpack over one shoulder and shifted his weight from one tired leg to the other.

He raised his hand and prepared to knock, but just as his knuckles were about to touch the sleek gate, a soft hissing sound was heard, and it slowly started to slide open.

Ren took a step away from the gates, watching in awe as the gigantic gate slid open.

He thought it was going to slide to the hinges, but it stopped moving when it got to a size fit for a human to pass.

He stared, but all he could see was darkness. Nothing was visible beyond the sleek grey gate.

Clenching his fists, he took one last courageous breath and stepped through the dark gates. Immediately, the gates sealed behind him, trapping him in pitch darkness.

Ren couldn't see where he was, and in the absence of sight, his other senses took over.

The air was clean, unlike the impurity-filled air behind the gates, and he could feel how cool the place was, like some air-purifying machine was turned on somewhere.

Suddenly, a blinding light shone from above him and he immediately shielded his eyes with his hand, squinting.

A deep, synthesised voice boomed from the towering walls themselves, startlingly clear against the quiet, silver passage, "Identify yourself, your purpose, and state your status."

Ren peered around him, he couldn't find anyone, and instead of visible speakers, the voice emanated directly from subtle, almost invisible apertures in the gleaming walls flanking it. The voice was deeply amplified, devoid of echo, and slightly distorted and synthesised, sounding more authoritative and less human.

Ren gulped, It felt like the base itself was speaking, a disembodied, all-knowing voice that he was sure boomed across the dunes without anyone visible.

His scarf was held tighter around his neck as he peered ahead of him into the lit passage, "I'm Mira Caspian, a lost female survivor, seeking shelter from the Faction of the greatest leader, Captain Axton." He forced his voice to sound higher, doing his best to mimic his sister's voice.

Though chapped and dry, his voice did pass off as that of a female.

"Proceed," The synthesised voice commanded.

In the next second, the bright light dimmed and a door slid open at the end of the passage, revealing another gate, quite taller than the one he had passed outside.

Slowly, he stepped forward, leaving the passageway and setting foot onto the solid, concrete ground of Faction12.

"Mira Caspian," A voice called from the side.

Ren immediately lifted his head and looked up; that was when he realised that soldiers lined the arched walkway between the two tall walls: the one he had just walked out from, and the one in front of him.

He gulped, wondering what was going to happen to him next.

'If only I didn't fight Zarek, I wouldn't be here. But... I'm doing this for my sister... I'm saving her life,' He thought with a pounding heart.

Around him, the soldiers were highly armed, their intimidating uniforms, almost making him tremble in fear.

"Yes, that is me," He replied in his softest voice.

The soldier walked closer to him, his critical eyes scanning Ren's whole form.

"Security check, activated," That synthesised voice was heard again, followed by the opening of the main gate.

"Follow me," The soldier said to Ren, moving toward the two-foot-wide gate that was slid open from one side of the large gate.

Ren gulped, he felt a strange sensation from the green laser-like lights that ran from one side of the gate to the other.

What was going to happen when he stepped through that high artificial intelligence gate?

Sharp, observing pairs of eyes trained on him as he slowly moved himself toward the gate.

His heart was pounding loudly; everything about Faction12 was intimidating, starting from the tightly tarred grounds. One would never believe that the world outside was a devastating and desolate desert. The soldiers were deadly-looking, their guns and weapons as sleek and dangerous as the walls.

His fingers clenched over the strap of his backpack as he neared the door.

"You may enter, Mira. The captain will be delighted, a female in the faction," The soldier spoke behind him.

With one last nod, Ren lifted his leg and stepped through the door, his eyes shut and lips tightly pursed.

He felt the warmth of the scanners wash over him, a soft, humming sound accompanying the light as he walked past it.

He crossed...