The blatting alarm hurt her ears and the flashing red lights seared her vision, reflected off the bare white walls. Blue blinked through the haze, feeling instinctively that something was wrong, and pulled without success against her chains, whimpering in frustration.

She dimly heard Hoskins barking and swearing somewhere nearby, but at least he wasn't right there again, looming over her, thank God. The crackle of the radio reached her just as the facility rocked on its foundations, and real panic began to close Blue's throat, slowly evaporating the haze of drugs.

Her struggles were weak, so very weak, but she jerked at the restraints regardless, feeling the crusted metal bite again into her flesh, but there was no way in hell she was going to die this way! Blue tried to scream, but the sound was limp, hollow, and entirely without volume, sounding instead like a whimpered moan, but she kept pulling, although her strength was barely enough to even move the heavy chain links.