C20 Who's watching?

I'm going to enjoy killing these two assholes, but we have to do it fast. There's no way of knowing how many hunters are with them and I'm fading fast. We need to get to a safer place before they catch up to us. The hunter I'm fighting doesn't give up easily. We both know this is a fight to the death and only one of us will come out unscathed, and it will be me. I will not die at his hands. He comes at me with everything he has, but without his weapon he is no fighter. I bring him to his knees, but before I can knock him down, he punches me in the side, right where my wound is. I let out a roar as the pain spreads through every inch of my body. I can barely breathe, running out of air in my lungs as I stagger and fall to one knee. Spots dance in front of my eyes and I try to blink them away quickly so I can get back on my feet. The sound of gunfire fills the air before pain registers in my shoulder. I don't think that's what he was aiming for, but I don't miss the trembling in his hands as he tries to keep control of the gun. I slide onto my back, the sky filling my vision as I touch the ground. Everything spins around me as the pain spreads wildly across my shoulder. Alison screams and I can feel her through our bond, trying to comfort me, demanding that I hold her, but I can't answer her. My brain feels slow and sluggish, and all I can hear are my breaths heaving in my ears. I try to find my partner amidst all the chaos. She struggles over and gets to my side, dropping to her knees. "Luke , hold on, okay? Please keep breathing." She's worried about me, and if I wasn't in so much pain, I'd tell her, but darkness is infiltrating the edges of my vision. I blink to clear my head and my stomach twists when I see that she's wearing thick metal bracelets on her wrists. I've seen them before and it infuriates my wolf and me. They are to subjugate those with magic, tau and witches. It delivers an electric shock to whoever wears them every time they try to use magic, like an electric shock collar used on dogs. The fact that these bastards think we're nothing but animals pisses me off. Alison has clearly never run into them, because she tries to use her magic before I can warn her. She stiffens before falling forward onto her hands, her body convulsing as pain rips through the bond. Fucking asshole. I memorize his face so I can find him again and rip his throat out. "I'll kill you first for that " Alison hissed as she ducked her head. Despite her fire, she was in pain, and I urged my body to move, but I couldn't even move my limbs a little. He approaches her from behind, bends down so he can talk in her ear, and as he looks at me, he says, "You won't even remember me when we're done with you, bitch." "Don't worry, mutt " says the one on top of me, "You're coming too." I can do nothing but watch as Alison is dragged to her feet so violently that she screams. We'll get out of this, I promise her, even if it's not a promise I can keep. I'm sorry for everything, Luke . It's okay, I tell her. And the last thought I have before my vision completely shuts down is that I have to save my partner, whatever it takes. ALISON I've been afraid many times in my life, but when Luke's eyes close, it's like everything stops. The only thing that keeps me from going feral is that I can still feel him through our bond. He's not dead, he's still breathing, but I can smell his blood in the air. Stay calm, Alison. I can't use magic. Every time I try to call on my power, the bracelets on my wrists send a wave of electricity throughout my body and it hurts like hell. I need a new plan, one that doesn't involve using my magic until these chains are removed. Luke hasn't moved from where he fell and my heart shrinks painfully. I have no idea what to do to save us, but I'm not going to let us fall into the hands of our enemy. I can't be a prisoner, caged like an animal or used as a science experiment. I don't want that for Luke either. He will never tolerate being held captive. One of the assholes grabs my bicep and pulls me to my feet none too gently. I look at him angrily as I stand up, but he just smiles at me as if I'm no threat to him. "Move " he orders me as he pushes me forward. I wasn't expecting it, so I stumble on unsteady feet before turning around and scowling at him. "Asshole." "That's me. A complete asshole. Keep fucking moving." He pulls out a phone and types a message. When he's done, he pockets it and looks up at his friend. "Transport is on its way." Transport doesn't sound very positive. We won't be getting on any kind of vehicle. It would be the beginning of the end for Luke and me. That's not going to happen. I look around, scanning the street for any sign of our party, but we are alone. My stomach shrinks. No one is coming to help us. I'm the one who has to save us. It's useless and I know it before I act, but I can't stand idly by while they capture us. So I take a chance in a last desperate attempt to save us both. As soon as I use my magic, the bracelets on my wrists come to life. The result is instantaneous. A blinding pain runs through my body, an agony so intense it almost brings me to my knees. I don't know how I find the strength, but I lunge at the two hunters and watch with satisfaction as they fall, blood pouring from their noses, mouths and eyes. However, that satisfaction is short-lived. My own pain is increasing and I cannot ignore it. Every muscle in my body contracts in waves and breathing becomes impossible as my lungs tighten. I stagger, losing my balance as I try to concentrate on something other than the pain coursing through me. It feels like I'm being ripped in half and I have to fight the nausea coursing through my stomach as my body and my wolf urge me to stop. I'm not sure what happens next, but I blink and I'm on my knees, palms flat against the asphalt and blood dripping from my nose. I can taste the metal in my throat and my head is pounding to the rhythm of my racing heart. I try to move, but I feel dizzy and dazed. Son of a... I let out a scream, though it sounds as if a hand is wrapped around my throat and takes my breath away. I want to keep fighting, but my body no longer cooperates. Between spasms and convulsions, I fall face first to the ground, my limbs like water. Get the fuck up. I try to move, but my body is heavy and my head is spinning. I look down at the ground and look for Luke . He's lying about ten feet away from me, slightly leaning on his side, and his sagging jaw and closed eyes tell me he's still unconscious. Realizing how screwed we are makes me feel dread in my stomach. They can't capture me. I don't want to be forced to raise super soldiers for whatever war the Order thinks is coming. Don't go to sleep I try to blink to get the tiredness out of my eyes, but they are getting heavy. "We have to move fast," says one of the hunters. "Let's load her up. You know we're going to get rewarded for this. " He sounds cheerful and I want to punch him in the face. For him, this is a successful mission; for Luke and me, this means our lives are over. "That's why we do it," says the other. Unable to hold on, I give in to exhaustion and sink into darkness. When I wake up, the first thing I smell is antiseptics. I blink slowly, pulling my eyelids apart even though they feel like concrete. The pain goes unnoticed for a moment, but then it hits me with full force. Every inch of my skin feels sensitive, as if the capillaries and arteries below have been burned. I inhale deeply between my teeth, trying to control the sensations shooting through me as I glance quickly around the room, my adrenaline bursting inside me. I have been captured. My worst nightmare come true. I swallow my panic and try to get my bearings. There are rows of beds on either side of the room, with equipment and low metal tables scattered between them. There are curtains separating the beds, creating an illusion of privacy that is shattered by the flickering camera in the corner near the ceiling. Who's watching? I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I'm here alone. Where the hell is Luke and what have they done to him? Are there any other tau here? What about Carrie and the others? I reach across my mating bond, trying to find the male who shares my consciousness, but there's nothing but silence. Fuck, please be okay, Luke . He's not dead, but he's not conscious either, and that scares the shit out of me. When I sit up, the pain spreads through my body like a whip. It's so dizzying that I have to close my eyes and hold on to the edge of the bed so I don't slip. What did those assholes do to me?