FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
February 2398
Prologue
What was this? The thermometer went wild, and the blood test was positive, they really did it. I pat Fredric on the back happily this time, instead of awkwardly. "You really did it Fred! You made a bird!" Fred smiles at me thoughtfully. Then glances into the dark cell. A young girl cuddles in the back corner, she shakes viciously, her bright green eyes glare at me.
"A bird?!" Her voice comes out in a sharp gasp. "What did you do!" Tears start to stream down her face. She didn't know it, but she wasn't just partly bird, but many more things, this would change everything! I don't want to, but I try to comfort her.
"Now, now dear, nothing bad will happen to you, I promise, just…there will be slight changes we will have to do here…Hmmm" I look over to Fredrick. "Give her and her sister a different cage-in a few days." I order, he gives a slight nod, and follows out the door. I look over to the girl.
"You and your sister will be able to live in a room from now on, but you are not yet free dear one." I pause.
"You will do whatever I say until I let you go." Like I would ever let her go, that would be the death of me, the girl launches herself toward the rusty bars, and laughs as she sways a little from the drugs.
"I'll never do anything for you." Her eyes tint red. "Ever." So she was going to be hasty.
"I don't mean to burst your bubble dear, but you and your sister are in my facility, and in my cage, and you are my experiment. You are mine." I spit the word at her. "Now if you'll excuse me…" I turn and head toward the door.
"Wait!" She gasps, "Rick please, if you would just—"
"No!"
I slam the steel door shut, and lock it behind me with a click. I didn't need this, she was getting into my head. A dark figure sits against the wall with her legs straight out.
"Something wrong, brother?" Sam's reddish eyes pierce me. She wants something,
"Nothing. Don't bother me." Annoyed now. "What do you want?"
She smirks a little. "Before I start," She pauses, and smiles slightly.
"I heard your experiments have gone well." She flips her hair over her shoulder and straightens out her black layered dress. I give a sharp nod.
"Well enough to make more?" Her smile increases, showing her straight teeth.
"What are you suggesting?" My angry growl doesn't disturb her, like most.
"That I might have one?"
"As a pet?!" I spit out. They were all mine. I felt a strange sensation of rage course through me. My sister was so annoying. Her face twists into an unusual smirk.
"Precisely."
Engage.
I reach my hand through the bars toward Ronan's shaking hand, her nails were bitten so low it looked painful, she had a strange habit of biting her nails. I skim her knuckles lightly, trying to comfort her, and she jerks her hand back from the light touch.
"He's going to dance on our graves." She moans, "Were not going to ever be free from this Jennifer." She scoots closer to the bars and clutches my hand with gripping strength, her knuckles glow white in the dimness of the cage. "I've never been this scared before." She whispers, and looks around toward the other experiments, the cage next to her has a girl named Skyler, she crouches by the cage door fumbling with the lock. What was she thinking? That she could get out?
She screams out in pain clutching her back, "No!" She screams out. The steel door squeals open and Ronan let's go of my hand, Fredrick comes in smiling fluently. Skyler crouches low and Fredrick comes up to the cage gripping two of the bars. He turns and runs out the door without closing it. Skyler gives out another piercing scream and then stops, her body collapses onto the ground.
"Skyler?" Ronan whispers, she darts to the other side of her cage, "Skyler!" A representing moan comes out of her mouth. Fredrick darts back in with a large needle, Rick and Sam run in with large smiles. "This will take away the pain." Fredrick whispers, he fumbles with the key on his jacket, eventually getting it in the lock, the door squeals open, and he closes it just as quickly.
"She's growing them?" Sam squeals with delight, she clasps her hands together. About five other scientists have come into the room with clip boards, they murmur with each other and write things down, one of them stares at Ronan, I growl, as she looks down and writes something. Fredrick inserts the needle into her arm and suddenly Skyler relaxes, sighing with relief. "How do you feel?" Rick asks, his eyes wide with surprise. Skyler's reaction looks pained, "My back tingles…it feels like its burning" She winces.
"Turn around"
Skyler turns around stiffly, biting her full bottom lip so she won't cry out in pain, Ronan and I gasp, two bumps have started to form on her back just under her shoulder blades, her back is arched and little bumps pop out everywhere. "Let's speed up the process." One of the white coats leaves quickly, her high heels thump against the cement floor loudly. Ronan stands up. "What do you mean speed the process?" she spits out at him, Fredrick cringes back, when Ronan gets mad, her defining glower puts most people down.
"If we don't the painkiller will wear off, and she'll be in too much pain, do you want that Ronan?" Rick and Ronan glare at each other for a moment, then she looks toward skyler.
"What will happen?" She whispers. Rick opens his mouth to speak
"My dear, she'll sprout wings" Sam cuts in, she smiles brightly showing a row of bright white teeth, her white skin looks so papery with her black hair curled down, and a black layered dress that hits the floor and drags around everywhere she goes, but all I want to do is strangle her, Ronan squints and cringes back. The scientist comes in with a black narrow box in her hands, she puts it through the bars of the cage, fredrick opens it up and brings out a needle with yellowish liquid almost all the way full, he sticks it into skylers back.
"Towels!" Rick adds, most of the scientists run out of the room, bringing back forty or so, and slipping then through the bars, Skyler starts screaming, the bumps on her back vibrating, tears start to stream down Skyler's face in a steady rhythm, and then I look away, Closing my eyes tightly, my hands go to my ears, but it doesn't help, I can still hear her screams muffled by my hands. And then Quiet. Only murmurs. I look just in time to see her collapsing onto the floor. Fredrick starts to wrap the towels around her back. Ronan leaps toward the bars "Skyler!" She screeches. "Get back!" Rick snarls at her. Ronan flinches and crawls over toward me, we grip hands, this would happen to us then, good to know…I wish I didn't know, now Skyler's screaming is going to haunt me in my dreams.