Disclaimers: I don't own Uglies, or any main characters originally in the book.
Tally's POV
"Tally, we're going to be late."
"I know." My words were biting in the crisp air, though I did not hear David shrink back. He was use to my responses, fortunately for him-- I doubted I could handle hearing him show signs of weakness at a time like this. Where we would be flying today was quite dangerous, and possibly even deadly.
David began piling in packets of SpagBol, but I held up a hand. "Please. No SpagBol."
David cracked an amused smile. "They're for me, Tally. We have enough other food to last for a decade. Unless you need to lessen the load?" In response, I heaved the bag of food over my shoulder and tied it to the hook hanging there. My shoulder strained at the effort, but I let no weakness betray my expression. David wouldn't be seeing me flinch-- At least, that much of my pride was still salvaged. The rest had been destroyed while traveling with my ex-boyfriend, in the wild living off of instant food, trying to survive with little but each other's company. The excitement I would be gaining today wasn't only just an important mission-- It was a savior. For me, at least.
While he was finishing up tying everything to hover ball rigs, I stepped out into the cool air of the mountain. From there, I could see everything-- I could see my old city, and my old headquarters. Uglyville, where had stayed in longing for so long of a life I would not want. The mansions, where I had met with--
'No one. No one.' I repeated firmly in my mind, my Special reflexes reacting to the rush of adrenaline by jumping up onto the cave ledge. I was perched perilously on a small lip of the rock, my breathing becoming harsh and the air suddenly biting again the whites of my eyes. No. Specials didn't cry.
Even when they were remembering their dead boyfriends.
"Tally," came a voice from below me. I looked down to see David staring up at me in a sympathetic way. My lip curled defensively; I didn't need pity. "What?"
His expression changed, realizing his mistake-- it relaxed into impatience. I responded by jumping off the ledge to stand in front of him. He stared back into my cold eyes with an unfazed expression. "We need to leave now, or else risk failing."
At that, I turned and grabbed my hoverboard, already turned back towards him before he could realize I had moved. I could see disbelief crowding his expression, but he simply turned to collect his own hoverboard and followed me towards the edge. I paused, and he looked at me curiously; he knew I never hesitated unless something was bothering me extremely. I kept my head low as I spoke. "You understand this will be dangerous."
David groaned, throwing his hands up and accidentally dropping his hoverboard over the cliff. I bent down and caught it before it could escape too far. He was still shaking his head, as if the exchange hadn't happened.
"We've been over this before, Tally."
"You're only human."
"So are you!"
"No; I'm not." I responded so quickly I hadn't realized what I had said until I said it, and then I felt confused, which angered me. I definitely was human-- No matter what anyone did to me, no matter how Special my body and mind was, I was still physically human. But I knew why I had said that.
Everyday... Every night... It was if a monster was inside of me, fighting to burst out. It clawed and bit at my insides, squirming and bucking every moment, and it was so hard... It was so hard fighting it all the time; it nearly overwhelmed me at times. It was the inhuman part of me, the Special part, and it was much more powerful than I allowed to show. Sometimes it consumed me; sometimes it won. I doubted David knew; when I found myself losing control, I disappeared into the trees and only came back when I could feel Tally again. David never questioned why I disappeared, never tried to figure out the strange reasons why I had left him. I knew that he accepted that I would come back eventually... Because I always came back. I always came back.
"You are human, Tally," David repeated. I realized he had put a hand on my shoulder, and I shrugged it off, turning away. He persisted until I left his hand there. "You might not-- You might not feel like it at times, but you are human. Just because people have done this to you doesn't mean-- It can't mean-- That you're a different person." I stayed immobile for a few moments, listening to his steady breathing and fighting for control. Human. Human.
"Let's go," I finally stated, throwing out my hoverboard and jumping on, the lifters humming to a start. David followed me, use to my lack of a response, and smiled over at me. I nodded back at him, and we set off.
#
Different (unknown) POV.
It was cold here.
The air was chilling, chilling to the bone. I shivered uncontrollably, my shudders racking through my body and sending my chest into convulsions. Yesterday, I had been in an area that was hot-- my forehead had turned red, and sweat was pouring off my body in bucket loads. I believe I had passed out at one point-- I had regained consciousness, and I was in the same room, but the heat was no longer affecting me. My skin had turned leathery hard.
Now it was back to normal, and I was freezing to death.
I pressed my twitching fingers to my immobile face; either my hand or my cheek was freezing as solid as the ice I was laying on, I did not know, but I yelped back in pain, it was so cold. My naked body curled up into a ball, trying to shield myself from the hard ice I was laying on and the wintry blizzard air beating at my body.
Why didn't I pass out? I needed to pass out, I needed to. The pain was throbbing, and the cold was torture-- My eyes stung and let out a flow of watery tears at the wintry air freezing them on the spot. My pale skin was papery and translucent, and it was unbearable now-- Just like yesterday. Why was I not passing out yet?
As if taunting me, suddenly there came an onslaught of hail-- Large, baseball sized hail that rained down on me and bludgeoned my body. I cried out in pain, the sound catching in my throat in a cough, which turned to hacking. I felt blood dribble from my mouth; I turned away, repulsed, and tried to create warmth by hugging my knees to my chest.
And suddenly, I heard sounds of... Something.
My mind had forgotten what they meant. A loud thumping was happening from somewhere around me, my eyes too weak to search. It sounded like the sounds that my body made after being pelted with the ice balls-- But it was too painful to listen to. My hands curled over my ears, and I found myself slipping away.
#
Tally's POV"Be quiet." I ordered David as he moved to open his mouth. He fell silent, and I strained my ears, letting it span out to hear as much as I could. I heard the loud thumping of party music a few houses down, the howl of a siren, and the--
Yes. The sound of wardens speaking quietly.
"In here. And use your mask." I motioned for David move into the back door as we both put on our air filters; we didn't know what would be in there. 'Surgery Center', the building had read in the front... I had no doubt this building was for surgery. My lip curled at the thought. But it was not for the type of surgery that normal humans wanted. No; a better name for this place would be 'research center'.
We walked into a dusty room. It was not refined as most buildings were-- The walls were stone, and the floor was a cracked, yellowing shade of linen. Mold was growing down a wall, and my Special senses recoiled at the smell, as did even David's normal ones. This was purely disgusting. The masks had probably saved our lives. "Cleaning bots have obviously missed this room." David said, at an attempt of humor.
"Or not." I responded, moving over to peer closely at the mold. It was at varying stages of color, signifying that the infestation was worse in some places and purely ridiculous in others. "This is a testing room," I said finally, standing up to face him again. He looked doubtful.
"Why back here? Where there's a door?"
I laughed coldly. "Like Pretties would stop to look back behind a dark alleyway. Even Uglies have more common sense than that. And besides, you forgot the security bots we took down. They wouldn't have let just anyone in. Let's go; we don't need you getting infected." David, thankful to get out of the room, hurried before me towards the door, but paused at the lock. "It's metal."
I hissed; Metal locks were Rusty, and wasteful. They also literally rusted, as this one was doing. "Gloves," I ordered, bending down to inspect it. The rust definitely could be harmful if touched-- It would be stupid to approach it without cover.
David handed me the protective gloves, which I slipped over my hand and fragilely touched the lock. It swung in place, rust chipping off and clinging to my gloves. It began to chaff at the door as it swung-- Deadly, and able to cut a human hand and cause an infection. I broke it easily with the gloves on, swinging the door open. "After you," I gestured down the hall. David hurried before me.
The hall was much more refined, a more styled look used in most professional buildings. The walls and floors were a sharp silver, and glinted at us as we passed. David was in the process of removing his mask, and I followed-- Until we turned a corner and saw an open doorway.
Pressing a finger to my lips, I signaled at David and then crept towards the door. He tried to follow, but I stopped him and shook my head. We didn't know who-- Or what-- Was there... It wouldn't be safe for him. He wasn't stupid, and stayed there reluctantly. I crept on.
As expected, there were doctors in long white coats crowded around monitors of some kind. There was a door to their left labeled, "Artic Setting" and the doctors were recording information into their hovercams like frenzied Littlies. "The subject is succumbing to the setting slowly. His vitals are slowing... Organs are failing... Should we take him out?"
"I'd say yes," I spoke coldly from behind them, rage threatening to boil over. The monitor showed a cowering and shivering naked boy, in a ridiculously cold setting. Humans. They were testing on humans.
"What are you doing in--" Before the doctor could finish his sentence, I aimed a punch at his gut, sending him crashing in the monitor. Another jumped on my back; I spun around and sent them flipping into the door with the label. I saw the boy jump from the monitor, and was almost distracted when another few doctors tackled me to the ground. I struggled, kicking one in the face and snapping the other's arm around. They both howled in pain, still on me.... "David!"
He came running into the room with injectors in hand. "Tally," He said in a disappointed voice, "You didn't have to hurt them!"
"Get them off of me!" I screamed, kneeing one repeatedly, but he refused to budge. David sighed, sticking his needle into one's leg. The man howled, shrinking back, and finally dropped to the floor, unconscious. He did that to all of them until I could pull them all off and sit up. "Finally."
"Is that him?" He asked, motioning to the monitor with a nod of his chin. I looked to see the boy was immobile; he had fallen unconscious. "Yes, that's him." I responded, starting towards the door. David tried to stop me. "Wait, Tally--"
I yanked open the door, and sirens began blaring, but I only had eyes for the boy. He jerked awake, staring at me with wide eyes. "What-- I--" His lips were a blue color, and he couldn't speak well.
I smiled in a Special way and nodded. "I'm Tally Youngblood, and I'm here to get you out."