(The usual Disclaimer)

Chapter 2, Sin

I have to say. Life is a bitch.

I arms burned and my body convulsed with energy. Everything burned. Literally, my ears, my fingernails, even the tips of my hair.

It was a sense of feeling, a message, and I could ignore it. I put it out of my mind as much as I could. I opened my eyes and sat straight up. There was more power in my movement than before and I instantly made note of it.

I looked around as I registered the smell of a hospital all around. Three doctor like people turned around in their dorky white lab coats.

"The subject has come to consciousness." One of them stated in his C3PO sounding voice as he leaned in towards me, peering into my eyes like they were the windows of a fish tank. I leaned back a bit.

He reeked of disinfectant and I couldn't stand it.

Freeze.

Aren't I dead?

Please don't tell me this squeaky clean hell hole is heaven. Someone, send me to hell, please, before I lose it!

"Yes, I see. I'll send for the General." The other one answered. Seriously, had these geeks watched Star Wars so much that it had brain washed their heads or something, cause I swear, the voices were identical to the big gold robot.

C3PO-2 exited the lab room and I noted which direction the door was, as well as the locations of the windows and estimated about how thick the glass was.

The third nerd turned around and stared me straight in the face.

"The subject isn't aware of her strength just yet, so we shouldn't push it until the fluids fully kick in." He stared at me, for a moment as he spoke, like I couldn't hear him.

"How about I throw you through that wall and we'll see who isn't aware of their strength." I commented, glaring at him with new found disgust.

The scientist stepped back and pushed his glasses up his nose before jotting something down on his clipboard.

C3PO smiled and looked towards Four-eyes. "The subject is evidentially experiencing the up in desire to destroy." I snorted a laugh and shook my head.

"Sorry to rain on your twisted parade, but I've always been like this." I stated with a snide smile. He looked at me like I was an obnoxious smart ass.

Correct.

The door opened and more geeks poured in as well as a woman who had that whole "I rule you, you roach" air.

What was this; Revenge of the nerds?

She stepped through the crowd of gawking scientists and leaned in toward me.

"There's no need for snide remarks, Phantom. They don't help your situation anyway."

I decided right away that I didn't like her.

I snorted and glared at her, our eyes boring into each other.

She stepped back abruptly and turned to C3PO. "Take her to the yard and track her movements for the next 24 hours. I'll check with you in O' eight hundred."

He nodded, then walked up beside my bed and pulled the leather straps loose that had been holding my hands to the bars of the bed. I pulled my hand out and balled my fist, then slugged him square in the jaw. His head whipped around and his neck cracked.

The other scientists rushed to the bed and pinned me down. You know, for being nerds, these guys were pretty strong.

I struggled to shove a few off, but my arms were pinned down, making all struggling near impossible. I thrashed recklessly, kicking and biting and making it as hard for them as I could. My goal was not entirely to win, but to make it harder on them and wear them out.

I saw only a blur of shadowed faces and their white coats as they crowded over me, pinning my straining body to the bed. I squeezed my eyes shut and gave one last shove of all of my strength. I managed to loosen their grips, but it as useless because after I recoiled, I didn't have time for another attack as they jammed sedatives into my neck.

I tightened, the fluids feeling like acid as they burned through my veins. They traveled fast through my body and I found myself in a state of half dream, half reality.

"Phantom, we can't have you thrashing so recklessly. In order to train you to your best, you must listen to us and do what we say or else we won't be able to help you." The General warned as if she was speaking to a child years younger than myself.

Like her twisted logic was actually going to do her any good.

I rolled my eyes and stared blankly. I would have returned her efforts with a nasty comment, but I found that I had lost all movement in that department. It was all I could manage to roll my eyes.

Two of the scientists lifted me and, slinging my limp arms over their shoulders, brought me down the hall with my feet dragging across the linoleum. C3PO followed behind them, directing them in this way and that way, through doors and down halls.

My head hung and I broke into random fits of the giggles. You could say that this was stooping to the level more commonly referred to mentally disturbed.

They opened a thick metal door and dropped me inside, then closed the door again. I laid there for a moment, closing my eyes as I tried to think of something to do, some plan of action.

When I opened my eyes again, I stared up at an unfamiliar face.

It was a boy about my age. He had hazy grey eyes and silver hair. His skin was pale and pulled tight on his small, angled cheek bones and smooth square jaw. His eyes were young and adventurous, and he stared down at me with concerned intent.

He gave me the impression that he didn't know whether to try to help me or not. I blinked a few times, staring up at him since that was all I could do.

He turned his head away to look in another direction, somewhere over my head.

I heard his soft voice. "Sin, she can't move." He stated as a dark haired figure entered my view. Sin was a tall, lanky teen, maybe a year older than me. His hair was shaggy and long, hanging just below his nose.

From behind the curtain of black hair, his intense green eyes stared into mine. He just sort of stared for a moment, looking uninterested entirely.

The silver haired boy reached out towards me.

"No." Sin snapped, his deep voice striking unreal discomfort into me. It was so cold like winter in Alaska, deep like the sea and sharp like lightning, but smooth like the soft breeze of May.

The boy froze for a moment, and then took back his hand. "Well, what are we going to do with her? Sin, we can't leave her here, I won't let you!" His voice got louder and louder until he was up to a dull roar. He coughed and turned his face away from me.

"Don't push yourself, Beta. Your lungs still aren't healed yet." Sin's voice seemed a tint softer, but just a hint. He bent down, standing above my head as he stared into my eyes for a moment.

He then gently picked me up, carrying my limp body away. I let out a gasp like choke as my head hung over his arm in an uncomfortable position. But I couldn't care less about that.

Where was he taking me?

I struggled to move, but failed, only letting out another small noise. He stopped walking and looked down at me. My eyes tried to find him past my chin, but all I could see was the ceiling of the dome.

He repositioned me so that my head rested on his chest, just below his shoulder. I looked around me for a moment, then up at him.

His solemn, expressionless eyes searched my face for a moment before he continued walking. I heard Beta's footsteps behind him as he moved silently into the trees, walking along through the dense pines and quiet, swaying cottonwood. I looked around sleepily at the contrast of the bark and the light fluttering through the tree tops and the leaves.

His heart beat was slow and steady, lulling me into a relaxed state. I was no longer delirious or hysterical like I'd been when first introduced to the crazy drug that snow white and the seven dorks had put me on.

A few minutes of walking through the trees and we came to a cave surrounded by ancient pines. Sin set me down deep inside the dark cave and I waited for my eyes to adjust. Once I could see, I watched him watching me as he leaned against the wall across from me. He caught my stare and held it for a moment, then sighed and looked away, towards the exit.

I could hear Beta moving around outside and stared at the pebbles in the dirt. I looked up just barely in time to see Sin watching me before I slowly closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.