well. thanks to my lack of reviews and readers in previous chapters, this is the last one. hopefully I wrapped everything up for you, since i wrote this chapter in about 30 minutes last night, just wanting to get it done.
DISCLAIMER: i own nothing but these characters and the plot.
The facility didn't live up to my expectations. It was really rather small, about the size of a football field. But for a private organization, it looked like it was getting the monetary support it needed. Somewhere in that mess of chambers, hallways, and experimental rooms, my family was being taken captive. I think.
"Either we need to find an open door," Jason said as he sat next to me. "Or infiltrate."
"Infiltrate," I agreed as I sprang from my cougar form into a brilliant macaw and perched atop the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the building. "You guys coming?"
"A purple macaw?" Jason asked as his orange bird=-body positioned itself next to me.
"Yes. All of my animals have purple in them from my eyes." I admired my royal purple, lavender, and lilac feathers. "Purple sure beats orange."
He cocked his bird0head at me right before Jack flew between us as a green variation of our tropical aviator form.
"Are we saving out family or not?" Jack asked. "Let's go. I see a door."
As we got closer to the entrance, we saw a guard in a white uniform, holding a large gun, and watching the entrance. They had long black hair pulled up in a pony-tail, the end of which was hanging over their shoulder. I couldn't believe it. Already, after not even a week, Taylor had betrayed us.
Jack made in irritated sound in his mind, loud enough for the three of us to hear. "She's always wanted to be a part of something big."
"How is she staying human?" I thought. "She has to have Dekhurkeh on her."
"'Dekhurkeh?'" Jason asked.
"The stuff that the headquarters' walls are lined with. Quartz mixed with mica and sandstone, boiled at a zillion degreed, and crystallized to perfection," jack answered. "Costs a million to produce, but Brad jacked some when we escaped. Its powers are effective in a ten foot radius, and lasts a lifetime. If we could get our hands on some, we would kill for it."
"And what does it do?"
"It guarantees that after two hours of being human, you'll still be alive."
"Oh."
"Everyone ready?" I asked. "Yes? Good." I swooped down into the fortress after dodging a few of Taylor's bullets.
I flew down hallways, taking turns and weaving around scientists, following my instincts towards Brad any Crystal.
"Stop right there."
I almost flew straight into the barrel of a gun, but stopped myself before I could. Hovering and focusing on the person who held the gun, I nearly died just from fright.
"I knew you'd come if we captured them," Ben said, spinning the gun around his forefinger, just to impress me.
I looked beyond him to see a room with a glass ceiling, covered in trees and other typical jungle greenery. Perfect.
Jack flew past me, evading Ben's attention, and d into the jungle room. I followed him.
I flew around high in the trees and shifted my form into a purple butterfly; something that Ben would have a hard time seeing. Knowing that he was nearsighted and colorblind so certain hues made things a lot easier.
Ben followed us in and closed the door behind him. We were trapped. "Come out; come out, wherever you are."
Jack rustled some leaved in his shift to a tiger, unfortunately catching the enemy's attention.
"There you are." Ben show the gun as Jack was running away, but still got a hit.
Jack let out a loud howl as his form crippled into a defenseless human's.
"Jack!" I thought, loud and clear. I flew down to him, staying under cover of the large leaved and shifted to a human when I hit the ground, fully hidden in the trees. "Jack."
I heard Jason crashing into the glass door, laughing his little head off, and distracting Ben.
"Ems."Jack lightly closed his fingers over mine. "Stay with… with Jason. He… really loves… you."
"Jack… no."
"I… I love you."
"Jack…" I picked up his head and turned him to look at me, but it was already too late. He was gone.
"That's it." I shifted into my cougar again and charged at Ben through the trees, catching him by surprise and clawing up his face, chest, and back pretty badly. I broke through the glass door and kept racing through the halls.
"Where's Jack?" Jason asked, flying slightly behind me.
"Don't ask stupid questions." If I was still human, my voice would've cracked. Horribly.
It was the over-powering smell of Dekhurkeh that gave away where Brad and Crystal were being held captive. The sterile and earthy smell had tortured me for most of my life, but I never knew that it would one day lead me to succeeding a rescue mission.
Jason and I burst into the room. The walls were yellowing, revealing the poor quality of the faded Dekhurkeh. A candle was hanging from the ceiling. Two shoe boxes were placed under it.
I didn't have to investigate to know that two small carcasses were laying in them. One Crystal's, one Brad's. The smell of dry blood mixed with their individual scents was enough to just give up.
"They're… gone?" Jason asked. "Everyone?"
"Except for Taylor, but she's on the dark side now. I never really liked her, anyway."
"I'm… I'm sorry, Emma."
"Let's just leave." I turned around and ran out of the maze of corridors and into the jungle.
Following Jack's advice, once Jason and I got back to headquarters, we settled down together. The Dekhurkeh in the walls was still strong, and would last another good 60 years or so. We would be fine, if we weren't killed or recaptured by then.
Just like I had offered my home to Jason, the two of us offered it to other Shifters that had escaped and were living on their own. The cycle of Karma that we lived in never stopped.
I don't know if Jason and I were really meant to be. I didn't really care, either. But one thing I was sure of, because of the pain that I felt when Jack left this world, I would always have the heart of a human.
THE END. PLEASE REVIEW.