Author's Note: Thank you all for your well wishes and patience. My mum is home and in recovery of her physical ailments. Hopefully updates will be back to some routine. Things are getting pretty crazy now in the story, as long-awaited answers will now be coming. So get ready, get set, and enjoy!

Playlist highlights for the chapter:

This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars

Soul on Fire by HIM

We all knew that once we got close enough to the facility, our scents would be detected. My only hope was that they were distracted with whatever they were working on that they would not notice. Splitting up was an option, to try and tackle them from different angles. But Alice refused the idea. Without her ability to see, she was too afraid of the outcomes. We had no idea what was in there, so remaining as a group was the better strategy.

I led us down the hill towards the side entrance of the building. It reeked of chemicals and others of our kind. There was something else there as well; that same foreign smell I recognized from the hospital. What was that?

There was humming in the air from the machinery behind the white-washed walls we were approaching. To anyone else in the outside world, this looked like either a factory, or a secluded and highly secured medical facility – perhaps for disease control or the like. But I knew what this place was: a prison for my mate. However, that would change dramatically very soon.

I sense movement nearby, Edward, Carlisle warned. I gave a nod, not moving my sight from the door ahead of me. The others were just as focused; their minds quiet for the most part, outside of a few observations of the area.

Many would assume hell would have broken loose, as stories go, when I opened the door. As a stroke of luck, it was unlocked, so I had no worries about getting inside. In fact, all of us walked into the bleach-colored hallway without any resistance. Our senses were assaulted with a myriad of smells, from chemicals like formaldehyde and nitric acid, to the distinct odors of new and old blood. The worst was the horrible stench of wet, moldy dog.

We all would have blanched if our bodies allowed. Instead, we held back our gagging reflexes and carried on.

There were some doors at each side of us, thick and the same bland white color, without windows for any of us to look through. I did my best to try and hone in on Bella's scent, which was very weak in comparison to everything else. There were heartbeats here too, and that unsettled me. Were there other human hostages here? When we reached the end of the long, narrow hall, I decided to take a right.

That was when hell broke loose.

Something fast slammed against me. It was faster than anything I could have picked up in my perfect sight. I heard Esme and Emmett call out my name as my body collided with the wall at my side. The useless wind was knocked out of me while my arms stretched out to go after whoever attacked me.

Except I couldn't see them.

Carlisle was the next one to be attacked, his body flying down the hallway as such force that the tile cracked beneath him. Emmett stood in front of Rosalie while Alice screamed out. I knew from the tone of her voice that she recognized this invisible assailant. My eyes locked with Emmett while I pulled myself out of the wall, trying my best to sense the movements.

Must be a drag not being able to see me eh, mate?

I heard, crystal clear, the thoughts of someone. Snarling in response, my head whipped from side to side.

Funny the little Pixie remembers me. As she should! I had my fun with her before we took her lover boy. Just like I planned on having fun with – what's her name? Isabella? Mmm…

I hissed angrily, running down the hallway the moment I caught wind of his position. There was a growl while I braced for impact, meeting stone against stone, though the attacker was completely invisible.

Aw, did I hit a soft spot, Ed?

Another snarl, then a deep growl escaped me while I attempted to grab hold of whoever was baiting me. Unfortunately, not being able to see where to grasp made things difficult, as I found myself being thrown onto the floor not three seconds later, which immense pressure against my neck, like from a shoe.

"Edward!" Alice cried out while Carlisle regrouped with Esme and the others. "Get away from him!" If he gets too close to you, you're done for!

Emmett took that as a cue, rushing towards me to free me, though before he could reach us, there was a bright flash of light. Something like electrical energy struck him hard in his side, knocking him to his knees.

"Fuck!" he growled, wincing in pain. Rosalie cried out his name, but stayed in place when a very sultry-looking young woman appeared.

"Looks to me like you're having all the fun, Riley. That's not very fair," she pouted, her crimson eyes flickering with desire as she smirked at me. I had never seen her before, though she smelled familiar.

Bella-!

Her hair was the color of burning embers, wild like flames about her shoulders as she licked her fingertips.

"Mm, I love the taste of the after charge. Not nearly as good as blood, but who's complaining?" she teased, her tone disgustingly sweet as her eyes rested on my struggling frame. I could feel my neck beginning to give way, cracks forming along my jawline as I hissed. "Now, Eddie, who said you could bring friends?" She glared at whoever was above me. "How am I going to talk to him if you're crushing his windpipe, Idiot?"

Mmm, what a hunk of a vamp. I really hope I can get my hands into those pants to see what he's packing.

Suddenly, the weight eased and I was hoisted up, my arms pulled behind me and held firm. I growled, trying to break free to get at this bitch flirting with me and find out why she smelled of my mate.

Venom dripped onto the tile from my lips as the woman appeared in front of me, her eyes hungry. "Ah, we can't play right now, but don't worry, we will." Her sight flickered to the groaning Emmett, her smile wicked and deceitful. "Poor baby. Did that hurt?"

"Fuck you," he growled back.

"Mmm, sorry Hon. You're too much like an ape for me. I like…leaner men," she teased back, licking her lips as she leaned in towards my face.

Rosalie's blond hair filled my vision the next second as she slammed herself against the redhead, causing enough of a distraction for me to easily rip myself free from the invisible assailant's hold. Once my cracked skin had healed, I was back to full strength, which was only heightened by all the human blood I had consumed. With my mind heavy with preparation, I was too slow.

But now I knew these were enemies that needed to be done away with.

A sandy-haired teenager appeared out of thin air, his face contorted in anger while he jumped at me. Feeling cocky, I smirked as he charged, my hands curling around his arms and throwing him down the hallway.

Victoria! I heard his mind cry out. So that was the name of this bimbo of a woman? Somehow, it was fitting, though I couldn't care much in the moment. I went after him, Carlisle in tow as Emmett and Alice went for Victoria. It seemed this male had feelings for the redhead, which I found almost amusing considering her mind screamed for me.

How repulsive.

Snarls, hisses, and crunching limbs against tile and concrete filled the hallway as we all fought. They were outnumbered and I knew we would win in the end. If this was all the security they had for this place, then perhaps this enemy wasn't as powerful as we all had feared.

How, did I already say that hell cut loose? I was mistaken.

Because in the haze of our fighting, I had completely missed the emergence of three cloaked figures.

That is enough!

The voice was loud even in my head, and the powerful force behind it caused all of us to freeze. When I snapped my head to take in their shadowy figures, basking in the false luminescence of the overhead bulbs, I heard Riley hiss under his breath. Or at least, what was left of his breath as I had my hand around his neck. I took great satisfaction in breaking through his hard skin while the three figured watched us intently.

They were just far enough that I couldn't see their identities clearly, for their hoods were thick and arched over so that their faces were cast on darkness.

"We weren't expecting such company. If we had known, there would have been a better greeting party," the side figure commented in a deep, hoarse voice I didn't recognize. I groaned as I attempted to read their minds, though nothing was coming to me. In the corner of my eye, I noticed the smirk on Victoria's face. She even winked at me.

She was what shielded us back at the hospital!

How was it possible for her to have more than one ability as our kind? I had never heard of such a thing before. I shot a wary glance over at Carlisle, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion as me. The concern of his brows alerted me that he also had never encountered this before.

"Please excuse Victoria and Riley. They were a little anxious in getting to know you, Edward," the figure on the other end spoke. This voice was softer and feminine, though just as sinister. "Please don't get too hasty, hm?" A slender hand rose from the figured side, pointing towards the enemy I had in my hand.

There was a searing pain in my head, causing me to let him go and cough roughly. I fell to my knees, holding my head in agony and whimpering while I tried to see past the spots

"That's enough now. We don't want our sample broken, do we?" the first speaker chided.

Alice made a fuddled noise in her throat as the supposed leader turned their head in her direction. The others followed suit.

"Ah, Mary, how lovely to see you again," the feminine speaker greeted. "Would you like to be reunited with your mate?" The way she pronounced the word mate caused me to hiss. It was full if disgust.

"Who are you?" Carlisle demanded. Slowly, I felt the pain recede in my mind enough for me to clear my sight. There still remained a dull ache, as if I had a migraine.

"That is none of your concern," the first speaker growled back in response. "Our requirements are Edward and Mary Alice."

"You won't be touching them!" Emmett snarled, moving to pounce.

"Tch, tch. Here we are trying to be civil, and you want to go at it like animals," the female said with waving a finger. Emmett suddenly groaned like I had just a moment before, holding his head and cringing in pain.

"Please! Why are you doing this? What have you done to Isabella?" Esme pleaded, her face full of agony.

"Stop asking questions," the first speaker snapped.

The figure in the front took a step forward. Waving a hand towards all of us, I heard his direction clearly. "Have them placed in cells. Their knowledge may be usual. I want Mary and Edward to come with us."

I recognized that voice. If there was bile in my system, it would have crawled up my throat as the image appeared in my head.

A police officer sitting in a cramped office with Charlie Swan, looking over the notes of their leads to finding the man's daughter. In a wheelchair.

Holy shit.

I tried to struggle through the pain, but it grew in intensity when I moved. In fact, it increased around all of me, and I watched in horror as the others crumbled to the floor from it. I never knew it was possible for my kind to become unconscious, yet here I was watching it happen right in front of me. The spots in my eyes intensified, blacking out my vision while the agony quickly became all I could think about.

Then, there was nothing.

For the first time since my change, I wasn't completely alert. It wasn't sleep. I could still hear what was happening around me, though it was muddled up and distant. I felt as though I was underwater, just not wet. Was this what it was like to be unconscious as a human? I certainly wasn't able to recall. Instead, I felt hands all over my body, moving me to wherever they wanted.

When my eyes cleared and I could see white all around me once again, I felt the cold steel slab underneath me. I was strapped down with what I assumed to be specialized, reinforced material that wouldn't stretch or break from my inhuman strength. There was a white sheet covering me, though I knew I was in the nude underneath it. Tossing my head from side to side, I saw nothing but white walls and a small table. There was a silver tray on the top, covered in syringes and other tools that mad scientists in movies would have used.

Just what was this place?

A moment later, I heard a door open and someone unfamiliar walked in. She was Native American, her shoulder-length black hair sleek under the lights as she donned a white lab coat and cerulean gloves.

"Nice to see you awake," she spoke, her brown eyed glimmering with mischief and excitement as I hissed at her. "I hope you don't give me as much trouble as Mary Alice did." As if on cue, I heard terrible screaming from what I could only assume was Alice down the hall from wherever I was. The woman's eyes lazily followed the noise before returning to me. "Don't worry. If you're good, you won't suffer like she is right now. She needed to be put in her place, anyway."

Spitting venom at her, I growled. "Just who do you think you are, doing this?! Where is Isabella?!"

"Hush now, Sweets," she said with a smile, walking across where I lay and wheeling the table over to my side. "I just need to get few samples from you, then you can be reunited." There was a slight sense of elation of seeing her again. That meant she was still alive. But from the way this woman spoke, I knew I wouldn't like what I would see.

She picked up a rather large needle that carried obscure obsidian liquid. "Since I think you're cute, I'll even tell you what I'm doing. This will numb you to an extent, so you can't fidget while I work on you." I was shocked, knowing already that my skin was impenetrable by these sorts of instruments. And numbness? How was that possible? I didn't have much time to ponder it as I felt the sharp prick of the needle as she stabbed it right where my neck met my shoulder. "Aw," she hummed at the wince on my face. "Does that hurt? It won't for long."

Just as she said, I felt a very odd, cooling sensation crawl throughout my body, causing me to go limp underneath the straps.

"The effect won't last long, what with your silly venom working its magic. But it will serve its purpose."

"W-What…are you doing…t-to me?" I tried to voice, though the effects of the liquid apparently worked on my mouth, too.

She let out a laugh as she put down the need, now picking up a clean, new one. "First, I will be taking a sample of your venom. Then, I will be taking a sample of your brain matter." I tried to struggle at the sound of this insanity, but I was stuck. All I could do was glare as she stabbed me again, this time in the forearm, sucking out the translucent, almost fern-colored venom. They had to have specialized containers that wouldn't melt from its acidity.

"W-Why?" I groaned through gritted teeth while I felt her make an incision just behind my left ear. "W-Why m-me?"

"Oh, Honey, you have no idea, do you? That's a shame. I'm sure the masters will fill you in, if they think you're good enough to know. Until then, just be a good little subject for me."

Thankfully, whatever she was doing wasn't painful. She cracked my skull, which stung a bit, and I was grateful of my advanced healing. I heard the snip snip of her tool as she extracted what I gathered was brain tissue, before securing it in a petri dish. "There we are. You'll be healed up in no time. Then you can see your little lovebug."

With that, she peeled off her gloves, gathered her samples, and left me alone to cuss and demand answers. At least Alice's screams were subsided by now.

It was obvious to me that she was collecting data about my ability. That was why they had me here, like a lab rat, right? No doubt Alice was going through the same sort of torture. All the more reason I needed to get out and see Bella. Make sure she was safe. And what about the others? Would they be spared since they didn't have abilities, or were they going to be guinea pigs for whatever was happening in here?

I counted fourteen-hundred and thirty seven seconds before the door opened again. I was no longer numb, though my head throbbed as it healed. Bone took longer periods of time to regenerate.

Black velvet filled my vision as I spotted one of the cloaked figures. Lifting a hand, the figure nodded and I sensed hands coming close to my head. Victoria's putrid face hovered over me as she grinned. "Hello there, Sexy," she cooed. "Time for a little ride."

She wheeled be out of the room and down a corridor, following the cloaked figure around the corner, then another. Finally, I was taken into a spacious room. There were windows in this one at least, though they were covered by thick, grey curtains. Rows of supplies, both clean and bloodied came into view.

But I ignored all that.

All I could concentrate was the sweetened lullaby know to my senses – Bella's heart. Her scent infiltrated me all over, washing away the odors of the facility and replacing it with her tenderness.

I could only relish it for a few seconds before I noticing something was off. Terribly off.

She didn't smell the same. It was like when she had the blood transfusion at the hospital, but not. It was a far different odor. And one I didn't like at all.

"Bella-!" I cried out in a strained voice, trying to lift my head enough to see her.

"Calm down, Loverboy," Victoria groaned, clearly disapproving of my attachment to my Bella.

When the movement stopped, I heard that voice again, and I growled.

"That will be all, Victoria. Go and inform James that we will be ready soon."

The wench above me actually had the nerve to pout.

Don't worry. Once this is all over, I'll have you all to myself. Mmm. Delicious, that menace allowed me to hear as she sauntered out of my sight.

"Since you cooperated with Leah, I will let you see your precious Isabella. Enjoy it for now, Edward Cullen, because this will be the last time you see her," the figure informed me, before lowering his hood.

"Fuck you, Black," I seethed, wanting to rip him to shreds.

"That isn't very funny, Edward," he warned. "I've been pretty lenient with you thus far. I let you have some time with her, even have some blood and sex. When I found out that Jacob found you, I was actually surprised you kept him alive. Seems the girl changed you." He towered over me, his eyes full of amusement as he grinned at me. I wanted to rip it right off of his face! "That boy has done nothing but fail me. But he got what was coming to him in the end. It's sad, really. I would have let him have her when we were finished. Instead, she can be of good use to my other boys. They have taken a shine to her."

The bastard!

Venom was leaking from my mouth as I was practically acting like a rabid animal. All he did was laugh and leave my spectrum of vision. I heard a door close, then a feminine gasp.

"Isabella?" I whispered, turning my head towards the sound.

"…E-Edward…?" I heard someone croak. It sounded so broken.

I let out a sob of relief. "Yes, Nightingale, it's me!" There was a sound of rustling chains, making my insides tighten as I smelled blood and salt from tears in the air.

"…It hurts…" she whimpered. I tried to move myself, to see her, but it was fruitless.

"What hurts? What did they do?" I implored, desperate to know the answer.

"T-They…it…" she tried to speak, though I could hear the strain for her to do so. Fuck, what did they do to my mate?!

The rage inside of me was boiling over, making me fight my confines. The strength that remained from feeding on so many humans worked to my advantage, allowing me to stretch up the material enough that my head could lift all the way. Finally, I could see my beautiful Bella.

When our eyes met, I let out a strangled cry.

What…What have they done to you?!