Chapter 25

The fact that she was feeling slightly better when she awoke made her realize how foolish she had been. Why had she ignored Robert's advice? How bad would it have been to take some sort of medication to reduce her symptoms? She still felt terrible but she wasn't as hot and her body didn't ache as much.

"That's as much as we can hope for," she mumbled. Exhaustion was high but she couldn't get herself back to sleep now that Robert was here. He mumbled in his sleep and tossed and turned as much as his injured body would allow him to.

"He's really hurt, isn't he?" Elizabeth was lying on the other side of Robert. She watched him closely and Rosalind couldn't tell how she was feeling.

"Yes," Rosalind sat up, "But he'll recover." She wasn't sure of that but she didn't want to think of the alternative. There was no way she would be able to leave her brother here. Not after he'd put his life on the line to find her.

"Where do we go now?" Elizabeth asked. Rosalind wasn't sure how they were meant to escape the building. There were very few windows and the few that she knew of were barricaded just as the doors were. Perhaps if she weren't so sick and Robert wasn't injured, they could find a way to break through the barricades but for now, they were stuck.

"We'll rest for a moment," Rosalind said, "We're safe for now. If you're hungry, please eat something." Elizabeth didn't respond. Instead, she stared ahead blankly. Would she ever recover from this?

Rosalind sighed and looked at the door. The lock was still stained with Robert's blood and she knew that there was a trail of blood leading directly to their door. If anyone came up the stairs, they would see the blood and know where to find them.

"Do you want to know how I knew where Robert was?" Elizabeth asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"When I said I saw him in the basement," Elizabeth clarified.

"Tell me," Rosalind urged.

"The windows that open showed me," Elizabeth sat up, "Before you found me…"

"The windows?" Rosalind asked.

"They open all the time," Elizabeth crawled over to her, "Usually after the lights went out they would show up and I would get to see a lot of stuff. The pointy building, and I heard music, and I even saw you before."

"Windows…" Rosalind said again.

"While I was alone in that room," Elizabeth took a breath. "I saw you having dinner with Robert and I thought you left me alone."

Windows… Windows… She wasn't speaking about actual windows. They apparently opened directly in front of her at random and would show her things. If not for the fact that she had researched the possibility, Rosalind wouldn't believe it.

She thought back to her prototype machine and how it had still been running somehow in that room. Had it worked better than she imagined? Had the affects increased once she turned it on completely? She had never seen one herself but this was not something that Elizabeth could have known about.

"That's interesting," she mumbled, "How long has that been happening?"

"As long as I can remember," Elizabeth said, "That's how I met my friend."

"Friend?"

"Yes," Elizabeth looked nervous, "The Songbird…"

"You're friends with the Songbird?" Rosalind blinked. Rosalind thought about the large bird and wondered what it was doing now. She'd heard the crashing earlier when looking for Elizabeth but she hadn't made the connection. It was obvious that without power the creature had escaped but she had yet to run into it.

"I think so," Elizabeth said, "He sang me a song." The Songbird could actually sing? This was all very interesting, "Where do you think he is?"

"I imagine he's right downstairs," Rosalind said. At least she hoped so. It was a big creature so there was no way it could sneak up on them but she had not heard it at all. Was it possible that the bird had escaped the building?

That… That would be a good thing. If it had managed to create a hole in the wall, that meant that there was a way out.

"He's in this building?" Elizabeth asked.

"He's always been locked away on the 2nd floor," Rosalind said.

"Locked away…" Elizabeth frowned, "Why?" Rosalind didn't want to explain it to her. She thought the bird was a benevolent creature and maybe it would have been if it wasn't locked away and constantly in pain.

"I don't know."

"You don't know anything," Elizabeth mumbled.

"Elizabeth..." she sighed.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly, "I just…"

"It's fine," Rosalind closed her eyes, "Just rest, please. I promise to wake you when it's time to go." She wasn't sure how to respond to Elizabeth's rapidly changing emotions. The girl probably had no idea how to deal with them either but that didn't help the situation.

"I… okay," Elizabeth nodded and moved closer to her, "Can I stay near you?"

"It might be more comfortable on the couch," Rosalind said. Elizabeth climbed onto the couch and Rosalind saw that she still looked cold. She moved near the couch and took her hand, "You're freezing," she said.

"Remember when you said that there were more people outside?" Elizabeth asked quietly, "Are they good people?"

"Yes," It wasn't a complete lie. Elizabeth was bound to meet more good people than bad people once she made it out. The first people she'd likely see would be the nurses at a hospital.

Rosalind tried to pull her hand away but Elizabeth didn't let go, "Just a little longer, please?" she asked.

"Fine," Rosalind agreed, "Just a little longer." She ended up holding her hand until she fell asleep. Once her grip relaxed, Rosalind pulled away and sighed.

She remembered the large file she'd taken from the records room. The one that had contained the picture of Elizbeth and a woman. Now seemed like the best time to look through it.

Rosalind pulled out the file and looked over the list of names on the first page. There were 14 names total. Next to each name was what she assumed to be the ages of the subjects.

Rey Anne Jones, 14 discontinued

Amy Freeman, 14 discontinued

Regina Brown, 12 successful

Mabel Jones, 11 discontinued

Rosemond White, 9 deceased

Angel Graham, 7 deceased

Maria Lopez, 7 successful

Sarah Bailey, 6 successful

Kathryn Franklin, 5 deceased

Bella Breslin, 3 deceased

Kierra Sims, 3 deceased

Cassandra Kozunenko, 2 discontinued

Anna Dewitt, 1 successful

Christina Fink, 4 weeks deceased

Discontinued, successful, deceased… and the girls were younger as the list went on. Rosalind felt nauseous as she thought about what could have possibly caused the children to perish. She thought of the men who had harmed them and how this was all in response to Fink's experiments. Had he experimented on children? It wasn't hard to believe after all, Elizabeth had probably been one of the experiments herself. Her name was not on the list but Rosalind felt certain that she had experienced something of the sort. That was why they had wanted her blood.

Rosalind took a deep breath and turned the page.

"Subjects will be given 3 sets of inoculation. Their blood will be drawn before and after each set in order to study any changes in their physiology. Take note of both internal and external changes. Reports and reactions must be given BEFORE moving to the next set of inoculations. Subjects are in limited supply, please be cautious."

There didn't seem to be any information on what the inoculations actually were, just reports on the results of each child. Each report was only a paragraph long and they all seemed to be written by different people. Someone must have compiled it all here once it all was done.

"Subject 1: Rey Anne Jones.

Age: 14,

Menarcheal x3 months with noted severe cramping and heavy bleeding. Suspected endometriosis. History of sexual assault starting at age 7.

The subject did not respond well to the 1st set of inoculations. Presents with welts covering both arms. Blood draw indicates no positive reaction to the serum. Cycle discontinued as blood is not compatible. Subject given to B. Tenenbaum for further studies."

"Amy Freeman, 14, adopted from Oak Tree Orphanage 2 weeks before testing began. Allergy to Penicillin and Sulfates. The patient did not respond well to the 1st set of inoculations. Presents with welts and anaphylaxis. Administered Epinephrine. The patient was without oxygen for 10 minutes. Suspected brain damage. Not recommend to continue but may be used as a future subject. Subject given to B Tenenbaum for further studies. For future reference, all sets of inoculations contain penicillin. Come on guys!"

"Subject 3: Regina Brown.

Status: Successful! No adverse reactions to sets 1,2, and 3. No abnormal blood readings,

Patient is a healthy 12 year old girl. Premenarcheal with no history of sexual activity. Hormone levels are consistent with that of a preteen girl. Approved for stage 2. Recommended 2 weeks recovery before beginning stage 2."

"Mabel Jones, age 11 and younger sister of Reyanne Jones. Both are children of Dr Jones from the chemistry department. He signed a consent approving procedures. Did not respond well to first set of inoculations. Bleeding from site lasted 4 hours. Suspected hemophilia. Will discontinue. Patient not recommended as future subject due to blood disorder. Dr Jones did not want either children back, child given to B Tenenbaum."

"Rosemond White. Aged: 9? The subject has unknown origins and states that she is not sure how old she is. Physical exam consistent with child aged 8-10.

Patient responded will to set 1 of inoculations but experienced severe pain with set 2. Blood levels show a rise in White blood cells consistent with leukemia. Patient labeled deceased after going into cardiac arrest. Compressions were administered but ultimately unsuccessful. Body claimed by Yi Suchong."

Rosalind took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She didn't really want to continue on. Just the first 2 pages were enough to make her feel even sicker than she had all day. Why were they doing this at all? What had happened to the children who were 'discontinued'? She didn't know of anyone named Tenenbaum but that wasn't saying much. She had no idea who worked here.

Rosalind opened her eyes and looked at the file again. She could always wait until she was free of this place to look into it. But she read on anyway.

"Subject 6: Angel Graham aged 7. Child of a janitor. History of cystic fibrosis. Wish we were told that. Responded well to all sets of inoculations but experienced cardiac arrest during week 1 of recovery. Unable to compensate parents as promised. Parents may be used as subjects if needed but cannot be allowed to leave the labs. See Fink for cleanup."

"Maria Lopez, aged 7. Found walking home from school.

Subject is premenarcheal with no history of sexual activity. Patient has Down Syndrome which will be considered during stage 2. Subject responded well to each set of inoculations, however, patient throws tantrums when she sees needles. Necessary to restrain or sedate patient for further testing if indicated. Approved for stage 2 after recommended 2 weeks f recovery time."

"Sarah Bailey, subject given by Father Comstock himself with the idea that she will be successful. Subject is aged 6. She has shown to have outbursts of anger. She fights against the scientists and must be restrained for future testing.

Father Comstock orders that no pain medication be given until she stops crying for her parents. Where did he find this child? Subject approved for Stage 2 and 3 by order of Father Comstock. Seems like he has a favorite."

"Kathryn Franklin, aged 6. Dead on arrival. Suspected sexual assault during transport. Cause of death asphyxiation. Body claimed by Yi Suchong. Please investigate as we do not want to lose any more subjects."

"Bella Breslin, Aged 3.

Adopted from Oak Tree orphanage. Family history is unknown as they perished in a fire. Subject has burn scars across the abdomen. An autopsy revealed that subject was covered in hives on her abdomen but was not noticed due to scarring. Cause of death is anaphylaxis. Body claimed by B Tenenbaum."

"Subject #11: Kierra Sims. 3

Notes: Patient is African American. Father Comstock had voiced his displeasure in the subject due to both age and race. He states that she would not make a good subject in stage 3.

Subject given set 1 of inoculations. Blood work shows positive reactions. Unfortunately, the patient was found dead in her room of suspected strangulation. Security footage corrupted but I think we know what occurred here."

"Cassandra Kozunenko aged 2. Origins in Russia but no other family history. Concerns at young age. Did not respond well to first set of inoculations. Injection site infection noted and will be discontinued. Child claimed as subject by B. Tenenbaum."

"Subject 13: Anna Elizabeth Dewitt, aged 1.

Notes: We actually have a full history as her parents brought along her medical records. Parents: Annabelle and Booker Dewitt. Both aged 19. Father has a history of alcohol abuse and the mother has a history of postpartum depression. We managed to convince them that this was a free clinic for children. Father Comstock expressed interest in both the child and her mother.

Subject responded excellently to set 1 of inoculations. Blood tests show positive reaction to serum as well as magnification of serum effects. Continued further in chart."

"Subject 14, Christina Fink. Only 4 weeks old. What the hell are we doing? Offered by her father as a subject despite the fact that we reached our quota. Subject did not survive initial blood draw. Child was sick despite what Fink told us, he refused the body but asked that Suchong not be allowed to claim the body. B Tenenbaum held a small service for her."

Looking at the date, Rosalind could see that all of this occurred 15 years ago. Each page had a photo of the child in question and it made her sick to see that some photos were taken after the child was deceased. The only child that had no picture was Anna Dewitt and Rosalind knew why. The picture had come loose and had been stuck back in to the front of the record. That was the photo that Elizabeth had stared at. It was of Anna Dewitt and her mother.

Rosalind didn't have to think hard to know that Elizabeth was actually Anna Dewitt. She was not Comstock's child and she had not always been locked away. What had happened to her parents then? The answers were further in the chart but Rosalind knew that she could not handle more information. So she put the record away and closed her eyes.

She leaned back against the couch as she thought. This information had been readily available in the records room. If she had tried to find them earlier, they might not have been in that situation. If she had known how much suffering the child went through before she would have broken her out long ago.

But none of that happened and they were still trapped inside the building. Robert was still asleep and thankfully Elizabeth was as well but Rosalind would not be able to rest anymore.

She ran her fingers over the file again and sighed. Something was telling her to continue on. Maybe she could find out what happened to the girl's mother.

"Father Comstock is ill, his prognosis is fine for now but many people with this illness don't live past 40. I attempted to explain that he could live a normal life with treatment but he ignored it all. He reminded me that we were creating a cure for him. I'm not sure where he got this information but I suppose we'll just pretend that we are. If the serum is able to cure him then that will just be a bonus effect, Madame Lutece would know more."

Comstock's illness was diagnosed almost 15 years ago but he had only told her about it a few days ago… Why did they believe that she would know anything about their serum? She scanned the page but couldn't find any information about her involvement.

"Rosalind…."

She set the file down quickly, "Robert! Are you alright?"

"Well," he opened his eyes and looked at her, "I think I've been stabbed."

"Besides that," she rolled her eyes and went to his side, "Are you in pain?"

"Of course," he said, "But I'll live, I think." He tried to sit up but she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"There's no need for that," she said, "We still have time to rest." She wasn't sure of that but she didn't want him moving before he'd had adequate rest, "There's medicine here."

"I doubt there's anything that could help me," Robert said.

"There are a few drugs here," she said, "They'll make you drowsy but they'll take your pain away." She moved back to Comstock's desk.

"I won't take it then."

"Robert-"

"I need to be alert," he said, "There's too much at stake here." How alert could he possibly be if he could barely walk? She had never been stabbed but she recalled that he couldn't even make it to the office from the stairwell and that wasn't a long journey.

"There are other things," she sighed, "Tylenol and Motrin."

"I doubt it will do much," he mumbled. She retrieved the pills anyway. There was no reason for him to deny the other pain medications.

"We'll take both," she decided. She fed him the pills and tipped some water into his mouth, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"With Flambeau?" Robert asked.

"Flambeau?" she repeated, "Fink's assistant?"

"Yes," Robert closed his eyes, "He was afraid

"That's no reason to hurt someone."

"He… I hesitated when he was getting attacked. He was paranoid after, he didn't think I would save him if it happened again." Robert explained, "He wanted the gun but I wouldn't give it to him. I thought he would run off with it."

"And he did just that," Rosalind mumbled.

"I understand where he was coming from," Robert said, "I just hate that he did this."

"You're too kind," Rosalind said bitterly. She hoped that she never saw that assistant again. She didn't care how afraid he was, he had no right to harm her brother.

"He'll be back," Robert said, "Because he thinks there's an exit nearby. He ran off on the 2nd floor but the exit is apparently up here somewhere. I think he forgot somehow."

"It would be very convenient if there was an exit up here somewhere." She hadn't seen anything but she had been half asleep when Elizabeth helped her down the hall. Perhaps she cpuld check again once Robert was asleep again.

"Stop it," Robert sighed.

"What?"

"I can tell what you're thinking," Robert said, "You're not leaving this room."

"I don't really see how you could stop me," Rosalind pointed out, "I'll stay on this floor."

"Rosalind… You don't need to find an imaginary exit." Robert strained, "We can leave through the same window I came in through. It's in the basement."

"You won't make it to the basement," Rosalind argued, "I could look around here for something."

"Why risk it?" He took a deep breath, "I know there's an exit down there…"

"But?"

"Well, that's where they all went." he admitted, "We'll run into every single one of them if we go down there."

"Is that not more risk?" She rolled her eyes, "If they all went down to the basement, I should be safe to investigate this floor."

"Please don't," he said quietly, "I just found you." She bit her lip but didn't respond. It wouldn't help them at all to stay during the only time where they could look around safely.

"Fine," she sat back, "For now." She would wait until he fell asleep once more to look around. She remembered the key from the man near Robert's office. Maybe they could hide in that office. There wouldn't be an obvious trail of blood leading there. Comstock's office was well stocked but if anyone came up the stairs they would know where to find them.

She sat for an eternity before she was sure that Robert was asleep. She checked on Elizabeth once more before standing slowly. She took her shoes off and picked up the knife that she'd tossed aside, "I'll be back soon," she whispered.

She felt a little guilty leaving them in an unlocked room but she was sure that she would be back before they woke up.

Without another word, Rosalind slipped out into the dim hall.