Heeyy!
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, watched, faved, and PMed me about Do No Harm! I am so very sorry this update has taken so long :( I have been juggling writing my original work, figuring out how to do this chapter, and my Applied Business Technology Program for the last couple of months! Also, some RP shenanigans! (If anyone wants to RP Jak and Daxter, check our Eco Wars on the website Proboards. We have a great community there!)
A BIG thanks to my betas/idea bouncers/bffs Loorthedarkelf, SpontaneousCombustion, and Oteibilitz for helping me make this happen :) TONS OF LOVE LADIES! :)
BETA NOTES: I am working at it StormyRainyCloudy! I have had to start over since my computer died *sadface* and Starspike, I am awaiting your e-mail :3
xoxoxoxo! Fennec~
Autumn watched as Cece wailed over Red's body. He had died sometime in the night, his body unable to take the stress from the Dark Eco machine. The older man's face was white as a sheet, but his eyes were closed, as if he was still asleep. Autumn grimaced and pulled her knees up to chest and hid her face. She wished that Dominic were here, but he had been taken away earlier that morning for testing with Grace. It would only be a matter of time before they came back to grab both her and Cece, and then dispose of Red's body.
The stint in the chair had made Autumn weak, and very tired. She had not been able to sleep the previous night; instead, she'd sat where she was now and had watched Dominic sleep. When she and Red were brought back the previous evening, he had gone straight to her and made sure she was still breathing. He had held her, kissed her, and gave her water as Cece took care of Red on another mat nearby. Eventually, their two caretakers fell asleep themselves and Autumn grew restless on her mat. She needed some space, so she got up to sit against the wall near Dominic, and watched him until morning.
"Did you get any sleep at all, Leaf?" He had asked. She didn't get to answer because Grace arrived with a small entourage to grab Dom. "I will be back." He had told her.
Another, louder wail from Cece jerked Autumn out of her thoughts and she looked up. Some guards were separating her from Red's body.
"No!" She screamed. "He's not dead! He's not dead!"
"Ah, shut up!" Snapped one of the guards. He lifted his heavy boot and kicked her face. She yelped, and fell to the ground, face in her hands. Cece's loud wails turned into muffled sobs as the three guards took Red's body and left the cell. Carefully, Autumn crawled up to Cece and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Let me see your face."
Cece whimpered but raised her head. He cheek was already bruising, and there was a trail of blood flowing down from the cheek bone; it had been a glancing blow, but it probably still stung.
"We're going to die here." She sobbed. "My daughter, Red, Meriam... We are going to end up like them! For all we know, Dominic may not even come back!"
A sharp jolt went through Autumn's body. Dominic may not come back. The thought made her feel sick. Cece picked up on her fear and started wailing again, only to be cut off by Trulson and a set of guards bursting in.
"Just shut up already!" Snapped Trulson angrily. Cece covered her mouth, but still breathed heavily and choked on her sobs. Trulson just rolled his eyes.
"Chair them both." He groused. "Then bring them to me for assessment."
Cece screamed again, her voice ringing in Autumn's ears.
Five and a half months in prison
Autumn was sitting quietly in the Medical bay getting her check-up, the new collar around her neck itched and Grace had been cleaning up the scrapes that she had given herself from the constant scratching. Cece, Autumn, and Dominic had all been fitted with collars that could distribute Dark and Green Eco as needed throughout their training; Cece's slowly growing insanity was causing Trulson to restrain them with the collars.
The guards didn't need to restrain Autumn anymore. She just sat there like a lump, followed when beckoned, and let them do whatever they liked. In this case, an assistant of Dr. Grace's was taking blood samples and giving her some kind of booster shots. In the background, Grace was talking to her father. They didn't bother to talk in hushed whispers around her anymore.
"What if she bonds with the most promising Warrior that Errol has?" Hissed Grace. "She doesn't do anything. At all. How can she protect the weapon if she doesn't even notice what's going on around her?"
Autumn's ears twitched. Bonding? With the Warriors? How were they going to do that?
"You're assuming that the Baron's desperate attempt at a warrior program will work." Trulson growled. "We are on our last batch of Channelors. They are all going to die from exposure soon enough. Until then, I need every piece of data I can get. Now do your job, Doctor Grace." Grace glared angrily at her father and stalked out of the medical bay, leaving her intern to finish up on Autumn by herself.
On the way out, Autumn punched the poor intern in the face.
Seven Months in Prison
Time flew by in a daze. Autumn's complexion paled from lack of sunshine, and she started to grow thin. Upon later reflex ion, Autumn realized she was only being kept alive because of the Green Eco that was pumped into her system daily. It was a constant, agonizing hell and Autumn could only stare at the wall and make hell for the guards whenever she could.
Dominic did his best to keep all of them alive between treatments. During the night Dominic and Autumn held and kissed each other, whispering their hopes and dreams. These were the happiest times of Autumn's life, the last happy moments she would have while they rotted away in the Barons prison.
Eventually, Cece began to go mad. She would wake up in the night screaming, and would even attack Dominic or Autumn if they weren't careful. Nothing could calm her, except the Eco treatments. After each treatment, for just a few hours, Cece would be calm and even sleep without mishap.
But that only lasted so long.
One day Cece snapped. Fully snapped. She was in the medical center getting a check-up, her collar being modified, and was fairly docile after a successful treatment. Autumn only saw the tail end of what happened, but she later heard that when the intern had started to draw blood from she screamed bloody murder and viciously attacked him. It took several guards to peel her away from the intern, but both died in the process. The intern's windpipe had been crushed with a devastating blow, and he suffocated to death.
Cece turned on the guards that had pulled her off the young boy and eventually they had to shoot her. She died from her wounds a few days later in the infirmary.
Two weeks after Cece's death
Autumn lay on her cot, her eyes facing the door. The room was cold and vacant; it was just her and Dominic, and Autumn wasn't even sure he would be here in this new cell with her. She had been moved earlier that morning after another check-up, this time done by Grace herself. They had had trouble getting a new intern to replace the old one after what happened with Cece.
Autumn curled up in a ball on her cot, ignoring the pain it brought in her sore muscles. Trulson had put her through endurance training today, and had tried a Dark to Green Eco mixture instead of each being injected individually. With the Dark amount surpassing the Green, it had sent her into a horrible fit, but came out of it faster than expected and they didn't rush her to the infirmary. In fact, she was put straight onto the treadmill and gave the best results she ever had on the endurance test. Trulson had been so pleased that he let her have a hot shower (that was actually private and had no disinfectant) and even a hot meal (that she picked at) before sending her back to her cell. Now she was lying on her cot, wondering if she would even see Dom again.
Autumn's performance in the lab today very well could make Trulson work Dom harder, and much longer, than usual. He could have noticed their closeness and didn't want to risk them bonding with each other. Or so he had said to the Baron.
The 'bonding' business was crap. What, was this some crappy supernatural smut novel? Autumn curled up into a ball, hugging her arm around her knees. She wasn't sure if she could handle it if she lost Dominic now. Not after these past few months. Autumn squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the bad memories out of her head.
The cell door opened up with a quiet whoosh, and Autumn jerked up her head to see who was there. In was shoved an exhausted, overworked Dominic. He stumbled into the cell, and Autumn scrambled to her feet to help steady him. Not a word was said by the guards as the door whooshed closed, leaving Autumn to tend to Dom. She helped him hobble to the cot and laid him on his back. He was shaking and covered in sweat. There were six small marks up his arms where Dark Eco had been hooked up to him. The back of his neck had a similar mark where a single tube of Green Eco was administered as needed. But in truth the single tube just kept them alive while their body battled the Dark Eco. There had been days where Trulson seemed desperate to elicit a response from her and Dom and he had given them to Errol to be injected with raw Dark Eco on the chair.
Today, it looked like Dominic had suffered both the chair and the tubes. The marks on his arms were bloody and purple, and his prison garb was fried around the edges. Autumn put a hand on his chest, felt his heartbeat, and calmed down. She was so worried that one day she would feel his chest, and his heart would not be beating. The man groaned, and his eyes opened into thin slits.
"Hey, Leaf. Boy, am I glad to see you." He gave that crooked smile of his that she loved so much, and reached up to touch the side of her face. "I always wonder if I am dead when I see your face, you are too beautiful to be in a hell like this."
"I see your mental exhaustion is catching up to you." Smiled Autumn. "You told me that pick-up last night, too." Dominic chuckled.
"I thought you would like it better today, now that I have had my ass handed to me." Autumn's smile fell a little, and she kissed him on the forehead.
"I'll get you some water." She pulled the bucket of clean water closer to her, and brought the half-full ladle to Dominic's mouth. "Small sips, Dom."
"I don't want to lose you." Autumn squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"I'll be fine, Dom. And so will you." He smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling a little.
"I love you, Leaf." He said quietly. Autumn's breath caught in her throat, and her cheeks flushed a deep red.
"Dom..." She was at a loss for words. She wanted to tell him she loved him too. She was scared. Dominic grinned, and kissed her on the mouth.
"I know you love me too, my little green Leaf."
The rest of their night was spent quietly. Dominic eventually fell asleep with his head in Autumn's lap. The ex-KG rested her head back against the corner of the wall, and eventually fell asleep, one hand clutching Dominic's and the other lightly fisted in his long, shaggy hair.
The two were woken up the next morning by Errol himself. He hadn't been their wake-up call since she first arrived. Something was going to be different, and definitely not pleasant.
"Get up you disgusting creatures." He snapped. Autumn and Dom were hauled out of their bed and escorted out behind Errol. The two lovers stayed close as they were lead down a different hallway to a wing of the prison they had never been to before.
They arrived to a viewing chamber that was split in two, a large two-way mirror on either side. In one was a young woman with long blonde hair, looking bored. In the other room was a young boy with blond hair with green roots. He looked quiet and dejected, and Autumn felt her heart twist at the sight of him.
Doctor Grace and her father stood up when they arrived. Trulson and Errol moved off to the side to speak and Grace looked Autumn over.
"Put her in with Serena. Put the other one with the boy." She ordered the guards. Dom squeezed Autumn's hand as they were pulled apart and shoved into the small arenas.
The older girl looked healthy and well fed, it was like she didn't belong here. Her long blonde hair was shiny and clean, her clothes were not prison garb but that of a civilian, and she had no collar. Autumn thought that she must be new, but she felt like she had heard Serena's name before...
"They want me to bond with this scrap? Pathetic." Serena pushed back her hair and sighed. "I thought that they would have at least given me the cute one. He looks like he would give me a good tussle." That comment made Autumn twitch in anger. This woman couldn't be part of the program, but she had spoken about Bonding with Autumn.
"Are you new?" She asked. "You look..." Serena snorted.
"New? Hah! I am thriving off of this 'program'! I have a proper sleeping quarter, plenty of food, hot water, and clean clothes." Serena flipped back her hair again. A habit that Autumn would soon learn to hate. "I was smart enough to volunteer for this, and I am being paid very well for my trouble."
"How in the Precursors can you stand to profit off being tortured and mutated?" Serena just snorted, and looked down at Autumn with such fierceness it made the young girl feel tiny.
"I am well rested, fed, and Dr. Grace takes care of me personally." The blonde gave Autumn a flirty wink. "When the war is over I will be taken care of for life!"
"You're a fool." Snarled Autumn. "The Baron will never let you go. He is more likely to
kill you than make sure you are taken care of. You are nothing but a tool to him." Serena let out an animalistic snarl and was on top of Autumn in a blink of an eye.
"You're the fool, little girl." Serena's eyes blackened and smoldered with hatred, her voice warped as if she had two voices. "I am a GOD compared to the Baron. He is nothing but a worm, and once this war is over, I'm going to kill him." Serena's nails grew sharply from her now snow white skin, and sunk into Autumn's shoulders, making her wince. The animal version of Serena grinned; her teeth grew to a sharp predatory point, like that of a Lurker Shark. Autumn felt like her heart was going to burst out from her chest.
"Your fear smells delicious." Serena whispered against her captive's ear. Her lips brushed across the terrified girl's neck and the large Lurker teeth scraped lightly across her collarbone. Autumn struggled under the stronger woman's weight, getting very creeped out.
"Get off me!" She screeched.
There was a loud whoosh and a large door rolled open, revealing a mass of hissing sounds and several glowing Skull Gems. The glowing gems started moving out of the darkness, revealing themselves to be an angry group of Stingers.
Serena's attention was quickly diverted and she jumped up to her feet. Her animal instincts would deem them a larger threat than Autumn.
"Stay out of my way." Serena hissed, and then jumped into the crowd of Metal Heads. Several squealed as the woman sliced through them, splattering blood everywhere. Serena cackled as the majority of the group turned to attack her, leaving only about six for Autumn to contend with.
"Bugs. I hate bugs." She muttered. Gathering her courage, she kicked one into Serena's warpath. But before it had gotten airborne, it had scrapped its claws down her bare foot, drawing blood. She cursed and hopped away from getting stung by another one.
Before Autumn could formulate a plan, there was a loud crashing sound; two Manic Heads came bolting out of the darkness, broken chains swung off of the collars around their necks. One went for Serena and the other one for Autumn; the smaller woman screamed and jumped out of the way. The Manic Head fell to the ground and tripped over two Stingers and crashed into the wall. Autumn couldn't help but snicker a little before she got gashed by another bug. She yelped and crushed it with her heel; the creature cracked open, spilling out Dark Eco filled blood that burned her skin. Behind her the Manic Head growled and stood up, having finally gained its composure. Autumn froze, and it launched at her, pinning her to the ground. Autumn screamed as she hit the ground, just pushing the Metal Head away from her neck in time from its snapping jaws.
Around her neck, the collar sparked and burned her flesh. Her breath hitched as it erupted with Trulson's Dark and Green Eco mixture. Autumn screamed and the Manic Head yelped, but kept its grip on her shoulders. A cold pain shot down Autumn's fingertips and up into her teeth; they started to tingle, like they were electrically charged. She held up her right hand to push off the Manic Head, and was startled to see long, lethal, green claws. The Manic Head snapped at her face again, and Autumn sliced at its face with her new claws,
like there was an animal inside of her, taking over.
The Manic Head roared in pain and backed off; its eyes streaming with violet blood. Autumn jumped to her feet, vaguely aware of her new sharp teeth digging into her lower lip. Several Stingers went for her, identifying her as the newest threat. She swiped at them with her new claws; they were exceedingly easy to cut through. The Manic Head she a blinded seemed to have gathered itself and was using its nose to find her. Autumn disposed of a few more Stingers and then leaped at the Manic Head tearing at its flesh. In her mind, she was screaming; she was becoming a monster like Serena. The red Metal Head fell to the ground, dead. Autumn jumped away, and gave a loud, terrifying screech. She wasn't about to be controlled by the blood lust that was coursing through her. There were no more Metal Heads standing, all that was left was Serena, who was staring at her in curiosity. Beside her was Dr. Grace, whose gaze was concerned and focused on Serena. Autumn screamed again, the new power she felt faded away and she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Autumn was kept in the Medical Wing for two days on a constant stream of Green and Dark Eco that rendered her almost comatose. When she had finally awoken she went into a panic. It took several doctors to pin her down and sedate her; they had to put on restraints and Trulson came in later and ordered her to be put back in a new cell, 'away from the distracting male specimen' he had said.
That night, Autumn cried herself to sleep; she was all alone.
Nine Months in Prison
Autumn wrestled a Grunt to the ground and killed it, using a move that she had seen Serena use on the other poor Grunt in the corner. Today, Grace was letting the Heads out of the back room in waves, they were steadily becoming stronger and came in larger numbers.
She had started them with just a handful of Stingers, then a couple Manic Heads, and this time were the three Grunts. Serena dispatched two of them immediately with her sharp claws. The older woman was becoming more reliant on her dark powers these passing weeks, and becoming more blood thirsty and violent with every kill she made.
Autumn stood and wiped the sweat off of her brow. She hadn't seen the green claws or
strange powers from herself since they first appeared several weeks ago, despite Grace's pushing with the terrible shocks of her father's Dark and Green Eco mixture.
"You're useless." Hissed Serena through her Lurker sharp teeth, they were caked in dark Metal Head blood and made Autumn grimace.
"You're the warrior, Serena. I'm just here to save your ass if you ever need it." Serena growled and spat at Autumn's feet.
"Like I said, useless." Serena turned her back to Autumn and crouched as the door opened again, this time revealing two Crab Heads. Serena just snorted and jumped up on one, using her impossibly sharp claws to climb her way up its legs and onto its back. The creature screeched and its counterpart shot furiously at Serena. The young woman just snickered and jumped out of the way, the shots killing the other Crab Head.
The Crab Head fell to the ground with a loud crash, and Serena took that moment to use a powerful attack to cut open the chest of the first Head Crab. It screeched and skittered backwards, leaving its vulnerable belly exposed. Serena didn't miss a beat and tore open it open with her razor sharp claws. The Head Crab gave a last, strangled cry and went silent.
She turned to Autumn, dark blood pooling around her feet.
"Useless." Autumn ignored the older woman and readied herself for the next wave. Several minutes passed, and then finally the reinforced doors opened. Autumn tensed, unsure what she was about to be faced with.
There was a deadly roar, and an enraged Ram Head bolted out. It reared onto its hind legs and roared once more before falling back on all fours with a tremendous THWUMP. Behind it, three Manic Heads avoided its large feet; a blow from one would crush the smaller Metal Heads to death.
Serena gave a joyous squeal and ran at the Ram Head, startling it. The oversized 'Head shrieked and whipped its ugly horned head at her, Serena darted out of the way, quick as lightning, and giggled madly.
A Manic Head lunged at Autumn, its long, razor sharp teeth were bared and ready to sink into her soft flesh. She held her ground, and when the 'Head made contact with her, Autumn took the momentum and flung it towards the Ram Head. The creature squealed as the large Metal Head crushed its skull under its giant foot. Autumn grimaced, but quickly turned her attention towards the two remaining Manic Heads that had begun to circle her, saliva dripping from their blood encrusted maws.
One lunged at her, and Autumn made a move to dodge, but was hit hard from the left from the other 'Head. She hit the ground full force, the wind knocked out of her. There was an icy cold pain in her chest as she tried to regain her breath. One of the Manic Heads was on top of her; its sticky, cold saliva dripped onto her face. Suddenly, there was a burst of Eco from the collar around her neck. The Green and Dark Eco mixture surged through her body, causing the horrific changes to her body. Autumn grinned, her smile full of her predator sharp teeth.
With a lightning quick slash, she ended the life of the Manic Head that was standing on top of her. She shoved the body off of her and caught the second Manic Head mid jump and tore its belly open and threw it against the wall with a sickening thud.
Behind her, there was a horrible scream. Autumn turned and saw that although Serena had mortally wounded the Ram Head, in its death throes, it had pierced her abdomen with its great horn. Serena lay on the ground, her arms covering the profusely bleeding wound.
A part of Autumn wanted to let the woman die. Serena was sadistic and had no care for anyone but herself. If it had been Autumn, Serena would have probably let her die.
For a moment, Autumn stood there, debating in her head what she should do. Serena wailed again, and began to sob.
Autumn ran over and fell to her knees by the dying woman.
"Serena, I'm sorry, but I don't know how to help you." She applied pressure to Serena's wound, hoping to stop the blood. Autumn turned to the window where Dr. Grace was pale with terror, but kept her composure. Her father had arrived, and was watching them closely.
"Help us!" Screamed Autumn. How could they just sit there and watch Serena die?
"Use…less…" Serena coughed, and blood splattered over Autumn's face. Trulson shook his head and instead pushed something. A calming surge swam through Autumn's body, it was familiar and wonderful all at once. Green Eco.
Autumn pulled Serena's hands away from her wound and pushed her own down onto the bloody mess. Serena screamed, but Autumn ignored her and pushed the feeling of Green Eco down through her palms into Serena's gaping wound. The woman's cries stopped, and suddenly Autumn was yanked away by a strong pair of arms.
"Serena, speak to me." Grace shook Serena gently, trying to wake her up. The bloodied girl growled and swatted at the doctor.
"Sleep." She hissed, and fell unconscious again. Grace stood up, giving a sigh of relief.
"Get her to the Medical Wing, I want to watch over her for a while." A pair of guards nodded and picked up Serena together, and exited the room. Grace then turned to Autumn, her facial expression indiscernible. "You seem to not be a failure after all.
"Take her back to her cell. Give her a decent meal." The guard that was holding Autumn nodded and guided her out of the room.
It was hard to walk, and the guard did most of the work to get her back to her cell. There, a hot meal and a fresh blanket were waiting for her. The sudden kindness was boggling her mind. Her saving Serena was worth something more to Doctor Grace than it was to Trulson.
Autumn dragged herself over to the food and blanket. She ate as much as she could, and fell asleep.
Eleven Months in Prison
Grace was taken off the Dark Medic program and confined to the Medical Wing, so she was no longer watching over Autumn and Serena's battles. Trulson watched over them with his cold stare and said nothing after each session.
Serena, on the other hand, treated Autumn colder than ever. She acted like the young medic didn't exist, except when she needed healing. Autumn was able to start harnessing her power as long as it wasn't Trulson's vile mixture. If she was given just raw Green Eco, she was able to heal any of Serena's wounds. If Autumn refused, she was given a horrible dosage of raw Dark Eco until she was ready to comply. After a time, healing Serena became second nature.
One day, after over a week of silence, Autumn was grabbed late in the evening by Doctor Trulson himself. He had stopped escorting the guards to retrieve her after she and Dominic had been separated. He had said nothing as she got to her feet; something was off today. Warily, Autumn stepped out of her cell and didn't make a fuss. She felt the need to properly assess her situation before she used her precious energy. But they just took her to the viewing rooms.
Autumn was pushed into one together with Serena, Jak, and... Dominic!
"Leaf!" He cried, and embraced her. "You're still alive."
"I've missed you." She whispered. "I thought I would never see you again."
Serena's face turned into a snarl when they parted; her teeth and nails had already sharpened, her eyes staying normal and full of hate. She was different. Serena was gaunt, thinner, and was now wearing a prison garb. Around her neck, and Jak's, was the same collar that had been put on Autumn and Dominic.
"You." She hissed and strode up to Autumn. She didn't budge and let the bigger woman come right up to her face. "It's your entire fault, you did this to me! You made me nothing more than a slave!" Dark Eco jumped around Serena's body, and Autumn braced herself from the inevitable attack. She would fight back this time, and win. Dominic stayed close to her, wary of Serena.
"I did this to you?" Autumn looked at Serena in disbelief. The woman roared in frustration, but was cut off as she was given a small shock of what looked like to be a mixture of Dark and Red Eco. Autumn stepped back, in case the woman decided to fully change. Behind her, the blond boy took a defensive stance. He also seemed to be familiar with her moods.
A familiar woosh alerted the group to the large door; experience taught them that there were always Metal Heads on the other side. A couple Grunts and several Manic Head emerged, followed by several Stingers and three Juice Goons. Autumn paled, the last time she had faced so many 'Heads was when she had been at the Silo and had almost died. The memory was still sharp in her mind, and made her heart skip several beats.
"Don't worry Leaf, you won't die here today." Dominic gave her a flirtatious wink, which made her feel a bit less anxious.
The Metal Heads attacked eager to sink their teeth into what they deemed as easy prey. Serena attacked the Juice Goon head on, while Jak and Dom each took a grunt, leaving the Stingers to do as they pleased and the single Manic Head to set its sights on her. Autumn sighed; she hated Manic Heads more than she did Stingers.
The creature lunged and Autumn fell back, lifting her feet up to her chest and pushing out as hard as she could against the it's chest as it came down on top of her. The 'Head squealed in surprise and fell on top of a couple Stingers. Autumn scrambled to her feet and felt the tingling sensation in her fingers again; she hadn't felt it since her first session with Serena.
The Manic Head was back on its feet, and it directed itself straight for Autumn again. She readied herself for the attack, but her collar sparked, and then belted out a large dosage of Green and Dark Eco. Autumn screamed, and in the background she heard the others screaming as well. All of them were getting a sharp dosage in the middle of battle.
Her body felt like it was burning, and her fingers unwittingly curled as bone-cracking pain shot through Autumn's hands. Raising her head, she watched in horror as her nails grew, curving and sharpening, turning into short, dark-green claws. Her skin paled to an ashy, bloodless white, her major veins and arteries pulsing emerald beneath it and giving it a green tint. Autumn doubled over in pain as the Manic Head lunged at her. It hit her, and it felt like whatever had caused her the pain in her skull sunk into its chest. She fell backwards, the 'Head falling off of her; in its chest were two deadly punctures. She felt her head and found a set of small, deadly horns covered in violet blood.
There was a loud roar, and Autumn looked up; Serena's Goon was dead, there were no more Stingers, and she was on the move. Autumn jumped to her feet and panicked when she realized who Serena was going for; Dominic, who still locked in battle with his Grunt. Autumn yelped and ran towards him and jumped in front of Serena. Her black eyes connected with Autumn's, sending a chill down her spine. Serena gave a primal scream and Dark Eco collected in her palms like violet fire; she lunged at Autumn and her claws went for the girls face. Autumn managed to hit Serena's hand away from her right eye, but the other connected and she felt a searing pain as Dark Eco poured into the wounds made by the woman's claws. Serena batted Autumn away and jumped on top of Dominic. There was a horrible scream from Dominic, and she panicked to see through the gushing blood and pain; Serena was 'playing' with Dominic, her violet fire scorching his skin. Autumn managed to get up onto her knees and tried to crawl to Dominic, the Dark Eco shocking her system.
A flash of white passed Autumn and bowled into Serena, knocking her away from Dominic. It was Jak, and he was as monstrous as Serena, who was now fully engrossed on this new threat that had taken her away from her plaything. Autumn scrambled over to Dominic, and put her hands on his chest, begging her supposed healing powers to work.
Autumn could feel the life draining from Dominic's body with every drop of blood he lost. The wound was deep; his face was nearly ashen after only a few moments.
"Dom… Dominic…" She whispered, tears beading at the corners of her eyes. "Don't leave me here… please… don't leave me." Autumn crumpled onto his chest, crying. Behind her, Jak and Serena's battle waged on uninterrupted, their roars and screeches echoing around the room.
"Aut… um…" Dominic wheezed. His hand twitched as though he was trying to raise it to stroke her hair back. "Dnn… cry…" Autumn felt the hand he'd had clenched around hers go lax as he faded away.
"No… nnnnooooooo!" Autumn let out a horrific wail, dropping her head into her hands. Electricity, vibrant purple electricity, crackled around her body, licking the air around her.
The movement, however, caught the eye of the two fighting Weapons. Serena stabbed her claws into Jak's stomach and then shoved him away, then lunged at Autumn. The girl shrieked as the Eco-maddened woman dug her long talons into her shoulders, snapping her similarly lengthened teeth at Autumn's neck. Autumn pushed with all her might against her attacker, staving her off long enough for Jak to get to his feet and leap, tackling Serena off and away from Autumn. Autumn scrambled up in time to see Jak rake his claws through Serena's throat, killing her with a bloody gurgle. He dropped the body to the ground, then fell to his knee, panting and curling a hand around his bleeding stomach wound. He looked over at Autumn, his eyes locking with hers.
Autumn's brain warred with itself- two different instincts had awoken as Jak's gaze fell on her. One, to flee from the blood stained weapon in front of her; the other, to do what was right and heal him. For a moment, it looked like her flight response would win, but Autumn only managed a single step away before the urge to heal ultimately won out, and she found herself moving slowly toward Jak instead. He eyed her warily as she approached, but didn't let out more than a token growl of pain as she put her hands on the most damaging of his stomach wounds. Tapping into the green eco that slept within her, she channeled it out through her hands and into Jak's body. His breathing became less laboured as the wounds sealed beneath her hands. Once Jak was fully healed, Autumn collapsed to the ground, reverting back to normal.
The room filled with the noise of heavy boots as Errol and Trulson walked in, flanked by half a dozen armed guards; Veger remained behind the thick glass of the observation chamber.
"It seems your test went better than expected, Trulson." Autumn could hear the pleased smirk in Errol's voice. "Get the two of them out of here to be re-processed." He ordered.
Autumn's head jerked up as a guard moved to grab her. With a scream, she grabbed him, reaching around him and taking his gun. Having been taken completely off guard by her sudden attack, he was easily knocked aside by the enraged Channelor, who sprang to her feet, jerking away from a second guard that had wanted to try his luck against the
apparently helpless subject.
"Stop her!" Errol ordered.
"Don't damage her! She must be in perfect condition!" Trulson screamed from behind the Commander.
Autumn turned and shot a fourth guard, and then turned toward Errol and Trulson. "You- you bastards!" She roared, aiming the gun at them. Her finger had curled around the trigger, not quite pressing down, when movement caught her eye. She turned just slightly, the delay giving the first guard she'd thrown aside enough time to pull out his stun gun and ram it into Autumn's face. Autumn screamed, dropping the gun and falling to the ground, writhing in pain as she clutched at her eye.
"You fool!" She could hear Trulson screaming and cursing at the guard who'd attacked her.
"I said to disarm, not to blind our only surviving- what the-" Errol was cut off by a loud roar as Jak threw off the guards holding him down, lunging at the one who had just attacked
Autumn. There was a splatter of something warm and wet across Autumn's face, and then there was a heavy thud as the guard's brutalized corpse fell to the ground.
There was a sound like a loud 'pop,' followed swiftly by another 'pop.' Something sharp pierced Autumn's neck, making her wince. Through the red haze of her handicapped vision, she saw Jak fall to his knees, pawing at something in his neck. A warm, bubbly feeling started to overtake Autumn, and she felt as though everything was suddenly covered by thick fuzz.
"Well, at least now we know that the bond has developed both ways."
"Yes. Get them out of here, and bring someone in to clean this mess up." Errol and Trulson's voices sounded as though they were miles away.
Autumn's head spun as she was lifted onto a stretcher of some kind and carried out of the room. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness completely was a blurry suit of red armour dragging Dominic's body away.