Lenina walked quietly through the halls - her bare feet not making a sound. She surveyed her surroundings. The stone walls and floors looked old; it reminded her of a dungeon. The doors however, looked relatively new - made of solid metal. Electric lights were installed in sequence overhead, lighting the otherwise dark-looking passage - a darkness that emanated from the black of its walls. It was by now means a small one directional hallway. It branched out to a couple of other passages to one side.
Ahead of her, she could hear footsteps coming towards her. She turned to her right into another intersecting passage. She heard two voices pass right by, not giving her direction a glance. She continued walking further into her chosen hall. After walking for a few more minutes, she saw one of the doors open. A man wearing a long white coat came out. She pressed her back into one of the walls hoping that the doctor wouldn't see her. To her immense relief, the man went to the opposite direction.
When the man was nowhere in site, she walked closer towards the door that he came from. She stepped in front of the door and began inspecting it, searching for a way to get it, when the door suddenly slid open by itself. Lenina hesitated and scanned the inside for a second before she went in. There didn't seem to be anyone there. The room looked very much like the one she was in before. She looked around more and saw someone tied to chair - wearing a garment very similar to hers. She inspected more closely and noticed the soft strands of red hair on top of a bent down head; it was Hayate.
She quickly ran towards the figure and hurriedly undid the straps in his arms. Hayate weakly looked up to her face and whispered, "K-Kasumi?"
She was confused for a second but decided to think about it later. "It's me, Hayate, Lenina." She tried her best to smile. "Don't worry I'll get you out of here."
Hayate leaned into her limply as she put his arm on to her shoulder and held on to his waste. She tried to carry him, but he was a lot heavier than Marie. She had to make due with his feet being dragged through the floor. She stumbled for a second and began to get up when she noticed a yellowish light being cast to the ground. What she saw as she looked up horrified her completely. In the tank of orange fluid, from which the light in the room was filtered through, was a girl. Its deformed figure gave slight hints that its features were exactly like hers; those lifeless eyes, which she has seen a million times; the red hair which was only cropping up in a few places, but nevertheless resembled hers in every other way.
"Early experiments, I'm afraid."
Lenina looked back startled at the voice behind her. "Who are you?"
"How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself." The man's grin could be seen even in the shadows. "I'm Victor Donovan…your creator."
"My creator? What are you talking about!?" She screamed.
Donovan ignored her outburst though. "My-my, such a perfect specimen; you know, you're one of the few who actually survived the initial experiments. Most of the others ended up like your sister over there." He pointed to the tank behind her.
The information slowly sunk into Lenina's head. "You're lying."
"I'm afraid not my dear. Though I'm afraid we missed you the first time. You see some of the other clones looked normal enough, but most of them were missing one or two important internal organs. Most of them died the minute they were created. Others survived barely of course; so we take out a few organs here, transplant them to another there, and hope for the best. You, however, came out perfectly, without anything missing…or extra for that matter." He smiled and frowned instantly. "But alas, we were all so busy, producing failure upon failure; and the scientist I hired, yeeesh, all so incompetent. I assure you I had them all fired and moved the lab to another location. But anyway, you've come back at last."
Lenina closed her eyes. "No! You're a liar." She then directed her glare back towards Donovan. "Get out of my way!"
"Of course," Donovan made a hand gesture towards the door and bowed, "I wouldn't dare think of crossing you."
Lenina pulled Hayate on her back and held on to his arms. After feeling him secure in her hold, she ran as fast as she could towards the exit.
After the door closed, Donovan walked towards a phone and picked it up. "Alert all security - search all floors beginning with the lower levels. We have two prisoners attempting to escape."
She ran blindly through the halls, turning every which way. A flight of stairs is found - go that way, another passage - this way. As if running fast could blow away the thoughts from the mind - the wind contesting against the storm inside. A guard's voice is heard over there, go the other way. Footsteps echo through the halls over there - go to another flight of stairs. And then another, and then another, go this way, and then another. We are a slave to misery.
And then stop. White railings encase the large balcony. In front of her is an abyss colored by the blue night sky - stars sewed-in to the cloth. Behind her, she could hear voices - pushing, always pushing towards the void. Behind her, a voice different from the others, took prominence in the clouded sky above her eyes.
"Lenina," Hayate struggled, "take us below."
The young girl leaned over the railings and looked down to the wilderness beneath. "I can't, we're too high up."
"You have the ability to teleport us down. Just close your eyes, and do it."
She was confused, but did as he told her and closed her eyes. Images of cherry-blossoms appeared in the darkness; petals were swept up by the wind behind and swirled it up into the night sky. She opened her eyes and saw darkness as the trees blanketed them from the eyes of their pursuers. Her bare feet felt the cold damp ground beneath and began to run clumsily again - carrying the weakened Hayate with her.
author's note: let me drown in a sea of flames.
Ahead of her, she could hear footsteps coming towards her. She turned to her right into another intersecting passage. She heard two voices pass right by, not giving her direction a glance. She continued walking further into her chosen hall. After walking for a few more minutes, she saw one of the doors open. A man wearing a long white coat came out. She pressed her back into one of the walls hoping that the doctor wouldn't see her. To her immense relief, the man went to the opposite direction.
When the man was nowhere in site, she walked closer towards the door that he came from. She stepped in front of the door and began inspecting it, searching for a way to get it, when the door suddenly slid open by itself. Lenina hesitated and scanned the inside for a second before she went in. There didn't seem to be anyone there. The room looked very much like the one she was in before. She looked around more and saw someone tied to chair - wearing a garment very similar to hers. She inspected more closely and noticed the soft strands of red hair on top of a bent down head; it was Hayate.
She quickly ran towards the figure and hurriedly undid the straps in his arms. Hayate weakly looked up to her face and whispered, "K-Kasumi?"
She was confused for a second but decided to think about it later. "It's me, Hayate, Lenina." She tried her best to smile. "Don't worry I'll get you out of here."
Hayate leaned into her limply as she put his arm on to her shoulder and held on to his waste. She tried to carry him, but he was a lot heavier than Marie. She had to make due with his feet being dragged through the floor. She stumbled for a second and began to get up when she noticed a yellowish light being cast to the ground. What she saw as she looked up horrified her completely. In the tank of orange fluid, from which the light in the room was filtered through, was a girl. Its deformed figure gave slight hints that its features were exactly like hers; those lifeless eyes, which she has seen a million times; the red hair which was only cropping up in a few places, but nevertheless resembled hers in every other way.
"Early experiments, I'm afraid."
Lenina looked back startled at the voice behind her. "Who are you?"
"How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself." The man's grin could be seen even in the shadows. "I'm Victor Donovan…your creator."
"My creator? What are you talking about!?" She screamed.
Donovan ignored her outburst though. "My-my, such a perfect specimen; you know, you're one of the few who actually survived the initial experiments. Most of the others ended up like your sister over there." He pointed to the tank behind her.
The information slowly sunk into Lenina's head. "You're lying."
"I'm afraid not my dear. Though I'm afraid we missed you the first time. You see some of the other clones looked normal enough, but most of them were missing one or two important internal organs. Most of them died the minute they were created. Others survived barely of course; so we take out a few organs here, transplant them to another there, and hope for the best. You, however, came out perfectly, without anything missing…or extra for that matter." He smiled and frowned instantly. "But alas, we were all so busy, producing failure upon failure; and the scientist I hired, yeeesh, all so incompetent. I assure you I had them all fired and moved the lab to another location. But anyway, you've come back at last."
Lenina closed her eyes. "No! You're a liar." She then directed her glare back towards Donovan. "Get out of my way!"
"Of course," Donovan made a hand gesture towards the door and bowed, "I wouldn't dare think of crossing you."
Lenina pulled Hayate on her back and held on to his arms. After feeling him secure in her hold, she ran as fast as she could towards the exit.
After the door closed, Donovan walked towards a phone and picked it up. "Alert all security - search all floors beginning with the lower levels. We have two prisoners attempting to escape."
She ran blindly through the halls, turning every which way. A flight of stairs is found - go that way, another passage - this way. As if running fast could blow away the thoughts from the mind - the wind contesting against the storm inside. A guard's voice is heard over there, go the other way. Footsteps echo through the halls over there - go to another flight of stairs. And then another, and then another, go this way, and then another. We are a slave to misery.
And then stop. White railings encase the large balcony. In front of her is an abyss colored by the blue night sky - stars sewed-in to the cloth. Behind her, she could hear voices - pushing, always pushing towards the void. Behind her, a voice different from the others, took prominence in the clouded sky above her eyes.
"Lenina," Hayate struggled, "take us below."
The young girl leaned over the railings and looked down to the wilderness beneath. "I can't, we're too high up."
"You have the ability to teleport us down. Just close your eyes, and do it."
She was confused, but did as he told her and closed her eyes. Images of cherry-blossoms appeared in the darkness; petals were swept up by the wind behind and swirled it up into the night sky. She opened her eyes and saw darkness as the trees blanketed them from the eyes of their pursuers. Her bare feet felt the cold damp ground beneath and began to run clumsily again - carrying the weakened Hayate with her.
author's note: let me drown in a sea of flames.