Chapter 5: Truth Be Told
"You don't understand what you're dealing with. You're the little rich girl, growing up inside a dome, blind to what's going on under your own nose."
"Then tell me! Explain to me why this is necessary!" Charisse protested.
The leader, gun still trained on her, pulled the satin ribbon from around her waist and tied her hands together with it, making the ribbon a mess of complicated knots and twists.
He shook his head, "This is something not even your father could stop. I thought if I got the project cancelled, then it would all stop. But I was wrong. It's nothing against you, or your father, as a matter of fact, but this is my only option. Dr. Seth Goldwyn must be stopped before he hurts anyone else."
The leader released her hands, having finished tying them tightly, moving to talk to the pilot without another word. Charisse struggled against her bonds, angry to find the satin wasn't as delicate as the salesperson had guaranteed.
One of the others, a blond young woman with dark blue eyes, a long braid and a large gun came and sat next to her.
"My name is Ella. I'm sorry you got caught up in this. My family was helped by one of the Triax family charities. My little sister lived because of it. I promise, nothing will happen to you."
"I'm glad your sister got better. Can I ask you a question?"
Ella pushed her long blond braid over her shoulder, "Sure."
"Who's the leader of this group, and what is going on?"
"Oh, our leader is Abel. He got us together to stop the Eden Project. When the people that disappeared started turning up dead, he knew something had to be done."
"Wait a minute, " Charisse interrupted, "Disappearing people? Dead?"
"Let me explain." Ella sighed and shifted in her seat, "People outside the domes, the elderly, children, cripples; those easy to catch, started to disappear a few months ago, including Abel's son, Mark.
"So Abel decided to do some research after his son's body turned up horribly mutated beyond recognition. Two people died when Abel snuck into those labs, but they learned the true nature of the Eden Project."
"What did he find?" Charisse asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"I'm getting to that. When Abel snuck in, he took photos of everything he saw. Most of them were test tubes and biochambers filled with various plants and animals. They were changed, somehow, and they were still alive. But in a separate lab, he found evidence of human testing."
Her voice broke, "Including proof that people were dissected. Alive."
Charisse was silent, her heart having sunk to her feet. She was unable to speak as the horror of what Ella told her registered in her mind. She turned away, shaking slightly, gazing out the window that gave her a bird's eye view of Paradigm.
They were over the domes and were heading towards the edges of the city; those places that Charisse had been told were too dangerous for normal people like herself. They hovered over what looked like an abandoned warehouse and started to lose altitude. The helicopter landed, several people cautiously approaching it as the blades slowed and the whirring silenced.
Abel jumped out and motioned for Ella to hand him their captive. Charisse, silent, was passed person to person until she felt Abel's hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes and all she could see was grim regret.
"I am sorry." He said in his deep voice. He led her through the crowd of people and inside the warehouse, handing her off to one more man wearing all black and brandishing a firearm.
Chairsse finally found her nerve and struggled to turn and take one last look at Abel. For the first time she noticed that he couldn't be much younger than her own father, with salt and pepper hair that made his blue eyes darker than they would have been when he was a young man.
"Come on." The younger man who had a firm hold on her arm said, pulling her along.
Charisse sighed and went with him. He turned a corner and passed her off to another mercenary, who asked his comrade, "Where should I put her?"
The first shrugged, "Put her in the old freezer. It might be a little chilly for the princess here, but it's the only door with a working lock, and we can't spare anyone for guard duty right now."
Charisse was led by the arm to a large metal door covered in frost. She got a chill just from standing close to it as her jailer undid the lock. He opened the door for her, and she willingly walked in, knowing that she would probably get hurt resisting.
The frigid air struck her lungs quickly, and she coughed once before the door was closed on her, leaving her only a dim stream of light from the small square window, already half frosted over.
Again she struggled with her bonds before sighing in defeat. She walked around the small space quickly, trying to keep her body temperature up in the wintry room. Her breath came in white puffs that floated upwards, like tiny clouds drifting in a breezeless sky.
Her short walk took her to the left side of the freezer, the only space occupied. The shelves had been removed in order to make room for several long, upright storage containment units that were all marked with the Triax Plastics trademark. They were all the same shape, all the dull gray of faded asphalt.
Charisse's curiosity got the better of her, and she ran her hands along the sides of one of the units until she found the clasps that held it shut tight enough to be waterproof. The double set of clasps popped open while she tugged with her bonded hands.
She straightened and pulled on the lid, bracing her feet against the ice covered floor. The lid slowly opened a little at a time, catching on spikes of ice that she had to break with her feet to get the lid to open wider.
Her breath was coming in short, white puffs from her exercise, but it was about to be rewarded. The lid swung open and Charisse narrowly avoided being crushed by the object that fell out onto the ground. She cursed herself for every particle of curiosity she had, as she stared at the plastic wrapped item laying at her feet.
Charisse bit her lower lip and started working at the tape around the package, knowing she should just leave it be, hoping in blissful ignorance that she would have only unwrapped stolen firearms. Yet, she couldn't have the knowledge that Ella had shared with her and still blind herself to what was going on.
The cold was beginning to get to her, and she yawned, feeling the sleepiness that came just before freezing to death, so she worked more frantically, removing tape as best she could. The plastic came away in layers, and she moved back in horror as the wrappings revealed what was inside.
Charisse found herself staring at the lifeless body of a thirteen-year-old boy, his face horribly distorted. She couldn't even imagine what could have done that to him as she backed away into the corner farthest away from the row of containment units. She had only gazed on him for a moment, but it was long enough to burn the image of curled flesh and abnormal facial growths sprouting what almost looked like machinery, into her mind.
She bumped into the wall and she slid down, her legs no longer able to hold her weight. Charisse sat with her eye tightly closed and her hands pressed against her mouth. She was afraid that if she removed them, she would begin to scream, and she wouldn't be able to stop.
"You don't understand what you're dealing with. You're the little rich girl, growing up inside a dome, blind to what's going on under your own nose."
"Then tell me! Explain to me why this is necessary!" Charisse protested.
The leader, gun still trained on her, pulled the satin ribbon from around her waist and tied her hands together with it, making the ribbon a mess of complicated knots and twists.
He shook his head, "This is something not even your father could stop. I thought if I got the project cancelled, then it would all stop. But I was wrong. It's nothing against you, or your father, as a matter of fact, but this is my only option. Dr. Seth Goldwyn must be stopped before he hurts anyone else."
The leader released her hands, having finished tying them tightly, moving to talk to the pilot without another word. Charisse struggled against her bonds, angry to find the satin wasn't as delicate as the salesperson had guaranteed.
One of the others, a blond young woman with dark blue eyes, a long braid and a large gun came and sat next to her.
"My name is Ella. I'm sorry you got caught up in this. My family was helped by one of the Triax family charities. My little sister lived because of it. I promise, nothing will happen to you."
"I'm glad your sister got better. Can I ask you a question?"
Ella pushed her long blond braid over her shoulder, "Sure."
"Who's the leader of this group, and what is going on?"
"Oh, our leader is Abel. He got us together to stop the Eden Project. When the people that disappeared started turning up dead, he knew something had to be done."
"Wait a minute, " Charisse interrupted, "Disappearing people? Dead?"
"Let me explain." Ella sighed and shifted in her seat, "People outside the domes, the elderly, children, cripples; those easy to catch, started to disappear a few months ago, including Abel's son, Mark.
"So Abel decided to do some research after his son's body turned up horribly mutated beyond recognition. Two people died when Abel snuck into those labs, but they learned the true nature of the Eden Project."
"What did he find?" Charisse asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"I'm getting to that. When Abel snuck in, he took photos of everything he saw. Most of them were test tubes and biochambers filled with various plants and animals. They were changed, somehow, and they were still alive. But in a separate lab, he found evidence of human testing."
Her voice broke, "Including proof that people were dissected. Alive."
Charisse was silent, her heart having sunk to her feet. She was unable to speak as the horror of what Ella told her registered in her mind. She turned away, shaking slightly, gazing out the window that gave her a bird's eye view of Paradigm.
They were over the domes and were heading towards the edges of the city; those places that Charisse had been told were too dangerous for normal people like herself. They hovered over what looked like an abandoned warehouse and started to lose altitude. The helicopter landed, several people cautiously approaching it as the blades slowed and the whirring silenced.
Abel jumped out and motioned for Ella to hand him their captive. Charisse, silent, was passed person to person until she felt Abel's hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes and all she could see was grim regret.
"I am sorry." He said in his deep voice. He led her through the crowd of people and inside the warehouse, handing her off to one more man wearing all black and brandishing a firearm.
Chairsse finally found her nerve and struggled to turn and take one last look at Abel. For the first time she noticed that he couldn't be much younger than her own father, with salt and pepper hair that made his blue eyes darker than they would have been when he was a young man.
"Come on." The younger man who had a firm hold on her arm said, pulling her along.
Charisse sighed and went with him. He turned a corner and passed her off to another mercenary, who asked his comrade, "Where should I put her?"
The first shrugged, "Put her in the old freezer. It might be a little chilly for the princess here, but it's the only door with a working lock, and we can't spare anyone for guard duty right now."
Charisse was led by the arm to a large metal door covered in frost. She got a chill just from standing close to it as her jailer undid the lock. He opened the door for her, and she willingly walked in, knowing that she would probably get hurt resisting.
The frigid air struck her lungs quickly, and she coughed once before the door was closed on her, leaving her only a dim stream of light from the small square window, already half frosted over.
Again she struggled with her bonds before sighing in defeat. She walked around the small space quickly, trying to keep her body temperature up in the wintry room. Her breath came in white puffs that floated upwards, like tiny clouds drifting in a breezeless sky.
Her short walk took her to the left side of the freezer, the only space occupied. The shelves had been removed in order to make room for several long, upright storage containment units that were all marked with the Triax Plastics trademark. They were all the same shape, all the dull gray of faded asphalt.
Charisse's curiosity got the better of her, and she ran her hands along the sides of one of the units until she found the clasps that held it shut tight enough to be waterproof. The double set of clasps popped open while she tugged with her bonded hands.
She straightened and pulled on the lid, bracing her feet against the ice covered floor. The lid slowly opened a little at a time, catching on spikes of ice that she had to break with her feet to get the lid to open wider.
Her breath was coming in short, white puffs from her exercise, but it was about to be rewarded. The lid swung open and Charisse narrowly avoided being crushed by the object that fell out onto the ground. She cursed herself for every particle of curiosity she had, as she stared at the plastic wrapped item laying at her feet.
Charisse bit her lower lip and started working at the tape around the package, knowing she should just leave it be, hoping in blissful ignorance that she would have only unwrapped stolen firearms. Yet, she couldn't have the knowledge that Ella had shared with her and still blind herself to what was going on.
The cold was beginning to get to her, and she yawned, feeling the sleepiness that came just before freezing to death, so she worked more frantically, removing tape as best she could. The plastic came away in layers, and she moved back in horror as the wrappings revealed what was inside.
Charisse found herself staring at the lifeless body of a thirteen-year-old boy, his face horribly distorted. She couldn't even imagine what could have done that to him as she backed away into the corner farthest away from the row of containment units. She had only gazed on him for a moment, but it was long enough to burn the image of curled flesh and abnormal facial growths sprouting what almost looked like machinery, into her mind.
She bumped into the wall and she slid down, her legs no longer able to hold her weight. Charisse sat with her eye tightly closed and her hands pressed against her mouth. She was afraid that if she removed them, she would begin to scream, and she wouldn't be able to stop.
