Wow, what do you know? Another no comment!
Demon Fan: That's ok, thanks!
John: Yeah, clip chapter. And thank you for your thoughts, Captain Obvious.
Chapter 25: Inescapable Foe
"The officials are coming here?!" Hope exclaimed.
Amy had run into the family room and told everyone else what she had seen.
"Yes! I don't know how they figured it out, but if you stay you'll be arrested for sure! There must be at least fifty!"
"We don't stand much of a chance running either," Will pointed out. "Not only are Ruecian and Mana injured, but a group of our size would be easy to spot."
"So what should we do?" Miles wondered.
"We go down fighting!" Neo declared.
"For once, you've said something smart," Will commented. "I agree; standing and fighting is our only chance!"
"Won't that get us into even bigger trouble?" Darche stated.
"We're already fugitives, so probably not," Rue shrugged. "As shocking as it is to say, I'm with Will on this one! Anyone disagree?"
Nobody answered.
"Great! Then let's get ready!" Miles suggested. "How much time do we have before they get here?"
"About ten minutes tops," Amy confirmed. "We only have that long because I heard them talking about getting equipment ready."
"Then we have no time to waste!" Gaston declared.
"I'll get Claire!" Rue volunteered. "The rest of you, prepare for them!" Then he ran up the stairs, and to the guest room.
Not even bothering to knock, he charged in. "Claire! It's the officials! They're…"
He trailed off when he saw Mana and blushed. Luckily, at the moment Claire had been applying a bandage to Mana's right arm, so the sheet was drawn over most of her form. That didn't make the situation much better though.
Mana had yelped, diving completely underneath the sheet and cover, while Claire had grabbed a lamp from the nearby table.
Everyone ran to the stairs when they heard a crash. Rue came running out of the guest room, still being chased by Claire, who kept whacking him over the head with the lamp.
"Ow! Cut it out Claire! That hurts, damn it! OW!"
"That's the point!" Claire swung the lamp again, hitting him again. Momentarily stunned, he was unable to do anything as Claire grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kicked him in the groin, which, when she released the collar of his shirt, causing him to tumble down the stairs. After he landed at the foot of the stairs, she threw the lamp at his head, causing it to shatter upon contact.
"HAVEN'T YOU EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING BEFORE YOU ENTER, YOU PERVERT?! DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"
Rue was barely conscious at this point. Everyone else looked up at Claire, who blushed.
"Um… sorry. You can now go back to whatever you were doing."
"Geez, we should have brought Claire to fight against the Commanders of Heaven. She could have slaughtered them!" Miles commented.
That only caused Claire to blush deeper.
"Claire, Rue was going to tell you that the officials are coming. We have less than ten minutes to get ready."
"Oh… I just overreacted when he ran in without knocking," Claire said sheepishly. "I was trying to help Mana, and… well… I had to take off her armor to operate on her."
"No details, please," Hope requested. "So, are you willing to help?"
"Yeah, just let me apologize to Mana."
-----
A few minutes later, and they were ready. Armed with the weapons they had chosen, all they could do was wait.
"I'm glad mom left to go to the store," Hope commented. "She'd kill us for what we're planning to do."
"That's true," Amy agreed.
"Now remember, go all out! We're going to take them out, and have no regrets about it!" Miles announced. "This is for our freedom, men! And women," he added, looking over at Hope, Amy, Brandi, and Claire. "Is everyone ready, besides Rue since he's still out of it, and Larka since she's watching over the back entrance? Great! Let's move out!"
"Nice speech," Max said sarcastically.
"Thanks," Miles responded, ignoring the snickers that came from Max's comment.
Claire had put Rue upstairs in Hope's room, since he was still out of it. She had wanted to help too though, and was armed as well. Everyone's grip tightened around their weapons as Malon ran in, barking three times.
"That's the signal! Ready or not, they're coming!" Draken announced.
And they waited for their victims to enter.
-----
"So all of the kids should be here?" the second in command asked his leader.
"Yes. We'll just make a quick arrest and haul them off to jail."
"What if they resist?"
"I doubt they will. If they try, just bring out the guns, but there should be absolutely no need to fire them."
"Then why did we bring fifty men?"
"Just a show of numbers. Hopefully, it'll be enough." He raised his voice. "Is everyone ready?!"
The officials fell silent.
"Then it's time."
-----
A knock on the door confirmed the official's presence.
"I could take them all out by myself," Brandi complained.
"Probably, but why waste all your strength? Besides, you're still injured. This will be an easier way to deal with them," Gaston stated.
"We know you're in there! Open the door!" the official behind the door yelled.
"Who is it?" Amy called, as though she had no idea that fifty officials were waiting outside.
"You know full well. Let us in!"
"No, I don't. And you can come in-it's open!" Amy grinned mischievously.
The door was flung open, and the first official stepped inside. "Hands in the air! You are under arrest for-" The official's speech was cut off as a frying pan slammed into his head.
"Nice aim," Will commented to Neo, who had flung it.
"Thanks."
"Everyone, inside!" the leader commanded. "Let them see how many of us there are."
They all ran in.
"Enough stalling; ATTACK!" Miles cried.
The officials in the group didn't even expect an assault like this one. All sorts of kitchenware came flying at them. Pots, pans, rolling pins, forks, spoons, knives, plates, bowls, kettles, blenders, anything they had managed to grab in the short ten minutes they had they threw at them. While Max had wanted to go after them with a steak knife he had found, Will had pointed out that he might kill someone accidentally. So he settled for throwing the microwave, which knocked out one official, throwing him into two others. Claire had armed herself with another lamp, which crashed into another official, sending glass shards everywhere.
"What the hell is this?!" the leader roared.
"No resistance?" his second in command muttered. "That's like saying the sky is pink."
"Quiet! I'm not going to stand by and be repelled by… KITCHENWARE! Draw your guns!"
"They're getting serious," Draken noted as he tossed a coffee maker at another official who had gotten too close.
"Then we will too!" Brandi declared. "I could use some exercise!"
"Don't overdo it," Perseus advised. The Soul Monsters had been staying back, except for Neo, who was having a great time throwing cooking devices at the officials, and Malon, who had latched himself onto one official's arm.
"No chance." Then Brandi lunged.
It was effective, to say at the least. Brandi slammed herself through several of the officials, throwing them back. It was a domino effect; many of the officials who were thrown back collided with other officials, sending them flying.
"Enough of this!" the leader snarled. He drew his gun, and fired at the approaching girl.
Brandi jumped back, avoiding the bullet, which lodged itself into the wall.
The distraction was all the remaining officials needed to bring out their guns.
"Hands in the air, or we'll shoot!" the second in command announced.
"We're screwed," Draken muttered.
"Give no quarter!" Miles shouted, throwing a wall clock at the second in command's head. It was a direct hit, and he collapsed.
"That's it!" the leader yelled. "Prepare to fire!"
Then his cell phone rang. He quickly picked it up. "Yes? What?! But sir…! Bah, fine!" He hung it up. "Retreat! We're going back to headquarters! We are not to harm the children!"
"But why?" one man protested.
"Because we have new orders, idiot! We're leaving, now!"
Although all of the officials did not understand why they were suddenly withdrawing, they could not refuse a direct order from their leader. In a matter of seconds, they were all gone, dragging the unconscious with them.
"Um… what just happened?" Claire asked.
"We were saved, that's what," Draken replied. "I don't know why they left so abruptly, but it's all the better for us."
"And with that, we win the battle!" Miles declared.
"But not the war," Gen reminded him.
"Thanks for ruining the moment," Miles grumbled.
"Uh, guys? We have a much bigger problem on our hands right now," Amy pointed out.
Everyone looked around the front room, where glass shards, pieces of kitchen machinery, and silverware lay. There was also the wall, where a bullet struck.
"Not good," Darche commented. "Ms. Gales is NOT going to be happy."
"As if that wasn't completely obvious," Gaston responded.
"What on earth happened?" Rue called. After hearing the commotion downstairs, he had woken up, and after some violent oaths on his condition, had managed to stagger downstairs.
"The officials tried to arrest us, so we beat the hell out of them," Draken replied.
"And you didn't let me help? That's no fair!"
"Believe me, you will be very glad that you weren't part of this when mom gets home," Hope told him.
"Good point."
Malon walked over to the scattered objects, cautiously avoiding the glass, and carefully picked up a metal spoon in his jaws, and then brought it over to Hope.
She smiled at his cute appearance. "Malon's right. We'd better clean this up as best as we can, so that we'll at least survive my mom's wrath."
"Yeah," Amy agreed. She grabbed a rolling pin and threw it over at Rue. Since he didn't expect it, Rue was hit over the head, causing him to yelp in pain.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"It was for you to catch. You may not have caused this area to be a disaster zone, but you can help us clean it up."
Rue muttered a few unpleasant remarks under his breath before bending down to grab some more silverware.
"Well, we need all of the help we can get!" Claire pointed out. "I'm sorry that I hurt you so badly, but you shouldn't have run into the room without knocking first!"
"That wasn't my fault!" Rue snarled. "I was in a hurry-we had no time to waste. And if you're so desperate for help, why isn't Larka here?"
"Oh! She must still be by the back door," Hope realized. "Hang on, I'll go get her."
She ran into the back. "Larka! Hey, Larka!" Then she stopped, looking around the room. "Larka? Hello?"
"What's wrong?" Gaston inquired, coming in after her.
"She's not here! But she said she'd stay by the back door, in case the officials came in this way…" She raised her voice. "Hey, Miles! Get in here!"
"Where's the fire?" Miles joked, walking in. The others followed him.
"Didn't Larka volunteer to stay back here?"
"Yeah. Why, isn't she here?"
"No! That's the problem! We can't find her anywhere!"
Malon growled suddenly.
"What's the matter?" Amy asked the puppy.
Fell had already seen it. He walked over to table nearby the door, having noticed something laying on it. He picked it up, looking at the front. By the back, Hope could tell that it was a Duel Monster card.
"What is it?" Brandi asked. "A card? But which one?"
Fell did not seem to hear her. He stared at the card for a few tense moments before slamming it back down on the table, and then leaving the room.
"What was that about?" Hope wondered, picking it up.
"Well?" Rue asked impatiently when she didn't say anything immediately.
"It's a monster card called Magical Scientist," Hope told them, showing the front to them. "But I don't understand why it would be here. I've never even heard of it… it doesn't belong to anyone here, right? Larka's deck is a Light one, so it can't be hers-this card's a Dark type."
"Actually, I'm guessing you own it now," Draken said. "Due to Fell's reaction, I doubt it was his."
"Yeah… he seemed furious…" Hope trailed off, staring at the card. "Of course! Remember what Larka told us? They were taken at a young age by a scientist named Viken, and forced to go through several experiments. They only recently escaped."
"And the point of that is…?" Rue asked.
"Don't be such a bonehead!" Hope snapped. "Obviously, the Magical Scientist stands for Viken! He must have kidnapped Larka!"
Malon snarled.
"It's a reasonable conclusion," Draken admitted. "We were distracted by the officials… it wouldn't have been hard for Viken to sneak in via the back door. Even with Larka there, she could have possibly been overpowered."
"It might not have even been Viken," Hope said. "Larka mentioned that Viken had many lab assistants. For all we know, a few of them might have come in."
"But I don't get it," Miles commented. "Why would Viken leave this card? It points to him, but why would he want us to know he did it?"
"I'm wondering about that too," Hope confessed.
"Simple," Will replied. "From what I've gathered, he wants to have his two specimen back, right? Well, we can assume that Fell is easily the stronger of the two, so Larka would be much easier to take. And Viken knows that her brother would do anything to save her. So Fell will go after him, only to fall into some kind of trap."
"Then it's a lose-lose situation!" Gaston protested.
"I'm afraid so," Will agreed.
"But what if Fell chooses not to go after him?" Draken questioned. "Judging by the way we've seen him act, he could care less about anyone but himself."
"Maybe he's not the most friendly guy out there, but he obviously loves his sister," Hope told him. "You weren't there when I first saw them, but Rue, Claire, Gaston, Ruecian, and Perseus should remember this. Fell probably could have gotten out of that lab much easier by himself, but he didn't. When we found him, he had two bullet wounds-one in his shoulder, the other in his leg-and Larka was unconscious. Despite his injuries, Fell had attempted to carry her as far as he could go."
"But something he said still makes me skeptical," Draken argued. "Didn't he say, back in that building in the sky, that if he could, he'd sever any feelings he had towards Larka?"
"But then he admitted that he couldn't, because… the bonds were too deep, I think that's the words he used," Gen reminded him. "Although I do believe that he could care less about the rest of us, his sister must mean something to him. He would do anything to save her."
"Gen is right," Daine spoke up. "Remember, I know my master better than anyone else, even though I have only recently come into existence. He will save Larka, even if it means dying… or even worse, being recaptured."
"You're sure?" Draken said doubtfully.
"My master acts as though he does not care about anyone but himself, but he loves his sister, no matter how much he tries to hide it. Also, as unlikely as it may seem to your eyes, he probably does care about all of you as well."
"Maybe when pigs start to fly," Draken snapped.
"I would not say it would be too unlikely. Fell has gone through much pain, and he does not want to deal with any more suffering, physically and mentally. That is why he wishes to stay away from us… he does not want to become friends with people who will eventually die, while he lives on."
"I said it before, and I'll say it again; that's a coward's way out!" Draken snarled. "My parents have died. I've seen my sister killed before my own eyes. And I've tried to kill the very people I now trust the most! And you don't see me shying away from everyone, just because their death might bring a little more pain into my life!"
"We all deal with pain in different ways," Daine told him. "Your method works for you, while my master's works for him. I could not change the way he thinks, even if I wanted to."
Malon whined at Daine.
"You are right… sorry," he replied to Malon, before turning to the others. "Malon says that we can discuss this later, and I agree. Even if my master, Malon, and I go alone, we will be leaving soon."
"But it must surely be a trap!" Claire protested. "Wouldn't it be better if someone besides Fell went?"
"It would, but he will go no matter how many times he is told it would be risky. He knows the hazards, and he will go anyway. And except for me and Malon, he will probably want to save Larka on his own."
"There's no way that he should go alone though," Hope said firmly. "I'm going. I don't care what Fell says about wanting to do it alone. Larka's my friend, and whether Fell likes it or not I'm going to take part in saving her!"
"Fell's a strong fighter, but you might want another. No offense Hope, but you suck at close range battles," Rue stated.
"Gee, thanks for pointing it out," she muttered.
"No problem. Well, as much as I'm at loathe to admit it, Max is one of our best warriors." He looked over at him. "How about it? Are you going to help them?"
Max shook his head. "No. I can't come."
"Why not? Don't you care about what happens to your friends?" Miles said.
"I don't have any friends," Max snapped. "They're only people with similar goals."
"Oh, lighten up!" Brandi told him. "Of course they're your friends."
"My friends? You think so? As if! You're nothing but a hypocrite!"
Brandi stared at him for a few seconds before running off, towards the stairs.
"That was a little harsh," Darche commented.
Max sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say anything like that. It's just… well, Brandi got a phone call from Chasity, who said that our mother might be on the edge of death. Can you imagine how this is affecting me? If I go to see her, you're left to deal with Commanders of Heaven. If I don't, she might die, and I'll never have another opportunity…"
"I'm sorry," Miles said. "I didn't know that was the situation. You'd best go and make up with Brandi; she looked pretty hurt. If you want to stay here, that's fine. I assume Brandi will be staying too, since she has to look over Mana and everything?"
"Yeah." Then Max went to the stairs as well, Olympion following.
"You're not coming, Rue?" Hope asked.
"Nope. Sorry, but I'm worried about Ruecian. I really need to stay here for him. Besides, Claire nearly killed me, remember?"
"True." Hope looked over at Claire. "You're staying, right?"
"I'm afraid so. I'm not much of a fighter… I'd be of little use there. At least I can look over Ruecian and Mana while I'm here… they still need help."
"It's fine," Hope assured. "Does anyone else want to come?"
"I am!" Miles said enthusiastically.
"You?"
"Of course! Don't you think that Viken would have some kind of locks on his doors, and possibly the area where he has Larka? You're going to need a master thief, like me, to open them."
"Or a master klutz," Rue muttered.
"Look at the pot who called the kettle black," Miles retorted, before looking over at Draken. "You coming?"
"No. I'm sorry, but I just can't stand being with Fell. Larka's a good friend, and I am concerned about her, but Fell… I don't like him, at all."
"If that's the way you feel," Rue shrugged, before turning to Will. "And you?"
"Why not? Maybe I can help in some manner," Will said. "Although Neo should stay in his Soul Card-we don't need him to betray the fact that we've snuck into the lab."
"Hey!" Neo protested.
Hope looked over to Zack. "Are you staying?"
"No, I wish to assist you," he stated.
"Whew, at least we have two guys who don't mind killing any lab assistants that get in our way," Miles joked. "So what do we need to do to prepare?"
"We tell Fell that we're going, and he needs to come with us if he wants to go save her," Hope suggested.
"Let me," Daine said. "If my master will listen to any of us, it will be me."
"That's true," Gaston agreed. "Go ahead and do that. In the meantime, we'd better finish cleaning up this place."
-----
Max knocked on the door to Hope's room before opening it, to see Brandi sitting on the floor. She looked over to him.
"Brandi, listen. I'm really sorry about what I said, and I didn't mean it. I'm just torn on what to do… that's all."
Brandi nodded, but he could see that she still seemed depressed.
He sighed, and sat down beside her. "I never told you why I went to see our mother, did I?"
"Actually, no."
"Well, it was to ask for forgiveness for what I had done… for running away, and killing Jason. But there was something else I asked. I wanted to know if we could come home."
Brandi stared at him in shock.
"And her reply… was yes."
He didn't have the chance to say anything else as his sister hugged him. He had expected this kind of reaction-although she had never complained about being isolated, he knew that she only wanted to be able to go home and live with their mother again. But what he hadn't foreseen was the stench of blood that was still with her.
"You really need a shower," he commented when she let go.
She blushed, but nodded. "Yeah, I'll go ask Hope about it."
-----
Daine finally found Fell outside, on the roof again. He lay down beside him.
"Master… what are you thinking?"
"…Viken is behind this. I knew that we could not escape from him. He will never leave us alone… unless he is killed."
"And you want to kill him?"
"…Yes." Fell looked over at the rest of the houses. "For revenge, yes, but not for only me."
"For your sister too?"
"Yes."
"But revenge does not solve anything," Daine pointed out.
"…Despite what I have gone through in the labs, I still think much like any human would. Mortals crave for vengeance, and I do too. It is part of our nature… I cannot deny it."
"I will make no move to stop you, of course. Whether it is for revenge or not, Viken will continue to make others suffer, all for the sake of science. If killing is the only way to stop him, then so be it."
"…"
"But what about Larka? She is the real reason you are going, right?"
"…Yes."
"You care about her too deeply to let anything else happen to her. I know this better than anyone else, master."
"…"
"So, when shall we leave?"
"Now."
"Then I will tell the others."
Fell gave him an inquiring glance.
"Hope, Gaston, Will, Neo, Miles, Gen, Zack, and Malon want to come as well."
"..."
"Let them, master. You may think that you can handle this on your own, but you can not. For Larka's sake, accept their help, so that there are no more risks than necessary taken."
"The fewer that come, the better."
"True. That is why only the best for this mission are coming. Hope is much smarter than you might think her to be. Will is very intelligent as well, and I am sure he will be of great assistance. Miles can get us into the lab-it is his profession, after all. Zack is an excellent battler, as you have seen. He has also done several missions in various areas-he probably has done missions that are similar to this one."
"…"
"They are not coming because they think you are weak. They want to help their friends… both you and Larka."
"…They can do as they wish." Fell stood up. "They had best be ready soon though… because I will not wait."
-----
"Hope, you don't mind if I take a shower, do you?" Brandi asked. She had pulled Hope aside so that only she would hear the question.
"It isn't a problem. It's right across from my room."
"Thanks. I'll be back down as soon as I can." Then she ran back up.
Hope went back into the front room, where most of the group was picking up kitchenware, sweeping away glass, and gathering the remains of machines, such as the coffee maker.
"The microwave was overkill," Miles complained as he bent down to get the door of it.
"It worked though," Gen pointed out as he picked up yet another dented pan.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Max was still upstairs, with Olympion-nobody dared to try to get them to help. Zack was recharging again, to make sure that he would be ready for going to the lab. Nobody was sure of where Fell and Daine were, but they knew they would show up when it was the right time.
After a few more minutes of working, Fell was back, with Daine following him. Hope looked over to him.
"Hi Fell. Are you ready to go?"
He nodded.
"Once Zack finishes charging, we can leave. Do you remember the way to Viken's lab?"
Another nod.
"That's good… you're the only one who has any idea of where it is located. We'll be depending on your directions."
"…" Fell walked off to the family room.
"We will tell you when Zack is ready," Daine assured before running after Fell.
They spent the next moments working some more. Miles tied the trash bag closed, and soon found a problem. "Hey Rue, would you mind getting another bag? I'm all out."
"Yeah, hang on. Hope, where are the trash bags?" Rue called.
"In the bathroom."
"Thanks!" He ran up the stairs.
Hope's eyes widened. "Wait Rue! Don't go in there!"
He was too far up to hear her though.
"Oh great…" Hope groaned.
"What's the matter?" Draken asked.
"Just stop Rue from entering that room!"
"Um, ok…" He went upstairs too, looking over at the door, which was slightly open. Through it, he could hear quite a few cries of pain.
"I got here too late…" Draken muttered.
Then Rue collapsed through the door, before it slammed shut. Draken went over to him, and saw that his arms and legs had several bruises, and that his nose was bleeding. He also seemed to have his right eye blackened.
"You have a perfect sense of time," Draken told him.
"The pretty lights…" Rue mumbled before falling unconscious.
Draken dragged him off to the family room. Then he came back to the front room.
"Did you make it in time?" Hope asked.
"Nope."
"Is Rue still alive?"
"Somehow."
"That's good to know."
"Yep."
Amy had gone outside to put the trash bag where it could be picked up. She ran back inside. "Duck for cover! Ms. Gales is back!"
"Aw nuts," Hope muttered. "Let's hope she's in a good mood today."
-----
Brandi was in the guest room, visiting Mana.
"Are you alright now?"
"I think so… Claire managed to get the bullet out, so I should be ok soon."
"That's good."
"So how did the fight with the officials go?"
"Well, here's what happened…" Brandi was cut off by a sudden yell.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU NEEDED ALL OF THE KITCHENWARE TO FIGHT THE OFFICIALS?! AND THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE BULLETHOLE IN MY WALL!"
"Dang it," Brandi groaned. "If she comes in here, tell her I'm not available." Then she went underneath the bed Mana was in.
"Smart move," Mana commented.
-----
"HOPE LYN GALES, YOU ARE SO GROUNDED!" her mother screamed at her.
"I saw that coming," she sighed.
"NOW, WHO'S IDEA WAS IT TO USE MY KITCHENWARE TO DEFEAT THE OFFICIALS?!"
Everyone pointed at Miles.
"Gee, thanks for the support," Miles muttered.
"YOU ARE PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS! EVERY LAST PART! AND WHO BROKE MY MICROWAVE?!"
"That was Max's idea," Miles admitted.
"I wouldn't try to make him pay, mom," Hope suggested. "Olympion would probably kill you."
"THEN YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT!" she shouted at Miles.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
"LIFE ISN'T FAIR!" Ms. Gales stomped off into the kitchen.
"Aw damn it… how the heck am I going to be able to pay off all of this?" Miles wondered.
"That's your problem," Amy told him. "Hope, you had best get going soon. I'll hold off your mom until you get back."
"Thanks," Hope said. "I sure don't envy you."
"I can see why," Amy sighed.
Zack walked in, looking somewhat confused. "What happened?"
"My mom got home," Hope told him.
"I see."
"Will, Miles, Malon, we're leaving!" Hope called. They came instantly.
"YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE HOPE!"
"Have fun," Amy said before running over to confront Ms. Gales.
Fell and Daine came running into the room as well, and then they were off.
-----
"So how long will it take to reach there?" Gaston asked.
"…Half an hour."
"That's not too far," Miles commented.
"Yeah. It takes about ten minutes to reach the park at a leisurely pace, so maybe twenty minutes after that? Not bad at all," Hope stated.
Their trip was made mostly in silence, although Gaston and Neo were discussing a few things at certain times. They passed through the park easily, and continued on through the trees-according to Fell, the laboratory was isolated from other buildings.
"There's something I don't get," Miles said.
"You don't get a lot of things," Gen told him.
"Well, excuse me for not being Albert Einstein," Miles muttered. "But anyway, is this scientist supported by the government? If so, why? They must know of the horrible experiments Viken does."
"Maybe they have been told that Viken was experimenting on things that are not human," Will suggested. "Either that, or the government never looked into it."
"I guess so…" Miles still looked somewhat doubtful.
"I wouldn't put it past them," Zack said. "The government has more important things to worry about than small trivial manners, or so they would claim. If Viken claimed to be doing experiments to benefit our lives, and he was doing them on something that was not human, then they would probably accept that."
"You have a point," Miles agreed, now convinced.
After a few more minutes, Fell suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Hope asked.
"We are here."
They looked ahead, outside of the trees that they used to conceal themselves. There was a black building that was only one story tall, but quite big nevertheless. They could see two guards standing by the side of the front door, one on the left and one on the right.
"That's the place?" Gaston whispered.
"…Yes. This is the laboratory where my sister and I have suffered for almost all of our lives."
To be continued…