Chapter 10
"The lights were flashing red in a sign of warning, creating an epileptic's worst nightmare."
Quistis Trepe
The smell of antiseptic and formaldehyde greeted my nostrils as I made my way into the Extracting Room. The smell stung the nostrils, and I unconsciously wrinkled my nose, wishing I could be anywhere else but where I was to. After a work out around the Garden, even Cid smelled better than this room. Besides the fact that the use of GF's had greatly melted away most of my memories, and just standing here made me remember that fact. I shook my head in amazed stupidity at the contradictions in my last thought.
Either way, I was here, and my relinquished past should have been the last thing on my mind. After all, in a few minutes I could be relieved of all of my memories, as four decidedly pissed off monsters tore me to shreds.
I sighed with resignation as I tucked a freshly washed strand of hair behind my ear. It still felt covered in Rinoa, and the thought of it made me shudder ever so slightly. It would take weeks before it was one hundred percent Rinoa-free. They just didn't make shampoo strong enough these days. What I needed was some industrial stuff, the kind that wiped the pigment right out.
"Ah, Quistis, you're here! Right on time." Murphy said, appreciatively gleeful that I had graced him with my presence.
" So I am." I replied, not amazed with my punctuality. "Is everything ready?"
"Sure is! Come on, we'll get this show on the road."
Murphy grabbed my arm as I followed hastily to keep up his pace. That's just wonderful. Now I had Rinoa and Murphy on my body that would take a month to be clean of. I made a mental note to start working on some potent soap.
As we walked into the heart of the extracting room, my heart skipped a beat. Our mystery man was hooked up to even more wires, many leading to the several extraction tanks that filled one half of the room. We were in luck, as most of The Garden's resident GF's were out on business. Squall alone was equipped with at least five. Odds were he wouldn't even remember his name in a week. If he was lucky, his memory would be wiped clean of Rinoa as well. If only GF's came in brands of soap..
Currently, Coffin Boy was breathing deeply, his body pumped full of sedatives causing him to be as relaxed as a stoned hippy. A few of Murphy's co-workers were working on computers, their fingers tapping away on the keyboards, eyes intent on the screens.
"All right guys," Murphy said to his team, eyes aglow. "Lets do this thing."
"Okay boss," Leon replied from the extraction station. "Everyone ready?"
I nodded silently, as the team of four signaled they were prepared. This was it. I gripped the handle of my whip, disgusted with my fear, yet unable to help my anxiousness. I kept a wary eye on our subject, over-primed for him to open his scarlet eyes and go bat shit on everyone.
"Okay," Leon said with a hint of apprehension in his voice, "Here goes."
The tall scientist pressed his finger on the button to start the extracting process, and anticipation filled the room. You could almost hear the intake of air, as every person in the room held their breath. This was a moment in history, and no one knew what to expect. I just hoped that we would all make it out alive.
The gauges on the machine began to flutter, as the familiar static noise filled my ears. Lights flashed from white to red on the console. It was beginning.
With a whir of the device, we watched in wonder as the first GF was extracted from the strange man lying asleep on the lab table. The tank that was once occupied only of formaldehyde filled with a strange being, and a few gasps of awe were heard from the group. Looking like the long lost sibling of The Brothers, the beast was covered in thick rippling muscles, showing its strength. A wild mane of fiery red sprouted from its neck, as two sharp horns adorned its head. Its bluish-purple fur was short, and its snout covered sharp teeth. I shuddered involuntarily as I imagined its power.
Before I could finish admiring the first of the four Guardian Forces, the second tank was filled with the next. A gasp caught in my throat as I observed what could only be described as something akin to Frankenstein, from the old black and white movies stored in the library. Its beady eyes were transfixed in a look of rage, as massive bolts adorned its body. No wonder he looked pissed. Tattered clothing covered its naughty bits, as its enormous waxy arms hung loosely at its sides.
Lost in my gaze on the tanks, another monster appeared in front of me. My eyes widened with fear, as I felt my stomach twist in knots. This thing was scary as hell, and in most cases, it was probably where it originated from. With chainsaw in hand, and haunted mask on its face, I was forced to think of all the extremities it had hacked to pieces. Long greasy hair hung limply from its head, and hollow eyes stared out from the eyes of the white mask. I shivered, hugging my goose bumped flesh.
This was like something out of a horror movie, and I couldn't help but notice the excitement on the scientists' faces. Great. I was the most afraid out of the lot of them, and I was the deadly assassin. Wonderful.
Just as I was about to berate myself for being such a fool, the noise from the machine picked up. Something was wrong. Leon broke his transfixed gaze from the tanks and turned quickly toward the console. The gauges were going haywire, the little dials flicking toward danger at an alarming speed. The lights were flashing red in a sign of warning, creating an epileptic's worst nightmare. My head snapped in the direction of the man on the table, as his eyes could be seen moving under his lids. His fingers twitched as he slowly moved his head from back to forth. Agonized moans were escaping his mouth.
"What's wrong?" I shouted over the noise, trying desperately to keep myself in control.
"Something's not right." Murphy said, assisting Leon on the computer.
No shit, Sherlock. I looked back and forth between the fumbling scientists, to the tortured man no more than five feet from me. Something bad was going down, I could feel it. I should have known this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Something this complicated would not be without its disasters.
The shouts of the people around me went unheard, as the confusion around me swirled into a miasma of disturbance. The tank was starting to react. Something was coming, and it did not want to come. The tortured moans of the man became louder, as smoke erupted from the machinery on all sides of the room. People ran to the equipment, trying desperately to prevent the instruments from breaking to their full extent.
I bridged the gap between me and the raven-haired man, lost in his condition, throwing caution to the wind. There had to be something I could do, to at least lessen his pain. He was screaming at this point, the thick smoke enveloping his lungs. I reached a wary hand out toward him, as suddenly my eyes shot up to the tank to the right of me. A beast materialized in it, and a scream caught in my throat. It was like the dark things combined from everyone's nightmares had sent its form into that tank, bringing its presence to stare hollowly into my soul. I felt icy terror grip my heart and the color drain from my face. It was hideous, with its great waxen wings, and demon figure. Its red eyes struck terror into my body, and my head reeled with fright.
The Extraction Machine had finally begun to calm down, and the level of anxiety dropped an enormous level. The loud whir became a steady static sound again, and the smoke began to dissipate. But although the room around me was going back to normal, my eyes stayed locked on the demon to the right of me in the tank, its eyes seeming to look right through me. A small smile played on its lipless mouth, something that should have been impossible as GF's remained unconscious in the vats. A shiver ran rigidly down my spine.
Before I could react, a powerful arm went forcefully around my waist. I choked on a whelp, ignoring Murphy's late warning. In my trance, the fitfully slumbering man had awakened, and he was definitely not a morning person. I looked cautiously to my left, eyeing the sharp syringe only centimeters from my jugular. This was not good. The situation had turned from bad to worse, and I was reminded of how Rinoa used to always say "Don't complain, things could always be worse.". You're wrong Rinoa! This was the tip of the iceberg.
"No body move," I heard a gravely voice respond from behind me.
I gave Murphy and the crew a look of warning. No one was going to play the hero today and make me paint the walls red. Feeling the taught muscles behind me, the sheer strength of the man registered into my brain. This was no sandfish I was dealing with. This was a superhuman nut who had me by the throat with a needle.
Searching my brain for a way out of the mess I had gotten myself into, I surprised myself with the amount of control I had over myself. I had not trembled or displayed any of the fear that ran its course in my body. Instead, I embraced the adrenaline that was filling my veins.
"I mean it!" He said with renewed harshness, stopping any of the scientist from doing anything stupid.
Just when I thought he was finally going to stab me in the neck and end my sad and pathetic life, he did something I would expect the last of. His hot and quick breath fell on my ear as quietly he whispered to me, "Don't be afraid, Lu, this will all be over in a second."
With that, my resolve shattered. I was into super SeeD mode, and he was going to be sorry. "I am not Lu, or Lucretia, or whoever the hell you think I am!" I yelled with anger.
His grip on me failed, and I took advantage of the moment, bringing my heel down hard on his bare foot. In his surprise, he let go of me, the syringe falling with a crash to the floor. My elbow came in harshly into his gut, and he collapsed to the floor, holding his stomach in pain. Before he could find a way to defend himself, I had a hold on my whip, and held it menacingly to his battered form.
Move it and die, Death Man.
Looking up at me with confusion and hurt, his eyes searched mine for something that obviously wasn't there. Who was this guy? More important, who was this Lucretia that he kept mistaking me for?
Woo.. long time, no write, eh? Hope this extra long chappie makes up for it a bit. Quistis is such a bad ass 3. Hope you enjoyed this one! I know I did :). Please Review and tell me your thoughts.