"What a cliché," Chloe thought in amusement. A bright spotlight blinded her as she sat in the middle of a dark room. "An interrogation room, if you will," Chloe reasoned internally. "How the hell did I get into this?"
Well, that was a simple enough question to answer. Chloe had called the number Michael had given to her and within an hour a plane had picked her and the children up. Next she knew, the kids were gone and she was sitting under this light.
"Ms. Anderson, I presume?" A voice filled the room so suddenly that Chloe jumped.
"That's me," Chloe offered a shaky grin.
"Nineteen years old, feline feral," it continued. "We're prepared to offer you a deal."
"What do you mean a deal? Where are the kids? Who the hell are you?" Chloe spewed.
"You need not worry about the kids anymore," the voice returned. "You are a member of Michael Carlson's team. As of now, Michael Carlson, Ashley Rees, and Angie Valentine are being held captive at Genomex. I'm sure you want to rescue them."
"What's the deal part of that?" Chloe questioned.
"We help you, you belong to us," it replied.
"I figured that," Chloe took a deep breath. "And what, may I ask, is this company I'm dedicating my life to?"
"The Dominion."
Chloe shifted around uncomfortably in her plane chair. She wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since her first meeting with the Dominion. The past few…whatevers…had been a blur.
"Ms. Anderson, we're approaching the Genomex holding facility," the pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker.
Chloe nodded in acknowledgment. Since the meeting, Chloe had begun learning martial arts, computer skills, and how to fly with the promise that her Dominion boot camp would return once her friends were rescued.
She had a bad feeling…some lurking, heavy feeling sat in her chest, like the closer they got to Genomex, the more her life was enveloped by darkness. The plan was simple. With the Dominion's backing, Chloe and the other operatives could easily overcome any forces that Genomex had. In fact, Chloe's unit was last, thus she didn't even have to do the dirty work.
The plane landed on the ground, and Chloe strolled up to the pilot.
"The first unit was successful in their mission, the outer limits have been penetrated. They're ready for your unit."
"Let's do it," Chloe sighed nonchalantly and lead her agents off the plane.
She entered the building, gun drawn. The silence was deafening. Chloe came to an abrupt halt in front of the nearest agent.
"Status report," she barked, eyes flashing.
"The entire building is under our control. You are to report to the center room where Morgenstein is being held."
Chloe gave a curt nod and hurried to the center of the building. The darkness shrouded her as she closed in on Morgenstein. She placed a hesitant and on the knob before swinging open the door with a bang. The sight before her made her hurl. A cold sweat broke out over her forehead. After a few minutes, she wiped her mouth dry and turned to face the center of the room. Three bodies hung from the ceiling like limp rag dolls. Chloe choked down tears as she met the steel black eyes of her friends' killer.
"Ms. Anderson? What would you like –"
BANG! Morgenstein fell to the floor with a loud thump. All eyes stared at Chloe, whose gun was still smoking.
"Cut them down," Chloe ordered. "And let's get out of here."
1 year later
Happiness. She wasn't sure she knew what that meant anymore. A smile hadn't graced her face in over a year. That girl in her memories – the one with the bright smile, sparkling eyes – the feisty feral – Chloe didn't know her anymore.
She walked down the metallic hallway at the Dominion headquarters, her boots clicking with every step. She was leaving this prison. A strange feeling sat in her chest. An anticipation. Maybe this was happiness.
She often had dreams about times before. Her short time in Safe Haven was the happiest time of her life. If her friends saw her today they wouldn't recognize her. To tell the truth, she wouldn't want them to.
Armed with false identification papers, Chloe's mission was simple – infiltrate Genomex. After Morgenstein's death, the company was taken over by Mason Eckhart and Adam Kane. Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the Dominion. Adam Kane was unhappy at Genomex, immediately making him a top priority at the Dominion.
New research assistant Laila Garrahan strolled confidently down the sterile white halls of Genomex towards Adam's office. Clothed in a pristine lab coat, crisp business suit with spectacles perched delicately atop her nose, she looked nothing like the dangerous predator she really was.
She paused before the door designating her boss' office, letting her hand float over the doorknob before swinging the door open without so much as a knock.
Unfazed, a young man with intelligent brown eyes cocked an eyebrow towards the woman. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, I believe so Dr. Kane," Laila clicked over to his desk and stuck out her hand. "Laila Garrahan."
"Right," he replied. He grasped her hand briefly. "I'm Dr. Adam Kane, obviously. Let me show you to your office.
Laila watched the door snap shut before lowering herself primly into her desk chair. She reached into her purse and pulled out a flash drive, plugging it into the computer. With a few quick taps of the keyboard, a shadowy figure appeared on the screen.
"I assume everything has gone according to plan, Ms. Anderson?" The voice boomed.
Chloe – Laila – spun around in her chair. "Everything has gone perfectly."
"Excellent," he grinned. "Continue through with the plan, Ms. Anderson. We will be sending further instructions."
Chloe nodded slightly with a satisfied smirk wiped across her face. "Perfect."
Suddenly, there was a rap on the door and Adam reappeared at the entry.
"Yes?" Chloe looked up quickly, an innocent, wide-eyed expression gracing her face.
"A patient just arrived, would you please assist me?" Adam asked.
"Sure," Chloe nodded and stood to follow Adam out the door.
As they strolled down the hall, Adam began grilling her.
"So, what drew you to Genomex?" Adam asked.
"You are on the cutting edge of technology. This is the place to be for students like me," Chloe replied smoothly.
Adam nodded, with almost a grimace on his face. Chloe looked at him with a eyebrow raised, catching his funny look.
"Something wrong?" Chloe questioned.
"No," Adam looked her over. Switching subjects, he focused his suspicions on her. "There's something about you that doesn't sit right with me. Are you a mutant?"
Chloe fixed her angelic baby blues innocently on Adam. "No, not at all." The lie rolled easily off her tongue.
Adam frowned but didn't push the issue. "Here we are." He stopped abruptly and entered a lab room. "This is one of my patients, Nick Blake." Adam turned away to ready equipment but continued talking as the ruggedly handsome mutant turned towards Chloe. As his hazel eyes locked with her azure orbs, electricity crackled in the air. Startled, Chloe was barely aware of Adam's rambling. "Oh, by the way, Nick is a –"
"Feral," Chloe finished without thinking, still entranced by Nick's eyes.
Adam looked up at her, a confused look on his face.
"Um, sixth sense?" Chloe shrugged helplessly.
Adam nodded and turned back to his work while Nick flirtatiously flashed his feral eyes at her with a coy smile. Chloe smirked knowingly back, a funny feeling sitting in her chest, a good feeling. Adam turned back around with a syringe in his hand. "Laila, could you help me out with this please."
Chloe turned white. "With the needle?"
Adam nodded, holding it out to her.
"Okay," Chloe drawled, fingering it in her hand. She stepped to the gurney, noticing Nick's eyes trained nervously on her. Chloe gave him a saucy grin and raised an eyebrow, stepping closer. She looked down at Nick's arm, all prepped and ready to go, and she was at a loss.
At that moment, Adam suddenly cried out, "Damn it! I forgot something. I'll be right back." He strode quickly out the door.
Chloe let out a breath of relief. "Please tell me you know how to do this."
"Give me that!" Nick grabbed the syringe and drew his own blood. "Who are you really?" He tapped her ID badge. "And don't give me this Laila Garrahan crap."
"Why should I tell you anything about me? You are just one of Dr. Kane's patients," Chloe retorted coolly.
Nick shrugged and settled back down into his chair as Adam walked back into the room.
"Oh good, you drew the blood," Adam acknowledged.
"Yup, I did," Chloe nodded.
"And she did a great job at that," Nick piped in, with Chloe shooting him a dirty look.
"Wonderful," Adam grinned and went about his business.
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