xii.

part twelve

"What is this place?" Nudge, the most-talkative of the group, asked not a second after Jeb had herded them into a somewhat hidden room within the facility. The young girl was looking around the small space with her large, doe-like brown eyes, which were clearly filled with wonder.

Unlike Max, and Fang, she and Gazzy weren't able to leave their cages as much. Of course, they were younger, and thus were still being experimented on, so they didn't have to be dragged out to train just yet. Iggy also didn't get to leave his cage as much, but that was mostly due to the whitecoats deeming him as a "failure."

So, Nudge took in every small detail that her eyes could record. The group watched her small form practically jump to each corner of the room as she explored it all. To be fair, there wasn't much to see; from the white walls and floors, to the fluorescent lights… The only interesting thing was the huge glass windows at the end of the room that covered the whole expanse of the wall.

"This," Jeb said with a warm smile as he directed them to the windows, "Is an observation room. It oversees our outdoor training grounds."

"Ohhhh," Nudge said, immediately smashing her face against the glass. Her dark brown hair (which was thick and extremely curly) flared out around her head, somehow resisting the force Nudge was applying to it.

Max wants to laugh at Nudge's behavior, but her protectiveness takes over and she quickly removes the younger girl from the glass.

"Nudge," Max hisses. "Are you crazy? They could see you!"

"Cool," Iggy drolled, but was ultimately ignored.

"Not to worry, Max." Jeb tried to reassure her, "No one can see through the windows unless they're on this side of the panel. We're perfectly safe up here."

"Oh…" Max said, her face heating up a bit.

"Yeah, oh." Nudge sniffed, crossing her arms expectantly at Max. No other words were required for her to get her point across. The brunette just stood there, her dark-colored skin seeming to glow beneath the fluorescent lights as she also radiated attitude.

Max knew a lost battle when she saw one.

Sighing, she ran her fingers through her knotty hair. "Sorry, Nudge…"

"It's okay!" Immediately, Nudge was all smiles again, and she pranced back towards the window. "So, what's the surprise, Jeb?!"

The older man nodded towards the window, "Take a look for yourself."

"I'll get right on that."

"Shut up, Iggy," Max groaned.

The children swarmed to the window and looked down at the outdoor training grounds. They were pretty high up, but not so far that they couldn't see what was going on below them. In fact, due to their mutations, their eyesight was very advanced compared to a normal human's.

Gazzy gasps, his blue eyes sparkling comically. From beside him, Nudge is no different.

"Is that—?" Max asks, her eyes also wide in wonder.

"Yeah," Fang nods. He's the only one who doesn't look awe-struck, seeing as he was familiar with the way she moved and fought.

"What is it? C'mon, don't leave me in suspense!" Iggy whined, forehead resting against the window.

Max rolled her eyes at his dramatics, "It's her. Octavia. She's doing some kind of training…?" The girl looks to Jeb in question, waiting for him to correct her if she's wrong.

Jeb nods warmly, placing an encouraging hand on Max's shoulder that immediately draws out a beaming smile from her. "Yes, that's the famous Octavia that Fang has been telling you all about."

As if on cue, everyone looks to stare pointedly at Fang, who is doing his best to not make eye contact with anyone in the room.

Jeb chuckles, "Since she's mutated again, we've been experimenting and testing the limits of her new ability. Today, I believe they're seeing how quick she can generate her barriers."

"Whoa… So cool!" Nudge practically squeals, once again smashing her face against the glass window.

Max flinches at the impact, "Nudge, please."

"Barriers, huh?" Iggy contemplates, "Like force-fields? That is cool. I can't see it, but I can hear the impact of the objects. How is she doing?"

"Very well," Jeb hummed appreciatively, "She has improved vastly compared to when they first started training her new mutation."

While most of the Flock seem excited and amazed by Octavia and her prowess, Fang looks on with a frown. "I wish she didn't have to be tortured like that. She's probably exhausted; it's like all she does is train."

The mood significantly drops after that comment.

"Way to make us look like jerks," Iggy huffs in annoyance, but the group knows he is feeling just as guilty as the rest of them.

"What? No way, she has to rest for some time, at least." Nudge shakes her head, "I mean, I'd rather be running around outside like that than being stuck in my stupid cage."

Fang glares at her, startling the younger girl for a second (Nudge was definitely not used to being the target of Fang's disdain) before she glares right back. "You don't know anything. They treat her like an object; she's their weapon. Do you see that thing on her neck? They—"

Jeb quickly breaks the two apart before the situation can get any more heated. The older man places a sturdy hand on both Fang and Nudge's shoulders. "Let's all calm down, okay?"

Jeb offers a smile to the two troubled children. "Fang, I know Octavia would appreciate you coming to her defense, but don't fault Nudge too much for being ignorant. She hasn't experienced or seen what you have." He pauses, and after a thought adds, "Also, I'm not sure how Octavia would feel about you telling everyone her business."

At that, Fang looks properly chastised— looking down at his feet as he frowns, his ears turning red.

Not quite finished, Jeb turns to Nudge next. "As for you, like I said: you're ignorant and don't know everything behind why Octavia receives this type of special treatment."

Fang scoffs, "If you can call it that." He shuts his mouth tight when Jeb gives him a look.

"What I mean is," Jeb continues to speak to Nudge, "Try not to judge someone's situation without truly knowing the fact."

Nudge nods carefully, biting at her lip.

Iggy, of course, is the one to break the tension with a knock on the glass in front of him. "Great, now that the scolding is out of the way. Can someone please update me on what's going on out there?"

Everyone groans, aside from Jeb, who just smiles.