Chapter3:
The room was quiet. Not a soul move but for Tala and Byran as they strode through the lab, their footsteps eerily muffled. Erected upon the far wall of the place was a large tank filled with glowing green fluid, with the occasional cord or pipe jutting out from the wall and feeding into the structure. A single body floated lazily within.
Tala walked up to the unconscious body of Klara. "See? I told you I'd get Dranzer! See? Then we can revive you and...dammit Klara! You can't die!" He banged his fist against the wall.
Bryan stared at his usually ice cold leader. Tala... he thought sorrowfully. I can't remember the last time he's shown such a wide range of emotions. His expression softened but hardened just as quickly. He walked over to Tala and smacked him across the face. "Get over it! If you let your emotions make you weak, you'll end up like her!" he shouted.
Tala's hand flew to Bryan's throat. "How could you!? How could you say that! She's your s-"
"So what if she's my sister!?" Bryan spat. "It won't matter if she's dead. Especially if you can't carry out the plan. We can't be led by such a weak leader." Tala's grip loosened.
"I-I'll upload Dranzer," he stuttered. He walked over to the panel and held up Wolborg to the screen. He watched as the green light scanned his blade.
"Bit-beast, received," it beeped.
With a nod that seemed more mechanical than human in Bryan's direction, he strode from the room and down the hall to Boris Balvok's office. He walked in and sat down. "Boris," he said. "The bit-beast has been recieved. Klara should awake within the next couple of days."
"Excellent. Then we can begin the experimentation. Isn't that nice? You'll have someone just like you," Boris laughed. "That is all. You may return to your dormitory." Tala stood up and glared at Boris as he turned his back to him.
Boris, he thought bitterly as he looked down at his inhuman and metallic structure. The man that's responsible for me being what I am. A heartless machine. Well, little does he know the program was flawed. I do have emotions. I am a human being. And once the plan is complete, Boris will be no more. Had he been using speech, the words would have been accompanied by a sneered. He walked down the hall and locked eyes with Bryan.
"So, do they know?" It was Bryan again, walking towards him from the dimly corridor.
Tala smirked, "Not a clue." He was giddy with excitement, and for the first time in years he had hope that Boris would no longer be able to restrain him, or any of them. They would be free to roam the world, to do their wasted lives justice and live for themselves.
"Bryan," Tala said at last, "when this is over, where will you go?" He had wondered, really, whether or not Bryan would depart with him and Klara, but their quarrel had made it painfully obvious that he had no wish to be in the vicinity of his sister.
"I'll stay here, Tala."
Tala threw him an incredulous look. "Are you crazy? After all we've done to escape from this place, after risking our lives and security for months just to be free of–" Tala froze mid-speech, and the little color on his face drained as Bryan rummaged through his vest, extracting a smile wire. A microphone was attached to the end.
"You were wired?" Tala groaned, his voice barely above a whisper. Bryan grinned wildly and forced Tala back into Boris who grabbed him.
"You've been found out Tala, thanks to Bryan. Now for your punishment," he laughed.
Bryan watched as Tala was dragged down the hallway and blocked out his screams of rage.
"Bryan! How could you! We made a blood pact! You traitor! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" He turned his head as a tear strolled down his cheek.
I'm sorry Tala. But it was the only way to rid them of their suspicions. Why must the ways of survival be so cruel? Bryan thought sorrowfully. In this place, it was a dog-eat-dog world. The swift-thinking survived, the slow-witted didn't. It had always been that way.
And yet, he felt terrible. Hadn't he betrayed the closest person he had to a brother? Guilt and regret were gnawing away on his insides, and he felt as though he would have rather shriveled up and died.
He walked back to the dormitory, shuffled in and sat down on his bed.
"Spencer," he mumbled. The larger teen backed away. "Don't go. Listen. If Tala gets out, I don't want you to stop him. Even if he tries to kill me," he whispered. Spencer looked at Bryan incredulously, but nodded.
"That goes
for you too, Ian. Don't stop him or try to get help. Both of you stay
here." Spencer and Ian nodded in unison. "Good then,"
Bryan sighed. He slid off his bed and walked out of the room.
-
Tala felt the sting of the whip as it cracked down on his back. Blood trickled down his back and crossed over scars days old. "Bryan...I still don't understand why you betray me," he rasped. Again the whip stung. His body had begun to adjust to the pain and had become numb to most of it. But what stung the most was Bryan's treachery.
The door opened as Boris stepped through. "So, have you had enough yet? Or do you need a few more days?" he jeered cruelly. Tala glared furiously at Boris and noticed the gun in his hand.
He sneered, "You are a fool to bring that in here." He yanked the chains and felt the electric charge that had shocked him when he had first tried to escaped.
But still he pulled. "AHHHH! BORIS!" he screeched as the chains snapped and sparks surged from his arms. He charged down the guard and flung him at Boris. The impact smashed Boris into the cellar wall and forced him to drop his gun. Tala lunged for it as he grabbed his jacket, on the floor.
He flew out the door and shut it. He brook off one of the metal hooks on his jacket and used it to jam the key hole so they couldn't get out. Thinking, quickly, he threw his hands into the familiar sleeves. He would have to be fast; it wouldn't take long for Boris to start screaming his head off like the little bitch he was get someone to free him.
Whipping his wild hair out of his eyes, he dashed down the hallway and came across Spencer and Ian. Tala raised the weapon, ready to fire if needed. They backed away and turn the corner and stayed there.
With a sigh of relief, Tala ran past them and hurtled into the lab. He tackled the door and sent it flying. "Klara! I've come to take you away," he shouted, chest heaving. But when the dust cleared he realized Bryan standing in front of Klara's tank. "You got out," Bryan muttered. "I knew you would come here. But please, here me out–"
Tala raised the gun and aimed it at his teammate.
"Go ahead, Tala," Bryan said, bitterly, "but remember, one wrong shot and you kill Klara. Will you risk it?" Tala stood there, unmoving, pure spite and hatred etched into the features of his face and glistening malevolently in his eyes.
"You die here and now, Bryan," he whispered. He tightened his grip on the gun, and prepared to fire.
-End Chapter-
A/N:
-Edited. I still bet no one saw that coming, though. :P
