FALL
The night was dark, no
moon shone in the black sky, it was an opportune time. I sat perched
in a dead tree, as warm wind blew into my face, full of humidity, it
made the sweat on my face sticky. I hated swamps and I didn't know
why Gozbud had to pick a swamp as his safehouse. Ten Erasers were
guarding the safehouse, judging by the color of their eyes they were
Wraiths. Thanks to PC, I and the other Ghosts got the 411 on these
new Eraser models. At least I could credit him with that…but after
Gozbud's capture, I would never trust him again. It was blatantly
obvious that he was behind it. I heard a rustle in the bushes beneath
my perch. My head snapped in that direction, my mind prepared itself
for an all out offensive.
"Mercy…" a voice whispered.
I
relaxed "What is it , Felp?"
"The entranced on the north
side is not being guarded we can enter through there."
"Thank
you; rally the rest of the group. We're going in."
"Yes
Ma'am," Felp replied respectfully. I heard the bushes rustle
again and Felp was gone. Felp was one of the newest experiments I
took under my wings and saved from the School. He was a strange
looking experiment with large eyes and patches of black fur littering
his frame. Despite his appearance he was loyal and trusted me…a
little too much, I'm afraid. I back flipped off the branch and
landed silently and joined my group on the north side. We all were
night experiments. Only I and a select few of us were able to see
during the day.
"Alright before we go in, listen very
carefully. We are here to gather crucial documents. That means
anything the enemy can use against us, such as be able to identify
who we are, our location and the location of all the experiments we
have saved. Everything else leave it. We will do this in five minutes
tops."
"Why five minutes?" an experiment asked.
"Because
in five minutes, Felp is going to lure those Wraiths down below."
Everyone went deathly quiet; the anxiety was so thick that you could
cut it with a knife. I knew what they were all thinking their
thoughts rang in my brain; giving me a migraine…I hated that.
"Don't worry… You won't have to fight…I will take care of
it." Another entourage of anxious thoughts entered my mind. "I've
done this before trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong?" The
thoughts quieted. I smiled slightly and opened the entrance, which
was just a hole in the ground covered by a metal gate. We descended
down into a tunnel, dimly lit with circular lights emitting and
orangey glow. The ground was moist and cool, so was the air. A great
contrast to the environment outside. Once we got to the interior of
the safe house, we fanned out and began to sift through the mess that
had been made by the Whitecoats in their futile attempt to find major
dirt. I watched the clock on the wall, its face cracked. Several
moments later the others and I heard the Wraiths scurrying around on
the surface. "Everyone hurry up. Its almost time." I said
patiently, walking over a face down picture frame. I turned it over.
The picture was of us all…The Ghosts. I remember it took some
coaxing from Gozbud to actually get me to smile for that picture.
Those were good times and it is shame that things have turned out the
way they did. I'm afraid of the measures we're having to take in
order to keep this little network alive. I didn't show it, but I
hoped that PC responded to the bird Breeaka sent him. The sweet yet
bitter scent of gasoline filled the air as one of my followers began
to sprinkle it on a big pile of papers the others had piled in the
center. The Wraiths were close now… I could here their primitive
thoughts in my head. I pulled the picture out of the frame and tucked
it in my pocket. "Alright, everyone. Clear out," I ordered.
Everyone hastily retreated back into the tunnel and out of sight.
Felp entered the room a few minutes later, disheveled and out of
breathe.
"I could barely out run them," he said walking over
to me.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"Clear
out, Felp and make sure that everyone is safe distance away. Now get
moving," I said. He knew better than to argue with me. Felp
obediently slipped away as I stepped into the shadows. WHOOSH!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!...the sound that you always heard when the Wraiths
arrived. They sniffed around and growled softly. I whistled to them
and their heads snapped in my direction, their pupils as small as pin
heads and their fluffy wolf ears erect.
One of them smiled "
Doooo youuuu thhhhiiinnnnkkkkk yooooouuuuu cannnnn
fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhhttttt usssssssss alllll?"
"No," I
replied with a smirk of my own and struck a match. "This will do
the butt kicking for me." The Wraith that addressed me screeched as
I dropped the match into the gasoline. Time seemed to slow down as
the flickering match stick came in contact with highly flammable
substance. Just before the gasoline ignited I closed my eyes and
focused my mind and imagined being with my group outside out of harms
way. Everything speed passed me just as suddenly as it started
everything halted. When I opened my eyes I was outside standing
beside Felp and the others, watching Gozbud's safehouse burn to the
ground. Their minds were calm, they were aware of my presence but
didn't speak. The terrified screams of the Wraiths could be heard
by no one since they were several miles underground. While the others
watched the glittering flames my cell phone rang.
"Hello?" I
said.
"Mercy, this is Reynard. I've taken out Gozbud's
second safehouse it's in flames as we speak."
"Good."
"How about you?"
"The deed is done."…….
ALRIGHT, the most
irritating thing about traveling in a truck for several days is this,
its FREAKIN' LOUD! Everything that has the ability to move…moves
simultaneously and get this, it goes on non-stop, it's maddening.
The other annoying thing is the dark and of course boredom. I was
really beginning to hate the divide in the back of this truck. I
hadn't been this bored since I was put in isolation for several
weeks. There was some scientific meaning behind that or so I was told
when they pulled me out. But I knew it was really just a punishment
to get me to behave. At the current moment I was lying on my side
sleeping in my true form, scarred and fluffy. Sleeping was a feline
habit that I had picked up on besides purring in my sleep. I could
sleep for hours on end, but circumstances prevented me from doing so.
Suddenly the incessant clatter of my metal surrounds came to a halt.
As I slowly began to exit slumber land I could hear footsteps
crunching on what seemed to be gravel. My heart jumped, it still
didn't seem real to me that I was at the School. The one place you
never wanted to be whether you were an experiment or not. It was hell
on earth…or so I've heard and now this ominous place was waiting
for me just outside that flimsy metal door. Muffled conversations
were taking place outside and I still wasn't completely awake. As
the situation was becoming more real to me I felt the sudden urge to
be wide awake even though it wasn't coming quickly. But there was
no time. Before I was fully conscious the door opened and warm,
bright, light flooded in, blinding me and then someone, I presumed an
Eraser, grabbed me by the ankles and with one swift jerk I was out of
the truck on lying on the ground. I put up my arms to shield my eyes
from the sun. As I was forced to my feet I opened my eyes slightly,
and saw a bunch of blurred figures with guns...more Erasers. Then the
Eraser that had me grabbed my neck and bent me forward and then I
felt something cold and hard wrap itself around my neck.
"Take
it easy! They're well trained, they won't run away," The driver
said condescendingly. I opened my eyes more and recognized Dr.
McKinney.
"I'm nobody's dog!" I snapped irritably I would
have lunged forward and broke his nose again, like I did with that
aspirin bottle, but before I could move and pulled on the something
that had fixed itself around my neck.
Dr. McKinney gave me a
crooked smile and approached, "Are you sure about that? Look at
what is around your neck." I ran my padded fingers against the
collar around my neck…typical. I snuck a peek over at Raf, who
stood obediently beside an Eraser, untouched, a bulky collar around
his neck. I growled menacingly at Dr. McKinney.
He snorted at me,
"Good Luck PC." Then that smug Whitecoat proceeded to the truck
and drove off...
The Eraser that had me,
who seemed to be the leader, pulled up on my collar and whispered in
my ear"Behave yourself, now." Then he let me go. The outside of
the School was nothing unusual, it was just a white building
surrounded by high fences festooned with barbwire. As we entered we
passed through several coded doors. Who ever they kept here, they
certainly didn't want them getting out. The place was cleaner than
I ever thought possible and the air still had the same scent of
rubbing alcohol and latex. Whitecoats were everywhere, every few feet
one of them would pass us. I wondered how big this complex actually
was, because it seemed way bigger than Lab 7 and was probably
equipped with the latest technology. The thing that frightened me the
most about the School so far was that you couldn't hear any
experiments at all, no one crying in agony or begging for mercy. The
absence of these sounds was so chilling that I wanted nothing more
than to leave. But I doubted very seriously that I would be able to
get five feet without being apprehended by an Eraser. I could tell
these Erasers weren't as stupid as the ones back at Lab 7..they
kept their guns on us at all times. After rounding a few more corners
we arrived at yet another office. The Erasers didn't push us inside
like they did in Lab 7, they walked us in. Inside there was a large
front desk with a young woman sitting behind it, not much older than
Breeaka. She wore glasses and a black suit. What caught my attention
the most were a pair of gray wings folded neatly behind her. "
Hello Kane," the lead Eraser said sweetly. The girl glared up at
him.
"What is it, Chase?"
"The two new transfers are
here, Jeb ordered us to escort them here upon arrival."
Kane
looked at a desktop calendar momentarily.
"Okay, I'll tell
him," she said getting up and proceeding to another door behind
her. Before she left, Kane gave us an angry stare. After a few
minutes, Kane returned and said, "Jeb wants to see Purple Cat only,
Rafmire maybe taken to his quarters."
"Why?" I asked, out
of impulse.
"Follow me," she said curtly, not bothering to
answer my question. Before we left the main office I looked back at
Raf. He looked at me with his usual placid stare and then he was
escorted out. I walked beside Kane down a dark hallway. As we walked
she looked at me out of the corner of her eye with disdain. I didn't
really know why it bothered me so much, maybe it was my animal
appearance, so thinking this might help, I changed into my human
form. But she still looked at me with that same stare.
"It
doesn't matter what you change into, you will always be a traitor
to your kind," she said sharply as we arrived at Jeb's office.
Kane opened the door for me, "Get in there."… ….
As fate would have it,
I have always found myself in large grand offices with VERY important
people that in some way have control over my life. Is it some kind of
curse or is it just the fact that it seems every since I was little,
my life has been always controlled by someone else. I didn't like
it, but like everything else I learned to live with it.
Jeb's
office was interesting it had dark painted walls along with a forest
green carpet…cushy I might add. Jeb sat behind a desk made out of
some kind of dark polished wood with the usual office furnishings on
top including a computer. Behind Jeb to the left were several
bookshelves that sat side by side stuffed with thick books with
little colored tabs… I never doubted Jeb's knowledge of science,
but I did doubt his knowledge of ethics. An object that caught my
attention the most was a picture frame that sat on to his right. As
for what the picture was, I could only guess.
"Seth," he said
pleasantly, leaning back in his cozy chair lacing his fingers. "It's
been a while. How have you been?"
"Fine I guess." I knew I
should keep my snide comments to myself…for the moment, I needed
information…so for once I actually thought before speaking.
"Good.
You're probably wondering why you are here?"
"It had
crossed my mind," I said folding my hands behind my back. "What
is the deal with this collar?"
Jeb smiled, "That was just a
precaution in case you decided to run away before you were escorted
inside. It's an incapacitating collar, I'm sure it's name
speaks for itself as to what it does. That will be removed once you
leave here…you're so quiet …out of insults?"
"No, let's
just say I am interested in what you have to say."
"I see."
"So why are we here?"
"Well, you and Rafmire have been
transferred here, because we are in need of your services. The
experiments in east are kittens compared the ones that have escaped
here in the west."
"So we were dragged half way across the
country, just to do the same job we were doing at Lab 7?"
"You're
task will be more taxing than you think. These escapees are far more
dangerous and powerful than anything you've ever encountered,"
Jeb replied, standing up and proceeding to his bookshelf. He
obviously never met Lyle.
"So you're short of staff?"
"Well to put it bluntly, yes." Jeb pulled out a small
envelope between to books and tossed it on the desk towards me.
"What is that?"
"Payment, for your latest capture,
injuries sustained and time spent in that truck." I picked up the
envelope and put it in my pocket. To me it seemed like "blood
money".
"Thanks," I said.
"Happy to oblige."
"So,
if these experiments are so difficult to defeat are we going to be
retrained?"
"I wouldn't say retrained, but you will gain
some skills that you don't already have."
"Like what?"
"Well for instance aerial tactics. Most of the experiments you
will be tracking down are bird kids and most of the time they are
able to escape by flying away. Our attempts to make an avian Eraser
have proven most difficult, so flying collectors like you are Rafmire
are an asset."
"You want us to be able to catch them in
flight?"
"Exactly," Jeb replied sitting back down.
"
There is one problem with that Jeb," I said sprouting my poor
excuse for wings." I can't fly."
"Yes, but you can
glide…great distances I am told."
"If the winds are right
and even if they are…I'm not very fast."
"Well doesn't
Rafmire have wings? I was told that he does."
"Yeah, but he
hates flying and if I were you I wouldn't press him," Jeb sighed
and shook his head "That's a shame…But I'm sure he can be
swayed." When Whiteocats try to sway you it usually meant
intimidation usually with an Erasers…if they could artfully talk
you into something first.
"You wouldn't dare, you don't
know what he's capable of."
"I know very well, what Rafmire
can do. That is exactly why I didn't invite him here. As you may
notice there are numerous glass objects in this room. Rafmire would
murder me before I could speak. Anyways we are getting off the
subject. You WILL learn aerial training. End of discussion. Another
skill you will be trained is one that isn't easy to learn. This one
I have assigned exclusively to you. I will fill you in on it later
,when the time is appropriate."
"Great," I said
sarcastically.
"You will also receive some equipment." Jeb
reached in to a shelf in his desk and pulled out a file folder and
plopped it on the desk. "All the details of what they are and how
they work are in this folder along with your first assignment, which
you will start after your additional training….KANE!" Jeb barked.
She opened the door and poked her head in, "Yes ,Sir?"
"We're finished here; take Purple Cat to get his collar
removed and then take him to his quarters."
Kane tossed me that
same disdainful look and said, "Follow me." Just as I was about
to leave Jeb said, "PC."
"What is it Jeb?" I asked
looking over my shoulder.
"While you're here you don't need
to take on that shape. As long as you are inside this facility, you
are to remain in your cat form." I changed shape instantly and
flattened my ears "Happy?"…..
After leaving Jeb's
office I followed Kane to a place where my collar would removed. It
was a small room with enormous collars of different types hanging on
the walls.
"Wait here while I get your key," Kane said.
Before moving away she gave me that disdainful look and if
finally got on my nerves, "Will you stop staring at me like that!"
"Why shouldn't I?" she asked looking in a cabinet. "You
Collectors, disgust me, selling yourselves out to Jeb, just to cover
your ass." I growled softly, I hated it when people judged me and
didn't even freakin' know me. Kane returned to me with an awkward
looking key in her hand and said," Bend your head forward." I
obeyed and then a minute later there was a "click" and I felt the
collar loosen.
I pulled it off and handed it you her "Well what
about you?"
"What about me?"
"Yeah YOU, I don't see
you offering to take anyone's place?"
Kane stiffened but
still held her chin high. "Well I don't see you doing that either
so we're even. Anyways, I'm Jeb's secretary; I don't doom
people by bringing them here, like you." She said walking away and
placing the color on a rack with its type and then proceeding to
another cabinet.
" In a way you do. You're the one that types
up all his reports and requests which he eventually signs. So in a
way are just as bad as me." Kane pressed her lips into a line and
slapped a silver ring around my wrist.
"That's a very weak
argument," she said pulling out a clear card with a chip inside and
swiping it over the Ring. A bright blue bar lit up on its surface.
"What is this thing?" I asked.
"It a similar device to
the one you wore at Lab 7," she explained, "Only this one you
wear all the time. It's bullet-proof, fire-proof, and won't short
out in water or when exposed to other electrical objects. Any
tinkering with it will result the same reactions, first an electric
shock, then a spike through the wrist, and if one doesn't stop you
a few more will and lastly if you are stupid enough to tinker more
you will loose your hand." Kane moved to a small black box in the
corner of the room and dropped it inside where it was ground up into
tiny pieces. "Any of those punishments on your Ring can be
activated at anytime. That card was just an activator. Jeb is the
only one that can deactivate it. Do you understand all that?"
"Yeah," I said pretending to be extremely interested in the
Ring.
"Come on, I'll take you to your room." I followed her
out and down another hall. As we walked, I began to memorize where
things were and what could be exploited. You know the greatest thing
about knowing all the rules is. Once you know them you can come up
with creative ways to break them all. We stopped in front of room
marked 67B. "This is you room and here is your key." Kane
instructed holding up another clear card, "This key only works on
this door. Chase will come by later to tell you some more ground
rules until then you are ordered to stay in this room until further
notice."
"Yes ma'am," I said sarcastically and unlocked
the door with my key. Before I could say anything else to her, Kane
had turned on her heels and was half way down the hall. I stuck my
tongue out at her and walked inside...
This room was huge! If
I credit the School for anything, it's the fact that they give you
big rooms. It was dark for a moment until someone switched on a lamp
to reveal the other contents of the room.
"Rafmire? What are
you doing here?"
"I live here," he replied.
I sighed,
"One thing that is worse than a contract with Jeb, is sharing a
room with you." "The feeling is mutual," he said and pulling
out a puzzle book. "They brought in your stuff …its over there."
I looked and saw another bed not to far from Rafmire's. Lying on
out the contents and put them away. Than began to check out the
amenities we were given, which included a TV and bathroom. I pulled
out the envelope with our pay and placed it on my bed along with the
envelope with information about our equipment and assignment. "So
how was your meeting with Jeb?"
"Fine… I was barley able to
squeeze in, cause' his ego was so big."
"Hm. So why are we
here?"
"Apparently they make the experiments extremely
powerful here. We've been sent here to track them down and as usual
bring them back. Apparently most of them are bird kids."
"That
isn't too bad. We've faced bird kids before…no biggie."
"Yeah well here is the part that you are not going to like."
"We are being trained again, this time in aerial tactics. That
means you are going to have to fly." At my last statement, Raf
didn't look thrilled.
"I'm not doing it," he said
sternly. "They can't make me."
"Oh I assure you Raf, they
can."
"They've never made me do anything."
"Oh
really? What about your agreement with Jeb? What did you agree too
anyway?"
Raf paused "That's none of your business."
"You're right it's not, but I think it would help me
understand, if you would tell me why you don't like flying."
"It's not important. I'll do it… but I won't enjoy it,"
Raf said returning his attention to his puzzle book. Suddenly there
was a knock at the door.
"Come in," I said not bothering to
come to the door. The Eraser known as Chase walked in. Erasers here
seemed to love their human form the best. He was taller than me and
that is saying something. His build was lean muscular and he had
brown hair that stuck out in all directions, which made him look like
some kind of whacked out bird, with yellow eyes.
"Hello,
newbies," he said cheerfully, "I'm Chase. Kane sent me down
here to lay down a couple of ground rules."
"Great like we
don't have enough already," I said sitting down on my bed.
"It's
really not that bad. You'll like it here." Raf and I snorted
simultaneously and fought the urge not to laugh.
"Think
whatever you like. Anyways, rule number:
1. The School is your
home now so you are allowed to wonder wherever you choose. Except
levels 2 and 15 an areas red, blue, green.
2. DONOT talk to
experiments and DONOT attempt to free them .Such action will result
in isolation or worse and when I said worse I mean worse.
3.
Rings must be worn at all times.
4. DONOT attempt to escape, for
if you try…you won't make it. Trust me I have had to clean up the
mess…DON'T DO IT!"…and that's about it."
"Really?"
"No, there are actually over 200 protocols, but you see, you
two are going to be good little pawns and do what you're
told…Right?"
There was something in Chase's eyes that told
me that I'd better say, "Yes, of courses."
"Alright,
you're training starts tomorrow. So be ready to fly. You boys have
a good day," Chase said with a grin, than he turned and left.
"What the hell is he so happy?" Raf said crossly.
"I
dunno,"I muttered, looking through the contents of our information
envelope. "Maybe they put something in the food…anyways…check
this out?" I said pulling out a key.
"Is that?"
"Yep…
car keys…let's go check out what they gave us." …..
