PC:
My eyes
slowly opened…the familiar scent of alcohol and latex filled the
air. I never thought I would wake up again… it seemed so long, I
thought I had died from that injection. My world snapped into focus
again, gloomy, enclosed with grey walls. I was in room very similar
to isolation, there was barely any light coming in at all except for
a small slit in the door. The scent of Land Sharks and Howlers was
faint, but unmistakable I was on Level 3. I decided to wiggle around
and test the limits of my mobility. I felt restraints around my
wrists and ankles and I was back in human form. My body ached and I
felt sticky and there was a tangy taste in my mouth.
"Ironic
isn't it," Raf's voice echoed from the other side of the room.
He was standing in the shadows.
"Don't tell me you've been
standing there all this time waiting for me to wake up?" I asked
dryly.
He shook his head. "I only arrived about five minutes
ago."
"I see…so what's so ironic?"
"When I was
being interrogated…Jeb told me that this was a scientific facility
not a medieval dungeon." He said pushing away from the wall. "But
this little set up looks very medieval…wouldn't you say?" Raf
sat down in front of me. I nodded.
"Why are you here?"
"Well
I've been given the task of letting you know how monstrously
screwed you are," Raf replied.
"Thanks Raf,"
"What
are old friends for," he said with a smirk. "You still get blood
on your teeth."
"What?"
"Blood from when you bit Roc
and I." I smacked my lips, no wonder I had that tangy taste in my
mouth, it was blood. The thought of it made my stomach wretch and I
held back the urge to puke. I looked down at my shirt which I
remembered it being slathered with it. "Hey they took my shirt,"
I muttered.
"Well what did you expect…it was covered in
blood," Raf replied.
"I liked that shirt…anyways… how
screwed am I?"
"Well for starters, you're in the School,
Ana is being kept here some where and it is remotely possible, that
your mom and dad have fabricated elaborate lies to keep her from
finding out what's going on."
"Where's Bree?" I asked.
"I don't know…she's not on Level 3 though." I sighed.
"Your parents want to see you too...They've already tended to Ana
and now she is safe in a cozy bed, probably sleeping."
"I
don't want to see them." I replied irritably.
"You don't
have a choice."
"Naturally…what happened to you?"
"Hm?"
"What happened during our fight…when you threatened to kill
Bree…you were shaking like crazy."
"It's a long story."
"We've got time," I said, gesturing around the empty room.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Raf smiled grimly and stood up."
Maybe another time, PC." He knocked on the door and whistled. A
Jawz's muzzle shadowed the slit in the door.
"Take him,"
Raf said shortly. The door opened and my pupils constricted as light
stung them. The Jawz unlocked my restraints and stood me up. I felt
wobbly and my coordination was a little whacked, but other than that
I could still walk. Two other Eraser models, Wratihs walked in armed
and silent.
The Jawz pushed me forward. "Time to go kitty."
These people didn't learn…did they actually think I wasn't a
threat unbound. I knew how to take down Jawz and Wraiths I was a pro
at it…I had lived with these creatures for goodness sakes. Once I
was out of my box they called a room, a Wraith came up behind me and
secured a blindfold around my eyes. That's new.
"We learned a
lesson or two from last time," the Jawz commented.
"How am I
supposed to follow you if I can't see where I'm going?" I
asked.
"Don't worry the Wraiths will keep you in line."
Walking blind was a little disorienting to say the least. The Jawz
was right; they had learned something from previous experience.
Without being able to see I couldn't memorize areas of the School
in order to plan effectively. It came in handy when I made my escape
attempt, last time. The thought of being here for more than a few
days was chilling. The Jawz and the two Wraiths got a kick out of me
occasionally colliding with walls. For a while all I heard was the
tip tapping of feet as we walked on all tile floors and then at the
end of the journey, muffled voices and the opening of a door…..
Chap 87
The
Wraith's sat me down in a chair and took off the blindfold.
"Thank
you, you can go," John said. The Jawz grunted in reply and the
Wraiths blinked. I reluctantly looked up at my parents, who sat
across from me. The room we were in was different from our first
meeting with glass walls on either side that acted as windows to
other rooms.
"Hello Seth, honey, how are you?" Lee Ann asked
me tenderly.
"Clammy, thanks for asking," I replied.
John
glared at me, his bushy brows knit and said "Seth, your mother and
I are very disappointed in you."
"How dare you put your
sister in danger! She's missed three weeks of school!" Lee Ann
exclaimed.
I chuckled. "Well shame on me. I risk life and limb
to save her from you two and she misses three weeks of school, you
should just kill me right now."
"We can't do that," John
replied.
"Why not," I asked irritated. "I thought you told
me I was completely useless and needed to be disposed of."
"That
was true…But not until recently."
"What do you mean?"
"Based on a confession from Rafmire…Jeb wants to run a few
tests on you," Lee Ann replied.
"What confession?"
"Well
sweetie, your escape put a real monkey wrench in things. We found out
that some the reports that Kane gave were well…falsified.
Especially the one for the first mission you were sent on. So we had
to find out what really happened, because we weren't able to track
you with your Ring or the chip that was installed inside you." I
had a chip? Well good thing they weren't able to track me with it.
" So we had to get information from Kane and Rafmire."
"You
didn't hurt them did you?" I asked.
"Well Kane, wasn't
involved. Rafmire said that she had no part in the falsified reports.
But her pay was cut in half."
"What about Raf?" I asked.
"Rafmire on the other hand…well"
"He was a hard
sell," John said. 'They made me see it there way'…that phrase
echoed in my mind and I remembered the scar on Raf's neck.
"What
did you do to him?" I asked, my anger beginning to rise.
"Raf
broke the rules…not only that he helped you falsify School
documents he also helped Chase escape and he killed all of the
Howlers and Land Sharks that guarded the grounds. He was punished for
these violations of protocol."
"I saw his scar! What did you
do!" I exclaimed, pounding the table with my fist.
John glared
at me then said, "We let the Erasers take care of that little messy
detail. Now Jeb assured us that he wasn't severely injured, except
for a wound on his neck. THAT was nothing more than a flesh wound.
After Raf's punishment, he was supposed to be decommissioned but
that changed. We needed you to be brought back and we felt that since
Rafmire worked so closely with you it was only fitting you'd be
brought down by your own partner. Of course, he refused…at first."
"Jeb learned something from Raf's punishment. Unlike you, Raf
doesn't take pain very well. In fact he hates it so passionately
when something hurts him, he'll do anything to get rid of it…This
behavior was being exhibited during his tussle with Erasers. He
attacked them ferociously and showed them no mercy if they got him
riled enough. We could never fully understand why he acts so
violently towards pain." Lee Ann said. "A theory is that he was
physically abused in his childhood."
"But in any case,"
John continued. "Jeb saw this behavior as way to control him.
Modifications were made to Rafmire's Ring. When Raf doesn't
perform well, the Ring will activate sending a small shock through
his body. The current continues until the activator stops it or
Rafmire performs better." So that's why he was shaking…they
were electrocuting him and the shock is what I felt when he touched
me.
"It may sound cruel to you…but in fact its very effective
and the shock is non-lethal ," Lee Ann said softly, trying to take
edge off of what they did so it wouldn't sound so cruel. But
cruelty is cruelty, no matter how you say it.
"Torturing
someone to do what you want doesn't sound very scientific," I
said steadily. "Actually it has scientific roots if you want to
argue from a scientific stand point," John replied.
"Oh
really? How."
"Its basic biology really." Lee Ann said.
"Rafmire was one of the most understudied specimens, because no one
is bold enough to push him. When he broke the rules we saw the
opportunity to both discipline him and also learn from him. As you
have learned in school, an animal's reaction to stimuli is known as
a taxis. Using this principle we subjected Rafmire to certain stimuli
until we got the reaction we wanted." Lee Ann explained. I
shuttered these people were sick.
"Anyways Rafmire gave the
confession that you were struck by lightening," John said My heart
just stopped. I didn't think that, that accident would come back to
bite me in the butt. We never wrote it into the report and I never
told the Whitecoats about it either when they were patching us up.
Like I said, you stay off the slab as long as nothing about you
puzzles them. If they can explain it, you're golden. I never
thought they would go to such lengths to find out. Sorry Raf, I guess
I just pushed my luck too far…..
"It's fascinating,
how you were struck and were still able to get up and walk away from
it in a matter of minutes. Most people die on the spot or are scarred
for life. Jeb would like to explore that." John said. I pushed my
chair away from the table.
"And I bet being the loving parents
that you are you consented."
"Jeb assured us that it would be
nothing to intrusive except for may be one procedure," Lee Ann
said.
"Jeb can explore something else…Where's Ana and
Breeaka?" I asked.
They were silent.
"Where are they?"
I shouted.
"Ana is safe," Lee Ann said softly. "But you
won't be seeing her ever again."
"Why because I told her
what you two were planning to do to her?" Lee Ann stood up quickly
and slapped me. "She was supposed to never know…YOU were supposed
to except the offer we gave you." She trembled. I had no pity for
her now…knowing the truth I could never look at them the same. Even
though deep down inside I wanted to have the same confidence in them
that Ana did, but I just couldn't do it, I knew too much.
"Where's
Bree?" I asked.
"Who? You mean that harpy?' Lee Ann asked
rubbing the small band aid stretched over her right eye. I smiled
inwardly… that's my Bree.
"Yes, where is she? I want to see
her." I said. The two were silent. "I want to see her NOW!" I
snapped.
"You are in no position to make demands!" John
shouted.
I shut my mouth then after a while I spoke. "What are
you going to do to Ana? I WANT to know."
"Nothing. Her fate
will be decided once Jeb has finished his tests on you."
"What
do you expect Ana to do that I can't…It took me months to master
my new form and control my animal ferocity. Do you expect her to just
magically change over night and be able to function as well as me?"
"Actually they expect just that," Jeb's voice echoed as he
walked into the room. He took a seat next to Lee Ann. Great now I was
trapped in a room with three people that held top spots on my 'don't
like' list.
"You see PC, Ana is better than you," Jeb said
bluntly. "She's smarter and when the procedure is finished she
will be faster, stronger and even more cunning."
"She was
given an enzyme since birth that acts as a catalyst to speed up the
changing process. The pain will be less harsh and the change will be
quicker," Lee Ann said.
"Unfortunately for you, you were not
given that enzyme." John explained. "Hopefully she will never
have to experience that."
"Eventually she'll want to know
what happened to me. How long are planning to lie to her?"
"Be
quiet," Lee Ann said sharply.
"We should get back to the
issue at hand…your testing," Jeb said.
"I never agreed to
that and I probably don't have a choice, but my answer is no. If
you think you can force it on me, you are going to have one hell of a
time."
"I knew you might say that." Jeb said. "So to
ensure your cooperation, if you misbehave, Breeaka will be handed
over to Roc. He will be able to do whatever he likes with her and we
will turn a blind eye." In fury I transformed and leaped at Jeb
knocking him out of his chair. He threw up his hands, desperately
trying to keep me away. He was pretty strong for someone who just
walked around ruining people's lives.
"Security!" Lee Ann
cried. Wraiths came in, pulled me off of him and tossed me back onto
the table.
"Change to human form…NOW!" John shouted at me.
I lunged for him gnashing my teeth. The Wraiths held my head down.
"Do as you are told," Jeb said coldly. "Don't forget
whose lives are at stake." I changed back. Jeb smiled at me and
patted my head." Good boy."…. I turned my head away and my
vision was blotted out as a blindfold was put over my eyes…..
Chap 88
Roc:
I waited for Jeb in his office; my shoulder still throbbed
with pain from where PC had bitten me. The bite was incredibly strong
according to the Whitecoats that worked on me they said PC had bitten
through my collar bone and had almost snapped the shoulder joint.
Anymore and I could've lost use of my right arm all together. Kane
was standing in the door way, irritated; I had pushed passed her,
using my good arm.
"You shouldn't be back here," Kane
commented her arms crossed.
"Shut up!" I snapped.
Suddenly,
a door on the far wall to my left opened. Jeb walked in and he looked
a little rattled, but when he saw me, he straightened his clothes and
put on a smile.
"Ah! Roc, just the person I wanted to see,"
he said, walking behind his desk and taking a seat. "Come closer
and sit down." Kane brought a chair for me to sit on.
"Jeb,
we had an agreement, that once I delivered the Ghosts to you, you
would let me have Breeaka."
He nodded. "Yes I did."
"Then
how come she isn't with me? How come I haven't been able to see
her?" I asked my heart racing, I hoped that the Whitecoats hadn't
hurt her.
Jeb pulled out a pen and was writing something down.
"Yes…I know, but you see…Roc you haven't kept up your end of
the bargain."
"I brought in PC and Breeaka, two of the key
founders! Isn't that enough!" I shouted.
"Not exactly, you
see from what we've been able to find out about this group of
vigilantes, is that, anyone of them can become leader and take over
the group. As long as they have influence, they can lead. So bringing
in five of them is not enough." My temper flared, I had been
working for this twit for several months, working on breaking the
system that saved me. Now he was denying me my rightful reward. "With
that said…" he gestured for Kane and handed her the piece of
paper, then shooed her out of the office. "When you are able," he
said gesturing at my arm. "I need you to finish the job. Bring in
the final five and then Breeaka is all yours."
"What will
happen to PC?" I asked.
"He'll be put down in due time, now
go." Jeb said dismissively. I knew better than to argue or pry more
conversation out of the man. So I turned and left. Furious, I stormed
down the halls, the pain in my shoulder being the least of my
problems, when suddenly I ran into Rafmire.
The slight
unnecessary movements made me wince and I turned on him angrily.
"Watch! Where you're going!"
"Sorry," he said,
defensively.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Walking?"
I hated his one word answers. I didn't quite understand his
agreement with Jeb either, but I doubted that it had anything to do
with wandering the hallways doing nothing. "What are you doing?"
He asked.
"I'm going out to the grounds, the sunlight helps
me heal. Even without my wings" I said.
"So you're going to
bake…awesome," he said, words dripping with sarcasm.
"I
wouldn't have to if you would've done your job," I retorted and
stamped off.
PC:
"So, how are you?" asked an overly friendly Whitecoat. He spoke to me like I was ten years old, but I didn't mind that so much as I did the situation. My eyes moving around constantly, I didn't like this, not one bit. I hadn't been touched by a Whitecoat in several years and being back in the lab seemed brand new to me…even though I had been in a similar setting before. I was lying on my side on an examination table with no shirt on in the fetal position. Wratihs were standing nearby armed with guns and their ears swiveling. The table I lied on was cold against my skin, which didn't really help comfort me at all. The Whitecoat was rattling on about some things I didn't understand. I just wanted it to be over so they could plop me back into my cell so I could twitch. "You're so tense," the Whitecoat commented. Yeah you would be too, buddy. "Try to relax; all I'm doing is taking a sample." I heard the snap of latex gloves and I tensed up even more. My muscles seemed to recoil from the Whitecoat's touch as he counted my vertebrae and examined me. I didn't like that; I resisted the urge to spring off the table and go crazy on his PHD butt. Just think about Bree and Ana I thought to myself. After another minute of physical examination, I felt something cool glide across my spine, most likely a sterilizing agent. "Alright now you are going to feel a small pinch, nothing to get excited about. It's just a local anesthetic." Why do they always do that! I hate it when they describe what they are doing to you. Just stick me alrea—…OWWWW! My fists tightened and I clenched my teeth. After a few seconds I felt the needle withdraw. "Good boy" the Whitcoat praised. Oh come on do they have to refer to me like they would a pet…I was in my human form here. The site of injection was burning like crazy then it slowly got tingly and numb. A second needle slid into place and it burned momentarily. But afterwards all I felt was pressure. Closing my eyes, I held Bree's image in my head. There was shuffling in the background and the needle was gently pulled out. Afterwards the area was bandaged. Not bad for a first test I'd say, but then again not all Whitecoats were as professional as this one. I lied on my back my eyes still closed, as he left, other Whitecoats piled in. I kept my eyes closed for two reasons. One I didn't want to see what they were going to do to me next and I needed to learn how to use my other senses. Our escape would depend solely on my ability to identify different places by scent, sound and touch……
Chap 89
PC:
I
was glad to be back in my box. I wasn't hurt, but being man handled
by complete strangers is just as disquieting. My back still ached
though and I was ravenous and tired. As I sat there and played with
the restraints that held me, to test their strength against mine.
When I was first changed, I had ripped restraints like these out of
walls, like they were nothing. I wiggled my wrist and tried to pull
it out. It was harder than I anticipated. Theses restraints were
different from other ones, in the fact that they seemed to constrict
any time I tried to pull my hands through. Frustrated, I tried a
transformation to see how far I could pull out the chains without
anyone noticing or hearing that I was up to something. As I changed,
my back ached. After a few seconds of discomfort, I was big bad and
purple. With one arm I yanked on a chain, it restrained my arm well,
but that always happened on the first try, I did it again with more
force. I heard the bolts screech inside the walls. They learned some
things about me, but not all, I figured. Suddenly footsteps were on
their way towards my cell. Raf whistled to himself as he opened the
door with a dusty bowl in one hand.
"What's up?" he said,
placing the bowl in front of me.
"What do you care?"
Raf
shrugged and sat opposite of me. "I just figured I'd ask," he
said pulling out a candy bar and taking bite. "Eat up." I looked
at the bowl, which was supposed to be filled with some kind of food.
But to me it just looked like a conglomeration of different types of
…well…mush.
"You're joking," I said. Raf shook his head
taking another bite of his candy bar…jerk.
"Now don't get
prudish on me. You're their prisoner now, remember? Or have you
forgotten that already?"
"No I haven't…that's kind of
rude of you to show up with chocolate and then hand me a bowl of
snot."
Raf rolled his eyes and slid a bar across the floor.
"Quit being a baby….I'd save that for later if I were you." I
grudgingly put the goody in my pocket and eyed the bowl again.
"What's in it?" I asked.
" Dunno…it's a special
food that is designed specially for you. Whitecoats actually take the
time to do that for all the experiments down here. Consider that, a
bowl of Fancy Feast cat food."
I snorted and placed with one of
my whiskers. "Very funny." My stomach growled and I kept eyeing
the bowl frequently. Then broke down and started eating it in old
kitty fashion, no hands.
"Something is puzzling me," I said,
between mouthfuls.
"And that is?"
"I heard about what
they did to you Raf…I'm sorry it happened." I said. "But what
I don't get is why you still have enough freedom to come here and
eat with me."
Raf shrugged. "I find it puzzling too."
"What do you do now?"
"I'm still a Collector, every
now and then Jeb sends me out on missions."
"You go alone?"
"Oh sure, yeah. The others say I'm too creepy to work with."
"Are the targets, individuals?"
"Flocks," he replied.
My eyes widened. "Don't look at me like that…I'm big kid, I
can take care of a few scruffy bird kids, no problem."
"I'm
impressed." I said, gulping down more food and looking around. "I
wonder how long this will last?"
"Not long…if I know these
guys I'll be getting a restraining order soon and you won't be
seeing me again. Until their done with you, that is."
"What's
that supposed to mean?"
"You'll see soon enough."
"Raf,"
A Jawz said, peeping through the slit in the door.
"Yeah?"
"Jeb wants to see you," it said.
"Fine, I'll be out
in a minute…duty calls," he muttered and waved cheekily to me,
then walked out locking the door. I continued eating until I had
cleaned the bowl and then slapped it aside with my hand. I licked my
lips, cleaning off as much food as I can and then wiping the rest
with my forearm, which I then licked clean. Cat habit. I changed back
into human form and lied down the best way I could. I stared at the
wall for a while and watched my vision double. I knew the food was
drugged, but I needed to play along for now as much as I hated doing
it. I fingered the chocolate bar in my pocket; I needed to keep it in
reserve for when I really needed it. The sugar would give me the
energy boost I needed when it came time to escape. Starting to feel
numb, I crawled over to a small hole in the wall and placed my prize
inside. Hopefully no rat would eat, but I don't think there were
any rats here though. They were smart not to come here looking for
vittles. I curled into a ball, my energy slowly being sucked out of
me. The only thing that I did to occupy my time was to try and
heighten my senses without changing my nose or ears. I used what
energy I had left and focused on that. Unfortunately it was harder
than I thought…….
Raf:
"Just tell us what happened…and we'll make it all stop," Jeb said softly. I was on the floor holding my neck, bruises and cuts all over me. Even if I wanted to say something all I could do was cough up blood……..
I shuttered at the memory as I walked to Jeb's office.
"Hello Kane," I said as I walked in.
She smiled grimly at
me and said. "Go on back." I nodded to her and walked into Jeb's
office. He was sitting back listening to classical music in his
chair.
"You wanted to see me?" I asked.
"Yes I did,"
he said.
"This is about PC isn't it?" Jeb turned off the
music that played on his computer and straightened in his chair.
"Somewhat…I understand that PC is once your former partner
and dare I say friend. But to willingly refuse to help Roc during a
critical fight, merits a punishment wouldn't you say?"
"Well…You
know they say never stand between a beast and its meal. I wouldn't
have been very useful if I had stood in the way and got mauled.
Besides I was occupied by PC's girlfriend."
"Excuses…"
Jeb muttered. "You're very good at pulling them out of your butt
aren't you."
"I learn from the best." Jeb frowned at that
and I waited for the shock, but there was none. "Roc was seriously
injured…because of your lenience. I expect you to shape up
Rafmire….don't go near PC unless you are ordered to, understand?"
"Sure," I muttered….
Ana:
I sat in the
room that I woke up in with a lap top on my lap, checking e-mail and
chatting with friends. The couple of days that I had stayed here were
good. I saw my mom and dad frequently even though they were very
busy. I spent most of my time wondering around and went to the small
library they had near the lobby. The food was decent but I missed
PC's cooking.
"How are you sweetie," my mom said as she
walked in. She looked very tired and she had bags under her eyes. As
she got closer to me, I noticed a small band aid over her eye. "What
happened?" I asked.
"Oh nothing, just a little brush with one
of the lab rats that's all," she said.
"Mom, when are we
going home?" I asked.
She sighed and averted her eyes "Soon
my dear…very soon, you'll see."
"You always say that,"
I said. "I'd like something more specific." Mom smiled and
pulled out a little planner from her pocket and sat beside me. She
pointed to the 19th .
"That's the estimated time. My dear, so
you see it's only a week."
I smiled. "Alright…did you
find out what happened to PC and Bree?"
She looked at me with
sad eyes "I'm sorry Ana, but your father and I dug deep and
couldn't find anything about those two kids. They just
disappeared…like ghosts." My heart felt heavy for some reason or
another I had a feeling that they were both dead. Mom held me close,
her warmth was comforting.
"Now don't be sad, Ana. You're
alright and I bet that they would be happy that you are safe and back
where you belong."
I nodded. "You're right."
"Now
don't stay in here all the time, you hear, take some time to
stretch your legs there is a tour you could go on. Or you can just
wonder on your own, just don't go into any restricted areas I would
hate for something to happen to you."
I smiled up at her "Maybe
I'll do that."…….
Chap 90
PC:
The room I was in was large, judging by the sounds I could
hear. There were five Whitecoats, four males and one female…from
what I could tell by scent.
"Execute," one of the males said,
he was the one closest to me. A surge of electricity ran through my
body. It wasn't so bad, but it was starting to hurt. After a few
seconds, the current stopped and I had some time to rest. There was a
click and the female Whitecoat started to write…she was left
handed, as the male that said 'execute' read off figures.
"Status," the female barked.
"Vitals are stable.
Careful now we don't want to stop his heart," a closer male voice
said. A few more scratches of the pen against paper and then another
male voice called out for a higher voltage.
"Execute." This
time I bite down on the piece they put in my mouth and began to
squirm slightly. What was the purpose of this test? To see how
resilient I was to electricity. After another shock, they cranked up
the voltage. This time my stomach was ready to heave.
"Uh oh…we
need a bucket hurry up!" the closest voice said. The leather straps
were feverishly undone and they turned my body and guided my head
towards the waiting bucket. This time I opened my eyes. My senses
were correct everything that I anticipated was true. The Whitecoat
was that was in charge of my vitals examined me briefly, his face was
covered by a mask.
"We should stop for now," he said.
"What?
You want to stop!" the Whitecoat that said execute, cried.
"Yes,
look at him, doctor."
" This isn't the time to be
squeamish…they puke…they always puke. If we stop every time a
subject looses its lunch, we'll never find out anything."
"Yes
but,"
"You were not hired to make that kind of decision. I am
the head of this experiment. Your job is just to make sure, its heart
doesn't stop and not a lot of extensive damage has been done."
The vitals guy was silent. Come on! Are you just going to sit there
and take that! I was hoping there would be a small fight…that way
they wouldn't focus on what is important. Don't you just love it
when doctors with egos clash? "Strap him back down," the man in
charge said. The other doctor sighed and looked down at me…please
don't do this... he strapped a broad band across my chest and
tightened on please... he tied up my hands again . "Sorry,
you're going to have a rough day," he said to me sullenly.
Coward.
"Execute!"
