Ana:
I woke up
from a disturbing dream... I hadn't had one in a long time.
Actually since I had been saved by PC, I hadn't had any bad
dreams…but this place? I had dreamt nothing at all until now. In
this dream, I was dragged out of the room I was sleeping in by my
ankles, by an Eraser. But this one was strange; it was black with
small eyes and a grotesquely large lower jaw. It laughed as I
screamed trying to get away. No one came to my rescue. At the end of
the dream, I saw Roc and then I was thrown into a dark room. I
screamed, but again no one came. Ohhh my screams lasted forever, as
they reverberated through my subconscious.
I sat up in bed, my
knuckles white and scanned the room for Erasers. There were none in
sight. I relaxed and got ready for another day. Everyone had been so
nice to me. They greeted me with a smile and a nod, it made me
feel…important…I guess. Today was going to be different…because
I decided not to stay in my room and surf the web all day. I decided
to go on the tour of the facility, with a group of school kids, who
had arrived on field trip. Our tour guide was a young woman, who had
a sad look in her eyes, even her name, Kane, was depressing. She
obviously hated her job too. The tour took most of the day, because
the kids had a lot of questions to ask, along with their chaperones.
At the end, Kane lead us to the restaurant in the lobby for dinner.
As I ate my food happily, I noticed her leaving and that is when I
saw something strange. If I thought her name was odd, her profile was
even more peculiar. Maybe it was the suit she wore, but I couldn't
help but notice a small bulge in the back. I blinked and looked at
her again…the bulge was still there. Curiosity began to build
inside me and I slowly got up and followed her… I kept a safe
distance from her…for some reason or another, I had a feeling that
if she saw me, I would be in BIG trouble. Pretending to wonder, I saw
Kane disappear into a small side door, near the elevator. I casually
moved closer and was about to grab the knob when my mother's
warning echoed in my head, about not going into restricted areas. But
there were no signs that said 'for staff only'. It was just a
dull grey door. As I stood there, I couldn't help the feeling that
I was being watched. After much deliberation, I decided to withdraw……
Kane:
I saw precious, Ana today…she looks like a
complete idiot. She has no idea that that little area they are
keeping her in is all a ruse. I wish I was just as oblivious as she
was…they say ignorance is bliss and I guess its true. There are
something's you should never really learn or know for your own well
being. Unfortunately for me, I was born into this whole world of
cover up and conspiracy. It was a family business for me and my
folks. You see my parents were bird kids that had escaped from the
School a looong time ago. They blended in well with society and they
had me. But misfortune struck us hard, financially and so we fell
back on the only thing we knew. My father hated working for Jeb, it
was that monster of a man that saved us from the poor house. I
haven't heard from my folks since Jeb offered me the job as his
secretary. But like all things that dealt with him. There were
conditions that had to be met and a pact was made between me and him,
which included me serving him until the end of my days. What may
sound like a nightmare to you was practically a dream for me at the
time. I had a roof over my head and was given purpose.
After
giving that stupid tour, I was back behind my desk, pecking away at
my computer and looking at an appropriate date for another
experiment's decommissioning. When Raf and I's plan to spring
Chase were blown wide open…Raf's pack was decommissioned, all
four members and I remember having to schedule them all. It tore me
up inside…but I did it without flinching, I had to…Raf got me out
of being punished. So I had to be strong and not give myself away. A
grim Whitecoat came in with a file folder tucked under his arm and
knocked on my desk. I looked up.
"Ms. Kane, I have some data
for you. Will you be a good girl and type it up into a report for Mr.
Batchelder?" he asked. I nodded and took the file.
" Am I to
pass it on, once I am finished or would you like to review it sir?"
"If you don't mind I'd like to hand it to him personally."
"Okay, sure, no problem," I said with a smile.
The
Whitecoat nodded "The new information is marked by the blue tab."
He said and left. After scheduling a decommissioning appointment, I
turned to the file folder, which was pretty heavy. This file must be
loaded with information. This was curious a thing, I rarely got
folders like this one. Some experiment files included a piece of
paper in a folder and that was it. Inquisitively, I opened it and
checked the date. The experiment was pretty old…its original name,
was someone by the name of Seth Skynard. Could it? No it couldn't
be. I flipped to the blue tab. I took a breath… my goodness…it
was PC's file. The recent data had been from experiments that were
conducted only days apart. I pushed the folder away for a minute and
took a deep breath. After a second or two I began to type it up into
a report. After I was finished the Whitecoat returned for the report
and read it over. Then I escorted him to Jeb.
"Here
is the report," the Whitecoat said, placing it in Jeb's hands.
"All the results from recent tests are here. Jeb scanned it briefly
with focused eyes. He sat down in his chair.
"Fascinating…I've
never seen results that show how human PC actually is."
The
Whitecoat winced at his sarcasm. "Have you tried the shock test on
his cat form?"
"No sir, this is all in his human…the tests
are easier to conduct that way."
"How so?"
"There are
less variables. PC's actual shape is harder to experiment with
because everything is changed. Bones are made thicker, muscles tissue
is added."
" Dr. Ross…PC was struck by lightening in his
cat form. There is reason to suggest that there might be something
that exists in his cat form that doesn't appear in his human
personage. This data will be useful for comparison…but I would
prefer it , if you would run the tests again."
"All of them?
Sir?"
"Yes."
"In his cat form he'll be harder to
control."
"Has he misbehaved?"
"No, but the chances
are higher. It is a known fact that he is stronger in his feline
form." "Well then step up security…I don't need to tell you
that…by the way you forgot one test."
"What is that?"
"I
promised Mr. and Mrs. Skynard, there would be no intrusive
procedures, except for one. Once you all are finished with these
tests…If it is safe for the subject. I'd like you to have the
chip that was installed inside him, removed. It's to be taken to
the technicians for examination. Understand?"
"Yes sir."…..
Chap 91
Ana:
That night…I couldn't sleep. Something was bugging me about
that door. I had to know where it leads. I felt that if I just took a
peek, my mind would be satisfied enough to let me sleep. Slowly I
crept out of bed in my t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants my parents
bought me. Slowly I tiptoed out of the room and walked toward the
plain door, which was illuminated by pale moonlight, shining through
a window. I had a feeling I was being watched, but the feeling wasn't
very strong. I took a deep breath and opened the door. No alarms went
off, so that was good. I walked into a dimly lit stairwell. I felt
the grime on the stairs with my bare feet. It made me cringe, but I
kept going. Until I reached the first door and looked up. The stairs
seemed to go up forever. There was no way I would be able to explore
it all in one night. So I decided to explore the door I was on and
then go back to bed. Cautiously, I opened the door and walked in.
This hallway was also dimly lit and there was a weird smell in the
air. It was kind of smelt like a pet store down here. But there was
something chilling about the scent, I dared to say, that it smelt
like fear. If fear had a scent this was it, something unidentifiable
that gave you Goosebumps and made your skin crawl for no reason. I
would've turned back then. But curiosity is what propelled along
with the feeling that I would find something down here and I did. As
I walked, I saw doors with slits in them…the ones you find in
prison sometimes. Walking by one I heard something move inside. I
peeked in and moved the slit slowly. There was a massive form
inside…it was so dark I couldn't see who or what it was. From the
small shaft of light that poked inside. I could see dark hard slabs
over peachy tan colored skin. The massive thing moved and I quickly
closed the slit. I continued walking. The next thing that caught my
attention was a faint blue glow, I crept toward it. It was a tank
filled with foggy water. I saw a form move inside and got close.
Suddenly a hand slapped the glass and startled me. The hand had
webbing between the fingers with claws too. The skin was pale white.
Slowly out of the murk came a girl. She had flowing red hair that
floated above her head like fire. I averted my eyes…she had no
clothing on…not even a bathing suit. She eyed me with black
eyes…pure black, not a single shred of white. This was really weird
and I was becoming even more afraid. The girl in the tank smiled at
me and her skin turned dark blue and her red hair floated away. She
opened her mouth to let out a silent scream, baring large triangular
teeth, like a shark. She pushed away from the glass and dart out of
sight. I screamed too and backed away, running into another door.
Someone must've heard that…I tensed…but no one came. I wanted
to leave and I turned to go, until a familiar voice stopped me "Ana?"
I turned around. "Ana? Is that you?" I followed the voice to a
door at the end of the hall and pulled back the slit.
"BREE!"
exclaimed. She smiled up at me from where she sat on the floor.
"I'd
recognize that scream anywhere," she said. My mind flooded with
questions and I wanted to blurt them out all at once.
Bree:
Ana's questions hit my like an enormous tidal wave.
"Shhhh,"I said softly. Her eyes were wide with confusion and
fear was starting to creep in. If she wasn't completely afraid
yet…she will be if a Jawz shows up. I knew I was putting PC and me
at risk, but I had to tell Ana to break whatever lies her parents had
spun. PC would do the same thing.
"You're in a top secret
facility…called the School. PC is here too…I don't know where,"
I said.
"What do they do here…really?"
"They conduct
human experiments here…mostly on kids, because we are easier to
change. Adults have already finished development. It's easier for
you to bend metal while its hot than when it is cooled." Tears
started forming in Ana's eyes.
"So everything….everything
PC said wasn't a lie," Ana whimpered. She began to hyperventilate
and tears were coming down more steadily.
"Ana…ANA! Get a
hold of yourself…Breathe," I said soothingly.
"Where's
PC?" she asked her lower lip trembling.
"I dunno." Ana
began to tug at the door to try and open it. I helped by pushing
against it. The hinges on the door creaked. The door was solid steel.
On a normal day I wouldn't be able to but it down. But door was not
well had gotten to the hinges.
"Ana, stand
back. I have an idea." Mustering my speed I rammed the door and
then CREEAKK the hinges gave way.
"Are you okay?" Ana asked.
"I'm fine, but we need to get to PC or there won't be
anything left of him to save." Suddenly we heard heavy footsteps
and growling noises. I moved Ana behind me and grabbed her wrist
transferring a little bit of my speed. She let out a soft whine.
"Okay…Anal listen carefully…we have a lot of ground to cover
and very little time." "What's coming?"
"Let me worry
about that…Now you have to promise me that if something happens,
you run as fast as you can and never look back. No matter what you
see or here…stay the course, got it?"
"Yeah," she
squeaked as a Jawz darkened the hallway.
"HERE WE GO!" I
shouted and I ran forward Ana close behind me. I bent forward and ran
low slicing the Jawz's Achilles' tendon and it collapsed. We ran
through the facility as fast as we could. The only time we would stop
would be to interrogate Whitecoats. Ana was doing so well. Staying on
my heels and not freaking out when I had to fight my way through,
which was a little messy.
PC:
Alarms blared in my
already ringing ears, compounding the enormous headache I had. My jaw
was sore from tensing up from the electricity. My whole body was numb
and I lay slumped against the wall, restrained as always. My heart,
which also physically hurt, was beating quickly. Alarms blaring could
only mean two things, Ana had found the truth and was trying to
escape or Bree had escaped and was trying to find me. I heard Erasers
scream and their bodies fall.
"Out of my way or you're next!"
I heard Bree scream. BAM! My door was kicked open and a lot of
unnecessary light flooded in. I shielded my eyes.
"Bree!" I
exclaimed. She looked at me concerned and I saw Ana behind her.
"What did they do to you? You look like crap."
"I feel
like it, too."
"Ana, keep watch."
Bree knelt down. "Can
you move?"
"Yeah, it hurts like hell, but I can move." I
pulled against the chains in the walls and Bree helped. Slowly the
two around my arms gave and then the ones around my legs. We embraced
each other.
"Thank goodness you're okay," she said.
"Guys
we've got— AHHHHHH!" Ana screamed. In a blink of an eye Wraiths
were everywhere. Bree and I locked hands as they tried to pull us
apart.
"Don't let go of me," I told Bree. "Ana! Fight
him!" I shouted. She squirmed, biting and scratching and finally
she got away from him
"RUN!" Bree screamed. The girl didn't
need to be told twice; she bolted. The Wraith's arms around me
tightened, he was trying to choke me off. I kicked him in the stomach
with my heel. Slowly I felt my fingers sliding. I tried regaining my
grip but with one swift yank the Wraiths pulled us apart. NO! They
weren't taking her from me…NOT AGAIN. As far as I can remember
this was the most painful transformation I ever preformed. I turned
on the Wraith that pulled on me, savagely. It screamed as I sank my
teeth in and crushed its windpipe and then attacked the one that held
Bree. When she was released she began to fight as well. Fighting in
the cell was hard, there was hardly enough room for the two of us let
a long four Wraiths - and more were pouring in through the doorway.
My body was trembling; I was fighting on pure adrenaline, I had
almost no energy left at all. It's one thing to fight when you're
injured, it's another to fight when your whole body hurts and your
nervous system is almost shot. Whitecoats shouted orders from
outside. I roared and used the chains as whips slapping the Wraiths
in the head, making some of their teeth fly. "BRING THEM DOWN!" a
Whitecoat shouted. A Wraith grabbed one of my chains and we play a
friendly game of tug of war. Unfortunately, the Wraith won by
slinging me into the wall. The feeling that this fight was coming to
a terrifying close and that we were losing made me crazy. They
flattened us both, our heads pressed against the floor. I saw a
Wraith holding Ana tightly, hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Bree
and I reached out and locked hands again.
"I had expected an
escape attempt to be made…but not this unorganized," Jeb said,
strutting in. He blathered on how bad we were, but Bree and I ignored
him. I wanted to say something to her. I didn't know what would
happen, after this moment, so I had to say it… "Bree…no matter
what happens," I whispered "I—" With one sharp jerk they
pulled us apart…
Chap 92
PC:
I am currently…in a box, made of fiberglass and reinforced with metal wire, which cuts everything I could see outside into neat equidistant squares. It was cramped in here…I could barely move let alone resist if a Whitecoat decided they wanted to pull me out. I'm in big trouble…and so is Bree. I wonder what they plan to do. Every time I saw an Eraser or Whitecoat pass by I worried about Bree and Ana. Where were they? They moved me to a different part of the School, somewhere recently built, because everything smelt new and the usual latex and alcohol scent hadn't set in. The thought of being here for more than a week was beginning to scare me. I hadn't spent time in captivity this long before and my old anxiety was starting to resurface. I would soon start to recoil from every foreign sound and tremble when Whitecoats got near my box. I shuddered at the thought of becoming another nervous wreck. I had been in trouble with these guys before. But the damage we caused and the already great severity of the situation made me worry a little more than usual…
Jeb sat in the glass
conference room where PC and his parents had talked, hand over his
eyes, thinking. Breeaka and PC had caused some damage to property,
personnel and the relationship he had with the Skynards. They
wouldn't be happy when they discovered their daughter had found out
the ugly truth about this so called pharmaceutical company. Lee Ann
and John calmly walked through the door and sat down in front of Jeb.
"Mr. Batchelder, we heard the news and we are VERY
disappointed."
"Where is my daughter?" Lee Ann asked.
"She's in one of the containment cells on Level 3 White…the
best ones we have," Jeb said.
"I'd thought it wouldn't
have to come to that," John said.
"But she already knows.
With Seth's explanation and what she witnessed last night…she'll
fill in the gaps." Lee Ann frowned. "We should've euthanized
him when he first arrived, him and that little witch."
"It's
your fault," John growled.
"My fault? Mr. and Mrs. Skynard! I
had everything under control."
"IF YOU WERE IN CONTROL WE
WOULDN'T BE SITTING HERE!"
Jeb fell silent. "Listen, I will
do what I can for your daughter…but she can never return to the
public eye. Not with what she knows. She could live and work here."
"What happens to her is our decision alone, Mr. Batchelder,"
John said.
He sighed. "What do you want to do with Seth and
Breeaka?"
"Wasn't it agreed that we would turn Breeaka over
to Roc?" Lee Ann asked.
Jeb nodded. "Yes, but that was a lie,
to keep PC in check. He would never risk to hurt her…this I know.
Roc was decommissioned a couple of days ago. I realized that he
really wasn't fit to bringing down the rest of the Network. I
assigned the task to Rafmire instead…he's the more gifted one
anyhow."
"Well then it seems that your little white lie
didn't help in controlling Seth; no thanks to our daughter, Breeaka
got out," Lee Ann said.
"They both have a lot of fight in
them," John commented.
Jeb scratched his chin and then said,
"You know, the two of them remind me of wild horses. Full of fight
and spirit; every time we try to saddle them, they buck us off. The
only way to tame something that wild is…to break them."
"How
do you suggest we do that? We can't control either of them through
pain or fear."
"Very true, but both of them have a strong a
bond with each other. They both lack the detachment Raf has. It seems
to me that they inspire each other. As long as one knows the other is
there, it gives them strength to fight on. If we break this
bond…we'll break them both." Lee Ann and John both sighed.
"It's a cruel thing…but it must be done. Their behavior has
encouraged other experiments to act up. Ones more powerful than they
are…I don't think you can afford a jail break. Mr.Batchelder,
what do you have in mind?"...
Chap 93
Bree:
I sat in another slimy containment cell on the same floor I was onebefore. What a bunch of idiots! This cell was smaller than my first. I'll admit I was scared now; neither PC nor I have broken the rules of engagement this early in the game. We usually wait until we have a plan and then break the rules. But none of us had a plan as far as I knew. I had never felt this helpless in a while. I worried about PC and Ana…this was my fault and I knew it…I should've kept my mouth shut. But I saw the opportunity. PC would probably tell me it wasn't my fault, that he would've done the same thing. But I knew him better. PC was a plotter and a sneak…he waited for things to line up just right. Me, I could do the same…but I couldn't sit idly as they tortured him for their own supposedly scientific reasons. Suddenly the door to my cell burst open and Jawz swarmed in. I tried to fight but they overpowered me and took me out kicking and screaming…
PC:
I still remember this
day…it's a day I'll never forget and on occasion I have
nightmares about it…It was another typical day at the School, the
light in the room I was kept in flashed into my eyes, making me
wince. But this morning was different; it had a different diabolical
flavor. The door to my box opened and instead of waiting for me to
crawl out, they pulled me out, using a noose on a pole, the same tool
a dog catcher uses. The noose tightened as I fought it. The Jawz
pinned and blindfolded me and before I knew it they were shoving me
down the hall. My heart was pounding; what was going on? I knew
something serious was about to happen. There was a door swinging open
and I was forced down into a chair. The Jawz pulled off the blindfold
and Jeb was there staring into my face. His expression was calm.
"Good morning, PC."
"What's going on?" I asked
nervously.
"The stunt you and your little girlfriend pulled
last night caused quite a bit of damage to our facility. Not only
don't teens nowadays seem to take responsibility for their actions.
Bree was under the same rules of engagement as you were. When you
both fought together you both broke them. Now, PC, this morning I
want you to witness the consequences for your actions." In front of
me was a glass window with a sheet over it. When the sheet was pulled
away, I saw Bree lying on a table. She was strapped down, and a
Whitecoat was approaching her with needle, I recognized the liquid
inside. They were going to euthanize her.
"NO!" I shouted. "I
thought you said she was going to Roc?"
"Well, she would've
if Roc was still alive."
"Please stop this!" Jeb shook his
head. I turned and moved to attack him, but Jawz were all over me in
an instant and they turned me towards the window. Bree looked at me,
and she smiled when she saw me. As they slid the needle under her
skin, I fought with all I had but they held me fast. This is the part
that killed me the most inside. As her life slowly slipped away she
mouthed "I love you." Then she went limp. A Whitecoat closed her
eyes and pronounced her time of death at 8:00 a.m. I couldn't
breathe…at all and I won't deny that at that moment, I broke down
into tears. I didn't care who saw or who heard…none of them would
understand my pain…nobody. I didn't get a chance to see them take
Bree away.
The Jawz took me to a new cell this one was like the
one I had on Level 3 only smaller and had a clear fiberglass door
laced with wire. The room had better light, but I felt cold. It
seemed as if when Bree was alive she kept me warm no matter where I
went. It was true, no matter how bad things got, and no matter how
rotten I felt about working for the School. The thought of Bree kept
me going. Days passed and they would take me out of the cell and run
the tests on me all over again only this time I was in my cat form. I
felt like I had hit rock bottom, but of course I wasn't there yet.
One morning I got the news that my parents felt that I was no longer
capable of bringing down Maximum Ride. Ana was going to take my
place…I hit rock bottom then…from that day I was just about as
animated as a sack of flour. I walked like I was dead; I never looked
anyone in the eyes now. I felt cold all the time, a part of me died
with Bree on that table. It hurt to think that I never once said
those three words out loud, to her face. I always mumbled them,
whispered, and mouthed. But not once did I ever say "I love
you."…they wanted to break me…and they did…
Chap 94
Ana:
I shivered in the corner of tiny containment cell. I was afraid all the time. The people that used to smile and wave at me, in the halls while I was a visitor, were now the ones that came to me at strange hours with stoic faces and latex-coated hands. It had been roughly a week since my capture. I kept track of time through a tally system I kept on the wall. It was easy to lose track of time in a room with no windows and no clock. I hadn't seen my mom and dad in while either. They explained the whole thing to me…about why I was here…what they were going to do, how they were going to do it and the purpose of it all. When I asked them about PC and Bree they just frowned at me and changed the subject. Now I knew it all, I completely understood, Seth…my brother. It's kind of sad that this had to happen in order for me to finally believe him. My parents regurgitated the story of PC origins to me or least their side and let me in on the detail that the cat DNA in his blood was from his own pet, Pogo. It sickened to me to the core; how they could do such a thing to their firstborn. I felt lost, afraid, and most importantly of all, I felt betrayed by the people that gave me life and taught me about the world. At first it seemed like a dream. But everyday…as I saw the Erasers, the Whitecoats, and as they slipped different needles under my skin, the dream became real. At night, I would cry in my sleep as painful spasms racked my body. Bones would ache and I would feel itchy all over as patches of fur began to form. Blood would seep out from under my nails, my gums, ears, nose and even my eyes. Soon my containment cell was no longer pure white, it was strawberry colored. The janitors would come in to clean up the mess every morning. I was thankful that I didn't have a mirror, because I really didn't want to see what was happening to me…
:
Jeb observed Ana, from a small room above her cell, the
Skynards beside him.
"She's doing remarkably well,"
commented Jeb. "As you can see the felid features are already
starting to appear."
"Yes, she is, that's our Ana…always
excelling," Lee Ann said proudly.
"I'm worried though,"
John said. "Once Ana transforms, her ferocity is going to be far
greater than PC's. How is she going to control it? This savage
nature not only affects how she interacts with her environment, but
how she'll react with others. Worst case scenario, she may kill Max
instead of capture."
Jeb shook his head, "That mistake may
have happened with PC, but I have confidence that Ana will have
better control."
"We'll have to wait and see…by the way,
how is he?" Lee Ann asked.
"He's broken, alright, from what
my colleagues tell me, he's extremely docile, he doesn't speak at
all, no one knows if he actually sleeps. Anytime we got any
resistance from him was when we had to force-feed him…Don't
worry, he'll be put out of his misery, this week is his last
anyhow."
"What procedure is being run now?" John asked
"He's in surgery…"
PC:
"Let's take a
look at what we have here," A Whitecoat said, his voice was distant
as I lay there on stomach on the operating table. The place we
experiments dubbed the "chop block." I was awake during this
surgery. Now, that may seem like a terrifying prospect to most, but I
didn't care. I may have been nervous, but that was the extent of my
worry. The surgeons mumbled amongst them as they probed my back, to
find the chip Jeb had embedded in me several years ago. The
Whitecoats wanted to see how the chip had been affected by the
lightening strike. Tools clattered on trays as they were used. A
nurse was near by to keep me calm, if I for some reason got nervous
or scared. She was very bored because I was hardly moving, let alone
breathing.
"I think we've got it," another surgeon said. I
came to life to try and peek at the foul piece of machinery that had
caused me trouble, but I couldn't get a good view.
One
Whitecoat whistled. "That thing is fried."
"Yeah, well, we
won't know how fried until the technician takes a look at it." I
heard the chip drop into a container. "Let's sew him up."
Chap 95
Raf:
"You look like an angel…Walk like an angel…Talk like an angel…but I got wise…You're the devil in disguise, oh yes you are, the devil in disguise…You fooled me with your kisses, you cheated and you schemed, heaven knows how you lied to me you're not the way you seem—" I stared at the road ahead of me the scenery whooshing by as my car went 60mph. Do you ever think sometimes that as you listen to a song they're singing about you? That's how I felt about this song "Devil in Disguise"… even thought Elvis is really singing about a woman. After another verse I got irritated with it and changed the station. The country station was the next thing that came on…I'm not a big fan of the genre…but I guess I could tolerate it until I got to the next town…then... "The devil went down to Georgia. He was lookin' for a soul to steal. He was in a bind 'cause, he was way behind, and he was willin' to make a deal,"…I grumbled to myself and changed the station. "Welcome back to NPR news…"…alright it's not music, but it's something "As we continue our discussion of Professor Worchester's interpretation of Dante's, Inferno—" THAT'S IT! I turned off the radio…I sighed and continued driving. Due to painstaking work I had finally got a possible location for where the Network's last members were hiding. It was extremely remote, out in the American southwest. I had scouted the area before…it was a nesting sight for ferruginous hawks. I had heard about what they had done to PC. It was sickening how they could be so cruel…I guess since I was back up to collector status, I was unaware of those horrors. I tapped one of my claws on the steering wheel pensively…As I pulled my car over and parked near a dirt road I thought about my agenda. It was time to wrap this whole thing up. I took a deep breath and stretched before walking down the trail… little did I know that I forgot my cell phone in the front seat…
PC:
The smell of sewage and fresh blood poisoned the air.
Bree and I were huddled against each other, sewer water up to our
ankles. Two Erasers lay face down in the deeper water bobbing like
fur corks. It was two days after our escape from Lab 7. Erasers had
chased us and the other Ghosts into the sewers. Our group scattered,
each of us running off to split up the huge pack that was after us;
that way we could whittle down their numbers. Bree was lying in my
lap. She was pale and shaking. One of the Erasers that were dead now
had cut her deeply with his claws. I had run through the tunnels
looking for Gozbud, the experiment that knew a little something about
medicine. But I couldn't find him. Not wanting to endanger Bree by
running into Erasers, I found and spot to hide, to make her
comfortable. I had several wounds myself, but Bree was in worse
shape. Blood seeped through my fingers as I tried to apply pressure
to stop the bleeding. I was desperate; I hoped that Gozbud or some
help would find us.
"PC…" Bree said weakly.
"You shouldn't be talking," I said.
"Shut-up…listen to me…if I die."
"You're
not going to—"
"I said shut up," Bree said
with effort. "If something happens and I don't make it…promise
me something…make sure you are willing to make that promise…because
it will go on forever."
I nodded. "If I don't
make it, please PC…promise me, you will. No matter what happens.
You won't give up. Can you keep that promise?" I knew Bree was
serious. It wasn't a sentimental monologue she came up with just
because she was dying. To her and me a promise is more binding than
any oath. I nodded. "I promise."…
I woke up with a start, but recoiled instantly, as my sudden movement set my spine on fire. I lay on the floor of my cell flat on my back. I was in pain, as usual, those freakin' Whitecoats…what am I …a piece of meat! For a moment, I felt like my old self, until all the memory of the past week or so, came crashing down on my shoulders. My memory of Bree's death stabbed me in the heart, the thought made me wince. But then I remembered the dream…the visions of my past, when Bree and I didn't have a home and we walked that thin line between life and death every day. Now, I never really believed in ghosts or loved ones reaching out beyond the grave. But whatever it was, whether it was a supernatural occurrence or coincidence or not, I had that vision. The dream reminded me of something very important. My promise, one of the very few I made and kept in earnest. It was hard to think about anything else but Bree. But I knew she wouldn't want me to die like this. I knew she would swear at me and probably punch me in the face, for the way I had been acting, like my life couldn't go on. It was hard for me, but at the moment, I remembered the conditions of that promise, I had to stay alive…Ana depended on me now…
