AN:
Hey guys, long time no chapter. Sorry about it, school is a wild one right now. To make up for it, this chapter is almost seven thousand words, which I hope will appease you. Also, good news is next week is my last week before spring break, and since my social life is equivalent to that of a jar of peanut butter, you'll be getting more than a chapter during the week of spring break. Anyways, you've been waiting long enough, so here's chapter 8 of "All That's Left"
XxXxX
All the figureheads were there. The most vital and authoritative figures they had, all gathered around one heavy wooden table. It was curious to Hazel, that somehow, she'd been included in that demographic. She'd been a part of the organization for a while now, but her stint was still significantly shorter than almost anyone, and even more so for those around her, making it all the more strange the company she found herself in.
The table was of course headed by Jason Grace, an extremely decorated war veteran with a proclivity for discipline. He'd called the meeting. It was closely guarded what was to be discussed, which was why only the best of the best were gathered. She only had one question. Since when did that include her?
Looking around the table, she felt utterly out of place. She was joined around the table by several prominent figures in their organization. Clarisse La Rue, who was essentially their leading weapons expert considering the loss of both Frank Zhang and Percy Jackson. Annabeth Chase, a magnificent hacker, and even more impressive, a certifiable genius. Piper McLean, a stunning beauty with a sirens voice. Leo Valdez, a mad scientist of an engineer, and Will Solace, the best doctor they had, and the best one they knew of. These were all the most important people they had, the ones who facilitated everything that went on. Without them, nothing would ever get done. They were the collective brain trust of the organization, and somehow, some way, Hazel had joined their ranks.
Maybe it was who she'd learned from. Maybe despite everything that made people want him gone, Percy Jackson had garnered more respect than even she could've imagined. Perhaps he'd accrued so much reverence that just working closely with him made her supremely qualified. That had to be it, because there was no other explanation for her seat at the table. It felt wrong, to know that she was there in his stead. She'd grown a lot in her time there, she knew that, but she also knew when she was underqualified for something. Filling Percy Jackson's shoes? She doubted anyone was fit for that job.
Her eyes drifted across the room, alertly drinking in everyone's expressions. Some were better than others at masking their true feelings, but no matter how skilled they were, they were all exuding the same feeling. Each one of them seemed on edge, frustrated, and worried beyond belief. Undoubtedly, her own face betrayed those same tumultuous emotions within her. No one knew exactly what to expect, either from this meeting, or from the future, and that's what was so scary. They were in the dark.
"Will." Jason finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was a candle in the inky black shroud of worry that had hung over them. "How many did we lose?"
All eyes turned to the sunny haired doctor. They saw his adams apple bob in his neck. His face was pale, and his eyes were ringed in heavy bags. He looked far from the beaming spotlight that usually burned from within the infirmary. When he spoke, his voice was soft and gentle. Everyone knew it well enough. It was the voice any doctor used when delivering a brutal diagnosis. It was a voice of apologetic grieving.
"Thirteen dead. Four in critical condition. Twenty more too injured for action for the foreseeable future."
Hazel's golden eyes widened. That was more than half of their number dead or injured. A hand flew up to her unhinged jaw, catching the gasp of shock just before it escaped her lips. She knew it was bad, but not this bad.
"Jesus." Leo whispered. For once the cheery mechanic didn't have much else to say. He seemed as thrown as the rest of them.
Jason cursed under his breath at the head of the table, drawing everyone's stares. His face was schooled and stoic in what would have been a successful attempt to hide just how bad the news stung, but his hands gave him away. Balled into fists on the desk in front of him, his knuckles were bone white. His nails dug into his own skin, and his forearms bulged as they strained. He was barely holding it together. These were his people, and his people were suffering.
"That's more than half of us." Piper muttered. "Half of our friends."
A tear fell down her cheek, dripping tenderly to the hard wood table. It soaked into the wood, disappearing without a trace, only leaving behind the solemn expression on Piper's face. Hazel had never seen the Cherokee girl so sullen before. It was a harsh reminder of exactly how bad things were.
"That's war for you." Clarisse reasoned, pretending to be unbothered as she leaned back in her chair.
She was doing her best to give off an air of nonchalance, but everyone could see through the tough warrior façade she was putting on. This news bothered her as much as it did them. For once, the violent girl didn't seem too keen for another fight, no matter how much she was trying to deny that to both them and herself.
"We've lost too many." Jason said, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "We can't afford to risk another assault like that. At least not until everyone is healed up. For the near future, everything has to be covert."
There was a string of nods around the table. Everyone knew he was right, a full military excursion like the last one would spell the end of them all.
"We wouldn't be having this problem if some people didn't force our best fighter to leave." Annabeth spat hotly, her eyes sweeping accusingly over Clarisse and Jason.
If it were anyone else, they pair would have withered under her piercing grey eyed stare, but these two were particularly resilient against intimidation, even from Annabeth. Around the room, everyone's eyes widened at Annabeth's challenge. No one had been so openly contemptuous of Percy's forced departure before. Most people didn't care, and the ones that did knew causing an issue throughout the organization wasn't what Percy would've wanted. At least, all of them except Annabeth knew that apparently.
"Look, Annabeth, I told you he wanted to-" Jason said firmly, trying to stop an argument before it occurred.
"He wanted to leave; I know." She snapped. "But he wouldn't have wanted to leave if people still wanted him here." She had cut Jason off without hesitation, something that was usually reserved for Percy. She was curiously angry, completely uninterested in Jason's diplomatic justification for kicking Percy out. It was interesting to see Annabeth so emotional; she was normally as calm and calculating as the computers she toyed with.
"We did the right thing." Clarisse argued across the table, scowling towards the blonde. "We don't need Prissy. It doesn't matter what he did when he was here, he's too damn dangerous to keep around."
"We could've used some dangerous in the fighting." Leo muttered, twiddling nervously with some gears in his hands. He didn't look up, but he didn't need to for any to see the emotion in him. Though the mechanic preferred machine to man, he was as hurt by their losses as anyone.
"That's not what I meant, Valdez." Clarisse protested. "And you didn't want him here either, Chase." She continued, whirring her attention to the blonde. "All you did was argue with him, same as me. The only difference is you didn't have the guts to tell Jason you wanted him gone like everyone else did. And now you're pretending you saw this coming just to stroke your own damn ego."
"I didn't want him gone! Because unlike you, I'm not an idiot!" Annabeth shouted, raising her voice as if volume made her more right. Hazel had seen the blonde in several debates, but never had she seen her quite so incensed. "I argued with him all the time, sure, but so did you and Jason and so many others. In the end it didn't mean anything. He was dangerous, reckless, and a pain in the ass, but we all liked him anyway. Needed him anyway. He was the only reason we've made it as far as we have, and you and the rest kicked him out because you were too afraid to admit that almost everything you think you've built was built by one man."
"Annabeth." Jason intoned, his voice stern.
Annabeth shot him a scalding look; disobedience clear in her posture. He was still trying to play the meditator, but it wasn't going to work. Annabeth blamed him for Percy's leaving more than anyone else, and based on her reaction, she was apparently far more bothered by it than she'd been letting on. Luckily for Jason, Clarisse wasn't done.
"You think anyone will actually buy that garbage, Chase? You don't even believe what you're saying. You're just defending him because you and him used to-"
"Clarisse!" Jason shouted, trying to get a handle on the feuding girls.
His voice ricocheted off the walls, powerful and demanding. The others recoiled at the loud noise, but the girls seemed unaffected. The look of rage on both of their faces didn't falter. Instead, they only grew more upset. They were out of even Jason's control, their anger clouding their minds. Both opened their mouths to continue, but Piper beat them to it, stopping them in their tracks.
"Relax." Piper said, putting as much calming inflection in her voice as possible. The results were immediate.
Hazel instantly felt the effect of Piper's command. All of her muscles untensed, and her mind flooded with cool and comfortable feelings and memories. Thanks to just one word, there was an irresistible urge to be calm bathing her subconscious in mere moments. Piper's ability was so absolute, Hazel doubted she could find the gumption within herself to be angry if Luke Castellan was staring her in the face. Around the room, the others looked equally soothed. A single word had turned a hurricane into a serene beach.
The hairs on the back of Hazel's neck stood up. Piper's ability always unnerved her, and this was a premium display of it. It was a lot of power to give to any one person. Being able to control people with any muttered phrase wasn't something to be taken lightly. Thankfully, Hazel couldn't think of someone better to have that ability than Piper.
"Thank you, Piper." Jason breathed out, cutting through the artificial calm. He flashed the girl a smile of gratitude before folding his hands in his lap. "Look, all of you. We can't sit here and argue about the validity of our decision. What's done is done. Percy is gone, for better or for worse, we have to focus on the here and now."
"What good will that do us?" Will spoke up. He crossed his arms, sinking down in his seat. "Half our forces are currently occupying a cot in my infirmary. We're not exactly in fighting shape. We might as well sulk about our past mistakes while we have the time."
"But we don't have the time. We can't just do nothing." Leo argued, poking his head up from his anxious tinkering for a brief instant.
"Leo's right." Jason said emphatically. "Which is why we're not going to do nothing."
"So, what do you propose then?" Clarisse questioned.
"We do reconnaissance. Gather some intel."
"Reconnaissance? Intel? We've already been inside their base, what more do you hope to accomplish from sitting outside and watching nothing happen?"
"That's exactly my point." Jason explained. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a clear sign that his patience was starting to run thin. "We've already been inside their base. We've seen their lab. When we were there, what was missing?"
The rest of them shared a few confused glances, wondering just what he was getting at.
"People." Hazel hesitantly spoke out. "Both times, we only ever saw the lab, the guards, or Luke. Never any scientists, and certainly never any of the test subjects. They captured all our friends and family, and they're clearly doing something with them, yet we saw none of it."
Jason nodded approvingly at her. Around the table, the others donned looks of understanding.
"Exactly, Hazel. Annabeth." Jason said. Annabeth's face shifted, curling into a concerned grimace. Jason was discreetly implying something; she obviously didn't like it. Whatever it was, the two of them clearly knew something the rest of them didn't. That didn't bode well.
The blonde sighed before nodding slowly. She leaned to the side, digging into a bag at her side to draw out a file filled with documents. It was at least three inches thick, and if the ruffled edges sticking out of the side were to be believed, had been looked though dozens of times already. Annabeth cracked open the file, showing the first page to everyone. It was an exact printout of the first page on the computer when Hazel and Percy had first discovered the lab.
"That's what you were doing. Back at the base I mean. You were copying their data." Hazel said as she eyed the files. While her and Leo had searched for the shield Luke had used, Annabeth had been copying their entire database. Hazel had suspected as much, but now her suspicions had been confirmed.
"I was." Annabeth paused. "The only reason that I went with everyone into the field was because we couldn't risk someone picking up another encryption along with the stuff we actually needed like you did last time. No offense." Annabeth had the grace to smile apologetically. It wasn't Hazel's fault that she had set off the encryption lock on the stolen data from the warehouse. No one but Annabeth could've prevented that.
"None taken." Hazel said, raising her hands in a placating gesture. She found it hard to take offense when Annabeth was right. She had triggered the encryption and it did take a frustratingly long time to crack.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it. You're a computer master, we all pale in comparison. Just tell us what you found." Clarisse said impatiently. That snapped everyone else back to attentiveness. Clarisse had a point. They'd been waiting for too long. They wanted to know what was going on.
Annabeth bit her lip, most likely cutting off a retort. Her hand flipped through the file, searching for something. Finally, her fingers found what they were looking for, yanking out enough pages to slide a copy across the table to everyone. Hazel looked down at the page, not sure what to expect. As her eyes drank in the text, shock washed over her. The more she read, the more surprising it got.
"So the reason-" Piper began, only to be cut off.
"Yes," Annabeth said. "The reason there was no one at the lab is because we went at the wrong time. That's not their only base. They have four others, and they seem to rotate where they're conducting operations. The reason it was so empty is because everyone is at one of the other locations. If we'd been earlier, we might've actually gotten a chance to get everyone back."
"So the recon…" Will asked, trailing off.
"Is to determine their schedule, if they have one. The files have locations for all the labs, but no schedule. Whether they have a set timeframe, or they move on a whim, we don't know. We need to figure it out. We'll set up teams to monitor each of the locales. If we can find out which of the bases they're hiding at, when they're there, and for how long, we can prepare a strike. That way, when we're ready for action again, we can break in, get everyone they've taken back, and then end this whole thing once and for all." Jason finished.
"Makes sense. My question is, what are you not telling us? That can't be all we learned. That file is taller than Leo, yet our biggest news is that the crazy gang that can afford an army has more than one building?" Clarisse asked. Her tone oozed suspicion.
Everyone eyed Jason and Annabeth expectantly, imploring them to answer the question. It was a valid one. The two of them shared a glance, seeming to have a silent conversation that no one else was privy to. It lasted for a good while, leaving the rest of them to wait in bated silence.
"I'm not really sure that-" Jason began.
"That we deserve to know?" Clarisse folded her arms, not even trying to hide her indignation. "Or you're not sure that we can handle whatever it is you and princess are hiding?"
"Yes and no. You can handle it… It's just that knowing is going to make it a hell of a lot harder to just sit back and do recon while we wait for people to get healthy." He said, not backing down.
"That's hardly fair, Grace." She protested. "If it's something that important, you and blondie can't keep it from us. I don't care if it means you have to tie me down to keep me from charging in all alone, we deserve to know."
Nods of agreement around the table, even from Hazel, supported the brash warrior. For once, she had a completely reasonable argument. If it was something as big as Jason and Annabeth were making it out to be, no one deserved to be left in the dark. Everyone had something, had someone at stake in all of this.
"It's…" he tapped the table nervously. Hazel's eyes widened marginally. Jason was never nervous enough to fidget. "It's about who they've taken. What they're doing with them. This 'project genesis' business is no good."
Worried looks flittered between everyone, but no one tried to stop him from continuing.
"The files go into it in excruciating detail. The gist of it? It's not human. What they're doing, I mean." Jason continued. "They took everyone they did in order to test on them. It's all part of some sick plan. They're trying to develop a way to alter people's genetic makeup. They want to be able to mass produce a cybernetic capable army, and they're using our loved ones as human guinea pigs."
Stunned silence fell across the room. Sure, rumors of what Hazel and Percy had seen leaned towards implying as much, but those were rumors. Hearsay. This was fact. The others, Jason and Annabeth excluded, had the luxury of reasonable doubt. They could hope it was just a regular, run of the mill evil trafficking syndicate. Now though, those hopes were dashed. Their loved ones were the involuntary test subjects of a madman.
"So we…" Will began. His voice faded out. He dropped his head into his hands, falling silent.
"What are they doing, exactly?" Piper asked. Her voice was weak and scared, trembling noticeably.
"Everything you could imagine, and worse." Annabeth said. There was no emotion in her voice. She was putting on a hard and stony shell. Hazel couldn't blame her for trying to protect herself like that. Jason, ever the rock standing in the way of the flowing river, continued for Annabeth.
"Essentially, they're trapping them in solitary stasis. Floating in those tanks we saw, completely conscious, completely feeling, but unable to communicate, move, or resist in any capacity. They're only ever removed to undergo various surgical procedures and injections of strange concoctions of chemicals, all so they can pursue their one true goal."
"Which is?" Leo asked. For once, his hands were completely still, put into as much of as stupor as the rest of him.
"They're looking to create an unstoppable army at any cost. Once they have it, they plan to use it to its fullest extent." Jason's voice was pained as he explained just how serious this all was.
"This isn't just some science experiment. You're implying they want to conquer the world?" Clarisse sounded horrified; a tone that seemed odd accompanying her voice.
"Worse." Jason muttered. "They don't want world domination. They want to 'cleanse the world'. Luke isn't some madman seeking power. He's a madman seeking godhood. He wants to remake the world however he sees fit. He doesn't just plan to kill billions; he plans to bring about a new genesis day."
XxXxX
Hazel had seen a lot of strange things in her day, but this still managed to rank near the top. It was dark. In the middle of the day, with the sun no doubt still floating across the sky, the world was bathed in shadows. It was an even more peculiar phenomenon for someone who grew up in a city that constantly glowed with a neon radiance even in the latest hours. She lived in a world where darkness was foreign, and now she was being forced to grow accustom to it.
Overhead, thick swaths of black rainclouds formed a protective barrier against the sun's rays. It must've been a major storm, because not even the faintest traces of sunlight could come bursting through. Out in the countryside, miles outside of Sapphire City, and completely removed from its decadent glowing light, there was nothing to combat the darkness, thus producing night… During the day.
Hazel's eyes turned to her impromptu partner distastefully. Clarisse had been the last person on her list of people to replace Percy, but they were seriously undermanned right now, and Jason was refusing to let anyone into the field alone. Because of that unfortunate fact, she was now stuck with a bitter, argumentative, and irritable girl for a partner. Worse yet, they'd been assigned to keep watch over the single lab not in the city. Instead, she was stranded in the middle of nowhere… In a heavy rainstorm… With Clarisse for company… At least Clarisse was as annoyingly soaked and miserable as she was.
With a huff, she turned back to the sight before them. From the top of the hill they were hiding on, they had a perfect view into the compound below. That is, they would have if it weren't so dark, and if the rain wasn't so thick and constant that it formed a near solid wall. All they could see through the misty haze was the faint glow of lights, like fireflies through frosted glass. Under her breath, Hazel cursed whoever had invented rain. It always seemed to inconvenience her when she had no way to hide away from it.
The rain drilled into her back incessantly, boring unpleasant holes into her spine like Chinese water torture. To her chagrin, the watery bullets falling from the sky only seemed to be getting stronger. She felt a tap on her shoulder, one that was near indiscernible from the rain. Shaking out of her own mind, she once again turned to her companion.
"Finally. I thought you were in another coma." Clarisse shouted over the rain, raising a curious eyebrow at her. It wasn't the first time Hazel had drifted off into her own headspace. But could she really be blamed considering present company?
"I wish." Hazel muttered, knowing the rain would drown her out. "What is it?" she said louder, making sure Clarisse could hear her this time.
"Look." Clarisse nodded towards the road leading entrance to the compound below.
Following her indication, Hazel found what Clarisse had been alluding to. There was car on the road, and it was getting nearer. Only the dull headlights shooting blearily through the rain were visible, but as time passed it drew closer. The hazy outline of a massive semi pulled up to the front gate, coming to a stop just before entering. The headlights still glowed weakly through the rain, but the semi made no effort to enter the compound.
"What do you think it is?" Hazel asked.
"Not sure. Maybe people. Maybe equipment."
Hazel hummed in agreement before settling in, waiting to see what would happen next. For a while, it seemed like the truck had been stopped for some routine check. As time passed, and the truck still hadn't moved, it became clear something suspicious was going on. Unfortunately, thanks to the darkness and the heavy rain throwing up a sheet of thick mist, they had no chance of finding out what.
"We've got to go down there." Hazel declared, rising from her position and shaking some water from her hair. She hmphed in frustration. It was pointless, the water was replaced faster than it left.
"Really? You want to go get a closer look? Weren't you just lecturing me about how this was recon only just a few hours ago?" Clarisse taunted. She got up anyway, clearly arguing just to argue.
"That was then. I think something went wrong down there."
"And that's a bad thing? I'm pretty sure we like when things go wrong for the bad guys."
"You're right, it's a good thing. But wouldn't you like to know why it happened?" Hazel argued. She was curious, and she had a feeling. Those were two things Percy had always told her to listen to. Curiosity and her gut.
"Maybe they're just taking a while." Clarisse contested, already starting to descend the hill anyways.
"No way." Hazel countered, moving to catch up with her. "They've been rotating supplies and prisoners between their bases for months now. There's no way they're not doing these transfers at peak efficiency by this point."
Clarisse seemed to think about it for a second before nodding, conceding that Hazel had a fair point. With Hazel now in stride with Clarisse, they together made their way down the hill. They took it slow, careful to avoid any slips as they descended the drenched slope. After what felt like too long, they made it down the muddy hillside, putting them on even ground with the truck in the distance.
Thankfully, the heavy rain and darkness that was pushing them closer to the semi was also helping to conceal them from anyone who would normally see them approaching through the open field. As long as they kept a decent distance from the fence line, they were free to approach as casually as they wanted.
Drawing closer, the nearly indiscernible silhouette of the truck gained definition. It faded into view along with two interesting sights. The drivers side door was slightly ajar, and the back of the trailer was wide open, the heavy metal doors flapping wildly in the strong wind. A few glances around showed that no one was within eyesight of the truck, even further rousing Hazel's curiosity.
"I'll check the cargo; you check the driver's cab?" Hazel asked, turning towards Clarisse. The girl grunted in response. Hazel decided to exercise executive authority and take that as a yes.
Making her way to the back, she wondered what she'd find. Deep down, a part of her hoped it would be people. That way, they'd be able to save all this trouble and free everyone now. Unfortunately, a sinking feeling in her stomach told her that wasn't going to be the case.
Rounding the corner, she peered up into the semi. Despite her stomach, she had still been clinging to her hope, but it was dashed as quick as it had sprung up. The rear of the semi was lacking in people, instead filled with the cold glinting steel of medical machinery. This was the wrong shipment to catch unguarded.
"Nothing back here!" Hazel shouted. She waited for a moment, expecting a response, but one never came.
Creeping back around the truck, she saw the form of Clarisse in the darkness, staring up into the cab of the semi. Hazel took a few slow steps closer, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.
"Clarisse? What's wrong?" she called out, stepping closer still.
Just as Hazel reached Clarisse's side, lightning exploded overhead. Hazel followed Clarisse's eyes, looking up into the cab just as the lightning illuminated the world. Inside the cab, slumped over in his seat, completely motionless, was the semi driver. Even more shocking, there was a bullet hole right between his eyes.
Hazel turned on Clarisse, eyebrows raised accusingly.
"Clarisse, did you… you know?" she left the question hanging.
The thunder that followed the lightning boomed overhead, shaking the earth to its core.
"No… Hazel…" Clarisse muttered when the deep boom finally stopped. "I don't think we're alone."
XxXxX
The further into the base they got, the more shocking it became. Endless corridors went deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, each hallway identical to the last. Everything was white. Walls of white. Floors, ceilings, dangling fluorescent lights, all glowing in a stark white. The only sign that they were making any progress were the biological stains that marred the pure white halls.
Body after body, splatter of blood after splatter of blood. The further they descended into the compound, the more they found. Every single corpse suffered the same wound, a single bullet hole, right between the eyes. Each little puncture seeped pools of crimson onto the floor, creating pools of death in their path. The blood was still warm, and the bodies were only just now starting to pale. The brain matter was still slowly dripping down the walls. Whoever was doing this, they were in there with them, they were close, and they were deadly.
It wasn't hard to follow the trail of bodies. The stench of death and the red liquid made it child's play to follow whoever was massacring the guards. Whether following the mystery assailant was a good idea or not, well, that remained to be seen.
"Who the hell could do all this?" Clarisse muttered, eyeing the pile of soldiers fallen in their path. It was an entire contingent, dead in one spot. If the lack of shell casings in the sea of blood was anything to go by, they hadn't even fired a single shot.
"I don't know." Hazel breathed out, gingerly stepping over the corpses. "It has to be some wet work team or something. Mercenaries or U.S. soldiers or some other group of operatives. You think there's a chance someone besides us knows what's going on here and came to stop it before we did?"
Clarisse fingered the holster of her gun as she walked. She seemed to mull over Hazel's words for a few steps before responding.
"Maybe." She finally said. "But it'll be hard to find out if we don't catch up to them."
"True." Hazel nodded. "Let's catch up to them then."
They fell silent, picking up their pace in order to gain ground on whoever it was that was doing their job for them, albeit in a gruesome and grizzly fashion. The trail seemed never ending, but suddenly there was finally a change from the monotony of constant carnage and white walls.
"You hear that?" Clarisse whispered, stopping in her tracks.
"No?" Hazel said confusedly.
"Stop. Listen."
Hazel did, coming to a halt a few steps ahead. She waited, straining her ears to hear what Clarisse was hearing. For a moment, there was silence, and then, a noise. It sounded like… Like screams. Muffled screams. They were close now. So close.
"Let's go." Clarisse said, taking off at a run towards the yelling.
Hazel took off after her, maneuvering through pools of blood and piles of bodies to keep pace. As they ran, the screaming got louder, more distinct. It sounded pleading. Whoever it was, they were scared, and they were begging.
A few more turns, and they found themselves outside a door. It was printer paper white, and completely inconspicuous, if not for the cries for mercy on the other side. Clarisse turned to her, drawing her weapon and urging for Hazel to do the same. She did, raising it in preparation for whatever was on the other side.
Clarisse held up three fingers, slowly counting down. Three. The screams went silent. Two. A muffled voice, barely perceptible through the steel door, rang out. One. Her hand tightened around her pistol, gripping it in an anaconda squeeze. Zero, Clarisse pushed into the door, slamming it open with Hazel hot on her tail.
An interesting scene was waiting on the other side. It was a lab similar to the one Hazel had been shot in, only it followed the blinding white theme of the rest of the compound. In the center of the room, there was a group of cowering scientists, all huddled together with their hands in the air. The one holding them in such palpable fear? Not a mercenary kill squad. Not some U.S. Special Forces. It was one man dressed in all black, with an assault rifle raised intimidatingly towards them.
"Oh, thank god." One of the scientists shouted. "Please! You have to save us! This guy's insane."
The man whirled on them in an instant, his gun quickly training on her head. In a blur, his other hand had dashed to his waist, drawing a pistol and aiming it at Clarisse. He didn't fire, and neither did they. A silent message passed between them. If anyone shot, they'd quickly meet the same fate. Mutually assured destruction at its finest.
Despite having their assailant's back to them, the scientists made no move to leave or attack him. They seemed too petrified to move, and Hazel could understand why. Being held at gunpoint was scary enough, but this guy brough intimidating to new heights. His all black ensemble of body armor, not to mention his weaponry, were impressive enough, but both paled in comparison to his helmet. A blank slate of black. Lifeless. Emotionless. Not even a reflection. It was an empty wall of nothing that somehow promised death. Or worse.
"What's going on?" Hazel shouted over to him, finding her voice.
The man turned to her, cocking his head to the side curiously. Her body begged to shudder under his faceless gaze, but she forced out the feeling. She forced resolve to take her fear's place, doing her best to hide her understandable trepidation of entering a shootout with a man who'd murdered his way through an entire base.
The soldier studied her for a moment, unmoving, before nodding almost so minutely it was almost imperceptible. If she didn't know any better, she would almost have called it a nod of approval. A few seconds passed, and he finally spoke.
"An interrogation." His voice was deep, inhumanly so, obviously being modified by a voice changer to come out low and demonic.
"Hard to interrogate someone with a bullet in their brain." Clarisse commented, eyeing the corpse of a scientist that wasn't lucky enough to be in the group still living.
"Maybe." The man responded. "But they'll run out of loyalty before I run out of bullets."
"Please. We don't know anything." One of the scientists cried, tears streaming down his face.
The man whirled around, delivering a shot directly to his skull. The rest of the gathered hostages screamed as his blood and brains exploded all over them, showering everyone in human gore.
"Hey!" Clarisse shouted, brandishing her weapon again. "Don't move again unless I say so, or you're dead."
The man laughed as he turned back to Clarisse against her own orders. It sounded weird as it passed through his voice changer, coming out as some dark warble.
"Relax, girl." He said, lowering his guns to his sides. "Lower your guns. I'm not going to shoot you. If I wanted you two dead, I would've done it while you were playing chit chat on the hill outside."
Chills ran up Hazel's spine. This man had been watching them before he went on his killing spree? This man gave off the air of a predator, and Hazel felt like the prey. She glanced at Clarisse, meeting her eyes. Surprisingly, she saw fear there. Fear that matched her own. As much as the girl got on her nerves, she respected her resolve. Clarisse's psyche was the last place she'd look for unadulterated fear, yet there it was.
"You've gotten sloppy." The man continued, turning once again to the scientists. "Just like things are about to get if one of you doesn't fucking tell me what I want to know."
One scientist seemed to have had enough. He detached from the group, running to the man to fall down to his knees in front of him and grovel at his feet. He clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, fear on his face as a confession escaped his lips.
"The abandoned building on Sapphire street. The one that used to be a hospital. You want your answers, that's where you'll find them. Now please, let us go, we're innocent in all this."
The man nodded, seemingly pleased with himself.
"Thank you." He said, sounding legitimately grateful. A look of relief washed over all of the captives' faces. "But I'm sorry to say, you're not innocent. None of you are."
"Wha… What are you talking about." The begging scientist said, scrabbling away from the ma hurriedly.
"All of you want me to believe you were forced to be here. If I were anyone else, it may have worked, but I looked into it. Each and every one of you chose to be here. Luke sought you out because he knew you didn't enjoy things like legality or morals. You chose to partake in human experimentation and torture. You can claim your innocence all you want, but that doesn't change anything. You sealed your fate the moment you signed on with that madman."
"Wait! We gave you what you wanted." One of the scientists sobbed.
"Isn't that worth anything?" another wailed, near hysterics.
"You can't kill us." A third cried.
"Can't I?" the man commented. There was a small pause and then he opened fire.
Ten seconds. That was all it took for him to wipe them out. Hazel and Clarisse had been frozen in shock, unable, and frankly unwilling, to do anything to stop the man as he slaughtered the people who'd clearly been involved in the experimentation and torture of the captives.
When he was done, the man turned back to them expectantly. His posture was stock still, and his features were blank. He made no move to attack them, but he seemed to be tense, waiting to see what they'd do. The only part of him that moved were the fingers on his left hand, patting subtly against his leg. Hazel felt her throat catch. She recognized the gesture.
It couldn't be, could it? It had to be. She'd spent far too much with him for this not to be him. She'd never forget his nervous ticks. The way he'd pat his leg and drum his feet and make snide remarks to hide the fact that he was worried. She knew that leg pat like she knew the back of her hand. She knew who this was. She had to.
She took a hesitant step forward. He didn't. The drumming of his fingers grew stronger. It was him. It had to be.
"Percy?" she asked, her voice hanging with hope.
Clarisse looked at her confusedly, obviously stunned by Hazel's presumption. The man, for his part, seemed completely unsurprised. With a small sigh, he raised his hands, grabbing the sides of his helmet carefully. A brief tug was all it took.
Black hair, unruly and sheening, fell across a tanned forehead. Chiseled cheek bones, a sterling and mischievous smirk, and a sculpted nose came into view. But there was one thing that left no doubt. Green eyes, a sparkling shade of sea green she'd only ever seen in one place stared back at her.
"Hey Hazel." He said, his eyes twinkling with mirth. His faze flickered briefly to the stunned Clarisse before falling back on her. "A few months and you already replaced me? If my self-confidence wasn't so unbelievably high my feelings would almost be hur-"
He was cut off as he was captured in a bone crushing hug. For a moment, he didn't reciprocate, surprised by the suddenness and speed of the gesture. Then, he finally responded, wrapping his arms around her for the first time since he'd left months ago. Hazel smiled into the body armor on his chest, tears streaming unfettered down her cheeks. She wasn't ashamed. She'd found her brother again. She was ecstatic. She wasn't alone anymore.
AN:
And done. There you are; you have your reunion. I'm sure it wasn't much of a surprise reveal, the second you saw a one-man army wiped out an entire base it was clearly Percy. Even for him before, that was a tall task, but he did it easily. What's different? What answers is he still hoping to find? Where are the captives? Where's Luke? All these questions, and I'm sure so many others. Unfortunately, you forfeited your right to have them answered this chapter purely because I like to keep you hanging. Yeah, I'm cruel like that. Anyways, that's all for me. So please, let me know what you think, and as always, until next time,
Peace