Chapter 3 – One chance
I felt sick.
I hadn't been fed for a whole day. Sure to you that doesn't sound like long, but when you're a five foot seven inch tall mutant bird kid with thirteen-foot wings, your body needs a lot of energy. But the real reason I was sick wasn't because of lack of food. I was sick with dread. No food normally means one thing.
Experimentation, most likely some kind of operation. Sure enough, a group of erasers and whitecoats came over to my cage and pulled me out. I quickly scanned around trying to glimpse the other bird kids, but an eraser pushed me forward.
"Move it 56!" he snarled.
Even in his unmorphed state I could practically see his eyes glint red, ready to strike if I made one more wrong move. They barged me into a blindingly white lab, making my super-sensitive eyes squint. The erasers practically lifted me off the floor and dumped me into a cold, bare metal chair. They strapped my arms down with metal braces attached to the armrests. No way I was breaking out of these.
"Right, start the experiment" I heard a muffled female voice say.
I looked around me, only to see what I didn't want to. Trays of needles, scalpels and other surgical equipment lay on tables, whilst computers burst into life. Whitecoats attached wires to my arms, legs and head. In the wall there was a sheet of blacked out, one-way glass so all I could see was the reflection of a terrified mutant, strapped to a chair, surrounded by the spawns of Satan. I recognized one of the whitecoats immediately. Simon, a lean and muscular guy with thinning black-grey hair. He was my personal lab man; he conducted all his experiments on me as if I was his property. But he treated each and every subject with the same attitude; as worthless, insignificant lab rats.
"This is a basic experiment Director," he announced, facing the window as he spoke.
The Director? Here? Was she watching me?
"Simply put, we're going to administer injections of adrenalin into Subject 56," Simon continued, as he prepared a large needle. Emphasis on the large part. "This should cause the subject to react and should simulate what it's body would be like during flight"
It! I'm not an it! I'm a human being, sort of.
"Proceed" was the Director's muffled reply.
She must be watching from behind the window. But why was she here?
"We better take care with this subject," whispered the other whitecoat, "After the extermination of the other human-avian's, this will be the only one left."
What? My eyes almost burst out of their sockets. They were going to kill the flock! I had to get to them, had to save them. Until this point, I had no chance of escaping this prison, but I pieced together the situation. If the flock were going to be executed, they were going to be out in the School's yard. Surely most of the erasers would be gathering there, hungry for some bird kid, so there would be little security in the building. That meant if I could just get out of this lab, I might be able to rescue them or at least escape. But how?
Then it struck me. I have one more gift, other than my internal radar. I can sort of absorb and store energy to use it when I want. It was useful if I got a bad cut that needed healing or a boost of energy if I was being tested on.
But I needed lots of energy for it, like from food. I had never been able to really use it much because I was so poorly fed at the School. Would it work with adrenalin? Only one way to find out.
I lay back on the cold chair, closed my eyes and tried to relax a little. Fat chance of that happening.
"First injection." the whitecoat stated, as he plunged the needle into my arm. I stiffened slightly, but then tried to focus. Stay still, don't you dare react, I thought.
Minutes passed, but the machines stayed calm.
"No reaction," Simon said, slightly taken back. "Permission for second injection?"
"Granted," was the director's solid response.
I felt the needle move into my arm again.
"Second injection."
I could feel the adrenalin inside my veins but I forced my body not to react. More time passed and yet the computers didn't make any noise.
"Still no reaction," the surprise in the whitecoat's voice was clear. "Shall I administer a third injection?"
I could hear the Director mumbling, considering the action.
"Granted," was her final answer.
"Yes Ma'am," Simon replied, injecting yet another needle into me.
"Third injection."
"Are you sure this is safe?" the other whitecoat whispered, obviously not wanting to be heard by the Director.
"Of course not! The first injection should have done it," hissed Simon.
This was crazy. He knew this could kill me, that I could be dead any moment. Well, anything was better than life at the School. Wait, no. I had to save the flock.
"Still nothing. Director, I do not think-"
"Give it another injection," the Director interrupted.
An awkward pause. Come on, come on! I could feel the adrenalin buzzing with excitement, my entire body tingling but I fought to store it in me.
"Are you sure Ma'am? The levels are very high-"
"Administer the injection Doctor!" was the Director's steely response.
"Yes ma'am, forth injection." The needle struck my arm again. I couldn't hold it any longer. I unleashed my energy, all the built up adrenalin shot through me!
My heart screamed at me.
My eyes shot open.
I went wild.