Assassination of Memories
Chapter XXIII – What Did You Just Say?

Yaaaay! I actually got a chapter through my plan to rehabilitate myself! So I got my repost card, crap I'm failing in Humanities and my parents will freak if they find out. Canada finally got a gold medal on home turf here in Vancouver! Yay, so excited, I'm bouncing off the walls, I'm high on Starbucks! WHOOPIE!!! And my mp3 player died after a good year's use, now I have to save for an iPod nano. I just want the cheapest iPod with a screen and I have to save for three months before I can get it! Damn, damn, damn! Anyway here's the chapter, the others will be coming out very slowly warn you. Oh and the chapter name, couldn't think of anything better. If you can come up with a new name I might change it

Thinking
'Any voice in the head'
"Speaking"
"Speaking through looks"

Shadows' POV
A FEW DAYS LATER

Fang blinked, a hand on his bleeding neck. "That's it?" he said spitting out some blood. I noticed that he had gotten back into his normal routine, speaking a maximum of four words at a time. I spat too, trying to get rid of the disgusting taste of blood in my mouth. Metallic, slightly salty, I hated it. How did Neo live off this stuff?

"No." I stated bluntly. I opened my mouth to say more when there was a stabbing pain in my chest. I doubled over onto my hands and knees, another stabbing blow coming with the next pound of my heart. Fang also doubled over, slamming himself into the wall as his own beating heart brought his pain. The next beat sent me down onto my arms, my knees collapsing underneath me. I couldn't breathe past the pain; Fang was clutching his chest where his heart continued to torture him.

Damn... I hadn't.... thought it'd be this... painful.

I did all I could to stop from rolling into a pathetic ball of pain, my hands clutched in fists so tightly my hands were hurting and my nails drew more blood. With every beat I gagged, trying to suck in more air though that didn't work. Fang was coughing while he tried to keep himself on his feet. Make it....... STOP! I yelled in my head. As if by magic the pain began to dull and I was coughing, sucking the breath back into my lungs. Fang was leaning over, his hands on his knees as he hacked away, sounding like he was going to be sick. "Ki-ba" I said between coughs as I saw Fang's face. It looked like he was choking, holding his throat as he collapsed to the ground. I scampered over top him giving Fang a hard whack on the back between his wings and he coughed something up. I heard the tinking noise bounce off the walls as it skittered across the floor stopping a few feet away. I looked up over Fang's back as he continued to cough, my eyes lying on the little shard that had come out of Fang.

I got up, going over to it cautiously. It was sharp at both ends, a deep blood red shard the size of half of my little finger that had a blackened tint. I crouched down to pick it up when I stopped. My hand, inches away from it, I could feel it pulsing.

Should I pick it up? With my bare hand at that? Or can Fang only pick it up? All I know about the Blood Stone is from legends; there had never been solid information about it.

Shaking all doubt away I gently picked up the Stone, feeling it pulsing in my hand. Okay, that was weird, even for my life. I walked over to Fang, holding my hand out that had the Stone in it for him to see. He stared at it, coughing slightly, and I realized I could see every emotion on his face and in his eyes. He was an open book, his face asking the question.

"Had that thing come out of me?"

Fang met my eyes and I knew he too could see through my mask that hid my emotions. It was so easy to give him a look that asked if he was okay and he nodded. "What happened?" his face asked. "I don't know completely myself." I answered back with a look. This might creep people out, two emotionless people staring at each other like they were having a conversation. "I didn't know you had so much emotion." The corner of my mouth twitched with my remark. "Same to you." Fang countered back, his eyes holding most of his emotion. "What does that do?" Fang asked with his voice this time, nodding his head to the Stone. "The one who is wearing it has 'unlimited' blood. What happens is that the Stone recreates blood so the blood supply is always the same when the Stone was put on. It really speeds up the process of generating blood cells, so even if you're bleeding to death, if you put the Stone on in the form of a necklace or a bracelet or a headdress even you'll bleed but you won't die. Dead Ones, what you know of as vampires, usually use it as a torture method. If you fight against a Dead One feeding on you it is incredibly painful, most people if not in a trance or asleep will fight against it which brings them into pain. Putting the Stone on them means that the Dead One can feed for as long as it pleases." I explained.

I touched my neck where it was bleeding, though it already healing so my own blood dotted my finger. I smeared my own blood onto the Stone; the reaction was a bright flash of dark red. Fang raised an eyebrow looking confused. "I need a bit of your blood. If we do this, no one else can touch the Stone." I told him in a blunt matter. If a Dead One picked up the scent of the Stone while it was on Iggy could easily feed on the dying boy if we didn't do this. "What about Ig?" Fang's dark eyes asked.

"Don't worry."

Fang looked doubtful but held out his hand that he had used to hold his neck where it was bleeding. I got some of his blood on my finger, smearing it on the Stone getting the same reaction from it. I could still see the sceptical look in Fang's eyes, and somewhat impressed into his slight frown. It was strange to see his emotions, even stranger when he looked up at me and could see my own. We both felt the same thing, exposed, our expressions no longer hidden.

The door opened up at Fey came in with Logan following. I had a feeling she was his commander, the way he followed her around yet seemed doubtful of her actions.

Dogs don't go against their masters, I thought as Fey led me to Iggy's cell, their loyalty makes them silent when their masters commit forbidden actions. They don't question it; though go along with it when they know it's wrong.

Then what did Fey do? She knew that her master's, Father's, actions were wrong, did she just go along with them? Of course she did, that was how it worked. You didn't question your loyalty, it could just mean death. When I was at Iggy's cell I did the same thing to the Stone with his own blood, taking some twine that I had grabbed off the table and a paper clip sitting down beside Iggy to work. I still wasn't at my best standard, when Fey had skewered me I had lost a lot of blood so I still didn't have some strength. So trying to trap the Stone in a bent paper clip cage was easier said than done, my hands just not wanting to respond correctly. After quite some labour I finally got the Stone trapped, treading the twine so it became a necklace. Though when I tried to put it around Iggy's neck there was too much twine and I ended up with long hanging pieces. So just for the heck of simplicity sake I looped the twine around his neck twice so it hung at a reasonable length and hand no long pieces. After I had finished I went up to the door to slam my fist on it to tell the guard I wanted Fey. Just as my fist connected with the door it opened, instead I slammed my fist down on chest.

"She's busy." Logan said as we walked away without me having to ask. "Taking an assessment or something like that..." he actually kept talking to my dismay as we walked slowly back. I lifted my head up when I smelt something coming from down the hall.

The same smell of a person who lived with birds.

I didn't recognize the smell other than that factor, and I slowed to a stop when we went past it. Logan kept going, unaware that I had stopped, still nattering on. I took a couple steps backwards without turning, slipping into a room with swinging double doors.

I tensed; when I just happen to slip into the hall/room that has the smell of two avian hybrids in it something has to be up. I turned slowly, walking quietly down the aisle the cages made looking into each one searching for the dying boy.

His name was Bryden right? And then his brother, Shawn. And then Orangey who I didn't learn the name off. I heard shuffling in the cages just a bit of ahead and saw an orange head pressed up against the bars of a cage. He didn't see me; he was trying to look down into Shawn's cage.

"You okay? You looked pretty banged up when you came in." Orangey said quietly. I could smell blood guessing it was Shawn's. "Yeah kind of. My head's bleeding a little but it's no biggie... They still haven't brought him back, I'm worried." Shawn answered back in a whisper. So Bryden wasn't dead yet. By the way Shawn was talking it didn't sound like his brother had died.

"H'm.... Wait, shh. Someone's coming." Orangey said and his orange hair disappeared from the bars.

I walked up, my boots barely making a sound and almost walked past the two. The smells of different subjects were screwing with my nose and I had to jerkily halt to stop in front of their cages. Shawn glared up at me before glancing at the cage above him slightly, the side of his head was bleeding a little; the cage Orangey was in was empty. But I could smell him and hear him; Orangey was trying to quiet his breathing. I just stared into his cage where I could hear him, waiting. He appeared suddenly, pushed against the back of his cage, his dark golden eyes narrowed at me. I don't know how long I stood there, looking back and forth from them. Where was Bryden? More importantly, were they bringing him back?

I knew from experience that what I saw in the future wasn't always what was going to happen. It could change very, very easily. I turned around where I the scent of many Whitecoats and Copies went to, seeing a large touch pad and a container with sets of keys in it. I went over to the touch pad that glowed dimly blue, touching it cautiously. The screen became brighter and asked for a password.

Hmm, I stretched towards the future like I was fast-forwarding a recording. Soon I came upon a Whitecoat I recognised. Dr. Millstone punched in his password making me smirk. Idiot.

I came back to reality pressing in 1234.

Welcome Antonio Millstone the screen said before the menu popped up. And guys I'm not kidding when I say this was the actual list:

Menu
Grab Keys (Shadows: this sounds like a video game)
Put Back Your Keys (I'm gonna say that there was a problem with Whitecoats keeping the keys, just a guess)
Code Red Emergan (Either there was a glitch in the system or someone really needs spell check)
Take Out History (hey I didn't know Second Branch was a take-out restaurant)
Back Up Plan (no comment)
Operator (now I was so damn curious about this one I almost tapped it, curiosity killed the cat is what I always say)

I gave Take Out History a tap, getting asked for another freaking password. Um..... I tapped my finger on the wall next to the pad thinking. I doubt he'd use the same password twice and since it said 'Number of Views: 0' in the corner of the screen I'm going to guess that this password would be more personal. I just went out on a limb and typed Angelina Jolie in just for fun and the Take Out History popped up.

I collapsed to the ground and actually started to burst out laughing which is really un-Shadows like. I don't know why I started laughing, all I know is that it was pathetic that I got the password just because I making a joke. It was too much, I was laughing so hard I think I re-opened my wound.

Behind me, Shawn and Orangey were looking at me strangely. I think Orangey muttered something like "where have I seen that before?" but I couldn't be sure over my laughing. After I got over my laughing fit I wiped my watering eyes, checking for Bryden's cage number, 345. I scrolled down the list to find it; he had been taken out at least two hours ago and would be back by...

I looked down at my watch and realized what time it was. The swinging doors burst open, six Copies strolling in, one of them carrying a sick looking Bryden. He looked even worse than when I saw him die which made my blood boil. These bastards, he was just a kid, how could they!? "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." The Copy holding Bryden sneered putting much emphasis on cat. The others laughed at his stupid joke, flashing smiles with sharp white teeth. "Haven't seen you around First or Second Branch for a while, kid. How's it been going on the outside world controlled by pathetic lowlifes?" Copy 1 chuckled. So the bastard Father thought they were controlling me, he had submersed himself into his own lie so he wouldn't believe I left on my own. If he kept talking, I was going to kill him.

No, screw it, I'll kill him anyway. "Let him go." I snarled locking my eyes on Bryden. "You think you can order me around? You're lower than a human slave now Panther Shadows, you have no control over me." The Copy said mockingly. I was shaking in rage, everything logical blown over the top of me head. "Let. Him. Go. NOW." I snarled, ice in my voice. My eyes hardened as did my mask, I clenching my hand like I was gripping something tightly.

The Copy next to the one that was mocking me began to cough, grabbing his throat as he slowly doubled over. Everyone was staring at him but me, I finally snapped my hand into a fist and his neck snapped and he collapsed to the ground. "Bastard!" One of the Copies growled whipping out two guns. They ripped away from his hands and flew into mine, both guns firing hitting the target between the eyes. With a few more shots they were down but the one holding Bryden. His eyes widened as he looked around, when he looked back to me I was right at him pulling the trigger under his chin. The crackle of a gun's thunder split the air and he flew backwards, releasing Bryden. I caught the boy in my arms, his dull eyes staring blankly up at me. I spun, feeling stiff from my wound pulling the trigger of the gun in my left hand. I was strongest in my left though I wrote with my right and did much of everything else with that hand, I could shoot with both hands with excellent precision. The locks shattered, the doors of Shawn's and Orangey's cage swung open.

They both seemed confused yet followed me towards where Fang was. Just like old times.I thought shooting any Copy in my way. "Shadows what are you doing?" Fey cried as I came to the cell. Logan launched himself at me and I slammed the bottom of the grip across Logan's face, knocking him unconscious and into the wall. "Open the door." I ordered coldly. Old Shadows was back, watch out. Fey did so and Fang was standing there, fists jammed in his pockets. "Fang?" Orangey said his jaw dropping. "Angelo." Fang said calmly looking at Orangey. Then he looked at me, into my eyes that were now as hard as stone.

"Whatcha up to, sis?" He said raising an eyebrow. "Sis?!" Orangey and Shawn said in disbelief at the same time. I didn't say anything, turning on my heel and ran towards Iggy's cell.