Chapter 42 – Not So Normal
"I'm the original design."
I was shocked by the situation I saw before me. Fang was kneeling on the floor, hands tied behind his back, and pink welts coloring his one cheek. The strangest feeling pounded in my chest at the sight of him, but I couldn't identify it. A blond haired woman was blocking my path to him. And she did not look happy by my intrusion.
Let me backtrack a little bit to get you caught up in how I reached this point. After I'd devised my brilliant plan in using the power outage as an escape, I saw an opportunity to search to building for signs of a surgery going. I hoped that it would delay the operation long enough for me to get to him before it had happened. The layout of the building didn't allow this easily. It took me ten minutes before I realized that I'd been running in circles for a while. This place wasn't made for unwanted guests — or rather, it was made exactly for that purpose. Fortunately my power helped me hide behind walls whenever I'd heard footsteps coming. I thought for sure that security cameras would have picked up on me, but after a while I was never followed by a bunch of Erasers.
It took almost an hour before I found the first sickeningly sterile room that was more than likely used for surgery, but no one was in there. It didn't seem to have been used in a while. Down the hall I saw a second OR, but that one only had a few stray people cleaning up supplies. My heart thudded at the sight and I hoped desperately that it hadn't been Fang who was just in there and that they hadn't completed the surgery. I only saw one other empty OR before I decided that they were probably the only ones in this facility.
The next step was searching for recovery rooms in case he had been in surgery, and I assumed that those would be fairly close to the OR's for easy transportation. I saw some acceptable locations but no one was in any of them. I was frustrated, but I kept looking.
Finally I stumbled upon two Erasers — one wolf and one rhino — who were talking about Subject 2075. They hadn't seen me yet, so I had to come up with a plan. I hid behind the walls until I got close enough to attack without them being able to do anything. Once I pounced, all they could do was turn to look at me in surprise. I smashed their heads together violently. Both dropped to the ground, unconscious.
A few minutes later I found Fang's room, which got me slightly peeved at his better accommodations than what they'd given me.
Back to the present: I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins as I glared down this woman. My arms were planted firmly on my waist to make myself look bigger. For a moment she looked shocked, before annoyance took over.
"Who are you?" she barked again, taking a step toward me. Like she could actually take me on.
I stood my ground. "I told you, I'm the original. Your first angel kid. The one made by the others. And I've come here to do exactly what they wanted me to do."
It took her a millisecond to digest this as she looked me over. Judging my age and appearance, I looked old enough to be the same age as Fang — for the record, I'm older than him. And she must have assumed that since I have not been turned into dog chow yet that I might actually be a threat. Her eyes widened marginally in recognition.
I was tempted to draw out her torture, to find out why anyone would experiment on innocent children just to see if you could make them freaks, but she did something I didn't expect.
She pulled out a cell phone.
"Intruder alert!" she almost screamed to whomever she called on speed dial. "We've found her—" That was all she was able to get out before I tackled her. The phone went flying to the ground, a voice shouting from it. She gasped as we hit, but that was nothing compared to what was next for her. I punched her face back with a sickening crack. She grunted as her nose began to trickle blood. I should have been appalled by my sudden violent streak, but I was filled with too much hatred toward this woman who I didn't even know.
I knew I didn't have too much time before Erasers or the police or anything would show up, so once I thought that the woman was dealt with enough I threw myself at Fang. And no, it wasn't in an oh-my-god-I-can't-believe-you're-okay kind of way, but more of an oh-my-god-we-need-to-get-out-of-here kind of way. Sure, I was glad to see him, but surviving this hell hole was more important than having a mushy reunion. Besides, that's not my style.
The knot around his wrists was tight, so much that his finger tips were turning purple. I fumbled unsteadily for a second. My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't undo the rope until I calmed myself down. I could feel Fang's tenseness but at least he had the decency not to watch while I untied his hands. While the blond woman stumbled to her feet, I managed to release him.
I offered him a hand, which he gladly took. He seemed wobbly on his feet at first, but was able to get his bearings.
"Thanks," he whispered softly.
I felt the corner of my mouth quirk, but I can't risk being happy just yet.
We turned to face the woman, who was breathing heavily and had her arms spread out so wide that I thought she might start whirling them around like propellers. For all I knew she could fly out of this place by that means. Her face was in such a severe sneer that she hardly looked recognizable.
"You," she mustered, but I couldn't tell if she was addressing Fang or me, "are in so much trouble. You have no idea who you are messing with!"
"You're right," I said almost cheerily. "I don't know you. Maybe we should eat some tea and krimpets and get to know each other."
She turned her hate-filled, crazed eyes on me. "Stupid child, you think you're so funny. Guess who'll be laughing when you are forced to work alongside our cause—"
She didn't get to finish the rest of her sentence as I punched her so hard across the jaw that she fell to the floor in a heap. I must say that I felt a little proud, if not dominant. No one tells Max Ride what to do… except for my mom.
Thinking of her made me grit my teeth. That was going to be a bad reunion… if we even live long enough to go home. I look back at Fang and can see we're thinking the same thing.
We need to go.
We sprinted out of room with me leading the way. If either of us knew the place better, it was obviously me, but my mental map was seriously lacking. It really didn't matter though, because as soon as we headed down the hall a heard of Erasers — at least twenty of them — descended upon us.
I sputtered to a stop, unsure of where to go. Fang looked exhausted and we hadn't even begun to physically strain ourselves. I didn't know whether they'd completed the surgery or not, but from the looks of it they didn't start. At least that was one problem they managed to avoid. The Erasers were another thing.
How am I going to take on twenty Erasers when Fang wasn't even up to his normal speed?
The first thing that crossed my mind was running in the other direction. As I yanked Fang's hand the other way, I saw another pack of Erasers rush from the other side. Their animal-like laughter was daunting. Just as they were closing in I saw the next plan come into play. My only option was to take him with me through the walls.
Their ominous footsteps thundered through the suddenly crowded hall, almost reminding me of that time in school with Mr. Darnell. I suddenly wondered if any of these monsters were him. It was no wonder that I knew something was off with him to begin with. I braced myself and caught Fang's eye. He knew instantly what I wanted to do. We were both prepared to run, and the Erasers were so close—
A loud bang pierced the tense air.
For a moment we were all dumfounded by the out of place noise, and in the next second more rounds were fired. I suddenly realized that it was a gunshot. Oh, God. A gun? We were not going to make it.
Everyone — teenagers and Erasers included — turned toward the sound. Several Erasers were lying on the floor, not moving. A clear lane through the hulking bodies revealed the last person I expected to see at the other side. He was holding up a gun like he'd handled one before, which utterly surprised me. He wasn't my idea of Rambo.
Jeb caught my eye.
"You better go now," he said evenly. The Erasers suddenly realized that the man in the white lab coat was not their friend, and they turned on him. Sudden panic tinged his voice. "Go now! I'll meet you outside!"
Despite my entire memory of Jeb being one of supreme horror, hatred, and resentment, it was hard to tear myself from his presence when I knew that he had come to my rescue. He'd taken me out of my cell which inadvertently led me to Fang. And now he had risked his own life just so we could escape. I wasn't sure what to call the emotion that flooded through me, but respect seemed to fit well enough. Part of me wanted to stay back here and help him, but the other part really wanted to get away. Reluctantly, but quickly, I pulled him into the wall.
We entered an empty cell. I really didn't feel like stopping but I thought that it was important. I looked at Fang seriously. "Do you think you can keep us invisible for a while?" I didn't want to deplete his energy, but it would help a lot if we wanted to escape.
He took a deep breath. "I think so."
I nodded and tightened my grip on his hand. Let me tell you, it was hard keeping the link when my hands were so sweaty. I wasn't sure if it were my nerves about our predicament or the fact that I was actually holding Fang's hand again. I'll think about the mushy stuff later on, though.
"Okay," I sighed.
After a moment, I could feel his energy coursing through me, and I knew we had a while before either one of us would tire out. If anything, I hoped he would wear out before I did — our stealth is less important that running into a wall.
I pulled us out of the cell. It was hard to ignore the mayhem that roared from the other side of that wall, but I trusted that Jeb would be smart enough to pick the right battles. Or have enough bullets to take care of himself.
We ran through the hall parallel to the one we had just been in. At first we didn't see anyone, but after several turns we saw the occasional white-coated person walking cautiously the other way. I was tempted to take them out, but I didn't feel like dealing with the trouble of knocking them unconscious or risking the chance that they would scream. No doubt there are others in this building that know that we aren't with the heard of Erasers anymore.
When Fang and I were alone again, I asked him, "Do you know what level we're on?" I realized just how important this was as we came across a set of stairs that led in both directions. Did we need to go up or down? How big was this place?
"We have to guess," he replied.
Go down.
I froze at the sound of the Voice. I realized how empty my mind had seemed in the last couple hours since he'd spoken to me… which was when I was with Jeb. At least it was telling me something useful for once.
"Down," I said as I pulled him toward the descending staircase.
We ran as swiftly as possible, but as we reached the next floor we saw that it wasn't like the others. All the floors I had been on before were more like hospitals — white walls, medical supply rooms, with scientists running around busily. This floor was so much different than the others.
It was dark to begin with. Only overhanging lamps at intervals along the ceiling provided any light. It reminded me more of the cells they had kept me in before Jeb had taken me out. Rows of cages — like my mom's veterinary clinic — lined the walls on both sides. Inside, dark figures with light-reflecting eyes stared at us as if they could see us. The smell of feces and rotting flesh coated the air.
A chill passed through me.
"Holy shit," Fang whispered. He seemed just as shocked by the indecency as I had.
We broke apart for the moment to examine occupants of the cages. In the first one I came to, a snake was curled up in a tight coil. Instead of having the usual smooth skin, its outside layer was transparent; you could see into its internal organs. It was the most pitiful thing I had ever seen. Just below it a cat with overgrown fangs and patches of its fur missing looked at me curiously. I wanted to scratch its ears but I was afraid of getting bitten. These creatures were despicable. It was the worst thing I had ever seen in my life.
I wanted to kill whoever was responsible for the torture.
"I'll get you guys out," I said softly. And that was a promise. These creatures didn't deserve to be locked up in such a way. However, all the cages had solid-steel locks on them that could only be opened with a key.
I turned to Fang. "This is horrible."
He nodded, and I could read the sadness in his dark eyes. Whatever had happened to these poor animals, they didn't deserve it. The only thing they could look forward to in here was death. It would be an escape from whatever illness possessed them. Of course, if this was the best result of their research and development, what would that mean if they had put wings on us? I shuddered at the thought.
I sighed. "We should leave. Jeb might be waiting."
"Do you think there's an exit down this passage?"
"I don't know, but we have to keep moving."
We started down the hall, but a presence from behind told me that it wouldn't be so easy. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. We spun to face the last person I wanted to see.
Mr. Darnell.
He smiled at us, cynical yet demeaning. "You two always manage to put your noses in places where they don't belong. The only difference between school and now is that there is no one to protect you from dying."
My breath caught in my throat, but I hoped that my fear didn't show on my face.
I try to act pleasant. "It's so nice seeing you again."
Fang shot me a sour look.
Mr. Darnell was equally disgusted. "That was what got you in trouble back in Maryland. It's different here. If you had any bone of survival instincts in you you'd hold your mouth shut."
"And if you had any survival bones in you you'd be running with your tail between your legs."
Okay, so maybe he was right. I don't know the first step to keeping myself alive. That's why I ended up here in the first place. And it's exactly why Mr. Darnell was about ready to flip out at me. My comment instantly shifted him from a formal, handsome man in a business suit to a quivering, sneering, ire person who looked like he would explode at any instant. And I do mean that quite literally. The explode part.
"You…" he garbled around suddenly enlarging canines, "you bitch."
"Oh, snappy comeback." His sentiment stung, but superiority was winning out over anything he could say against me. Now my advantage might be taken away if we get into a fight…
Fang shot me a look that said, you idiot! But there were two of us and one oddly large wolf-man. And we were strong and agile. I think the odds are slightly in our favor.
That's when Fido tipped over the edge and transformed right in front of our eyes. His mouth and nose elongated to become a snout, his teeth tripled in size, fur ripped its way through the well-tailored suit to expose muscular arms. The claws that grew from his fingers looked sharp and lethal. And judging the enraged look in his eye, he wasn't going to take it easy on us.
With a huff of air, leaving a cloud of moisture hanging around his wolfy face, he charged toward us.
Fang's words made him pause long enough not to take a swipe at either one of us. "Careful, the Director may not want us killed. We're too valuable to them."
Darnell paused for a moment. "It doesn't matter what she wants. She's a blond bimbo who places too much faith in unsuccessful experiments. She doesn't realize that Erasers are enough to show humans that we are the future. No, she wants a pathetic angel kid to do the work for her. You won't be like angels; you have bird in you. That's all you'll be to people: pigeons or sparrows. You aren't human to begin with. People only listen to force.
"That's why Erasers are the ultimate. You're too fragile."
I assumed they were talking about the woman in Fang's cell. If she was the one responsible for us being freaks, then she was next on my hit list. First things first, we need to take out the dog (and yes, that was the worst pun possible in this situation).
Eraserfied Darnell charged at us. I stepped in front of Fang, hoping that he would see my plan, to distract the wolf. I braced myself. Of course, he passed right through me to an expectant Fang. In his confusion, Darnell got slugged in the gut by Fang and knocked on the ground with a blow to the back of his head from me. Recovering quickly, he rose back up to growl at both of us.
Fang jumped at him fast, getting into quick hand-to-hand combat with the wolf. Neither of them seemed to gain the upper hand. I tried to find a place to jump in, but the space around them was tight. Now the mutants within the cages roared in excitement. We had our own audience to witness a great victory or our demise. Either way, we were putting on a show.
I tried to chop at Darnell's kidney, but he read my move. One clawed hand grabbed my wrist before I could prepare to let him go through me. His other hand punched Fang in the face, causing him to stagger back. The wolf threw me to the ground. All the air in my lungs released in a whoosh.
Darnell grinned eerily at me and raised his large foot over my chest. When it was about to come down, an invisible force yanked the hair on his head backward. The wolf grumbled as he was tugged back, unsure of where Fang was. I scrambled up and darted toward them.
Using all his might, the invisible Fang slammed Darnell against the nearest wall. The mutants inside the nearest cages grumbled uneasily as the impact rattled the metal. Coming up, I held my hand on his throat.
He laughed breathily, although the sound was soft and labored. "You think you can win."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I know we will win. You're outnumbered."
"Soon others will come." He sounded confident.
It hadn't crossed my mind before, but there had to be cameras in here, too. If security kept a tight rein on things, like the Director had proven, why hadn't anyone shown up yet to help? Why did no one come when I was running through the halls in search of Fang? It was like someone was helping us the entire time.
I didn't reveal my revelation to him, and I wouldn't have gotten the chance to. Mustering his strength, he elbowed both me and Fang off his back. Still invisible, Fang must have punched Darnell again as he shifted toward us. He ground his large teeth and charged forward. When he felt Fang's body, he grabbed it with all his might and slammed him on the ground repeatedly. After the second impact, his invisibility wore off.
"Fang!" I screamed as I saw the blood running down his face. I couldn't tell where the original wound came from, but it didn't look good.
All the ramped-up anger and bitterness I had experience today came rushing back. I'd been kidnapped from my own home, thrown into a cell like I was nothing, found out that I was made to have freaking wings, thought that Fang was in surgery only to discover that they were torturing him a different way, and these poor animals that were close to death because there were sick people in the world who thought it was okay to use them for their own advances.
And now this dog thought that he could beat up on my best friend. That was not going to happen.
I sprinted toward them and with all my might yanked the wolf's hands off of Fang. As he fell to the floor, I took Darnell's throat in my hands and tossed us both to the floor as fast and hard as possible. He was surprised by my sudden speed and strength as he hit the ground. I glared at him with as much venom and malice that was in me. I slammed his head against the floor, which made him cry out in pain.
For a moment, his panicked eyes almost had me stop. After all, he was a person, too. Right? Could he have been subject to cruel experimentations? Maybe he was an innocent bystander like the rest of us, like Fang and me. Like all these animals in the room. His hatred could have been the result of human involvement.
In the time I let myself feel sympathy for him, the lashed out with one hand to punch my stomach and the other trying to free his throat. I coughed raggedly. He freed himself for one moment, but it was too late. With everything I had in me, I grabbed his head and rammed it into a wall.
Eyes closed, he slumped to the ground without moving.
At the time I felt powerful, excited. I rose up to look at what I had just accomplished. An ordinary — well, not so normal, if you know what I mean — teenage girl was able to take out a mutant creature. But my excitement faded as I looked at Darnell longer.
He wasn't moving, and I couldn't tell if he was breathing. All in all, he didn't look like the vicious creature he once was. It frightened me.
Oh, God, did I kill him?
How could I live with myself if I killed him? I never liked the guy, but it wasn't in my nature to be violent — if you exclude my fistfights in middle school. I didn't like to harm people, but it was out of self defense. I had to protect Fang and myself.
From behind me, Fang groaned, and my attention shifted from my possible murder to him. A gash on his head was bleeding, and his eyes were a little vacant, but he seemed alright. I helped him up slowly, hoping more damage wasn't done to him. He half-smiled at me.
I tried to return his smile, but I couldn't. I felt too guilty about what I might have done.
"Let's get out of here," I said instead, and we hurried out as quickly as we could.
Wow, I didn't expect this to be so long. I didn't feel like double checking for errors, so if there's anything wrong that's why. There are only five more chapters left in the story. *sighs* One more chapter, and then four epilogue chapters. I hope you guys have enjoyed so far! I'm just as excited for the sequel as I am for this one.
600 reviews on this one? The 600th gets a cookie!!
--biteoutoflife--