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Chapter 18; Rath and Wraiths
Oliver woke up sweating, the flashback still fresh in his mind. The memory was as if he'd had to relive his time at the Project. Along with it, came a bittersweet smile. It was good to see his old friends again, even if it was a flashback, but it also served as a reminder that they were gone.
Gone. . .
And he missed them.
The dream felt as if he was back, back in that place. All the horror, the pain, the neglect. The friendship, the comradely, the bonding. . .only to be ripped away, an essence of himself being wrenched from his very being until only the memory remained. Should he feel suffering at the lack of old friends? Relieved at the freedom he now had? Resentful, angry? The answer instead was a jumbled cyclone of emotion the ate away at him.
Shoving the reason for waking up to the back of his mind and slipped out of his bunk, heading towards the nearest exit, taking deep breaths to calm down. He knew he should probably stay in bed, and rest, but he'd probably just wake up again later. Besides, he hadn't changed out of his clothes so he might as well make something of it. He had unfinished business. A ghost, a wraith, that had no business haunting him anymore.
Walking as quietly as physically possible for him, he made for the nearest exit of the room he and Onier shared. Lighting a small ball of flame to guide him, Oliver finally made it out of the rooms door, a goal suddenly in mind. . .
"Where are you going? After Nightwrath? He left, knowing that you'd chase after him. Don't take the bait. You leave and then you play right into his hands. We need to plan a move, not hunting half baked."
"Yeah, I am, Onier." Oliver sighed, he hadn't really expected to make it out without his friend trying to stop him. Onier seemed to have a sixth sense for this sort of thingand an even greater sense of loyalty.
"And you want to do it alone? Have you gone crazy or just been booted down some IQ points? We both know you can't take him alone. Even with a group, we barely stood a chance."
"SOnly on his terms. What would be better? Stay and wait for him to kill us or do you want me to bring you along? Maybe Amyna and Rex too? Put you guys in danger over this too? Lets see if I can manage to drag everyone I care about down with me, huh?"
"If thats what it takes, then yes. We can handle ourselves, you know that. And what exactly is 'this', Oliver? A personal vendetta with nothing to gain." Onier cocked an eyebrow, frowning.
"But I have to do this. Alone. I need to see what he's up to. Nightwrath is back, my flashbacks are back...what next?"Oliver said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm...I'm afraid that if I don't do this, if I don't face my past...what if it catches up to me? I need to do this. To prove that...that..." He floundered, failing to be able to put into words exactly how he felt.
Onier didn't respond for a second. "We'll find out, wont we?" The teen hesitated, rubbing his temples. once more before continuing. "Go, I'll cover for you in case someone wonders where you went."
"Thanks, I'll be back soon." Oliver said, jogging away but tossing back his flash-drive. "Hold onto this though and destroy it if I'm not back by morning. He'll want it back and he's not gonna get it."
Onier caught it easily and stashed it in a pocket. "Just. . .don't do anything stupid, Oliver."
Stumbling across a small alley, Oliver peeked in. Seeing no one in it, he sighed and turned away. Another place that his quarry wasn't. At this rate, he'd locate his pray abut half passed never. Running a hand through his whit hair, the E.V.O began walking again, heading to the next area to search.
Two steps in. he felt cold steel pressing against his neck.
"I'll take my flash drive back now, and I might spare your life." Nightwrath said, pressing the glad a little closer to the teens neck to make his point. The assassin voice cut through the near silence of the night, a knife in the dark.
"I don't have it, y'know. Even I'm not that stupid." Oliver said, smirking despite his precarious position. Despite the tough façade, it was all he could do from shaking in pure terror.
Nightwrath inched the blade even closer, nearly cutting into his hostage. "You know what's on that. Even you wouldn't risk losing it. Your to curious to lose all those secrets."
Oliver swallowed hard but still forced a slight laugh. "Not exactly. I can't activate it anyway. So losing it wouldn't change anything for me. Onier's got it with instructions to destroy it if I'm not back by morning. Wanna risk it?"
The sword retracted, swishing through the dark night, and Oliver faced his opponent, who even with his sword lowered still was the stronger of the two. "You've learned."
"So what if I have, Nightwrath?" Oliver said angrily, not wanting any approval from the man. Praise from a wraith was hardly praise at all.
"I propose a trade. What in exchange for that drive?" The assassin inquired.
"I want all the information you have on the enhancement project." Oliver stated.
"Not going to happen." Nightwrath replied icily. "How about you give me the drive and I'll tell you the whereabouts of Experiment R. No negotiations."
Oliver's throat clenched with emotions. He was alive? But all the other Letters were dead. . . which meant Nightwrath was lying. They all died that night, the night he got his freedom. . . But if he really was telling the truth, if there was a chance of seeing him again, even in a coma. . . "Deal."
Hearing Oliver's response Nightwrath nodded, his swords blade leaving Oliver's neck allowing the teen to breath again. "Just be ready, O. I'll come for the drive when you're not expecting it. Have it on you at all times and be ready for the signal."
One blink later, Oliver, Experiment O, was alone in the grasp of the cold, dead darkness.
Author's Note; Hey, look at this! Decent update time! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This one was a bit more serious, showing that as more pieces of the past's puzzle fall into place, the more incomplete the puzzle seems. This story will still lighten up again, no worries, but the plot is moving into high gear now. Thanks again for all your guys' support and until next time, this is Baldore is signing off!