Chapter Five: Trapped
"Uhh!" Misaki yelped as he hit the ground, the force of the fall driving the breath from his lungs. He closed his eyes and panted, wincing at the pain that shot through nearly every part of his body.
A scuffle next to his head caused fear to race through his veins yet again, but not having much strength left, the boy shut his eyes tighter, waiting for another blow to rain on him.
"That's enough for today." Delta's voice gruffed. Misaki's eyes fluttered open and he raised his head warily to stare at the other man.
Hiroki glanced down at the teen, his face impassive as he saw Misaki struggle to get back up. With an inaudible sigh, Hiroki slung the rifle over his shoulder and approached the sixth. Ignoring the panicked flinch that jerked Misaki's body, Hiroki grabbed the teen under the shoulder and hauled him up. The fourth unceremoniously supported the boy and half dragged him back to the building.
He lowered Misaki down to sit on the concrete floor of the corridor, and the teen gritted his teeth as his battered muscles quivered from strain.
"Wait here." Hiroki muttered, turning and heading down the left hall. Misaki rested his head against the wall, his jaw still clenched in frustration. Where exactly would he go? He was on a forgotten island with five runaway experiments, one of which had just spent the entire day thrashing him for reasons he barely understood.
The weight and pressure of his situation bloomed through his aches and pains, and Misaki folded his arms around himself, his eyes beginning to water. But when he heard quiet footsteps coming from down the hall, he quickly wiped the moisture away.
"Digamma?"
Misaki chin lifted at the sound of the warm voice, and he saw Nowaki heading down the corridor, Delta following behind with disinterest.
"Thank you Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured to the fourth. Hiroki nodded briefly and headed down the opposite hall as Nowaki kneeled in front of Misaki, his brow creasing at the sight of the boy's face.
"Goodness, you're bleeding quite a bit," The second said quietly, gently touching his fingertips to Misaki's forehead. He winced slightly and brought his own hand up, finding a large bump near his temple crusted over with blood.
"Can you stand?" Beta asked gently. Misaki was about to shake his head, but unknowingly shifted his legs and found that the pain had lessened significantly. Nowaki held out his hand and helped the teen up, and Misaki's eyebrows creased as he discovered that the aches in his muscles were already dulling. Sensing his bafflement, Nowaki gave a small smile and gestured down the hall.
"Come on, let's get you patched up."
Misaki followed Beta back into what looked like a medical room, with a bench and cabinets full of pill bottles. Nowaki began to pull out a container of gauze as Misaki sank down onto the bench, glancing around warily.
"This is my little office." Nowaki said lightheartedly, sitting next to the teen and gently cleaning his wound.
"Office?" Misaki murmured, his physical pain somewhat waning in the presence of the friendly man.
"Yeah," Nowaki smiled. "I used to be a medical student, so I'm the unofficial doctor of the group."
Misaki nodded, flinching slightly as Nowaki taped a patch of gauze over the side of his forehead.
"How do you feel? Do you want me to check you over?" The second asked. The teen shifted around a bit and silently shook his head. Not seeing anymore open wounds, Nowaki nodded.
"Well, why don't you follow me and we'll see what there is to eat around here," Beta smiled. "You haven't eaten in two days so you're probably hungry."
Not an hour later, Misaki and Nowaki sat in the base's mess room, tasting the stew Nowaki had made. And although the second had claimed he'd just "thrown it together," Misaki felt his taste buds come alive at the first bite. The teen began to chew hungrily, feeling as though he'd not tasted anything in months. However, when he tried to recall the last time he'd eaten, he came up blank.
Dazed and confused, Misaki took another spoonful, and bit into something he knew very well.
"…Beta…"
Nowaki looked up.
"Yes?"
"Is there… sweet potato in this?"
Nowaki nodded slowly, not sure what the boy had on his mind.
"Um yes, I believe there's some in there, though they were freeze dried….why?"
"Well," The teen said quietly. "I…I think I made it before…back when I was with my brother. But…it's weird…I'm having a hard time remembering."
Nowaki's blue eyes softened in empathy.
"Well, there is a reason for that Digamma…or at least, we have a theory."
Misaki's eyes widened and he looked up anxiously.
"You see," Beta continued. "When we were experimented on…it's likely that they gave us drugs to dull our memories…so we wouldn't remember who we were. Even now, we all still struggle to recall things, and most flashbacks seem to happen as a result of a sensory trigger, like what you just experienced."
The teen's face had paled at the disclosure and Nowaki quickly tried to give him even the slightest bit of reassurance.
"But you know," He said. "It gets much easier with time. Why, Hiro-san and I have managed to remember a good deal of our lives before. I'm sure Gamma and Alpha have too."
"…What about Epsilon?" Misaki asked quietly, staring at his food.
"…Um well," Nowaki replied hesitantly. "Shinobu…he's a bit of an exception, but I'm not the person to ask about that."
When Misaki continued to pick at his meal in silence, Nowaki continued their conversation while also trying not to pry into the teen's fragile psyche.
"How are you feeling now? Physically, I mean."
"Better…I guess. My body doesn't hurt anymore."
"Mmm, that's good. If you haven't noticed, besides gaining our powers, our bodies were also rebuilt to sustain remarkable homeostasis. In other words, we heal quickly. I imagine that bump on your head will be gone within the hour."
The teen nodded again and even without Alpha's telepathy, Nowaki could sense what Misaki was thinking.
What did it matter if your body could heal if your mind was trapped in pain?
Nowaki sighed under his breath, the unanswered question pacing around his head as well.
Misaki finished his stew and stood, picking up his empty bowl.
"…Where should I put this?" He murmured.
"Just in the sink in the kitchen," Nowaki replied, gesturing to the next room. "Thank you, Misaki."
The teen headed away and Nowaki turned his head as he heard the door to the main hallway open. Miyagi came in, following the path of the walls with his fingers.
"Whoo—wee," He yawned. "I can smell dinner all the way from down the hall. Stew is it, Beta?"
"Yes Gamma," Nowaki smiled.
"I don't need to see the future in order to tell that it's gonna be good." The blind one laughed.
"Did you train Epsilon today?" Nowaki asked, reaching over to the stew pot and serving the third a heaping bowl.
"Yes, yes," Miyagi replied, finding a seat somewhat clumsily and sitting down. "He's getting a little better. His robin now actually has a wing now."
Nowaki chuckled.
"That's progress. Someday he'll be able to turn into an elephant and pick you up."
"Good. Then that brat can carry this old man around." Gamma remarked with a wide smile. However, the expression didn't last long.
"By the way Beta, Shinobu will be coming in here soon. He was pretty frustrated during our work so make sure he doesn't come into contact with Delta or anyone who could set him off."
"Of course." Nowaki said in agreement. However, the second's thoughts immediately went back to Digamma who was in the kitchen, and he hoped the traumatized teen wouldn't have to collide with the fifth in his current state.
"Hello Digamma." Miyagi said. Nowaki glanced around and found Misaki standing in the kitchen doorway, looking silently at the two men.
"…Hello…Gamma." The boy replied.
"Would you like to sit down?" The blind one asked kindly.
"Um…no thanks," Misaki said timidly. "I'm…going to go sleep for awhile…"
"Do you remember where the barracks are?" Nowaki asked.
"Yes…"
"All right," Nowaki smiled. "Sleep well."
Misaki nodded and began to head towards the door, but when he reached for the knob, it twisted itself and flew open, revealing a raged-face Epsilon. The younger blonde glared daggers at Misaki as he walked past, giving him a brutal shove.
"Watch where you're going." He snarled. But his expression turned to slight shock as he felt a shove from behind.
"No, you watch it!" Misaki barked, both of his fists clenched and shaking. Shinobu turned and balled his hands as well, staring at the newcomer haughtily.
"You better be careful stupid. I'd wipe the floor with you in an instant!"
"Then why don't you try!" Misaki yelled back, his entire body beginning to quiver with anger. The teen didn't know what was coming over him, but the pressure and emotion he was feeling was far too great to suppress. It engulfed his mind in one colossal wave of anger and fear and depression, and he found himself lashing out at the fifth with an intensity he'd never felt.
"Hah! I don't have time to waste on you," Shinobu sneered. "You're weak and everyone knows it! I bet your whole family was weak, so no wonder your brother's dead!"
"EPSILON!" Nowaki roared. "STOP IT!" But it was too late.
"SHUT UP!" Misaki shrieked, his face contorted in agony. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY BROTHER!"
One of the teen's fists streaked forward and he punched Shinobu straight in the mouth, knocking him a few steps back. The blonde gritted his teeth and retaliated, racing forward and returning the blow. A few brief seconds saw the boys falling to the floor in a heap, their arms and legs thrashing each other without restraint. But the mention of Takahiro had fueled Misaki's fire to a far greater degree of violence. He managed to get Shinobu onto his back and punched him again and again, and when Shinobu tried to hit him back, Misaki snatched his wrists and pinned them to the floor. The sixth's chest heaved with exertion and emotion and he was about to continue their fight, when something happened that he didn't expect.
A shriek of pain jumped from Shinobu's mouth and his eyes went wide as saucers, his skin draining of blood.
"NO! STOP! STOP IT!" He screamed, tears beginning to flow from his eyes.
"I'm not even hurting you!" Misaki yelled back. But Shinobu didn't even seem to hear him. The younger boy's body began to shake uncontrollably and he kept screaming those same words like his life depended on them.
Suddenly, Misaki felt a strong grip on his shoulder and he was yanked off Shinobu and pressed against the wall.
"What the hell are you two doing!" Alpha hissed. Misaki's eyes widened as he saw their leader corner him, but his mind was only consumed with thoughts of his brother and the weight of his situation.
"Do you have any idea what we're up against?" The first barked to both of the teens. "The only way we are going to survive this is if we all put aside our petty differences and work as a unit! You're playing into the enemy's hands so you damn well better shape up and—"
Alpha could have gone on, but as he looked back to Misaki and saw his face, he stopped. Digamma's eyes had flooded with tears and his breath came in short, gasping sobs. The teen crumpled to the floor and began to cry violently, holding his head in his hands.
The first sighed heavily, glancing at the two bawling teens before motioning to Beta. He then reached down and gently pulled Misaki up onto his feet. The teen kept his eyes low, but his sobs quieted as he felt a large, cool hand ruffle his hair. His big brother had often done the same thing to calm him down, and having that action repeated made him both relieved and brokenhearted.
Beta finally made it over to them and began to help Shinobu up, but the blonde shoved his hands away and raced over towards Miyagi, burying his face in the third's chest and shaking with sobs.
With a silent look, Nowaki took Misaki from Alpha and ushered him out of the room and back to the barracks, tears still streaming down the young one's face.
KiyameHikari-chan, cacoethesadoxography, WattaAne, Latenightthoughts, and Don't Preach- thank you all for your awesome reviews! ^_^ I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing!
Merurari- yes, this fic is actually based on that anime. It's mentioned in the notes for the first chapter and the fourth chapter as well. Thanks for the review!
Hope you all are having a great summer!
Love,
TBF101