AB: Hey, everybody! I posted pictures of Iris on my Facebook page. Follow this link to see them: AnnaBlossom4703. So last chapter was a bit different, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Can you all believe there are only five more chapters after this one? It is hard for me to wrap my mind around, especially with so many questions there are in the story. Remember, the Saturdays are looking for Mashdaria's, Ningirama's, and their child's powers to lift the curse on Kur, Iris is dealing with her fading powers and a diagnosis she does not want, and she is trying to sort out her past. Not to mention Iris's suspicion of Dr. Grey. So that is a brief recap of the questions. Disclaimer: The Secret Saturdays belongs to Jay Stephens (unless ownership changed) and, I think, Cartoon Network. Here is Chapter 21: Inside the Compound
(3rd Person POV)
Time passed, and soon Ningirama was madly in love with Mashdaria, and she was falling for him. Without a second thought, they decided to join each other for all of time, and they were married.
It was not long afterwards that Mashdaria was with child. The two were overjoyed and could not wait for the child to be born. But one day, while to two were out, a giant snake attacked the couple; it was the same snake that captured Mashdaria all that time ago. Ningirama used his powers to fight off the snake and protect his wife and unborn child.
Ultimately, Ningirama succeeded, but at a great price. The snake bit and killed him before he could take another breath. Mashdaria watched as it happened, completely helpless. She cried and begged her husband to return to her, but he was gone. Mashdaria watched through her tears as Ningirama's power left his body and filled the essence of his unborn child. Yet this was not the end.
(Iris's POV)
"Who are they?" is the first question out of my mouth when Zak, Mom, and Dr. Saturday walk in the computer room with a bald man and teenage boy. Mom hits the power button on the supercomputer and gets rid of my fruitless search. I start to object but quickly shut my mouth.
"Iris, meet Agent Epsilon Darnell and his son Francis." I extend my hand to shake, but neither one takes it. I awkwardly take it back. "Agent Epsilon, Francis, meet Iris," Dr. Saturday says calmly.
"So, Agent Darnell, what brings you and your son here?" I ask even more awkwardly.
"Please, call me Agent Epsilon," the bald man says. I nod. Then Agent Epsilon starts talking about his mission here and how Francis is training on this mission as well. Smiling, nodding, and acting like I care help me make my great escape when Agent Epsilon finishes talking. Zak and Francis soon follow.
The moment they step out of the computer room, they are at each other's throats. Francis calls Zak and name, and Zak challenges him to combat. Naturally, both overestimate their abilities; I am about to give up and leave when Francis says something to Zak that is aimed at me.
"Who's the girl? Is she Wadi's replacement?" I spin around on my heel and march over to Francis. Then I do the unthinkable. I slap him in the face and walk away, leaving a dazed Francis and a bewildered Zak. It would have been different if Francis meant his comment as a joke, but he was serious. Maybe next time he will remember not to say stuff like that in front of me.
Komodo is in my room, so I sit down next to him and gaze out the window. It takes almost no time before my mind wanders to every corner of the Earth. Dr. Grey and what happened yesterday cross my mind. I wonder why she dropped by, why she brought up that Jordan person, and why she brought up her brother if it only made her tearful. How can she be so kind and sacrificial, yet be the real enemy? How can she be who she is and still be who I thought she was?
A nudge draws me back into this world. Komodo is nudging me with his head, so I look down at him and ask what is bothering him. Komodo growls, making me realize my distance is bothering him. Quickly, I apologize and try to force myself to focus on this realm, but my mind is out of control. It wanders into memories and thoughts of my father. I realize then, that I never truly got to tell him goodbye. Being taken so abruptly, not seeing him over those six years, and then his death made it impossible. Now I wish I could undo it all. I finger the silver charm in my pocket, the only key I have to holding onto my past. A tear rolls from my eye and down my cheek.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm so sorry, Daddy." Komodo wraps his tail around my arm and rests his head on my knee. There is a moment of calm and affection between the two of us. I wonder if we are bonding in some way, the way that Zak, Fisk, and Zon have bonded with each other. Finally, I say Komodo, "I know what Argost did to Munya, and I have been thinking about your comment. Did Argost inject you with DNA from another cryptid so you could turn invisible?"
"Yes, Iris, he did. I was trying to escape the night the Secret Scientists first stormed WeirdWorld. I followed Doc and Drew to their airship when I finally did escape; they adopted me that night, the same night Zak was born." Komodo takes a pause. "Iris, I tell you this in confidence, okay?" I nod. "There was another child born that night, a twin. I don't know the gender of the second child or the fate. All I know is that there were two in the night but only one in the morning. Iris, don't breathe a word to anyone about this."
"Of course."
"Iris!" Doyle calls. I smile at Komodo as I stand up to leave.
"Thank you," Komodo says. I nod.
"Iris, Francis and Epsilon are leaving!" Zak's voice rings loud and clear through the airship. I hurry out to go say goodbye to the two. Francis glares at me; I could care less.
When my eyes open the next morning, I am not in the airship. The people around me are the Saturdays, but I recognize every one of them; they are all the same people. I call out to them, but none of them answer.
"You are calling the wrong ones," a rather snarky teenager replies as he steps through the door. "They are not Epsilon and Francis. We are," he continues as another bald man enters. This is difficult matter to wrap my head around.
"But how can you all be the same person if-" my voice trails off. "You're all clones."
"Yes, and you, Miss Saturday, are one of the few people to know this and be inside our compound. Unfortunately for you, those who enter never leave," the bald man who I believe is Agent Epsilon, says sternly. When I try to sit up, I discover that my wrists and ankles are bound to the table.
"And unfortunately for you, I will be the first to escape. And for the record, I am not a Saturday."
Agent Epsilon smirks at me. "Oh, but the contrary. Your name may not be Saturday, but you are indeed a Saturday. Once a Saturday, always a Saturday." Then Agent Epsilon approaches a machine; he presses a button. Pain shoots through my entire body. It feels like it there is a bolt of lighting coursing through my blood. It does not want to end, and I fear I may black out. Suddenly, the pain stops. Opening my eyes, I see Agent Epsilon, or some other clone, press the button to stop the machine. Lifting my chest as high as I can, I lock eyes with the person. Then I lie back down, close my eyes, and rest.
"Weakling," the person says. "You'll be easy."
More electricity wakes me up Agent Epsilon smirks at me and shakes his head. Trying and failing to push myself up, I demand to know my fate. He does not answer, not that I am surprised. I lie down, close my eyes, and save my energy because I know I will not last long if I do not. Agent Epsilon zaps me one more time; this reminds me of that cage Mom and Dr. Grey found me in almost three months ago.
"Miss Saturday, does this remind you of something?" Agent Epsilon asks. I slowly shake my head, knowing he cannot read my mind. "Not even the cage your master left you in to die?" The surprise makes my heart skip several beats, but my eyes stay closed.
"How long was I out?" I ask. Agent Epsilon replies harshly that I was out only five minutes. I want to bash my head against the table until I bleed to death, but at the same time, I know that will not solve anything. "Are you going to kill me?" My question sounds like I am begging for mercy, but I am not; I just wish I knew why I asked.
"That depends on you." Francis's voice is both comforting and alarming, though I have no idea why it is comforting. I mentally curl into a ball and fight for strength. Agent Epsilon scolds Francis for answering my question, so Francis replies that I deserve to know. Opening one eye, I see Francis looking at me; I smile subtly. Then the two begin arguing and seem to forget that I am strapped to the table. Agent Epsilon then tells Francis to just do his job before slamming the door shut.
For a while, I listen to Francis as he moves around the room. A fair amount of items clink as Francis rearranges them; the clink and the sound of Francis's movements are the only noises in the room.
"Francis, why am I here?" I ask, breaking the silence between us.
"You're here because you're something we don't understand. Something about us is that we see the Unknown was a threat, so we neutralize it."
"You are going to kill me?!"
"Not kill, neutralize. There is a difference."
"To neutralize means to kill or destroy." Despite my heart racing with fear, my voice is calm, steady, and collected.
"Not to us, Miss Saturday. Not to us."
"Why do you all keep calling me by the wrong name? My name is not Saturday!"
"You will learn in due time what the file truly says," Agent Epsilon says when he reenters the room. What is that supposed to mean? Have these people been stalking me?
I think it is morning when I wake up, but I have no sense of time in this room. Francis, or a clone like Francis, wakes me up; however he does not use electricity. I say Francis's name, and the clone nods. I ask him how I can tell him from the others, and he points to his coat, explaining that each clone has names on his or her collar. Then Francis says there is another way too. Before he can tell me, though, Epsilon and a woman with short black hair barge into the room.
"Take your assignment, Agent Epsilon. I have the threat," the woman says. Agent Epsilon grabs Francis and drags him out of the room while the woman walks over to me, a malignant look on her face. "So this is the threat. I would say I am lucky, but there is no such thing."
"Agent Esther, stop your palaver and relocate the threat," a voice says over the intercom. The woman, named Agent Esther, pulls back her coat collar, presses a button on the side of the box on her necklace, and a high pitched sound emits; the sound stuns me for a couple moments. During that time, Agent Esther releases the restraints, but I remain still. Then she stands me up, cuffs me, and walks me out of the room, down a long corridor, and shoves me into a holding cell.
I stumble from the force of the push and hit the floor with a dull thud. The cell door slams, and I am suddenly alone. "Is is better to be in the company of a foe or alone in fear?" I wonder. Personally, I would rather be in the company of a foe.
A few hours into my solitary confinement, the door to the adjacent cell bursts open. I look up in time to see Agent Epsilon give Francis a forceful thrust into the cell before slamming the door, locking it, and walking away. What ever happened between the two is obviously something I want to stay out of.
Watching out of the tiny window in the heavy metal door, I see Agent Epsilon, other clones like Epsilon, Agent Esther, clones that look like her, and two more groups of male clones take guard in intervals. I do not know if they are guarding my cell, Francis's, or both. Several hours of this pass, and I start to worry that I will lose my mind. Suddenly, the door to Francis's cell swings open. I hear loud screaming and yelling.
"No! No! No, you can't do this! I am not defective!" Francis's voice disappears as quickly as it appeared. I hope he will be all right. He may be rude, but he is still a person.
The cell door slams open, and one of the other clones is at the door; this one is African American and has his trench coat up to his nose. Without saying a word, he yanks my arm and drags me out of the cell. His grip is strong, and the pulling hurts a lot, but I do not make a noise. The agent continues dragging me until we reach another room; he pushes me inside it.
I hear the sound of another person in the room, so I start looking around. I soon find Francis in the corner mumbling to himself. When I try to tap him, something shocks me, but I say nothing. He probably does not want to be bothered anyway. I start to walk away.
"Permission granted to Iris Nicole Van Rook." I turn back to face Francis.
"Sorry?"
"Try again," he replies. I tentatively tap his shoulder, but nothing shocks me this time. I smile.
"Thank you, Francis." Francis nods slightly. "Francis, why am I here?" I ask again.
"You're something we don't understand. We want to learn from you, but because we don't understand you, you are a threat to us. If we can learn you, we can train you. If can't learn you, we neutralize you."
"Does my family even know I am gone?" I honestly hope they do.
"At this point, no. My People have a false you in your place."
I sit down and press the side of my head against the wall. "If I die here, whether at your hands or my own, will they know?"
"No." My stomach drops.
"Then why am I alive? Nobody will notice my death, and nobody will cry. My life is a waste."
Francis nudging me wakes me up the next morning. I sit up and immediately remember where I am. Why could Francis not have let me sleep? Then Francis tells me he has an idea; I pay close attention while he explains it.
One of the last type of clones comes in about two hours later and grabs Francis. I listen closely for the keyword in Francis's cries. His voice is fading away quickly, but I still have not heard the keywords.
"What are you going to do?! I am not defective! Besides, if I am defective then that means all clones with my original are defective!" He still has not said the keywords, but he does make a valid point. "You can't win!" At the exact moment the keywords come out, the door swings open to Agent Esther and Agent Epsilon. Hoping there is enough space for me to squeeze through, I dart between the two. Once I am out of the room, I realize I have no clue where I am going, but I know I cannot go back. I run. Agent Epsilon shouts to catch me.
This whole compound resembles a military base where all the building look exactly the same and the perimeter is expertly hidden. I swear I will never get out of this place alive if I do not find an ally soon. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a person resembling Francis appears next to me. Then a multitude of Francis clones surround me. Are you kidding me?!
Now handcuffed to a chair, I watch Agent Epsilon pace around the interrogation room frustratedly. He keeps looking at the file with my name, then glancing at me, and then staring at his pathway. I hope he knows that I have all the time in the world for him to keep this up. It is not like I can go anywhere.
"Miss Saturday, -"
"I have told you before, my name is not Saturday."
"Miss Saturday, I suggest you stop speaking unless you want to become a Bearer." I am not completely sure of what he means, though I have an idea, so I shut my mouth. "A wise decision, Miss Saturday." I really wish he would get my name right. Agent Epsilon then continues to pace around the room. What ever he is planning, I wish he would do it.
Agent Esther and two of the other male clones enter the room shortly after Agent Epsilon finishes pacing. Agent Epsilon then sends Agent Esther to go deal with Francis.
"Agent Edward, please step out and man guard the door," Agent Epsilon says to the clone with white hair; Agent Edward steps out. "Agent Evan, please keep record," Agent Epsilon says to the African American clone.
"Why am I here? Why did you bring me here?" I demand.
"Miss Saturday-"
"No! My name is not Saturday, and I will not stand to be called Saturday. I know you know my real name because I can see it on the file! Now answer my questions and use my correct name!" I can feel my face turning red. "What do you people even want from me?! I cannot give you anything, nor can I teach you anything!" If I start crying, my efforts will be in vain. "Let me go!"
Agent Esther returns about the same time I finish yelling. She pulls Agent Epsilon aside and whispers something to him. Agent Epsilon then shouts to find him, who ever "him" is. "We cannot allow a Defective to be running around rampantly!" Everything that comes next happens in such a blur, but I somehow end up running away from the compound. Then trouble shows up.
An army of clones starts pursuing us; they are gaining on us. Francis and I are barely able to make it outside the compound walls, but we feel better knowing we have cleared them. All of sudden, more of the clone army shows up. Again and again we outrun them, and they they find us again. An idea suddenly strikes Francis, and he feels all over his arms and legs. He finds a small bump and presses on it.
"Iris, they have a tracking device on me. The only way for you to escape is for us to separate."
"I am not leaving without you. You helped me out of this whole mess, so I am going to help you out of this one."
"I won't let you." The clones move in. "Go."
"Francis,-"
"Go."
Iris: Do I escape? Will Francis be all right?
AB: I will not say a word.
Iris: What about the file will I learn in due time?
AB: Still not telling. Changing subject. Iris, did you notice that you used contractions in various places?
Iris: Yes. I will speak normally one day, if it kills me.
AB: Careful what you wish for. Anyway, that is all I have for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I will post the next chapter next week. Do not forget to follow, favorite, and review! Thank you all so much! I love you all!