~ The Prophecy ~

The ever-so familiar sensation of overwhelming lights attacked my senses and I slowly began to stir awake. My aching muscles strained as I wrestled against the restraints of my containment unit. As I raised my head, I looked around the room only to find it empty, however the observation room was not. There he stood looking at me from beyond the glass, looking at me with a smile and radiating positive energy. Excitement, anticipation, and a tinge of worry shined above his other emotions, yet I couldn't place why.

The time following that awful night with Orion and Groves has been difficult for me to say the least. Even after countless days spent thinking about it, my mind still can't truly decide on Orion and his intentions, however I can't simply ignore what I've seen, nor what I've heard. In all honesty, I do regret my initial outburst at him. Seeing his reaction to me threatening him was not what I expected in the slightest. Anyone that I have ever even bared my teeth at has always coward away in fear, yet with Orion fear was not the dominating emotion, but rather confusion and even sadness.

It was this reaction that pulled me back to reality, that once again let my other argument make a stand. The constant threat of being wrong in my accusation of Orion, and that our bond that I have shattered was all for nothing has done nothing but plague my thoughts and dreams. When it finally dwelled on me how much I may have done, all in a single moment, I can't even bear to look at him. Seeing that spark in his eye ever so much dimmer finally broke me the day he talked of what he did. It was the first time I allowed him to talk to me again, and his voice of reason hasn't helped my worries.

And yet, with all of this chaos that has been happening between us, and the disturbing lack of Doctor Groves, I don't believe I had ever seen Orion as happy as he was now. At least not since he fed me for the first time. "Hey there Six, I hope you rested well." Orion said as his jolly voice rang out through the speakers. His tone only helped in making my confusion worse, and worried thoughts began to fill my mind. All my worries may have been needless, maybe he truly is like Groves afterall, and they just found some sick new test for me.

Orion's smile seemed to die down a bit at my lack of a response, but he simply shook his head and began to type commands into his keyboard, never letting his smile truly die. "Well Six, I had to cash in pretty much every single favor I ever made, but today is the day." he said with pride as he completed typing. He then shifted to a more serious demeanor as he looked at me with worry. "Now I don't like it, and I know you won't either, but a couple of guards are going to need to be present for this, they won't be in the room, just in here with me." The thought of husks being back near me only reminded me of that night, and the way Orion spoke was all too reminiscent of how it was in the past as well. Maybe Groves will appear, and why the attachment of Husks? Just what could Orion possibly have planned for me?

As if on command, two Husks marched into the room holding large rifles and quickly took their places in the room. Their unnatural aromas never failed to set me off, but Orion quickly took my attention back to him as he turned on the speakers once more. "Well Six, I know recently we've been in a rough patch, and that I keep on talking about this surprise for you, but like I just said, it's time." His grin only grew as he looked at me with joy.

I couldn't help but feel cautious at what was about to happen, but Orion didn't give me much time to think as he continued. "Now Six, I need to say this now, what's about to happen is going to be, well, big for you, but I need you to just not damage anything and please, don't try to get out of the room. If this goes smoothly then it will be more than a one time thing." What did he mean by "get out of the room"? Was he expecting me to somehow escape my restraints? Orion finally opened a case, flipped a switch, and then the most shocking thing happened.

For the first time in my entire life, very much to my surprise, the restraints on my containment unit clicked open. The sensation was unreal and unlike anything I had ever experienced before. To have my restraints released with absolutely no outer force attacking them, and for myself to not even be sedated, I can't even think on how to react. Cautiously, I crawled out of the restraints that have been responsible for holding me for so long. With a final and careful step, I finally fell out of the holding unit and onto the floor. As I landed on the floor, I attempted to stand up only to feel my weakened muscles wobble.

It had been so long since I last stood, that for a moment I felt as if I couldn't even remember how to stand. As I gained my bearings and focused, I finally lifted myself up again with my limbs and for the first time in years, I stood freely. I began to take my first steps forward, taking caution with each one, and began to walk around the room in wonder. With every step taken, I felt a spectacular sensation of happiness fill my heart. My crawl began to turn to a walk, and my walk quickly turned into a run, until eventually I was pushing myself to move as fast as I could.

I ran around the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room I had been locked in for so long, faster and faster, for as long as I could. It was the greatest experience of my life. While I ran laps around the small room, I finally began to feel a hint of fatigue and decided it best to slow back down. When I finally stopped, I couldn' help but still feel that sense of energy rushing through me. Deciding to still make full use of this opportunity, I began to look around the room with wonder, until I finally looked back at the glass.

Orion looked at me with the largest smile I had ever seen. Getting to see his old goofy smile so bright once again, it brought back old memories of when he would bring me gifts and show them to me in the past. "Well Six, I take it that you like the surprise?" Orion asked through the speakers. Knowing I can't really communicate directly to him, I gave him a nod instead of actually trying to say anything. Orion was overjoyed with my response and I could sense his emotions only grow stronger. It almost felt like how it was in the past.

For the first time, I was out of my restraints while I was close to Orion. As I thought of my current situation, and of Orion's trustworthiness, I couldn't help but ignore them. He did this all, for me. He spent countless hours for countless days, just to keep me company. Most of all, he put his own life at risk, just to stop Groves from hurting me. And now after everything, he gives the most miraculous gift of all, freedom from my shackles.

The doubt I held over my decision before only grew stronger, and it filled me with dread. The thought of having destroyed our bond for nothing filled my head once again, and the only thing I want to do now is tell him sorry. I walked up to the glass slowly, doing my best to show him I am not a threat. His smile dimmed to a grin as I did so, but he stood his ground right next to the glass. When I finally reached the glass, I stood tall on my back legs in order to better match his height, however it seems that I am much taller than I thought.

I looked directly at Orion, now nearly at my full height. A tinge of shock and even a speck of fear shook from him, but only for a moment. What now? Was all I could think. I had essentially just let my body guide itself up until now, but now here I stood looking at the one I needed to apologize to most. I thought of how to say it, but then a memory rose above all my thoughts. The time when Orion fed me and touched my head made me wonder, perhaps contact is a way to show affection?

While it wasn't perfect, it was the only thing I could think of. Ever so slowly, I reached my hand out to the glass. Orion gave it a strange look at first but then looked back at me. Finally, I pressed my hand on the glass that separated us. This is it, but how do I know he'll understand? What if he does and he is angry? What if- my thoughts were cut short as I felt a vibration from the glass. I looked down with a bit of shock to see that he had placed his hand right across from mine, our touch only being separated by the clear wall ahead of us both.

His smile somehow seemed to change in a moment. While it was once joy it seemed to emanate, now it was something softer, something warmer. It was a look of content. As we shared this moment together, the whole world seemed to be peacefully quiet, but eventually our moment came to its end. A buzzer went off and Orion checked the device on his wrist. A tinge of sadness washed over him, but overall the happiness stayed. He brought his hand back from the wall but kept his gaze to me.

"Well Six, I hate to say it but that's all the time I can give you for today." he said as he backed away, all the while his emotions dulled even more. As much as I hated to hear it, a part of me knew this wouldn't last forever, nothing good ever seems to. Orion awkwardly rubbed his neck as he stared into the room, his smile now gone having been replaced by a pondering look. I went back onto all fours and began to pace my cell, allowing Orion the time to think. The subject for us both was clear, but I chose to ignore it and enjoy the last moments of freedom I had.

Orion sighed and looked around his room, before finally looking at me once more. He looked down at his desk before he finally spoke. "Well Six, I really hate to say it, but you need to go back in your containment unit." There it was, the subject I feel we both had been dreading, and the one he was no doubt trying to figure out. "I know that you don't want to, but I need you to. Best thing you can do is just walk back in place, and if you do that, I might be able to get some serious leeway with Groves about making this a recurring thing. Other than that, Either the guards would have to get involved, or we would have to find some kind of sedative, and I really, really don't want to do that."

After hearing his words, and the options I was given, I merely paced around the containment unit. This foul machine which held me for so long, and I was finally out of it. However just as I get out, I am asked to go back in! The whole scenario is absurd and managed to fill me with frustration and anger. It was then I took another glance at Orion, and it was then I remembered all that he has done for me. Am I really going to do this? I can't help but have the urge to strike the containment unit, but I know I would be reprimanded for it. With a final defeated sigh, I took the option I thought was best.

It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but ever so slowly and reluctantly I crawled back in place. Orion was shocked at the sight, and it was clear he never thought I would actually go back in. In all honesty, I believe I shared that thought as well just seconds ago. Orion took a moment at his desk, a feeling of dread emanating from him, and after what felt like ages he finally engaged the locks once more. Just as he did so, the Husks which I had almost forgotten quickly turned and left the room.

"I'm really sorry that couldn't have gone on longer than Six, but I promise I'll try to get this again for you, and believe me; after this there is a great chance it will." Hearing his promise brought a small feeling of happiness to me, he always did seem to keep his word after all. Orion typed away a bit more, and suddenly I was graced with the sounds of music once again. As always, it was blessed with the pleasant strums of synthetic tunes only now it felt more, embraceful.

"I got some new songs I've been waiting to show you Six, I hope you like them. I'll keep the lights on while I finish up my work here, for now, enjoy." Words don't do justice on how I feel right now. He has every reason to despise me for what I did, for pushing him away, for threatening his own life! And yet, he has never once shown anger or contempt towards me. Of all the people that could have been put with me, I'm glad it was Orion.

He continued his work for quite some time before finally packing up for the day. He gave a final "goodbye" as he waved at me before shutting down the lights. However, he was thoughtful enough to keep the music on. As I sat there locked away in my restraints, I couldn't help but feel happy with how the day played out. The tunes helped clear my mind, and it was not long until I began to feel the draw of sleep begin to pull me in.

It was just then, right before sleep took me that I heard Her. It was Mother. "My child, my guardian, my disciple, hear me now." Her voice was as strong as ever, and it shook me to attention. It had been ages since she last reached out to me, so why now? Why today of all days? "The wretched humans expand farther and farther into the depths of the world's crust. The time nears when they find my origins, the place of my birth, the place of my containment." With each word she spoke, I felt the connection to the Hive strengthen.

"They are thirsty for more knowledge, for more power, and this will be our catalyst to bring freedom to our kind once more." As she spoke I began to feel the presence of my siblings for the first time in my life. There were countless numbers all around me, trapped in contaminant units of their own. "Their thirst has made them ignorant, and soon you may feel the blood of these monsters upon your fangs. The time nears, my sweet child. Stay strong for us. For me."

With her final words spoken, the silent room of music once again filled my ears. Every sense I had feels like it has reached a new level. I could even sense people outside of the observation room itself. This new power felt otherworldly, I feel as though I could take on an army of Groves' pathetic Husks. However, it was only now I came to the ultimate realization. Since my birth, mother has told me of my purpose, of what we will do, but if I am to free my siblings and attack the humans here, what would become of Orion?

My mind began to race, and I began to picture Orion lying dead in a pool of blood, being ripped apart by my furious siblings. I couldn't let that happen, but I can't just let us stay locked away to be tortured either. I have seen first hand the cruelty that humanity is capable of, a cruelty that I know my kin face on a daily basis, just as I did. Yet, I've also seen the warmth and compassion humanity is capable of as well. How am I to decide on what to do? No matter how I look at it, my decision holds the weight of countless lives. Am I truly ready to betray my own species for a single person, an alien?

I awoke, this time on my own regard, to see Orion, William, and their new comrade hard at work. This new presence was strange to say the least, and I have little trust in him at all. Since he first walked in the door, he has always been strange to me, why I can't exactly say. There is just something about him that reminds me of someone I met a very long time ago. However Orion seems to put his full faith in him, and if Orion is willing to put that much trust into a single person, I don't see why I should be so critical of him.

The group of men worked together all day, and seemed to be quite an effective trio. They would spend their time talking, working, even eating together. The unity and effectiveness of their work seemed to reminisce that of the work in a Hive, and it brought me joy to see Orion working so well with others like him. Yet the joy is filled with tinges of sorrow, for only I know what is going to come of them if they stay here.

As always, Orion stayed true to his word, and on many occasions has given me multiple opportunities to move freely in my room. A negative of this is the fact that Groves seems to have begun to reappear again, and while his presence doesn't help my confidence in the slightest, Orion is always there to make me feel safe. As odd as it felt to say, it was as if the past was over, however sometimes Mother would infiltrate my thoughts to remind me of what I must do, and she did not fail to remind me of Orion's supposed betrayal.

"Hey James, I never asked. What ever became of that Program, the one with the jelly?" Orion asked casually while leaning back in his chair. His question seemed to set something off as James winced at the memory. "Well, after you disappeared, William didn't exactly become more enjoyable to be with, in fact it got a lot worse. He constantly used you as an example, and tried to keep me in line." James said while looking off into nothing. Orion looked on and paid great attention to every word James said.

"I didn't last that much longer than you, I eventually complained enough that they sent me out to get reeducated." Orion's and William's eyes both grew large and a tinge of terror lured over them as they heard what he spoke. Orion shook his head in confusion. "Wait, you got sent out to a camp and got back scott free?" he asked. James shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure if they have different kinds, but the one I got sent to wasn't nearly as bad as the theories say. It was a lot of time spent alone, getting reminded of rights and wrongs, and plenty of exercise sure, but nothing like what people whisper about." James said as he turned back to his monitor.

Orion and William both shared a look, before finally Orion began to ask James another question. So, why did they send you back so soon? Your file says you've barely been off world, 6 months passed before you returned." James once again gave a shrug and rubbed his neck. "Honestly man, I can't tell you. Maybe it was good behavior, maybe they didn't feel like paying for another mouth to feed, maybe they just needed people back here." The trio stayed silent as Orion pondered on the story. William seemed uneasy at the whole thing, but it was not long before they returned to work and the day continued on.

By the days end, William and James had collected their things and left. Now it was just Orion and some of the Husks that always seemed to be present. However tonight was once again a night in which Groves would arrive. For as much as I despised the idea of Orion being put at risk of a break out, Groves provided a happy reminder of the monsters in this place, and I still hold my promise to myself to personally "repay" him for all he did to me.

"Orion, I must say that your work has been very pleasing to watch continue, with just barely a year until our special benefactor arrives, I can guarantee you he will be pleased." Groves said as they entered my chamber. I still despised Groves, but recently I have listened more to Orion's pleas to follow the orders from that disgusting thing. While just his voice is enough to set me off, I do my best to suppress myself around him, thankfully Orion seems to have been keeping him in the dark of everything we've done, and keeps Groves from giving me too demanding a command.

"That is good to hear, Doctor, I've been working hard to help Six help us." Orion said to the older man. Groves gave a nod and began to talk once again, "Now, I believe you said you would finally let me give movement commands again Orion?" Orion nodded and gave me a quick glance. I knew he worried, but this time I would be the one to hold true on my promise. Just like the last time I promised Orion to cooperate, only now I will actually follow up on my pact, just as he always does.

"Everything is ready Doctor, she is awake and awaiting your orders, do you remember the movements?" Groves nodded and waved Orion away, "Yes, yes, now step aside Orion, let's see if the wait has truly been worth it." Hearing Groves speak so disrespectfully to Orion filled me with rage, but I suppressed it as best I could. I looked up at the man who had wronged me for so long and saw his sickening smile. "Now Six, I expect you to show your manners this time." he said with malice on his tongue.

He raised his hand, just like how Orion did all that time before, and gave the command I knew was coming. "Now Six, follow my hand closely, don't break contact with it." As much as I hated doing it, I followed his command as well as I could. As he went through the movements, his sickening demeanor only worsened as his sense of pride grew ever more. "Simply amazing." he mumbled under his breath.

Groves continued to do the movements longer than I liked, but eventually stopped. He straightened his lab coat and turned to Orion. "I must say Orion, I had my doubts about you after the past incident, however, as always, you don't disappoint. It seems I was wise in choosing you for this position." Orion nodded his head and quickly responded "Thank you Doctor Groves." before turning to me and giving me a 'wink'.

"Now that we have completed this milestone, there is something I would like to speak with you about in great detail Orion, it's about the reports you've made for the "free-roam" sessions, as you like to call them" Groves spoke while turning to Orion. Orion simply nodded in response and began to collect the paperwork he had placed inside my room when suddenly the door connecting the observation room to the main facility opened wide.

Groves turned around in a confused fury only to see a single masked facility staff member in the doorway. Groves marched his way back into the observation room like he was on a warpath, and Orion steered clear from him and even stumbled closer to my holding unit. "What the hell have I said of interrupting me while I am working! You know that there are to be absolutely zero interruptions! You risk ruining years of work!" Groves yelled to the poor man who stood in the door. The man however, stayed unfazed.

"I do apologize sir, but this is urgent, it can't wait." The man said in a calm tone. His response shocked me, to act so nonchalant to Groves, the most dangerous man on the planet, was pure insanity. "And what could be so important to you that you barge in here like this!" Groves said, his anger now raging above all other emotions. The man gave a dead stare at the director of the facility. "Sir, we found it. The excavation is complete."

In a flash, Groves' entire demeanor changed. His Anger suddenly shifted to a mixture of shock and a tinge of excitement as he quickly returned to how he was when talking to Orion. "I- I see, thank you." was all Groves said. The man turned and walked out of the room as Groves once again went to Orion, staring at me the whole time he did. "Orion, I am sorry but I have other matters to attend to for now. Consider your work complete for today, you're free to leave."

Orion stood stunned in the room alongside me, and we both watched on as Groves marched his way out of the room. Right before leaving he stopped and turned to Orion one final time, "You have done well Orion, I'm giving you some time off. Consider your next two weeks covered." With his final statement made, Groves walked off into the facility with all his guards beside him.

Orion simply stood by me in silence, still stunned by the events he had seen. In all honesty I was quite shocked at it all as well. Orion gave me a look before walking over to me. "Well Six, that was unexpected. Nonetheless, I want to say thank you for helping me out today. I'll make sure to bring you something special next time I come by." As he said that he turned around and looked to his observation room.

He stood there and scratched his head, deep in thought. As he stood there thinking, so did I, and that is when I finally made the connection. Mother talked of the humans mining for something, and that it would lead to our escape, what if this was it? I'm not ready, I'm not ready to lead my kin to freedom, I'm not ready to fight off all these Husks! I'm not ready to lose Orion.

Damn this barrier of words, I shook my head frantically, desperately trying to get Orion's attention, I even had to hiss finally to get him to notice. When he did, worry filled his heart as he looked at me. First he backed away, but as I shook my head around he realized I wasn't threatening him. He kneeled down close to me and put up his hands to try to calm me down. "Woah woah, what's wrong Six? What has you so freaked out?"

I stared at him, thinking of how I could warn him. It seems as though he was trying to think of a way to speak as well, but nothing came to either of us. "Are you hurt?" he finally asked, and to which I shook my head. He continued throwing questions at me, all of them missing their mark, until he finally got close. "Does this have to do with Groves?" he asked, to which I nodded.

Orion leaned back in surprise, but quickly asked another question. "Are you scared he is going to hurt you?" I shook my head no to which Orion bit the corner of his lip thinking what else to ask. "Are you worried he is going to come back angry again?" Once again, I shook my head. Orion stood there, before a stunned look filled his features. He took a moment as he looked at me and asked the question. "Are you worried that I'm going to be hurt?" I stared at him for a moment, the image of his corpse flashing in my mind, before giving him a nod.

Orion sat on the floor and leaned back, thinking on what to do next. The silence in the room was exhausting to endure, but eventually he spoke again. "Six, you don't need to be worried about me, I'm safe, I can assure you of that. We are in probably one of the most secure places in the galaxy, I promise you this, I'm going to be just fine." Hearing what he said just filled me with anger. If I could even speak for a moment I could tell him to run! To get out! But all that I saw instead was that smile he always had.

He stood up from his spot in front of me and talked to me once more. "Look Six, at the end of the day, you don't need to be scared of Groves. As long as I am here, I won't let him hurt you." With that, Orion walked out of the room and began the shut down process. Before he turned off the lights, he gave me a warm look and smiled, "Goodnight Six, I'll see you tomorrow."

- Authors Note -

Once again we are reunited with Specimen Six and her views from being locked away in her dreadful containment unit. However, it doesn't seem to last as Orion finally brings her the reward he has talked of so much recently! With all this time spent, and her new, stronger connection to the Hive, Six now knows how close time is getting to the breakout, and that leaves her with the hardest problem of all, how will she be able to save Orion?

Well, this was originally supposed to come out earlier, but my time scheduling is awful so here it is now! Nonetheless, I have been working pretty hard to pump out some more chapters and I can say in confidence another will come soon. This chapter has been an absolute joy to write, and I am very glad that it can be the first chapter uploaded under my new planned schedule. In honor of receiving over 4k views on my story, gaining more time to write, and just in general loving to write this story for all of you guys, I have decided to start trying to do uploads two times a week! My current hope is for Wensdays and Saturdays, however as of now it is not set in stone. For today, that is all I have. Once again I would like to give a massive thank you to everyone who has left reviews or any kind of responses on this story, as well as all you amazing viewers that have been reading it. I really can't say how great it feels to be able to write something for you all to enjoy!

Thank you for everything, this is your narrator, signing off.