TWs: Hyperventilating/panicking, operating room, confined space, insinuated experimentation, manipulation, gaslighting, slight blood, death mention. Stay Safe :)
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Matt whispered to Edd as they stared at Pat from across the plane.
"Who knows?" Edd frowned.
Pat stared at the wall in thought, his heart twisting and aching in pain. He felt like crying, but no tears came. He just sat there in deep contemplation.
Clay hated seeing his friend sad, so he plopped down next to Pat, nudging him lightly.
"I'm sure there's something up with Pau- maybe something he's not telling us? He has lots of secrets, after all." Clay spoke.
"Maybe." Pat shrugged.
"If we can find out what's wrong, we can help him."
Pat said nothing, only staring at the wall as usual. Luckily, Clay had a few topics to distract him with.
"What's it like being a Colonel?" Clay asked.
"I'm not a Colonel," Pat replied.
"Oh, then Pau's your superior?"
Pat perked up, turning his gaze to Clay, "Pau's not a Colonel either."
Clay raised an eyebrow, "What? But the Lieutenant General referred to him as a Colonel."
"He's not- we're both Majors."
There was a moment of silence between them.
"Now I'm confused..." Clay sighed.
"Same." Pat uttered, 'The Lieutenant General never misspeaks, so why did he call Pau a Colonel?'
"Get ready for turbulence!" You yelled from the front of the plane.
"How do you suppose we get out of here?" Tom asked Tord.
Tord was investigating the room further until he saw a vent above them, "There!"
It was diagonal to the operating table, so Tord hopped up and tried to reach it.
"Agh, no good. We need something else." Tord said.
Tom rolled over a utility cart next to the operating table, clipping the wheels in place. Tord lightly hopped on it, hoping it wouldn't topple under his weight, and reached for the vent again.
"Ah, got it!" Tord called, "We just need to get the grate off."
"I can do it," Tom said as he climbed on top of the operating table. The Norsk stepped back as Tom slowly got onto the utility cart, it squeaking under his weight. Tom looked at the vent, sighing abit, "I hope this works..."
Wavering abit, Tom balled his fist and punched the grate until it was weak enough to remove.
"There we go." He spoke as he threw the vent on the floor. He looked at his knuckles in pity, "That's gonna leave a mark."
"Wow, impressive." Tord grinned.
"Shut the fuck up, commie. Let's just get out of here." Tom heaved himself into the vent, leaving Tord to hesitate at going into the cramped vent.
'It'll only be a short while; you'll be fine.' He reassured himself the best he could as he lifted himself into the vent.
"Do you know where we're going; cause I don't," Tom told him.
Tord's breath was hitched as he forced himself to speak, "Uh- just keep going forward."
"'Keep going forward,' he says..." Tom uttered under his breath as he moved.
Tord tried not to think about the small space he was stuck in or his hands touching flimsy metal.
After a few moments of Tord shutting his eyes from seeing the enclosed space and Tom blindly moving forward, the shorter saw something.
"I think I see something," Tom spoke, shaking Tord out of his daze.
"Wh-What is it?" Tord responded quietly.
"Another vent." Tom moved forward, putting his hands on the grate. He listened closely if there was anyone around before punching the grate.
Tord jolted a bit, nearly shaking at the sound reverberating around the ventilation system.
The duo jumped down, Tord holding onto the nearest wall and letting out a few excessive breaths. Tom looked at him weirdly, yet didn't say anything.
"Where to now?" He asked after Tord was done hyperventilating.
Tord looked around the unfamiliar hallway, making him quirk an eyebrow.
"Uhm- I don't know," Tord said.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Tom questioned, "You literally grew up here."
"Yeah, but- I don't recognize this part of the base." The taller spoke, glancing around. It was much sleeker in design, with light grey walls and black flooring that was tiled and textured the same way. It was all so; high-tech.
Tord also noticed there weren't any windows around- the hallway was lit up by electrical lights only. He did hear rumors of an underground laboratory when he was a kid, but the people who mentioned it weren't heard from again.
'Could this be it?' Tord asked himself. Then he shook his head. They were put in an operating room, something that wouldn't be in a laboratory.
Then Tord looked at Tom, who inspected the walls and floors for hidden doorways. Tom said the room they were in looked familiar, and then his father mentioned something about what they lost years ago.
Tord was slowly putting the pieces together.
'Unless,' He paused, 'That room wasn't a normal operating room- but a room for performing experiments.'
He glanced over at Tom again.
'Could Tom have been one of them?'
You and Yan brought the others in through the back entrance, knowing the soldiers would be off duty. They gathered in a supply room.
"Alright; all we have to do is find Tord and his friend, confront Pau, and possibly fight the General." You said.
"You say that as if it's easy." Yan crossed his arms. You only stuck out his tongue. Yan turned to the others, "Alright, Tord and your friend are in an underground laboratory; underneath the entire army base."
"What? I thought the underground lab was a myth." Pat spoke.
"We did too until Clay saw the General and Pau use the entrance for it." Yan shrugged.
A loud beeping was heard throughout the base, jolting everyone in the room. The lights turned red, indicating a warning.
"They can't know we're here already, right?" Pat asked.
"No, we made sure we weren't followed." Yan shook his head.
The intercom interrupted them as the Lieutenant General spoke, "Attention, all units- our captives have escaped custody. Names are Tord Larseing and Tom. Repeat; our captives have escaped custody. Find them at once."
"Ah, so they did find a way out." You spoke.
"Well, now we have no idea where they could be," Edd said.
"We'll just have to look for them," Yan uttered.
"But," You looked at them, smiling awkwardly, "In order to blend in, you'll have to wear something appropriate."
Pat already understood, but it took longer for Edd and Matt to articulate what was being spoken to them until they realized what he meant.
"Oh," Matt's eyes widened, "Oh no..."
After remoting to the Lieutenant General about the captives escaping, the General looked to Pau with fury.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" He fumed.
"What...?" Pau muttered, avoiding eye contact when he stepped closer.
"Look at me." Lynnedslag spat as Pau adjusted his gaze, "Who are you protecting, Major?"
"I-" The ruffled brunette hesitated.
"There's nothing to protect. You have nothing left to save. Everything you touch has died." The General scowled, "Just like her."
Pau's eyes widened.
"Give up on hiding who you truly are. Give up on pretending to be normal when you're not. Cause deep down- you know you were born to be the monster you turned out to be." The General chuckled as he left the room.
Pau felt his heart beating rapidly as he clenched his fists. He took a deep breath as he hunched over, trying not to get angry. His hands were turning magenta, and he felt pink fur growing along his body.
'Calm down, deep breaths.' Pau did the breathing exercises he learned a long time ago, kneeling on the ground as he watched his hands revert to their normal color. He sighed as the pink fur on his body dissipated.
He noticed his plastered hand bleeding through the bandages. He stood up as he looked at it.
He was a monster. It was for his selfish benefit that got the one person he trusted the most killed. He was the one with the weapon, after all.
Pau left the room, hoping the General wouldn't need him for a while.
It's all your fault.