Vaega waits for him to open his eyes, she immediately thrusts her elbow into his thigh. He tries to yell out but Layla slaps her hand against his mouth.
"Shut up!" she spits,
A passing nurse rushes in, "What is going on here?!"
Vaega pulls a pistol given to her by Patty and aims it at the nurse while flashing her 'badge'. "Get the frick out. Now."
The nurse shrinks a little and reenters the hallway. Vaega looks back at the wide eyed, panicking man.
"You're gonna tell us what we need to know. Or I'm gonna cut off toes with a butter knife."
Layla lets go, the man is practically hyperventilating. "I-I didn't know! I swear I didn't know you were Noxi!"
Vaega sucker punches him in the sternum, he gasps and grabs his stomach rolling toward Layla, she raises an elbow and shoves it into his back as he rolls off the bed. He hits the ground hard and coughs harshly.
"Want to start making sense?" Layla asks in a very sarcastic voice,
He finally regains his breath and is crying at this point. "Someone hired me! Hired me to kill you! I didn't know you were Noxi, I swear! I swear!" He sobs,
"Who hired you?"
"I don't know I swear! I didn't know his name, a bald guy, blue eyes! I don't know anything else I swear! He was going to pay me after I killed you!"
"Could you describe him to a sketch artist?"
The man shakes his head, "No...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't get a good look at him."
Vaega graps him by the collar of his shirt, lifts him up and slams him against the floor again. "Think! Of fricken! Something!"
He yells out and cries, shaking his head softly, clearly dazed. "I think he's useless." Layla says,
Vaega nods with a sigh, "Me too."
Vaega pulls the pistol and fires into his chest until it clicks. Vaega hands the gun to Layla. "Call me when you have a lead."
"Vaega! What the hell!?"
Vaega looks at her, she stares at the body, as security rushes in, Vaega flashes her badge to them. They hesitate and walk out.
"He was useless but he might have recognized his client!"
Vaega shrugs, "I don't care. It would have taken who knows how long anyway, and that's if we got lucky which we wouldn't because the bald guy would have seen that we survived on the news."
Layla looks at her and back at the body. "You can't pull that crap in front of Patty."
"She isn't the leader of Noxi. She doesn't control me."
"The Noxi are a sisterhood Vaega, you know that! Patty is like the undeclared leader. She'll be pissed when she finds out you killed her...but regardless, we have your back." she says as they walk out of the room,
Vaega walks down halls and to Rikki’s room. She lies on her back, the loud beeping of the heart monitor is the only sound in the room.
”Vae?”
”Take her home. Guard her with your life, this room is too exposed.”
”…Why not you?”
”Because they attacked us both. It’ll be easier to find whoever did this without needing to watch her.”
Layla nods, “Alright, I’ll get her out, take her to my place. She’ll be safe. I’ll let you know when she wakes up.”
”Thanks Laylay.”
”Yeah. Go find the prick that did this.”
Vaega turns and marches out the door and out of the hospital. She mounts her bike and flares it to life.
She rides back to Rikki’s apartment, she takes the spare key and walks in. She replaces Rikki’s clothes and dawns her helmet and gloves. But something sticks out in the corner of her eye.
She looks, blending with the white sheets and pillowcase is the corner of a paper. She pulls it from under the pillow and opens the folded white paper.
In blue ink in the center of the page: Under the mat. Viktor at evening.
Vaega’s heart skips a beat. Did Rikki write this? Under the mat? Who the heck is Viktor? Did he do this?
Vaega turns and walks to the door mat and lifts it. Nothing but the floorboards. She knocks her knuckles against the wood.
It’s not hollow. She looks at the button of the black welcome mat and holds it into the air and feels all around the thick mat. No, nothing would be hidden and isn’t hidden inside. She chucks the mat and touches the floor again. She gets to her feet, she turns and walks into the closet, she unlocks the gun safe and retrieves her rifle, she walks over and smacks the butt of her gun against the floor until the floor board breaks.
She sets her gun down and pulls away the board, there’s nothing. Besides rat crap. She sticks her hand in slowly and gently feels around the hole. Nothing.
What the heck!?
Then goosebumps hit her skin like bricks, she shivers from it. She springs to her feet and snatches the letter off the bed again.
Viktor at evening.
V.a.e.
”What the fff…”
She throws the mat over the hole she created after replacing the board. She sprints to the elevator and goes as fast as she can on her bike.
She parks it outside the building’s front door and hops off. A man starts to her, yelling at her for it. She holds up her pistol to his face. Really?! He has the balls to confront a Noxi!?
”No! No! Shut up!” Vaega yells,
She hurries to her apartment, she doesn’t have a mat in her apartment. Except the bathroom. She rushes to the bathroom and looks at the mats, below the sink, the other next to the shower. But they aren’t hers.
She walks over and lifts the mat, sure enough, taped to the bottom of the one by her shower, a folded piece of paper.
She rips it off and drops the mat. She unfolds it.
If I’m not dead when you read this call me. 63-7249-221. Alpha Project.
Vaega’s heart is beating faster. She calls the number it rings three times and picks up.
Silent.
”Hello?”
”Who am I speaking to?”
”You first.”
”I need a name.”
”…Vae.”
A sigh. “I heard a Noxi was put in the hospital, i thought it was you and your friend.”
”Who are you?”
”You’re a Noxi, you can announce your name, I can’t, not over this open line. We need to meet. A time and place will be delivered to you and will be dropped off soon.”
The line ends. Who the heck does he think he is!? What is happening!? She’s furious! Who the heck messes with a Noxi!?
One knock on the front door. She hurries to the front door and looks through the peephole. No one. She pulls her pistol and swings the door open aiming at the hallway’s wall.
On the floor is another folded piece of paper. She peeks into the hall, some drunks/partiers at the end but they seem careless.
She grabs the paper and shuts the door.
Sevina tower, 1A.M. Come alone.
Vaega checks her rifle, she then marches out the door, slamming it behind her.
****
Amber sits by herself this time at the lunch table, the world inside this room is just...dead. Shadow sits with a boy, talking with him as they eat. She probably just got tired of babysitting her and Amber asking so many questions. Maybe Shadow thinks she's annoying.
Do these people want to take their powers? Why are they studying them? Torturing them? Amber has never done anything to anyone! She just wants to be normal. She eats her disgusting food quietly and is escorted back to her room. She sits against the wall on her bed and hugs her knees.
An hour passes and the door opens. Two guards in the hazmat attire enter...with batons. Amber's heart seems to stop entirely as she sees them. "Please, I-I-"
They march up and one smacks the baton into her face, she rolls and hits her head against the wall. They then both begin hitting her everywhere, over and over. She yells and begs but they keep hitting and beating her.
After what feels like an eternity, they finally stop, they search her, patting her sides and body, ery thoroughly. "Tch! She's clean. You said she had a shiv!"
"I said she might have had one. It was a weird feeling."
They argue as they walk out of the room, slamming the door behind them. What the heck!? Why?! She didn't do anything! They just beat her for no reason!
She sobs on the floor, tears dripping like a faucet to the floor. Anger swirls deep within her and spreads to every part of her. "What did I do?" she cries,
She lays there and cries herself to sleep, but it feels like a second later, she bolts upright and does the same routine. They poke her with countless needles, injecting who knows what into her. They give her the pill to subdue her so called 'powers'. Then they shock her and beat her for 'good measure'.
She walks to the cafeteria and gets her food and sits down, staring at her lunch. A disgusting slop again. Four weeks...four weeks and she would take the opportunity if it was given. She doesn't want to escape, she just wants to die. She glances up at Shadow as she sits down at the table.
"What?" Amber asks,
"They are always rough on the newbies."
"Oh yeah? Any other useful advice?"
"You got this purple. You can do this."
Amber just pushes the tray of slop away. "How did you make it so long without hurting yourself."
Shadow shrugs, "I don't know."
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"Get away from me."
"Come on."
"Get the hell away from me. If you find me annoying just piss off."
"What?"
"You wanted to get away from me, a week ago when you said you didn't like to eat and talk, yet you sat with another guy and had no problem talking to him. I don't want you to talk to me just because you don't like that I've given up."
"Slug look at me. This isn't the end okay? You can do this."
"Do what? Breathe? Are you sure I'm allowed? What if I get beat for it? For absolutely no reason like I did last week."
Shadow bites the corner of her lip. "At least you're alive."
"No I'm not. I'm not even surviving, I'm just breathing."
Amber gets to her feet and walks to the cafeteria entrance, leaving Shadow at the table, alone. Amber is escorted to her room. She lays on her bed, all this pain and malnutrition and no exercise. She has no energy for anything. She closes her eyes lazily, though because of the pain and black and blue bruises that tattoo her face, neck, throat and every other part of her body, it takes a while for her to fall asleep.
"When we fall our hardest, that is probably the most crucial time to rise." A voice says,
Amber recognizes it, the guy from the library. She tries to move her mouth but no sound comes, everything is black. "But how we rise. That can mean the difference between staying on our feet and falling again." He finishes,
She bolts upright, looking around her, the bruises on her skin have grown stiff, her entire body aches and screams with pain. But it's not the only thing screaming. A siren fills the air, Amber wonders if she would even be able to hear her own scream above the alarm.
She slowly crawls to her feet and stumbles, falling into the wall. She catches herself and walks to the door and presses her ear against it.
She can’t hear anything above the blaring alarm. What is going on!? Maybe a prisoner escaped? Or tried to.
She moves back to her bed and sits down. Even if a prisoner escaped, it doesn’t matter, she’s trapped in here.
Then suddenly the door swings open and makes her jump. A man stands in the doorway, a young man, bruises tattoo his skin.
Another prisoner?
”Lets go Purple.”
”Where?” She asks softly,
He is yanked back out the doorway and in his place comes Shadow. “Hey purple. Lets get the heck out of here.”
”What…what’s going on?”
”Up! Now! We’re getting out of here. It won’t be long before soldiers or some backup comes.”
Amber gets to her feet and walks into the hall. A few guards lay in the hall, limp.
”Are they dead?” She asks,
”Did you kill them?” Shadow asks her,
Amber frowns at her, “No. I haven’t been able to use my ability since I got here.”
”What is it?” Shadow asks,
”Nothing lethal. You didn’t kill them?” Amber asks,
Shadow shakes her head. “My ability is looking into people’s minds. No one knows what happened. We planned to break out, but they just…dropped dead.”
Amber wracks her brain. Could she have done this? She’s never hurt anyone before? Not even close! Assuming that she isn’t crazy, her power is seeing the different colored gases, but its not and has never been lethal! But after that whole, literal nightmare…what if she got more power and did it? What if she killed them?
”I-I don’t think it was me…”
“Okay come on! Lets go before others come, huh? Oh good Idea Shadow.” Shadow says to herself,
They run around till they find a security door. “How do we know this goes out?” A boy named Luke asks,
“Well further out or further in. Wanna stay?” Another boy asks,
They hurry through the door, as they turn a corner the lights flicker, blood splatters the walls.
Corpses lie all over except for one, a man in a suit, a giant hook run through his body. He hangs, limp.
Amber’s hands clap to her mouth. “Oh my…”
The scene is just, a horror story. Amber feels like any second something is gonna drop from the ceiling and scare the crap out of her before claiming her soul and leaving her as a dried, decomposed corpse.
”Jeez.” Shadow says staring at the hanging corpse,
”Professor Zylon.”
”Got what he deserved at least.” Shadow says,
“Dude.”
She looks at Greg and shrugs, “You were thinking it too.”
”Yeah but I didn’t say it. That’s still a human.”
Almost everyone looks at him like they are ready to slap him, even Amber. He was the worst of them all. Enjoyed torture like the sadist he is, or was. It’s gruesome, hard to look at. But doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve this.
“C-can we please go?” Amber stutters,
“Yeah.” Greg says,
They start carefully through the hall and explore their way to a checkpoint. Shattered glass covers the floor and check booth where a woman in a security guard uniform sits in a chair, with her head laying on the table. Past the checkpoint is a wall, with tiny rectangular windows up high. But they let a yellow light through. As if the light is begging them with hope.
One of the boys stops and holds up a hand. Everyone freezes, glass scraping sharply beneath Amber’s feet.
chills run up her spine and she sees it come around the corner where the double doors are opened.
Purple gas. Fear.
She only catches glimpses of the little flares though, they aren’t right there, but they are behind the doors.
Amber’s about to announce their location but a ball is thrown into the hall and her heart drops as time slows and she watches it roll in the air, but then faster than she can see, a boy raises his hands and slams them to the ground. A light see through, blue shield brings the grenade to the ground and holds it.
BOOM!
The shield shatters into a thousand shards. The boy falls to his butt as another black ball clatters against the floor. Amber’s heart is in her throat.
BOOM!
Everyone flies and hits walls and the ceiling and slap against the floor.
Amber groans, she starts to get up but feels a hand on her back. “Stay down.” Someone whispers,
Oh gosh, she is trying hard not to shake. She can hear them hurrying past them. Her eyes closed as softly as she can manage without opening or shutting them tight. She tries harder than she ever has in her life at anything.
Please! Please don’t see me! She shouts mentally,
She can hear the footsteps, she’s so tempted to look but she knows, maybe an inch from their face. They are literally walking over her. Smoke, sweat and blood fill her nose.
She’s about to burst into tears. Keep it in! Keep it in!
”Such a waste. Come on let’s find the cowards that ran.”
They hurry away, their stomping footsteps quickly fading. At last, she dares it. Amber cracks her eyes, she opens them and gasps, her heart skips a beat as she jumps to her butt, pushing her palm against her mouth, around are the bodies, four faces she just saw living and breathing.
She huffs out as tears run from the corners of her eyes to her cheeks and drip from her chin.
A dark skinned boy with green eyes gently grabs her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
She half sighs with relief, the impossibly enveloping feeling of loneliness and abandonment flees like the dark when light comes, and she half cries. Wrapping her arms around him, she sobs into Nylo’s shoulder, the boy who saved them all from the first explosive.
”How can people do this!?” She cries softly,
He wraps her arms around her slowly. “Purple. Hey…I know it’s hard. But they went that way looking for the others. They’re gonna come back.”
”Argh! Yeah. They are.”
They turn and see Shadow leaning against the wall, Greg steadying her.
”Shadow.” Amber says softly,
”We need to leave.”
”What-what about the others?” Amber asks,
”If we go for them. Likely none of us will see tomorrow.”
Amber looks at Nylo. He gives a somber expression. She looms at the bodies on the floor and back at them.
”Stay if you want. I can’t do anything. I’m screwed if I stay.” Shadow says,
It’s true, she’s got a hole in her stomach. Luckily whatever hit her, didn’t hit a vital area.
”Okay. Let’s go.” Nylo says,
Before she can object, Nylo grabs Amber’s hand and pulls her to her feet and they all hurry as fast as they can the way the soldiers came. Finding the exit not long after.
They push open the door and walk into a parking lot. Fresh crisp air fills their nostrils and cools the sweat on their skin.
Trees. Green, like a facility in the middle of a forest? Oh gosh it’s so pretty! Amber had forgotten how beautiful the world is, she hadn’t seen it since she got kidnapped however long ago. She doesn’t take the time to figure it out, just enjoys the outside world.
She looks at the others. Their jaws are dropped. That’s right. How long has it been for them?!
Their eyes looks like they’ll pop out of their heads, but, no tome to truly enjoy it. The soldiers could come back any minute. And there are plenty of empty black cars that look like government vehicles surrounding the entrance door.
”D-do we take one?” Amber asks,
It seems to snap everyone back. They look at her and each examine a different SUV. “They might track it.” Greg says,
”Then we just run!” Shadow says,
”Wait! I got an idea. I hope they have one.”
Nylo hurries to a vehicle and yanks open the door and lets his upper half dive in. He looks around but spots his target fast. A harsh mechanical breaking sound and he jumps away, shutting the door and holding up his hand.
A small square screen, “A GPS.” Amber says, surprised,
”Come on now!” Greg says,
They turn and hurry away, into the trees. Amber looks back at the building. Painted a dull green to blend with the trees around it.
”Purple! Come on!” Shadow whispers,
She turns and hurries after them.
****
Vaega stands at the top, closed this time of night, but she snuck up. The place is like the Eiffel Tower but it’s got a rounder base rather than square. Like that structure that was the leaning tower of Pisa only not leaning and much larger.
It’s pretty, you can see a few cities from this height, Vaega had never been up her period. But it is pretty. But she doesn’t have time to just let her mind wander.
She turns and leans back against the railing, waiting. After a few minutes a figure turns the corner and sighs.
”You came.”
”You’re late.”
”I apologize, I had to make sure I wasn’t being followed.”
Vaega raises an eyebrow under her helmet. “What do you want? You got some serious tic tacs to just command me like that.”
”It worked didn’t it?” He spits,
A fire is lit inside her stomach. She’s gonna kill this guy!
“What. Do. You. Want?” She asks again,
”A job done. They’ll kill me for it but I don’t care. This isn’t about me.”
Vaega’s eyes narrow.
”I’ll protect you. You’ll still need to pay me. That’s if I take the job.”
He cuts her off by lifting his hands and throwing them down. “No! You don’t….just shut up and listen. I don’t know much about it, there’s someone we need to meet if you’re in. Everyone is after me because of this thing I know. And I know nothing!” He yells,
Vaega holds her hands up. “Calm down. Tell me to shut up again, I’ll dangle you off the side. Okay? Now calm the hell down, start from the beginning.”
He groans, “Where I work, which is the Blah Blah Blah, I heard they were doing something. Something illegal and evil and wrong. I did a little digging and all I know is they are working on something called the Alpha Project. After I found the name I noticed accidents occurring around me. Someone was trying to stop me. But I found out why. I don't know how or why or where. But I have an informant we both need to talk to. I’ve talked a little to him. He said that they are experimenting on things. Its dangerous and a threat to us all. I don’t know what it means but he said people are in danger and will die if we don’t do anything. That’s all I know so far, he won’t tell me anything else unless it’s in person with at least one Noxi helping us. I don’t know what this is or what’s happening. But we seriously need your help. Oh! And they attacked your friend! They knew I was trying to talk to one of you and they attacked both of you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”
Vaega frowns at him. What the ffff…..she’s heard a lot of different things but this?! And they attacked Rikki!?
”Where’s your proof? Proof that they attacked her?”
”I-I don’t have any! But how else would I know that you were friends?!”
”All Noxi know each other.” Vaega says,
”But you guys are so close! Please believe me!”
“How do I know you didn’t attack her?”
”I swear I didn’t. I-i-if I had a way to prove it I would! Please! A lot of people are gonna die if we do nothing! Please!” He begs,
He falls to his knees and clasps his hands together. Vaega reaches for her pistol instinctively at the action. She normally wouldn’t feel the need but knowing Rikki is in the hospital has put her more on a cautious edge than ever!
”Please! Please! Please!” He begs,
Vaega is shocked. She’s never seen someone beg like this. What the heck? “How, how much?” Vaega asks,
”$500,000! That’s almost everything I have. Please!”
Vaega’s eyes narrow. She grabs the collar of his shirt, raises him to his feet and slams him against the wall.
”What else do you know? No one just offers that much for a overconfident hunch. Or a hunch period.”
”Alright! Alright! Elemental tech! That’s it though I swear! Something about weaponizing elemental technology. But from what I hear, that’s just the tip of everything!”
”Elemental tech? Bullcrap!”
”No-No! I swear that’s it! That’s it! That’s the truth! I promise! If they are planning to weaponize it this company won’t just sell to military! They’ll use it! They’ll enforce their will on people!”
Vaega lowers him to his feet. Elemental technology??
Vaega takes a step back. “Your informant’s name?”
”He told me to look in the ghetto city and meet him, he goes by Doctor Coffin. Like the burial box.”
Vaega scoffs, “Doctor Coffin?”
”Yeah. I know. In the ghetto city.”
”What do I call you?”
”Reed Riley. I don’t want to die. But I won’t just sit by and let this happen.”
”Alright Reed Riley. I’ll investigate, but I get paid upfront.”
”Of course. I was going to tell you where. I can’t transfer anything right now, I don’t want to make this any harder for you than it will be already. Downstairs, here, it’s a coin for an old slot machine down there, it never takes them, but this particular quarter it will take and it’ll reveal an elevator. Take it down and you’ll be in a subway station, an abandoned Subway car will be down there, on it will be a transfer station with my dummy holdings. It’ll pay you, if it doesn’t, here’s some extra, you can get another gun or just leave the city or whatever.”
He holds his hand out, Vaega hesitantly tale it and counts. $1600.
She looks at him and frowns. “What the hell is going on Reed?”
”Something that was triple classified. Nothing in my company is triple classified.”
”What is your company?” She asks,
“The Stansbury Watch.”
Vaega frowns, “An accessories company?”
”Doesn’t make sense to me either.”
Vaega turns him around and gives a push. “Get out of here. If it’s dangerous for you like you say. I don’t wanna be seen with you. Get someplace quiet and secure.”
”I’ll call you later after I set up an appointment with this Doctor.”
“Okay.”
He starts around the corner to the elevator. She follows after a few minutes and begins her descent on the stairs. She makes it near the bottom when an explosion shakes the entire floor beneath her and brings her to her knees and hands. The awful boom declared it’s presence over miles causing a terrifying silence followed immediately by panic and screaming.
Her heart skips a beat. She rounds the corner and another and jolts to a stop. The stairs are gone.
Her heart sinks. She jumps off and hits the ground, rolling up to her feet. She turns and looks at the crowd that has emerged. Countless stare at her.
She huffs out, her shoulders sag. She bolts to the doors of the bottom of the structure and kicks them open, she hurries in and then closes the doors and barricades them with a table and tips over a large filing cabinet onto the table and backs away.
Her heart is pounding. They weren’t after her, but they will be. They might not risk coming after her with all those people around. They probably think she’s cornered.
Reed. He’s gone. Like that. But they didn’t blow her up? Why!? They already attacked a Noxi! She knew that they didn’t do it on purpose, they wouldn’t trying it now. Not with so many people around.
She wishes she could have saved him. She can’t believe it. The audacity. They were so close to killing her. They killed him! She is almost positive they want to see what she knows, it might even be a threat.
She won’t hide. Game. On. She walks to the slot machine hiding in the corner of the museum’s lobby.
She takes the quarter and slides it in as people begin to pound on the door. But it quickly stops. They know she’s a Noxi, some people probably didn’t.
A panel slides to her right, revealing the inside of an elevator. She hurries to it and pushes one of the only two buttons.
The door closes and she quickly begins to descend. Someone has dared to threaten her, someone has killed her client, potential client. It’s personal. She’s gonna make whoever did this suffer. Horribly. She’s going to bring their world crumbling down.
She raises her fist and slams it into the door in front of her. She punches the door twice more. Pain explodes through her knuckles but it’s almost a dull pain simply because of the anger swirling inside her, the disgust.
Then the door opens.