QUIRITATIONIS

KAT

Katherine Lisbon hated the nickname “Kat.” She had hated it her entire life, long before she became a fel. But she had long ago given up arguing about it, especially after she had been struck mute. It just wasn't worth the effort.

A lot of things weren't worth the effort of arguing.

Katherine woke up strapped down in a van, but before she had a chance to try and free herself she had been unbuckled and dragged into a lab. The last thing she remembered was the fight with Akane, in the burning building. Why had Akane attacked her?

There was a song in the back of her mind, more beautiful than anything she had ever heard. Something was wrong with it, though—pieces were missing, notes out of tune. It was beautiful, but it could be so much more.

Katherine tried to sing it to Akane, but she didn't react. She just continued to pin down her arm, while Ling kept hold of the other. Katherine had fought Akane before. Why had Akane attacked her? She didn't understand. Katherine had tried to ask her, but she hadn't responded.

Of course. Katherine was mute. They couldn't hear her. Why had she forgotten that? Everything was getting fuzzy...

How long ago had that been? It was getting hard to think. She had never spoken much to start, so she hadn't cared much when she took a bullet to the throat.

They tried to fix it, but vocal cords were tricky things, and back then the toy maker was a bit simpler. Now it would probably be easy, but she honestly liked it. If you couldn't talk, no one expected you to.

She saw Derek, looking down on her with a sad expression on his face. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so she could see the large, bloodstained bandage across his chest, as well as a smaller one on his neck.

He was saying something. Katherine could hear him, but she didn't care enough to understand. Would he know the missing parts of the song? Maybe... maybe that's what he was saying. Maybe he was trying to tell her about the song.

With regret, she pushed the music to the back of her mind and concentrated on his voice. She still tried to sing, still tried to show everyone around her how beautiful it was, but it was more an unconscious action than anything else. It was no different than twiddling your thumbs.

“She hasn't tried to transform?” he asked someone Katherine couldn't see.

She heard another voice. “No. That's not that odd. A number of the captured screamers don't use their powers unless threatened. They seem to vary between aggressive and merely defensive. Luckily, she is defensive.”

It was Doctor Isaac Clarke's voice. That distinct, breathy excitement, like everything was the most important thing in the world was unmistakable.

Derek looked at her closer. “Is it just me, or is she thrashing less?”

“The defensive ones are smarter. She probably realized she couldn't escape, and decided to conserve energy. Henry, get the clamps.”

A large man came into Katherine's vision, and she felt cold metal bands around her arms. She heard the sound of a power screwdriver, fastening her to the steel slab she was laying on.

“I doubt that will keep her contained if she transforms,” Laura's voice said.

“We don't know enough about this power,” Clarke said. “She might not be able to wriggle out of this. Either way, we'll get her in a cage as soon as possible.”

“Shouldn't you be resting?” Ling asked from Katherine's left side, with a slight lisp. Katherine noted blearily that she seemed to be missing a few teeth. The toy maker would fix that soon enough. She was looking at Derek. “You lost a lot of blood.”

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“I'll be fine.”

“We can handle this,” Kelly said from behind. Katherine couldn't see her, but she could feel her shadow. “Go to sleep.”

He sighed. “Okay, okay.” He pointed at Ling and Akane. “But you both need to get some attention too. You guys got banged up pretty bad.”

They both left without another word, and Katherine found herself singing louder again. Derek was clever. He would know the missing parts. She should have asked him when she had the chance.

The others were talking, but she wasn't interested. She had to share the song. They couldn't hear me. What could she do?

Change.

That would be a good idea. But why hadn't she thought of it before?

Change.

It wasn't her thought. It took her a moment to parse it, but it was an alien word, reverberating under the song. She knew she shouldn't listen to it. She was cautious by nature, and a sourceless voice in her brain wasn't going to convince her of anything.

Change.

She changed.

It was a strange feeling, one that was difficult to describe. As her body dissolved into black smoke, she felt as though she had slipped into a cool pool of water. All her sensations disappeared, leaving behind nothingness. She couldn't see or hear or feel. It wasn't particularly unpleasant, but it wasn't quite enjoyable either. It simply was.

But it faded quickly, as the smoke coalesced in a new shape.

She was smaller now, out of the restraints, and all the color had bled from the environment. She flapped her wings and flew off the table, fluttering past a shocked Akane.

Katherine could feel... something. Some energy, some power source in her gut draining fast. She needed to escape, to share the song, before it emptied completely.

But she was trapped in a room, a small lab with locked doors. There was nowhere to run to.

Her reservoir depleted while she was circling one of the dim lights in the ceiling, and she instantly reverted to her original form. She landed on the floor easily. She had always had good reflexes, even before she became a fel.

Katherine looked at her friends and the doctor, clustered around the table she had just fled. They eyed her warily.

Kill.

Now, hold on, she thought. Why would I want to do that? These were her friends, and even if Clarke was annoying, he hardly deserved to die. The thing with Akane was probably just a misunderstanding. Besides, she just wanted to share the song. They could hardly fill in the blanks if they were dead.

Kill.

No, she didn't think so. Instead, she backed slowly into the corner of the room, keeping an eye on her friends. They weren't armed, except for Akane, but they were still dangerous if they decided to attack for some reason.

Kill.

No. She wouldn't. Not now.

As soon as she thought that, she felt a sense of freedom. The song eased in her mind, and she began to think more clearly.

Had she... thrown off the compulsion?

She had thrown off the compulsion! If she could do it, so could others. It wouldn't be easy, but with patience they could cure everyone. They just had to give them something to fight for, a reason to push aside the song.

Then her body lunged forward.

She tried to stop. She mentally hit the brakes as hard as she could, but nothing happened.

It wasn't under her control any more. It was like her body belonged to someone else entirely. Katherine could only watch as she attacked her friends, and Akane slashed at her legs, trying to immobilize her as quickly as possible.

Now it made sense. If throwing off the song was truly so easy, Katherine wouldn't have been the first one. No, the “defensive” screamers were simply those who had been completely seduced by the song, and retained some semblance of intelligence behind it. The “aggressive” ones, the far more common variety, were those who tried to fight the compulsions, and were rendered prisoners in their own bodies because of it.

Collaborator or slave. No choice at all, really.

The lights suddenly flashed, and Katherine felt pain through her nighteyes. Her body stumbled back, dazed. Before it could recover, Akane hit it hard in the center of the forehead with the hilt of her sword.

Unconsciousness swept over Katherine like a warm blanket.