“Cassiella, have you told anyone of this plan?” I asked.
“Only Craw, why?”
I showed her the note. What was he going to do?
“What does he mean actions have consequences,” Cassiella asked.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good. We have six months Cassiella – survive for that long, and we get our freedom. We can leave this place,” I said.
The next day came by fast, especially after the room. The Leader came out quicker than usual. We all kneeled.
“Good morning everyone. Now that Salan is back, we will start treatment every two days. Now what you must do is take a container with sealing properties for Abundan. It is metallic, and after some blood is placed inside with the aura, it will help you after treatment. We will freeze it to make sure the blood doesn’t go bad. Each of you will get your own,” said the Leader.
Men with suits handed out black metallic containers. Each of them felt draining just to hold.
“This material is just a wall to keep the Abundan energy inside that bag. The more blood you use, the more that will stay inside of the bag. This will provide you with more energy than before. Every 42 days you will have to refill this with more blood as it degrades overtime on a cellular scale,” the Leader announced.
The twin brother inspected the bag as if it was his grave. He seemed almost morbid. His time was drawing near.
“Each Abundan has its own DNA so no one can help or share energy. This is a task you must complete on your own,” the Leader continued.
Even with the extra energy from that, it would not be enough to save people here. Anyone born as a Class 3 or 4 Abundan were starting to drop like flies. I was beginning to feel the effects of having too much P.S.O. treatment myself. It didn’t matter how hard we trained with those classes; it was a death sentence. This Leader’s ego was too big to know that. He was a poor excuse for what his father was. His desire for results would be his downfall.
Three more months drifted by and the death count has gone from 23 to 18. All deaths were the result of heart attacks. The last death was the twin brother. He survived for a long time but couldn’t do any more than his power would let him. He trained so hard to live; his passing hurt me the most. During practice that morning, the blue Hymer and Jefora looked grim. They had lost two squad members. What can you say to someone when that happens? When a death could have been prevented?
The only good news was that Cassiella had stopped searching for replacements. Guess they couldn't find any. The Leader seemed to be getting more tempered as well after each meeting. He walked into the room with bright lights in the background.
“Good morning everyone. Today we mourn the passing of Will. He was a kid that tried to be a quality soldier. However, he was not determined enough to live. He let death be the final word. Many have died recently, but I trust that you all can survive these treatments to get the best results.”
Jefora’s aura was spewing out purple. She was angry at the Leader and wanted revenge. “That’s not true!” shouted Jefora.
“What was that Jefora? Need I remind you of the room?” asked the Leader.
“He tried his best to survive. You murdered him!” she shouted.
“I gave you all an equal opportunity to survive. Don't’ blame me for the faults of the weak.”
“He wasn’t weak!”
The Leader pretended to look around, “Then where is he?”
“He was a lower class! It had nothing to do with being weak! You’re wrong,” said Jefora.
She stood up with her fists shaking at her sides
“That’s an interesting statement to make Jefora. I remember you mocking Cassiella’s squad member Scott for being too weak,” said the Leader.
She paused and revaluated herself, “I was wrong.”
“What did you say?” asked the Leader angrily.
“I learned from my mistakes. I was wrong. Stop this!”
“One week in the room.”
I felt my mind slipping after three days. While sleeping helped, the sentence was cruel. One week with no social contact would be much worse.
She walked over and spat in the Leader's face. The Leader cranked the voltage to the maximum setting. Her body contorted from the pain. He didn’t let go for a full three minutes. Once he stopped; she didn’t even move. The pain made her unconscious.
“Take her away to the room. Two weeks now!”
She was carried out by two men in suits. The new Leader was going mad with power.
12- No Strings on Me
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
It was nearing our escape, and the number of people went down to 14. The date was December 30th. The new year marked our freedom. We lined up in the training room. Jefora seemed broken. She didn't talk at all these days, so I confronted her after training.
“Listen Jefora…” I started.
“Don’t speak to me. You practically murdered a member of my squad.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I said calmly.
“Shut up! Get out of my way!” She shoved me aside, and Shrak followed her.
Everyone seems to be dealing with a high-stress level lately. They feared that death would come knocking on their doorstep. So, I let it slide. I met back up with my squad.
“Cassiella and Craw, please come to my office for your P.S.O. treatment,” announced Dr. Mengel.
We always slept near each other so when she left with Craw, I grew worried.
“Relax kitty cat, I’ll be right back,” Cassiella said.
I went back to my room. We were so close to freedom. When the clock hits the New Year, we could begin our plan to escape. I prepared my stuff for leaving which wasn’t much; the knife from Mr. Finch and my mother’s flute. That’s all I had, well that and my clothes. Tonight, the doctor was finally going to share his plans for escape. I could not wait to leave this place. The most horrible part about this place was that I’ve gotten accustomed to death. I waited for Tras to enter my room.
“Hey Salan,” he said grinning.
“Hey Tras.”
We couldn’t help but smile like a bunch of idiots. Freedom was underrated. We both waited for the doctor to call us down. The doctor cycled the P.S.O. treatments weekly due to the high number of Abundans. There were only four beds and he was a busy man. Tras and I goofed off until the call for us came.
“Salan and Tras, please see me in my office,” said Dr. Mengel.
We were hardly able to contain our excitement. This was it, two years of suffering. We were ready. I brought my sheet with his barcode just in case the doctor betrayed us. I knew that I must keep a close eye on him. I wondered why the doctor would need our help to escape. Couldn’t he just walk out with the insects? The doctor stood there with Cassiella and Craw sitting on the bed. They seemed nervous as I took my seat near Cassiella.
We all waited for further instruction as he used the computer in the corner. It had bright green text, and he held up a large note. The note read:
“Act normal for five minutes for the camera.”
We did as he said. He recorded us for five minutes with the security footage. As he was recording, I turned to Cassiella.
“Cassiella we’re going to be free soon” I whispered in excitement, a big grin plastered on my face.
She smiled back, so I leaned in to kiss her, but she didn’t kiss back. I guess she was nervous.
He set the footage on repeat. “All right, these cameras have no audio, unlike the ones planted in your rooms. This will do. So, I will need your help in this escape. You are all trained and know how to work with one another. You need to listen to my instructions, one false move, and this whole thing is a wash,” Dr. Mengel said.
We all listened in as if the doctor’s words were that of a god.
“You will use these,” he said holding up the masks. “They are gas
masks and will allow you to walk through the knockout gas. The collars are activated through the computer system that you need security clearance for.”
He turned to his computer and quickly entered a password. A soft sound signified that he deactivated our collars.
“Watch,” said the doctor.
He grabbed a controller and pointed the antennae at us. He cranked it to the highest pain threshold. There was no effect.
“Once the clock hits 12:01, I will open your rooms during the lockdown. Make your way here as fast as possible with your gas masks on. When we meet up, we will go to the ‘Authorized Personnel’ door. From that point on, they are armed with black taser sticks. Do not get hit by them. They should be easy to defeat for an Abundan. They will not disrupt your aura, but one hit will leave you paralyzed. Keep your distance and use your aura to pick off the staff. Leave no survivors.”
“Wait, no survivors?” I asked.
“You can’t go soft on me. What will happen if these men escape?”
He wasn’t wrong; those weren’t men but monsters. Killing animals was one thing but murdering people? Is this something one must do to obtain freedom? I will not consent, but I will not judge my squad for killing them. I stopped caring for the staff here a long time ago. This was fulfilling a promise I made to my mother; it was her dying wish that I would not give in to murder.
“When I open the ‘Authorized Personal’ door, rip it apart so that they can’t shut it again. We must do this fast and in a uniform fashion. Once we’re inside, I will open the other Abundan rooms and deactivate their collars,” ordered Dr. Mengel.
“How will the others know to wake up? How will they get through the gas?” Cassiella asked.
“The alarm will go off. There are still people watching us do this at night. Also, don’t worry about the other Abundans. They will make it through the gas,” said Dr. Mengel.
He must have gas masks ready to go in their cells.
“After that, there will be multiple corridors. Follow me to the facility control room. The people here rely on technology, so most can’t fight at all. They’re a bunch of pencil-pushers. The men in suits will be the ones armed. Remember, leave no one standing, got it?” said Dr. Mengel.
“Got it,” we repeated.
“Once we’re in the control room, shut the door behind us. Let the majority deal with each other. The door is metal, and I will lock it. From there, I will grab some files and complete a download. Once that is complete, there will be a ladder with a metal hatch. It will take a while to climb, but that is your freedom. There is a forest there. From then on, we go our own ways. Remember, as soon as it hits 12:01 meet me here with gas masks and rip off your collars too. That way they can’t be reactivated by another staff member. Salan, you will have to take out your arm. The shocker inside the nub can’t be removed in time, but it can be destroyed. Don’t destroy it until 12:01 so we don’t raise suspicion. Make sure to crunch the metal here.” He said pointing to a metallic piece connecting to my elbow.
“OK,” I said.
“Get some sleep tonight. It’s gonna be a fun new year,” the doctor said with a snicker.
We all walked out of the room and couldn’t wait to leave. Freedom! The idea of that single word was beautiful. I went to sleep early to prepare for the next day. Cassiella slept beside me. We spent a lot of the night holding each other close.
“You remember that promise?” said Cassiella.
“How could I forget?”
“It’s going to be great to see the outside world again. The fresh air and the green grass. No more orders and no more pain.”
“You’re talking as if we have both made it already.”
“I didn’t come this far to die on you and you better not die on me.”
“I promise I won’t. And besides, who’s gonna embarrass me all the time?”
“That job is only for me.”
We both fell asleep. All the Abundans were outside in a forest. There were beautiful trees and a glistening river. The warmth of the sunlight was intoxicating. All my squad members surrounded me. Even Jefora smiled back at me. When I turned my head, I saw an old face. I saw a Macrovinae in the distance. Everything took a turn as the trees, the grass, and the Macrovinae turned a bright white. The white transformed into blood. The landscape started to melt like it was made of wax. My squad wasn’t there anymore, and crows circled the sky. My mother suddenly appeared before me. Her neck was snapped to the side. She opened her mouth to speak, and drooled blood all over her dress.
My mother slowly whispered into my ear, “Why did you let me die?”
She started to pat my head, and black smoke in the distance turned everything around me into ash. I screamed, but nothing came out. The black smog approached me, and I too turned to ash.
“Stop!” I screamed, waking up in a sweat.
Cassiella clung to me. I notice my sheets were torn again.
“Are you OK?” Cassiella asked.
“I’m…. I’m fine. It was just a bad dream.”
Her face drew in closer to mine. “Was it about your mom again?”
“Yes, it was.”
“It’s OK. I’m right here beside you.”
I held her tight and fell asleep again. We met at practice, taking a knee. The day seemed to fly past me. Eventually, it was time for lockdown. I had everything ready so that I could leave the room as quickly as possible. I had planned the fastest route to the doctor’s office. The clock went by slowly. Cassiella did not stay in my room. She hid her gas mask back in her place. When the clock hit 12:01, I immediately crunched my metallic arm and threw it aside. There was no shock as the doctor deactivated it. The arm would get in the way of my escape anyway.
So far so good.
I put on my gas mask, and the door opened.
A robotic voice announced, “Warning Cells, A-7, A-12, A-2, and A-14 have been opened during lockdown.”
I bolted to the doctor’s room, and the rest of my squad followed suit. They had taken all their shock collars off. Everyone wore a gas mask, including the doctor. The doctor was in the medical room typing on his computer. He pressed the enter key, and then stood up.
“Defend me as we make it to the door.”
We formed a diamond shape around the doctor with me on the left. The smoke started to activate through the long hallways. The red warning light started flashing. Men behind me were being killed as we moved. Tras was at the back of the group.
“Warning, red alert! Warning red alert!” A siren started to whale very loud.
People with gas masks started to come out of the ‘Authorized Personnel’ door. In their hands were taser sticks. They shut the door behind them. I created a massive wave of force from my aura. The black smoke streamed through the knockout gas. All the men in suits were knocked back and slammed into the wall. While I incapacited my opponents Tras tore apart the guards behind me. Their screams echoed through the halls.
We made it to the door. The doctor showed his barcode, and the door sprang open. Craw used his aura and ripped the door off its hinges. The door had much more leverage to break once opened.
Men in lab coats ran from the control panels inside. Some men still ran at us with the black tasers. They were not prepared at all for this betrayal by the doctor. Cassiella threw all of them aside as if they were rag dolls. The white walls were painted with blood very quickly.
We continued moving forward. There were many office desks and a cascade of control switches. Scientists were running away from us at the front. Flashes of auras went off in the room. The red lights continually flashing were the only light source. Behind me and in front of me were screams of agony and terror. I was still careful not to murder anyone. We made it to a big steel door marked ‘Communication Room.’
“Everyone in here,” the doctor ordered.
He swiped near the door’s scanner, and it flew open. Inside were a bunch of men climbing a ladder to escape. While others cowered in fear. I made a huge hand from m
y aura and slammed them into the wall. I heard bones cracking, but I don’t think I killed any of them. The doctor typed away on the main keyboard once everyone was in the room. The door shut behind us and the locking mechanism was engaged. We heard banging from outside the door, but it was eight inches thick with steel.
Upon closer inspection, the room had 20 different screens showing footage of all our rooms, every 10 seconds the camera slide changed. There was a keyboard with glowing lights and to the right was a large window that showed the training room. Why could we see into the facility? I could not see them from our perspective inside. It was odd. Three screens with white text and a blue background were at the doctor's fingertips. He put a square-looking object into the machine and began typing. A download file came up. It had a percentage on it.
“Defend the door,” he said.
We all stood in front of the door in case they broke in. No one came down the ladder. We heard multiple slams on the door. Eventually, we listened to an order from someone over the loud siren.
“Someone get this door open!”
“They can’t open it without a higher level of access during red alert. This is to keep Abundans out. Only me and a few others have this privilege. The others probably left the facility by now. Stand there as a precaution,” the doctor typed rapidly then pressed enter.
Suddenly a voice cut out the sirens.
“Warning all cells have been opened,” said a robotic voice.
The doctor typed on the keyboard, and all the confused Abundans started to walk out of their cells. I glanced at the computer screen every so often out of the corner of my eye. He typed, even more, muttering to himself, and they all started to run to our position. It was weird seeing things in 10-second intervals. However, something didn’t seem right. They all looked stiff and jittery in their movements. Even their aura was sporadic. The download was at 80%. The hatch at the top flew open, and a small light beamed down from above. I could practically taste freedom.
“They don’t have masks. How will they get here?” I asked.
The doctor didn’t respond as he typed on the computer. I saw the Abundans go through the smoke. They should have been unconscious, but they kept moving. Some were bumping into walls, yet somehow, they knew where to go. What is going on here? Some made it through the empty doorway where the ‘Authorized Personnel’ door was. They weren’t as efficient as before.
Untold Deception Page 17