by Jade White
“Promise me, Ryker. You aren’t X014. You’re Ryker Locklear, and you’re here to get out and take Alexia with you.”
Ryker closed his eyes and found himself slowly nodding.
*
Alexia had been injected with something that made her feel nauseous. They had said it was vitamins, but it made her feel worse, and her eyes felt heavy and her tongue felt thick. She lay on the bed, staring at nothing. Vitamins for what? She hadn’t given any blood lately. But they had been interested in draining her of her blood just a few weeks back, taking 4 pints in a day.
Dr. Delaney didn’t leave her alone for a couple of hours that day, just to see if she was stable enough. She was in no position to be left alone, as Dr. Delaney obviously didn’t want her dead. She did get this feeling that she wouldn’t last too long in the facility anymore. She was tired, and even her mind was exhausted to the point that she didn’t care how she died, as long as she did.
She bit back that feeling of wanting to vomit. She wasn’t in her room, and she didn’t want them to see her puking her guts out. She closed her eyes, concentrating on keeping the bile taste down. She heard the doors hiss and heard a few murmurs. These were people she didn’t know, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“Subject A129 ready for the next phase,” someone said.
Next phase? What was the next phase? All of a sudden, she heard a surge of electricity, and just as she opened her eyes, the room darkened.
“What’s going on?” someone asked.
“Where are the backup generators?”
She heard the hiss and crackle of the radio, calling for backup.
“Damn it, not now, we need to finish this today. She is unconscious already, isn’t she?” a female voice said.
“She looked like it,” a male voice responded, “but we have to check. This is Lt. Whittle, requesting for power backup in sector 12-“
Then she heard the clanging of metal trays and things falling. She heard someone gasp and then there was silence. She couldn’t see anything. Then she felt someone’s hand reach for hers. She held her breath, her heart pounding.
“I can hear your blood rushing from a foot away,” a voice whispered.
She froze, unable to move. “Ryker?” she finally whispered.
“We have to move now,” Ryker told her, cradling her body close to his. “Questions later.”
She didn’t say anything as he hoisted her up like she was made out of air. She clung onto his shirt as he began to run in total darkness.
Ryker was worried that the power would soon be restored. Edith had warned him it wouldn’t last very long, so she decided to do a few things that would keep the power from running, and that was by starting a fire. Ryker could smell the smoke from a few sectors away. Dr. Delaney had done what she had told him she would do. He had committed to memory the sketch she had done of the facility, and his safest bet was to jump out of a small watch area, into the frigid waters of the dam.
He hadn’t even known the facility was located in a dam, as he was kept blindfolded until inside the facility. Ryker’s heart pounded, knowing the clock was ticking. He had to get out, and she had to be with him, whoever Alexia was. He had made a promise to the doctor, treason included in it. He stopped at a corner, knowing there were heavily armed men lurking, with night vision goggles. He could smell their sweat and fear and, for some, their blood lust. Ryker shook his head, knowing he had to take another way.
Alexia was too weak to run, which made it all the more difficult for him, even if she weighed next to nothing. He wanted to calm down but couldn’t find it in him. He was on the run once more, and this time, he was running away from more people, with another life in his hands. She was fighting hard to stay awake, knowing that Ryker needed all the help he could have. But what could she do, except give him blood?
“Stay awake,” Ryker whispered to her. “I need you awake. Where do I go next?” he asked, knowing the map Dr. Delaney had given him was nearly useless now.
Alexia took a breath. “Where are we?” she mumbled.
Ryker looked around, noticing the lights had begun to flicker. He saw words on a wall.
“Sector 18,” he told her, stealthily moving forward.
Alexia nodded. “Turn right. There’s a small laboratory…”
“We’ll be stuck there,” Ryker said.
“There’s another door; it leads to a testing facility. It has a lookout point…” she struggled to keep her eyes open.
Ryker ran for it, blood rushing in his ears. He had to move, and he had to move quickly. There was too much at stake now, and if they didn’t get out of the facility now, they would never get out. His vision was far from perfect in darkness, but he could see well enough. He saw different surgical instruments, and he grabbed a scalpel, tearing out the microchip on his wrist, along with Alexia’s, and he saw her frown as if she had had a slight headache. Blood trailed on their wrists, but Ryker ignored it. Just as he got inside the laboratory, the power came back on, bathing them in fluorescent light.
Ryker looked around and saw closed circuit cameras plastered everywhere. He heard the sound of radios and men scrambling about to get to them. He began to panic, and he looked down to see Alexia’s consciousness fading. There were windows, heavily tinted. Where did this lead to? He had to take his chances.
Then he heard something that made his heart skip a beat. A man was talking loudly over his radio, mentioning something about one way glass. It was then he made his move. He put Alexia down an empty desk and began pounding against the blackened glass wall. With one last large heave, the glass shattered and wind rushed in. They were at the edge of the dam, and the cold air stung his face and nostrils.
Just as he looked down to calculate their descent, the soldiers came in with high powered rifles, all ready to shoot at them. Ryker quickly grabbed Alexia and jumped on the edge of the window. He stared at the men, all heavily armed, with combat helmets on. One of the men held a different gun, and it seemed like a tranquilizer.
He shook his head. You’re not getting me again, he thought.
“Don’t move or we will shoot,” the man’s voice echoed in the hall.
Ryker quickly counted. There were more than twenty men in the room, against two juveniles. He looked down, feeling the coldness of the mist rising from the waterfall. It was now or never. Ryker took a deep breath, not looking back as a hail of bullets assailed his back.
He was in free fall, clinging onto Alexia the entire time. I’m not letting go, he thought as they fell down into the rushing waters.
CHAPTER 14
The moment they plunged into the water, he immediately felt its frigidness weighing him down. They were drowning in a raging river, surviving the fall only for them to now die as water swooshed through. He choked, desperately trying to keep Alexia’s head up as he fought the current. His vision blurred and he fought it off, knowing that if he fell unconscious, she would die too, and their escape would all be in vain. He saw the dam and facility moving farther and farther away from them until it was nothing more than a gray speck in the distance.
They were far from the river’s edge, and Ryker frantically tried to swim for shore.
Come on, come on, he told himself, seeing Alexia’s face pale. The river’s fury wasn’t letting up anytime soon, and he had a feeling it would lead to the sea in a couple of hours’ time. The sea was nowhere they should be, and he fought the tide to get to safety.
Ryker knew he was losing his strength, and he very well couldn’t shift in the middle of the river, unless he was willing to lose his grip on Alexia. His lungs were taking in water; he was drowning with his weight and hers. There was no way out of this… they were going to die here…
“Run, run! Don’t look back!” his mother screamed.
His eyes bolted open, and with what last ounce of strength he had, he fought the waters, and he swam for shore, clinging onto rocks -- his body feeling like lead. He dragged Alexia to safety, grabbing her by her shirt and fli
nging her onto the ground.
Get up, get up, he forced himself. His eyes were beginning to close; his arms felt numb, and so did his legs. The last thing he heard was the roaring river behind them.
*
He knew he wasn’t dead. His eyes slowly began to open, and he had nearly forgotten where he was. Then he forced himself up, using his palms to sit up. He saw Alexia still asleep, and she was as drenched as he was, but her hands were colder.
Ryker tried to shake her awake, to no avail. He flopped back down, this time on his back. The air was colder than it had been earlier, and dusk was setting in. He told himself he had to move, M.I.D.A.S. could be on their backs any moment now. Where were they? He looked around to see them densely covered by trees. They were on the bank of the river, lying on pebbles and sand. He took a breath and slowly sat up.
She was alive, alive but pale, he thought. They had to find shelter. Ryker suddenly felt like he was eight years old again, hiding alone in the mountains, finding food and a home on his own; except now, someone was relying on him. He had half a mind to leave her alone, but he had made a promise. She meant something to the doctor who hadn’t known Alexia except for within the walls that had surrounded them in the facility.
There was no telling who else was in these woods or if they were still inside the government zone. He had to get up and get moving, move away from this accursed place. He held her hand again and saw her stir, her brows moving.
“Alexia,” he whispered, his face close to her ears. “You have to wake up. We have to go. They’ll be here anytime.”
Alexia inhaled deeply and opened her eyes, her body hurting like she had been forced to shift herself. The voice did not sound like he was from the facility. Her vision sharpened, and then she looked around in alarm, sitting up, panicking.
“Where are we?” she gasped. Then she clutched her rib, feeling a sharp throbbing run through.
“I’ll explain later,” Ryker hurriedly told her. “We have to move. Now.”
He held out his hand and helped her up.
Her knees buckled, but she forced herself to stand. “I don’t know if I can run-“
“We walk. We walk and hide until you’re better.”
Ryker scanned her and saw no heavy external injuries. There were scratches on her face and arms, possibly a fractured rib, and forming bruises. Her wrist looked ugly as well, from the hasty removal of the microchip he had done. It was autumn, and he knew the cold would be harsh to her, as she was just wearing thin hospital pajamas.
Ryker let her lean against him as they hobbled their way into the deep cover of the forest. She was shivering as soon as nightfall came, and still they hadn’t found even a cave to crash in for the night. Alexia was breathing heavily, determined not to let Ryker down. The forest was thick, the ground was filled with sharp rocks, and he knew Alexia was getting scratches on her paper-thin skin.
“Would you like me to carry you?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “You’ve already carried me far enough.”
Ryker took a breath. In his haste and adrenalin-rush, he hadn’t noticed he had held onto her, had done close contact that wasn’t combat or for work. Ryker had never held onto a female stranger before, and it suddenly made him feel awkward. He didn’t say anything else. They walked up and down hills, small cliffs, and over fallen trees. He was guiding her in the dark, waiting for every step she took. The moon was partially hidden by clouds, casting a pale glow above the trees.
He saw her look of relief when they came upon moss. Ryker scanned the area, seeing granite rock formations, with sharp edges, and he spied a crevice large enough for one person to slip into. He looked at her and nodded, seeing her stare at that slit in between the rocks.
“Stay close by. I’ll go check it out first.”
Alexia heard the shriek of an owl in the night, and she shivered once more. She tried to digest what had happened. The plan was ill-prepared, but she was out of the facility for the first time, wondering if the rest of the world was actually like the picture-book Dr. Delaney had given her.
It was the first time she had stepped on moss, and it felt like a softer, moist carpet. She actually liked the feeling on her soles. She looked up to see the moon shining faintly, surrounded by clouds, and happiness crept up to her, seeing it for the first time without glass and walls surrounding her. How warm was the sun going to be tomorrow?
“It’s safe. Narrow enough to sit in or lie down,” Ryker announced. His voice reminded her of water, fluid-like and deep. “You can go on in.”
She nodded, stepping gingerly into the slit, feeling the cold earth under her palms and feet. The cave was pitch dark and she stooped the further she got in. It was just enough for her head to have a few inches of space as she sat down. Ryker crawled in next, bunching up fallen branches carelessly at the narrow entrance, making it look like it was all natural, and not a cover-up.
“You’ll have to get used to the dark.”
“I’ll get used to it,” she said quickly. “But I never got used to the pain they gave me.”
“I’m still not used to the pain of shifting. Maybe I will be soon enough. This regime has a funny way of forcing things out of you.”
Alexia said nothing, unsure of where he was facing. She hugged her knees, and her clothes still clung on her, barely dried up because of the air. Ryker felt her discomfort, disliking the idea that formed in his head.
“Is your name really Ryker?” she asked him after a few seconds.
“I’d like to think it is. It’s what I remember, before I was adopted. The Locklear couple took me in when they saw me looking for food in a garbage bin.”
“What were they like?”
“They were…” Ryker paused. They were many things, they were so many things, except cruel. They had taken him in, even if he was no blood-relation to them. They had nurtured him, treated him like their own son. “They were loving.”
Loving. The closest thing she had felt to love was Dr. Delaney’s concern for her as a doctor. The compassion was there, but she hadn’t felt the love.
“What about your parents?” he asked, forcing himself to talk to her.
He was no talker, but he didn’t want her to feel lonely, even if she was already free and out in the wilderness.
“I barely remember anything from my childhood. Sometimes, I feel like I was grown in a lab,” she admitted. “Those doctors were no family, but I pretended they were my friends.”
“You didn’t have any friends? Anyone else that was kept in, like you?”
Alexia sighed, bowing her head. “They all died before they reached the age of ten. I was the only one who made it out. It’s weird. I’m actually free, out of that place. I grew up there… they all died there. They never got the chance to see what’s outside.”
“Did you -- did you have werebeing friends?”
“I used to. I’d like to think they were. We were children, stuck in a place where the adults treated us as if we weren’t human. We banded together. Some of them died; some of them, I never saw again. You killed one of them, I think…”
Ryker looked at her, even if she couldn’t see him.
“Who was he?”
“The weretiger,” Alexia told him. “I taught him to read and write, but as soon as he turned twelve, he was transferred and trained to be some weapon.”
Caliban, Ryker thought. “I- I’m sorry I-”
“Don’t be. You didn’t know. And it was a fight to the death. At least they know that their enhanced werebeings aren’t the alphas in this world. You shifted naturally. Some of the children, like he was -- they were forced to alter their DNA. They were tortured; they were as young as I was. I saw how they suffered, and they needed my blood to survive. It was the best I could do, to give blood away so they wouldn’t die right away. It gave them better chances at healing. Caliban was one of those children.”
“Has he always been heartless?”
Alexia shook her head in the darkness. “No
. He was kind. Scared of everything they did. We were all alike, scared and lonely, hurting and imprisoned. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t hear their screams and cries for help. I cried, but I didn’t call out for anyone. No one could save me. Can you imagine I spent my whole life there? I don’t even remember my family, my parents. I’m sure I had a family. I dream about blurred faces, calling out for me, loving me…”
She stopped, lost in thought, wondering how they would make it in the hours to come. She didn’t think about days; she was afraid they would catch up to her.
“We’re going somewhere far away.”
“How far away?”
“Alaska,” he said.
“Nothing is there, right?” Alexia asked, surprised. “They told me everything had been destroyed. It’s just a barren land filled with ice and wild animals.”
“And werebears. Possibly.”
“Why did you take me out of there with you?”
Ryker sighed inaudibly, knowing that Alexia would find out sooner or later. “Because Dr. Delaney asked me to. I wouldn’t have been able to escape without her help.”
“Dr. Delaney…” Alexia repeated. “Is she safe? How did-“
“She risked her life to get us out. I don’t know if she’s still alive.”
“Of course she won’t be,” Alexia said bitterly.
“Get some rest,” he told her. “Alaska is a long way to go.”
Alexia lay down the ground, using her arm as a pillow. She shut her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Her mind was racing with hundreds of things. She was afraid of sleeping, lest they come swooping down in the middle of the night. She didn’t want to go back to the facility. Sector 12 was hell, but it was the only home she’d known her entire life. There, she had a bed; there, she had food. There, she was subjected to experiment after experiment. There, people spoke in hushed tones to her, as if she was nonexistent or some animal who couldn’t comprehend human speech.
She didn’t know what was going to happen once they woke up. There were no vitamins here to help with her deficiencies, no proper meals, no change of clothes. She didn’t know if Ryker was going to abandon her if need be. Dr. Delaney wasn’t here to talk to her in a kindly manner. There was no one else but Ryker, who seemed distant, even if he tried to be nice to her. It was all Dr. Delaney’s doing. The question was, why? Why only now? Because Ryker was the strongest and he disliked the government? Or was it because Dr. Delaney had tired of how the system worked and showed pity on her?
