Skyfall Chapter 19
19 The days seemed endless, and my recovery was slow. I couldn't even stand for more than a few moments even with their energy injections. My muscles had all deteriorated from lack of use, and my body felt lifeless. I was left alone in my cell for a long time. I saw the other captives, including the werewolf girl across from me, dragged out, tested and returned over and over again. Hardly anyone even acknowledged me for the next few days, except for the occasional scientist or doctor who would stop by to jot down notes and reach through the bars to give me a daily injection. I took this opportunity to work on being able to at least stand and walk. I began by pacing in my cell until my legs collapsed. I was still hardly able to walk when Fleur came to see me a few days later, but walking at all, and wanting to, was a massive improvement as far as I was concerned. She led me out of my cell and into the room next door, where my bonds stuck to the side of the table once again like a powerful magnet. I was more aware today than I had ever been while down here. I was not looking forward to that, but I convinced myself to remain aware today. For a moment I wondered why she was alone, usually there were always two of them. I glanced over at the bonds. I wasn't thinking of escaping today, but I briefly wondered how they worked. "You were able to walk in on your own today." Fleur said, her voice a bit quiet. My ears perked forward. She seemed nervous, or upset. I wasn't sure. I took a moment to look at her, and noticed a troubled look in her eyes. "Alright, two-fifty-seven." She said as she look at her notes, "Just going to do a routine checkup today. It seems you've been improving." "Decipher." I said. She looked up at me, surprised. "What?" "My name, it's Decipher." She gave me a small smile and nodded. She opened her mouth as if she were about to speak, but she remained silent when we heard voices coming from outside the door. "It is simply not worth it for me to stay longer." A dark, male voice said. "You know how I despise visiting this side of the mountains." "Brother, please." Hale's voice chided, "You know the eclipse will affect you. You would be wise to remain here while your people sort things out." "Do not call me brother, Hale." The man's voice was more chilling than Hale's. "We both know you are the one in danger, and I have no interest in preserving your existence." "Fine, Vladimir. I suppose I cannot persuade you with my current resources." Hale said, I could tell he was still grinning, "Shall we move to the day's activities, then?" I glanced at Fleur, who had snuck up closer to the door, and went to lock it. Perhaps she wanted to make it seem like we were oblivious to the conversation. She then went back to flipping through things in the cabinets. My heart began to race. The lock clicked and I felt Hale's presence force itself into the room. His face was stone and his eyes were still, red pools. Fleur seemed to shiver. I began to wonder if this was normal, and I was just regularly too drugged to notice any of these subtle interactions. "He's improving?" Hale asked, sauntering over to where I was laying on the table. Fleur nodded and pressed at my thigh and abdomen. "Some of his muscle mass is returning, and it seems his body is absorbing nutrients again, but I haven't had the chance to do blood work yet." "Good. Take blood now." His eyes remained set on mine. I couldn't pull myself away to look at the other man yet. I tried to remain calm and silent. I knew Doctor Hale was planning something sinister for when I had recovered enough...something that would damage me again. I wasn't sure I was prepared for that yet, and I certainly did not trust this man, Vladimir, who was visiting. Slowly, Hale leaned over the table and stared into my eyes. Terrified, I gazed up at him. His eyes looked like they held the blood of his victims...and then a voice flashed a warning in my mind. Your blood. He wants your true blood. Why do you think that is? I swallowed hard. I couldn't tell if it was myself talking or perhaps some cosmic entity trying to warn me, but I wasn't sure what they meant. Fleur pressed a needle into my vein and blood began to leak out. I stared over at the tube filed with red, and glanced back up to Hale, who was glaring at the liquid pouring out of me. I felt sick. Finally, I was able to pull my eyes off of Hale and look at the other man. He was dressed in a sleek, black uniform that was embossed with a deep, royal blue symbol across the chest. His uniform resembled the style of clothing I had seen in Eldon, but was similar to what Hale wore. He was taller than Hale, and also thinner. His skin was pale and his dark, almost-black hair didn't help him look any less terrifying. His eyes were darker than Hale's, but looked like they held a red color as well. He mentioned visiting this side of the mountains...is he from Eldon? I thought. Suddenly, I remembered speaking with Misha in Eldon. "There is also a large castle a few miles up the trail, and the lord of the castle is a vampire who employs werewolves." Was this man the vampire overlord of Eldon? I suddenly felt like a fool for not thinking of vampire earlier...Hale must be some kind of vampire as well. I had never had the time to reflect on the information, and at this point the only information that came to mind was the fact that they fed on the blood of other living things and could potentially gain power from it. The other man, or vampire, Vladimir, was staring at me with intense eyes as Fleur finished drawing blood. She wrapped some gauze around my arm slowly and looked at Hale. "Sir," She began carefully, "Would you like me to go run the blood work now?" "Not necessary, Fleur. You are dismissed." He replied, his eyes still fixed on me. "I will leave you instructions for when you return. Go ahead and take a break. Return after lunch." Fleur shot me a concerned, sad look and nodded. "Yes...sir." I panicked. I didn't know what Hale was planning, but being alone in the room with him and the other vampire terrified me. I struggled a bit out of habit, but froze when I realized it was foolish to try. Hale looked picked up the bag that contained the blood Fleur had drawn from my arm and tossed it to Vladimir. "Tell me what you think of this alien's blood." He smirked. Vladimir caught the bag and studied it for a few moments. "Are you certain this is safe?" He asked as his eyes moved back down to me. I stared up at him, terrified. "Will this hurt me, alien? Is Hale trying to fool me?" Hale folded his arms and leaned against the counter with a grin as I stared up at them hopelessly. I had no idea what to say, I honestly did not know the answer. "How would the prisoner know, Vladimir?" Hale laughed and reached his hand out, "If you're so concerned, I'll take the first sip." Vladimir gripped the bag and tore a hole in it with some sharp teeth. After a few moments of quietly sipping at the blood, he looked up at Hale. Vladimir's eyes had become a red so intense they nearly glowed, and he spit a mouthful of the blood onto the ground. "Vile." He hissed. "Yes. It feels fake, does it not? "Interesting." Vladimir said as he studied me again. He slowly walked over to me and put his hand on the vein in my neck. "You are so very loud." My heart had been racing, and I assumed that's what he meant. I remained silent as Hale stood and approached the side of the table. "A creature of fake blood. Can you imagine the strength it must take to change your very life force?" Hale asked the man, whose eyes looked bright with rage. Vladimir shook his head and wiped a small drop of blood from his face. "Hale, I think you overestimate his powers. Perhaps the Goddesses have not accepted him here, and that is why his blood is tainted and lifeless. Or perhaps the trauma of being here has caused his blood to lose its strength." "No, it cannot be trauma." Hale said, "I've done far worse to experiments and still had a wonderful turnout when it comes to blood. The phoenix we spoke of earlier, for instance."
Hale's eyes looked into mine when he said that. I knew he was watching for my reaction. My lips twitched and I wanted to snarl, but I just narrowed my eyes instead. Hale turned back to Vladimir, who sighed. "Phoenix blood is potent, Hale. Your wolf here is an entirely different being. You know nothing about him. What makes you think his blood will be so strong?" "The first night he arrived I tried some." Hale said, his voice serious, "It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was so powerful that I thought he was associated with the godhead, a child perhaps." "That could still be the case. Look at his eyes." "Exactly. Which is also why I think they must have accepted him here." "And you think toying with him is a good idea?" Vladimir said, "They won't take kindly to that, especially if he's important enough to wear the eyes of the dark." "Please. With your brother's war at hand, the Goddesses hardly have the time to meddle with these insignificant affairs." Hale smiled. Vladimir became silent at the mention of war. I tried to remain calm, but I was terrified. I didn't know what made my blood so special. It was true that I was strong, but I still did not know why my blood was so powerful the first night. Perhaps the Dark Goddess had helped me transform; she had given me the eyes, after all. I wondered what her blood was like. "Either way, I'm sure his blood holds some sort of secrets. Aren't you at all curious?" "Not particularly, Hale." Vladimir looked bored, "The type of power you crave is not necessary for me." "There's something else I need to show you, then." Hale said as he turned back to the cabinets. I swallowed hard at the sight of a needle, but honestly I was surprised they let me stay conscious for so long. Hale slid the needle into me and I began to pass out. I tried to focus on the drug and stop it from rendering me entirely unconscious, but Hale seemed to notice and placed a hand on me. As soon as he did, I was unable to control my energy, and I fell straight asleep. I don't remember anything else from Hale's visit, and he did not come to visit again. I felt fine afterwards, but couldn't comprehend anything that had happened no matter how hard I tried. Instead of wasting my energy on trying to search my empty mind, I tried to focus on becoming stronger. With each day that passed, I felt a bit more hopeless. I felt like my time was running out, and I was taking too long to recover. I did not see Kato again, either. I was worried he would give up on me. I saw Fin and Fleur regularly. Fin always seemed to have a bandage over his neck, and I had to wonder if Hale or his friend Vladimir were feeding on his blood. Some days, he seemed distant and out of it. Instead of being strapped down on the table every day, they had me sit up and move around after they injected me with whatever they decided to try on me that day. The drugs I received in the coming days did not seem to have any effect at all, and if they did, I could not feel them. This worried me. Misha began to come back as I started to improve. Neither of us made any attempt to talk with each other. He remained indifferent while I quietly seethed with rage. I still could not believe he could act this way, as if none of it mattered to him. He certainly wasn't sorry for what he had done. Fleur refused to interact with him unless she was yelling at him, and Fin was usually the one he spoke with. As I became stronger and my muscles returned, I continued to fantasize about how I would get my revenge on him. These thoughts and dreams are what motivated me to become stronger, this also worried me. While Misha deserved a horrible fate, I did not want to become the monster that I was slowly turning into. The thought of tearing him apart was the only thing to bring my shattered mind joy. Not even thoughts of escaping with Kato were as powerful as the idea of revenge. Fleur and I spoke more during this time. She would sit by me as I paced in my cage, watching me sadly. She seemed upset that I was recovering, and at this point I assumed it was because she knew what was in store for me. She mentioned that this had been Hale's plan all along, and that she was sad that I was fooled by him. I explained to her that I was aware, but determined, and we left it at that. She seemed afraid to talk about it anymore. Fleur pitied me, and while I knew she would follow orders before help me, I also knew she wanted to help me. I never found out what Hale held over her head to make her obey, but I knew it weighed heavily in her mind, I could see it when she spoke of him, or when she cringed at the mention of his name. She feared him, and I wished I could take that fear away from her. I couldn't even master my own fear, though. Eventually, Fleur began to instruct me on simple exercises I could perform in my cell to regain my strength, and I began to do them daily. I continued to regain my strength, and soon Hale came back to visit. I was once again laid down on the table and shackled for his visit. Fleur explained my status to him. "He's regained enough strength." Hale said as he ran his cold hands down my arms. "He should be ready for a training tune-up." Confused, I looked at Hale from the table. Why did I need a training tune-up? "I'll send Reck down. The arena on B2 is set up and ready." Hale said. "Bring him there." Fleur nodded, "Yes, sir." Hale vanished into the dark hallway, and Fleur unstrapped my bonds. She stared into my eyes as I sat up. "You have to do what they say." She said, piercing me with her storm-cloud eyes. "Don't make them upset. This is your chance to make a good impression. They are going to be expecting you to try and run, and they have plans. Do not fall into their trap, please." My heart sank at her words. I was happy she had warned me, and I probably wouldn't have planned an escape anyway, but it added to the hopelessness. I had a feeling whatever they were going to ask me to do, I wouldn't be happy with it. She led me out of the dark basement hallway for the first time in months. I walked up some stairs and closer to the surface, closer to Kato. For a moment I reflected on how much I missed the light, the lookout point, and visiting there with Kato. I closed my eyes as she led me into another dark room. The room was dimly lit, and about half the size of the gym arena. It looked very similar, and had a glowing ring on the floor. I saw a mirror on the wall that must have been where Hale would observe me from. My heart raced as I remembered my first fight with the entities. Fleur wished me good luck and exited the room. The lights went out and I heard Hale's voice. "You'll be fighting a werewolf today, two-fifty-seven." He said, "Oh and, this one can and will hurt you, so take it out quickly." I waited in the darkness for the entity to appear, but instead the lights came on and blinded me. When my eyes adjusted, I saw a massive werewolf crouched over and snarling. It was smaller than the last wolf I had fought, and it's form looked sleek and agile. I prepared myself for it to attack, noticing that it had some sort of metal collar around it's neck. The wolf roared and charged at me, and I looked around quickly for an escape. The arena floor was blank and empty, unlike the first time I had fought a werewolf. I saw a few weapons scattered around and ran towards the closest one, a spear. The werewolf caught up with me shortly after I had grabbed the spear, and I tossed it at his side. The spear snagged in it's side and it whimpered with pain before slashing me with a massive claw. My body spun around and hit the hard, white floor. I snarled and sprang back up at it. I allowed my mind to vent all the rage I was feeling towards Misha, telling myself that this was practice for his execution. My muscles changed and my bones shifted. My form grew to match the werewolf, and we collided. I couldn't comprehend what was happening, all I felt was claws raking against fur as we roared. It sank it's teeth into my bicep. The wolf was much quicker than I was. It would bite and twist my body into uncomfortable positions before I could even strike back. Finally I landed my teeth in it's neck, ripping out a large chunk of it's throat. The taste of it's blood was incredibly satisfying. The wolf whimpered and backed off as I began to rip off larger chunks of skin. I didn't even feel the pain that coursed through my body from it's hits. I was determined to tear out it's heart. I backed the wolf up into a corner as it stared at me with terrified, pleading eyes. There was something hauntingly familiar about those dark, amber eyes. My rage wouldn't pity them, though, and I ripped into their chest, feeling the familiar crunch of bones as I tore the arteries apart. I not only tore out their heart, but I fed on it. The feeling left me with an incredible hunger that continued long after the wolf was dead. When I was done eating the heart, I tossed the body aside and sat panting. My mind slowly began to adjust to the situation, and suddenly I realized the wolf had been female. My heart froze. It can't be... My mind cried. I don't know why I had assumed it was an entity, but when I tore into it's body I lost all clear thinking. I looked down at the red-splattered floor and felt sick, but the raging feeling did not subside. My mind spiraled into a dark place as I realized I had just killed the female werewolf who had sat across from me. I tried to deny it to myself, but my body shook with blinding rage. She sat scared in the corner as I ripped her open... Oh god. You FUCKING MONSTER! My mind yelled at me. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? The door opened, and Hale stepped into the room. His eyes were bright red and he was grinning, "I was not expecting that!" He laughed. A low growl rumbled in my throat as I remembered Fleur's warning. They weren't expecting me to kill someone so easily, especially not another prisoner, the one who'd actually made an attempt to speak with me. I looked back at the collar the werewolf had worn and snarled at Hale. I sensed a disgusting energy seeping off of the collar, energy of pure evil. My attention snapped to the door, where Misha and another man entered the room. My eyes locked onto Misha. I was still the werewolf, and my legs and arms still resembled the animal-like shape as I hunched over with a snarl. I charged at Misha. Before anyone could react, I slammed into him and knocked him into the wall, crashing the back of his skull against it. I reached my paw up to strike him, but I was stopped by an intense pain that snaked through my spine and paralyzed me. I saw Misha's bloody face as the other man grabbed me and dragged me off of him. I was so close...I felt insane with rage. He has to die! My mind yelled at me. I focused on the pain in my back and was able to calm it. I turned and gripped the man's throat, it was Reck. I tried to take him out with my clawed paws, but Hale's hand was soon on me. I spun around and tried to grab at him, but he swiftly punched my jaw and sent a paralyzing shock through my body as he laughed. Everything happened so fast. Reck recovered and helped Hale beat me. He grabbed the back of my neck and slammed me into the ground. Blood splattered from my mouth onto the floor, and I became dizzy as he slammed my head against the floor a few more times. My body began to retreat back into it's original form as it accepted defeat. My mind was tormented with the idea of defeat. It wasn't giving up. I struggled to continue to fight back but only ended up bleeding more as Reck's foot dug into my side. I struggled and flailed my arms about until my vision was blurred and I could no longer move. My blurred vision focused on Misha, who was holding a bloody arm in his hands. I wasn't satisfied with how little damage I had done to him, and I snarled one last time before a blow of energy knocked me out. I woke up sitting upright, strapped into a chair. My body felt sore and weak. The events that had passed felt like a dream, a nightmare. I had been so close... When my eyes adjusted I realized my nightmare wasn't over. Reck was sitting directly across from me and staring into my eyes. I couldn't even see his irises. It almost looked like his eyes were pure white, but it felt like my mind just could not comprehend what they looked like. His skin was tan, and his hair was deep, reddish brown that seemed to have an iridescent shine in the fluorescent lighting above us. He remained silent and continued to stare into my eyes, and I was entranced by him. My thoughts were hazy as I tried to wrap my mind around what exactly happened. I noticed I had a few bandages placed on my arms where the wolf had bitten me, and my mouth was tied shut. A few moments later, I noticed Hale standing off to the side. Hale walked over to us and stood above me. "Make sure he won't attack Aras again." He said. Reck nodded. "Other than that, it seems like he's an obedient dog. We'll use that good old werewolf rage to our advantage." Reck placed his heavy hands on the side of my head, and my mind instantly felt invaded. I felt like he was programming my body, not necessarily my mind. "You will obey Misha Aras." His forceful voice commanded me. My muscles seemed to soak in his answer, and my brain could not understand what was happening. I tried to struggle but my body was paralyzed, as if possessed by a foreign entity. Slowly, the energy began to fade and I felt somewhat normal again, if not exhausted. Hale was smiling. "Shall we test it out?" "Give him a day." Reck said, "The message needs time to take control. He could probably fight it if we used it right now." I tried to search out the energy he had invaded me with and destroy the message, but it was well hidden. I did not feel any different. My heart raced as Reck stood up and left the room. "Return him to his cell for now." He said on his way out, "I need to rest." Hale nodded before turning to me, "You've made a horrible mistake, two-fifty-seven. I was going to end your torment with Aras, but it seems you require a reminder that we own you. Aras made mistakes, but because of you, he gets to continue making them." His voice was calm, and the smile had vanished from his face, "You do not get to decide what justice is. You do not get to decide who is deserving of punishment. I do." Hale's bloody eyes surrounded me. My ears laid flat as I listened to his words. I felt fear and defeat creep into my mind. Did Hale punish Misha for what he had done to me? I wondered if Misha had become so irritated and stopped violating me because Hale commanded him to. I felt sick. I had failed, and as a result, I would now have to deal with Misha again...I couldn't handle more of that. I wasn't numb enough anymore. I began to shake. Hale called Fin into the room, who unstrapped me as Hale walked away. Fin attached the bonds on my hand together behind my back and walked me back into my cell. He closed the iron door as I stared out at him. Slowly, I sank down to my knees and watched him leave. I collapsed on the floor of my cell, feeling destroyed. Fin stood and watched me for a long while. I wasn't sure why, but I passed out before I could think about it. I woke up to the pinch of a needle in my arm. I was strapped to the table again as blood leaked out of me. Misha was standing over me and Fleur was off to the side writing down notes. I was happy to see that Fleur was here. My heart raced with fear, causing my blood to leak out of me more rapidly. He withdrew the needle and wrapped some gauze around the vein that dripped out a heavy amount of blood as my body panicked. I felt like I was going to pass out, and I hoped I would. Misha and Fleur exchanged a few words as I tried to make myself pass out. The sickness in my head wouldn't allow me to do so, though. Misha moved over to the cabinet and poured my blood into several different vials. I looked up to Fleur as she stood over me and continued to write notes. She looked up at me briefly. I shook my head, "Don't leave." I whispered. She stared down at me sadly. "Take these to my lab for testing." Misha said as he handed Fleur a tray of vials containing my blood. "Misha, don't do this." Fleur said, looking down at me. "You're going to cause his condition to plummet again." Misha slipped off his pair of gloves, "Do what you're told, Fleur." He said. Fleur put the tray of vials down and stared at Misha. "What gives you the right?" She asked, her stormy eyes seemed to spark with lightning. "Get out, Fleur." Misha said, his voice becoming less calm. "No, Aras! You're filthy. You sicken me, and I can't watch you do this anymore. I can't stand by and let it happen!" She yelled as she approached my side. I was so afraid for her. I knew Misha wouldn't hesitate to hurt her. I struggled to breath. "Please, Fleur. He deserves it." Misha spat as he circled around the table towards her. Fleur brought a keycard up to my bond and unlocked it. Misha grabbed her and threw her against the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He shouted, pulling a needle out of his pocket and tossing aside the needle guard. He became ready to stab it into her. Before he could inject her, I jumped up and crashed into him. My muscles burned but I focused all my energy on ripping his head off. Fleur stared at me with wide eyes as I gripped his neck and started to twist. Unfortunately, I couldn't twist it fast enough. "SIT DOWN, two-fifty-seven," and my body obeyed. I struggled against my body. I felt possessed, and I couldn't move. My mind thrashed around within my head as I became a prisoner in my lifeless body. My mind screamed at me as I fought my body. "Go to sleep, Decipher." Misha said as he slipped the needle into Fleur's vein. I had no more time to fight it, and my mind was silenced by darkness.