# Skyfall Chapter 20

Author: Abyssa
Tags: Alien, Gore, Laboratory, Male, Transformation, Werewolf, Wolf, blood, experiment, prisoner

20
  My
dreams were filled with a strange darkness. Guilt overwhelmed me. Fleur had
tried to protect me, and now she was in danger. 
  I had also killed someone. Had
it been self defense? Maybe...but that still did not make it right. I struggled
with the realization that the wolf girl was dead. She seemed so young and full
of life. Why did they want her dead? Were they done tormenting her? Perhaps she
was happier dead. I didn't know.
  When I woke up, I was staring
through the bars of my cell and watching a guard carry Fleur into the room. It
was Caliber. I slowly moved over to the bars and watched as he placed her in
the cell next to me. 
  I stared into my reflection in
the metal wall that blocked me from her and punched it with my fist as I
snarled. I was still wounded from the fight, and my arm leaked blood as I tore
the flesh open again from using the muscles. 
  Caliber stopped to watch me
momentarily as I continued to punch the metallic wall. My fist bloodied my reflection
as I pounded into the wall, blurring the image of my tormented face. When my
muscles couldn't take it anymore, I finally stopped and turned to Caliber.
  I couldn't see his eyes. I
looked at his quiet, stoic figure and gripped onto the bars and snarled. He
glanced towards the door and then back at me.
  "WHAT?" I yelled at him.
  "I'm so sorry, Decipher."
Caliber said in a quiet voice. "Soon you will be tested. Do what you must, no
matter how much it hurts." 
  I snarled again at him. I
didn't have the mind to ask him what he meant. All my thoughts burned with a
desire to kill Misha. He walked out of the room in silence.
  A few moments later, I heard
Fleur stir beside me. I pressed my hands up against the metal wall. "Fleur?" I
called out desperately. "What did they do to you?"
  "Two-fif-..Decipher?" She asked
in a tired voice.
  "I cannot thank you enough for
what you did." I whispered. "You shouldn't have. I cannot believe what I've
done to you."
  "What you've done to me? What
about what I've done to you?" She let out a short laugh. I heard her shuffle
around in the cell next to me. "One who watches evil unfold without attempting
to stop it is just as guilty as the one who performs the evil act. We all know
this, yet we stand by and watch anyway." She said quietly. "You simply gave me
the courage to say enough. I've done terrible things, and I deserve whatever
happens." 
  "I'll take you away from here,
Fleur!" I yelled, staring into my desperate, violet eyes in the bloodied
reflection. "I don't care what you did before; none of that matters!" 
  "No, Decipher." Fleur's voice
sighed. "They will kill me." 
  "No, Fleur! Don't think like
that." I begged. "I won't let them!"
  "They'll ask you to execute
me."
  That silenced me. My eyes
glistened with sorrow as blinked rapidly in attempt to escape this nightmare. 
  "If you refuse, they'll just
find another way to torture you until you listen to them. I'll end up dead one
way or another, Decipher." She said, "Please don't let them be the ones to kill
me. I want to give you something. I can offer you a way out."
  I shook my head. "No....no...." I
cried as I fell to my knees, my hands dragging the blood down with me. 
  Time
continued to pass. I was compliant in every way they asked. Fleur was kept in
the cell beside me, and I was glad that I never saw her dragged out to be
tested. I would try to speak with her, but she became quiet. She only mentioned
she hated the waiting, and that she was ready. I begged her to try and escape
with me, but she said that she had lived far too long and was ready to go. She
asked me to promise her I would do what was necessary.  
  The day eventually came. Doctor
Hale and Misha Aras came to my cell together. The two men I despised more than
anything else, standing above me and looking down on me as if I were below
them. 
  I wasn't below them. I would
rise up.  
  Misha opened Fleur's cell while
Hale instructed me to follow him out. My heart was having a difficult time
beating. It wasn't racing, but instead it had slowed down, as if it were
pumping lead throughout my body. 
  Fleur didn't seem to look much
different. She gave me a sad smile as Hale led us foreword. Calming my mind as
we walked was very difficult, but I knew I wouldn't be able to successfully
hurt either of them. 
  I was led into the small arena
once again. The floor was clean and the white canvas waited to be painted with
another's life. Hale did not enter the room with us, only Misha.
  Misha was scribbling some notes
down on his clipboard nonchalantly, as if Fleur's death would have no affect on
him. It shouldn't have still surprised me, but it did.  
  After a few moments, he looked
up and led Fleur to the center of the room. I stayed where I was and watched
him carefully. Fleur was looking at me with apologetic eyes.
  "Fleur. You will be executed
today on account of your betrayal." He said, turning to me. "Two-fifty-seven,
destroy her."
  My muscles locked. Fleur was
staring at me with a smile. How could she be smiling? My body burned as my mind
fought with it. I couldn't move, my emotions locked me into place. I briefly
glanced at Misha, wishing I could tear into him instead. That's why he was
standing here, to make sure that I would obey. Even if I fought it, they would
figure something else out. I had to obey now if I had any hopes of escaping,
but this proved to me that it was possible to fight it.  Decipher. Fleur's voice echoed
in my head, I'm a nymph. We have a
special ability. 
  I stared at her with wide
eyes as my ears fell back. I didn't have the time to think about what a nymph
was.
  "What are you waiting for?"
Misha asked me, "GO!"
  My body jerked at his
command, but I needed to hear the rest of her message.   If we choose, we can give the power
of our souls to whoever kills us. I can return to help you escape. You will
have my power at your hand; my real power! Her voice danced in my mind like
a butterfly I couldn't catch. I know I've
done terrible things, and this won't make up for all of them...but Decipher, let
me help you. Misha looked like he was about to yell at me again when I
turned to look at him. I whined softly as I realized I had to kill Fleur. Don't feel sorry for me, Decipher. You gave
me an opportunity for redemption. Now, please...
  I let out a howl and
charged at her before Misha could instruct me to again. When I reached her, I
bit down into her neck and instantly crushed her windpipe to lessen her
suffering. 
  Do not worry, Hale will not know. The process is invisible to everyone
except for us. We can only share this information as we die. Her voice was peaceful,
a calming melody in my tormented mind. He
will never find out.
  She hardly struggled at my
touch, and her eyes began to glow with an incredible, golden light. The light
was as beautiful as when I had seen Kato transform, and my heart broke at the
sight of it. The golden light surrounded my body as I gently let go of her
neck, and I felt the warmth of her soul enter me. 
You can fight the hypnosis, Decipher. It won't be hard. Her voice
faded from my mind as the warmth spread across me. Thank you.
  I fell to me knees holding
Fleur's lifeless body, and gently laid her down. I slowly moved my hand over to
close her stormy eyes as her blood pooled onto the floor. My mouth was numb as
her life dripped from my teeth. I stared at her in silence, forgetting
everything else, and silently thanked her. 
  Misha walked over to me and put
his hand on my shoulder. "Good work. Are you still with me?" He asked. Even his
touch couldn't shake me after this. 
  I slowly sat up and moved away
from his touch and nodded. "I am fine." I whispered, looking away from Fleur's
body.
  Hale entered the room not long
after, wearing his wicked grin. I forced my mind to stay calm as my body obeyed
their commands. 
  "Go back to your cell,
two-fifty-seven." Hale said with a nod. "Aras, go lock him up. Make sure the
exam room is ready for me within an hour."
  I
was placed inside my cell once again. Fleur's energy surrounded my mind with
peace when I thought about her death. I took some time to reflect on the event.
She had given me a gift. I wasn't sure what her energy would do, but I wouldn't
waste it. 
  I felt sad that Fleur had to
die, but she did not. She was happy to go and give me a way out, and that was
what eventually brought me peace.  
  "It's almost time to let you
out, Decipher." Hale's voice shook me out of my contemplation. I looked up at
him slowly. 
  "There's one more test, of
course. But it seems you already know what we're going to ask of you." He
sighed. "That takes a bit of the fun out of it."
  I pulled my lips back and
snarled at him. I would obey, but I wasn't afraid to let him know I wasn't
happy. He probably preferred to see me miserable, anyway, so I let the growl
happen.
  Hale opened the cell and
gestured for me to walk out. My body obeyed him.
  I felt like I was cursed.
Everyone I had cared about was in danger because of me. Yet Misha, the only man
I truly hated, was going to remain fine and living while they used my rage
towards him to their advantage. When I tried to think about what Hale was about
to do, I did not feel anything. There was no fear or anger, only acceptance.
Fleur's death had shaken me in a way I never expected. 
  I was ready to face him.   
He says it's about time to let you out. My mind told me. If you can survive this, you'll be let
out! One step closer, Decipher.
  I didn't trust the thoughts
that chimed in my head, but somehow, I felt like they weren't all my own. I
sent a silent prayer to the Goddess for the strength to endure whatever I was
about to feel.  
  Hale led me into a room with a
large cage. Not a cell, but a square cage that would hold me. The bars were
iron but shined with a strange kind of energy. Hale opened the door and shoved
me inside.
  "You're going to transform for
me today, alien." Hale said. "I am done playing games."
  I stepped inside the cage and
avoided the bars. I wondered what they did, but I was distracted by the sight
of Fin. He came up beside Hale with a tray of medical tools. I caught a glimpse
of his face and saw anger and pain etched across it. I wished I could apologize
for what I had done. Before I had the chance, Hale distracted me. 
  "I won't even use any drugs
this time." Hale said as he circled around the cage. "Now, transform."
  The command startled me. How
could he expect me to just transform? My body obeyed his wishes, though, and I
fell to my knees.
  I didn't have the energy to
stop the process. I yelled out in pain as my DNA became scrambled. My body and
mind weren't synched together. Didn't he realize this was a horrible idea? I
needed time to focus!
  I rolled around on the ground
as chunks of flesh stripped off of my body. My markings were shining with a
blinding green light as they etched themselves farther up my arm and onto my
face and neck. I could feel them stinging in scattered spots as they reached
the markings around my eyes. 
  I turned and vomited blood,
along with chunks of my body. I was breaking apart, and my mind could not build
my original form back due to the pain and exhaustion. I began to feel my bones
cracking inside of me as my body commanded itself to break down and reform.
  I closed my eyes and tried to
quiet my mind as my body struggled. I was going to die if I could not focus on
my original DNA, which felt ancient now. I focused on my original form...my
iridescent, slick skin...the taloned hands with four fingers...my face...
  I vomited again, this time my
teeth came out with it. I felt my tongue start to change shape as I expelled
the old DNA. My tongue tore in two and slithered around inside my mouth as
twisted teeth curved from my gums and began to vomit out the purplish, maroon
blood of my original form. 
  My arms had shrunk down to
their lean, agile form, with curved blades jutting from my elbow. I was
succeeding. I could hardly believe it as I took a moment to observe my
glistening, green markings across my skin. 

  My eyes split apart and the
image of my internal scanner activated itself. The data was jumbled, and all I
saw was static and scrambled code. I used my external-vision eyes to look at
Hale, who was watching with a fascinated look. The sight of him caused me to
hiss and let out a shrieking scream. The sound seemed to shake him.
  I lost concentration and my
body was unable to keep transforming. I collapsed onto the floor of the cage
while Hale walked over to me. I saw him walk right through the bars, as if they
didn't really exist, and then he stabbed a needle into me. As my blood leaked
out, my real blood, I struggled weakly. Unfortunately, alien arms were weak and
my sharp claws were unable to strike. My eyes began to hurt and the world
became blurry.
  I heard Hale's voice, but I did
not understand him. I was on the verge of blacking out... I suddenly felt so
distant from my body, like I was waking up from this nightmare. I lost all
feeling shortly after.
  I think I am dying.  "Stay alive," was the next
command I could comprehend. "I'm not done with you yet."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  I
felt her eyes on me. I did not know where I was, or what I was, but I felt like
nothing of my body remained. There was too much blood and smog clouding my
vision, but something in my mind told me the Goddess was near.
  I felt a strange feeling wash
over me, as if I were somehow changing in a way that I could not comprehend.
All I knew was that I felt different. 
  A blurred shape moved in front
of me...a guard's helmet. He removed his helmet, and the blurry shape of
Caliber's face appeared in front of me.
  Caliber placed a hand on whatever
was left of me, and the changing sensation intensified.
 
You survived! I heard his voice echo in my mind. Welcome home...
   And then it was quiet, a silence louder than
anything I have ever experienced. I entered complete emptiness; a void within
myself. 
  
  A distant chirping sound summoned
me from the void...birds? I pulled
myself back into the world as I cracked open my eyes and glanced at the
sunlight shining into my eyes. The blinding white blurred my vision, as if I
had just entered a heavenly realm of light. Confused, I slowly sat up in the
comfortable, soft bed. My bed...I glanced up to see the window looking out
towards Skyfall.
  Shocked, I jumped up only to see
that my form had completely rebuilt itself back into the half-wolf half-man it
was before. I felt perfectly fine except a bit sore. I touched my body all
over, just to make sure I was actually alright. I wasn't sure what was real
anymore. Had any of my life been real? 
  My transformation had felt like a
quick, painful dream. Everything had happened so fast, and I don't think I
completed the transformation. How could I have possibly had the strength to
reform into this body?
  I approached the window slowly
and let the surreal, white sunlight wash over me. The jays were dancing in the
air as they always did, but the world outside looked different now. The trees
were mostly barren of leaves except for the tall evergreen that towered high
into the sky. The leaves that remained were all kinds of earthy and warm tones,
and something white and fluffy fell from the gray skies. The mountains of
Skyfall were shrouded by thick mist and fog. 
  This had to be a dream. I closed
my eyes and tried to return to the waking world. I knelt down before the window.

  "Hello?" I asked my reflection
in the glass. "Am I dead?"
  When I looked at my reflection,
I saw that the black markings on my eyes had lines of blood around the edges. I
then looked down to study my arms. The markings had retreated back to their
original place, but they too were scabbed and bloody, as if someone had burnt
them into my skin. I pressed down on them and felt a burning sensation. I
glanced at my shoulder where the number "two-fifty-seven" was still etched into
it. Strangely, the jagged scar across my forearm seemed fainter than before. 
  "Goddess of Darkness?" I asked,
half expecting her to appear at any moment. "Where are you?" The room remained
silent aside from the chirping birds outside my window.  
  I heard someone make a noise
from the couch and jumped. When I looked over, I saw Kato stirring on the
couch. 
  "Kato!" I yelled, shaking his
shoulder with my arm.
  He jerked awake and grinned,
"Decipher!" He yelled as he stood up. "You're alright!" He exclaimed as he
wrapped his arms around me.
  His touch triggered a panic in
my body, and I whimpered and pushed away from him and backed up several steps.
This felt suddenly less like a dream as my body associated his touch with
horrible things.
  Kato's face became sad, "Oh
gods...I'm so sorry. I'm just...I'm so happy to see you."
  I began to shake. "What is
happening?" I said, panting. I wanted to embrace Kato; I truly had missed
him...but his touch reminded me to much of the bonds that held me back while
Misha ran his hands across me. 
  "Am I dead?" I asked him.
  "No! No...Hale said you finally
cooperated and he let you out. They had you in the medical center for a long
time, you were a bloody mess...almost entirely wrapped in bandages. I was so
afraid you weren't going to pull through, but Caliber said you'd be okay." Kato
said, "They brought you here after a while. Hale said you needed to recover,
but he was done with you downstairs. I don't know why, or what else he has
planned for you, but he said I could spend time with you..." Kato's voice became
quiet.
  I knew he had been by my side
the entire time, waiting for me to return to the waking world. I felt my
stomach twist with guilt when I remembered Fleur. I tried to focus on the
energy she had given me, but I couldn't feel it. I hoped when the time came, I
would be able to use it. 
  I remembered the strange feeling
of change and tried to scan my DNA. I felt more functional than I had ever been
here. Quickly, I activated my internal scanner and was able to view everything
around me easily. When I looked at Kato, it even said "Phoenix" and described
his DNA and abilities to me. I blinked and returned my vision to normal.
  "Decipher?" Kato asked.
  "Kato." I sighed. "I...don't know
what happened. They forced a transformation...and I thought I had died. I am
still unsure if I'm dead or not. I just...don't know what's going on." I said,
rubbing my eyes as my brain tried to sort everything out. "It's really good to
see you though, Kato." 
  Kato smiled at me. His smile
sent a familiar warmth through me that felt so dreamlike; his smile was one I
could never hate. I carefully stepped closed to him and touched his hand
briefly before my body began to become afraid, at which point I slowly stepped
away.
  "What...do I do now?" I asked
quietly. "Kato, I want out." 
  Kato shushed me. "Not here.
We'll go to the lookout point later today. If you run now, Hale has programmed
your body to surrender itself to the guards." His voice became hushed, "We'll
have to plan this carefully. We only have one chance to leave, and that's the
night of the Eclipse."
  I shuddered at the mention of an
eclipse as a blurred memory of Hale and Vladimir speaking entered my mind. I
knew it wasn't a good time to ask about it though, so I remained quiet. 
  "And...Misha." I whimpered
quietly.
  Kato's face looked extremely
angry at the mention of him. "I know. We'll figure something out." He said.
"Come on, Decipher, let's go get you some food."
  Kato led me out the door and we
headed towards the dining hall. As we walked, I noticed that all my muscles
felt completely fine. I examined my arms and legs. No scars remained from the
basement, and the bonds were gone. I couldn't believe this was happening. I had
been let out...but why? 
  I suppose I had expected Hale
to let me out, and I had done two large tasks he had asked of me. I had killed
Fleur, and then transformed. I had even killed the werewolf girl. He had
probably gathered all the samples he needed from me when I had transformed, or
maybe my alien blood ended up being useless to him Perhaps I had gained some
trust through all of this...at least enough trust to be let out of the basement. He thinks I am completely under his
control. I realized. Maybe he
believes whatever Reck did controls my thoughts, not just my body.
  I walked down the familiar
hallways and rode the elevator down into the main entrance. The sight was nostalgic
but made me sick at the same time. We entered the dining hall.
  Kato told me to sit while he
went to get us food. I took a seat at an empty table and waited for him, trying
to avoid eye contact with the curious people around me. Everything felt so
different, and I didn't recognize anyone else. 
  Kato returned to the table and
slid a bowl of soup across the table. "It's a little bland, I know," he said,
"but your stomach isn't used to eating, so this is better than eating a full
meal."
  I nodded. I hardly cared what
the food tasted like. I carefully lapped at the bowl of warm soup while Kato
picked at his food.
  "What does he want with me now?"
I asked after a few moments of silence.
  Kato looked up from his food and
sighed, "You just got out, Decipher. I don't know what Hale wants from you, but
can we just try and relax for a moment?"
  I took a moment to study Kato.
He was exhausted. His eyes were sunken and dull, but he didn't stop smiling at
me. My lips twitched into a smile to match his. The expression felt so alien.
  "You're right." I sighed. "I
just can't believe how...okay I am."
  "Caliber said he helped you. I
figure it was some kind of miracle from the Goddess." Kato said. "Are you really
okay?"
  I nodded. "I feel okay...More okay
than usual." I said, rubbing my head as I tried to focus on this moment instead
of my haunting memories. 
  I looked at Kato, "That stone
you gave me, it took me to her...she explained to me that I was no longer an
alien, that she had accepted me here." I said, my mind straining as I tried to
remember the details, "But I feel like I wasn't truly accepted until I
transformed. I heard Caliber say 'welcome home' before I passed out..."
  Kato watched me as he tried to
figure out what I meant. "I don't know." He said, "Maybe you just had to prove
yourself?" 
  I nodded. "She did tell me that
there was a life for me, if only I search for it." I stared off into space for
a moment, remembering Vladimir drinking my blood. Hale had mentioned it was as
if it were fake...He said it took great power to change your life force. Blood
must be extremely symbolic and powerful here. The thoughts clicked in my head,
and I looked back up at Kato, "My blood. That's what is different!"
  "What?"
  "Hale wanted my blood, my alien
blood! He said that my blood was fake...my blood in this body." My sentences were
jumbled as I pieced it together, "Something must have happened, and when I
reformed, I must have had real blood! Maybe that's why he let me out. I think
the Goddess gave me some kind of life force here, which made me less useful to
Hale!"
  Kato looked completely lost as
he stared at me. 
  Everything seemed to click at
once. Suddenly, I felt like I truly was out. I was out of the basement. I was
alive, and as a bonus I was in top physical condition. I had slept through my
recovery, and now I needed to focus. I would be getting out with Kato. 
  "Never mind." I said with a
smile. "I just think I really do belong here now."
  Kato smiled back at me.
"Alright." He laughed, "I don't understand it, but as long as something brings
you peace..."
  For the first time I could
remember, I actually had hope of leaving this place. This sign lifted my
spirits. I took a few moments to feel my body again. 
  I felt alive. The destruction
and pain that my body had experienced was gone. There would be more, but I had
been given another chance. I no longer felt like this body was different from
who I truly was. I took a few seconds to twitch my ears and even flick my tail,
the tail I had hated since I had gotten here. Suddenly, it seemed like such a
wonderful thing.
  Kato stared at me as I tested
out the motions of my body. His face was still puzzled, but he grinned at my
excitement. "It's so good to have you back." He said. "I'm really happy you're
okay." 
  He must have been expecting my
mental state of mind to be much worse, and honestly I was surprised it wasn't.
But I didn't ask questions. I gripped onto the sliver of happiness I felt, and
decided I wanted to spend time with Kato before Misha ruined my desire to want
to be around anyone. I knew my mind would sink back sooner or later, but I had
truly missed Kato's smile and wanted to just enjoy it.
  If this was a dream, I was going
to enjoy it. I couldn't afford to guess at what was reality anymore. I had to
focus, or I would never make it out.  
  "Can we go now?"  I asked with a swish of my tail.
  Kato glanced around, "Where?" He
whispered. He looked like he didn't have the heart to tell me we couldn't
escape yet, but I understood that. 
  "The lookout point!" I said. I
was suddenly extremely eager to use magic again. I couldn't waste this energy.
  With a look of relief, Kato
nodded, "Absolutely." He said. 
  Finally, I walked outside the
doors of my prison and into the real world. 
  Home. 

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/576120

Previous: https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/575328-skyfall-chapter-19.md
Next: https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/582243-skyfall-chapter-21.md