Experiment VII

Chapter Forty-Six: A Terrible Idea

     The world is dark. An agitated yet distorted voice looms from somewhere around me, but it is far away, the words just beyond my reach. The beginnings of a terrible headache stab at my brain. I barely stifle back a groan, but make no effort to open my eyes, never mind trying to move.

     The familiar voice gradually becomes clear, but I still fail to place it. "This had better not be the death of me."

     Light footsteps draw near at a brisk approach. My face scraps against the rough wooden floor as a set of hands latch onto my leg, slowly dragging me across the floor. Alarm bells go off in my mind with my consciousness making a speedy return. I force my eyes to snap open, and before taking in my surroundings, I shoot upright and hit what I can only assume to be an Umbra agent in front of me.

     It was not an Umbra agent.

     Chester buckles over in pain, groaning loudly, his clenched jaw tightening.

"Chester? What in the hell are you doing here? I thought you left with the others!"

     He completely ignores my questioning, presumably too focused on waiting for the pain to subside.

     I openly stare at him in utter bewilderment, which continues for several long moments. I suddenly find my words once again when where Chesters has uncomfortably placed his hands becomes increasingly apparent.

"Wait...did I hit you-"

     He cuts me off, fixing me with the most venomous glare ever seen. "Yes, Axel you did," he snaps.

"Oh..." I grimace, a mild level of guilt passing over me.

"Damn it, I was trying to help you!" he says as loudly as possible without breaking a whisper.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know that?" I intend to shout, but it comes out more similar to a coarse half-whisper than intended.

      Chester eventually straightens up from his hunched-over position. He manages to silently make his way over to the door with a bit of an awkward limp, mumbling something under his breath.

"Arsehole."

"Sorry...?"

"Yeah, yeah just keep it down." Chester shushes. "There's more of them."

     Immediately after finding my feet, a wave of nausea hits me like a ton of bricks. I grab onto the nearest table to prevent myself from toppling over. By the time I have steadied myself, Chester is already sneaking out the doors.

"Hey, where do you think you're goin'?"

     He pauses in the doorway, "Just stay here. Think you can manage that? Oh, and try not to fall over." And without sticking around for a reply, he slips out of sight.

"Ugh, great," I grumble, standing around cluelessly.

Well, I may as well make myself useful while Chester's gone doing who-knows-what.

     Six bodies lay scattered across the floor. Staggering over to one, I yank my knife free of his chest and wipe it down on his sleeve before returning it to its sheath in my boot. Just as I go to stand up, something else catches my eye.

     The dim light reflects off a small rectangular card-like object. It lies on the floor, not far from the agent's body. In all likelihood, it fell out of his pocket during the struggle. I pick it up, flicking it through my fingers as I examine it. There are a bunch of zeroes and ones printed over its surface. I cannot read it, but it is clearly binary.

     Not quite sure what I've found, but stuffing it into my pocket all the same, I check another body to confirm my suspicions. I rifle through his numerous pouches and pockets, soon locating another one of the strange card objects. Perhaps it's some form of personal identification? Though I cannot be certain, I take it all the same before replacing my now jammed gun with a new pistol. I holster it, and though it's not exactly an M4, it will get the job done.

     I nearly jump out of my skin when the sound of the door slamming closed bursts through the room. My eyes dart upward, my fingers tightly around my newfound pistol. Heat seeps up my face as none other than Chester appears through the door.

"Oh, it's just you," I grumble.

"Well, don't relax yet," he says, striding over to another one of the corpses, retrieving his own weapon. "We still need to get out of here. Right now."

"How many of them is there?"

     He raises an eyebrow but answers my question nonetheless. "At least thirty. Not that it matters, we're not staying."

"Wh- no, wait-"

"Shut up, Axel!" he cuts me off. "We need to leave."

"But Rychner's still here!" I protest.

     Chester sighs. "Where?" he asks.

"I-I don't know. We got separated. I was looking for him when I ran into you."

     Chester tugs the corner of his mouth, thinking for a moment before answering, "He's probably dead."

     I shake my head vigorously. "No. No, he's alive, and I'm going to find him."

     Chester sighs again. "Don't be naive. Now, we really need to go, you coming or no-" He comes to an abrupt halt, his eyes bouncing around the room randomly.

"What-"

"Shh!"

We remain silent for several moments before he quietly whispers, "They're coming."

     He puts his hand in front of me, blocking my way as I step forward. "Wait! They're blocking the exits," he says.

"How do you even know-"

     He cuts me off once again. "I can hear them. Now keep quiet, I need to think."

     I roll my eyes but keep my lips sealed. However, the silence is short-lived, only lasting a few seconds before an idea pops into my mind.

"I got an idea," I announce.

     Chester levels me with an unimpressed glare. "I thought I told you to keep quiet."

     I internally groan. "No seriously I got a plan."

"Fine," he huffs. "Let's hear it then."

"Let's break into Umbra."

     At first, he merely snorts, then blinks, staring at me blankly as he struggles to digest the information or lack thereof. "Axe," Chester starts. "I don't have a clue how you think this somehow helps us. Have you actually gone bonkers?!"

"Maybe I have, but we're running out of options. Now put that armour on," I (sort of) explain, motioning to one of the fallen Umbra agents.

"You've got to be joking."

A/N: The end draws nigh(ish). Thanks for reading!

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