The Anomaly

Whiplash

Samantha awakens the next morning and stares up at her ceiling for a moment before sitting up and stretching her arms. She slides from under her blanket and throws her legs off to the side of the bed. Her throat was still sore from screaming last night but a quick scratch of her neck seems to satisfy her. The sound of a cane tapping against the floor can be heard down the hallway making its way to Samantha's cell. Eventually, Doctor Paul appears. 

"Samantha? You're up early." Paul says. Samantha stands up and rises up on the tips of her toes.

"I didn't have any dreams tonight and I feel really good," Samantha says excitedly, likely hoping that'll get her recovery back on track.

"Well, that's good news now isn't it," Paul says and eyes Samantha curiously as he opens her cell door. Samantha steps out and walks beside Doctor Paul. He continues to examine Samantha, her movements, and her presence, all feel the same as usual these last two weeks.

"What kind of tests will you be conducting today?" Samantha asks curiously.

"We'll actually be skipping the brain activity examination. I won't be available later and I want to be present for whatever tests you take."

"Oh, well if that's what you think is best," Samantha says dejected at first but then turns to a smile. How peculiar, Samantha had rebounded very suddenly, very unmistakably right back to herself when she first got here.

As per usual they conducted a memory test. Samantha was shown images on screen and asked questions in relation to the images. At first, she had been learning the false memories we gave her and forgetting her old ones. Then brain activity began to spike on its own and her old memories fought the implanted ones. Doctor Paul was curious about what the results would be.

"What is your name?" Professor Isaac asks.

"Samantha Barns." Samantha barely flinches, her answer instant and absolute. It catches the examiners off time. Eventually, the clipboard is marked, and the image on the screen changes finally.

"What is your parents' name?"

"Jessica and Darrell Barns." The examiners expect the quick response a bit better this time and respond rapidly.

"How old were you during the-"

"Fifteen." Samantha cuts off Professor Isaac from his long-winded question. They'd asked them enough times already.

"Time for some new questions," Samantha said turning around to smile at Doctor Paul. An odd expression crosses his face with calm, amused, intrigued, and anxious all at once.

"Well then, off we go to the next exam." Doctor Paul says as Samantha rises to her feet and leaves the room. Doctor Paul walks pace with Samantha and continues to glance at her for a few seconds at a time. How peculiar.

Samantha walks happily humming down the hallways until they reach Dylan's cell again. He doesn't rise this time at the sight of Samantha. None of them even dare to bat an eye. To assume she was still there was to have hope. To think she remembered. So far every time that hope was shattered and trampled on.

"Do you recognize anything about them, Samantha?" Doctor Paul asks. When he does he examines Samantha. Every fine detail about her, her hairs stand on end as if she was threatened. Her subtle twitch of a finger. The quick inhale through the nose. She was reacting to them, but oddly.

"I... Do not sir." Samantha's pause causes Dylan's head to pop up for a moment and look before he hangs his head again. Shattered and trampled once more deep inside.

"Stare at the boy a minute. Are you sure you know nothing of him?" Doctor Paul says and all of the reactions from before happen again but slightly more intensified.

"I-I... I don-" Samantha is cut off by the rapid approach of a guard.

"Good morning sir, I bring urgent news from Research team one, they need to see you now." Doctor Paul just about hit the man for interrupting but settles for a sigh and stumbles off.

"Return her to her cell if she still doesn't recognize them." Doctor Paul calls back to Professor Isaac who simply nods in understanding.

Samantha stares at them, and they don't move. She dares to barely move, just like the guards protecting Professor Isaac, or the green dark spirits in the cells. Everyone's breath is held tight in their chest as the king of the castle has stepped away from his duties.

"Do you recognize them, Samantha?" Professor Isaac finally asks.

"No, I don't but... I had a question." Samantha sounded soft as if she were a child asking a parent for permission.

"What kind of question?" Professor Isaac asks both curious and skeptical. Even Dylan, Milo, and Wilson look up curiously.

"What is the definition of whiplash?" Samantha says turning to make eye contact with Professor Isaac. She blinks and her eyelids blink from side to side, and her irises reflect that of a reptile. Isaac's face dawns with realization as his guards move to protect him.

A black and smokey tail whips out from Samantha's lower back and slaps into a guard's chest. The guard goes backward into the wall and he slaps into it. Samantha grabs the muzzle of the second guard's weapon and throws it over her shoulder behind her. She punches him in the stomach and drops him to his knees. Isaac's spirit comes loose and claws like grey talons stretch past his hands at Samantha's side.

Samantha raises her arm and grabs Isaac by the throat and lifts him off the ground. Isaac is about to claw at Samantha's arm for freedom when her entire arm is wrapped in thick black smoke and the talons simply skid across. Samantha's tail comes around and slaps the back of the head of the guard who was still stuck dealing with the gut punch.

"How," Isaac says through choked breaths, "how have you done this." He says trying to kick his body free.

"It's quite simple really," Samantha turns and stares at Isaac with a smile. One that shows the wickedness that had been held back for so long.

"I'm much stronger than you anticipated." The black smoke around her arm stretches across her body and to her neck. Samantha brings Isaac closer, his neck drawing ever closer to her waiting teeth.

"Sam," Dylan says in a warning tone from within his cell still. Samantha freezes and looks again at Isaac, he is scared. A mere scientist, not a fighter, though a worker for the ones responsible for her condition. To kill him when he can't fight back would be cowardly, or so Sam and Rava agreed.

Samantha tosses Isaac backward and his back thuds against a set of bars to another cell. He is momentarily dizzy though she was sure that would go away. Samantha returned her attention to the cell.

"Can you get us out?" Wilson asked standing now and standing near the bars like Dylan. Milo was more quiet but continued toward the rest of the group.

"You insult my talents." Samantha and Rava say together as one long claw slices through the locking mechanism to the cell and the door now freely swings. A slow building chittering and laughing can be heard in the other cells now.

"What do we do?" Milo asks as she looks around nervous. Samantha looks down the hall, she was currently in a hallway full of dark spirits, not the most dangerous but still. Their chittering continued to build in unison.

"Stay here for now, when the hallway is clear then you may leave." Rava's voice prevails. Samantha doesn't want to leave her friends, though it is not safe for them here and there is unfinished business to attend to. The group does not object. Samantha steps out to the center of the hallway and extends both of her arms, her black claws from Rava digging into the wall.

"Spirits! When I free you, the normals behind me are to be unharmed. You touch them, you answer to me." The chittering and laughter reach their peak, they are ready to be released. When Samantha sprints forward she keeps her arms out to the side, slashing at the brick walls, metal bars, and the doors holding them in place. As soon as an opening presents itself the dark spirit inside the cells leaps out into the hallway and frantically sprints behind Samantha.

Samantha slams through the door at the end of the hall. Troops are rushing around in a panic, the alarms are sounded, and the green spirits are freed to release chaos. The stage was set, now all that was left was to perform.