The Karma Study

Chapter 17 - Learned Helplessness

Teddy

As expected, the Cambions and their guards weren't at the old Hera mansion. At least, we didn't locate any while we were there. However, we did find a gateway to the tunnels. It took some digging and a lot of walking, but once we went through the tunnels, we actually found our way back to the tunnel that led us up into the old abandoned warehouse we exited the night my little devil was taken.

Our theory is so far correct, we know for sure that the tunnels do connect to the network in the city, now we just need to find where they could connect to the back lot property that is in Kane's name.

The entrance we found was located behind the fireplace. We walked past it for hours but when Dean grabbed an old photo of Zoe's dead brother, we noticed a seam in the wall, a little gap that would have been overlooked by anyone else. We tried prying it open, but failed many times. It wasn't until I pushed on it, it released forward and slid to the side, unveiling a flight of stairs that led down, down, down to a tunnel that seems to me a the main vein of these catacombs.

Max, Dean, and I mapped out the course that we took, so next time we go down there, we have a plan of where to head. Currently, we are waiting on the drone footage from Jessica and Brandon, and Drake and Dr.Adeline should return to any minute now with more information they found.

Our individual assignments took longer than we expected, it's been two days now since we identified the corpse in Khal's grave. But, now that we all have collected our new data and information, we are meeting back in my basement.

"Who is this again?" Max asks as I chain my newest project to the ceiling's suspension mechanism.

"This," I slap the man on the cheek, "Is... I forgot. What was your name again?" I ask the man that is now dangling from the ceiling like a pig in a slaughterhouse.

The pig winces and is followed by a sighed response, "Tyler Green."

I nod and turn to face Max with my arms spread in a welcoming gesture, "This is Tyler, however I have taken kindly to calling him Piggy. Piggy here, has some information on the capacity of hostages the Cambions have, he also knows that Khal is alive. Piggy is being incredibly forthcoming with information." I release the switchblade in my hand and I hold the point against the thin skin under his eye. "Aren't you piggy?"

"Yes," Piggy gulps, "I'll tell you anything."

"Then let's begin," I clap my hands together and I sit on the table I have pulled to stand directly in front of him. Just as I begin to ask him about how many people are being held by. Khal and about how many employees he may have, my basement door swings open.

"There is definitely a stranding structure underground on that plot of land, I'd say it's roughly eighty-thousand square feet." Brandon barrels into the room followed by Jessica, and takes off his jacket, ignoring the piggy hanging from the ceiling. "But, we also have a map of where the tunnels lead to it from the tunnel that connects to Hera house." He runs his fingers through his hair and finally notices my newest project. "Who is this?" He asks.

"Piggy." Max and I say in sync.

Brandon nods, but doesn't ask any questions.

"Fuck do we have some information for you!" A new voice enters the room and this time it's Drake, who is followed closely by Dr. Adeline. Drake also ignores the hanging lump of meat as he passes out some folders of information. "Khal has been active a lot longer than we thought. He has been working in his bunker from the moment he started testing on Zoe. We found some missing person cases and it all traces back to Khal and the Cambions. In those folders, you should see some names. I believe he still has most of these people, and if he has been working on them even longer than he worked on Zoe... we may really be fighting mutants." Drake's eyes land on the hangman and stops his tangent and information vomit, "Who is this?"

"Piggy." Max, Brandon and I respond.

"We have eyes on her again." Dean now enters the basement holding a phone and laptop with my little Devil on the screen. "It looks like they just brought her back to her room, she's with some guy and she's calling him Five? They seem to be some sort of friends, but he's dressed similar to the guards. She's looking rough, but she hasn't said much. She isn't talking to the cameras anymore, but she also just seems exhausted. She has a limp and she's bandaged up. There's no telling what she has been through the last few days." Dean passes the laptop off to Brandon who studies the visual intently. "I'm elling you the moment I get my fucking hands on that man..." Dean's voice trails off when the suspended man grunts. "Who is that?" He points.

"Piggy." The rest of the room answers in unison, and I can't help but smile at the echo.

The team slowly migrates more into the room and are now sitting in their own respective spots, a small sense of relief washes over the room now that we are together, all of us but one. Little Devil.

"We're so close." Max says. "So close I can fucking smell her."

I snort, "So close I can fucking smell the bad mans rotting flesh."

Dean grunts in agreement, and the small reprieve and false sense of relaxation goes stale, I stand up in anger. frustrated that we aren't going after her now.

"We need to go for her now. Why aren't we going down now and killing this mother fucker?" Dean yells and pounds his fists into a metal tray of tools making them rattle.

"They're expecting you..." Piggy grunts. "They know that you know. They're preparing." He continues, and he now has the undivided attention of four of the most dangerous men in the country. "I've seen her, I know what he's doing to her. He plays to take and take, until she is completely unrecognizable."

"Keep talking." Max says.

"She won't be the same. He's more than before, he's a nightmare. She's in hell down there, and be grateful you aren't able to see all of it." Piggy, Tyler, explains.

"You were an orderly there, right Tyler?" Max asks. "You went by the name Creature, didn't you?"

"Yes," Piggy grunts, and shifts in his trance as he tries to relieve the pressure locked around his wrists. "I was part of Z-7-4's escort while I was there."

Before anyone could say another word my vision burned a scarlet red and I was nose to nose with Tyler, my switchblade pressed into that soft skin beneath his eye again. "Her name... Is Zoe."

"Yes," Tyler's voice shakes, and I watch as he bends beneath my threat so easily. "Zoe. Sorry, Zoe." He corrects himself.

"How many people are willingly working there, and how many hostages?" Dean asks.

"There are at least two hundred guards that are all willing employees, happy to do Khal's bidding. I'd say about a hundred or so are all Cambions and are mostly there the sex trafficking business. And hostages are... Well it's complicated." Tyler falters in his words, unable to make a clear explanation.

"Try to explain it anyway." Max demands, his body going stiff and frigid.

"There are twenty six levels of hostages. Each level is a letter ranging from A to Z. Each level has a different amount of test subjects in them. Level A participants are the newest, and the weakest. Level Z being the strongest and smartest." Tyler tries to explain calmly as I press the blade deeper into his skin. "The amounts always change but I'd say there are about three hundred test subjects, and almost half of them are willing participants."

"And Zoe, being Participant Z-7-4, means?" Brandon asks.

Tyler answers without a thought "That means there are at least seventy Z level participants."

"Meaning?" I ask, just wanting him to say what we are all thinking.

"Meaning there are at least seventy participants that are just as lethal, if not worse than Zoe. It means..." Tyler pauses to clear his throat. "It means Khal has an army prepared, and waiting. He has an army of human weapons."