Joyride

You Were Human?

     "Sorry, was that insensitive? Am I allowed to talk about, uh," I took a step away from Sebastian.

     "You're inferring you are my prey," they leaned down, inspecting me. "Why do you say that?"

     "I don't think anything I've encountered in this place has not seen me as its prey," I muttered, feeling embarrassed that I accused someone I just met of wanting me dead. "And I now realize how awful it was for me to suspect the same of you."

     I glanced at the key card that should lead me even further into this deathtrap. "You can take it, free of charge. I'm sure you'd love to complete what your supervisor has asked of you," his hand motioned to it.

     "No, no. I want to stay," I replied too fast, face flushing. "I. I think you're interesting. Can I ask what you are?"

     "You can, but in return for some of those 'loose assets' you've collected. Some of yours for something of mine. A fair deal, yes?" his warm smile seemed to be more of a smirk.

     I suppose it would be useless to me if I planned to spend more time in this little hide-y hole than completely my mission. With more than half of the data I collected handed over to them, Sebastian pulled out a classified file.

     Their claws dug into the file slightly, the manilla folder looking worn like it had been open a thousand times over. Taking it from him, I flipped it open, reading over the crinkled pages. As dangerous as this tried to make him seem, he had yet to make a move. He had the time now while I was distracted to do anything; and he didn't.

     "So you were a human?" I asked softly, glancing up at the mutant and handing the documents back. "An. . . an innocent human," I hugged myself for comfort.

     "I was," he tried to sound unbothered, but the way he looked away from me said otherwise. "Say, does the Doctor still work there?" There was a look in his eyes I couldn't place. Hatred? Malice?

     "I-I'm not sure?" I shrunk back, the aura emitting from Sebastian making me nervous. Just because he was an innocent man before he was changed into this, it didn't mean he still had to be.

     They seemed to notice the way I was searching for an exit as their demeanor changed almost immediately. "Oh, human, I'm sorry," Sebastian paused, glancing back to the files he had collected over his time down here.

     "Y/n, that's your name?" I hadn't mentioned my name, had I? The mutant turned to me with another file, my own name printed neatly onto it. "I knew I had seen you before."

     I reached for it carefully and he dropped it into my hands. It wasn't a large file, my name, mugshot and "crime." There were a couple pages with most of the information being redacted, all of them being check-ups with a doctor whose name I couldn't recall.

     "That's his handwriting," Sebastian spoke up, "that rotten doctor's," he pulled the pages from the file. "And from what my partners have been able to uncover, you were going to be part of his next big experiment, whatever that was going to be," he mused.

     "From what I see, you're lucky to be down here," the mutant placed the papers into the file and took it back before I could finish reading. "And you have limited options. You take that key card and be on your way where you either die here, or you make it out and the doctor can do what he pleases, or you can stay down here. But, it does get a bit lonely," Sebastian let out a chuckle. "Your choice, little human."

     "What if I can get you out of here with me?" I said faster than I could think. "And- and I can show that you're a good guy, and-"

     "Expendable," hearing him say that made me flinch. "You saw the same file I did. I'll be shot on sight, it doesn't matter what you do," they seemed annoyed. "You're a prisoner to them as much as I was. And in a way, I still am."

     I knew he was right. "What if I stay down here with you? That way it doesn't have to be lonely," he peered down at me. I understood it; who in their right mind would offer to spend whatever time of their life they had left underwater with a stranger?

     "They won't look for you," Sebastian stated.

     "They don't have to," I replied, just as simply. "They'll send some other poor soul to get their crystal," that seemed to make the mutant perk up.

     "Why do they want the crystal?" his eyes narrowed. I shrugged causing Sebastian to turn from me and go over every single document he had again. "They're trying to shut down the Hadal Blacksite," he let out a chuckle. He muttered something to himself, glancing at the vent exit then back to me.

     "Stay as long as you'd like, my lovely little human," he patted my head, a strange grin on his face. "I won't be long."