Turning the Cards of Fate

Chapter 9

The first time he actually woke up, he noticed that something was different in his very blood. It wasn't burning, not really, it was just... off. His heart wasn't hurting anymore, and his neck didn't ache in the way it always did after he woke up. It was strange, and it was even more strange that he wasn't in pain, not really. His body ached, but that was it.

For a few moments, he wondered if it was just a dream, being injected with the weird liquid and being watched by the scientists. As soon as his light green eyes opened, he knew that it wasn't.

The pain may have become just a memory, at the moment anyway, but that didn't mean he was in any less danger. He wanted to snort to himself. He was always in danger, and never was stupid enough to think otherwise.

He glanced around, trying to finally take note of his surroundings, in case he actually managed to get out of the restraints. His skin on his wrists and ankles was red and raw in places while being scabbed, cracked, and bleeding in others.

His mind wasn't quite aware enough to be able to guess how long he had been out, but that was alright. He knew that the missing time would fill itself in soon enough. It always did. Somehow, a part of his mind was always watching the time, but it wasn't always attached to his conscious mind.

He pulled his wrists lightly, testing the leather lined metal cuffs. It was tight enough that he couldn't just wiggle out of them, but loose enough that his hands were still getting blood.

Green eyes scanned the room, noticing the white counter tops, the pieces of technology over his heart that reported his stats to the hologram in the corner of his body. He noticed that most of his body was green in the hologram, but his fingertips and neck were an alarming shade of red.

That said, his hands didn't feel weird, even if they were still heavier than usual, and his neck was sore, but it was always sore when he was still for too long. It usually woke him up, even if he didn't want to get up, because of the deep ache. He wasn't sure why the body parts were red, but he didn't bother thinking further on it. His eyes wondered to the cage in the corner.

It was maybe three feet tall, and maybe a foot longer, while being only a foot across. Inside, curled up and watching him with big mint green eyes, was a young woman. Around her neck was a simple strip of leather that he was sure was more than it appeared. Her knees were up by her chest, with her arms wrapped around them.

She was petite, maybe even smaller than himself, and her wild light blue hair fell around her body. It would have probably gone to her knees if she was standing up, but as it was, she used her hair as a blanket almost.

She blinked at him, before a shy smile broke on her face. "Hello." She whispered, her voice soft like the wind, and musical like a bell. "Are you alright?" She asked, before shaking her head. "Silly question, silly me. Of course not. At least you are awake now. The masters will most likely be in here soon. It would be in your best interest to rest for now. You will not get a chance later, I am sure of that."

He raised an eyebrow, turning his head slightly so that he could get a better look at her. She was pretty, but strange.

"I hope you die soon, little lightning." She whispered.

His face hardened, and his eyes smoothed over. He didn't know if she was a threat or not, but then again, some of the least threatening people were the ones who could do the most damage.

"I am the wind experiment. Welcome to Sector Z. I'm sure that you are feeling very strange, and have a lot of questions, but for now, I think that it is best for you to get some rest."