Finding Nemo: A Thriller

Chapter twenty-three

Dory had kicked off the white pumps and was jogging down the halls. Her lab coat flapped behind her, and she ditched that, too. Ripping the rubber band from her hair, she could finally breathe.

The blinding white of this place had given her a weird feeling. Almost like remembering something; a feeling she didn't have often. She found herself suddenly knowing where to go, recognizing certain twists and turns. She didn't know why, her brain was still muddled by everything that was going on.

The thoughts were torn from her head as raw pain burst through the side of her neck.

She felt her muscles convulsing, shaking uncontrollably as she collapsed onto the white tile. After five seconds of pure agony, two hands grabbed her wrists and started cuffing them. She gave a dazed moan, too stunned to resist. Her limbs ached and her sight was dim.

Something yanked her to her feet, and a voice grunted behind her. "Thought you could come walking in here again, Cobalt? Thought we wouldn't recognize that ridiculous blue hair?"

Dory closed her eyes, trying to sort out her thoughts.

"Let's show you what PSWay does to those who don't belong." The voice said, pulling her along the hall.

~~~

Darla was angrily detaching the tubes from Nemo's body, muttering to herself.

"... give me a subject with no problem..." She complained. "... how generous, daddy. Just give me the subject you don't need."

Nemo's eyes were closed, trying his hardest to pretend he was asleep. He felt the last wire removed and a hand suddenly smacked his face.

"Why are you always sleeping?" She shouted. "I have to take you home with me."

Nemo's cheek burned, but he kept his eyes closed. The weaker she thought he was, the easier she would be on him. The easier she was on him, the easier it would be to escape.

The tiny bubble of hope for escape was popped as a gun cocked. "Open your eyes, little boy." Darla commanded.

Nemo obeyed. "Why are you taking me home if you don't want me?"

Darla chuckled. "I don't just throw away valuable guinea pigs. I'll find a purpose for you, orange. Always do."

She unstrapped his arms and legs, but kept the gun on him. Nemo sat up and rubbed at his sore skin as she led him out the door.

"They caught your dad, by the way," Darla said, the gun's point pressing against the back of his neck.

Nemo's throat went dry. Had his father been captured, just like him? After all that hope and excitement, his dad was just as helpless as he was.

They stopped at an iron door, and Darla reached over him to open it.

Nemo was hit by a blast of rain, drenching his white clothes. Darla huffed angrily and grabbed his arm.

"I need an umbrella," She muttered as she dragged him behind her. She stopped at a closet and groped around. "Daddy always keeps his umbrella in here."

The woman's grip on his arm loosened a little, and she had her gun hand digging through the closet. Without even thinking, Nemo was suddenly running, leaping out the door and ripping through the rain.

Water was blurring his vision, his hair plastered to the sides of his forehead. With his clothes transparent and his face dripping, he was free. 

He was out of PSWay.