Invictus

Chapter 37: Choices

Helena moved in closer. I turned to see white cloudy eyes staring back at me; Kya, Trenton, Santiago, and Adam, all of them had come under Helena's wizardry.

"That was clever of you to use the necrosis programming in Snake's body against Bone's, Mr. Taylor." Helena gently stepped around Mud's unconscious body as she walked towards Houdini who was still crawling towards her. 

I gave her a confused and bitter look.

"It's a very useful tool." Helena said as Houdini reached upwards, gesturing for her to help him. She responded by crouching low and gently brushing her hand against Houdini's charred face.

"The rapid decay is essential for keeping our research out of our enemies hands." Helena winced as she looked over the man, a tear spilling from her eye. In that moment, she almost seemed as though she had a heart... until she took a gun that she'd been concealing along her back and shot Houdini in the head. Houdini's body began to melt away like Snake's had while Helena wisely kept her distance.

She gazed up at me with sad eyes, "The necrosis leaves no trace, no evidence of a body. All DNA is destroyed."

I ignored Helena's mad rant. "You could have saved him. What's wrong with you!"

Helena arched an eyebrow and frowned. "He's a failed vessel Mr. Taylor. You saw what he made Mr. Brecker do, he nearly killed Mud. Houdini lost control." Helena looked back to see two Freaks, one with diamonds in his skin and another with a mouth like a lamprey in navy suits lifting Mud off the ground. "This isn't the first time... maybe we'll just end his genetic line."

Helena looked back down towards Houdini's body and sighed. "Manipulating minds is much more effective than placing subjects into a dream state, or a nightmare as Houdini was supposed to do with Mr. Brecker."

"You're crazy." I hissed.

"You've already told me." Helena smiled back to me. "No more games Mr. Taylor. It's time to play your part and come with us."

I tightened my fists, "Make me."

Helena laughed. "Okay." She knew her abilities were ineffective against me, so she did the next best thing. Helena threw the gun she'd been holding toward Kya who had now risen to her feet. Kya then bent over to pick up the gun and placed it to her head.

"Ice Queen, as you've so aptly named her, isn't like our newest batch of subjects." Helena looked over at Snake's body, which was now a puddle. "She won't melt away when her heart stops beating. I can still pull whatever genetic information I need from her when she's dead."

I cursed at Helena.  "What has Kya, or any of us done to you? We just want to be left alone!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Taylor, but that's impossible. The DNA within you all is far too valuable, especially yours. Had father not been so brash and deleted your genomic blueprints, perhaps we could go our separate ways, but that's just not the case. I hate being trite, but allow me to be now: life is not fair."

She took a step forward in her black glossy boots and as she did Kya pulled the hammer back on the gun, locking it into place with a deadly click. Two identical large men with combed over blond hair, blue eyes, and no necks due to the insane muscle mass on their bodies pulled up beside Helena. I recognized them as the two who were with her at Wendell Phillips.

"Last chance Mr. Taylor. You can either walk out of here or Adolf and Herschel can drag you out."

"Good luck." I said angrily.

And that's when it happened. I started to notice my feet tingling. The sensation then started to drift upwards and spread throughout my entire body, like I'd touched a live wire. Everything inside me was thrumming, itching to move, to run, to do something. I turned back to see Kya frozen in time, then I turned towards Helena who also appeared to be frozen along with her two minions.