Unreal

P2: Uncovering Secrets

I go down the hall to the right, the opposite way of the approaching voices and footsteps. I tiptoe down the hall like a thief, searching for something dangerous or even the mild bit interesting. But all I get is blank walls and echoing silence.

There aren't even any doors. Just when I regret my right turn, I come to a door at the end of the hall. There aren't any other entries around just the lone, bright orange door. Like my bedroom door, it doesn't have a doorknob. In the wall beside it is a little box.

"Password, please." the automatic voice asks.

I stay quiet not sure what to say or if it's specifically coded for someone's voice.

"Password, please." The box insists I give it something.

"Daring Labs." I blurt.

It buzzes. "Access Denied."

"Daring?"

"Access Denied." It grows louder, losing it's soft tone from before.

I shush it. The noise bounces around the walls. I look behind me for anybody.

Another buzz. "Access Denied!"

"Uh..." I tuck my hair behind my ears. "Alpha Daring?"

"Access Denied!"

I can't tell what will draw the most attention, the box, my labored breathing, or my wild heartbeat.

"Autumn!" I shout.

The box dings. "Access Granted." The voice regain its monotone voice.

I don't know if I'm relieved that I figured it out, or pissed that I didn't think of it sooner. Regardless, I'm honored to be a top secret password. The door slides open. I shake a fist at the small contraption before walking through the doorway. The door quickly shuts, bathing me in darkness.

"Hey, wait!" I slap my hand against the door.

"Welcome, Dr. Daring." A voice cuts through the silence.

The lights flicker on. It's a small office. A giant white desk in the middle of it with a lone chair. Nothing else clutters the room. I sit in my dad's desk chair and spin around. So, this is where he disappears to most of the time.

I've always dreamed of seeing my dad in his office. Trying to stop my spinning, I grab onto the desk. It makes a sound before it comes to life. An electronic file appears. I nibble on my bottom lip, allowing curiosity to get the best of me. I tap the folder.

Various papers shoot out of it, arranging themselves over the screen that makes my father's desk.

After all these years, his technology still amazes me. I lean forward and male the paper to my left bigger.

Operation Autumn:

My mouth gapes open. My dad named his operation after me? I flip past the first page to another.

Original Subject born: April 28, 1995

Mother: Julianne Martinez

Father: Unknown

I frown. I don't get this. Is this about Dr. Martinez? She had a child? I swipe the screen, enlarging another paper.

Experiment No. 126:

We decided to all subject 126 to live and believe it is a normal young girl. I've allowed it to believe I am its father. This is to ensure no other stressors are involved in the development of mutation.

Start Date of Mutation: Age 5

Notes: No side effects from mutation or changes.

Activation Date: Once subject has reached the year of 18

Attached to the file are images. With shaky hands, I click on them. Images shoot across the desk. A younger version of Dr. Martinez receiving an ultrasound.

A little girl frozen underneath a bright light on an observation table surrounded by people in blue with paper masks only clothed by a paper blanket. The shocking pictures were the pictures I drew for my father when I was a kid.

I abruptly stand to my feet, scrambling away from it all. It's like they literally stabbed me with each reveal.

Am I the subject?

The subject of what? What is the experiment? What did they do to me? What are they planning to do to me? I'm eighteen now. I look at my hands as if I could see the damage, but everything looks the same as yesterday and every day before that.

I must've been reading it wrong. Maybe it was someone else. Or something else. I lean over the desk to find any ounce of doubt in my findings.

The serene lights turn blaring red. My head snaps up. A siren growing louder.

"Autumn is missing." A bland voice rings.

"Great." I mutter as I wipe away my tears.

"Autumn, please return to your room." Lily's voice replaces the other one.

I try easing out of my dad's office without trembling, but it's hard. The weight of the truth is heavy. How could Dr. Martinez not tell me? My whole life has been a lie. I'm almost to my door. To my prison what I hear the shouts.

"There she is!" The guards stationed at my door yells.

All eyes lock onto me. I freeze for half a second. It's all it takes for the adrenaline to kick in.

I run.

I push past them, having no clue as to where I'm going.

"Autumn, please return to your room." My dad tries to sound calm while speaking on the intercom, but I can hear the panic and frustration twisted around the words.

I run into some more guards as I dive around a corner. My feet nearly slip from underneath me as I stop.

"Come on, girly, there's nowhere for you to go." The leader of the group dressed in heavy grey advances toward me.He reaches for me.

Before I realize what I'm doing, my foot flies to his face. He falls back, landing with groan.

"What the hell?" A member of the group speaks.

Oh. My. God.

I stare down at the man with my jaw dropped. "I didn't mean it!" I blurt.

The others don't seem so convinces as they charge at me. It's like I have no control of my actions. The first guy to grab me, I turn his wrist until it snaps and shove him away from me. Another guy gets slammed into the wall.

One at a time, I easily take them out. It's not long before I'm back to jogging down the hall. I'm not even winded. Is this what the mutation caused? I don't know why I don't just go back to my room. Well, actually I do. I don't want to be "activated." I attempt to find an exit to this place.

"Code Red. Code Red."

At that very moment, everything stops.

The lights stop flashing. Silence engulfs the halls. My pace slows down to a walk.

Something isn't right.