Subject 15

CHAPTER 34 - Raven

I don't know how long I stayed there, crying in both physical and emotional pain. I had never cried like this, not in the lab, not after they made my very bones feel on fire, not after I had taken my first life; this was the first time I had every truly cried like this.

I wrapped my arms around my body, the wind tearing at my wounds, my hair whipping about me like a tornado. I remembered the first time I saw him, when I met him in the lab...

I was 14 years old, and had been beaten to the ground in defense training. Subject 31, a hulking mass of flesh five years older than me and who had already undergone the final procedure, grinning with his lopsided, stupid grin, stood over me. I turned to rest on my hands and knees, only to be kicked in the side, the force making something crack. Searing pain filled my mind as my vision turned dark and I curled into a small ball, waiting for what was to come next.

I heard Subject 31 laugh, a dark, gruff, evil laugh, a laugh that reveled in brining pain as he lifted his foot, the tip turning to concrete for another kick, the guards looking on, disinterested. It wouldn't be the first time that a Subject had been killed in the program.

I closed my eyes, bracing for impact, when I felt something brush over me, headed toward Subject 31. His laugh turned into a grunt of pain, and then a thunderous sound echoed across the concrete training facility as he fell to the ground.

I opened my eyes, and there he was. Standing there with his fists clenched and his broad wings extended, looking down at the fallen Subject, who was weakly holding his broken nose. Seth kicked the Subject in the side, like he had done to me, and the Subject recoiled, holding his wounded side as blood poured from his nose.

Then the boy with wings turned, the dim light behind him, and I truly thought I was looking at an angel. His eyes were bright and green, the light creating a small halo around his head and wings as he looked down at me. He knelt beside me, looking me over, his hands gently moving aside mine as he pressed his fingers into my side.

I winced at the pain, and he pressed his lips together, staying silent until he had scanned me for other wounds.

Then he spoke, and it was unlike anything I had ever heard. He was still young, around the same age as I was, but his voice made you think he was ages older, as if he had been here since the dawn of time.

"You have a broken rib, and some pretty bad bruises, but I think you'll make it."

I just stared at him, silent, not knowing what to say. He didn't press me for a response, he was more concerned at trying to help me. His brow was furrowed, his lips pressed tightly together in concentration as he ripped off a piece of his grey shirt, the numbers 00015 stitched into the right side of the shirt, where the breast pocket would have been.

He looked down at my number, and asked, "22?" I nodded, and replied, "15?" He nodded, and was about to say something else when a guard barked, "You two, that's enough! Get moving!"

Seth just looked over his shoulder and said, "She needs medical attention – take her to the clinic."

"She isn't going anywhere," said the guard, igniting his electric baton. "I said get back to work."

Seth stood up, turning to the guard, his wings casting a light shadow over the guard. "I said," growled Seth in an equally low voice, "She needs medical attention. Take her to the clinic."

The soldier drew back his arm to buzz Seth, and Seth crouched down in a fighting stance when a roar asked, "What the hell is going on here!?"

I weakly got up, barely able to raise my arm to attention as Farran Greyson walked toward our little group, the training facility growing quiet at his presence.

The guard immediately gave a sharp salute and replied, "Nothing, sir. Just one of the Subjects causing trouble."

Greyson turned a cold, steely eye toward me, but the guard quickly jutted in, "Not her, sir. Him."

Greyson turned to Seth, who didn't move and stared straight at Greyson, his fists clenched. Greyson looked at Seth's number and asked, "You have anything to say?"

Seth didn't salute Greyson, didn't address him as sir, and instead said coldly, "She needs medical attention – she needs to be taken to the clinic."

Greyson turned back to me, walking over with heavy footfalls. He looked me up and down as I gave him my best salute, unconsciously wincing at the pain in my side. Greyson continued to stare at me, looking me over once more before turning back to Seth, saying, "She's still standing. She'll be fine."

Seth growled then took a step toward Greyson, only to be struck to the ground by the soldier wielding the electric baton. Seth gritted his teeth, only falling to one knee. When the soldier lifted his arm for another hit, Seth kicked out, sending the soldier to his knees as Seth stood up, towering over the soldier. He grabbed the soldier's wrist and crushed it in his iron grip, making the soldier scream out in pain as he dropped the baton.

Seth turned to Greyson, fire in his eyes, as Greyson only chuckled. "We'll make a soldier out of you yet," said Greyson, taking out a plasma pistol from its holster at his side. He charged the weapon, and aimed it at the soldier's head. In a flash, the Seth moved and the weapon went off, the blast clipping the soldier's ear, sending him to the ground, howling in pain.

"Ooh, now that's interesting," said Greyson lowly, staring straight into Seth's eyes.

"He learned his lesson," coldly replied Seth, the soldier looking up at the two men, fear and pain running rampant in his eyes. More soldiers had surrounded us, aiming plasma-ion rifles at Seth. Greyson holstered his pistol and said to the group, "Take him to his cell. No food or water for two days." Seth gritted his teeth as Greyson mocked him by saying, "He'll learn his lesson."

"What about the girl?" asked a soldier.

Seth and Greyson both turned to me, and I stood completely still, frozen by both of their gazes, surprised at how similar they were.

"What about her?" asked Greyson. "Take her to the clinic. She can't fight if she dies in here."

Seth silently let out a breath he was holding in, only to have the rest of the air knocked out of him when a soldier slammed the butt of his rifle into his gut.

More soldiers beat Seth down, forcing him into a small ball onto the floor as another soldier practically dragged me to the clinic. I turned to look at Greyson, who was taking out his pistol again, saying to the soldier, "Thank you for your service son. We'll let your loved ones know that you died a glorious death fighting for your country."

The memory ended as Greyson pulled the trigger, silencing the soldier's begs for mercy.

I opened my eyes, all of the tears drained out of my body, my eyes red and puffy. I turned to the direction Seth had flown, and silently stood up, wiping my face with my hands and arms, dirt streaking across my face. I stood on the edge of the building, taking out my small piece of flint and tugging at the hidden necklace hanging around my neck.

It was Seth's steel dog tags, which I silently looked at for a moment. I shook my head, striking the two materials together, creating a couple of sparks. I focused on one of the larger sparks, making it grow into two separate balls of flame. I grabbed both, making them blaze stronger until they lifted me off the ground and toward the direction Seth had been going.

I couldn't let him face that monster alone.

I couldn't let him kill Greyson alone.

I wanted to do it with him.