Project Genesis

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

Orion recoiled in shock as Corvus began to thrash around in his restraints.

"What's going on?" Orion looked at Ren in desperation.

"We have to take his implant out, now!" Orion hadn't noticed the nurse in the room when they had walked in, too transfixed at the sight of Corvus. She began to prep a tray of instruments, fumbling to hold Corvus' convulsing body to the table.

"Why? What's happening to him?" Orion could feel the dread in her chest as her eyes darted from Ren to the nurse and then back to Corvus.

"The implant, it's starting to affect him. We have to act now before it's too late." The nurse was trying futilely to hold Corvus' arm down, with no prevail. In a surge of courage, Orion strode forward to the table and pinned down his arm, wincing slightly as he tried to struggle against her grasp. The nurse shot her an almost thankful gaze before getting to work with the instruments in front of her.

"He's moving too much, are you sure we can do this right now? What about his memories?" Orion's palms were beginning to slick with cold sweat, both from her nerves and the physical nature of her actions.

"If we don't do it now, I don't know if he will be able to get his memories back...." Ren's face was grim.

"We would never be able to tell him the truth," Orion finished Ren's sentence, the grim look worn by Ren mirrored on her own face.

Orion had barely noticed that the nurse had begun to cut open Corvus' flesh just above where the implant was located. His screams were relentless, causing Orion to squint her eyes closed in anguish. Suddenly she felt warmth seeping over her hands. It took her only a moment to realize that it was blood, seeping freely from Corvus' arm and flowing over her clamped fingers. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat and continued to press down on his arm as the nurse worked. Almost instantly, Corvus' body went limp beneath her hold.

"Corvus?" Orion questioned meekly. The nurse was moving quickly, sewing up his arm where she had made the incision.

"Corvus? What's happening?" Orion frantically looked at the nurse, waiting for a reply but receiving none.

"Try to relax, he's still breathing," Ren said, walking around to where Orion stood, still pressing down his arm. Slowly, Orion released her grasp on his arm, fingertips lingering on his bloodied skin.

"At this point, all we can do is wait and see. He might be unconscious for a while." Ren pressed a hand to Orion's shoulder, causing her to flinch at the contact.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Come with me, let's get you washed up." Orion looked down at her hands, stained an almost copper tone from the blood that had begun to dry on her hands. Reluctantly, Orion nodded her head and followed Ren out of the room.

"So, is there anything you want to know about this place?" Ren asked, turning her head to look at Orion. Orion could tell that Ren only wanted to distract her from thinking about Corvus, but her mind couldn't help but linger on the image of his bloodied body on the table.

"Look I know it's hard, seeing a friend like that, but there has got to be some things you want to know about what's been going on." Orion knew she was right, ever since she had been captured a million questions had been racing in her mind.

"For starters, where am I?" Orion said, her voice low.

"We like to call it the base. It's where we spend most of our time. Spending time above ground isn't exactly ideal with Hollows running-"

"Hollows?" Orion cut her off.

"The thing you saw that attacked your friend? Those are what we call Hollows. They are all of the animals that managed to survive and mutate when Midnight broke out." Ren's brows furrowed but she continued.

"The base was built long before I was born. My mother- she was the one who had the whole idea for it..." she trailed off.

"Where is she now?" Orion questioned.

"She died, a few years ago. Despite our best efforts, Midnight is still a highly adaptive disease. We just weren't prepared yet." Orion could see tears welling in her eyes but said nothing, waiting for Ren to continue.

"Anyways, to make a long story short, they built this place off the old subway system. They added to it of course, but it had everything needed to sustain life in case one day there was no life for us above the surface," Ren finished.

"That's pretty incredible, I mean, considering the circumstances," Orion said. Ren nodded her head.

"It is. Excel Corp never knew about it, they weren't the type to get their hands dirty in cities like mine," Ren said, a sour look on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" Orion asked, unsure if she truly wanted the answer.

"I think that's probably enough new information for today," Ren said, stopping in front of a door in the hallway. She pushed through the door, motioning for Orion to follow.

"Here's where you will be staying. The bathroom is inside on your right. Get cleaned up and you can join us in the Rec for dinner." Ren smiled, before closing the door behind her.

Orion took a minute to look around the small room. It was basic, a small cot on one side accompanied by a small table with a lamp. In the corner there was a small desk with a metal chair tucked neatly beneath it. On top of the desk, she noticed the familiar pack that she had received after they had awoken. Part of her wanted to see what was left inside of it, but her bloodied hands called for her to get cleaned up. She turned to the right, pushing through the door that lead to the bathroom. It was small, but space had been allocated wisely to fit the small shower in with the toilet and sink. A couple of white towels were sat on top of the metal toilet, adjacent to the shower.

Slowly, Orion began to pull off her clothes, careful not to stain them with her bloodied hands. She turned the dial in the shower, watching as the water began to flow. She couldn't remember the last time she had showered. She stepped into the stall, pulling the white curtain closed behind her. The water that cascaded down around her shoulders was surprisingly warm and Orion could feel her muscles relaxing. She looked down as she scrubbed at her hands with the bar of soap, watching as the water pooling at her feet turned red from the blood. The blood left her feeling unsettled, images of Corvus' thrashing body still fresh in her mind.

She turned the knob of the shower until the water stopped, stepping out onto the cold floor. She grabbed a towel and secured it tightly around her wet body. The mirror in the bathroom had fogged up slightly, but she could still see glimpses of her face in the reflection. The dark circles under her eyes were still prevalent, standing out in stark contrast to her pale skin. Orion sighed, picking up her clothes from the floor and one by one pulling them over her body. She pushed through the door and entered the bedroom, expecting to see the same small bed and plain walls. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next.

"Hello, Orion."