Messier-17

Chapter 6

"No," Vanessa answers simply. "I refuse to take part in any more of your experiments. I don't care why you do it, I'm not helping you anymore." Well, at least she isn't crazy like I had originally expected. Director Volkov seems shocked at her immediate refusal, and a little disappointed as well.

"What?" He seems to have gotten over his shock and is now frustrated that this isn't as easy as he had originally thought. The tension in the atmosphere is so thick that it's getting a little hard to breathe. "Leave us." Volkov commands me.

I nod and leave the room as fast as possible, closing the door behind me to meet the face of  my main handler, Rick Foreman, as he waits patiently for me. Rick is a big guy, standing at six feet and two inches tall, very muscular, dark brown buzz-cut hair, and grey eyes. From what I know, he's in his early forties.

He gives me a curt nod of acknowledgement and I return the gesture before standing beside the door, against the wall. I can hear Vanessa and Volkov Black arguing, my mind highlighting the most important parts of the heated conversation.

So far, from what I've heard, Vanessa wants the organization for herself after giving Volkov the serum to make another assassin. But, Volkov won't give up the organization he built from nothing, and believes that because Vanessa is his daughter, she should make him the serum anyway, and as a reward he would give her a high rank in the organization.

They continue arguing, so Rick directs me away from the door and down the hallway. I hope I can get some actual food to eat. Most of the time I get all my nutrients and protein through a tube because I'm in cryogenic sleep.

I follow Rick into the chow hall, and most of the men in the room temporarily stop their conversations and look at me as I enter the room, but continue as soon as I pick an empty table in the corner of the room to sit at while Rick gets my food for me. He isn't getting my food for me because he has to, he's getting it because he doesn't want me to be too close to any of the soldiers.

I look around the room with a blank face to see that several men who have been here the longest are gripping their weapons just in case I lash out or attack anyone. A few newbies glance at me cautiously or curiously, either wondering who I am, or knowing exactly who I am but not knowing what I can do or why everyone is so weary of me. I spot the kid that gave me water a couple days ago talking to his friends and glancing back at me occasionally.

Rick returns with two plates of food and sits down across from me. He hands me my food and I look down at it questioningly. What the hell is this?

There's a white cloud of fluff, green sticks, and a small chunk of meat. Rick must notice my confusion because he chuckles lightly at me.

I look at him with a furrowed brow, silently hoping that he'll explain what is on my plate. He points to the fluff, "mashed potatoes," He then points to the green sticks, "green beans," and lastly, the meat, "steak." Rick finishes explaining. I nod my head as a silent 'thank you' and pick up my fork.

But before I can begin eating, much to my dismay, a young man in his twenties walks up to the table I'm currently sitting at. He seems on edge – nervous, like he's about to meet a famous person. He's wringing his hands together and his breath is shaky. I furrow my brow slightly in confusion and he snaps out of his daze, realizing he still hasn't said anything.

"Um, I uh, I wanted to ask," he paused glancing at Rick for a second before continuing, "How, uh, how did you lose your legs?" This question took me by surprise – not because of the question itself; it seems as though everyone wants to know – but because he even asked it in the first place. Not only that, but he asked me. Not Rick, me.

I debate responding, not really knowing the answer myself.

"What's your name, Kid?" Rick asks him.

"Um, Adrian Keller, Sir." Adrian responds.

"Adrian, are you new here?" Rick asks.

"Yes, Sir. I got here last month." He responds.

"M-17 lost her legs during one of her first missions. There was an unexpected mine that was buried too deep in the ground for our technology to detect it, and she stepped on it. They tried to get her off safely, but in the end it went off before they could stop it. The only reason she's alive right now is because of the serum and her powers." Rick explains. "Now get outta here. Go sit with your comrades."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." Adrian says before quickly walking back to his table.

"Get down!" The soldier screamed at the other men. I leaped off of the mine, trying desperately to get away, but it was too late. The explosive went off right next to me. For a moment, all I could hear was loud ringing, but as the sound faded away, I felt something missing. My ears were bleeding and my head felt as if it were going to burst. I tried to stand up, but all I did was end up on my face. What the hell? I flipped over onto my back and looked down at my legs, only to see nothing there. My legs were gone. I felt numb, you'd think that missing both of your legs would be extremely painful, but I couldn't feel anything. Why couldn't I feel anything? It was so abundantly clear that I didn't have my legs, but all I could feel was my legs.

There was so much blood. I glanced around, trying to see if anyone was near me, and saw a group of soldiers running toward me. They were fading in and out, and suddenly black spots started clouding my vision. Eventually all I could see was black, and then I passed out.

I wake with a jump, my eyes wide open as I lay on my side, gripping the old sheets like my life depends on it. I quickly get a grip on reality and relax my hands, sit up, and brush a hand through my short, orange hair. I take a deep breath and let it go, breathing steadily before I look down at my legs. The memory was so vivid that I can still feel a dull ache in the now metal limbs.

The door to my cell opens and Rick walks in, I lift my head and look at him with a blank expression, although I'm curious to know why he's here. The kid from yesterday follows him in, puzzling me further.

"Adrian here wants to talk to you. You're training starts in an hour." Rick explains before leaving with a curt nod in my direction, silently giving me permission to speak. Adrian stands there for a moment not quite knowing what to say. I just keep staring at him, patiently waiting for him to speak.

"Um, I-I guess I just wanted to apologize. For asking about your legs." Adrian mumbles.

"Why?" I wonder aloud, tilting my head slightly and furrowing my brow.

"Well, u-um, because it probably made you relive a b-bad memory." He stutters out.

"It did," I deadpan. He chuckles nervously, scratching the back of his neck and averting his eyes from me. We sit in silence for a moment, before I stand up – he doesn't step back, although, he wants to – and look at him curiously. What I don't understand, is how? How did I remember so quickly? How did I remember at all? I'm not supposed to remember anything from my past, but then you come along and ask a simple question, and suddenly I can remember a snippet of how I lost my legs. I ramble in my head, frantically trying to understand.

"Thank you." I finally say.

Adrian looks puzzled, "W-what?"

Just then, the door opens and a guard walks in, keeping his eyes trained on me. "Time's up, Keller."