MARIEL

2~ Feel ~

Wind screamed.

Her head spun and pounded, a mix of pain, grogginess, and confusion.

"Tira."

A male voice, muffled in tone. Annoyed. It faded in, grew louder, and then drifted again. It didn't matter though... it was a man speaking, and she had no interest in men, especially when she simply wanted to sleep. Everything hurt and, as she drifted in and out of slumber, she tried to understand why.

Words tore from her throat. "Imərjənsē! Agent 4!"

Rapidly, Tira's eyes moved beneath her eyelids. Despite her awareness, the movements were involuntary. Her eyebrows knit together, trying to piece together her past with the current reality. In her dazed state of mind, she could still see the moonlit sky. As her body plunged towards the earth, the balcony and the scaffolding grew monstrously tall.

"Tira, wake up." The male spoke in Russian. Someone slapped her cheek. It wasn't hard, but it stung enough to jolt her a little. Still, despite the steady anger that began to warm her body, she couldn't open her eyes.

The moon reappeared. Tira lay motionless, unable to move, listening to the gentle breeze that tickled her face and ears. The kiss of the breeze was calming, much like the gentle brush of Esther's fingers over her ear.

Heat tore through her body.

Who the fuck was looking after Esther Caravan?

Violently, Agent 4 jolted upwards. As her eyes flew open, cold metal around her wrists restricted her movements. Light screamed into her face. Wildly, blood roared through her veins and brought her body to life again. An animalistic cry tore from her throat. As Tira fought the metal restraints that chained her to the bed, grogginess and confusion faded.

She became aware of the hospital room. The bright lights. The noises of the machines that surrounded her. Then, the footsteps. Feet stomped down the hallway towards the room. Hadn't there been a man in the room with her? Where had he gone? How much time had passed?

With wild eyes, Tira searched the room, noticing every item, every machine, every word in Russian. Panic rose into her throat. Sweat rolled over her skin, and her chest heaved as she struggled to regain oxygen.

'Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Just relax.'

Agent 4 couldn't relax. Her body was broken. She'd been chained to a hospital bed in Russia, and Russia was very far away from Chicago. She couldn't stay here, she needed to get back to Chicago. Who was ensuring the subject's safety? Was someone else protecting Esther? Were they keeping the paws of that bloodied monster away from her?

The footsteps grew louder. Her heart slammed faster.

What about the kill chip? What if someone had reinserted the kill chip?

Acidic bile stung her throat. She felt more of it rising, burning her chest and throat, filling her mouth as -

The door slammed open. A tall, familiar man with salt and pepper hair strode into the room, his face lacking expression of any sort. The black suit was fitted and tailored, and the red tie shimmered in the light. Her Papa.

"It's about time, Tira."

Tira couldn't stop it. As Aleksey Petrov approached the bed, her abdominals tightened and her body lurched. Yellow-colored liquid projected from her mouth. With a sickening splat, the vomit struck the President of Russia. It splashed across his suit coat and then dribbled downwards. It created a stream of yellow against the black jacket.