Survivors

Chapter 43: Xain

Chapter 43: Xain

            “Xain, what are you doing?” Melissa asks me with a tone of fear in her voice. Everyone is scared. They think I’m crazy for having Dr. Ken pinned against the wall.

            “What do you mean I have explaining to do?” Dr. Ken asks frantically. “I’ve been here since you rescued me.”

            “And before that?” I growl out.

            “I was a medic in C-5,” Dr. Ken quivers.

            “That’s not all you’ve been doing,” I respond.

            “What are you…”

            “I was just in C-5,” I cut the doctor off, “You mind explaining to us how a rogue mercenary and an ‘unstable’ arena fighter have knowledge and access to your secret lab? Or maybe you can tell us all about the Rebirth project.”

            I’m dragged off of Dr. Ken by Mason and a few other guards, but still turn to Melissa. “What’s his name?”

            “What?” Melissa asks confusedly.

            “What is Dr. Ken’s full name?” I ask a little louder.

            “Kennedy,” Melissa says scaredly, “Johnathon Kennedy.”

            “No, he’s lied to us for years,” I say. “His name—his real name—is Dr. Arlem Kendrix. He was the lead scientist for a human carnagion project known as ‘Rebirth’. It was an experiment to make the ultimate fighter, but only six of us survived: Me, Xania, Brute,  and Vice just to start.”

            “That’s not true,” Dr. Ken exclaims. “He’s lying!”

            “No he’s not,” Prosper speaks through the crowd as he approaches the front holding a tablet computer. “Part of the research we were able to pull from C-5 database were staff documents. It took very little hacking to get through the firewalls of the confidentials, but Xain is telling the truth. I have Dr. Ken’s file right here, and he is in fact Arlem Kendrix.”

            “And also Kain’s informant,” Jada catches on as she looks at Dr. Ken with realization. “That’s what Vice meant be Kain having a ‘friend’.”

            “So the moles were fake?” Sugar asks.

            “No,” Xain answers as he stands. “They found out about Honey and what we were conspiring from the moles, but when the moles couldn’t transmit a location, only sound and maybe sight, they found us by Dr. Ken. He was the spy.”

            “Is this true?” Melissa pushes past a couple of guards. We know she’s angry by the red in her face. “Were you the one responsible for all of this?!”

            Alestra and Mason are waiting for Melissa to move so that they can get to Dr. Ken without hurting her. I can see it in their eyes that they want revenge for Tanzi’s death.

            “Answer me!” Melissa slaps the doctor and he grabs a dagger off of the guard next to him.

            In one quick motion, he turns Melissa around and holds the blade to her thoat. Everyone has weapons now. They’re all shocked.

            “Fine, it’s true,” Dr. Ken answers. “I was on the verge of being rich, but then I was shut down. I pleaded for more time, telling of my successful six, and the president himself offered me a chance to prove my research. He told me to put them in the games and have them survive, to prove that they truly were stronger and better than any other warrior, but in order to do that, I had to clear their minds clean of everything.”