Wings: More Than Just Two Worlds

Chapter 19: Recap

Project C

Species: Iridescent

Age: 15

I fell back in my bed wanting to know, "Let me get this straight, Lian died, but then was awakened, and she turned into a blood crazed monster?"

"Yep," N replied, she laid in her bed, that fit snug next to mine. It was late at night; all of us were exhausted from the long day. We never had a set place to sleep. Some nights we slept in the main lab, some nights we slept in the pit, but that night we slept in a vacant cell. Leo usually kept the fresh experiments in there, but since no new ones came yet they were empty. The small cells are lined up. They have four enclosed walls with two bunk beds in each. The cells used to have a fridge full of rations, however that was taken away; but he still had a bookshelf full of books inside. We loved to sleep in the cells because only then could we sleep on mattresses. Leo continued to experiment on us; however, he trusted us and our tattoos enough to allow the four of us to roam the lab as we pleased. 

K entered the room with V after he took her to brush her teeth. V let go of K's hand, running over to N's bed, "I'm sorry N, I didn't know that would happen."

"Don't sweat it, I don't blame anyone for what happened," N smiled, she flexed her newly regenerated arm before grumbling, "Besides Leo."

K wanted to know, "So you don't hold anything against Lian?"

"Correct, except I do want to talk to her about what happened," N replied, crossing her arms behind her head, "Something makes me think she doesn't know what her father did to her as a child. I don't think Cyrus talked about it with her."

V jumped on top of N, gasping, "What did he do to her!" She rolled next to N, reaching both her hands in the air, "And how come I don't know."

K tackled them both, laughing, "Because you were a baby when it happened."

All three of them were laughing at this point. It made me feel content that I could finally say I found a family, a family that may not have existed if it weren't for the walls of this lab. I dived on top of K, shouting, "DOG PILE!" I knocked all the air out of him. 

K complained, "Dude, did you shower? You reek!" 

We were all laughing so hard tears came out. At times we seemed overwhelmingly lighthearted for living in a life of torture, but if we didn't have moments like this to look forward to, we would have killed ourselves a long time ago.

Once we all settled down I saw K casually wrap his arm around N, without her knowing. I winked at him, signally 'smooth move.' He winked back almost as if 'I know.'

I sat up on the edge of the bed, informing V, "When Leo made Lian, he designed her to be what he viewed as perfect, and that's unstoppable. When you are unstoppable you have ultimate power."

N held onto K's arm, accepting it around her, it's always been obvious K liked her; maybe she's starting to like him. I'm happy; they both deserve to find a deeper love. N pointed out a flaw, "What I don't get is Leo uses a strength suppressant on Lian, which weakens her, so doesn't that mean she is stoppable?"

V tapped N's shoulder, repeating, "Temporarily, temporarily."

"I actually thought about this a lot lately," I claimed, moving back to my bed, "Think of the strength suppressant as any other kind of drug. If you take something on a regular basis, you build up a tolerance. To get the same effect as the first time you used the drug you have to up the dosage or take a stronger form. Lian's suppressed condition is only temporary, and pretty soon will be nonexistent. One day Lian will reach a point where no drug can stop the monster within her."

V pulled the covers over her head as she said softly, "That's scary."

K realized, "You said Lian attacked because she needed a new blood source to replace what was lost, but even though she consumed an entire shark, she craved more. What if what she was craving wasn't blood, what if it was the strength suppressant?"

I pulled my covers over my body, yawning, "You're not making any sense."

"Listen," K told me, climbing up to the top bunk above N's bed, "When a drug junkie automatically goes clean turkey, they completely lose it, go crazy, maybe throw a tantrum, do things they wouldn't usually do all in a desperate pursuit to get more. Lian lost all her blood, so something she was used to having course through her veins since infancy was no longer present. Maybe she went through her own withdrawal."

V flew up to the top bunk above me. She settled in, wondering aloud something we all wanted to know, "I wonder what's happening to Lian now. I hope she's alright."

N rolled over to her side, mumbling, "I hope she's alright too. I should thank Eve for sneaking me back in the lab without Leo knowing. It's strange, Leo is always talking about his kids, but never once has he mentioned her name. I feel bad for Eve. She claims she hates her children, but I think on some level she loves them."