Jacksy

𝖥༏𝔣t𝖾𝖾ƞ

The small boy sat on the couch, fidgeting with his fingers. Noah slid down the grimy wall, wishing very much he had his hoodie to hide in. He hated himself. He hated the mayor, and he hated those doctors.

Ashton sat down next to Noah, and Noah could hear a faint whirring coming from Ashton's mask. Noah's heart ached. Ashton had it much worse, and so did the boy. They had been locked away for years. Did the poor boy even know his own name? Noah could barely make it five days in that place. He was weak.

"You got us out," said Ashton, his voice muffled.

Noah shook his head. "Skully got us out."

"The brother I know wouldn't have lasted long after I was taken," said Ashton, his black hair covering his eyes. "Not unless he had someone he could trust."

Noah took a deep breath. His heart was racing. He didn't feel like himself. Yet again, he had never felt normal. He didn't know what it was to be normal. Living isolated on a farm was not normal. Living like a pet was not normal. Sitting between a man with a mask and a dead mayor was not normal.

"Two ox in city program," said Ashton.

Noah frowned. "What?"

"Toxicity Program," said Ashton more slowly so Noah could hear him clearly. "That's the program they gave me. Oxygen is poisonous to me."

"What are you breathing in?" asked Noah, though he knew the answer.

"Toxins," said Ashton with distaste.

"I don't understand," said Noah. "Does it hurt your skin being out in the open? How isn't it hurting you internally?"

Ashton gave a small shrug and looked at Noah. His eyes were pale gray. "I don't know. During the trial in front of the mayor, they wanted to test my limits."

Noah shivered, remembering the blood he had seen on the wooden table. He also remembered seeing Ashton convulse in the bed next to him... Did that happen often to him?

"They gave me the mother-of-all-toxins," he said half-sarcastically. "It was too much. So I think there are toxins too strong for me. I don't know what I'm breathing now."

"That's horrible," muttered Noah, his gaze falling on the boy on the couch. He was staring down at his hands. "Since I met him, Skully hasn't stopped looking for you. He knew where you were, but he didn't know how to get to you."

Ashton looked away, his eyes glossy.

"Do you know his name?" asked Noah quietly, nodding at the boy. He felt bad for the kid.

"No," said Ashton. "He's Patient Two. He doesn't talk. He was pure when they took him. I don't know what they did to him."

Noah thought about mentioning the guard that told him to go. The guard definitely knew the boy. They had the same eyes. But there were too many questions. It wasn't the right time. "The Servitude Program," said Noah quietly. Saying it out loud gave him chills. "That's my program." He gazed at the dealer, and the blood seeping from his nose. "I didn't... I didn't mean to do that." He felt stupid saying that out loud, but he had to admit it to someone.

"I know," said Ashton with a grave tone. "I think we all know. The Servitude Program was new. I was still trying to figure out what it was when you came. They ran it on you very early. Usually they wait longer." He looked at Noah, sadness in his eyes.

Before Ashton could say anything else, Skully came down the ladder, having slid back the sewage panel. Following him came an older man with pepper-and-salt colored hair and a scruffy beard. He wore a long brown coat, and pulled the covering back over the ladder. The man practically radiated kindness and gentleness. Noah wasn't sure what it was about the man, but he knew he could trust him.

Skully looked around, and after sighing, he said, "This is Roger. He knows the dealer."

Roger quickly glanced at them all and then knelt down before the dealer. He pulled out a small tablet and laid it on the ground. He then pulled out a silver pen, and Noah tensed. But the pen wasn't some sort of trapping device; it scanned the dealer from head to toe with a blue holographic glow. Roger tapped the pen to the screen. Immediately, data and pictures appeared on the screen showing the dealer's vitals and injuries. Roger whipped his head back at Skully, his eyes wide. But he did not say anything. He turned his attention back to the dealer, and hastily pulled on a black leather glove. With a steady hand, he pulled the chip from the dealer's shoulder and sat it on the ground. He then stood and stomped on it, and Noah heard the tiny needles on the chip crunch.

"Will he be alright?" asked Skully, leaning his weight off of his injured leg.

Roger picked up his tablet and glanced at it. "He's suffered a large shock to his entire body. But if it's true he spoke to you afterwards, he should be alright. I'd be surprised if he could move his arm, though." He rubbed his beard. "The blood's also cause for concern... But his heartbeat's steady. He just needs some rest."

"Is he modified?" asked Skully.

Noah was taken aback by this question. Skully never asked anyone whether they were modified before. Noah knew Skully had bad experiences with modification, but he had never asked anyone that.

Roger shook his head. "I did not answer that out loud, so you cannot tell him that I told you that."

"So he won't heal as quickly," said Skully. "How long will it take him to recover?"

"I cannot answer that question," said Roger with a frown. "I haven't actually treated anyone who suffered from a Shockwave before."

Skully sighed and glanced around the tunnel. "We can't stay here."

Roger cleared his throat. "I believe the dealer has some nicer tunnels hidden somewhere..." He turned around and pointed. "Ah, yes, down that way to the left is where the dealer's bed lies. It is a tunnel big and nice enough for us all."

Skully met eyes with them, then sighed again. "All right. Take us there."