The 27th Element: Project 863

A Threat

Jordan continued visiting me, bringing me food, comforting me. She kept me grounded, I could fight off and make sense of the voices. I wasn't so miserable with her there. But one day I got a visitor, and it wasn't her. I heard loud footsteps outside my door, then the locking mechanism opened. Soon, the door swung open to reveal Nelson. When it did, the voices got louder, almost deafening. He told me to get up, which the voices echoed. I stood. He told me to follow him, the voices repeated. I followed. He led me to a new room, it was thankfully larger, and nicer. I had a small window, an actual cot in the corner  (which led me to believe he did not plan on me leaving), and multiple desks with equipment and chemicals. He shut the door behind me, the lock clicked shut. He really doesn't want me to leave.

I spotted a camera in a corner. Something about it made me frustrated. I grabbed the nearest bottle, and flung it at the device. The liquid that had been in the bottle ate at the technology like acid. The camera sparked, and then died. I sat down on the cot and laid against the wall, listening to my wheezing breaths. 

Jordan won't be able to find me. Well that's what I thought until she inevitably found me. When the door started to move, I though it was Nelson or one of his goons, I was pleasantly surprised when Jordan entered.

"Well THERE you are," she said, sounding exasperated,"I've been looking all over for you."

"Sorry." Was all I could mumble.  I hadn't been able to pick myself out of a depressive mood. I was in pain and it felt better to be numb. I hadn't moved from my position on the corner of my bed. I had also realized I had blank spots in my memory.

"Hey!" She brought me out of my thoughts and I discovered she had been talking. She looked at me disapprovingly,"What did they do to you?"

I looked down at the floor while I remembered what I had endured, and that I was still alive. She continued to bring me food and I was starting to enjoy our little chats. And I enjoyed her company. I noticed the dark spots getting longer and more frequent however. 

----------------------------------------------------

"Ben!" Wesley yelled as he entered my room, followed by a very sleepy looking Jordan. He wrapped me in a hug, as pain inducing as it was, it felt nice. "So we've been working on an antidote and I'm setting up a way to disperse it around the facility. Would you help?"

"Yes, of course." 

Wesley explained everything. The device had a code it needed, the codes would change each day, someone would inform me of the word/words at 2:35 PM every day.

I was happy, for once in my miserable time there. I was going to be healed. That was, until one fateful day. It was 2:30, I was waiting for Jordan to tell me the codes for the day. I heard footsteps. She's early? That never happens. She always comes on time, never early, never late. 

Nelson walked in. "Expecting someone else?"

He knows. He walked closer while I hid a bottle of freshly made acid. I might have become something terrible, but I was still a chemist. "Who would I be expecting? Everyone thinks I'm dead." I had a little bit of pent up aggression about that.

He smirked,"You've heard," he paused,"How is the serum?"

"What are you here for?" I was impatient. I had been ever since the serum.

"Straight to the point as always, that hasn't changed," his faced hardened,"I want to know who your messenger is, and I want to know who has been messing with my company." I stole a furtive glance at the clock. 2:33. "So you have a set time." I hated how he could read my every movement. I wondered if he could read the fear behind my eyes. He walked behind me, staying close,"Why don't you go meet them?"

I walked to the door. He was silent, I couldn't even hear his breath. Another glance to the clock, 2:34. I heard footsteps outside. While the sound would usually bring me comfort, a sign I wouldn't be alone, this time it only brought dread. There was a scuffle of feet and a muffled screech.

"I hope you didn't think I came alone." Nelson said from right behind me. I felt something hard against the side of my head, knocking me to the ground. He hooked an arm around my neck, cutting off my attempts of egress. I tried to get away from him, but I was tired, malnourished, and dehydrated while he was fine. I felt a warm liquid flow down the side of my head which I identified as blood. The door opened and Gary, holding a struggling Jordan, stepped through.

"Ms. Kendal." I could hear Nelson's smile,"So you are the messenger. That means you know who is building something without my permission. Tell me, who is it?" When she didn't speak, he sighed."This could've been easy." He unclipped my mask, the only thing that kept me breathing. After a few seconds, my breathing became ragged and painful. I saw the concern in her eyes. "I'll ask again, who is it?"

"Don't-" I tried. 

He pressed his arm harder into my neck, cutting off my already distressed breathing. He whispered in my ear,"I wouldn't do that. You only have so much air left." And then I realized something terrible. I recognized his voice. When he spoke like that, it was the same as the voice that had been torturing me. I didn't know how, but there was no mistaking it was him. My vision was going. "I'd wager he doesn't have long left," he said to Jordan,"Do you really want his blood on your hands?" I tried to shake my head.

"It's Wesley," her voice cut through the air,"He's building a device to disperse an antidote in the facility." 

My heart sunk.

 "Now was that so hard?" He released me. I took in gasping breaths while searching for the mask which I found and secured it around my head. The air only reminded me of Wesley, and what would happen to him. Nelson and Gary left. Jordan rushed over to me, making sure I was okay as I could be.

"I'm sorry," her voice was thick,"I couldn't watch you die in front of me."

"It- it's fine."

She left a little while after that. I laid on my cot, thinking about my discovery and what would happen to poor Wesley.