FOUR
It wasn't until my head cracked against the metal top that I realized I was at the end of the ladder. Great; now what? I looked down to where I had climbed from. The ground wasn't even visible though. It was so dark and rather high up, so clearly this ladder must have led to something right? Either that or my gut instinct wasn't as instinctive as I had thought. I placed my hands on the metal above me and pushed. With an incredibly slight ease the metal went up. I threw it out of the way, revealing above me a circle opening which allowed light to pour through. I pulled myself out through the hole and sat at the edge.
"What the..." I stammered as I looked around.
Ok I had expected something to be at the top of ladder, something like I don't know? Maybe a secret order that was building up to rebel against the Monarch, or maybe just a stupid little cavern where I could stake out, until things died down. Not this, not a whole new civilization. I was in a dingy little alleyway, that looked like it had seen better days, and it was dark. Night time, how far into nighttime I couldn't really tell. I couldn't exactly see much but I was surrounded by two large buildings and watched as the odd car drove past. One thing I knew for sure however, I was pretty god damn confused. I had heard stories of a place like this, Hale used to tell me them. He had told me stories of a completely different world to the one which I had grown up in the Institute. A world that I had been concealed from my whole life, a world which fit the description of this one: dingy buildings, polluted air, industrial civilization. I felt so inferior, so clueless to what my next step should be. If only Hale where here now to guide me... And just like that a thought struck me. You know how you see in those stupid little children cartoons when one of the characters like a talking cat or something gets an idea, and then out of nowhere a light bulb starts flashing above its head. Well if those sorts of circumstances where real, then the light bulb for my head would be shining like the sun. I really couldn't be blamed for forgetting about the piece of paper Hale had handed to me. Well not so much handed seeing as it was me that had to complete that energy draining test to get it. But Hale had told me to read it as soon as I was out of the Institute, and well what do you know? We're out of the institute. I shoved my hand into my pocket and pulled out the scrunched up piece of paper. I unfolded it and began to read. It was in Hales handwriting, and reading the first line I knew my life had completely changed.
Dearest Lilani,
If you are reading this, then it is most likely that I am gone, or put it in graver terms. I am dead.
My heart stopped. I mean literally, I felt a writhing pain in my chest like someone had my heart in their hand and had begun to squeeze violently. Hale was dead? It couldn't be, but deep in my heart I knew it was true. Hale knew I had had a better chance if he stayed behind. He sacrificed himself for me, gave his life up for me. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and although I suppose I wasn't exactly feeling anything, apart from the tugging at my heart my emotions where all haywire and I really had no control. The tears were silent; the pain of losing Hale was indescribable. It just felt so unreal, so heart wrenchingly awful that it couldn't possibly be real. I wanted to puke up, but I knew that Hale would need me to toughen up. To keep reading, so that's what I did.
I don't know how we have departed, weather on good terms or on bad. Just know Lilani that I loved you, with a compassion I have never felt before. You are my daughter, not genetically but in spirit our bonds take much more than my death to break. Although If your crying dear, PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER. I may be gone, but if you're sitting there like a helpless blubbering loony then I will not be pleased.
I couldn't help but laugh. For a dead guy, he sure had a sense of humor.
So back down to business, the Monarch has risen. But you should have already known that. Remember all those years ago, what I told you. The day Eric was taken from us. The Monarch is the government, they own everything, they are everything, and they own everyone. But their quest for power was challenged when other upcoming groups began to rebel against the Monarch. Suddenly their quest for total domination became a blood thirst. The Monarch became ruthless and began taking out anyone who tried to rebel, The Monarch aren't stupid. They knew about everything that was going on in the Institute. And they knew that what we were creating and they knew what we had could help them. We had two semi perfect specimens, and the Monarch wanted them for their army. You and Eric are whom I speak of. Allya and I had originally planned to train you both to oppose the Monarch, not fight with them. We wanted to design you to be the hope for the world when the Monarch proved overpowering. And indeed you would have been, but Allya got scared. She gave in, her selfish desires took over her and eventually she handed Eric over to the Monarch. Therefore our plans seemed corrupted, but you Lilani have proved stronger than we had initially thought. I have trained you to be the best, I have trained you to lead the world into freedom, and I have trained you to save the world.
