Oblivion

Upwards

Brenda

This is all my fault. I couldn't just stay quiet and let security handle everything. Why the heck am I helping them? My job is on the line, not to mention my life, but I have no life without my job, but I have no job if I'm dead, so.... I don't regret my choice, not really. I just fear the consequences. I've been working on bored Project Oblivion for five months now. When I first heard that they were using teens my age as test subjects, I was baffled. Mr. Hyde assured me that they were nothing more than unimportant degenerates, but when I actually saw them off a screen, and heard they're voices, they became real.
We reached the end of the ventilation system that ended by dropping down to the next floor between the walls. Being in the front I maneuvered myself so my feet dropped into the hole. I wedged myself in the vent and began shimmying down. The steel groaned as the air conditioning kicked in and sent a blast of icy air up from below me. I dropped down as lightly as possible and crawled forward waiting for the boys. We made it to the seventh floor, so if we take a left, then a right, go straight then take a left, we should be in the surgical clinic.
Arrow dropped in clumsily behind me and piled himself closer to me impatiently. Eagle fell in behind him. I led us on the path to the surgical clinic on my now sore hands and knees. I pulled the sleeves of my lab coat over my palms and kept pushing forward.
"We can't use the vents to get out of here.they'll cut us off and we'll move to slow. Especially with all six of us." Eagle stated. He had already mentioned it twice as though I didn't understand.
"Then you have to fight your way out." I retorted. I crawled into a vent branching left.
The rest of our cramped uncomfortable journey was spent reviewing the plan. Observe, attack, escape. Watch from above, drop and attack, save and rescue, Without any casualties. I wasn't exactly a genius but I generally know when a plan is good. This plan was one of the worst I had ever heard. Maybe they'll drop down first, then I can crawl back and claim I was kidnapped. Or maybe I can drop down first and help capture them, or what if-
I was cut off from my thoughts by an ear piercing scream from a vent up ahead. The surgical clinics vent echoed the scream and I clutched the coat sleeves closer to my hands. I was pushed forward by the boys behind me and I hastily rushed ahead. The bright lights from the room below illuminated the scenery from below. They just strapped down their assets, preparing for the surgical procedure that would erase their memories. I knew the steps after that fell into simple mind control. Solitary confinement, irregular sleeping and eating patterns, from black to white lighting, and the nauseating sound that they played ranging from off to head splitting in a second. I know this because I've been there. Then they would be put back into the lab where phase two would begin. I take back my previous thoughts, I can't stay here and play captive.
Arrow angled his foot to block Eagle, who was desperately trying to get around. Arrow was right to hold him back, if he went in there like this he would likely ruin the 'plan'.
The worst thing about seeing them now compared to twenty minutes ago was the blood. Thunder was drenched in it. His torso, chest, abdomen, and shoulders were so red. It doesn't take a doctor to tell that he's lost a lot of blood. Hydratech guards were ordered not to drastically harm the assets though, and this was obviously drastic.
Eagle managed to get ahead of Arrow, and with no hesitation he kicked his feet down on the vent opening. It dropped with a loud clatter and Eagle was instantly down. I shared a look with Arrow before dropping next to Eagle slightly less gracefully than I had hoped.
"Get them!" Mr. Hyde yelled at the sight of us. Even across the room I could feel his eyes burning into me. They bore a hole of disapproval and fury that only fueled my desire to rebel.
Arrow landed beside me and without warning charged at Hyde. Eagle took that as his cue and began releasing Ghost from her restraints.
The guards at the sides of the beds propelled into action. One charged toward me but I was quick to react. I jumped back and flipped onto my hands, my feet smacking into guards chin.
Arrow had tackled Hyde to the ground and was delivering punch after punch to his jawline. Eagle had freed Ghost and moved to block a guards swing at them. Ghost leaped over the bed and began unfastening Beast, leaving Eagle to spar with the hulking figure.
Ghost had freed Beast's torso. He sat up and was quick to punch another guard I hadn't seen appear. I turned my attention back to my current threat. He had recovered from my blow and was now hovering over me. I spun on the ground and with difficulty, managed to trip him. The moment he was down I claimed his taser. Turning it up to the highest setting, I directed the barbs into his head.
I assessed my surroundings looking to see if my companions needed assistance. Ghost abandoned Beast once he hollered he had the rest of his restraints and with that she shuffled over to Thunder who appeared to be slipping in and out of consciousness. Tears were falling from her face as she seemed to mutter constant apologies to him. Eagle had run to her side in an attempt to pull her away from him. He knew as well as I did that we'd never make it out if he was with us.
I made my way to Arrow, who continued his brutal assault on Hyde. I grabbed his arm as it prepared to land another punch.
"He's not worth it." I muttered as I looked into his bloody face. His nose was obviously broken and was causing a geyser of blood to flow out of it. His eyes were closed, but even so I could see the right eye swelling up, a black bruise already showing.
Beast ushered everyone into the hall. Arrow was first, followed by myself. Eagle and Ghost were right behind us and Beast behind them. Arrow came to a halt when we came to an intersection.
"Which way?" He asked me. However I honestly had no clue. I'd never been to this part of the facility.
"Uhmmm, left!" I stammered. Our group bolted to the left and for the second time today, the alarm went off. We spotted a staircase up ahead and began making our way up at a fairly impressive speed. We reached the top of the staircase only to discover that we were still four stories underground. Because Mr. Hyde couldn't just make one staircase that goes through all the floors. Clearly fire safety was not a concern for him.
"Now what!" Eagle demanded as he glared at the stairless hallway.
"Why can't we just take the elevator?" Arrow questioned.
"Buildings in lockdown, elevators won't work. Neither will doors that require more than a key card." I replied looking for the next potential stairwell. Footsteps sounded to the right of us. The security was closing in on us. A loud clang sounded to the left of me. Beast had pried off a vent cover. My back ached at the thought of being crammed in there again but we were running out of options.
"Now or never!" Beast stated as he ushered Arrow in. Eagle directed Ghost behind him and Beast after that. Clearly he wasn't open to losing them again. I crawled in behind them and Eagle crammed behind me. After attempting to scale ourselves up the vents in order to assend without getting caught, we gave up and started looking for an exit from the suffocating space. We crawled quickly through the maze for several minutes before encountering a vent seal that was far enough from our previous location. It helped that we were up a story from before. Arrow kicked it out and I couldn't help but to flinch at the ear piercing sound that shot up when the cover flew into the white abyss that is the hallway.
After exiting the shaft we stood in the empty hallway, the alarm still blaring. I glanced down the hall that was splayed out before us, an elevator sat right in the middle, a staircase was next to it. We bolted up the steps to the first floor, but this was a lockdown. Windows barred, doors locked. Luckily sense Hydratech wants privacy, the authorities wouldn't be anywhere near here.
The general population of the building were running around in panic. These people only had access to the first two floors, they don't even know what they're working on. When they spotted us, matted hair, blood stains, simple white clothes, they worried even more. I took the lead and detoured my group to the cafeteria, the garbage shoot goes straight outside, and lacks the ability to seal itself shut sense it has no electronic device. I pulled open the metal handle and Beast ushered Ghost in first, me next. The slide was dark and unbelievably fast. I toppled into the bright sun and a pile of black garbage bags. The smell hit me immediately but it did little to impead my excitement. Ghost lent me a hand and helped me out. The boys toppled through the shoot and once they hit the ground we were running. We made it out. We escaped from Hydratech.