Rebel: A Monstercat Fanfic

075 - Reunion (009)

Song of the Chapter: Blackout - Pegboard Nerds (Electro)

My favorite Pegboard Nerds song! One part sounds like neon water ...

(Noisestorm's POV)

I pull my hoodie - Braken's hoodie - tighter around my shoulders. It's freezing in here, and though I appreciate it, a jacket with holes in the back isn't really effective.

I sit here, thinking. There's been lots of noise recently, but I only look up this time, because it's the sound of my cell being opened.

There's a girl soldier standing there, alone. Usually they're in pairs. She tosses me a uniform and says, "Change quickly. We're getting you out."

"We?" I try to say.

"Ben. He's Nick's friend. And my brother's here in spirit." Her expression darkens. "Jensen let that monster kill him."

I shiver a little, but ignore it. I pull the hoodie over my head, ignoring the stab of pain in my shoulder, and quickly get dressed. I don't even care that she's watching me. I'm getting out. We're getting out.

"Your shoulder - It's infected," she whispers. "Let me see." She reaches for me and I flinch away. "Sorry. You'll just have to be careful."

She gently takes my arm and shows me how to be a soldier. We start walking, and I suddenly pause. Braken. I try to tell her, but I only frustrate myself. She doesn't understand. I flap my arms a little and hold up the hoodie.

"Your friend?" she asks skeptically. I nod vigorously. I'm not leaving without him. She hesitates, and then leads me down a long hallway to a security room. "I have something to show you about him. He's special, you know."

Confused, I watch her sit down at a computer connected to the surveillance camera screens on the wall. She logs in and pulls up a little clip. I watch her work with a sudden fear in my chest. Of course I know that Braken's special. Everyone knows that. I just don't understand why she's telling me or what we're doing here. She expands the clip, the picture frozen, and my heart almost stops. It's the dark lab, with scientists in white and masks, and they're dragging a boy, my friend, Braken, to the table. Even though the video is a little static-y and in black and white, I can see his terrified expression and the tears running down his face. This was before he got his wings.

"There's something you need to know about Flight," the girl says, pressing play. The clip begins and my gut twists in terror and horror and everything in between.

The white scientists drag Braken to the table, shoving him down. Even as they restrain him, they all have to hold him face down. He way not be very strong, but he's fighting them with everything he's got. There's no sound, but I can see him screaming, crying for Leo.

"Everyone, even your strong friend Aero Chord, passed out during the experiment, when it first began," the soldier continues.

One of the scientists leans over to him, talking to him. Braken tenses up, but then relaxes a little.

"They just told me that everything would be alright, that I was in good hands and everything would work out."

Another one rests a knife against his shoulder blade, and then they plunge the knife into him and he screams, arching his back. I cover my mouth with my hand, though I'm not sure why.

"Everyone except your friend."

Just like he told me, I can see the blood rushing out of him like a river as they keep cutting, and he keeps screaming and crying. His fists and his teeth are clenched hard enough to break them, I think, and he yanks himself around, trying to pull away, but he's trapped. Every so often, he tries to curl up, but it's pointless. They take something big and black - his wing, and they start to sew it on, and I start to cry.