After, Riven and the others left the Exo Bank. In cold room, the air clung to everything. Each exhale made the atmosphere heavier. The chamber only had, the sounds of soft clinks of glass vials.
"Where the truth lies the lies… also lay."
There as a voice a girl reciting something, that made her, have a bright smile as it kept her calm in whatever she was in a bad situation.
She stood at 5'8", her figure slender yet graceful, draped in a simple white robe embroidered of gold threads along the edges, a single, silver hoop earring hangs from her left ear. Her long brown hair cascaded to the middle of her back, almond-shaped eyes were filled with warmth and kindness, yet they held a shadow…anger and depression lingering just beneath the surface
From her look what is she doing here? How is she even here?
The girl moved across the room, her steps were deliberate… hesitant? Still, as she moved, the sound of the chair halted her, as she saw the man in the chair to her left, shifting awake.
"Where am I?"
Aiden stirred, his eyes snapping open. He groaned, shaking his head as he tried to focus on his surroundings. His voice was weak, hoarse.
The first thing he saw, was a young girl standing before him, looking directly at him.
"You're awake. Good." She said calmly.
Adin blinked as he took in his surroundings, the room has sterile walls of a lab…? It caused his mind to race. He remembered the prison, the chaos, the men who'd dragged him out, before he went out cold.
His gaze locked onto the girl again, his eyes narrowed as he saw her pick up a vial. The liquid inside bubbled ominously, it's shade of blue and black…? The sight of it made his stomach twist, still the sight of something so, vile worried him not terrified him…yet.
"What are you going to do to me?" He said, trying to get up only to see, he was strapped down by iron bars.
He didn't have the strenght, to break the iron bars, his body was still weak from whatever he inhaled. His thoughts raced, he had no doubt that this was no ordinary iron, these bars had to be crafted from something far more specialized. Something designed to hold Exodites, whether weak or strong, under control.
Where could such a iron come is it this zone or another?
The girl's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You quite arrived early... to take your shot," she said, her eyes flickering to the syringe she held, filled with the vile liquid. "Marvin mentioned you caused a riot..."
"That isn't something very smart to do here…"
Aiden barely registered her words, his gaze fixed solely on the syringe. "And what is that?"
She glanced down at the syringe, her gaze had a bit of…detachment. "I'm sure you've encountered the blue-skinned men..." She paused. "Well, you're about to become one of them." She frowned.
Aiden's breath caught in his throat, he glared at the girl. "So, you're the one turning them," he spat."Kidnapping so many Exodites, using them for whatever sick experiment you've got."
The girl's calm demeanor shattered. Her eyes flickered with something…anger, perhaps? Frustration, certainly. For the first time, her voice rose.
"Don't blame me for that," she snapped, her hand tightening around the syringe. "I'm just trying to survive. In fact, I'm trying to do the opposite of all of this."
Her lowered her gaze for a moment."But this... this is the only thing I can do now. It's the only reason I'm here."
Aiden was abit take back, by the girls words.
'What does she mean…is she forced to be here? But how could she make that even then?'
She turned away, but not before her eyes flicked to his, filled with a fleeting sorrow, before they hardened once more. Without warning, she moved toward him, she reached out, gripping his neck.
Aiden was frozen, the coldness of her touch sending a shiver down his spine. She tilted his head to the side.
"Stop! What's do you mean?"
Aiden's mind races, that he decided to try stall for some time or maybe talk her out of this after he saw, her sad face when he head dropped he realized that she truthfully didn't want to do this.
"Wait…I can see you're going through something. I am too. We can help each other, right?"
He watched her carefully, searching for any sign of movement, but the needle remained poised at his neck. "Alright, how about you help me out of this, and I can help you escape?"
The needle hovered, hesitating, before stopping just short of his skin. His words seemed to have struck something deep within her. It wasn't much, but it was enough to hold her back for the moment. Of course, Adin knew there were countless others who had tried to say the same thing, he was different.
The girl's grip slackened, and her eyes lingered on him.
'This is the first time I've seen someone talk like this to me... his sanity remains intact after all of Jaden's manipulations. He isn't bad, just... how is he still holding on?' She wondered.
Her hand pulled back away from his neck, and she slowly spoke. "Well..."
Before she could continue, the heavy sound of the large silver door at the corner of the room, grinding open interrupted them. It caused Aiden to…shiver?
The same for the girl as her hand jerked just slightly, the needle making contact with his skin, but it was barely a scratch. Both of them felt it…the overwhelming, suffocating presence that seemed to fill the room.
Who could have such a terrifying presence...? Out of all the Specters I've encountered, this is the only one to have my heart race like this.
"Miss Sarah, you're talking to the subjects again?"
A voice echoed, calm but authority, broke through the tension. The door opened further, and in stepped a man…tall, with an imposing frame that filled the space. His face was sharp and angular, with pale skin and eyes that gleamed a piercing gray, devoid of any warmth.
Slicked-back jet-black hairz he had on a dark lab coat, the sleeves rolled up, revealing the tools and syringes attached to his belt. A silver pendant hung from his neck, shaped like a…grotesque, abstract human figure? It looked like a symbol of something... twisted.
"Lucian…I told you to never interrupte me."
Lucian's gaze never left Aiden, and his lips curled into a small, almost amused smile. "Uh-huh," he muttered dismissively, before shifting his attention back to Sarah. "So, how's the new concoction coming along?"
The man Lucian knew of Sarah talents in, that why he had to get her even if it's through trucker at which they tried. At first but it wasn't easy for Marvin and the other to act…different.
So they were easily saw through.
But it's also her norm to speak to all her patients be open, with them it's to calm qnd build friendships if need be in the future. But mainly it's out of her open and kindness personality.
"…" Sarah turned away, walking toward her notepad. "I've made drastic improvements. The transformation should happen within two days now."
"That's good, but it's still slow."
Sarah's jaw clenched. "It could've been faster if you gave me some peace and time instead of sending me hundreds of Exodites every week."
Lucian simply nodded, unfazed by her irritation. "Speaking of Exodites... Zack's going to have some trouble bringing in the fresh ones."
His gaze flickered back to Aiden, and Sarah couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity at the sudden shift in focus. She didn't have time to ask as Lucian turned fully toward Aiden.
"Seems like you lied and had friends." Lucian said.
Aiden's gaze darted between Sarah and Lucian, panic welling in his chest. He didn't want to show he was cornered, but it was obvious now…he had been caught. The truth was out.
"Or maybe not anymore."
Aiden eyes looked onto Lucian. "Meaning?"
Lucian's smirked he picked up a pen, and twisted it "Seems like your friends are occupied with their own issues now. They no longer care about you."
Aiden's head dropped low. His mind spiraled back to the memories of Mira and Riven. 'Are Mira and Riven really not looking for me…I thought that before they did I didn't want to believe it.'
He kept quiet he didn't want to belive it while in thought, he didn't see that Sarah and Lucian had a short conversation were she tried to stop him. However, he took the vial of liquid, slotted it into his black vile long needle glove.
While Aiden was distracted. He was already thinking. 'I don't expect anyone to save me. I've learned to take care of myself…and that's how it's always been.'
"Ahh!"
Lucian slammed his needle into his neck injecting the liquid into his body. Aiden started to convault form coming out his mouth. Pain shot through him like fire, and he convulsed violently, the dark liquid spreading through his veins.
As he pushed him roughly, wheeling him outside. Sarah just stood there unable to do anything, she knew his personality manipulative, fearless and don't care.
I thought this was my change to escape…am I really about to spend the rest of my life like this…Jonas, Riven I'm sorry…I shouldn't have believed in other so easily.
Sarah head dropped low, everything in her hand fells as she remembered her cause for being here.
…
Onto a huge sand hill, where the sun loomed low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the endless sand sand. The grains shifted under Sarah boots, as she took on the breeze.
She stood with arms crossed, gazing at Marven and Jaden standing before her. They had come with smiles, but something about them felt... off.
Marvin of course exuded confidence. From his smirk, his posture relaxed. Liam was different, his eyes held a strange glint, his grin never quite reaching them. It was the kind of smile that made Sarah's skin crawl.
"We could use someone like you, Sarah," Marvin said smoothly. "Your skills…impressive, really. Not many out here can heal a wound like you."
Luam chuckled, his fingers twitching at his sides. "We look out for our own. A team needs a medic, right? Safety in numbers."
Sarah's fingers curled into her sleeves. Something about their words felt rehearsed, artificial. "And what exactly do you two do?"
Marvin chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, you know. Survival. We scavenge, trade, help people when we can."
Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Help people?"
Liam head tilted, the amusement never leaving his face. "Yeah. Sometimes people get in the way, though."
Marvin shot him a quick glance, but the slip had already happened. Sarah caught it, the subtle contradiction. Help people… but also get rid of them?
Her stomach tightened.
Marvin recovered fast. "What he means is, we do what we have to. The world isn't kind, and neither are we." He took a step closer. "You're smart, Sarah. You know that sticking with good people is the only way to survive."
Lia. grinned. "Yeah. We take care of each other. Always."
His voice lingered too long on the last word, and Sarah felt something cold trickle down her spine.
She took a small step back. "Right. And how many people have you 'taken care of' before?"
Marvin sighed, feigning disappointment. "Sarah, come on. You're overthinking this."
Liam laughed softly. "She's sharp." His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. "I like that."
Sarah's breath hitched. That was it. The final push. Her instincts screamed at her to leave.
"You know," she said carefully, forcing a tight smile, "I think I'll pass."
Marvin expression twitched, his easy charm cracking for just a second. Liam smile faltered, something darker slipping through.
"You sure about that?" Marvin asked, voice quieter now, almost dangerous.
Sarah didn't answer. She turned on her heel and walked, her heart hammering as she stepped down the slope of the sand hill. The wind howled behind her, but she could still feel their eyes watching.
She didn't need to look back to know, if she had stayed, she wouldn't have been a teammate. This was just a hunt with them, after she helped them before altering getting.