It was a quiet threat, one that involved the other werebeings in the facility being put to death in the event that Ryker did not comply with the government’s wishes. The public clamored for the somber, blond-haired and blue-eyed winner, the most ruggedly handsome werebeing they had seen yet. After all those public shows, Ryker was whisked off into the facility for further testing. Since the games, he hadn’t shifted again, and they didn’t even force him to shift.
He had been given a key to his new home, a home constantly under surveillance, and when he did get to rest, they would take him in the wee hours of the morning back to the laboratories that were underground.
Ryker had met the President, Magnus Caledon, along with his two sons and cabinet members. President Caledon instilled alarm in him, even if he said nothing at first. His presence was something to be reckoned with, and at some point during their meeting, he understood why Caledon had become one of those powerful men in the world -- if not the most powerful.
“Ryker Locklear,” Caledon began, meeting him, “it is beyond my pleasure to finally meet a werebear once more, after so many years.”
The president’s voice was almost soothing, hiding his true, sadistic nature. Only a ruthless man would keep young people in a facility like the one he had been subjected to. He hadn’t seen A129 since he had woken up to Dr. Wallace speaking to him. There was a part of him that wanted to see her; he had questions. He hadn’t been tortured as of late, but he was subjected to different tests that were tantamount to torture. There were tissue samples needed, and he was forced to show his strength, recorded on camera; he was also made to threaten the other werebeings in the facility, part of their ‘training.’
There were talks among the scientists, hoping that there was another werebear in the crop of test subjects. Perhaps, some of the children were suppressed like Ryker had been.
It took all of Ryker’s will power not to kill the president upon meeting him. One swipe at his patrician face, and it would have all been over. Besides, Dr. Wallace never lied about his threats. When he wanted to hurt test subjects, he did so without remorse or fear. Ryker had been reminded of the torture he had inflicted on A129. It was all he knew about her. Those were the only times he saw her, inside a sterile room, her blood trailing into his body.
Her blood has special properties they could not clone, at least that was what he understood from the scientists who weren’t quite careful with their conversations. They had forgotten that Ryker could hear well, far better than many humans. He had heard of the words “termination” and “A129” in the same sentence. There was a death warrant out for her, and he could do nothing about it until that fateful morning, five months after he had won the games.
He had his own quarters in the facility and hadn’t been out in the world for weeks on end. It was stark white, with a few books (thankfully), and a decent bed, and it was quiet, too quiet for his liking. He knew he had become pale, knew the absence of sunlight was taking its toll on his body. How could A129 stand this? How could she still want to be alive?
Ryker heard someone outside of his quarters. In fact, he could smell who it was already. He said nothing when she entered and greeted him a good morning as he sat on a chair.
“I see we’re off to a bad start,” Dr. Delaney told him, taking a seat across him.
He saw she was holding a panic button in the event he shifted with her still inside the room. He almost scoffed at it. She was no threat. In fact, she was a softie at heart. He saw the concern in her eyes when it came to Alexia, almost as if she was her daughter. He had come to learn that Delaney was in charge of behavioral and ‘healing’ studies, whatever that was. So she was here to observe him again, observe how he spoke and moved.
“Don’t worry, no tests are scheduled for this morning,” she told him.
“And in the afternoon?” he spoke.
“We just need a few tissue samples from-“
“Which part of my body do you need this time?” Ryker snapped.
“I understand you’re having some difficulty adjusting to life-“
“This isn’t life,” he growled, his eyes narrowing. He saw Delaney’s pulse quicken. “We’re only alive because you still want to use us. When do you want to terminate us? Her?”
“Her?” Edith repeated. “Alexia, you mean?”
“Yes, the girl. Her death has been decided, hasn’t it?” Ryker asked Delaney. “And don’t try to screw me over. Your assistants may be scientists, but they’re idiots. When do you plan to kill her?”
“I don’t plan to kill her,” Delaney uttered. “Alexia is a special girl-“
“Because she’s still useful to you.”
“Her presence has given the facility a 30% increase in successful tests,” Delaney said carefully. She looked around, fearful of any listening devices or videos planted in the room.
“There’s none here,” Ryker told her. “I’ve worked for that mafia man long enough to know where to look and how to find it.”
Still, she looked distressed. “I don’t want her dead,” the words rushed out, “in fact, I want her safe and taken far away from here.”
Ryker looked suspiciously at her. “You’ve been experimenting on her for years on end. Why have you changed your mind?”
“I’ve never liked doing that to her. I was just doing my job, but being with children like her changed things for me. I had to keep it to myself, lest I attract their attention.”
So they kept tabs on her, threatened her if she ever stepped out of line… “When do they plan to terminate her?” he found himself asking.
“Tomorrow morning,” Delaney responded shakily. “Tomorrow is Alexia’s last day here. She’s never gone out of this facility, and she’ll die here… unless, unless you take her with you.”
Ryker’s eyes widened. “Take her? I can’t even get out of this room without ten men escorting me from laboratory to laboratory. How in the hell do you expect me to smuggle her out when I’m a moving target until I’m dead myself?”
Delaney quietly slid something on the table. Ryker looked down and saw it wasn’t a panic button. It was an electromagnetic scrambler, designed to look like a panic button that all researchers used when with werebears.
“These will work on most of the facility’s doors. It will give you about ten seconds each time as the doors settings reset after. I just need to know if you’re stealthy enough for this.”
Ryker stared, unable to ingest what was happening. She was aiding in their escape? Why?
“This is a test,” Ryker muttered. “After this, you’ll torture me and her.”
She shook her head. “I want to atone for all that I’ve done. I’ve put my life’s work here, and it brought death and pain to these children. Alexia is the last one I’ve cared for, even if I didn’t show it much. I want her safe, far away from the capital, far away from the regime. Can you get to Alaska? I’ve heard rumors from years and years ago that a colony of werebeings live there and are safe. Of course, Alaska is now a barren wasteland after the Civil War, but what if they’re still-”
“You’re relying on some old wives’ tale,” Ryker told her, having had heard of it back when he was a little boy. Raven and Philip had told him there could be werebears during bedtime stories.
“Just- just get her to safety, where they can’t touch her anymore.”
“Who else is in on this?” Ryker asked.
She shook her head, determined to say nothing. “Alexia isn’t a werebeing. She has DNA that can help with werebeings. It’s in her blood, no matter how crude the transfusion. Any werebeing will find themselves healing faster, without the need to shift. That’s what she does. I’m not sure if she can also talk to you without saying anything. Can she?” she asked him unsure of her theory.
He said nothing about hearing her voice in those long and painful tests. “What else can she do?”
Edith closed her eyes. “She has an ability to make the werebeing shift back into a human with a touch. That’s why we don’t put any werebeing in close contact with her. It’s as if her touch makes the werebeing recede into humanity. We’ve been given five months to clone her blood if possible, gather tissue samples from every organ in her body, and we can’t. Lately, we’ve had other younger and smaller children who exhibit the same prowess as she does, which is why they want her terminated. She hasn’t done anything significant for them lately. And when there are no remarkable results…” her voice trailed off.
Ryker understood, not saying anything.
“So, please,” Edith began in a soft voice, even softer than before, “please help me save her. Save yourselves. Then, maybe someday, we can put an end to this madness.”
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Ryker told her. “You can’t expect us to topple down the law.”
“No, but it can start there,” Edith said with sudden conviction. “You were born a werebear for a reason; you’re not like the others who were forced to become werebeings -- you are rare, and you are something the regime wants to covet. Don’t allow it to happen. Alexia has suffered for too long, and this is the only window of opportunity I can give to you right now, while I’m still in the clear.
“The plan is to inject Alexia with a cocktail of chemicals to induce her into a coma, then they want to have her body preserved, cryogenically frozen without bringing her senses back, but it’s still death for her. Ryker, I rooted for you in the games-“
“You’re as sadistic as they are,” Ryker interrupted.
“Perhaps. I’ve grown accustomed to the deaths of the young or innocent, but like I said, this madness has to end, and I think it best starts with you escaping, with her in tow.”
“You do know this is treason, doctor. How can I protect her? I barely know her. What if she decides to run away? What if, in the end, we’re both caught and killed?”
“Then don’t get caught and don’t get killed,” she said. “I have faith in you, no matter how short the time I’ve spent with you.”
“You experimented on me,” Ryker growled.
“I observed you. It is Dr. Wallace who approves and disapproves tests. He is the one who decides who gets to live and who gets to die. He’s the one who decides what to take and what to give here. They don’t call him the Angel of Death behind his back for nothing. Ryker, do this not just for me or her, but for yourself. Your arrival was a wakeup call to people.”
“A call to arms?” Ryker shook his head. “I was some two-bit thug for a guy who ran a syndicate. I’m not highly trained in combat or protecting the innocent. Those I try to protect, die.”
“You have to get to this guy,” Dr. Delaney said, writing down a name on a piece of paper. “He’s in Washington.”
“Washington? Dr. Delaney, you’re sending us on a suicide mission.”
“I’m sending you to someone who can help you because I can’t,” Edith said. “I can’t give you money or guarantee your safety. You’ll have to protect each other, and stay low.” She slipped something else on the table, and she eyed the electronic scrambler she had placed there. It had taken quite a while for this to come to fruition, and as long as they escaped, even at the cost of her life, it was all going to be worth it.
“Promise me, Ryker. You aren’t X014. You’re Ryker Locklear, and you’re here to get out and take Alexia with you.”
Ryker closed his eyes and found himself slowly nodding.
*
Alexia had been injected with something that made her feel nauseous. They had said it was vitamins, but it made her feel worse, and her eyes felt heavy and her tongue felt thick. She lay on the bed, staring at nothing. Vitamins for what? She hadn’t given any blood lately. But they had been interested in draining her of her blood just a few weeks back, taking 4 pints in a day.
Dr. Delaney didn’t leave her alone for a couple of hours that day, just to see if she was stable enough. She was in no position to be left alone, as Dr. Delaney obviously didn’t want her dead. She did get this feeling that she wouldn’t last too long in the facility anymore. She was tired, and even her mind was exhausted to the point that she didn’t care how she died, as long as she did.
She bit back that feeling of wanting to vomit. She wasn’t in her room, and she didn’t want them to see her puking her guts out. She closed her eyes, concentrating on keeping the bile taste down. She heard the doors hiss and heard a few murmurs. These were people she didn’t know, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“Subject A129 ready for the next phase,” someone said.
Next phase? What was the next phase? All of a sudden, she heard a surge of electricity, and just as she opened her eyes, the room darkened.
“What’s going on?” someone asked.
“Where are the backup generators?”
She heard the hiss and crackle of the radio, calling for backup.
“Damn it, not now, we need to finish this today. She is unconscious already, isn’t she?” a female voice said.
“She looked like it,” a male voice responded, “but we have to check. This is Lt. Whittle, requesting for power backup in sector 12-“
Then she heard the clanging of metal trays and things falling. She heard someone gasp and then there was silence. She couldn’t see anything. Then she felt someone’s hand reach for hers. She held her breath, her heart pounding.
“I can hear your blood rushing from a foot away,” a voice whispered.
She froze, unable to move. “Ryker?” she finally whispered.
“We have to move now,” Ryker told her, cradling her body close to his. “Questions later.”
She didn’t say anything as he hoisted her up like she was made out of air. She clung onto his shirt as he began to run in total darkness.
Ryker was worried that the power would soon be restored. Edith had warned him it wouldn’t last very long, so she decided to do a few things that would keep the power from running, and that was by starting a fire. Ryker could smell the smoke from a few sectors away. Dr. Delaney had done what she had told him she would do. He had committed to memory the sketch she had done of the facility, and his safest bet was to jump out of a small watch area, into the frigid waters of the dam.
He hadn’t even known the facility was located in a dam, as he was kept blindfolded until inside the facility. Ryker’s heart pounded, knowing the clock was ticking. He had to get out, and she had to be with him, whoever Alexia was. He had made a promise to the doctor, treason included in it. He stopped at a corner, knowing there were heavily armed men lurking, with night vision goggles. He could smell their sweat and fear and, for some, their blood lust. Ryker shook his head, knowing he had to take another way.
Alexia was too weak to run, which made it all the more difficult for him, even if she weighed next to nothing. He wanted to calm down but couldn’t find it in him. He was on the run once more, and this time, he was running away from more people, with another life in his hands. She was fighting hard to stay awake, knowing that Ryker needed all the help he could have. But what could she do, except give him blood?
“Stay awake,” Ryker whispered to her. “I need you awake. Where do I go next?” he asked, knowing the map Dr. Delaney had given him was nearly useless now.
Alexia took a breath. “Where are we?” she mumbled.
Ryker looked around, noticing the lights had begun to flicker. He saw words on a wall.
“Sector 18,” he told her, stealthily moving forward.
Alexia nodded. “Turn right. There’s a small laboratory…”
“We’ll be stuck there,” Ryker said.
“There’s another door; it leads to a testing facility. It has a lookout point…” she struggled to keep her eyes open.
Ryker ran for it, blood rushing in his ears. He had to move, and he had to move quickly. There was too much at stake now, and if they didn’t get out of the facility now, they would never get out. His vision was far from perfect in darkness, but he could see well enough. He saw different surgical instruments, and he grabbed a scalpel, tearing out the microchip on his wrist, along with Alexia’s, and he saw her frown as if she had had a slight headache. Blood trailed on their wrists, but Ryker ignored it. Just as he got inside the laboratory, the power came back on, bathing them in fluorescent light.
Ryker looked around and saw closed circuit cameras plastered everywhere. He heard the sound of radios and men scrambling about to get to them. He began to panic, and he looked down to see Alexia’s consciousness fading. There were windows, heavily tinted. Where did this lead to? He had to take his chances.
Then he heard something that made his heart skip a beat. A man was talking loudly over his radio, mentioning something about one way glass. It was then he made his move. He put Alexia down an empty desk and began pounding against the blackened glass wall. With one last large heave, the glass shattered and wind rushed in. They were at the edge of the dam, and the cold air stung his face and nostrils.
Just as he looked down to calculate their descent, the soldiers came in with high powered rifles, all ready to shoot at them. Ryker quickly grabbed Alexia and jumped on the edge of the window. He stared at the men, all heavily armed, with combat helmets on. One of the men held a different gun, and it seemed like a tranquilizer.
He shook his head. You’re not getting me again, he thought.
“Don’t move or we will shoot,” the man’s voice echoed in the hall.
Ryker quickly counted. There were more than twenty men in the room, against two juveniles. He looked down, feeling the coldness of the mist rising from the waterfall. It was now or never. Ryker took a deep breath, not looking back as a hail of bullets assailed his back.
He was in free fall, clinging onto Alexia the entire time. I’m not letting go, he thought as they fell down into the rushing waters.