Chapter Nine

"Bailey, do you really need all of that?"

Bailey scowled and pulled one of the many bag straps further up her arm. "Of course I do! I refuse to go anywhere without this stuff!"

"What is this?" Aiden asked, pulling a large box out of one of Bailey's bags.

"Is that a sewing machine?" Alexsandra asked, eyeing the box in Aiden's hands.

"Give me that!" Bailey yelled, snatching the box out of Aiden's hands and attempting to stuff it back in the bag, "Keep your filthy hands off my stuff if you want to keep them."

"Bailey, pick one bag." I said, kicking a stray bag towards Bailey.

"You're not the boss of me." Bailey said, crossing her arms around her many bags.

"Bailey." Dario said, "Pick one bag."

"Alright." Bailey said grumpily, grabbing her biggest bag and rearranging the contents to hold some of the stuff from her other bags. I looked over and glared at Dario who just grinned back. Of course Bailey listens to him.

"Okay," I said, once Bailey had kicked all her bags into the hall, "Are we all ready?"

"Sage," Alexsandra said, "What are you going to do with Ugine?"

I took a deep breath, forcing my heart rate to remain normal, "I told him how to get to our destination and put him outside. He'll find us eventually."

Alexsandra's eyes filled with sympathy, but she just nodded, "Yeah we're all ready."

Aiden walked up to the mothic machine and clicked the input button, "Eight engine powered hoverboards and eight pairs of hover bands."

Error! Appeared on the screen followed by, You are unauthorized to possess such technology. Please request something else.

"Well crap." Olwyn said, looking over Aiden's shoulder, "Now how are we gonna get outta here?"

"Step aside." I said, reaching into my pocket. I had prepared for this. I pulled out the tiny dark green chip that I always carried with me, and held it close to my mouth. "Disable parental lock." I whispered to it.

"What are you doing?" Alexsandra asked, watching me scavenge around the mothic in search of an opening.

"I'm hacking the software." I replied, discovering a USB slot and stuffing the chip into it. "That should do it." I said, walking back to the front of the mothic just in time to see Processing…. Glint on the screen before it was replaced with Eight engine powered hoverboards and eight pairs of hover bands.

"Woah." Aiden said, his face inches away from the as if checking that it was real, "How'd you do that?"

"Skills." I replied, grabbing the boards that were popping out of the machine and handing them to everyone. "Is that all the boards."

"Yup." Alexsandra said, snapping her hover bands around her wrist, "We're ready to go."

I reached over and pulled the chip out of the mothic and slipped it in my pocket. Then I put on my own hover bands, my heart racing a mile a minute. We're gonna get outta here. I'm about to leave the place I once thought of home, never to come back. My life after this is a matter of fate. "Let's go." I said.

We walked outside, the cool night's air filling my lungs. I hopped on my hoverboard, swaying slightly under the shift of weight until the board adjusted. I waited for everyone to get on their boards before speaking. "Alright everyone, this is it. I'm gonna have Dario go first, then Bailey, then Jace, then Alexsandra, Harvey, Olwyn, and I'll be in the back." People moved into their correct spots in line as I said their name, "Got it?"

"Sage?" Jace said almost timidly, "Can I go right before you?" When he saw the skeptical look on my face he shifted on his board and said, "Please?"

I sighed, "Alright fine. You'll go right after Olwyn and Alexsandra will go after Bailey."

"Thanks Sage." Jace said with a sincerity I've never seen before. I nodded and moved behind him.

"Let's go, people." I said, forcing my voice to remain calm, "Dario, you ready to go?"

Dario looked back at me from the front of the line, "Yup. Let's do this."

Before I could mentally brace myself, the line was moving. I followed Jace up into the sky, my board aiming for a point just above the wall. At the last second, I looked back at the shrinking compound. I could see the window of my room, the lights that Alexsandra installed blaring brightly. I was leaving, and now there's no going back. Goodbye sanctuary. I thought, Goodbye training, and goodbye Cathleen.

I made to look forward again, but then something caught my eye. A tall, broad shouldered figure was standing on the grounds, surrounded by the forms of several guards. So found us! I thought, panic started to flood my veins, She must not have left yet! I turned back to yell the news at the others, but then something hard came out of nowhere and rammed into the side of my head.

I called out and fell backwards with the force of the blow. I lost my footing, and fell off the board, tumbling to the ground. My gut twisted with the motion, and I couldn't keep a yell of fright out of my throat, though my jaw hurt with the strain. Just before I hit the ground however, my wrists were yanked up by the pull of my hover bands. There was a sickening pop from my left shoulder and unbearable pain shot through my arm. I cried out and closed my eyes, not daring to look at my arm. Before I could orient myself, a pair of extremely strong arms grabbed me and yanked me out of the air. I yelled and struggled to get out of their grip, but my arm felt like it was on fire and I knew it was useless.

"Well, well, well." Came the terribly familiar voice of Cathleen Morsie, "Trying to run now are we? Did you really think you could get away from me? The only question is why you would dare run away in the first place. Even after all I did for you."

"For us?" I panted. Sweat was sticking my shirt to my back and my head was throbbing. The pain from my arm was bordering on unbearable and I couldn't move my fingers. In fact, I couldn't move my whole left arm. "You mean for yourself. We were just your toys of war."

Morsie scowled, the look emphasizing the surgically altered features of her face. "You're a liar. You just made up that story to get the others to follow you to the ends of the earth. And now you'll be punished."

"Sage!" came a voice from above me. I glanced up to Alexsandra flying full speed towards me, the others now far behind.

"Get them!" Morsie said through gritted teeth. That's when I figured out who had hit me out of the sky. Jace zoomed up towards them at full speed, his fists clenched.

"Run!" I yelled with as much strength as I could, "He's a traitor and he's coming for-- AAAAH!"

I cut off as the guard holding me grabbed my dislocated arm and pulled it behind my back. I cried out, the pain making white spots dance in my vision and forced tears in my eyes. I stared up at Alexsandra who had stopped moving and was staring with horror back at me. I gathered the rest of my energy and mouthed the word Run!

Olwyn reached Alexsandra and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her backwards, towards freedom. She shook her off, still staring at me. I could make out the glint of a tear running down her cheek. "Go." I croaked, my energy draining by the second. Jace was gaining, only a few yards away from her, when she whirled around and flew full speed over the gates.

I watched with mounting relief as the forms of my friends shrank into the distance, flying towards the horizon. Jace stopped before long, and flew back, a scowl on his face. He landed in front of Morsie and dipped his head respectfully, "I'm sorry, Mistress. I couldn't catch them."

"It's no matter." Morsie said, turning towards me, "We cut off the head, now we wait for the body to die."

I glared at her swimming form, feeling dizzy, "It doesn't matter." I panted, "Your puppets are gone. You have nothing left."

Morsie grinned at me, stepping closer so I had to tilt my head up to look her in the eyes, "You fool." she said, "Did you really think that you're all I got. You and your little group of rebels are just the tip of the iceberg. Sadly you won't be around to meet the rest of the group." She suddenly jumped at me, backhanding me across the face. The lights flashed again, and my legs gave out, all my weight in the hands of the guard holding me. "Take her away." Morsie said, turning away, "I think a week in the simulation room will teach her a thing or two about loyalty."

The guard pulled me towards the compound, my legs struggling to keep up. Eventually I gave up, settling with dragging my legs to make the move as difficult for the guard as possible. Evidently it worked.

"Would you cut that out?" The guard said through clenched teeth, kicking my feet so they were pushed forward.

"I'd rather not." I muttered, my voice weak and probably dripping with pain.

"Fine then." The guard said, adjusting his hold on me so he was only using one hand, "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

Before I could ask what the hard way is, something terribly hard hit me across the head. The last thing I remember was terrible pain shooting through my whole body for everything went black and the world was lost.

Drip… Drip… Drip…

I opened my eyes with some difficulty, blinking into the darkness. I couldn't see anything, and my whole body was sore. A soft dripping sound was echoing through the room, the only sound other than my panting. I tried to sit up but was stopped by something across my chest. I gritted my teeth as a terrible pain shot through my left arm. With the pain came the memories of… well I don't know when. The last time I was conscious really. The escaping, spotting Cathleen, and--

A growl was building in my throat and I clenched my right fist- my left one wouldn't move. Jace. That filthy traitor!

Just then, a rumbling sound filled the room and a blinding light shot up the walls. It was so bright I had to close my eyes, but I could hear crisp footsteps marching towards me.

"Ah, Dr. Tran wasn't lying." Came the cool voice of Dr. Morsie, "You are awake. I thought that with those injuries of yours you'd be out for at least a few more hours." She sighed and I heard the screech of chair legs on the floor. "It's no matter. It just means I get to begin the simulations sooner." I opened my eyes and squinted in the direction of Morsie's voice just in time to see her chuckle, a look of lust in her eyes. "I'm sad you had to be such a fool. With your powers I could've been unstoppable." She sighed again and stood up, "Whatever. I'll have your power again once I'm finished with you."

I was only half listening to her, the other half of me was focused on shifting into a wolf, or even a bug, or anything.

Morise chuckled at my failed attempts. "Did you really believe that I'd give a bunch of teenagers special abilities and not come up with a way to prevent those powers?" She chuckled, "You're a bigger fool than I thought you were."

"You can't make me follow you." I panted between clenched teeth, "I'd rather gouge out my own eyes with my finger nails."

Morsie sneered, "That can be arranged." she said. Then she walked over to me and bent down so her mouth was inches away from my ear, "And believe me I can make you follow me. I can make you worship me. Wanna know the best part about the training simulations? I know all of your greatest fears."

She pulled back, snickering. I couldn't keep the look of terror off my face, and I knew it was feeding into Morsie's pleasure. "I hope you enjoy your last day of sanity." She walked over to the door and stopped in the doorway, her back to me. "Start the simulation." She said, and with that, walked the rest of the way out of the door which slammed shut behind her.

I closed my eyes into the darkness, expecting the worst. What I didn't expect, was the binds around my arms, legs, and chest releasing. I blinked and slowly sat up, hissing at the pain in my arm. I glanced around the room not knowing what to do. Just then, a thought came to mind. I'll just find the door. I hopped off the table that I was lying on and my knee immediately collided with what I assumed was the chair. I hissed at the pain that filled many different parts of my body.

Clenching my jaw, I straightened my spine and walked until my outstretched hand touched the wall. I walked around the perimeter of the room keeping my hand on the wall. The whole way around, the wall was smooth and cold, lacking any sign of a door. Right when I was about to curse and kick something, a soft hissing sound filled the room. I blinked and looked around in the darkness, hoping to catch a glimpse of something. When that failed, I placed my hand back on the wall and wandered towards the source of the noise. I was still searching for it when my nose caught a stench. It smelled like blood.

Just like the fear three serum.

I stumbled away from the noise, many emotions running through me at once. I pulled my shirt over my nose and tried to breathe as shallowly as possible. I can't go back. I thought starting to panic, I won't go back.

In my attempt to get away from the smell, my hip collided painfully with the table. I yelped and stumbled back until my back hit the wall. My knees gave out and I slid towards the ground, cradling my left arm in my right and grimacing. All this pain is gonna drive me nuts. I thought to myself.

And that's the last thing I did before the visions started.