26. Chapter Twenty-Six Lakey #2
Her question hung in the air between us, suspended by invisible threads.
I couldn't answer her; I couldn't even process what was happening.
Suddenly, everything rushed back to me in a torrent of images: My time at the fucking nunnery, this orphanage, the pregnancy, the foster homes who would bring me here for 'reprogramming'.
Cam. Oh God, was he part of this too?
Suddenly, I was the one falling to my knees on that cold concrete floor, screaming into my hands until there were no more tears left to shed.
"It shouldn't have been like this," I whispered brokenly through sobs that racked my body. "I was never supposed to remember any of this."
But you did, you asked to remember... and now you'll pay for the gift of knowledge. Her voice echoed in my ear as her mouth opened in a piercing scream. It's not too late to come home... find Chimera. Come home. She's waiting for you. Come home. The Order is eternal, and I shall never stray again.
I sensed him before he spoke. Cam approached me from behind, wrapping an arm around my waist as he sat down, pulling me into his lap, soothing my hair with his hand.
"Lakey... You alright?" His voice was soft, comforting.
I didn't answer, unable to tear my eyes away from the image of myself as a child.
We sat there in silence for what felt like hours, Cam just allowing me to come back to myself.
To find the piece of my soul that had broken off from the rest. The stillness was broken only by the heavy breathing that took me a minute to realize was mine.
Looking down at the table, the picture I'd drawn, covered in dust and grime was staring at me.
Me, killing another little girl. Cam took it from me, rubbing my shoulder as he shoved it in his backpack.
Underneath it was a photo. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look at it.
A memory flashed, holding hands with a nun, Sister Agatha was her name, outside these very walls, and anger bubbled up inside me.
But it wasn't just anger; it was a deep, visceral rage fueled by the pain and loss of my child. Of me. My hand tightened around the knife handle, steadying my trembling fingers.
Quietly, Cam picked me up and put me on my feet, leading me out of the room and into another hallway lined with empty cells where we found something else entirely: a black monitor.
Cam hit the power button, and it choked to life, a grainy picture coming into focus.
The footage showed a lab beyond description, experiments gone wrong all over the walls, while people were hooked up haphazardly to machines meant to keep them alive longer than they should have been.
Doctors walked around, cutting into them, pouring liquid into their injuries, eyes or mouth.
Tutting as they studied their reactions under different circumstances.
More anger filled my veins as I instinctively recognized Chimera's symbol scrawled across test tubes on a table, one doctor holding a tube in his hands with a smile.
"Let's go find whatever information this place has left," I spat out between clenched teeth, already heading towards yet another open door leading further down into madness.
Cam smiled at my side before following without question or hesitation, our shared hatred for Chimera feeding each other's determination.
"Should we try this one?" He asked, bowing low as a hysterical giggle bubbled up in my chest. I’d lost it. I’d gone well and truly mad.
"Yes, yes, lead the way! It's like coming home."
"Babe, you go do that, there's something I need to see down here. I dunno, feels like I need to check it out. It's like... pulling me over there. I don't want to leave you though, so are you okay to check this one out? I'll be right there if you need me."
I understood that feeling having just been through it, so I just nodded and turned back to the room, leaving Cam to do what he needed. He'd come running if I screamed.
The smell hit me first. Bleach and something coppery. Fresh blood. My nose wrinkled as I pushed open the heavy metal door, revealing a surprisingly pristine lab.
Much to my surprise there was a man, a man in a white coat, hunched over a microscope. My breath caught. This is it.
He must've heard the door, because he spun around, eyes wide with panic. "Who—" he started, but I was already moving.
He bolted for another exit, but I was faster. My knife found his leg with practiced ease, and he went down with a shriek.
"Fuck!" he gasped, clutching at the wound. "What do you want?"
I crouched beside him, rage narrowing my focus to a point. "Oh, honey. I want for one of you fucking assholes to give me some goddamn answers for once!"
His eyes searched the room for an escape. I pressed the tip of my blade against his throat, just hard enough to draw a bead of blood.
"Let's start simple," I cooed. "What the fuck are you doing to young women down here?"
He swallowed hard. "It's... it's a reproductive program. Highly classified."
I tilted my head, feeling the rage build inside me like pressure behind a dam. "Reproductive program? That's a fancy way of saying you're torturing girls."
His eyes went wide with recognition. "Wait... Patient X? Lakey?"
What? What the fuck. How did he know me?
"What did you just call me?" I pressed the knife harder.
"You're Patient X," he stammered. "But you shouldn't be here. How did you—"
I cut him off, grabbing his coat and yanking him close. "Tell me everything. Now."
But he clamped his mouth shut, his hands trembling as his eyes welled with tears.
My mind raced. Patient X? What the fuck did that mean? Searching my mind, nothing came up. I'd filled in a blank, but so many more remained.
"Listen, asshole," I said, my facade of sweetness cracking. "You're going to tell me exactly what's going on here or I swear to God, I'll carve the answers out of you piece by fucking piece."
The doctor whimpered, but still said nothing.
I wanted to know why my memories were so fragmented. Why the fuck they had me in that room, drawing pictures and memorizing some fucked up poem.
"Please," I whispered, surprising myself with the vulnerability in my voice. "I need to know."
The doctor's eyes went wild. "The Vessel," he blurted out suddenly. "She's the key to everything."
My stomach dropped. "What vessel?"
"The little girl," he babbled, words spilling out in a rush. "She'll change everything. She's special, unique. The culmination of years of work."
The anger I'd been barely containing erupted. My girl. He had to be talking about my girl.
"Where is she?" I snarled, pressing my face close to his. "What have you done with her?"
Before he could answer, heavy footsteps approached. Cam's imposing figure filled the doorway, taking in the scene.
"I remember you... you fuck! That’s Dr. Colson. He used to draw my blood monthly. No idea why. We should take him with us," Cam said. "Get more information."
I shook my head, not taking my eyes off the doctor. "No. We finish this here."
The doctor's gaze shifted to Cam, and his expression changed to one of awe. "Patient Y?" he breathed. "My God, look how you've grown. So intimidating, so... detached. Just as we hoped." He clapped. "And the two of you together? Magnificent."
Cam's brow furrowed. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
The doctor let out a wheezing laugh. "Oh, there are more questions than answers, my boy. But the only question you need to ask is the one you haven't figured out yet. The one you already know the answer to."
I felt sick. What did he mean? What had they done to Cam? To me? To all of us?
Cam's hands clenched. "Stop speaking in circles, you piece of shit. Tell us what we want to know."
But the doctor just kept laughing. "You two... you're perfect. Better than we could have ever imagined. The ultimate subjects."
My mind reeled. Subjects. Riddles, puzzles, speaking in circles. I was fucking done with it.
Hatred burned through me, taking away whatever spark of humanity had started to build in the wake of discovering the truth about who I was. About who we were.
"Where is she?" I snarled, shaking him viciously. "Where's the girl?"
The doctor's laughter died, replaced by a smug smile. "Safe. Protected. Becoming what she was always meant to be."
I dropped the knife and lunged forward, my hands wrapping around his throat. "Tell me where she is, you bastard!"
His eyes bulged as I squeezed, but that infuriating smile remained. I loosened my grip just enough for him to rasp out, "You'll never find her. The Vessel is beyond your reach now."
Something inside me snapped. I reached for the scalpel on the nearby tray, its edge catching the harsh light. My knife was too beautiful to be stained with the likes of his soul any further. No, my knife was reserved for the deserving.
"Oh, Doc," I cooed, "you have no idea what I'm capable of."
I traced the scalpel along his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. "Now, let's try this again. Where. Is. The. Girl?"