Subject Seventeen: Wraith Among Shadows
Chapter 16

I watch Sanders walk off in the same direction as Three. What exactly is phase five? And what does Three mean when she said that we attacked a bio-medical research center? So it wasn’t a biological weapons research center?

My head rings as I try to remember the events that transpired during that mission. I soon give up.

Now that I’m alone again I quickly head to the spot that Sanders pressed his thumb against. I try to touch it but my hand passes straight through the wall. Of course. I forgot I’m in some sort of ghost or wraith form.

Instead I turn my attention to the doors. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what I’m about to do. I remain still for a few seconds, poised in a running position. Next I’m sprinting towards the door. It draws closer and closer with every step. As soon as I’m right in front of it I close my eyes and wish for the best, hoping I’m not hit back.

Whatever contact I’m expecting to feel doesn’t come. Opening my eyes I see I’ve passed through the metal doors and I’m in somewhere else entirely. Looking around me I see that I’m standing on a long limestone bridge. There are railings on either side of me that stretch six metres away on either side. Just below the railings are four ridiculously huge tanks full of a weird yellow substance. Bubbles form at the top of the liquid every now and then, letting out a hissing sound as if it were a snake.

In front of me I see a glass wall covering the entire width of the room. What I see inside is what makes me almost fall backwards.

The other side of the glass is completely full of the same yellow substance in the tanks. Inside the substance however, is a boy. He looks Native American with long dark hair which flows to his shoulders at least. I guess his age to be around nineteen or twenty. His body is quite muscular and toned. Clearly he’s been in a few battles judging from the amount of scars on his torso. One stretches all the way from the top of his left shoulder to his right side of his waist, carving a path straight through his chest and stomach.

A sinking feeling appears in the pit of my stomach. I remember how Three viciously sliced Four with her katana. The same may have happened to this boy. I should be feeling pity or sadness for him, but none of these emotions come. I’m only left with this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach which doesn’t want to leave. I can’t remember everything right now but judging from this sight and the conversation I heard earlier, Three is the last person I should be anywhere near right now.

I know that I can walk through the glass but there’s no point since I can’t touch the boy. I can’t pull him out. Exactly who is he? It’s only now that I notice the strange connection I was following leads to him. The strange energy flow belongs to this boy. Is it because of the weird yellow liquid he’s surrounded by that his energy is so pale?

I see another door to my left with a symbol that looks like a crow. I head towards it. Just as I’m about to pass through it I find myself being dragged away and the door getting further and further from my reach. Something is pulling me away. I try to fight it and head towards the door, but it just pulls me with even more strength. The strange room and the door flash before my eyes before I’m sucked downwards through a series of strange sights.

Suddenly I’m back in the corridor on the floor below in Block B. I gasp for air as my eyes are flung open and I see a girl in front of me – her hand on my shoulder. She’s shaking me and mouthing something. It takes me a moment before I realise I’m back in my body and the girl in front of me is One.

“Hey, you alright?” she says.

I nod shakily as I take in all the oxygen I can. My chest thumps hard as my heart does somersaults as it struggles to pump blood through my veins.

“I’m fine,” I say.

One eyes me with a strange look before giving me a small shrug. She shifts her hand from my shoulder to my back and gently nudges me forward.

“Let’s go,” she says.

“Where?”

“The common room. Where else?”

I let her guide me along the corridor. It takes a little while to reach the common room. I try to put what I just saw at the back of my mind. I don’t know why but I feel as if I need to tell Thirteen about this.

When we enter I immediately take note of who is inside. The only people missing are Nine, Eight, Two, Five and Ten. Three isn’t here either. One pulls me over to a long burgundy sofa and ushers me to sit. She sits next to me and just stares at me, making me feel a little uncomfortable.

A grin then suddenly appears on her face as she claps her hands together.

“So,” she says. “How was it?”

“How was what?”

“Training with Thirteen?”

It’s only now that I notice the sudden silence in the room and feel everyone’s eyes on me. Thirteen himself stands up and leaves the room. Something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I turn and see a small white butterfly flying towards me. It lands on the chair opposite the sofa I’m sitting on and turns to face me. It takes me a few minutes to realise that it’s just Sixteen being her usual playful self.

“Normal I guess?” I finally reply.

“What do you mean normal?!” Eleven says. “There’s no way you guys did normal training! What did he teach you?”

“How to defend, I guess?”

One and Eleven groan in disappointment. I watch as the rest eagerly watch me as if I’m some sort of bringer of good news. What’s so interesting about Thirteen teaching me how to fight?

I ignore the rest of their questions and try to drown out their voices. All of them seem to be incredibly interested in Thirteen’s training. Is he that mysterious to them?

Eventually I can’t stand it anymore and I stand up to leave. As I exit the room I notice Seven get up as well. She trails behind me as I head in the direction of the living quarters, but she doesn’t talk. I take this to mean that it’s just coincidence and she’s heading in the same direction, right? I don’t know... I’m questioning every little thing that happens now. Paranoia maybe?

When we arrive in the living quarters, Seven walks past me and heads to Nine’s room. I try to take little notice of this and begin to head to mine when Thirteen’s door opens.

His expression is blank and his eyes flash white every few seconds. He signals for me to enter his room. I hesitate for a couple of seconds before making the decision to listen to him.

As soon as I walk inside his room, Thirteen’s door slides close. I take the seat in front of his desk while he sits on his bed and eyes me. It always makes me feel uneasy when he looks at me. There’s something off-putting about his gaze.

“Have you astral projected yet?” he asks.

“Have I what now?”

“Astral projected. Projecting your energy out of your body in a sort of spiritual state.”

He must mean that strange thing I did earlier. I don’t think I need to ask him how he knows about that.

“Yes.”

“Good. I thought that might happen after I taught you how to manipulate your energy. Now tell me what you saw.”

I nod and take a breath. Then I tell him everything that transpired from the beginning. I start with the conversation between Three and Sanders, telling him exactly everything that was said. About someone’s mother and sister being held hostage and about Three attempting to kill Four and Six and also Three’s fight with Fifteen. Thirteen holds up his hand to stop me at this point.

“I see. That’s what’s going on. Do you know who they’re talking about?”

“No.”

“The person they’re talking about is the one person who can help you. You’re going to need him in the future.”

“Who is it?”

“You’ll find all that out in due time. Do you remember a person called Sky?”

The name rings a bell in my head, but I can’t remember anything about it. Again I have this feeling of familiarity but I can’t quite figure it out.

“No,” I reply.

“Do you remember the details of your last mission?”

“The military base?”

“Yeah.”

“Not much. I only remember finding you and Eleven together with Nine, and something else…”

“Which is?”

I open my mouth but close it again. I know there’s something I saw which shocked me. Something important. I’m forgetting things again. Somehow I know it’s related to the dream I had today. Something about a war. An image of something small inside a tube flashes across my mind but I still can’t remember. My head begins to ring again the deeper I try to dig inside my memories until I finally cry out in pain and stop trying to remember.

Thirteen observes this and scratches his temple. He doesn’t react however. He stifles a yawn and stretches, clearly showing his fatigue.

“Don’t try to remember,” he says.

“Huh?”

“The borrachero is still in your bloodstream. You’ll be losing memories at random intervals. For example, something you remember now you may not remember in an hour. It’s also suppresses your emotions to an extent.”

Where have I heard this before? Hasn’t someone told me something similar?

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask.

“Because you’re the only way the rest of us survive this. So if you want to live shut up and do as I say.”

His tone is soft but has a deadly vibe to it that forces me to be quiet. I have several questions running through my head. Yet I have the feeling that listening to Thirteen right now is the right thing to do.

“Continue your story, Seventeen.”

I nod and begin to tell Thirteen everything else I heard. About a weapon in some special holdings room made to subdue Fifteen. About plans to kill Nine if he makes a wrong move. About moving on to phase five.

“Wait, say that again,” Thirteen says.

“Sanders said to inform the Director and someone called Noah – who is probably the Doctor – to move on to phase five. I don’t know what that means.”

But I can see in Thirteen’s eyes that he knows exactly what that means. He stands up and hits his face with the palm of his hand repeatedly before turning back to face me.

“What does it mean?” I ask.

“Well shit then,” Thirteen says. “It means it’s time for me to make my move.”

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