Four of a Kind

Quick Thinking

This was really refreshing. It was also a wake-up-call to the eyes. To see something you’d only see in those horror films. They were unconscious people who were I assumed were dead floating in big water incubators with monitors reading their vitals. There were six of them. One of them was cracked with all the water drained out from that crack made accidentally by that dumb dude.

The crack made sharp pointy edges which probably cut through the person inside that incubator presumably the reason why there was blood coming out near the forehead.

It took me a good five minutes to soak it all in and let the images burn into my mind. But it was so big of a deal that my mind couldn’t fit it inside my skull.

What was all this? what were those two people doing?

I knew this wasn’t ordinary.

Ordinary crime would be something people had access to easily. Like blunt everyday tools being used as weapons or chainsaws and pliers and such. But these guys had military grade s**t which was saying something as they don’t belong in a second-rate country like ours.

I took a deep breath and walked around slowly trying to find what else maybe could fill my curiosity at ease. I tried not looking at the other five who seemed to be perfectly fine judging by their appearances and was worried if the one inside the broken incubator could be suffocating.

How stupid I was.

Humans don’t need water incubator to breath. If anything, then the guy is probably better off than those in the functioning incubators.

But what if they were in cryogenic sleep?

I shook my head and tried to focus more on understanding what else I saw adjacent to the six incubators in the room. I watched too much sci-fi flicks.

There were typical items covered with blood like you’d find in a typical abandoned building where they keep kidnapped people, like pliers and such.  And those dentist chairs and for some reason an expensive looking microwave.

I guess even kidnappers gotta eat. Appetite or no appetite.

I saw some notes about biological scientific stuff and some other things I didn’t understand. The only conclusion I can draw was that this wasn’t your typical kidnapping. It was definitely something funded by some bigger organization. I skimmed through some of those notes. I wasn’t able to make out any of the writings but it looked really complex.

Obviously…

I heard a groan and that was my que for taking off. I turned towards the door and saw movements coming from the broken incubator. It was a pity to see people being treated like test subjects but this was none of my business in the first place. It was their fault for straying off the wrong path and meeting the wrong people.

It wasn’t my business. But it certainly was when it comes to filling my body with adrenaline. I figured this experience would fill my boredom for a week or so.

“Hey! Help me”

“f**k” I thought.

I turned towards the incubator and saw the man inside fully conscious. He looked at me with strained eyes.

“Get me out. Now please.” He croaked.

The dude was barely older than me. Maybe 20 or so.

I thought of what would happen afterwards.

Like in the movies, I’d sneak him into my room. Create a fake identity. We’d get into all sorts of trouble and cliche movie plots.

That seemed fun. Except none of that could work in real life.

I’d sneak him into my room, Heylian would kill me. She wouldn’t let it fly when I tell him that this was my distant uncle who was robbed. Or even the truth. She’d just call my parents and that’s game over for my trust I built with them.

Next is also what was he gonna do in the long term. He can’t just find a job. Does he even have a ID?

‘Hey kid I’m talking to you.’ The guy said with a slightly raspy higher voice.

I didn’t want to run like the next guy. I went closer and try to break the glass pane a bit bigger.

‘Up there’ he said pointing to the thatch. ‘They put me here through there’.

I didn’t say jack and found a latch and pulled it open. I pushed it away and helped the dude get out.

‘Thank you…uh?’

‘Reeves’

‘Thank you, Reeves. I’m in your debt.’

He was wearing a hospital gown with black pants. He held on to me once he got out the incubator and followed me towards the exit. I helped him all the while thinking whether I made the right decision to help him or not. The fact that someone trusted me with their life felt really exhilarating and once again refreshing.

Just then my phone rang. I whipped it out. It was from Andrew.

‘What is it Andrew?’

‘Just so you know, you should hurry up’

‘…OK I’ll be coming through from the other side someone seems to have blasted the main door open judging by the size. Come round from there.’

‘Huh? oh OK’

I flipped my phone and sat the guy on the bench. I did the same.

‘What’s wrong? Is there a problem?’

I looked at him with an exasperated look. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Why are we not just going out from here directly?’ he asked.

 Marcus Drain was a very calm, patient man. Immediately after reaching for the exit door handle, he knew someone who didn’t belong was in the lab, but unlike other people who would react quickly he acted like as if he didn’t notice. Instead he kept his eyes peeled for accomplices potentially spying on him. He spotted an oddly familiar car which must’ve belonged to the followers. He acted inconspicuous enough to walked away like he didn’t see the car.

He couldn’t risk it. He waited a good distance from the car and sat and took a smoke. 

A few minutes later he saw Paul, the other guy, come out, went the opposite way until he was out of Marcus’s sight. Another few minutes his phone rang. It was from Paul.

‘Marcus, there’s someone on us, I think! When I walked past the corridor on the way to the exit, I definitely felt someone’s presence. And outside the alley across the street there’s someone sitting in a car probably waiting for whoever is inside. And it’s only a kid!’

Marcus stopped. ‘A kid? Get to that car now! I’m already there.’ he said and hung up. He ran near the car and then silently walked without being noticed. 

When Andrew saw someone come out the first time, he thought it was Reeves but it turned out to be that guy they were tailing. He panicked. Wondering if Reeves got caught and was probably being tied up or worse. And when he saw someone come out the second time, his heart pounded so hard he thought the size of his heart expanded. But when he saw a dude he never saw before come out, suddenly that expanding heart burst.

Andrew quickly whipped out his phone and started to call Reeves with the utmost worry a friend can provide. But before he could do that someone got in the passenger seat of the car and exhaled deeply. It was Marcus.

Andrew thought ‘I really should keep my doors locked when doing this sort of thing.’

Paul jumped in the back seat when he arrived. After Marcus motioned him to do so.

Marcus was blunt. "Call your friend. Tell him to come here. Don’t tell him about me obviously or It’ll be your last words." He said with the gun he pulled out locked on him.

Andrew felt relieved. They practiced code words beforehand and the words “just so you know” meant that the receiver of the message should not come near the sender.

"Reeves? Just so you know there is something wicked happening that you should see here. Come back out now." Andrew told Reeves.

"…OK I’ll be coming through from the other side, someone seems to have blasted the main door open judging by the size of the hole. Come round from there to show me whatever it is you want." Reeves said.

"That’s bullshit. It can’t be… I’m gonna go check it out. Paul watch him." Marcus said and ran around the alley waiting to corner Reeves and to see for himself whether the main door was really blasted open.

Andrew took a deep breath and waited.

As Marcus ran on foot all the way to the other side of the building to corner the kid that went snooping in. He wondered where did he possibly made a mistake. There was no way the main door was wide open or he’d have noticed. When he got there, he saw the door just the way he saw it last time.

What was that boy on the other end talking about?  He thought to himself.

“There was nothing out of the ordinary.” He kept telling himself as he jogged back to the car. All that running was making him tired. He could run no more, let alone manhandle those meddling brats.

When he got back, he saw the car not the same way he saw it last time. Last he saw was Paul and the driver sitting in the car. Now he only saw Paul.

I got really bored and I didn’t think it would be this easy to get away with it. When Andrew signaled the code that I should not come near Andrew when he said “Just so you know” I acted quick and tried to get one of the captors if there were more than one to break away from the assuming pack. I watched them fall for my lie from the dark alley without coming out. When I saw Marcus fall for it, I immediately ran towards the car making sure the other guy in the car focused on me while the test subject I rescued took the initiative and surprised him by opening the door to the backseat and sat beside him. He had a really sharp broken pipe he found which could be used as weapon to intimidate him.

I got in the passenger seat and was blunt. ‘It’s three to one so talk. Where’s your friend?’

He immediately spilled the beans. Which seemed easy enough.

‘Now get out. Now.’ I told him once again bluntly.

My new friend opened the door for him and motioned him to get out. Which he obediently obliged.

Then we took off. I was pretty surprised. I didn’t think it would be this easy to get away with poking around someone’s evil lair and come out on top. And on top of that with a test subject I helped free.

‘Hey ummm.’ I didn’t catch your name.’

‘Redford.’

‘Ok, I’ll call you that.’

And it was just silence between the both of us. We were going to my place first. I told Andrew that I we were going to keep Redford at my place until we could figure out what to do with him.

Andrew didn’t stop talking the whole way and he went on and on about how intense and thrilling it was what we did and kept asking me what’s was next. I told him to calm down and that we didn’t even get enough info about who they were or what they were doing.

When we got to my house we went round the back and climbed to my room. I showed him to my bathroom so that he wouldn’t have to go out to the corridor and use the main one. I stole some of my dad’s clothes and gave it to him. he seemed to know what he was doing with the shaving cream and razor so I left him to him. I grabbed some TV diners from the fridge and heated them.

I let him eat my share since he was busy and went down to heat myself another one. When I got back, I saw him fast asleep in my room. It was funny how the only words shared between us was “Thanks” and “Yeah” when I handed him his meal earlier in this room.

I slept on the guest room and set my phone to wake up earlier than every other housemaid.

I instantly regretted my decision. I wasn’t morning person. I overslept and when I got to my room at 6 AM he was no where to be seen. I started panicking thinking where he could’ve gone when he came out the bathroom.

‘What’s up?’

‘I didn’t hear you. What were you doing in there?’

‘Looking in the mirror. Lost in thought.’

‘That was surprisingly honest. I need to talk to you.’

‘You want to ask me questions. A lot, right?’

‘Obviously. Now…’ I said pulling back a chair. ‘There’s not much time. I locked the door but we only got roughly and hour. What were those people doing to you?’

“Experimenting. They wanted to give me biological enhancements. I’m an ex-soldier I think.”

‘I took that all in and didn’t waste time asking “What” in all stupid ways. ‘Why?’

“I really don’t know; I don’t remember much for some reason. I feel like all these memories I do have, aren’t real. I feel like someone…put them in me.” He said.

This guy must have done well in school. He gave consistent precise answers which answered my questions. This shouldn’t take up too much time.

‘What were they trying to achieve by putting you in that… thing?’ I asked referring to the incubators.

“Well, water is a good solvent where reactions can take place”. He answered logically. “Think of that incubator as a vial and me just another ingredient in it. They were trying to modify my body to make me stronger.”

Now came the million-dollar question. ‘Who are “they”?’

“The bad guys.” He answered as if that was an obvious answer. “Maybe not as big as Yazuka but they are pretty rich. I don’t know who they are since I was sedated most of the time and my brain is having a…field day trying to make head or tails about what I do remember.”

“What do you remember?” I asked annoyed.

“Before I arrived at that warehouse, I was in another place. I was conscious for about 7 minutes at that time and overheard two guards talking. They were arguing about how Yahoo failed or something.”

I blinked. The thought of Yahoo going out of business seemed pretty probable when I was told it was due to lack of users. But this was useless information. But instead of getting angry about his crappy answered I thought to myself wondering how did Yahoo even fail.

That’s when I heard the door open. It was Heylian.

‘Who the f**k is this man?!’ Heylian demanded.

I turned to see my housemaid in the doorway with eyes wide open.