The Rogue

chapter 12 - mutant

“W-What did you just call me?” I stuttered, Connors's face was plain, seemingly unphased by the bombshell he had just dropped. Adam looked on the verge of exploding in a rage, but with Connor pinning the gun to him, he was stuck.

“I called you a mutant”, Conner repeated. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as chills ran down my spine. Something had shifted in the air, and the panic I had felt at the university began to creep back in, waves of panic fighting with the waves of grogginess from the drugs. My knees buckled and I slumped to the ground, my breathing heavy.

“you’re done speaking”, Bryce's appearance behind Connor startled us all. Quicker than lightning, he flipped off the light, Adam launched at Connor, knocking him unconscious, sending the gun clattering to the floor in front of me.

This was my opportunity. I reached for the gun.

Not knowing how to use it, I grabbed it and I held it up, pointing it directly at Adam as he held up a small light.

He raised an eyebrow at me but stood still.

“Ivy, we have to leave. This was a trap.”

“I want answers...You’re not telling me everything.” my hand trembled.

“ It's to protect you.” Adam tried to reassure me.

“Protect me? You just told me we're in the middle of a trap!” I screamed as the panic began to overwhelm me.

Adam and Bryces' eyes widened as I felt it. The blood dripping from my nose, I dropped the gun as I began to frantically wipe the blood away, knowing full well what would have come next. Bryce picked up the gun, and rushed back to the front door, as Adam grabbed my shoulders, pulling me to face him. His stunning eyes sought mine, as they met, I couldn't help but lean into him, wrapping my arms around him, steading myself.

“Listen, Ivy, this is not how I wanted to tell you, you’ve had far too much thrown at you already. I was trying to be kind” he said softly, rubbing my back.

“That I’m a freak?” I cringed away from him. I always had known something wasn't right with me, but to hear it confirmed still crushed me.

“No, listen. Just stop and listen. I’ve seen countless horrors in this world, but you, Ivy, are not a freak.” He grabbed me, sitting me on the chair for just a moment.

“The professor tonight, my father wanted him to come to the lab but he refused based on ethics, he rumors about my father, experimenting on me... How many more people know about this? It seems everyone knows about me, except me.”

“The rumors vary…” Adam fell silent, thinking carefully over his next words.

“The one we were investigating was that your father had restarted human experiments, trying to make elite humans with evolved skills…”

“Like a human weapon?”

Adam bit his lip and took a step back away from me.

“Like me Ivy.”

“We're running out of time” Bryces Bryce's voice urges from down the hall. Adams's eyes pleaded with me.

I thought for a moment, his hand outstretched towards me. What else did I have to lose by trusting him?

“Trust me, Ivy. Please”

“ Once we're safe. You tell me everything” he nods.

I took his hand, and we race out of Connors, into the SUV. Bryce decided to stay, to buy us time, whatever that meant, ducking into a neighboring yard, and disappearing into the darkness. Adam drove fast, weaving his way down the streets.

“I’m tired Adam” I mumbled, losing the fighting with the sedatives Connor had given me.

“Try to stay awake, just a little longer” Adam flicked on the aircon, blasting the icy air, flicking all the vents on me, but still I struggled.

Soon, the car began to slow, as I realized we were now in an industrial estate, different factories and workshops lined the road, all with their lights off. At the end of the street, Adam took a left towards a mechanic's workshop. He slowed as he approached the garage door. I watched as he pressed a button on his watch, and the door opened. He pulled in before the door had opened and pressed for it to shut straight away.

We sat in silence for a moment, my eyelids fell and I tipped my headback, no longer able to fight it.

Carefully, I felt him unclips me, and slips his arms under me, holding me close to his chest. I snuggle my head in against his shoulder, letting myself give in to the sleep just for a moment. . .

I'm roused, momentarily, as Adam shakes me before setting me down. In my grogginess, I can see were in a small office.

“We can lie low here. I don’t think we were tracked.” he relaxes, as he locks the door behind us.

“Where exactly is here?” I yawn.

“Dare I say another friend's place?” he gives an awkward smile.

“ Let's just hope he's not like the last friend you took me to” I see multiples of Adam as I succumb to the drugs dropping down to the ground, laying myself out on the harsh carpet.

“Ivy, stay awake.” Adam rushes, flicking open a cabinet in the back of the office, and rummaging through a box. But it's no use. I faded out into the darkness, thankful for it taking me.

“Easy Ivy” Adams's hushed voice is all I heard as I came too. Warmth was pressed against my forehead and I realized it was him, stroking my hair back. Carefully I flutter my eyes open, coming back into my body, filled with regret, as I ached, all over.

“Welcome back” he whispered, his hair stroking stopping.

“Barely..” I whispered, my throat harsh.

“Full disclosure, I gave you Narcan to try and wake you rather than just sleep it off.”

“ Sleeping would have been better” I groaned, fighting nausea in my stomach.

“Yes, but carrying you unconscious and fighting off the nameless if they find us would have been difficult.”

I nodded, shutting my eyes, and taking slow breaths through my nose. Nausea lingered but wasn’t as bad.

“We should go. Its almost dawn”. He took a deep breath and helped me to my feet. Still, I leaned on him, slowly becoming more awake but feeling weak, the stitches in my stomach stung, making me hunch over. I couldn’t see anything in the dark yet somehow Adams somehow knew exactly how to weave us through the garage in silence. He helped me back into the SUV.

“Stay” he breathed, so low I wasn’t even sure he said it as he shut the door, the doors locking instantly. Something was wrong. I watched him zip up his jacket, pull his hooded mask up over his head as he turned back, stepping into the middle of the garage, as a single light flickered on above him, revealing the masked man lurking in the dark.

“You’re too predictable… Shadow”, the robotic voice taunted, it was the same man from the bathroom. “Give me the girl.” he demanded, stepping closer to Adam.

“She’s marked and tagged. She’s one of us.” Adam warned him,

the masked man laughed, “the flesh is barely healed, besides. Besides, do you really think that offers her any protection from the nameless?”

We had come too far for me to be taken now. I pulled my aching bones over to the back seat and started checking the car for anything I could use.

"She has protection" Adam spoke so calmly, but the robotic voice laughed.

"You? Well, you're doing great are'nt you?"

"I wasn't referring to myself"

I found some more of the silver smoke balls tucked under the passenger seat, at least that’s what I hoped they were. I slipped over to the boot, I was close to Adam and the man now. I'd only have one shot at this.

The nameless from earlier, noticed me staring and waved at me. Adam turned, to see me. Somehow, I needed to tell him. I grabbed the filter and waved back, holding it in my hand. Looking at Adam, preying he'd get the hint.

"I see she liked her gift." the nameless brother laughed. The click of the locks told me, Adam got my hint.

I used the inside release of the boot to open it, just a fraction, and tossed the silver ball. The click click click, went off, followed by the bloom of gas. Quickly, I pulled the boot shut, shoved the filter in my mouth and threw myself back over the seats to the front. Adams took his chance, to fight off the attacker, the two of them, throwing punches and kicks, grappling with no restraint. The nameless brother, who was without his filter, was struggling to hold his breath against the gas. Reluctantly, he retreated, letting Adam go. He raced to the car and I hit the start button as he reached the door.

He spun the car, and raced us out of there, the bloom of smoke gas bursting out of the garage into the rose-colored dawn light. Once free of the inner city, Adams wound down the windows before we both spat out our breathing devices.

I tipped my head back and let out a sigh of relief as the cool morning air helped fade away the remaining grogginess. Still, my body was exhausted, beaten and battered after all the events of the night.

“Thank you.” Two words. I don't think he made use of regularly. Adams' voice was sincere, as he kept his eyes fixed on the highway ahead of us.

“I still want answers.”

“and you will get them..” he agreed. " Just wait until we arrive."

"arrive where?"

"You'll see" he smirked.

I didn't know where we were going, but if it meant getting answers, I'd go anywhere with Adam.