White Eyes
1126 Words
Ethan's body moved without his permission.
His arms lifted. His legs straightened. His head turned toward the door.
But he wasn't in control.
Nora was.
Stay calm, her voice echoed in his mind. I'll bring you back.
The Quiet Room door was locked. Electronic. Keycard only.
Ethan's hand touched the lock.
White light pulsed from his fingertips.
The lock clicked open.
Sonya stared. "How did you—"
"Not now. Move."
Ethan's voice. But Nora's tone.
They stepped into the hallway.
Two guards approached. Flashlights. Batons.
"Prisoners escaping!"
Ethan raised both hands.
The guards stopped. Dropped their batons. Clutched their heads.
"Get out," Nora said through Ethan's mouth. "Before I make you forget your own names."
The guards ran.
Liam limped behind. "What's happening to him?"
"Nora is borrowing his body," Charlotte said. "She's a Receiver. She can project herself into others."
"Can she do that to anyone?"
"Only Receivers. And only if they let her."
---
They reached the stairwell.
Security door. Locked.
Ethan touched the keypad.
White light.
The door opened.
"Sub-Basement Three," Nora said. "We need to get something before we leave."
"We need to leave now," Sonya said.
"The Chimera lockbox. Amelia took it. But there's another copy. Your father hid it."
Ethan's legs moved. Descending the stairs.
Sonya followed. Then Liam. Charlotte brought up the rear.
Nora's room was empty. The bed was stripped. The walls were bare.
"She moved Nora," Liam said. "After we escaped."
"Not far." Ethan's head tilted. Listening. "Sub-Basement Two. The medical wing. She's with Elena."
"Then we get them both."
They climbed back up.
---
Sub-Basement Two was different.
More guards. More cameras. More lights.
Derek's voice crackled in the earpiece. "I'm back online. Cameras are looping. But you have five minutes max."
"They know we're here," Sonya said.
"Then we move fast."
Ethan led the way.
The medical wing was at the end of the corridor. Double doors. Keycard access.
He touched the panel.
White light.
The doors opened.
Inside: beds. Monitors. Patients.
And Nora.
She lay on a bed in the corner. Wires attached to her head. Eyes closed.
Elena was beside her. Same wires. Same monitors.
Both unconscious.
"The Director is using them as batteries," Liam said. "Draining their Frequency to power the Facility."
"Then we unplug them."
Ethan walked to Nora's bed. Touched her forehead.
Her eyes opened. White.
"Ethan."
"I'm here."
"Get me out of these wires."
He pulled them gently. One by one.
The monitors screamed.
Alarms blared.
"Four minutes," Derek said.
Liam unplugged Elena. Lifted her into his arms. She was thin. Light. Her head lolled against his shoulder.
"I've got her."
Charlotte grabbed Nora. Helped her stand.
"She can't walk," Charlotte said.
"Then carry her."
Sonya lifted Nora onto her back.
They ran.
---
The stairwell. Basement level one. The archives.
"Where's the second copy?" Sonya asked.
Ethan's hand moved. Pressed against a wall.
A hidden panel opened.
Inside: a small metal box. Same as the lockbox. But smaller.
He grabbed it.
"Got it."
They ran.
The tunnel. The rusted door.
Open.
Darkness.
Footsteps behind them.
Guards. Six of them. Flashlights.
"Stop!"
Ethan turned.
Raised his hands.
White light pulsed.
The guards froze. Their eyes went blank.
"Go," Nora said through Ethan. "They won't remember us."
They ran through the tunnel.
The hatch. Open.
Cold air. Stars.
Marcus was waiting with the van.
"Get in!"
They piled inside.
Sonya drove. Marcus helped with Nora and Elena.
Liam held his wife. Rocked her gently.
"She's alive," he whispered. "She's alive."
Ethan sat in the back. The white light faded from his eyes.
Nora's voice: I'm letting go now. You'll feel weak. Sleep if you need to.
His eyes closed.
Darkness.
---
Ethan woke in the farmhouse.
Morning light through the window. Birds singing.
His father sat in a chair beside the bed.
"You're awake."
"How long?"
"Twelve hours. Nora wore you out."
Ethan tried to sit up. His muscles ached.
"Where is she?"
"Resting. She overextended herself. Projecting into you took a lot of energy."
"Elena?"
"In the next room. Liam hasn't left her side."
"The lockbox?"
Richard held it up. "Unopened. Waiting for you."
Ethan took the box. Used the brass key.
It opened.
Inside: documents. Photos. A USB drive.
Richard pulled out the first photo.
A building. Old. Rundown.
"The original Facility. Built in 1962. Before the wellness center. Before the lies."
Another photo. A man. Lab coat. Clipboard.
"Who is that?"
"Dr. Marcus Webb."
Ethan's blood went cold. "Marcus? Your friend? My editor?"
Richard nodded.
"He founded the Facility. Before I was born. Before you were born. He was the one who discovered the Frequency. Who built the machines. Who trapped Chimera."
"That's not possible. Marcus helped me escape. He brought Sonya. Derek."
"Because he needed you to find the lockbox. To open it. He can't. Only a Receiver can."
Ethan's hands shook.
"Marcus is working for Amelia?"
"Marcus is working for himself. He always has been. He wants Chimera's power. He always has."
The door opened.
Marcus stood there. Sonya behind him. Derek behind her.
"No," Ethan said.
"I'm sorry, Ethan." Marcus's voice was calm. "Your father told you the truth. I founded the Facility. I discovered the Frequency. I trapped Chimera."
"Why?"
"Because it was the greatest discovery in human history. A non-human intelligence. Trapped in a frequency prison. Begging to be released."
Marcus stepped closer.
"I've been waiting thirty years for the right Receiver. Someone strong enough to open the door without dying. Your father was too weak. Nora was too unstable. But you..."
He smiled.
"You're perfect."
Sonya grabbed Ethan's arms.
Derek took the lockbox.
Marcus pulled out the USB drive.
"Everything you need to release Chimera is on this drive. Your father's research. My research. Decades of work."
"I won't help you."
"You already have. Every time you used the Frequency, you weakened the prison. Every time Nora projected into you, she cracked the walls."
Marcus walked to the door.
"Chimera will be free by midnight. Whether you help or not."
He left.
Sonya released Ethan. Followed Marcus.
Derek followed.
Ethan sat on the bed. Stared at the empty lockbox.
Richard put a hand on his shoulder.
"We still have time."
"How?"
"The key wasn't just for the lockbox. It's for the machine. The one that traps Chimera. If we destroy the machine, the prison holds."
"Where's the machine?"
Richard pointed out the window.
Toward the Facility.
"Sub-Basement Three. Beneath Nora's room. It's been there for sixty years."
Ethan stood.
"Then we go back."
"Not alone. This time, we all go."
Liam appeared in the doorway. Elena beside him. Pale. Weak. But standing.
"We're with you."
Charlotte nodded. Nora walked in, leaning on the wall.
"We end this," Nora said. "Tonight."
- Writer
