DISEASE

DEFINITION

A particular quality or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people.

"We are suffering from the British disease of self-deprecation."

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DATE - JULY 1ST 2015

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A half-hour had passed, and I had lingered on Warden's vision to check for his return. Every now and again, I would Tap Tabby's silicone TV head, only to get brushed off. She did not fear Warden's recoils as much as someone with bruisable skin would.

Finally, precisely forty-eight minutes later, the Warden had said his goodbyes to the scientists in that room, then stood up, and finally exited the scientific research lab, which was exactly ten minutes from the gymnasium where we were.

My gills gargled, I got on all fours out of pure instinct and took hold of Tabby's arm, not at all careful about the Virus who had obviously been all taken aback from my animal-like tendencies. Tabby shook me off again, "Alvi, lemme finish my introduction," She then grumbled, "So rude."

Naya, who she had chose to recite her introduction to, furrowed her eyebrows, her head on her hand to keep herself slightly away from myself, "Is Alvi ok?" She pressured on my name.

"Yeah, yeah, He's just like- an overly anxious lady-bug," She waved her hand about, "Alvi, just keep an eye on when Warden's is gonna get back." She pressed a hand on my face, which caused four eyes to wince.

My gills inhaled deeply to then disperse the air into a loud whistle. It thankfully grabbed the attention of the Virus and made Tabby turn around finally, "Alvi!" She yelled, "Don't embarrass me!" She hissed.

"That big man on his way back," The soft voice of a slumber-full Virus had asked. "Right?" a few Virus turned their head to her, "I speak whistle when I'm too tired to speak sometimes." She mumbled her last words on a purple bubble that she had made earlier

The door to the gym then slammed open, followed by static, "Warden, the Alvis let off an emergency whistle!" My stomach dropped. Tabby's hands lowered as the other Virus slowly realized that we'd been busted.

Dexter whispered, "If the fire-guy fuckin wipes him out, we can make a break for it."

"We can't." Toby hummed still rather cheerily, lied on his back on one of the bleachers, "He won't do it." The soldier, followed by two more, had come into the room, weapons already aimed at all nine of us. We were dead, we were gone for. Warden would be furious.

"Fuck you, I can!" A growl emerged from the fire Virus who had stood up, flames sporadically grown on him.

"Oh, I know you can, fire-crotch" Toby leaned himself up, the emphasis on can made Adrien's gaze twitch, "But you won't."

"Stay seated, or we'll shoot!" One of the soldiers warned in their raised voice, though it seemed almost like background noise to the relatively petty argument between Toby and Adrien. I gazed at Tabby, who was stuck. Her TV-head in her hands in a crisis.

Toby was just as uninterested but afforded himself to whisper out a, "They won't." of re-assurance

"They have guns, I don't feel like getting fucking shot!" He spun around, fumes already high, "That's all!"

Toby looked up again, quick to have the grin return. "Exactly," He finger gunned. Adrien just made an annoyed disgusted sound as he crossed his arms.

"I'd blow you up, though," Adrien grumbled in a brood.

"Oh right, like you did when you threw me into the bleacher, right, hotspur?" Toby gestured to the semi-destroyed bleachers, "I am just reeling and recover-"

"Shut the fuck-" Only in a slow second did I see it. The red light in the neck of the Fire Virus, followed by a beep. The flames ceased in an instant, his eyes grew hollow, and expression dulled as he hit the bleachers with a thud.

Skylar had stood up, a cloud formation would appear, and electricity flickered around her hair, "Adrien?!" She started to charge down the bleachers, "What the fuck did you-!"

The sound hit Skylar, then Naya, then the pure white Virus.

That beep. That godforsaken beep and red light from under the skin. I gargle as I scurry under the bleachers and attempt to escape to the door before I felt my neck tingle and heard it. Beep. My eyes scanned for him: the Warden, device in hand with stickers scattered about. I thudded to the ground. Warden's eyes pierced on me.

Dexter had since stood up and jumped over the bleachers, had gotten his leg stuck as his body went numb from the beep. Toby stood, the smile had significantly deteriorated, replaced with a word I can only describe as a fretted animal.

He and Joslyn exchanged glances, her eyes were broad, hands glued to her heart. Tears flooded her face. As Toby stared at Warden, he glared back as if there was a form of hushed conversation. His lips pursed as he slowly stepped down to just above Joslyn's level. He wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She took to it and gripped his arm tightly, something between them was whispered, but I couldn't switch to capture it. Toby then stood up, reached into his pocket before a smirk slowly grew back.

The beep went off, followed by a twist of the body and Toby's form that clanked against the metal bleachers. The object in Toby's hand fell out once his muscles relaxed. A piece of charcoal? No, the burnt bagel. His soft giggle could be heard before his voice box slowed.

Joslyn seemed to surrender, raising her arms slightly, which two soldiers snatched her by. They forced her up and waited for the Warden's orders.

Tabby was the only one still standing intact, completely tense and stared at the ground, her screen pulsed, '7/786 SEDATED.'

-

My spine crackled against the Warden's boot; I gargle and try to shriek to warn him. My attempts were, of course, futile, as even if I couldn't make noise, I was still clawing at the ground to get away. It had to be around three hours after the events of the Viruses escaping, and the Warden had taken me, Tabby, and two soldiers to watch into a corner of the Mound.

In a space between two eyes, I felt the stock of a gun forcefully slam my face down against the metal. I forced my eyes shut to avoid any severe damage being done on my eyes. For a moment, the boot only back was raised, and I attempted to scurry away before it was immediately replaced with the other boot.

The Warden slammed his spare foot onto my wrists, making me shriek again. I look to Tabby, who was stood between two soldiers. Her shoulders were tensed, and her screen was down. Her silicone fists clenched before she murmured, "He didn't do anything..." I barely heard her mumble.

The Warden stopped for a moment before he put more pressure on my spine. I crackle, and tried to dig my claws into the metal, "He didn't do anything, stop!" Tabby cried out, much louder this time.

The pressure stopped developing, but became stagnant, "And that's the issue," He thudded his foot down again into my upper back, "Nothing was done."

"Well, I didn't do anything, either!" Tabby shrieked, "It's my fault, I- he warned-" She stammered as the Warden turned his head to eye the computer, "It wasn't just his fault.." Her voice became weaker as she shuffled back.

"You think I don't know that?" The Warden removed his boot from my back, and I briefly considered moving. Still, my body was in such a state that I couldn't. "You've failed me just as much as this thing has," He huffed slightly, "If I taught you the same way I treated this vermin, the damages would come out of my pocket," He turned around and swung the boot into my jawline, and dug it into one of my eyes and forced me into the wall, "And besides..."

The Warden rounded his finger in the air, which signaled two soldiers to step behind their boss and grab me by the under-arms. They obliged and turned around to creep off, "It's a Virus, it'll be better than new in a matter of days," His voice was gruff and quiet before it switched to its authoritative tone, "Take the vermin back to the cupboard."

They eagerly responded with 'yes sir' and took a right. Tabby, as her nature started to follow the two soldiers until the Warden spoke, "Tabitha," She immediately halted, "Follow." That's all it took, the Warden took the other passage, and Tabby, who shrunk into herself, placed a few white words on a black screen, 'See you soon :(.'

-

I was thrown into my small quarters and hit the ground with a thud. My hearing was faded, but I heard the chuckle of an 'oh shit,' and a few other comments. There was a kick at my tail to get the last of me into the room, even if they kicked it the wrong way.

"You missed the mattress, dumb-fuc," One chortled, and hit the other over the back of the head, "No wonder you're such a shit-shot."

The other swatted the hand away, "Get off my cock, asshole," He took a cigarette from his chest pocket. He was silent for a moment, leaned against the door frame. The opposite gave that soldier a confused look, which prompted the one on the doorframe to gesture to me, "You wanna double tag?"

"Dude fuck off, that's nasty," He revolted instantly, and gave a look to match the phrase, he snatched the packet of cigarettes and walked elsewhere, "The things barely human." The two then took off down the hall. As soon as the door closed, I exhaled in relief, crawling onto the mattress shakily.

"That never stopped the great ancestors," He disputed, following behind, "Age, gender, race, species, all was fair game."

"You mean when people thought elephants fought dragons and everyone died at thirty," He eyed back, getting a cigarette out of the packet, the other just shrugged, "If you're gonna be a fucking weirdo, be a weirdo who goes after human beings."

"What about those bastards that came in yesterday?" He asked, and took out a lighter, "The little ginger bitch is on my radar."

"Yeah, good luck with that, they didn't put any pro-kid fuckers on the watch for the right-wing," He slowed his walk as he searched for a lighter on himself. Upon finding he had no lighter, he turned around, "Hey, pass me that-"

Before it registered, the gun in the others hand-fired, considering how I could still see through the eyes of that soldier, it didn't kill him. However, out of reflex, he fell back, "Ron, the fuck?!" He snapped and slapped a hand to his face.

Within less than a few seconds afterward, Ron aimed the gun into his mouth and shot. The splatter reached the roof. "Holy shit!" He scrambled backward on his elbows to avoid the gory debris.

Out of the corner of his eye, there was a still silhouette. Though he was much too focused on the sudden suicide to turn his attention. The hallways light had become splattered with red, which somehow made it worse as pieces of skull and flesh fell to the ground.

There was a cackle from the hallway, "Wow, you really were not kidding," The voice chimed as familiar. Footsteps approached, and the soldier's head finally turned to see who it was once the footsteps made it a mere meter behind him; Toby stood with a bat over his shoulder, "He really is a terrible shot!" He laughed and stepped casually to the corpse, sidestepping so he could watch the frightened soldier the whole time.

"What the fuck did you do to him?!" The soldier blurted and scrambled to get his own gun, which he landed on.

Toby shrugged with a smile, "Nothing, I did nothing to him," He sighed contentedly and swiped his sleeve over his mouth, which left a smudge of blood beneath his nose. The soldier's gun was brought out and pointed at the blonde, who's grin remained stagnant.

A ringing began in the soldier's ears, and his vision blurred out of focus, "I didn't do anything to him," He chimed again in a hushed tone, "Just like how nothing is going to happen to you." Less than a second later, I was kicked out of that soldier's vision.

-

Being kicked out of a vision either means one of two things; the person passed out suddenly, or they died. As much as I was curious to know what happened, I couldn't get back to see what happened. So instead, I looked to my body and noted the blood being expelled.

I would be fair, I had plenty of blood, and it always took a lot more effort to kill something with Virus DNA, especially one with 95% Virus blood. In my blood patches were small black pieces of rock, so small it was comparable to grains of sand.

I'd be ok, I knew I'd be ok. It was just going to hurt a lot for a day or so. But I would be ok. I needed something to take my mind off the pain, so I thought only for a moment before I quickly decided who's vision I wanted to see through.

-

Skylar was in her containment cell, leaned against the door. The cells were barely two feet wide, and they were around eight-foot long. The bed was awkwardly crammed into the room with a rusted bed frame. Skylar's hand raised to her neck, sighing as she looked up to the cells' tiny window, which was barred.

"How long do you think they'll keep us here for?" Naya's voice was quiet and tired.

Skylar tilted her head, "Here as in this cell?" She nodded, "Probably, they'll take us out every few hours for bathroom breaks, "Here as in this place, probably until we die."

There was a faint sob in the background, and after I flicked through a few visions of the Virus, I could see it was Joslyn. Her face was in her hands, and her eyes wholly overflowed with tears. While Sky was right, it was evidently the wrong wording.

"Psh, yeah, right," Naya's voice re-intruded, "People would be looking for us!"

Skylar inhaled slowly and took a moment to just acknowledge the statement, "We... Are in a government-run facility in the middle of fuck-knows where..." She clicked her tongue, "Even if people are looking for us... Nobody is gonna is allowed to find us."

Another silence before the soft voice of Clover arose, "It makes sense your superpower is making rainclouds." This made Naya snort, followed by Dexter chuckling when he seemed to figure it out.

Skylar made an offending sound, "it's- not rainclouds, my breath just fucks up condensation so... I have small weather changes in my vicinity brought on by mist and clouds." She dragged out, as she realized that Clover was correct.

"You make clouds." The pale girl reiterated, tone the exact same.

"Shut up, you float!" Skylar barked back, "How the hell did you even get around life, floating?!"

"I had these really heavy boots my papa gave me..." She explained, going silent for a moment, "Also floating is way cooler than making clouds."

Skylar rolled her eyes onto the ceiling, "Hey... Naya," Naya made a hm noise to show she was listening, "What's your power?"

Naya had lied on the ground with her legs length-ways across the door. She had a slight snicker, "I didn't even realize I had powers until like yesterday," She crossed her arms, "So like, ok, apparently if you punch me, or get like pressure on me, I can punch you with the same amount of power, and my own."

It took Skylar a moment before it seemed to process, "So like an absorption?"

"Yeah, I guess," Naya snorted, "I thought everyone was like that, but it explains a lot now."

From Dex's cell's, he spoke, "Explains what?"

"I was my baseball captain," She explained, "And I kinda was the strongest in my grade... Also, when I fell down the stairs, I put a dent into the ground." Naya started to giggle so much she could barely finish the sentence.

From the reflection in the metal, Skylar had a slight smile slightly, "Powers are crap sometimes," She leaned back, "A girl in my class had asthma, and I always had to try really hard never to get frustrated in class," She then chuckled, "Also so that no one figured out I had powers too."

There was a silence, and the sobbing stopped, so it was a sign that this was a good set of action. "I have an idea," Naya started, "Let's play questions; Let's go Me, Sky, Dex, Joslyn, and Clover," She explained, "Sound fun?"

Everyone had their hushed 'sure' some sounding skeptical. But regardless, Naya went for it, "Ok, ok, I'll go first; best childhood memory?"

Skylar was up first. She thought for a moment, "Hm, I'd say... The day I became class president," She started, "I had this sick ass debate ready and won against that bitch Sally Schaus," She chuckled, "After school that day, my parents were so proud they took us all out for Mexican Grill." She raised her wrist to her eyes, wiping out the wetness.

"Dex?" Naya asked.

"Hm," Dex thought for a moment, "I'd say... My last day at school," He started the story, "I was tryna get expelled. So I just went all out with pranks on teachers and the old principle," He explained excitedly, "We foiled every doorway, replaced all the whiteboard markers with permanent, and then raided the cafeteria," He sat up, "Me and my buddies put our heads under the slushie machines until those things were empty."

"And how'd that go?" Naya asked, slightly sarcastic in her tone

"Oh, the principal called us in, and we threw up on his desk," He chortled, "I took the fall and got expelled."

"Why would you want to get expelled?" Skylar butted in, eyes still stuck at the ceiling.

Dex took a moment to reply, "My brother got into college," Dex started, and he took a second before he continued, "he was the money-man and didn't plan on stickin' around," He explained, "My Mami didn't let us quit school to get jobs..."

It took a moment for that to sink in for Sky, she seemed ready to dispute Dex's choices, but she hummed, "Joslyn?" Naya asked next.

"I... Hm," Joslyn took a moment, "When I left home..." Upon hearing her voice using a sentence, her accent stuck out more, "It was nice to be independent."

"You live alone, that's pretty cool!" Naya commented, glancing at the cell window as if Joslyn would know she was watching her, "Why'd you leave?"

She didn't reply for a long while, in fact, she didn't reply at all, but the air seemed to grow tense for everybody, "You don't gotta say, if you don't wanna.'" Naya assured.

"Thank you..." It was barely audible but heard.

"Ok so, Clover-"

"Is trying to sleep, so please leave her alone," She grumbled, floating close to the ceiling.

Naya snorted, "Ok, then Sky-"

"Wait, what about you, you didn't answer?" Dex interrupted, already lied back down.

Naya thought for a moment, clicking her tongue, "I dunno..." She made a sudden 'oh' sound when she remembered something. "The day my little brother came home," She chuckled, "I made a banner with a bunch of stapled-together paper for when they came home, then made dinner with my dad for my mom," Naya's smile seemed to never fade, "I even had a sleepover in my parents room the first night cus I was so excited."

They all had a comfortable silence, which seemed to turn sad for Skylar as she rested her head against the wall, deep in thought. Naya interrupted her study, "Sky, what's your question?"

Skylar's eyes trailed up as she seemed to have a moment of quiet realization, "Where are you guys from- or where were you found?"

"Kinda lame question, but ok," Dex rolled his eyes with a chortle, "New Mexico."

Joslyn didn't answer for a moment, "Oklahoma-Colorado border."

Then Naya, "Arkansas."

"Adrien and I are from Oklahoma..." She murmured as her thoughts collected together, "I think we're in Texas."

-

The Warden stood in a small observation room with two other scientists. He watched into the attached white room shaped like an orb that was padded across every section. In the center was a slate of metal, atop it was a boy in an identical orange jumpsuit to the other Virus.

I couldn't see his face, but I had a gut feeling it was the unclaimed Virus eight. The Warden's attention turned over as soon as a scientist called for it. The Warden walked over to the scientist who held a vile holder.

In those tubes were blood samples with labels with 'MMHV' and designated numbers. However, two vials seemed to stand out. MMHV-7 was empty, and MMHV-3 was a strange purple color. The scientist placed the holder onto a small temporary table she had pulled into the room.

The Warden hummed, "So." He noticed the two significant issues and looked to the scientist.

She sighed with frustration, "I imagine you have questions, and I thankfully have a few answers," She cleared her throat, "You see these samples were collected around about the same time as when the chips in their necks were embedded. The Warden nodded, following so far.

"So this vial," She tapped Toby's empty glass capsule, "Is for decoration; because the original was thrown off a cliff by a soldier that jumped immediately after."

The Warden gave a slow nod, "I see..." His brows drew in, and he sighed, "Was another sample not collected after Virus seven arrived?"

"No, his soldier escorts shot each other, and the survivor freed him before he got into the observation deck," She clicked her tongue, "He's been steadily killing off soldiers, stealing food and crawling through vents ever since."

Warden could only hum at that, slightly concerned, impressed but mostly disturbed, "So we have nothing on that one?"

She turned around and picked up a clipboard. She threw it onto the table beside the Warden, "We have zilch, I don't even have a name or a proper photo." The photo on Toby's paper was blurred like the camera stand was falling over.

"And the other blood sample?" The Warden tapped the purple vial, and the scientist sighed to calm her nerves as she regained herself.

"You know, what's interesting about MMHV-3 is that she's albino," She started, "The Virus gene is purposely meant to cancel out any 'faulty' genes like defects, disabilities, cancers, e-t-c," She picked up the vial, and slipped it from its place, "And then her being a first-gen Virus makes it all the more strange since she seemingly has no control over her disease."

"And the blood?"

"Isn't even blood," She almost interrupted, "This... Is pure liquified Melatonin, and runs through her veins." Visible confusion came over the Warden's stern expression.

"And this is possible, how?"

"Exactly my thoughts," The scientist scoffed slightly, and slipped the vial back, "So I did my own digging; back on the day of the Iran attacks on Salt Lake City, a few people couldn't make it to shelters in time."

"I am well aware," Warden's scowl returned, "Can we get to the point?"

The scientist gave a stern glare for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine; Clover's ancestry shows a peculiar clash of two people from the Salt Lake attacks," She saw the Warden wasn't getting it. "Virus MMHV is around thirty percent Virus compared to the others twenty percent," She crossed her arms, "She was conceived and born the earliest too, so she truly is a freak of obscure nature."

"I see... So what is the difference between a thirty-percent to forty percent Virus?"

"Oh my god, you've been here longer than me-" The Warden gave her a stern glare which just made her grumble and continue in a more civilized yet annoyed tone. "Project Alvis is ninety-five percent Virus, and he's like... the way he is," She explained, going over to a cabinet and got out a vial of what I quickly recognized as my blood with my name.

She placed the vial beside the others. "Other than the obvious black floating rocks, the blood is darker," The Warden took the vial, "In terms of disease, the higher the Virus rate, the better and more advanced the disease is," She hummed, "In fact, this explains why Clover has two diseases."

"Virus MMHV-3 has two diseases?" Warden's brow raised.

"When she yawns she expels a sleeping gas," She then tapped Clover's vial, "Chances are that all of her bodily fluids are infected with melatonin and thus affects everything else in her body."

"Didn't we have a forty-percent Virus vial somewhere at some point?"

"That was a forty-five percent Virus sample," She hissed through her teeth, "And that would be... In the basement," She murmured, her lips were pursed, and the Warden nodded in a mutual understanding of 'if something is in the basement, it is gone forever.'

"I do still have the file on the forty-five percent baby's file in here if you want it?" She offered, her thumb pointed to a bookshelf behind her.

The Warden raised his hand, "It's best not to, leave it be." The scientist grazed her teeth with her tongue as she kept the silence.

"This information is valuable, thank you, Veronica," Warden commented, and picked up the file, "I'll keep in touch."

She just nodded and stepped back. She took ahold of the enormous safe door. She had gripped the two sides and pulled the door with slight effort. The outside halls were black, as night came sooner than expected.

As the Warden walked into the darkened halls, he eyed the small temporary hospital beds, used for quick things like fainted soldiers or broken limbs. It was only separated by a wall from the hallway. As the Warden stepped into the hallway. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a red boot print on the ground.