Chapter 16: Project Genesis

The pale, gray light of early dawn descended upon the prison, bringing with it the promise of a new day.

Deep within the halls of Cell Block B, all was eerily quiet. If one was none the wiser, they may be inclined to believe that no incident took place only hours prior.

Vladsco leaned back in his chair, an almost forlorn sigh escaping his lips.

Where did he go so wrong?

Glancing down, he traced a finger along the smiling faces of the photo he was cradling. It seemed so long ago now.

The general closed his eyes. In a lot of ways, it seemed like both those children in the photograph had perished long ago. And for what?

Looking up from his treasure to glance around his office only seemed to provide him more sorrow. This was certainly not what he’d originally envisioned.

I’m so sorry, Lydia, lyubov moya

The aged General sighed, returning the photo back to its resting place upon his desk. At least he’d had the foresight to capture that one image in time: A young, lovely brunette cradling two small children, one of which was still only an infant.

Vladsco closed his eyes as he recalled the memory. The children couldn’t have been more than one and three at the time. Of course, that’s when her health had decided to take a drastic decline.

An unfortunate side effect.

The general pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d tried so desperately to save her then. In the end, she’d gotten her wish. At least she’d lived long enough to conceive and birth their second child.

You have one week, Vladsco! One week to broadcast Golden Phoenix’s execution and get your ass to Deinan, or I’m personally going to come there and do away with all your little ‘pets’ myself! Your days as General are numbered!

Vladsco’s eyes narrowed. The phone call with Shiro the day prior had been even worse than he’d anticipated.

How dare he?! Did the buffoon not realize how much he’d sacrificed?

The general gave another weary sigh. The emperor had never understood his vision, so it wouldn’t exactly be beyond reason. After all, a true artist is never fully appreciated in their lifetime.

A knock at the door drew the aged General’s attention. “Enter.”

“Go-good morning, Sir. My apologies for any delay. I came as soon as I heard you’d sent for me,” Jack murmured as he appeared in the doorway.

“Yes, yes, do come in,” Vladsco instructed, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk. “I take it that you’ve heard about the little upset last night?”

Jack grimaced, nodding as he slowly sat down. How could he have not heard? Word was already spreading through the prison like wildfire.

The general gave a noise of discontent in the back of his throat. “I figured as much. I’m sure you can imagine that 010 has hence been relieved of his duties as block manager.”

The young guard nodded again. “Naturally, Sir.”

“Unfortunately, it would seem that I am running out of men I can trust for the position. That is why I would like to ask you to step in.”

Jack’s eyes widened slightly.

The general shrugged. “Right now, you’re the only one I can think of. You follow orders, and I’ve never heard of you ever abusing the inmates. They would be more likely to trust you.”

Jack chewed his lip lightly before nodding once more.

Sensing his apprehension, Vladsco gave a dismissive wave. “If you encounter any problems with your new position, do not hesitate to bring them to my attention. I will deal with the responsible parties.”

“Y-Yes, Sir.”

Vladsco gave an approving nod. “Good. I plan on excusing Golden Phoenix and her two cellmates from work detail today, so I would like to take the opportunity to interrogate her myself. No one is to interrupt, am I clear?”

“As crystal, Sir.”

“I want you to stay relatively close to them. No one is to bother them at any point. You can bring her to me after the breakfast rations have been handed out.”

Jack gave a firm nod. “Understood, Sir.”

****

A sharp gasp tore from the blonde’s throat, sapphire eyes flying open as she bolted into a sitting position.

Straightening herself up against the wall, she took in the openly concerned looks on her comrade’s faces.

Kurt gave an awkward smile as he pushed himself off the bed he was sitting on. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

The young woman’s gaze then fell upon the brunette sitting in the corner on the opposite side of the cell from her.

Vincent opened and closed his mouth several times, clearly failing in his quest for words as he stood.

Alice frowned, tugging the blanket she held tighter around her shoulders as she drug herself to her feet. Closing her eyes, she turned away. She could only imagine what they must think of her now. Vincent couldn’t even seem to look at her.

The blonde shivered, her eyes immediately snapping open. Closing her eyes probably wasn’t such a great idea. The phantom fingertips still continued their assault on her senses. Drawing in a deep breath, she resisted the tremors that chilled her spine.

The young lieutenant was brought out of her thoughts as Kurt approached her, holding out a bottle of water he’d managed to save from the previous night. “Th-thanks,” she murmured, accepting the offering with no small amount of gratitude. Anything to wash that sick animal’s taste from her lips.

The mere thought nearly made the teen gag. Now if only she could purge the memories. At least she’d been provided a change of clothes.

There was a tiny knock on the bars of the cell, drawing the trio’s attention. A small, blond boy stood at the door of their cell.

Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly as he waved at them. He couldn’t be more than seven or eight years old! What on earth was a boy so young doing in this horrific place?!

The boy gave another shy wave before removing a tray from the cart he was wheeling down the hall, placing it on the floor and sliding it beneath the bars of the cell.

Alice felt a small smile tug at her lips as she made her way over. “Well, hi, there. What’s your name?”

For a moment, the boy froze, clearly not expecting to be addressed. “M-Matthew,” he murmured before quickly glancing over his shoulder at the two supervising guards.

The pair seemed to be engrossed in the conversation they were having with one another, neither paying much in the way of attention to the young boy.

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief, turning to the three inmates with a small, awkward smile.

Alice’s eyes followed the action, giving a small, knowing smile. “Well, we certainly appreciate the breakfast, Matthew.”

The young blond chewed his lip for a moment, his cheeks tinged a light pink in mild embarrassment. After all, praise wasn’t exactly what he was accustomed to. Whipping his head around to peer over his shoulder again, he paused. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to speak directly to the woman, it would be now.

The boy made his way back over to the cart he’d been pushing, retrieving three more biscuits. Holding them through the bars, he smiled. “Hide them under your pillow so the guards don’t see. That way, you have a snack for later. I bet I could sneak you some jam from the kitchen later,” he whispered.

Alice returned the mischievous grin, nodding. “Thank you.”

The boy gave an exuberant nod, clearly pleased with his ability to help. “You’re really her, aren’t you? The girl my mom used to talk about.”

Alice quirked a brow, Vincent and Kurt finally making their way over. “Your mother?”

“Madison. Madison Fairchild.”

The young lieutenant felt her heart drop into her stomach. Surely it was a coincidence, right?

“Hey, boy, quit holding up the show! The other prisoners have to eat too, you know? If you can’t get your ass in gear, you can go back to the kitchen!” One of the guards barked, bringing a swift end to any conversation.

Matthew quickly shot Alice an apologetic glance. “I’ll be back later,” he whispered before scurrying away.

“What do you make of that?” Kurt murmured after a moment.

“I’m not sure,” Alice replied, shaking her head.

“You don’t think…”

“It’s possible. No one knows what happened to Madison, Kurt. For all we know, she really could have ended up here,” Alice replied, handing the metal tray containing three bowls to Vincent.

“Who’s Madison?” the teen questioned, handing each of his companions a bowl.

A somber expression fell over the blonde’s face, almost immediately making the brunette regret his question.

“She was a soldier of mine,” Alice finally replied, “and a very dear friend.”

“She disappeared about a year ago,” Kurt clarified, taking one of the biscuits from Alice before making his way back over to the bed to sit down.

Vincent’s brows creased. Perfect! If they never found this Madison, what was to say the chances were better that they would be found?

“I had always had my suspicions on what happened to her,” Alice murmured.

Kurt gave an exasperated sigh. “Alice, you don’t know that he was even talking about our Madison. He’s only a little kid. Lots of people know you by now.”

“I know that. But if there’s even a sliver of a chance she’s here…”

“Oh, no! Hell no!” Kurt snapped, cutting the young woman off. “Don’t you even think about it. Our only mission now is to get out of here. This isn’t some damned rescue mission. It’s gonna be hard enough finding a way out of here ourselves.”

“I don’t leave people behind, Kurt. You know that!” Alice returned.

“Look, maybe you forgot about last night, but we’re out of time. We need to get out of here,“ Kurt remarked.

Sapphire eyes narrowed. How dare he?! Was he seriously going to go there?! Apparently so… “Well, I’m glad YOU remember. And here I thought that this was just an illusion,” she snapped, fingering the metal collar around her neck.

Kurt stood, leaving his empty bowl at his feet. “I’m only saying-”

The teen was suddenly cut off, a startled gasp rushing from his lungs as he met the cold floor. His eyes widening in shock, he gently brushed a hand to his, now sore, cheek as he stared at his attacker.

“You know what? That’s your problem, Kurt. You say too much,” Vincent spat. He did his best to ignore the shocked, sapphire eyes aimed in his direction as he remained glaring at the young scientist.

Tapping on the bars drew the trio’s attention.

Jack gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry to interrupt, Miss Phoenix, but the general has requested to speak with you.”

“Yeah, well, I think she’s had her fill of requests,” Vincent muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Alice repressed the sigh of resignation as Jack motioned to the two guards that accompanied him to open the cell door. Refusal wasn’t an option.

“I don’t make the rules,” Jack murmured.

“Maybe not, but you sure don’t seem to have a problem following them,” Kurt returned, finally pulling himself to his feet.

Jack appeared as though he would retort for a moment before thinking better of it.

Vincent said nothing. He couldn’t help but agree. He inwardly cursed the feeling of helplessness that washed over him once more as he watched the girl be led away.

The general had at least seemed sufficiently angry. Perhaps he would remove that inhumane device affixed to her neck. Sparing a glance over his shoulder at the scientist, he sighed when the boy only glared at him.

Today was going to be another long day.

****

Alice paid little mind to the boisterous calls of restless prisoners as they passed the many cells lining the long hallway she was being led down.

The blonde winced at the throbbing persisting in her skull. Most likely from hitting her head on the floor the prior night. Drawing in a deep breath, she ground her teeth at the pain. She was grateful that Jack hadn’t bothered handcuffing her this time.

Upon reaching a familiar staircase, a cold jolt of fear shot down the teen’s spine. No. She recognized this staircase. The muscles in her legs froze as the phantom fingertips made their reappearance. She shook her head. Weren’t they supposed to be taking her to an interrogation room? The teen gave an involuntary shudder, her hands balling into fists at her side. Was she being misled? Her jaw set. She would die in this hallway before she would allow it!

Sensing the young woman’s distress, Jack placed a reassuring hand upon her shoulder. “The general’s quarters are on the opposite end of the grand hall,” he assured when the blonde shrank away from his grasp.

The two guards accompanying the pair exchanged wary glances, only lowering their weapons when Jack gave them a stern wave of his hand.

“And I should just trust you, right?” the blonde muttered, her tone dripping with skepticism.

Jack sighed. “Look, we may not be friends, but I assure you that I don’t condone senseless barbarism. Make no mistake; 010 will pay for what he’s done.”

Alice eyed the young man a moment before relenting, allowing him to lead her up the stairs and down the long corridor. She said nothing as they walked, the only sound that could be heard was the heavy footfalls of the soldiers’ boots against the stone floor. The eerie echo sent a shiver down her spine despite the cheery sunshine beginning to leak through the numerous windows that dotted the hall.

Arriving at a rather large door at the end of the hall, apprehension gripped the teen’s heart once more. It was a strangely unsettling door. It was the type of door one would expect to see guarding the entrance to some macabre, rundown castle in a horror film.

Jack knocked once on the door, pushing it open upon receiving verbal permission for entrance from the room’s occupant.

The room was rather dark as Alice was urged inside, the door closing behind her.

“Ah, Miss Phoenix, do have a seat.”

The blonde drew in a breath at the familiar voice. She would never forget that accent as long as she lived.

Light spilled onto the floor from the lamp perched upon the desk in the corner of the room, casting haunting shadows on the wall as the teen made her way over. Taking a seat in the chair in front of her host’s desk, she folded her arms expectantly.

Vladsco eyed the young woman, frowning. “I do believe we have some things to discuss.”

“Clearly,” the teen returned.

Vladsco held up a mug, steam rising from the warm liquid inside. He met the girl’s eyes, taking a sip before setting it back down and pushing it in her direction.

Alice maintained his gaze as she slowly pulled the mug toward herself. Raising the mug to her lips, she closed her eyes. The teen resisted the relieved smile that threatened to overtake her. The scent of coffee had teased her senses as soon as she’d stepped through the door.

“I would like to apologize again for 010’s behavior. My son has always been more than a little extreme.”

Blonde eyebrows furrowed as the young teen gently put the cup back down. Son?

Noting the puzzled look on the girl’s face, the general smiled. “Ah, yes. Shocking, isn’t it? It can’t be helped. After all, he couldn’t possibly inherit all of my charm and charisma. Of course, neither could 012.”

Alice blinked. He was faking her out. He had to be. “Oh? Well, if your sons are Touched, then why do you make a career out of hunting down and slaughtering The Touched?”

Vladsco smiled, leaning back in his chair as he shrugged. “Merely doing God’s work, my child.”

Alice snorted, rolling her eyes. “That’s rich. And is it God that tells you to massacre innocent women and children too?”

“An unfortunate casualty of war, my dear,” the general responded.

The teen shrugged. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, I suppose.”

“Dear child, do you think that when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah he stopped to mourn the loss?”

“The people were beyond help and refused to be saved,” the blonde retorted.

Vladsco shrugged. “No different from The Touched, wouldn’t you say? After all, when people are lost, is it not the duty of God’s chosen to correct them?”

“Guide them, not slaughter them!”

Vladsco stood up from his chair. “My dear, the correct path isn’t always the cleanest one. I can assure you of that.” The general paused. “I would wager you know all about that firsthand, given your reputation. None of us are truly innocent, and God does have his favorites.”

Alice glared. “You do realize we’re talking about a virus here, right? It’s not some unforgiveable sin.”

“A virus that gives you unearthly power, child.”

“Powers we never asked for! Powers that were unwanted, in my case. None of us asked for this!” the blonde retorted, sapphire eyes sparking in anger and contempt.

“Anything that defies the natural order of things is unholy, girl,” Vladsco replied with a shrug, collecting his own mug of coffee from the desk.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Oh, spare me the self-righteous lecture. You and I both know that the virus is completely involuntary. Once a person contracts it, they have no way of knowing if they’ll live or die. You think we survivors are sitting around sacrificing goat heads to Lucifer or something?”

“You have a very crude sense of humor, young lady,” the elderly general remarked.

“And you’re a barbaric asshole,” Alice spat. “What would you have us survivors do anyway?”

Vladsco paused, taking a slow sip of his beverage before shrugging. “Pay for your sins; same as anyone else.”

Alice quirked a brow. “Am I missing the part of the tale where you were named judge, jury, and executioner?”

The general maintained her gaze for a moment. “You think you’re much different from me? Tell me, girl: How many have you killed for your little gang of heathen rebels?”

The blonde glared. “If you think we survivors will just roll over and die for you, you have another thing coming,” she bit. “We never asked for this. I never asked for this!”

“In life, we play the hand we are given. All the world is a game, my dear. Unfortunately, not everyone can be winners.”

Alice’s eyes narrowed. “Especially not when you’re busy stacking the deck against them.”

The general quirked a brow, a knowing smile tugging at his lips as he finished the last of his drink before depositing the mug back on his desk. “And what do you really know of me aside from vicious rumors and exaggerations? Have I not been fair to you?”

The teen snorted. “Fair? Did you tell yourself that when you forced a scared crowd to run so that your dogs could use them for target practice?” She paused, her eyes narrowing again. “Or when you’re kidnapping little girls?”

Vladsco seemed to pause in thought for a moment, appearing as though he was reliving some deeply buried memory, before making his way over to one of the walls decorated with his many accomplishments. “Young lady, you could never possibly hope to understand the pressure a man of my caliber has upon his shoulders.”

The blonde pursed her lips. “Oh, poor baby. Conducting your heartless brutality must be so hard on you.”

Vladsco rolled his eyes, choosing to allow the girl’s mocking to slide for the time being. Placing his hand upon one of the plaques, he sighed. “When this whole mess started, I was only a simple scientist. It was my passion you could say. I suppose that’s something I have in common with your brother.”

“Minus the murdering part,” the girl added.

The general sighed again. “However, it was discovered that I had a, shall we say, talent for conducting military leadership operations. Once this was found out, I feared my days as a man of science were over.”

“Not that this isn’t all fascinating, but I still fail to see where I’m supposed to feel sorry for you,” the blonde muttered.

“I ask not for your pity. Actually, I believe you will have a unique interest in what I have to say.”

Alice quirked a brow. “Oh?”

Vladsco nodded. “Without me, you wouldn’t be here.” He paused at the girl’s glare before continuing. “You see, Cain and Vincent are a very special case of Touched…just like you. It was all so simple, really: Create the most powerful bio-weapon known to man using the most dangerous method we knew of-”

“The virus,” Alice murmured.

The general nodded again. “Correct. Fight fire with fire, so to speak.” He smiled. “No pun intended. YOU seem to have succeeded where my sons came up short…or not at all in Cain’s case.”

The blonde glared. “So it was all some sick science experiment?”

He laughed. “I find it all terribly ironic that you happened to be the one to find Vincent when he went missing.”

“Why is that?”

Vladsco appeared taken aback. “You don’t remember? That’s rich. You remember me enough to hate me, but you don’t remember the one that gave you your freedom?”

Alice’s eyes widened as realization seemed to hit her with an almost paralyzing force, causing a choked gasp to expel from her lungs.

****

A forceful cough escaped the young girl’s lips as she curled into a tighter ball on the thin mat on the floor. She shivered, the strange paradox of being hot and cold at the same time gripping her tiny body like iron.

Another cough.

Raising her weakened arms, the girl forced herself into a sitting position. She winced at the screaming she could hear in the distance. Had it ever once stopped since she’d been here? She placed her hands over her ears in an attempt to muffle the sound.

How long had she been here?

The girl squeezed her eyes shut. She was positive by now that her parents would be worried sick about her. Why hadn’t she just listened?!

Yet another cough escaped her lips as she shivered again. She was beginning to feel overwhelmingly nauseous. When she could take no more, she shot to her feet and scrambled over to the far corner of the dank cell. After relieving her stomach of its contents, she leaned her forehead against the stone wall as a rush of heat swept up her spine.

A metallic jangling caught the child’s attention. Whipping her head around, she caught sight of the boy standing outside her cell. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

The boy was a friendly face. Though he had never really spoken to her, he was the only one to show her anything in the way of kindness. Sometimes, he seemed content enough to simply hold her hand through the bars. The other boy she’d seen was mean to him from what she could tell, if all the yelling was any indication. Of course, this boy never seemed to engage him. As a matter of fact, she still had yet to actually hear his voice at all. Was he even capable of talking?

The dark-haired boy cocked his head at her, apparently expecting her to speak to him as she usually did when he would appear.

Biting her lip, the girl sniffed. “I-I want my mom.”

The boy seemed to freeze for a moment, simply staring back at her with the most mesmerizing eyes she’d ever seen. A brilliant gold tinged with the smallest hint of orange. It was a color that strongly reminded the girl of a flame. Seeming to come to a decision, he held out his hand through the bars.

Alice didn’t hesitate. She all but threw herself into the bars as she ran over to take the boy’s hand. She bit her lip in a desperate attempt to hold in her tears as she stared imploringly into the boy’s eyes.

For a moment, the two children simply held one another’s hand in silence. He placed a hand to her forehead, frowning at the heat she knew he felt. Alice closed her burning, watery eyes for a moment, only to snap them open a moment later at the distinctive creaking of the door that sounded in her ears.

The iron obstacle now open, the boy held up a set of keys in his free hand, giving the first fission of a smile she’d ever seen grace his features. He temporarily let go of her hand and beckoned her to him.

Once again, the girl wasted no time. She clung to him as a shadow would as they moved quickly down the narrow hallway. She stumbled a few times, the boy being patient enough to help her to her feet each time as he continued to lead her through the maze of iron cells and screaming people.

She didn’t dare stop to look.

The boy took a sharp turn, leading her down a dark staircase into what she presumed to be a basement. How they’d managed to dodge detection, she did not know. Every breath seemed laborious now as the pair descended the staircase.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the boy then led her to a small, wooden door in the corner. He opened it to reveal a dark tunnel. He nodded once to her in recognition of her reservations with the dark.

Alice chewed her lip as he pulled her along. Whether to keep from vomiting at the nausea that threatened to overtake her or the sheer fear she did not know.

The sound of dripping water echoed the pair’s footsteps as they continued their journey in silence.

Alice blinked uselessly. Everything was pitch black, and she idly wondered how the boy even knew where they were going. She coughed again. Her throat was so dry, and her body felt nearly numb save for the strange, burning heat.

It seemed like an eternity before the first remnants of light began filtering through the darkness, casting eerie shadows upon the wall.

Alice drew in a deep breath as the boy pushed her forward and into the bright sunshine. For a moment, the girl feared it to be merely a dream. It was when she looked back at the boy that reality came crashing down.

He made a shooing motion at her, pointing down a hill.

Alice peered over. It was steep, but she would have to try if she ever hoped to see her parents again. There were trees at the bottom that would surely offer her enough cover until she had put some distance between herself and this horrible place. “I can’t thank you enough,” she murmured.

The boy smiled at her, a hint of bashfulness sparkling in his eyes. He seemed to have a moment of inner debate before slowly placing a hand on her shoulder. Pulling the girl into his arms, he closed his eyes at her sharp intake of breath. “Farewell,” he whispered finally.

Alice’s eyes widened at the soft utterance, her breath hitching in her throat. Eyes filling with tears, she hugged the boy for all her tiny body was worth at the present.

After a moment, the two separated. With a final wave goodbye, the girl sped off. Traversing the first part of the hill was relatively easy. The steepness seemed to level off onto a ledge before dropping off again.

Alice drew in a deep breath, wincing at the dizzying nausea that swept through her as she peered over the final ledge. Almost there. She couldn’t afford to stop now. The girl made it about three good paces before her right foot fell out from under her, sending her tumbling roughly ten feet down the cliff-side.

The yelp died in the girl’s throat as she found herself powerless to halt her momentum. She ground her teeth at the pain as several stray rocks and branches cut through her soft flesh, leaving their marks embedded in porcelain. It seemed an eternity before her tumble came to a sudden stop, her head striking the trunk of a tree at the bottom, and her world then faded to black…

****

Alice placed a hand to her mouth in astonishment. How? How could she have forgotten? At least it explained her fixation with his eyes.

“When I first saw you and 012 together, I was overwhelmed. It seemed almost too good to be true,” Vladsco stated, snapping the girl from her thoughts. “You know, that was the first time 012 ever displayed any ounce of free will. You wouldn’t believe the torture he endured before finally confessing to setting you free…187.”

Alice blinked. “187”

Vladsco nodded. “That’s right. Subject number one hundred eighty-seven. Experiment Delta 426. Code name: Genesis Project.”

“G-Genesis Project?”

“That’s right. The three of you are all members of the operation. Ironic, no?”

Alice felt as though the weight of a feather could have toppled her. All this man had to say after ruining her life and taking everything from her was that he found it ironic?! “I’ll make sure you burn for this,” she snarled.

Vladsco’s eyes narrowed briefly. Choosing to allow the girl’s threat to slide, he gave a fox’s grin. “You know, to this day, I still have no idea what the little bastard did with my guards that were on duty the day he let you out. That was the one thing 012 refused to give up.” Marching over, he pulled the teen from her chair. “You and I are going to take a little stroll. Do let me know if anything seems familiar along the way.”

Alice held in the yelp as she was practically dragged from the room. She had definitely perturbed him.

The trip down the hallway was a blur, until turning a corner and entering a corridor she’d never seen before. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she would have been inclined to believe that she was no longer in the same building.

The hallway was much darker than the rest on the upper floor, the walls lacking the many windows that decorated the rest of the halls on this floor. Even the doors seemed to be a shade darker. Reaching what appeared to be the heaviest door at the end, the general ushered the girl inside.

For what certainly wasn’t the first time, Alice felt her heart sink to her stomach. What alarmed her wasn’t the twenty men filling the larger-than-average room. It wasn’t even the fact that they carried raised rifles. It was the video monitor on the wall with the words ‘live broadcast’ flashing upon the screen. Vladsco was addressing the viewership, though she was hardly hearing anymore. Her eyes were trained solely on the rifles aimed in her direction. Her blood froze in her veins as the general raised a hand in signal as he stepped away, the room then filling with the deafening sound of gunfire…