Dahlia sat in front of the computer, studying the unfamiliar interface displayed across the monitor. "Fascinating. This is quite similar to our technologies... except it's more..." She paused, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "Hmm. Primitive."
Raine glanced toward her. "Figured out how to navigate that thing yet?"
"Not really..." Dahlia admitted. "I mean, I pretty much don't know how to read their language, so it's kind of hard. I'm mostly just inferring from context here."
August walked over to another monitor that had begun flickering. He smacked the side of it, causing the screen to briefly stabilize. "Would be nice if anyone here could read their language."
Raine glanced at him. "Well... let's not start blaming each other now." Her attention shifted toward the woman sleeping peacefully against her lap. "Addy, what about her?"
Adeline looked toward Raine. "What about her?"
"Does she know anything in particular? When you entered her mind?"
Adeline shook her head. "Haven't seen much since I only made her fall asleep."
Raine frowned. "Well, wake her up?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Adeline glanced down at the sleeping woman. "She's in a lot of shock right now. If I wake her up, she'll just scream and faint again."
Raine looked toward the controlled guards standing near the entrance, their weapons hanging loosely in their hands as they stared blankly into nothing. "Well, what about those guards?" she asked. "Maybe they know how to find the prisoner files. Wake one of them up."
Adeline took a moment to consider the suggestion.
Her eyes settled on the guards. "Hmmm... alright."
She stood and approached one of them. After removing his weapon, she placed a hand against his forehead.
The guard remained completely still.
Adeline closed her eyes and focused.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the man's body suddenly jerked.
He snapped back to reality with a sharp gasp, drawing in a deep breath as his eyes widened. He looked around the room, confusion immediately spreading across his face as he took in the bloodied bodies scattered across the floor.
His breathing quickened and he instinctively stepped backward and raised his fists, shifting into a defensive stance.
Adeline remained where she was. "One wrong move and you're dead."
The man's eyes darted toward her. "Who are you people? What did you do to me?"
Adeline tilted her head slightly. "Now, now. I wouldn't want to bore you with the details..." She took a small step toward him. "Just answer my question."
The man's expression suddenly twisted with anger and fear.
He screamed and lunged at her.
Adeline sidestepped effortlessly.
The man stumbled past her, nearly losing his balance, but before he could recover, Adeline caught him by the back of his shirt.
He hung there helplessly, struggling against her grip as she held him several inches above the floor.
Adeline's expression remained calm.
Then her claws slowly emerged from her fingertips.
The man's eyes widened as she raised them until they were only inches from his eyeballs.
Adeline leaned closer, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper beside his ear. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
The man swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the claws hovering dangerously close to his face. "Please..."
Adeline's expression remained calm. "Now, that technology of yours..." She glanced toward the computers behind her. "Do you know how to navigate it?"
The man tried not to move his head too much, his eyes flicking toward the monitors. "Yes."
"Do you know where the prisoner files are?"
"We-we don't have access to that..." His voice trembled. "We're just security."
Adeline's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well, we've pretty much killed every human in this room, so..." She tilted her head. "Know anyone else who's still alive that knows where to find those files?"
The man's eyes shifted toward the corner of the room. His hands moved slightly, pointing toward the unconscious woman resting against Raine. "That woman..." he stammered. "She-she's the IT girl here. The one handling the security and web of this facility."
Adeline followed his gaze toward the woman. Her eyebrows lifted. "Huh." She looked back at him. "See? Was that so hard?" A faint smile appeared on her face. "You didn't have to make this life-threatening."
Adeline pulled the man upright again, keeping a firm grip on his shirt.
The man's breathing remained shallow as he stared at her.
"Now, go back to sleep."
As she spoke, Adeline placed a hand against his forehead.
Her eyes briefly closed.
The man's expression immediately went blank.
His body relaxed, the tension draining from his muscles as his eyes slowly lost any expressions.
Within seconds, he stood motionless once again, his mind slipping back into the lucid trance Adeline had placed him in.
Raine sighed. "Well... now you really have to wake her up."
Adeline brushed her hands against her pants and looked toward the sleeping woman. "Fine."
She walked over to Raine and knelt beside her. Carefully, she placed a hand against the woman's forehead.
Within seconds, the woman's eyes snapped open.
She gasped for air, followed by a weak yawn as she blinked several times, trying to understand where she was.
Then she remembered.
Her eyes widened.
She immediately pushed herself upright.
Raine reached out a hand. "Woah, woah. Not so fast. You'd faint again."
The woman froze.
She stared at Raine.
Then at Adeline.
Her gaze darted around the room.
She swallowed hard before slowly backing herself into the corner again.
Raine kept her hands raised. "You're safe. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
The woman simply blinked at her.
Adeline stepped forward. "We need help. We're looking for our... human friends. They're here. Imprisoned." She gestured toward the computers. "We need to locate where they are."
Raine continued. "Are there any files you can pull up? Or some kind of cell number or designation that would help us locate them easily?"
The woman's knees began to tremble.
She stared at Raine, her eyes fixed on the sword—or rather, the place where it had disappeared.
"You-I... you're—Your sword..." Her voice trembled. "It-it disappeared. It-it melted like-like it was—"
She swallowed.
"But it was metal. At least I thought it was, 'cause—you-you broke the chains and—did I dream that? I—how did you—"
Raine slowly stood. She clasped her hands together in front of herself, keeping her posture as non-threatening as possible. "I know this is very confusing for you, and I can't imagine how traumatized you are right now."
The woman's breathing remained unsteady.
"But I want you to listen to me very carefully." Raine's voice softened. "The only thing that matters right now is that you're safe. And we will get you out of here, as long as you don't attack us and you help us find our friends."
She paused.
"And once we're out of here, we'll answer any question you ask."
The woman stared at her.
Then suddenly—
"Hic!"
She blinked.
Another hiccup escaped her.
"H-how could I—hic—trust you? Why would I—HIC—TRUST YOU?"
Raine stared at her for a moment.
The woman continued hiccuping between words, apparently unable to stop.
"Did we give you any reason to fear us?"
The woman stared at her.
"Hic!"
She gestured wildly toward the room. "Well—you—hic—your sword disappeared! And—and—and she did something to me! And—and apparently those guys aren't attacking you! And they look weird! And these guys are all dead! And—and I don't know you people!"
Raine slowly looked toward Adeline. "Fair point."
Dahlia suddenly turned around from her seat at the computer. "Hey, lady."
The woman looked toward her.
"You gonna help us or not?" Dahlia asked bluntly. "Sooner you help us, the faster we can get out of this hellhole."
The woman swallowed.
"I—hic—you're really gonna get me out of here?"
Raine sighed. "I hate repeating myself, lady. Are you going to help us or not?"
The woman slowly nodded.
She carefully pushed herself away from the corner and began moving along the wall, taking one cautious step after another. She kept her movements slow, clearly afraid that anything sudden might provoke the Sirens. Her eyes remained fixed on the monitors as she gradually made her way toward them.
Eventually, she reached Dahlia.
Dahlia stood from the chair and stepped aside. "There you go. All yours."
The woman hesitated before slowly lowering herself into the chair. She placed her trembling hands over the keyboard, taking a deep breath as she tried desperately to keep herself from hiccuping again.
Dahlia watched her for a moment.
"Hic!"
Dahlia rolled her eyes.
The woman winced. "Sorry."
"Hic!"
Dahlia sighed.
"What's the—hic—name of—hic—your friends?"
Raine walked over. "Emily, David, and—" She paused and looked toward the others. "Wait. Who else was there?"
Adeline thought for a moment. "I think it was Harrison?"
Raine immediately shook her head. "No, no. I don't think so. Harrison was the old dude we buried with his wife."
Adeline's eyes widened slightly as she remembered. "Oh, yes. Harry. Harry Winslow, wasn't it?"
August nodded. "Yes. Winslow was the name of the tree. Winslow Tree." He began counting them off on his fingers. "So Emily Winslow, Harry Winslow, David Winslow, Jordan Winslow, Esteban Winslow?"
Raine slowly turned toward him. "Wow. You creep."
August raised an eyebrow. "How am I creepy?"
"You like that girl Ava, don't you?"
August scoffed and chuckled. "How dare you? I don't find humans sexually attractive. I am not Yve."
"I didn't say you were." Raine narrowed her eyes at him. "Kinda weird you remember all their names when Ava only said them once."
August shrugged. "Sorry for having a sharp memory?"
Adeline shook her head. "Are we looking for these people or arguing?"
Raine blinked. "Right. Sorry, sorry."
The woman stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.
Then she carefully typed:
Emily Winslow.
A file appeared on the screen, displaying Emily's photograph. Her face was badly bruised, one eye swollen and darkened by a black eye while her lips were split and bloodied.
Raine immediately leaned closer, her expression changing the moment she recognized her. "That's her! The girl from the picture." Her eyes moved toward the information beside the photograph as she read the cell number.
The woman then opened another search field and typed Harry Winslow.
Raine watched the screen. "Maybe it's him. I don't know, we only had Emily's picture."
"Hic!"
The woman hiccuped again.
Dahlia's eye twitched.
She slowly turned toward the woman, clearly becoming increasingly irritated by the sound. Without saying anything, Dahlia reached over and tapped her on the shoulder.
The woman turned around.
Dahlia's appearance instantly shifted into the predatory form of a Siren. Scales spread across her face, her eyes became narrow and predatory, and her teeth elongated into sharp points. She leaned toward the woman and released a low, vicious hiss.
The woman screamed and practically launched herself out of the chair.
Dahlia immediately reverted to her normal human appearance as though nothing had happened.
Raine stared at her for a moment before letting out a short chuckle. "That was uncalled for."
The woman trembled violently, staring at Dahlia in disbelief. "What—what the fuck?"
Dahlia simply shrugged and looked toward Raine. "Her hiccups were getting on my nerves."
Raine immediately face-palmed. "That was not necessary, Dahlia."
The woman remained frozen for several seconds before slowly looking down. Her face suddenly flushed with embarrassment as she realized what had happened. She had urinated herself.
Alastair glanced toward her and whistled. "Oh, that is a strong smell."
The woman immediately covered her face with one hand, mortified.
Alastair looked at her for a moment before taking off his jacket and handing it to her. "Cover up. I'm gonna go outside for... fresh air."
Dahlia turned toward him. "I'm coming with you."
The two of them walked out of the security room, leaving Raine alone with the woman.
Raine looked at her apologetically. "So sorry for that. They—they may be centuries old, but they have the personality of a kid."
The woman slowly lowered her hand and looked at Raine. "What are you people?"
"Sirens."
The woman stared at her.
Raine gestured toward the computer. "Now, can you please start looking them up again?"
The woman swallowed, then nodded. She tied Alastair's jacket around her waist before turning back toward the computer. Her hands trembled as she typed another name into the computer. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the keyboard as she stared at the screen.
Raine noticed and frowned. "Why are you crying?"
The woman sniffed. "Because I'm gonna die."
Raine looked at her for a moment before answering calmly, "All life will die eventually... one day. But you're not gonna die here."
The woman let out a heavy sigh, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Sirens. Unbelievable."
Raine tilted her head. "What more do you want for you to stop doubting?"
"I'm just..." The woman struggled to find the words. "Everything feels unreal."
The search finished loading.
NO PERSON FOUND.
Raine leaned closer to the monitor. "Why does it say no person found?"
The woman stared at the result. "It means no one with the name David Winslow is in this facility."
Raine frowned. "Well... that can't be right."
The woman quickly cleared the search and removed the last name, leaving only David.
This time, multiple results appeared.
They began scrolling through the list.
David McCaulin Jr.
David Lee
Michael David Lamar II
Michael David Lamar III
David Ross
David Shaun
David Spencer
David Tarry
Raine stared at the screen. "Open them up one by one." She looked toward August. "Do you remember the description of this David fella?"
August thought for a moment. "Hmmm... only met him once, when that Skindrifter was pretending to be him."
He stood and walked toward the monitor, leaning closer to the screen.
"Show me their faces. He's got a strong jawline, sharp eyes, with that messy, rugged look. He's like Lysander, except weaker and more manly-looking."
Raine and Adeline both chuckled.
August glanced at them. "Don't tell Sander I said that."
The woman began opening the files one after another, displaying the photographs attached to each profile. August studied every face carefully, occasionally shaking his head as they moved from one person to the next.
Eventually, they reached David Ross and David Shaun.
August stared at the two photographs for several seconds, narrowing his eyes as he tried to pull the memory from the single encounter he'd had with the real David. "Well, this is a fun guessing game," he muttered. "Why don't we just get them both out?"
Raine studied the two files. "Ross?" she said uncertainly. "I think it's Ross."
August looked at her. "How are you sure?"
"I don't know." Raine shrugged. "Just a hunch."
"That hunch could cost the one we're looking for his life."
Raine frowned. "Well, if we had an image, we wouldn't have to keep guessing."
The woman suddenly looked toward the monitor. "Wait. There's an update."
She refreshed the page.
The information changed.
A red tag appeared beside David Ross.
His name was crossed out in red, and beneath it was a single word.
DECEASED.
The woman stared at the screen. "Huh... he's dead."
Raine's expression changed instantly. "What? How—why? How did you know?"
The woman looked confused by the question. "Actually, this system takes quite some time to update. It's not like the old days anymore. The network isn't exactly reliable."
She hesitated, then looked toward the search results again. "I'm just gonna check something... to be sure."
She pulled up the previous files.
Her eyes widened slightly. "Huh... well, that's something, I guess."
The names Harry Winslow and Emily Winslow were both crossed out in red.
Their status also read:
DECEASED.
Raine stared at the screen. "What?" She stepped closer. "No. No, no, no, no!"
The woman began reading through the files, scrolling through the information attached to their profiles. "Oh... this was entered a week ago."
Raine froze. "What?"
"Their files have been labeled deceased for a week."
Raine stared at her in disbelief. "What are you kidding me right now? We didn't come all the way here for dead people."
Adeline then spoke. "Where are their bodies? We have to make sure they're actually dead."
The woman scrolled through the death information until another section appeared on the screen. She studied it for a moment before her eyes settled on the last known active location.
An address appeared.
She frowned. "They're... not here."
Raine looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Their last active location." She pointed toward the screen. "They're outside the facility. Pretty far away, actually."
Adeline stared at the address for a moment before looking back at the woman. "You have thousands of people in here. How are you able to update their status in real time despite having such primitive technology?"
The woman hesitated.
Then she answered quietly. "Through a chip."
Raine's brow furrowed. "A chip? What chip?"
The woman glanced toward one of the dead guards. She pointed at his neck. "There's a chip implanted in their necks. Smaller than a fingernail. You can feel it beneath the skin."
August looked toward the bodies.
Then toward Raine.
Raine gave him a small nod.
August approached the nearest corpse. He crouched beside it and ran his fingertips along the man's neck, feeling carefully beneath the skin. His expression changed. "There."
He extended his claws.
With a precise movement, he made a small incision and carefully worked his claws beneath the skin. After a moment, he pulled something free.
A tiny black device rested between his fingers.
Raine and Adeline stepped closer.
The device was impossibly small.
Thin filaments protruded from its edges and corners, curling outward like microscopic roots. They were so fine they were almost impossible to see—thinner than a strand of hair.
Raine stared at it. "That's..." She carefully leaned closer. "Where did they get this technology?"
The woman shook her head. "I don't know."
Raine's eyes remained fixed on the device. "Are these human-made?" She pointed toward the delicate filaments. "What do these do?"
The woman swallowed. "I-I don't know anything about that." She glanced down at her hands. "When I first got here, they interviewed us. Then they gave us food. There were sleeping pills in it." Her voice became quieter. "I woke up in a cell and there was already a bandage on my neck."
Raine looked at her.
The woman continued. "I don't remember them putting anything inside me."
She paused.
"Although... I probably wouldn't have known what it was anyway."
Raine slowly turned toward August. "Do you think the Skindrifters made this?"
August studied the device. "How?"
Raine shook her head. "I thought Yve said they had only recently developed consciousness. They're not supposed to be this advanced."
August considered that. "I agree." He turned the device slightly between his fingers, examining the strange filaments. "But we don't actually know when their consciousness began developing."
Raine remained silent.
"It could have been years ago. It could have been months ago. We don't have an accurate timeline." He looked at the device again. "If they've been conscious for years... then maybe it's possible they could have developed something like this."
Adeline's expression tightened. "Let's... let's take this back to Yve." She looked toward the corridors outside the security room. "She'll know what to do. But first, we need to get out of here." Her thoughts drifted toward Callista. "And we still need to get Calli back to Ysa."
Raine nodded. "Alright." She looked around the security room, then toward the tunnels beyond. "Here's the plan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's note;
Well, this is getting interesting...thoughts?