Efferent

Chapter 11

Katherine snarled and fell, but not before she ripped the needle from out of her chest. "This is not the end!" She promised, and she staggered but nevertheless stood up on unsteady and shaking legs.

I backed up slowly into Clark, who was still in a heap on the ground. Tripping, I fell on top of him, rolling to face Katherine as she approached. "What good is this to you?" I quickly fought back. "Do you not have the serum already?" I asked, trying to distract her. And it worked.

"I did!" She hissed vehemently, a look of fury gracing her angered face. "I did!"

I cocked my head. "Then why must you need it?" I picked myself up slowly from the ground, facing her, regarding her warily.

"Because your body and your blood reacted differently. You became Efferent." Katherine replied with a grimace that I supposed she considered a smile. Slowly, then hit a button on the control, and with a shutter like noise, my body jerked and spasmed as I fell towards the ground. My limbs became useless and I struggled against her.

"It's no use, little Efferent." She cooed. "Soon I'll have your power, and soon I'll become invincible." Katherine smiled again, then suddenly the world turned black.

***

I blinked against the bright light. As I moved to shield my eyes, I noticed that I was shackled and chained to the bars of the cage I was currently in. Frowning, I turned around and found Clark in the cage beside mine.

He gave me a weak smile. "Hey, Ardyn." Clark said quietly, waving slightly.

"What is this? Where are we?" I questioned, placing my hands on the steel bars. Shaking it gently, I peered outside, trying to look at the cages around us. There was no one else, and they were all shrouded in darkness.

I could barely make out the rest of the halls on either side, though I knew that there was a door, for I could see the shining metal handle. I turned to Clark, slumping down onto the cold tiled ground. "It was Katherine, wasn't it?"

"Why the past tense?" A saccharine voice called out, and my fists clenched. Katherine. Speak of the devil, and she shall come. Katherine's angular and sharp featured face came into the view, strutting down the halls with an obvious meaning.

Waving her hand at us sweetly, she peered into the cells. "What are you doing here? Why are you doing this?" Clark spat.

Katherine pretended to shake her head sadly. "So slow, Clark. Haven't I explained enough already? Don't worry. I won't extract it yet." The 'it' was obviously the serum. "I'll need your powers to become the strongest, so then when I do take it, it'll be extremely powerful."

She paused and looked at me, then continued. "I'll have all of your powers, every Efferent's powers all together. Imagine how powerful I will be. I can bring anyone and anything to their knees, and I will be almighty."

"You are sick! You cannot do this! Someone will come!" Clark exclaimed, and I sighed in unsion as Katherine laughed, her voice a high pitched sound.

"You and I both know that no one will come." Katherine smirked. "There is no one, and you two are completely alone. The government could not care less what I will do, perhaps they will even be happy that I am taking your power away from you."

"But you have not accounted for a second force." An unknown voice spoke, and suddenly the chains around my ankles and wrists opened as if invisible hands torn through the iron. I looked at Clark, who looked as puzzled as I was.

Katherine whirled around her face absolutely menacing, her teeth bared. Then her face suddenly smoothed into absolute glacial calm as she smiled wickedly. She titled her head to the side, staring directly into my eyes.

My breath hitched as she suddenly jerked, moving. I found myself shaking on the ground, collapsed into a pile, then my gaze focused on another object in her hand. "A better version." Katherine grinned. "That one? That was just merely a prototype, a mere test. This one is indestructible, and is much stronger. You all have no chance."

"Is that so?" The masculine voice asked, and I watched as the suddenly the remote floated out of Katherine's hands. She immediately leapt at it, clutching at it with all her life. Hanging on, the remote flew into a wall and Katherine followed suit, crashing against the metal.

"Who are you?!" Katherine narrowed her already slitted eyes.

No one replied, until the remote suddenly pressed down. "I am no one for you to worry yourself about." I was relieved of the pain subjected to me, and I shakily stood up, leaning onto the bars for support. The locks clicked open, crashed towards the ground, and the doors opened.

I walked out, and then fell as the remote was pressed again by Katherine. I closed my eyes as my head felt like it was exploding, and my limbs felt pained and strained. "Come on, Arydn!" Clark said, pulling me up.

"No-" I hissed in pain, brokenly clutching at the walls, gritting my teeth. My knees buckled, as my hands shook, and the room swam in front of my eyes. Figures appeared in front of my eyes... but they were not random. I knew these. Mom. Somehow she was here, looking at me with disgust, the same way she looked as she rejected me, as she stood hidden at the threshold of the bunker.

The government officials appeared, with their guns aimed at us and their neatly ironed uniforms. Weapons gripped tightly in their hands, a strict expression on their faces. Suddenly the doctors, with their lethal syringes appeared behind them, walking slowly with a soothing voice, but there was nothing calm about them.

"Ardyn... Ardyn!" Clark shouted, shaking me. All the people disappeared, and I blinked. "We have to leave, now! He is distracting Katherine, but I am sure he will not last long, whoever he is." He helped me up, and then fumbled with his backpack, shoving it on his back.

"Should we thank him, whoever he is?" I inquired, pointing at the boy who was fending Katherine off. "He is Efferent, isn't he? Like us?"

Clark pursed his lips. "Yes, he is, but-"

"Ah, Travis!" Katherine's voice cut into Clark's sentence. I wildly looked around, trying to find whom 'Travis' could be. There was no one else in the room besides us, so it must be the name of the dark haired boy.

His eyes darkened and he fumed. "So it may seem."