Henry nodded against my stomach, and the plan was set.
"Do you think it’s this laboratory you have heard yourself speak about?"
Ah, I had told him about that; that’s true. So we suspected the sa.
"Possible. The fact that they left alone in a room with two female tattoo artists and a fellow prisoner ans they want to see how I behave. Or this prison does not work like the one at ho."
"Female?" Henry let go and stood up, patting the dust off his black military pants. Seeing him rise to his full height and hearing his tone grow colder, he nearly seed threatening.
"Yeah, so what?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Show ." Henry t my eyes before they wandered to my throat.
He lifted my chin to examine the tattoo while asking,
"Why is your uniform bloody?"
"Nosebleed. I’m experinting with my power." I let him look and touch my throat as much as he wanted.
He nodded curtly while I gazed at the ceiling before I felt his fingers wandering to the zipper of my jumpsuit. Usually, I would wear a shirt under the prison uniform, but since my skin got worked on the last few days I left it in the cell.
As he pulled the zipper down, he looked at my chest.
"You drew this." It wasn’t a question, and I humd.
With one hand, he continued to open the zipper at a snail’s pace, while the fingers of his other hand slid southwards over my already healed skin.
I started to feel restless standing still for so long and wanted to fling his hands away when he suddenly asked ,
"How are you going to pay for these?"
His fingers had reached my solar plexus, and I chuckled.
"I hoped The Commander would be kind enough..."
The zipper seed awfully loud until Henry smirked, his eyes still on my body.
"Kind enough to do what?" His tone had turned a bit too challenging for my taste.
"Kind enough to pay for a brother’s body..." I stopped and waited until Henry finally looked back into my eyes. He did so after freezing; his fingers were now just under my belly button.
Only when I was able to see the bewildered blue eyes did I continue.
"...modification." I grinned with mirth, and Henry broke into laughter. He took a step back and ran his hand over his face before he turned his back to .
What the hell am I even doing here? I pulled my zipper back up and suppressed the urge for a cigarette.
"Dora Livington—the tattoo artist. Go find her and pay her handsoly, then bring Chelsea back. If they take to the laboratory in the anti, I’ll try to run away; if I do not manage, then get at the laboratory after you have taken care of the people at the center. I want my grandma to go with the first batch, as long as it’s a safe world. If you are unsure, you decide how to proceed."
Henry nodded, still with his back to , while he held his forehead. "You have to look after yourself; kill anybody who tries to touch you."
"I don’t need you to tell that." I laughed, and he finally turned to . He wanted to say sothing when there was a knock on the door.
"Commander...."
"Off you go." I waved him away with a smile.
"If you do a good job, I’ll show you the rest of my tattoos."
Henry’s eyes wandered over my body once again before he ca to for a hug, like a big, sad dog that didn’t want to part.
"Hey, get your sister to bring us to our world. She should be able to do more than just open a few layers; she should be able to get us where we belong." Regarding the blood she would need to do all that, I couldn’t give him my blood to bring it to her, so he regretfully had to be the one providing it.
He nodded against my neck before letting go and opening the door. The guard ca in, and Henry watched getting cuffed with a heartbroken expression that didn’t match his persona. I winked at him with a smile when I was taken away and saw that he recovered his Commander expression after breaking into a silent laugh.
When I was brought back to the stones and got uncuffed again, I scratched the spots Henry had touched, feeling awfully itchy. Next ti, I’m going to slap him; I am being way too lenient with him.
One stone after the next, eating, flipping the coin with everyone who touched to find out what they had exactly planned for .
Finally, a guard who brought from the dining room to the showers knew more. He had the order from the higher-ups to check if I showed any ’powers.’ The exact words had been, ’He assus that besides corruption, sothing is wrong with Howard. Give him what he wants, and if he uses a power, we bring him there. But first, he wants to study him without him knowing. Also, get his drawings’.
So now I could be sure that I’d co to the laboratory. If the others were there as well, then it wouldn’t be so bad. I don’t think they would directly cut open, and if they tried, they’ll have to pay a price.
Though... I had let my guard down when stepping inside the car and was knocked out with so gas.
I opted not to use my powers for now and not to experint with my ability to avoid risking losing it again or getting weaker. Still, if this laboratory was the place my future self had spoken of, then it was guaranteed that I would get out, wasn’t it?
During als, Teddy was always with , and the sa went for showering. No one tried to start a fight, which was very polite of them. I thought about Chelsea and hoped everything would go well, and I prayed for no more nightmares while I drifted off to sleep at night.
*****
I heard soone fumbling with the lock of my cell and snapped my eyes open. It was dark, but I could clearly see a tall, skinny man with shoulder-length pink hair attempting to enter the cell. He wasn’t alone; three more were present, all looking awfully colorful.
I feigned sleep, peeking through my eyelids and watching them. Could this be the wizard?
Well, I told on him, but it’s not good to provide fellow prisoners with a key or keycard or whatever, and it’s not good to break into others’ cells. If they do that, won’t they risk getting themselves killed?
"The other one is gone?" One whispered.
"Yes, eting his lover."
Too much information. I don’t want to know where Teddy was and what exactly he was doing with a hopefully female person sowhere.
And how co people are coming and going inside this cell just like they want and without everyone noticing?
"Are you sure you want him killed?" One asked, finally successful in opening the lock.
"Just a bullet in the head. Then leave alone with his corpse for an hour." The tall man said while entering, yet not coming close enough for to reach him.
He raised a small, golden handgun, and even more unsettling was the click I heard coming from his direction.
Change of plans—let’s go to the laboratory sooner rather than later.
I conjured up my gun and fired first.
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