Talia

Being on the road I really started to realize how right my father was. I was strong but ignorant. All I really knew of that facility was the experimentation room, the testing room and my own room. I knew the lab technicians and doctors as well as the guards that made sure I never left. But other than that I had no idea how anything worked. I felt my mind wander to that past. It drew me in and I couldn’t stop it from playing out. 

I was in a lab room being pumped full of drugs.  My father was in the room with me holding my hand. I was fighting my restraints and squirming from pain. They just gave me an injection. It made me feel like my insides were burning. I felt like my skin was boiling. After a while I grunted and felt a surge of power. I felt the boiling feeling stop. I could finally catch my breath. I was able to calm down. I fell asleep pretty soon after but not before hearing what the doctors said. That experiment should have killed any normal person. Her insides should be completely decimated. Her mother couldn’t even survive this experiment. This girl truly is special. Maybe too much so. I fell asleep listening to their whispers dying down. They truly didn’t care if I lived or died. I had to care and find a way to save myself every time. That test was one they performed once a week for about three months. They only stopped that experiment when they decided it was time to kill me. Every time I went through that experiment I got stronger. I was able to stop and reverse the effects quicker and quicker. At the same time apparently the drug was merging with my DNA. I was special and became immune to its negative effects. I gained more strength from it. 

I shook a little remembering the pain of that. My father turned his head and looked at me. What’s up kid? You seem to have something on your mind. I told him just remembering something from before we escaped. He nodded and said that’s normal, do you want to talk about it? I asked what drug they were giving me right before we escaped. He sighed, he tended to do that when I asked a loaded question. He said it was something they gave your mom a total of two times. She told me that it was that drug that would kill her or supposedly did at least. Your mom was on life support each time she was given the drug. She barely survived both times. Luckily she pulled through. Which is why they thought she was a success. But then they realized after you were born the drug didn’t bond with her DNA it was in fact slowly killing her. You on the other hand were just what they were looking for. 

I said mom lied to you. She was sick but she was never going to die. She lied to you for my sake. She knew that we couldn’t all get out together. So she resided herself to a life of torture to make sure I wasn’t a lab rat. She knows you did everything to prevent that and it didn’t work out. But she always knew you’d find a way to free me. She has been waiting for the day I was strong enough to go back for her. She told me she always knew I was special. That I’d be one to break down this fucked up world. She knew I could inspire change. So mom is waiting for us and has been waiting for us since the day she gave birth to me. She saw our future and has been just waiting for it to play out. He shuddered and I saw the tear threatening to drop. He said she really did like to take care of everything on her own. She never really let me help her. The fact that she chose to live a life of suffering to save you. I just wish I would have known. I wish I would have known to come back for her. If you didn’t tell me I would have never known she was still alive. She was always the love of my life. Alicia said yeah and my best friend. I nodded and said well we have a long way to go. 

Dad I was thinking you were right when you got mad at me the other day. I don’t know what to expect. I was being too cocky. I don’t know what I’m walking into except for the fact that I’m strong. But I need to know what to expect. Please tell me what you know about this place. He said it’s about time we talk about that I guess. I’m not proud of my past or where I come from. I just want to make that clear. This isn’t the life I desired, just the life I was born into. Same for your mother and Alicia.  I nodded and he stopped a moment searching for words. He said I guess I’ll start with telling you a little about my family line. I almost sighed feeling like this would be a history lesson. 

He said in this world there are a total of five experimentation facilities. The one you were at was the biggest. That facility is run by three of the families who have run it for generations over time. Anyway my father happens to be under the top dog in this. He has a very powerful role. He helps determine what happens in that facility. He can supersede sometimes what the top dog Dennis says. By saying he doesn't agree with that decision we are going to put it to a vote. Then the three families chat and decide together. Those three families are the ones we have to take down. I nodded and waited for him to continue. He said they are all trained and have immense fighting skills. But they are weak in the sense that they don’t have any special abilities. They have guards that protect them. Some of them have special abilities. Anyway my family has eight members including me. My father, mother, uncle, grandfather and three other siblings. My youngest sibling is a 19 year old girl. Then he said I’m telling you now my grandfather and father won’t let this end without fighting to the death. Many of the people who run this feel that way. So be prepared for the idea that you may need to kill them. I sighed and said I will do what I need to do for the sake of peace but I will try my hardest to get peace without killing. If that isn’t an option then it isn’t an option. He said well I’m glad you're thinking more realistic. But if anyone has to die you can leave that to me. I don’t want you to have any more of that on your conscience. I said but what about you? 

He said I can handle it. Remember how I told you I was a trained assassin? I nodded and he sighed again. I could tell he preferred to keep this buried. I asked are you sure you want to tell me? He said I think it’s important you know the truth about this place and the people you are fighting. I was once one of those people. It was your mother who revealed to me what these facilities were like. But before then I was a believer of the program. I followed my father's orders to a T. I never disobeyed him. I killed for his desires. I have done it many times, more than I’d like to admit. But when I met your mother I realized what I was truly fighting for. I was the guard who cared and who could save them from that hell. So both your mother and Alicia just taught me what hell they experienced. I know they were hoping to use me and get out. But your mother and I fell for each other and I promised to free them and free myself from this job. I hated working for my father at this point. I felt guilty with each kill. But I could only follow his directions until they were free. So that’s what I did. That’s what they did. He said I hate my father and what he allowed to happen to you. What he did to me and my wife. He took everything I loved and said it was his to decide what to do with. He said it was just to punish a fool like me. So I have no qualms about doing what I have to do. I nodded and said ok are you saying you want to take on that fight? He said yes I do. I’d prefer you not fight your own grandfather. Leave that to me. 

I said so what about the other two families?'' He said well the family of the guy who works above my father is pretty small. It’s just the top man, his wife and son. The third family has the same number of members as mine does. But their family is full of women. Apparently the women who that cruel man was with could only birth females for some reason. So there shouldn’t be too many of their members that we will have to fight. Most likely it will just be that man. The woman hates his guts but it’s either pretend to love him or become an experiment like three of her daughters have already. I sucked in my breath realizing why my father called this man cruel. I had to take a breath in to relax my anger a bit. I said so there are about 6 top men we have to take down. The rest will fall apart around it. He nodded and said yeah that’s about right. But just getting to them will be immensely hard. The security is tight. 

At this point Alicia perked up and said I could tell you that their security is intense. There are some gaps in their security though. At one point because of what your father was doing to help both your mother and I we had become guards as well. We worked in order to have freedom during the night and weekends. We were still experimented on but much less often. We spent most of our time guarding other experiments. But after a while we began guarding his own father. He took an interest in us both. Being that we were twins and both had unique abilities. My sister's ability wasn’t well understood. Mine on the other hand was slightly weaker but pretty well understood. My strength was physical while her power was more mental. I could lift a car while she could at times predict the future. She could hear others' thoughts. She trained hard in order to have any combat skills. But she made up for her lack of any inherent combat skills with her mental skills. She used those skills to her advantage. She was able to stop someone from fighting just by convincing them that it would end in their death. She was pretty good at defeating someone without ever having to fight. If she did have to fight she’d use their cockiness and inherent skill against them. They would never see it coming that she was exceptionally skilled and could easily throw off your game by trying to get in their head. Your mother was incredible. I asked, ``How was your ability weaker if you were physically stronger? Alicia chuckled and said strength isn’t everything. Didn’t your father try to prove that to you. It’s also your skills and ability to work together. It’s your mental ability to be able to come up with the best course of action sometimes in seconds. She always was very good at that. I just rushed into battle. I fought hard but there were many times where she had to come to my rescue. I bit off more than I could chew. I could have taken down their forces in a much simpler way she would always say. She would say you are spending way too much energy. They are attempting to tire you out so they can easily take you down. Use your brains a little more, fighting isn’t all about brawn. But that’s why we worked so well together. She balanced out my brawn while I told her when it was time to give in and fight. That there is no other way to fight. We made each other stronger. I always felt so lost without her. 

I said well it seems like we really need mom for this fight. She is the only one of us that’s good at balancing all the brawn. My father laughed loudly and said what do I not fit that role well enough?'' Alicia and I said no together in unison. He laughed again loudly. Then he said Talia you are the closest representation of what your mother was always like. But you also have some of me in you. But you always have to remember your brain should rule your brawn, not your anger. That’s the way to win a fight. Use your brains and power. Beat them in every realm of strength and you can take them down with ease. I said I would and the rest of the ride that day and was silent. We slept in the car whenever we got tired. It was honestly a nice ride. 

But every time I slept my mom would talk to me in my dreams. Apparently that was the only time I was weak enough for her to gain access to my dreams. I was at the same time strong enough to recognize and remember them when I woke up. So when I fell asleep she started speaking to me. She said you did a great job in getting them moving. I am looking forward to finally meeting you. I really love you. But I have to warn you of two things. The woman you let live is going to come after you and she’s stronger than ever. She became an experiment when she lost you. She blames you for her pain. So she is coming after blood. 

I asked her how she knew about the women and what I had to do? She said well the woman came in a few years ago and tried to get information from me about you. But I don’t know much about you at all. Other than that, you are alive and strong. So I couldn’t give her any information. I wouldn’t have even if I did know. But anyway during that time I was able to read her memories. Just the ones on her mind. You were fresh in her mind because it had just happened days before she talked to me. So I knew you were alive, coming into your strength and again safe with your father.

 I asked her what abilities she had. She said that’s hard to find out. I am only able to find bits and pieces. I said oh ok and she asked so how’s your father been doing? I said he’s been good, he really misses you. She said I miss him as well. He truly is a good man and has tried his very best to protect us in this world. Where things like this are seen as acceptable. I said mom how are you? She said oh sweetie I’ll be fine. We will be fine. Just fight your fight. You are strong and capable. All my abilities you share with me are more than ten times stronger in you. You have total control over the people’s mind. You can rule because you are special. You can end their rein and make this world something liveable for everyone. I smiled and said you have a lot of faith in me. 

She said I have a lot of faith in my family. You will free me and together the four of us will take them down and then claim our freedom. Then we can all live a normal life finally. I said that’s what I’ve always wanted. She said honey me too. How’s Alicia doing? She asked after a moment's hesitation. I said she’s ok trying to teach me a bit about your skill and how incredible you are. She laughed and said Alicia was always a hot head and got into trouble. I laughed to myself and said she was telling me. She was telling me to be careful of that. My mom smiled and said good now I have to go sweetie. I said why what’s going on? She said they are coming in for some routine testing. I won’t be able to focus on our conversation any longer. Then I was pushed out of her mind. She didn’t want me to see what she was being put through. I was pretty sure she was even developing a fake mirror of how she looks. She didn’t want me to worry about seeing her hurt. Even though I would very soon she seemed to want to protect me from it as long as possible. I woke up as soon as she was gone wishing I could speak to her for just a little longer. But I was glad to have found out she was really looking out for me. To warn me about this woman was important. But who was the other person I had to look out for? The timing of our conversation ending was crappy. But I knew already that if she wasn’t completely focused we couldn’t talk. I had been talking to her on and off since I was ten. Although when I was ten it was only a few words. At first it was just I love you and goodnight. As I got stronger I was able to talk to her for longer.