Slate, Lyla, Gideon, Paisley and Bethany at each of their own respective tables are packing tinned food into crates, aprons and hair nets donned. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAvlyKXp3inh
179Please respect copyright.PENANAMPsIgLTBTe
Ester is up the front, supervising them when there is a knock at the door. "Come in." Ester calls out and the person enters, Mikey. "Hey, Mikey!" She smiles, voice elevated and bubbly.179Please respect copyright.PENANAtIt9jg8i11
179Please respect copyright.PENANAPZVGAo4Zff
"Can we talk outside?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAHzGVslFcX0
179Please respect copyright.PENANAFjg7h8IJuk
"Sure. Hey, group. I am stepping outside for just a moment to talk to Mikey. Please continue your activities and if you need anything, I'm right outside, alright?"179Please respect copyright.PENANALy1vBSaTWh
179Please respect copyright.PENANAiZLlQLQxPu
And she leaves, no one answering her. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAJ5M3lGqrwp
179Please respect copyright.PENANAbpXjjQJ8HL
Outside, the situation is serious. "Ester, I don't want to cause panic. But... Cloud has gone missing. Security's searching for him now as we speak and we need to talk about, you know...179Please respect copyright.PENANAbYFZEoyb4g
179Please respect copyright.PENANAukJX3XQ1n7
As unhappy as Grayson is, his on board with the plan. Should we excute it? Because with Cloud missing like he has, we're all in danger. We know what his like, yeah, we had him locked up downstairs for three years, but his always been highly resistent to any kind of medication, even Merge.179Please respect copyright.PENANAJBiV03jd6d
179Please respect copyright.PENANAAyX5mB4upE
It worked too well on the ones in there, likely because their on the younger side. Cloud's a threat and he wants revenge understandably."179Please respect copyright.PENANAvcXPpGBgVd
179Please respect copyright.PENANAL3UUxRQqqG
"You want to finish what Slate started?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAey8vvH5eYE
179Please respect copyright.PENANAqz3NMBPpXV
"Why not? Break them out. We're all in the position to help them."179Please respect copyright.PENANAZeePBawc7h
179Please respect copyright.PENANA6CFI5MpvlA
"Even we do, we've been medicating them for years. We ruined their mind and their dependent on various drugs. They'll never survive on their own.179Please respect copyright.PENANAKNcWEkkkqE
179Please respect copyright.PENANAJIJ1lkHgbF
"You'd be suprised when faced with reality how adaptable people can be. We're not going to leave them in the lurch. We can have them make it to a safe place, and take Solayo out. He thinks we won't ever dare to kill him, but I want to. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA7tc8SxouUF
179Please respect copyright.PENANAThDV6wuJpT
We agreed to this plan, but not to hurt all the people we've hurt. We take Solayo out and then we take over. We clear the zombies out and reclaim Hope-Thorn and everyone can see the sunlight again and live as normal as reasonably possible. Plus with Cloud missing, his no doubt on the wartpath to take Solayo out. We do it first, he'll stop and just leave, we can just let him walk away from all this and we get to walk away from him."179Please respect copyright.PENANARhnN13d4y6
179Please respect copyright.PENANAfmdu95xgUg
"Okay, and I want a future with you so, okay. Where do we send the group in there though? They barely know eachother, if they weren't so damaged we could have Slate lead them- I have an idea."179Please respect copyright.PENANA9s1J8KOHDJ
179Please respect copyright.PENANAqGA4pQmD89
"What?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAW9bTKkw3Xi
179Please respect copyright.PENANAPhggYAy8Bq
"Crashback."179Please respect copyright.PENANAJM8q2OhgGI
179Please respect copyright.PENANA9jUfwSPNnO
"But that won't undo the last few years of-"179Please respect copyright.PENANAjs6cN3Qhbb
179Please respect copyright.PENANAmncE1UAxHe
"It won't undo all the forgotten, internalized trauma. But we've stopped giving them Merge mostly. The only person in that room still on it is Beth and that's because Grayson's still making moves on her. That's the reason Solayo is still giving it to her because Grayson is romancing her. He may say he doesn't care, but he does care as Grayson romancing her is going to mess with her further and it's better if she doesn't have an obsessional attachment to him.179Please respect copyright.PENANA7m5m5YakPL
179Please respect copyright.PENANAKMRSamRZlC
Anyway, Slate. We have two options, we can either trigger a crashback based on spot targetting specitic deep burried memories, but that is hard to do, it takes repeated attempts, months worse and there is no guarantee it will work.179Please respect copyright.PENANAUSL3xPyY7W
179Please respect copyright.PENANABdTzIKEHJb
Or we go the invasive, quick option. It won't bring back his memories and the feelings attached, but we can bring back his personality and the morals he stood for somewhat."179Please respect copyright.PENANA8DPbToxeBJ
179Please respect copyright.PENANAZ98lcaKKGQ
"Like his leadership skills?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAi0mFNeqoeP
179Please respect copyright.PENANApSEYyUs3Qs
"Yes. He was great at dealing with people and leading them. We bring that out even though his memories and associated feelings aren't there, they stand a chance at escaping and hiding."179Please respect copyright.PENANAKGeVHJRhu4
179Please respect copyright.PENANAidyqs1dm4w
"So how do we do that? His skills are still something that would be a spot target."179Please respect copyright.PENANAOhmE4QTwHm
179Please respect copyright.PENANAfTzeeloUfi
"Well, it's going to leave two holes in his head. They'll heal, but-"179Please respect copyright.PENANA9Czk3m4Jv1
179Please respect copyright.PENANAMRdbMT9Znb
"Shit."179Please respect copyright.PENANAcJ5rpazl2F
179Please respect copyright.PENANAvty84vzBLO
"Can you go get him? Bring him to my lab, I'll do the procedure. I'll meet you there, I would just need to collect the medical supplies."179Please respect copyright.PENANA2kONXjKcMr
179Please respect copyright.PENANAHjPDldov0H
"And what about the rest?"179Please respect copyright.PENANA3DRLbJ5ZV4
179Please respect copyright.PENANAC78XASWdia
"They're fine, they can just keep doing their sorting task."179Please respect copyright.PENANAUd3KKtcWqr
179Please respect copyright.PENANAgMCJhUCkFY
"Okay, if you're sure." Mikey heading inside to bring Slate out while Ester heads the opposite direction to a supply cupboard, not knowing she's being watched.179Please respect copyright.PENANAbsWG7ESCYs
179Please respect copyright.PENANALU9khvUTqT
---179Please respect copyright.PENANAUXnMAZe6dd
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Slate covers his face, the light shining brightly in his face. "That hurts." He complains from the sugical chair his on.179Please respect copyright.PENANAwzQKmBnlys
179Please respect copyright.PENANAzKdsQOXKba
"I'm sorry." Ester appolgizes donned in full plastic masking and everything. Mikey is beside her kitted up as well. His never asisted before in the medical procedure side of things so this is a first for him.179Please respect copyright.PENANAPl9AsJqOML
179Please respect copyright.PENANAXhciVpAtei
"What are you going to do to me? Why am I here? I've done nothing wrong, I've done everything you asked of me." Slate complains.179Please respect copyright.PENANAyHfZCinZ4L
179Please respect copyright.PENANABRjy4Ur25X
"You're right, you have done nothing wrong. It's us who did something wrong and I know you may never understand again, but we need a part of you back. There isn't the time for us to fill in the blanks you need right now. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAgbJSZsA11p
179Please respect copyright.PENANA76Zxy55ddj
Now, Slate. This is going to hurt, but I'll try and make it as painless as I possibly can for you. Please try and bare with me." She tells him, securing his arms to the chair, Mikey doing the same with his feet. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAHHV2DaOh72
179Please respect copyright.PENANAjSczhN0yGH
She then brings a nose tube inserting it and hooks it over his ear, oxygen and attaches some leads, blood pressure cuff and more so she can monitor his vitals.179Please respect copyright.PENANAGCCv3Ofiry
179Please respect copyright.PENANAeaDcHfVkMZ
He looks at them, fear showing on his face. Ester preps a needle and inserts into a tube that is already in Slate's arm. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAlZrG6nxh36
179Please respect copyright.PENANAeBbRUyQoSc
"We'll be right here with you buddy the whole time and we'll be here when you wake up." Mikey tells him, gently brushing his hair, feeling horribly guilty.179Please respect copyright.PENANAiphTho7Oxp
179Please respect copyright.PENANAFv8LOAdjLg
Slowly Slate's eyes begin to close and everything goes dark. He looks around, his someplace, but it's not a room. It's endless.179Please respect copyright.PENANA6P1sbC4vgh
179Please respect copyright.PENANANXMK41zmts
Slowly lights and colours come through together to form a picture. The space around him looks like, well, space. Behind him is a shivery silver line, it's attached to his body, but not one specific place and it leads all the way up to a place he can't make out.179Please respect copyright.PENANA4bwJHWxpAM
179Please respect copyright.PENANAvaToJoqwMG
Where is he? This can't be space, he can breathe. He reaches a hand out to feel the beam connected to him, it feels light and airy, flexible.179Please respect copyright.PENANAt0BOjPx146
179Please respect copyright.PENANAPfYISwKgjA
"I wouldn't play with that if I were you. The last person who did was severed from me."179Please respect copyright.PENANACgshIPsvz2
179Please respect copyright.PENANAxO8YQcBOLc
Says a voice, female. "Hello?" He calls out. No reply is heard.179Please respect copyright.PENANAg3GNTvmsX8
179Please respect copyright.PENANAJzO9bPZKrT
"Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?!" He yells out fustrated. "Who am I?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAv8vkYvfQ99
179Please respect copyright.PENANAJQJPQXho5N
"Your heart knows who you are and you know what you are supposed to do."179Please respect copyright.PENANAZtxQy1cksf
179Please respect copyright.PENANAJwQa1OOmRL
And then it hits him, Bethany. Beth, she needs him. He thinks back, he doesn't know how he got in this situation, but the Tomorrow Party are hurting them.179Please respect copyright.PENANAFkdcXEU1ZA
179Please respect copyright.PENANA6CYkrlGlFM
His other friends need him as well, he was built for this. He can help every single one of them, he can save them all.179Please respect copyright.PENANAY9HX3VoRNF
179Please respect copyright.PENANAja86TIRTLt
He was a coward before, and his never going to go back to being one again, he won't let them hurt them anymore.179Please respect copyright.PENANAnyzW6mwyI3
179Please respect copyright.PENANAS9giGB68GZ
When everything comes back, everything is blurry, but he can make out colours. He feels like a computer rebooting. Wait, that doesn't make sense? He-179Please respect copyright.PENANAXC6kAboESY
179Please respect copyright.PENANA5jiq9QTO4h
And then his eyes widen, he sits up straight and looks them both in the eyes. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAc0mEQeGDOw
179Please respect copyright.PENANATd0kSXzikT
"Do you know who you are? Who we are?"179Please respect copyright.PENANA2g0hVgLQld
179Please respect copyright.PENANAnTQfv8hPNL
"Slate. You both are the leaders, Ester and Mikey. What have you both done? You're monsters."179Please respect copyright.PENANA4QcsELTuUK
179Please respect copyright.PENANA3bmhalkI7z
"Bought as much of you as possible, back." Ester answers, pulling the quick release knot on his restraints lettting Slate stand on his own two feet. He touches his head, feeling a bandage. 179Please respect copyright.PENANADfqCS9mn4Q
179Please respect copyright.PENANAGcvUuzs8DL
Mikey holds out a walkie talkie, and a gun to him with spare bullets to him. "I reprogrammed it to mine, Grayson and Ester's only. Go, round up your friends and get your stuff, Zekey and leave. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAYvuO5dsagR
179Please respect copyright.PENANAY96K9TyrLN
We'll meet up with ya'll later outside. We'll run you a distraction."179Please respect copyright.PENANA4TxiyLtElD
179Please respect copyright.PENANADOyRwsTbhd
Slate breezes right past them leaving them behind, this is the last time his ever going to see them again. He makes it to his room, pulling on his old fighter jacket, red sunglasses and boots. Packing a bag for him and Gideon with clothes quickly, Zekey's needs, bundle of pencils and small sketchbook and high tails it out of his room, breaking the card readers on the girls room and take their bags to, their stuff packed and Beth's guitar. He can't take Zekey yet.179Please respect copyright.PENANAymxKG9bUrG
179Please respect copyright.PENANAQYn0efCNmW
It's alot to carry, but he can handle it and just needs to hide their stuff because the longer it's on him the more inconspicious he'll look to Security. Change of plans, Mikey. They're escaping, not going with them. 179Please respect copyright.PENANApRs3Ilq43w
179Please respect copyright.PENANAo5cdWBc7xw
He dumps their stuff outside in the wheat field through the main door that leads to the outside area he doesn't need a pass for and makes a beeline heading straight back inside to collect his friends.179Please respect copyright.PENANA068X5afjs8
179Please respect copyright.PENANA9IaUdVmrrD
As he heads back towards the sorting room, Grayson passes him, sliding something into Slate's hand. A pill jar of pills. He looks at the label, it's Merge. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAJJYqKEAOKP
179Please respect copyright.PENANA4oebExpuks
Take to much in a short amount of time and it makes you really sick. It can trigger a crashback as well, but who knows what memories, feelings or skills come out. The results are alot more unpredictable and dangerous.179Please respect copyright.PENANAGWxNcEfVQL
179Please respect copyright.PENANAMLPBlalTuq
He heads into the sorting room, seeing a crate on it's side, tins spilling out and blood on the floor. His friends trying to clear it up.179Please respect copyright.PENANAGXVCyzKqFR
179Please respect copyright.PENANArnTlvfZ6G6
Bethany's not present. "What happened?" He asks. "I don't know. She- the blonde one pulled the lid of a can and sliced her wrists and tried to cut her neck. She did it out of nowhere!" Lyla tells him.179Please respect copyright.PENANASUaXbA1AFB
179Please respect copyright.PENANAonvXWauYkb
We ran outside for help and the guards took her away, proably to triage."179Please respect copyright.PENANAW1BnZg5GRT
179Please respect copyright.PENANAJ9IJhNnDHI
"Her name is Bethany. I know this is messed up right now, but mine and your stuff right now is dumped outside in the field.179Please respect copyright.PENANA9IyIRyGoHk
179Please respect copyright.PENANAPsrt269bnK
Take these and go collect it, then run for the furthest helicopter away. This will be painful, but it's going to be worth it. I'm getting us out of here."179Please respect copyright.PENANAeXb7WPu0uO
179Please respect copyright.PENANAmACd4R8XI9
"What are they? You're acting weird-" Lyla begins. "Here, I'll help you do it. But I don't have much time." He responds, opening the jar and handing her a handful.179Please respect copyright.PENANAYDKbSAWOgr
179Please respect copyright.PENANApR2h2udQzr
Enough to overdose on and trigger a crash, but not to kill them or inpair their ability to think and run. He holds the same amount out to Gideon and Paisley.179Please respect copyright.PENANAufq5cMvz02
179Please respect copyright.PENANAb5b0QOomQg
"Why are we doing this?" Gideon asks. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAEF66qajE5a
179Please respect copyright.PENANAx2zTt16XGp
"You might understand once you've taken it."179Please respect copyright.PENANAYXc0Oy76JT
179Please respect copyright.PENANAXWFMI6nk8b
Lyla and Gideon shrug, downing them. Paisley just looks at them. "Paisley."179Please respect copyright.PENANANmtrg93u4v
179Please respect copyright.PENANAu5CDtkddqS
"I don't need them, I'm not stupid like you all are."179Please respect copyright.PENANA8gsXpOHmKE
179Please respect copyright.PENANADliKg68AfZ
Slate is speechless. "Okay, your stuff is outside. Go with Gideon and Lyla to fetch Zekey and then get the bags. I'll meet you all outside, you need to head for the furthest away helictopter."179Please respect copyright.PENANA7LugzAvIFg
179Please respect copyright.PENANAvyl1lHOhoG
She nods and takes Lyla and Gideon's hand, dragging them outside. It's going to take a little while for it to work. He runs in the direction of the infirmary, he needs to find Bethany before it's to late.179Please respect copyright.PENANANdhWrPXwEV
179Please respect copyright.PENANAlaTAuVQOGv
Then he hears panic and screaming, it's hard to get past a crowd. He sees his ex-friend up ahead, Murphy.179Please respect copyright.PENANAwH6PNzqw13
He roughly grips Murphy's arms pulling him back. "Woah, look at you." Murphy says, eyeing Slate up and down. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA6DtrfGfF4R
179Please respect copyright.PENANAKnPL6YnMBc
"Don't think I don't know you fucking touched, Beth. And you also murdered Hazel and Elijah. They we're alive and then you go on a mission and they don't come back alive. You we're pissed off at me and Bethany."179Please respect copyright.PENANA7JEPvYvI08
179Please respect copyright.PENANAvTwrSs0q5q
Murphy laughs. "I don't have time for this crap and I don't know what you are playing dress up for, but someone the leaders say is a threat to us have gone missing. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA0EgGJgxmGH
179Please respect copyright.PENANAc2k9RQlk6L
So fly away, Slate."179Please respect copyright.PENANAHJRypLtcHE
179Please respect copyright.PENANA3sqMZJkEo2
"I can't, I need to find, Beth."179Please respect copyright.PENANAPQfVnpEriz
179Please respect copyright.PENANAq7U7vvCCgE
"Uh, Infirmary I think. She was dragged out of the sorting room."179Please respect copyright.PENANABURJiooZp4
179Please respect copyright.PENANAYL2tRbwB3a
"No shit. So, how can I get down there? I need to get to Beth, I need to know she's okay. She cut herself."179Please respect copyright.PENANA06ZuckyF54
179Please respect copyright.PENANAUpopZuzI9l
"Fucking psychotic bitches."179Please respect copyright.PENANAhM6qRV8cTL
179Please respect copyright.PENANAKOHfCi0oYp
And Slate punches Murphy to the ground, knocking a tooth out. "You piece of shit." Murphy coughs. "You're a fucking piece of shit." Slate says back annoyed. "If you won't help me, I'll find another way there." 179Please respect copyright.PENANAPv7BYKj7fE
179Please respect copyright.PENANA9xUEBNrWWC
And he leaves, heading away from the mass of people when something or someone catches him out the corner of his eye. A young woman passes by going down a corridor that is reserved for security, her clothing non standard.179Please respect copyright.PENANAzoITUrQmfS
179Please respect copyright.PENANA1mPwS18Kw4
Slate follows behind heading down there and sees the young womam open the door and head in. He arrives in a open common room, tables and lockers. He grabbed the door last minute so it didn't close.179Please respect copyright.PENANA0E2Z04AKvt
179Please respect copyright.PENANATdF8sLtLtH
With access now, he has a way around the crowd to get to the medical part of the building. Looking around cautious, he doesn't see the young woman anywhere.179Please respect copyright.PENANAUkGdrBAthQ
179Please respect copyright.PENANALWOMrWWpzD
How could she dissapear this fast? When he hears footsteps behind him. Spinning around quickly he sees nothing, but a pass lying on the ground.179Please respect copyright.PENANA136RgQGma2
179Please respect copyright.PENANAf4DMBrfJJV
It's a high level one and has Cloud written on it. He picks it up, turning it over finding a sticker saying, "Not In Active Use."179Please respect copyright.PENANA6GQgFjbsDu
179Please respect copyright.PENANA2xH6KGgLDO
Cloud hates the Tomorrow Party, he doesn't want to join them. This must have been a pass for incase he did. But how did it end up here? And where did that young woman go? She looked- he can't remember what she looks like or what she was wearing. He takes the pass, using back corridors and finds his way to triage.179Please respect copyright.PENANAE6qQQpklsh
179Please respect copyright.PENANAfXqYiARQdj
"Uh, did Bethany come through here?" He asks a nurse hoping she won't realize isn't security.179Please respect copyright.PENANA5QEADs2STT
179Please respect copyright.PENANASLYKMOvy7N
"Bethany?"179Please respect copyright.PENANARd7iXQj0gP
179Please respect copyright.PENANA6XFcyq0htX
"Short blonde hair, blue eyes, she... cut heself."179Please respect copyright.PENANAcsa6yxG16r
"Uh, yep. She's in with a doctor now. Solayo's personal office I think."179Please respect copyright.PENANACazMVtI0rA
179Please respect copyright.PENANA5kpDeFtK0d
"Shit."179Please respect copyright.PENANAEyk4dSONIq
179Please respect copyright.PENANABV34S3nDkL
"Are you okay? You don't look so good. The bandage on your head, is it bleeding?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAzpO8hTvmIS
179Please respect copyright.PENANAZp4Vonvo2M
"I hit it, that's all. I'm fine." Slate says annoyed, pushing past her to find Solayo. He has to take the elevator down a few floors and arrives at Solayo. He peaks in the door, his friend tied down obviously, Solayo examing her injuries.179Please respect copyright.PENANAkXbPMCF2lG
"You cut not that deeply on your wrists or your neck. You'll live thankfully. Why'd you do it?" He asks, taking a seat on a chair near her.179Please respect copyright.PENANAexa7ySaMXJ
179Please respect copyright.PENANAbLSMdkbpYY
She squirms, not saying anything. "Uh, okay. Um, your meds don't really seem to be working for you any more." He says, checking her chart. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAsXyTsVFyFd
179Please respect copyright.PENANAflnpjDmA6T
"We could up them, but they're already a high dose. You are just settling in again to the routine, three years downstairs was a long time... so I could just patch you up and we monitor you the next few hours, I get you a bed in psych or at-least on the main medical floor. As long as you don't do this regularly, it won't be an issue-179Please respect copyright.PENANAXtQGmB4thR
179Please respect copyright.PENANAfFu8Nhs2nP
"Solayo! Come in!" Solayo's walkie talkie picks up. Solayo sighs and answers while he preps a needle for Bethany. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAUxwV73JTQb
179Please respect copyright.PENANA9VeIXRW8sS
"What is it Grayson? I'm kind of busy right now playing doctor."179Please respect copyright.PENANAmaWxNtHK1y
179Please respect copyright.PENANATuIeyWxQID
"You won't believe what I and Mikey just saw-"179Please respect copyright.PENANAMNh147jSZG
179Please respect copyright.PENANAXcddJb6mCN
"What?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAUR8JvkZ2zp
179Please respect copyright.PENANACSnnruWidQ
"There is a bomb! Cloud NO joke rigged up a bomb."179Please respect copyright.PENANABRMg9KpDnx
179Please respect copyright.PENANABzKRBvW7bm
"Come on-"179Please respect copyright.PENANALuk19lk8vs
179Please respect copyright.PENANAWFYjM099sy
"We're going to evacuate everyone."179Please respect copyright.PENANAJGtyidhaJM
179Please respect copyright.PENANAihWVzvkH6P
"Grayson, we can't. This place is too large for that and there are to many people for that."179Please respect copyright.PENANAsKB6FAnWzl
179Please respect copyright.PENANAusdjkfbroE
"But-"179Please respect copyright.PENANAfMUx8FuXYi
179Please respect copyright.PENANAHPojN2SMxo
"Grayson, just evacuate everyone we actually need. Useful or... the ones that are valuable or we have an emotional connection too..."179Please respect copyright.PENANAQx5ifZ2ngy
179Please respect copyright.PENANA3M2MrDBcAH
"You can't be serious-"179Please respect copyright.PENANAIZUIBrXcDX
179Please respect copyright.PENANAX7D9YARxB9
"It's that or everyone dies."179Please respect copyright.PENANAuctFcNfann
179Please respect copyright.PENANASqnasw9ZlU
"Okay, we'll try." And Grayson clicks off the channel.179Please respect copyright.PENANAEuuwIFm5VS
179Please respect copyright.PENANAqWYPKvbiGS
"Just my day." Solayo mutters finishing prepping the needle and approaches Bethany. Slate's ready to run it and has to stop because Mikey radios him. He turns it down as low as he can and quickly answers, ducking down so Solayo doesn't see or hear him. 179Please respect copyright.PENANARSAHGyihUh
179Please respect copyright.PENANAyWtX0HJYue
"Slate, are you there?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAb9kOg2hR0a
179Please respect copyright.PENANAlO4J5BqKPU
"Cloud's rigged a bomb."179Please respect copyright.PENANAc1ZrArlvCR
179Please respect copyright.PENANAMviyfhWQGJ
"How'd you know?!"179Please respect copyright.PENANAoKo3jHlbSs
179Please respect copyright.PENANA4i6LtO197K
"Don't worry about it, just get whoever you can outside. Lyla, Gideon, Paisley and Zekey are already outside. I'm trying to get to Bethany right now."179Please respect copyright.PENANAYP3lyZFCW8
179Please respect copyright.PENANAHRdScboPFR
"That's the problem! They're not. People are everywhere I saw them take a detour, Ester's on her way to them now to let them out a side staff door and Grayson and me are going to pick up em. We're trying to get some of the trucks started right now, not all of Security wants to help us."179Please respect copyright.PENANAwaGOrySDSj
179Please respect copyright.PENANAEzKlGtn84Q
"Whatever, you'll handle it. I have to face off with Solayo right now, Bethany's with him!"179Please respect copyright.PENANA9hRkPjgy7t
179Please respect copyright.PENANAGdinPAbsNK
"Shit. Why?"179Please respect copyright.PENANA0jAV1WQYJS
179Please respect copyright.PENANABx63LxKReL
But Slate turns off his radio, done. He kicks open the door, aiming the gun he was given. Solayo grasps his from the table and turns around aiming it at him. 179Please respect copyright.PENANABfI0nHArxu
179Please respect copyright.PENANAOypG0hoUAx
"What the hell are you doing here? How did you get that?!"179Please respect copyright.PENANA18AN5We1VA
179Please respect copyright.PENANA7id9Zfcj5M
"What did you to her?! Beth!" He calls out, seeing she's not moving, drugged out. He must have sticked her. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAPFGUufQzdM
179Please respect copyright.PENANAFLmXM6fdCS
"You're diffrent. What happened to you?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAqWd1ViHWwi
179Please respect copyright.PENANAxyzymfioH6
"Solayo, leave while you still can. There is a bomb."179Please respect copyright.PENANANKzBWe7SZt
179Please respect copyright.PENANARKOZebpAx1
"I know. Fine, you want Beth, you can have her." Solayo says annoyed and hurriedly breezing past Slate, leaving him. "That was easy." Slate breathes and then he hears the door lock behind him. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA6dfJtlOUIa
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"Dip shit!" He yells, pulling on it. "Solayo! Solayo, come back!" 179Please respect copyright.PENANAJsddM4E8V6
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Solayo smirks from the other side of the door through the window. "You sit nice and tight while I bring Security. I'm not leaving without Beth and her Hybridacy. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA4JUsOIRms0
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You on the other hand, enjoy this room. It'll be the last thing you see. You and me? We're done, I'm cutting you lose."179Please respect copyright.PENANAZDVNGqurWt
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And he walks away. Slate punches a hand against the door. "I hate you!" And he breaks down a bit crying. "I trusted you- I trusted you. I did everything you asked and wanted of me-"179Please respect copyright.PENANAKQ5jz89t38
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And he gags, feeling blood pour out his nose. He clutches the desk trying to steady himself, a few images hitting him. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAaXdWen3k7i
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Everything he gave up, everything he did for him, the long term manipulation Solayo subjected him to, the drugs. It hurts.179Please respect copyright.PENANA24F6aNlPiJ
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And then he looks to his right seeing Beth. No, no, he can't breakdown now. He can't, she needs him. His real friends need him, they're waiting. He runs up to her, "I'm going to get you out of here, okay? If it's the last thing I do, I promise." He cries, struggling to undo the leather restraints. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAvmaImbWATu
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They're not complex, but it's difficult. He manages to undo them. He looks to her scarred wrist and neck, they'll scare everyone. He reaches for a nearby roll out of bandages and wraps them, gently securing them with medical tape, pocketing the clean bandages and tape as they'll need replacing later.179Please respect copyright.PENANAWcwSORib9J
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He lifts her up into his arms and heads to the door, Solayo's an idiot. He pulls out Cloud's pass from his pocket, tapping it and the door beeps, unlocking. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAkRisPqx8Ai
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Lyla, Gideon and Paisley with Zekey are fleeing down a corrridor that is connected to another, two doors and get stuck unable to open the door, seeing the world it just outside.179Please respect copyright.PENANAlA4FSLwo9o
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"Shit, we'll have to go back and go around another way if we can." Gideon curses. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAd2oH7QeoAG
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"No!" Yells out a voice and they see Ester running towards them, waving her pass. She stops just before crashing into them.179Please respect copyright.PENANANS6yjiqL1K
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"I'm sorry, I don't want to alarm you. But we located Cloud, he rigged a bomb." 179Please respect copyright.PENANAhkNV1DL7Ga
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She hands them her pass. "No! What about you? You can't leave us, Mum!" Lyla cries.179Please respect copyright.PENANA1pk73AUsuy
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"Lyla, it'll be okay. I promise, take my pass and get outside. I'll meet with Mikey and I'll see you all outside, okay?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAeGu68EBqaq
179Please respect copyright.PENANABXVAFms8ai
"No, just come with us now." Gideon begs, pulling on her arm. She bites her lip and looks at them all. "Please." Is the only and few words out of Paisley's mouth as she rarely speaks.179Please respect copyright.PENANACOyy6aLdBR
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"Okay." Ester tells them. "But rug up first, please. It's really cold outside, Lyla." She says, pulling off her coat and beanie, handing them to Lyla, making sure they fit and are done up.179Please respect copyright.PENANA3uL6suFJQI
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"Okay, let's go-" She smiles heading to the door when there is a blood splatter spraying out of Ester's forehead, her expression going blank and she falls to the floor, a metal bullet casing hitting the floor.179Please respect copyright.PENANAqGvkdrF6pq
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Lyla lets out a scream and has to cup her own mouth. Standing there behind Ester just down the hall, holding a gun is Cloud, expression cold. He doesn't anything.179Please respect copyright.PENANAaJKtNVKGbF
"You monster!" Gideon yells at him. "We we're nice to you and you do this to a good person?! Ester was a good doctor! She was one of the good ones!"179Please respect copyright.PENANArtkm4C2AM3
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"And maybe that's why you're not dead. Consider yourself lucky." Cloud speaks up and turns around leaving.179Please respect copyright.PENANAPFdxLdT78J
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"Mum." Lyla cries, hugging Ester's dead body. "Lyla, I'm sorry. But we have to go. His going to pick of each of the leaders one by one. We have to get out now, there is still a bomb." Gideon tells her, picking up his blood splattered friend, carrying her outside despite her protests as Paisley is given the pass swiping which sets off an alarm as this is a fire exit, she's carrying Zekey's cage. They all run for the furtherest helictopter, snagging their stuff and Slate and Beth's on the way with great difficulty.179Please respect copyright.PENANAeIvffiH6JW
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As they jump into the backseat, they see trucks everywhere driving around madly.179Please respect copyright.PENANATPTE1XgOvu
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"Come on, Slate." Gideon breathes as he tries to comfort Lyla while Paisley sits there neutral, just holding Zekey's cage in her lap.179Please respect copyright.PENANA3l7ZmM5KrT
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Slate makes it a corridor and stumbles tripping over Ester's body as he doesn't mean to, dropping himself and Beth to the floor. He gasps, looking over his shoulder. "Ester?" He whispers seeing her lying there, shocked expression and bleeding out even though she's already dead.179Please respect copyright.PENANAxOAJHKLxbo
He has no choice, but to pull himself together and get up, picking a sedated Beth back up. He does so and runs, not noticing the bottle of pills that fell out of his pocket and his left behind.179Please respect copyright.PENANAPPEAHLEbRY
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He swipes the pass and runs out the door, the alarm triggering. It's a long run, but he pushes himself after seeing their stuff isn't in the field. 179Please respect copyright.PENANACrsqrjTspU
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He makes it to the furthest helicopter seeing his friends are inside. He pulls open the pilot door and jumps inside, placing Beth down quickily in the passengar seat, securing her seatbelt and then his own. He grabs the keys from where all keys are kept in each helicopter and pulls his door shut.179Please respect copyright.PENANAV61qlxwhHH
"How we feeling everybody?" He asks as he starts up the helicopter, blades rotating.179Please respect copyright.PENANA1u410zXvi2
"Really foggy and weird. Our noses bled, the pills you gave us... we remember certain stuff. Not all of it... Slate, what'd they do to us? How long has it been?" Lyla asks, voice shaking.179Please respect copyright.PENANAte9GuQYatM
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"Three years."179Please respect copyright.PENANAfkJabN4ue7
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"What?!" Gideon yells while Paisley just looks disinterested, daydreaming out the window. The helicopter slowly takes off, ascending to the sky.179Please respect copyright.PENANAWjTRvt89S5
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This is going to be difficult, he hasn't done this in a long time. They are just before the neck of this place going up when Slate's radio comes to life.179Please respect copyright.PENANA58PSEpZW3l
"Slate! What are you doing?! There are easier ways, we have a truck-" Mikey calls out.179Please respect copyright.PENANA7kneUopYGA
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Slate quickly grasps it, switching it off and opens a window as they aren't to high up yet, tossing it and then slams it closed.179Please respect copyright.PENANACQYoMo362t
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He looks to his friends smiling and they smile back, except Paisley. He then continues their ascent and their eyes all light up seeing the beautiful world they forgot and the sunlight. Though it looks very empty, no people and in the distance, the dead remains of Hope-Thorn.179Please respect copyright.PENANAI4jNKfvROX
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"Where are we goanna go?" Lyla asks. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA2Q8EaZ8HNV
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"Anywhere WE want." Slate responds, pushing the helicopter forward and they fly off into the sun. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAdowDnkosgv
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Down below, several trucks park outside far away enough from The Compound which is located inside an old mine.179Please respect copyright.PENANA6mxCuzjRli
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Grayson and Mikey each jump out of their respective trucks, they weren't able to save many people. In Mikey's passengar seat lies Ester's dead body, a blanket over her.179Please respect copyright.PENANA2dekgakVpq
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He didn't know what to do and he had been yet to tell Gray. "They're gone?" Grayson speaks up, watching Slate fly away. "Let them go, if they don't want to stay, they don't have to-"179Please respect copyright.PENANATx632hGYjg
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But his cut off by hearing the place behind them explode, rocking everything. They get ready to proceed further away when someone comes stumbling out of the ruins, thankfully the others they rescued can't see as they're all gossiping and so fourth. Grayson adds a silencer quickly to his gun and aims it, standing in Solayo's road, Mikey beside him for support. "Do it." Mikey tells him. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAp6ruGiEMUr
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Before Solayo can say a word, it's a headshot and his knocked down. "Better now, buddy?" Mikey asks.179Please respect copyright.PENANAeqJFnCpdO8
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"Yes. Let's get out of here, find a place to set up. We might be able to cure a section of Hope-Thorn. We don't have the numbers we need to clean the whole place out."179Please respect copyright.PENANAVMF78FcZkv
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"We'll try." And our remaining leaders still alive walk back to their trucks when they hear the sound of an engine coming towards them and they have to dive out the way, shrieks heard from the back of their trucks as bullets hit the side, the driver of an upcoming motorbike with not so good aim now. He huffs and drive onwards up the road into the distance never to be seen again.179Please respect copyright.PENANA530q6Y0sM4
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Grayson and Mikey compose themselves, standing up now that Cloud is gone. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA4SiYKryw8n
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"Where you think he goanna go?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAviJnKiSO0I
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"Don't know. Sarah's dead, but his ex-wife still might be out there alive. Maybe to find her?" Mikey responds.179Please respect copyright.PENANABFHmqJUaXU
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The sun is setting, the world getting hazy. "We really need to find a place to land for the night." Slate speaks up. "Gideon, can you reach for the map?"179Please respect copyright.PENANAMpndHH4ERM
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Gideon reaches his hand out to grasp the map when she beats him to it, waking up and opens the map, struggling to focus on it. "It's okay, Beth. Let Gid have it." He tells her as she's stirring, waking up. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAl100sRbTvq
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Gideon takes the map from her when she gasps for air, panicking and sitting upright, clutching her neck and arms.179Please respect copyright.PENANAslR0nlDLnV
"You're okay, I bandaged them for you." He tells her and she relaxes, looking around confused where they are. 179Please respect copyright.PENANA4AVyJcxdi9
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"You might want to give her one of the pills, Slate." Gideon tells him.179Please respect copyright.PENANAi9QkWI1JxO
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"Oh, yeah." He responds, thumbling in his pocket, but the only thing there is his secret folded up note... and the clean roll of bandages he stole.179Please respect copyright.PENANAEXeEBw3ABD
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"Bad news, they're gone, Gid."179Please respect copyright.PENANAhnjONreO6z
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"Well, this is going to be a problem." He responds, everyone looking to a hazy confused Beth in the passengar seat who remembers nothing, not even a hint of something. 179Please respect copyright.PENANApRBHHms86Q
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They could try and trigger a crashback without reversal drugs or surgery, but it won't be easy. Beth turns over in her seat, facing the opposite direction. 179Please respect copyright.PENANAG3uafEJjm8
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Oblivious as Gideon and Lyla are reading the map to him, Paisley reaches out a small hand to Beth down the other side of the seat. She reaches for it and closes her eyes, falling back to sleep.179Please respect copyright.PENANAAoJo6e7Noj