Chapter Six: Compound B


    In a well hidden facility deep within the mountains of the Bergstad area, members of the Hand of Jarell were busy with duties and orders from their master, Jarell himself. Hushed whispers and classified details swirled amongst the buzzing occupants of Compound B as they busied themselves with pleasing their superiors. The ultra clean corridors and strong, sanitized smell permeating the facility gave Compound B the feel of a hospital, but in reality it was Jarell's premier research lab; a place where the likes of Dr. Roslyn Harper had her way with tests and experiments without such hindrances as ethics and morals.


    Deep within the facility, in a specially built room with walls of impenetrable concrete that was sealed with a massive, vault-like door, Corbin lay strapped to a large, pivoting table that was more like a slab. He was confined to the table with wide straps that crossed his ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders; with heavy chains filling in the spaces between the straps. A small, clear tube ran from a purposefully exposed part of his wrist up to an IV which kept him heavily sedated with a powerful solution.


    Cameras mounted in each corner of the rooms ceiling, and aimed at the table in the center of the room, kept watch over the prized captive. Motion sensing alarms were set to go off at the slightest stirring of anything within the room. No one had access to the room except Jarell. He alone knew the intricate code which the keypad outside the vault-like door would accept. He alone devised the plot which would alter Corbin's destiny to suit his own schemes.


    Elsewhere in the facility, in a room guarded on the outside by two hand-picked armed soldiers from Cornelius' elite forces, Lydia awoke to find herself strapped to a gurney. She was able to raise her head enough to get a decent look around the room, which was almost bare except for another gurney spaced a few feet along side hers. She squinted in the dimly lit room to make out the profile of another person strapped to the gurney, a young woman who was tied down more securely with thicker, more numerous straps.


    Lydia marveled for a moment at the sight of this young woman, who she assumed must be very dangerous if such bonds were needed to keep her subdued. She noticed the woman blink as she gazed upward at the ceiling, lost in a strangely serene stare. There was just enough light creeping in around the door to the room from the hallway outside for Lydia to catch a glimpse of a red tendril of hair which stood out from the woman's long locks. 


    She was considering whispering at the young woman when the light around the door was suddenly blacked out by the presence of someone on the other side. Upon hearing the digital beeps of buttons being pushed on a keypad, Lydia fell back against her gurney and pretended to still be unconscious. She swallowed to brace herself just before the door opened and the tall presence of Jarell entered the room. Having the advantage of supernatural sight, he didn't bother with the lights. He only closed the door, then walked between the two gurneys.


    Sliding his hand down the metal railing of the gurney beside Lydia, he glanced over at Lydia's calm form before turning his attention to the heavily restrained woman beside him, who tracked his movements with her eyes.  


    A toothy grin slid across the angel's flawless visage, then a question slipped through it. "Sara is it?" 


    Sara didn't respond. She didn't struggle against her bonds, or appear to be frightened or angry. She simply stared at Jarell with a neutral expression.  Lydia cracked an eye to steal a glimpse of what was going on. Seeing Jarell's broad back turned toward her gave her the courage to keep watching.


    Jarell went on, unbothered by Sara's lack of a response. His eyes roamed over her from head to toes, then back again. "My, my...the good Dr. Walsh certainly had an eye for beauty. You're absolutely exquisite."


    Jarell eased his way to the foot of Sara's gurney, turning his back long enough for Sara's eyes to cut over and meet Lydia's without being noticed. Lydia gasped inwardly, surprised that Sara caught her looking. She quickly closed her eyes and hoped Sara would keep her secret. By the time Jarell centered himself at the end of the gurney, as if it were a podium where he was about to give a grand speech, Sara had her eyes back on him. 


    "You should know Sara, whether you can appreciate it or not, that you will have the distinct honor of becoming the template for my army of super soldiers," he gloated, then waited a few seconds for a reaction that didn't come.


    "Once we've reverse engineered the technology Dr. Walsh put into you, production will begin on a more...shall we say, less refined version more suited for the battlefield," he revealed with a wicked grin, then a feigned expression of regret shaped his angelic features.


    "I'm afraid that you won't survive the process, but the legions of android troops that will trample the nations of this vile planet under my command will bear your legacy," he said, replacing his fake frown with a triumphant gleam. 


    Jarell's attention turned toward Lydia, who continued to lay still, hoping to pass herself off as an unconscious captive. He left Sara's gurney to be at Lydia's side. Sara turned her head to follow his every move with her eyes. He gently brushed the hair from Lydia's forehead, but she never flinched.


    "And you child, you will be the key to your brother's cooperation. Corbin will submit to my will as long as you are my possession, your sisters too, who will be joining you soon," he said,   looking off into delighted thoughts of the future plot he was preparing for. 


    "Corbin will lead my army across the face of this world, and allow me to storm Heaven's gates with the souls of the conquered. I will achieve my destiny as the rightful ruler of this universe," he vowed strongly, to the empty air before him.


    Jarell's attention returned to the teenage girl lying at his side with a pleased smile for the part she would play in his plans for world domination. With more thoughts for the completion of his schemes he whisked himself away from the gurney and left the room, leaving the guards outside with strict orders. When his heavy steps began to fade away from the room, Lydia opened her eyes to find Sara's head turned toward her with a curious stare.


    "If you can understand me, just nod," Lydia whispered.


    Sara nodded once.


    "Good." 


    Lydia squirmed as she began to pull against the straps around her ankles and wrists, hoping to find one a little loose. A hopeful glint flashed in her eyes when she discovered that the strap around one of her tiny wrists had some wiggle room. Sara watched closely as Lydia furrowed her brow in a concentrated effort to pull her hand free from the strap, holding her breath until finally giving in to the burning pain caused by the effort. Lydia fell back against the gurney with a defeated exhale. She looked at Sara as she thought about everything Jarell had said, then sat up again with more determination to free her hand.


    She pulled and twisted her hand against the leathery, burning hold of the strap, gritting her teeth to bear the pain. Finally, her hand slipped free and she waved it repeatedly to fan away the burning sensation. She looked over at Sara, who gave a little smile at the small victory, then she began to work at removing the other straps that held her to the gurney. Within a couple of minutes she had freed herself.


    Carefully and quietly, Lydia climbed out of her gurney and crept over beside Sara. After listening for a moment for anyone stirring outside the door, she started examining the layers of straps which smothered the young woman. She turned to Sara as she began working on loosening the first strap. "Don't worry, we're getting outta here," she whispered confidently.


    Sara studied Lydia for a second, then whispered: "Sara."


    Lydia paused and looked at Sara with broken concentration. "What?"


    "Sara. That's my name. What's your name?"


    "Um, Lydia...Lydia Allender," she whispered back, then returned to fighting with the tight straps.


    Within a few minutes Lydia had freed Sara's upper body from the straps, allowing her to sit up on the gurney as Lydia began struggling with the others. Sara tapped Lydia on the shoulder, then motioned for her to back away, which she did with a perplexed look. Sara leaned forward to take hold of the strap around her hips. With only a moderate strain she pulled the strap in two, causing a sharp but quick snapping sound. Both of them immediately looked toward the door to see if their actions had been detected, but welcome silence assured them otherwise. In like manner Sara tore herself loose from the other straps, pausing briefly after each one to ensure that the guards outside were still unaware of what was going on inside the room.


    Lydia could only watch in gaping awe, unable to hold back a whispered: "Wow."


    When Sara stepped down from her gurney, Lydia dropped to the floor in order to hide beside the gurney for a moment of uninterrupted concentration. Closing her eyes she reached out to Corbin with her gift, but could only sense his presence within the facility. She was unable to commune with his thoughts. Holding on to her focus, she sent a message out to her sisters, hoping they would receive it. Sara cocked her head curiously at the sight, then knelt beside her and waited patiently for Lydia to open her eyes. When Lydia's eyes finally opened, they were busy with a plan of escape.


    


  


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