#unknown lol

They think you can’t feel them but you are far more awake than they could have imagined. A mind running off of fear, a spark of hope that you can’t help but fan the flames.

Unknown:

 You turn the corner, just barely slipping, trying to find your feet as you run. You can hear the heavy footsteps behind you, the man shouting at you. You can’t let them catch you, you know if they do they’ll kill you. You reach another hallway in what feels like a maze of hallways. You don’t know where you’re going anymore. You don’t know what to do and you’re not sure you have the energy to keep running.

 Left

 You turn left without thinking, just keep running. You feel like you’re running on air, fueled by an extra wind you didn’t think you had. You turn the next corner, following directions you didn’t know you had. Shouts still so close behind you though, grab the hammer. You reach out grabbing it as you pass, steps no longer faltering.

 There’s only one behind you, round the corner, wait, and aim for his nose, …wait how do you know this? This isn’t something you would- Christ kid, figure it out after you break this asshole’s face. You're not really sure you want to do that but given the circumstances, you don't feel like you have a choice.

 You turn the corner, tucking yourself up against the wall, harmer shaking in your grip. Calm down, you take a deep breath and feel a calm settle over you. The steps grow closer and closer, and suddenly you feel yourself raise the hammer and slam it into your attacker's face. A loud crunch and a shout of pain, RUN. You turn on your heel running as fast as you can, heart beating fast against your chest. You can’t believe you just did that. You just-

 Worry about it later! He’s stunned not down and out, this is seriously starting to weird you out. The voice in your head sounds distinctly female, distinctly like… No WAY. This is really not the time to geek out kid, this is totally the time to geek out. You were fuck- language kid, freaking right! Sidesteps a telepath and she’s talking to you and oh fu- fudge she is being kidnapped and she’s in your head and-

  OK, you wince as you turn another corner, Calm down take the next right back into the hospital, drop the hammer first. You drop the hammer, keeping up your pace to make the next right. What are you going to do? What can you do? Are the Rangers even still here? Steel is I’m not sure about the others, okay that’s good you can go to him for hel-

 Don’t… I… , pain shoots through your skull and you find yourself on your knees tears in your eyes. Sidestep? You wait as the pain leaves, but there’s no response and no feeling of anyone else in your head. Fuck.

….

Steel:

 It’s too suspicious, your first thought of when the doctor tried to give you her sympathies. She felt too off, too sincere and it set off something in your head that this situation isn’t right. You’re familiar enough with Anathema’s powers to know it doesn’t have the kind of vapor the doctor had been claiming. No one should be dead and yet there was three dead, all of which were immediately cremated. Too suspicious.

 Julia was too far into the throes of mourning Luna’s loss to see that this situation feels too off. You can’t fault her, you’ve seen the way she is with Luna and despite your distrust, you didn’t want this kind of outcome for either of them. And Anathema was already falling back into helplessness… into something dark, you can’t pull her out of alone. So you’ll do what you can and look into this by yourself. Figure out the truth and see if there is any hope at the end. If there’s not… if there’s no way to ease either Julia’s or Anathema’s suffering...it’ll be a secret you can take to your grave.

 “I need to see the operating room,” you say to one of the staff who looks up at you annoyed.

 “It’s quarantined.”

 “I don’t care,” you honestly doubt it needs to be. You know something feels too off, that quarantine is a word easily tossed around to keep unwanted people from snooping. The staff member sighs and nods their head.

 “Fine, it’s your funeral man,” they stand leading you through the halls and up a flight of stairs. They stop at the yellow tape and point to the door at the end of the hall. “That’s it, should be unlocked but I’m not getting any closer.” They cross their arms leaning back against the wall as you duck under the tape and make your way to the room.

 An acidic smell filling the hall but it’s nothing like Anathema’s. You push the door open to find the room empty as expected empty… and completely spotless. Too clean for a room the was evacuated, for a room that was supposed to have been used for surgery. No blood, no tools. You close the door turning back around.

 “Already done?” they frown at you and you nod your head.

 “Yes,” you don’t give them anything more. This hospital is supposed to be specialized for Rangers but you don’t think anyone here is trustworthy. The government pays well enough to keep people silent and if that doesn’t work threats do.

 You're going to need to find if there's-

 “HEY!” a yell as a blonde haired boy comes skidding down the hall, “Holy fu-” he stops in front of you gasping for air, “I found you. Oh my god, Ok Umm,” he looks up, “Sidestep she’s-” You grab his shoulder pushing him down the hall, “Hey wai-”

 “Excuse us, I have to tell him in private what happened to his sister,” you nod your head at the orderly and they shrug, leaving to go back to their position.

 “I don’t have a-”

 “Who are you and what do you think you're doing?” you glower at the boy and he shrugs off your hand.

 “I’m Daniel and Sidestep’s alive! She’s being taken out by the abandoned part of the building and there’s a guy chasing me and I bashed his nose in with a hammer and it was really gross but SIDESTEP NEEDS HELP,” he’s gripping your arms in a panic, eye’s wide and still not fully catching his breath.

 “Take a breath and tell me everything.”

….

Luna:

 You refuse to open your eyes, to look into the faces of the people who are taking you back to your nightmare. You know she’s getting annoyed with you not acknowledging her, refusing to answer to protocol. She can’t make you, no matter how much pain she threatens to put you through. That’s all she has, empty threats.

 “CT-410 you should be more grateful,” she hums, a click of a pen, “Afterall we could have easily just let you die to that injury.”

 You grit your teeth, eyes squeezed shut; the straps holding you down feel to impenetrable and you still feel too weak to try anything. You’re better at fighting and working off impulse. Wait for your chance… will the Rangers come to save you? Will she? You can hope but once they know the truth, will they let the farm take you back? You can’t count on them- you can’t but… you want too. You want Julia to save you, to hold you close and accept everything about you. To kiss you like you still matter to her.

 Another click of the pen and your hands curl into fists, “No one's coming. You're dead to them, and besides, do you really think they’ll take kindly to a government toy lying to them?”

 “Do you think they’ll take kindly to a bitch ly-” the slap is expected and you find yourself smiling despite yourself. You open your eyes to look into hers. You’re not the prey here, just a predator that’s been temporarily caged. Her face twitches into a sneer but she quickly pulls it back under control.

 “I’m sure Regina will be glad to have you home,” she smiles like a poison slowly seeping into a wound. The name sends a spike of fear, a conditioned response that you swallow with a growl.

 “You’re not going to get me that far,” you lick your lips tasting the dried blood, “I have a history of killing my handlers. Don’t think you’ll be any different.”

 Her smile falters, “You didn’t kill-” she stops as your smile grows more dangerous, “...you did.” A ‘secret’ out of the bag, one that means you’re too dangerous to be left alive but she doesn’t have the authority to kill you now. “Put her back under.”

 “But ma'am-”