The Alpha Project

Chapter 4

I tried to remind myself to breathe as we took off, quickly making up to high speeds, and I looked into the mirror, watching the lab slowly disappear. My cage, my hell. I could not believe it was finally gone.

I could not stop staring out the window as the world flashed by. All the trees I had only dreamed about and the sky. It was so blue.

However, my exploring was quickly interrupted.

"What's your name?" asked the man.

I decided to ignore him, too eager to watch the trees fly by to respond. I could stare at this all day.

I stiffened as I felt his eyes on my neck. Several years ago, the DOA had given me a tattoo, branding me as theirs. It made me sick every time I looked at it through my reflection. The only name I was ever given.

"'A.L.P.H.A.'," he read. My ear twitched in response. To hell with that. I could not stand it. I was only a project, a weapon, nothing else.

"My name is Benji," he spoke again. "My full name is Benjamin, but I wanted something shorter."

Very interesting. I continued staring out the window.

"What if we gave you a new name?" he offered.

A new name?

"How about I call you... Ali? Al for short." he asked.

I scoffed. "How is that shorter?"

"Ah, she speaks!" Benji grinned.

I shook my head but could not deny the feeling a new name gave me.

A.L.P.H.A. was dead now. I'm going to be my own person.

"I would like that," I whispered.

Benji grinned again and turned his eyes back onto the road.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"There's a city that the rebels control called Seattle on the other side of the continent where you'll be safe," he said.

More hope filled my heart at the sound of his words. I still could not believe it.

"I hated that place," I whispered, shocking me. I did not really mean to say that out loud.

"I bet," he said, glancing at me again. "Have you always been in that room?"

I tensed. This was the last thing I wanted to talk about. Besides, I still could not trust him quite yet.

"I do not really want to talk about it," I grumbled.

To my surprise, he backed off and turned back to the road.

"What can I do to help you trust me?" he asked.

"Just get me this place you speak of, and I will consider it."

Benji took my hint that I just wanted to watch the outside and stayed quiet. I did not realize I had fallen asleep until I opened my eyes to a shocked Benji. I sat up as he looked through the back of the van, making me curious.

I then started to match his panic when I saw a group of large vehicles following us.

"Shit, they found us!" Benji cursed.

I let out a yell of frustration. "You allowed us to be tracked?" I barked.

"All tracking was disabled on everything before we went inside the lab!" he shouted. "Quinn must not have successfully disabled my chip."

I was fuming. "So you risked my life on him disabling your chip?"

"Get down!"

I grunted as Benji pulled my head down away from the rear window as gunshots fired, two hitting the windshield.