The Urbem (Completed)

Epilogue

A tall woman with curly red hair and cruel grey eyes, dressed in a long white coat, black pants and high-heeled shoes walked down the hallway at a leisurely pace. In one hand, she was holding a clipboard. A man dressed just the same and carrying a dead lizard kept up with her silently, taking care to make sure there was enough distance between them so that he wouldn’t plow into her in case she stopped suddenly. Reaching the end of the corridor, the woman removed an ID card from her coat pocket and swiped it through a card reader, opening the door with a click.

Once inside, she paused to look around. There was not a lot in this room; the most interesting structures were a table with surgical tools, an elevated platform with embedded chains upon it, and two cells set into the far wall. She took slow steps toward the cages, a bored expression on her face and stopped, peering though the bars at the prisoner inside. She could tell he was dead the moment she approached the cell. It was only to be expected; the man had been refusing to eat for a week, probably because of his own miserable self-pity, so he had slowly starved to death. Without the lizard that had been contained in the cell next to him until she saw fit to kill it, the man had done nothing but cry day and night.

“Insurgo lost the will to live…” she muttered to herself with a sneer. “All because of that lizard… How pathetic.” The red-haired woman made a sound of disgust and flicked her hair behind her shoulder, feeling no real emotions besides annoyance; now she would need to find a new subject for her tests… It was an inconvenience, but she had learned much of the odd connection the Insurgo had with animals from him. She didn’t understand, or even care enough to attempt any sort of appreciation for it, but it was necessary to research.

After that Insurgo attack on Uxor-America a few weeks ago, the Queen had put her in charge of studying the relationship of the Insurgo and these animals. She was fascinated by the way they fought alongside each other and knew that it was an advantage the Insurgo had over Uxor, which the Queen wasn’t having. She would not allow those worthless outcasts to get the better of her, so this man had been captured and brought to her laboratory.

He had finally succumbed to the tests after she killed his lizard. That had been another experiment. She knew it had been risky, but necessary. She swiped the card again to open the cell door and a couple warriors standing in the room as security removed his and the lizard’s bodies.

"Hurry up," she called over her shoulder. "The garbage is starting to smell."

                                                                    ~*~*~*~*~

"I'm assuming you needed something since you went though all this trouble of waiting to see me, Marissa," the Queen said, addressing the redheaded scientist with a slight amount of interest.

"Your Highness," she said, bowing her head steeply. "I have news of the research." The two of them were in a majestically decorated throne room, complete with large while pillars, gold trimmed walls, and various expansive-looking plants.

"And what does that entail?"

"I've discovered that there's something between the Insurgo and their vile creatures... It's far more deep than just pet and owner... We knew that they had relationships with the beasts, but this is more than a relationship... I'm not sure what it is, but it spiked my curiosity. When I had exhausted all my experiments, I decided to kill his lizard, just to see what happens. Quite simply put, he lost the will to survive and starved himself, not like it was much of a loss... However, before he died, he became this empty, breathing shell. He had no emotions beside sorrow." The curly-haired woman scoffed. "I think he died of heartbreak." The Queen leaned back in her throne for a moment.

"So, he's dead?"

"Da," she said carefully. "Killing his animal was perhaps the most vital part of this research. It showed me just how deep the relationship runs."

"I understand your reasoning. That's helpful to learn," the Queen replied. "I can see that putting you in charge of this reseach was no mistake," she paused, "unlike trusting your judgement of your daughter." The red-haired woman looked down in shame, not brave enough to keep eye contact. "Regardless of your findings, I still fail to see why you are here exactly. Was this report your only purpose?"

"N-Nyet your Highness." The Queen raised her eyebrows, intrigued. "Although I'm sure of my findings, I have only had one experiment..." She licked her dry lips. "Perhaps I could have another subject... Perhaps they could be... Female?"

"Why?" the royal demanded. 

"Differences, Your Highness. It would be beneficial for me..." She interrupted herself. "...For us to be able to understand the relationship between human and animal in both sexes."

"Female Insurgos aren't as easy to find," she commented almost absentmindedly. "They're a bit more rare. You should be able to find one nearby if you look hard enough..." Her voice trailed off, a brief flicker of realization manifested itself in her features, and a cruel smile spread across her face. Suddenly she said, "You heard of that attack on America a few weeks ago, correct?"

"Correct."

"Do you know who was behind it?"

"Nyet, Your Highness," Marissa replied, "but I did hear whispers."

"Oh, I think you'll be familiar with the name," the Queen sneered as the room's atmosphere grew heavier and her face hardened into a mask of hatred. "Is an owl manageable for you?"

"Of course. Anything is manageable with your concent." The Queen nodded.

"The girl that must be caught is near America, so she shouldn't be difficult to find. Would being subjected to your experiments be an unpleasant experiance for her?"

"Most certainly, Your Highness. If... If-" the Queen shut her off with a shrill voice.

"Spit it out, girl!"

"If I do not know her name, how am I to collect the right girl?"

"Lyra," the Queen said, loud and clear. "Lyra Fortis shall be your next subject." Marissa could not help but gasp. Everyone was forbidden to even think that name in her presence, let alone say it.

"But Your Highness-"

"Enough! I can think of no better punishment for the crimes she has committed. See to it that every extra warrior in America is searching for her day and night; she's not escaping this time. I want her in your possession within a couple months." Marissa nooded respectfully.

"As you desire, Your Highness." The Queen dismissed her with a wave of her hand, adding as she turned to leave,

"Just make sure you you show her no mercy." The Queen paused, and she ground her teeth together as she spoke the next words, "I want her to suffer... I want her to suffer like the traitor she is." Marissa's face contorted into some sort of twisted grin.

"It won't be done any other way, Your Highness." The redheaded woman turned to leave again, and this time made it to the door before the final words were uttered. 

"I'll be clear on one point, Marissa: she must be begging for death and when she does," a similar spine-chilling smile appeared on the Queen's face, "who are we to deny the great Lyra Fortis?" 

Author's Note:

Thank you sooooo much to whoever read this story until the end :D It means a lot to both of us. Now, there is a sequel to this and its already uploaded. It's called Momentum, so please check it out. If you have'nt been a regular commenter, we would love to hear what you think now. Love you all! :D

~ Spelling_Bee