Test Subjects 1 And 2

Chapter 16: The Men In Black And The People In White

Astral woke up tired and trembling. She's dead. It happened last night. There is nothing I can do...

Michelle entered his room. "Astral. John is back." She walked closer and noticed Astral's distant look. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"...Nothing..." he lied flatly. "Nothing us wrong...I'm just tired..."

"Are you sure?"

"...Yes. I will be over shortly."

Just then, a crash was heard. Then gruff voices. Then the sound of Black Mist's angry voice. The sound of a gun ready to shoot.

Astral raced over to the front door. "Father!" he exclaimed, scared to death that another vision was coming true.

One of the men, the one holding the gun, turned to Astral. "Another one?" He turned back to John. "How many have you made?"

"What's it to you?" Black Mist challenged. He called on his tentacles.

"That was a mistake," the man growled. He pointed the gun at Black Mist.

Sarah ran in front of Black Mist. She extended her arms defiantly.

"If you want to kill him, you have to go through me!" she challenged.

"Heh. That was a mistake." The man grinned as he pulled the trigger.

"MOTHER!!!"

"You can't even touch me!" Black Mist sneered. "That puny weapon is nothing!"

"Oh, I disagree. This is faster than a normal gun. This'll kill you." The man grinned.

The other men chuckled in agreement.

Sarah ran in front of Black Mist. She extended her arms defiantly.

"If you want to kill him, you have to go through me!" she challenged.

"Heh. That was a mistake." The man grinned as he pulled the trigger.

"MOTHER!!!" Astral screamed as white fire engulfed his entire body. He yelled in grief and fury, and the fire expanded all around. He faced the man angrily and said in a voice that didn't sound like his, "You killed Mother! I won't forgive you!"

"Intense..." Black Mist muttered. He grinned. "I like it!" He whipped a tendril and stabbed one of the men.

The two fought viciously, but they got overpowered by their numbers. The men kept on coming in through all the doors. They seized Astral and Black Mist, knocked them out, and dragged them away. They didn't notice as John snuck away to prepare a rescue plan.

**********

"Alright. Now, to finish what we started," a male voice said.

"How high should we put the energy?" a female voice asked.

"High enough to kill him."

"...And how high would that be?"

"...I have no idea. Just set it to a high voltage but not too high. We have no idea how much he'll withstand before he dies, and I want to record that voltage."

"You know, you are truly evil, Doctor."

"I know."

Astral opened his eyes. He saw that he was lying in a metal bed. Nothing was holding him down since he was sleeping. He looked over to the two people, who were adjusting a machine for something.

The woman looked over to Astral. "Doctor, he woke up. Should we do it now?"

"Yes," said the man. He and the woman advanced on Astral. "Don't let him escape, Maria. We have to get this done."

"Yes, Doctor."

The two grabbed Astral roughly, taking him to the other metal bed. They set him down. The two people in white strapped Astral down and went to a machine. The set the amount they wanted.

"No!" Astral cried. "Please, don't do this! I'm begging you!"

The woman in white ignored his plea and flipped a switch. Astral struggled to free himself from their trap. He was afraid even though his father told him about his ability. Yes, he would gain the element, but he would still feel the pain.

A sudden jolt of electricity shot through his body, causing Astral to writhe in pain, screaming until his voice went hoarse. He felt the electricity flow into his veins, becoming part of him as his new weapon.

"An immediate response," Maria muttered. "How interesting."

"Yes," the man mumbled. "Though, it seems that he won't die so easily."

"I agree. This might take hours."

The doctor went to the machine, which hummed noiselessly behind Astral. "Let's make the voltage higher, shall we?"

Astral looked up at the man. "N-no...please...it hurts..." he begged with what little voice he had left.

The man looked down at Astral. "Sorry, but you're not supposed to live. We can't let something like you stay living."

Many hours past. They kept raising the level higher and higher. The electricity coursed painfully through him as his body tried to get used to it. The fact that the torture wasn't over made it almost impossible for his body to adjust. The people in white still had the machine on, sending sharp waves of pain into his fragile body, tearing him from the inside out. He had long since lost his voice.

"He's a strong one," one man commented. "To think he'd survive this long."

"He must have been made to withstand this," said a female. "Typical of his maker."

"Actually, this is ingenious work. I don't think anyone would be able to copy this."

"Yes. I agree. Do you think there may be-"

The electricity suddenly stopped, and the people in white fell down dead.

"That was close," Black Mist said as he undid the straps that were keeping Astral from getting up.

Astral looked at his brother and smiled. Then, he writhed in pain and let out a hoarse cry as the static inside his body activated on its own.

"Astral, what is it?" Black Mist cried as he tried to figure out what was wrong. "Is it the electricity?"

Nodding, Astral tried to breathe as the fire mixed with the electricity, trying to dominate one another.

"Don't worry, it'll pass, right?" Black Mist grabbed Astral's hand and pulled him up. "Dad's going to get here soon."

Astral nodded. He went with Black Mist into the hall, but more men in back came rushing in. The men cut off their escape.

"You can't escape now," one growled. "Now, just give up quietly, and no one will get hurt."

Black Mist pushed Astral up. "Go! I'll catch up with you later!"

Nodding, Astral flew away as Black Mist fought off the men.

"There!" a voice shouted. "Get him!"

Astral panicked. Since he couldn't tell where the sounds came from, he didn't know where the people were coming from. To him, the footsteps sounded from all directions. They could be right, left, up, down, or diagonal, and he wouldn't even be able to tell. This frightened him.

I must escape! I cannot let them catch-

A wave of pain shot through Astral's body as the shock waves started up again. Panicking, he shot into a dark closet and locked the door.

"Where did he go?" The voice didn't even sound from outside.

"I don't know. He's a fast one."

The voices eventually faded away, and Astral poked his head out. No one was around.

"Black Mist?" Astral, whose voice was partially returning, called softly.

"Right here," Black Mist hissed.

Astral jumped when his twin tapped his shoulder. "Very funny," he mumbled.

Black Mist chuckled. "Sorry. Come on. Let's go find Dad."