NEVER Talk To Strangers

~ 8 ~

Budo and Mari went into the living room, where she wanted answers. She was confused and angry at the same time. She had to know.
"I need answers. No more hiding things from me. I need the whole truth." She demanded. He nodded his head, sighing. She folded her arms angrily. "Why have you brought me here?"
"To protect you, I've told you this." He sighed. That didn't answer her questions, not at all. She only had more questions.
"By kidnapping me?" She asked angrily. He nodded his head, not lying. "What about those people you had my kidnappers shoot?"
"They were going to take you." He told her. She stepped back away from him, confused and angry.
"They were going to take me home!" She shouted. He made a low growl, wishing he could just explain absolutely everything to her. He knew he couldn't though.
"No, they weren't. They were going to put you in more danger than I ever have!" He snapped defensively instead. She shook her head, in shock and disbelief. She felt betrayed, like everything she had been told by Budo since they had first met was all lies.
"What type of work do you do for Dr Casey? Specifically?" She asked, looking at him. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Security management mostly, since a lot of people could profit from his work, although if he wants me to do anything I do it." He told her truthfully. That didn't answer anything for her. She felt the exact same way about him that she'd felt before he'd introduced himself to her. He was a stranger.
"What does Dr Casey want from me, anyway?" She asked him sadly, looking down. She'd developed a bit of a crush on him when they'd first met and she believed he had saved her life, but all that had gone now.
"I can't tell you since he wants to explain personally to you. I've already told you more than I was supposed to." He said. She sighed miserably, the betrayal too much for her to handle.
"You said you'd do anything, now I can see how far you'd go." She told him, standing up. "I might be stuck here, but I don't have to stay with you. I'm going to my cell- I mean, my room." She said, leaving the room. Budo sighed and slouched back.

Mari laid in her bedroom, staring blankly at the ceiling. There was no TV to watch here, and she couldn't be bothered to leave her room to get a book. She thought about escaping here and finding a way back home. If Budo wasn't going to take her, she'd go there herself. Maybe at night, when she could use the darkness as a cover. There was a knock at the door, but she couldn't be bothered or motivated to get up and see who was there.
"If it's Budo there I don't want to talk to you right now!" Mari shouted. The door opened, and a man in a trench coat and fedora walked in. He gave her a sympathetic look, a gentle frown on his aged face.
"I understand you're mad, but your anger should be placed with me more than Budo." He told her gently. She looked over, sitting up and backing away slightly when she didn't recognise the person in her room.
"You must be Dr Casey, right?" She asked hesitantly. He nodded his head, sitting on the edge of the bed. He wished this could've happened under much better circumstances, but there wasn't anything he could do now.
"Correct. I know what Budo did seems terrible, but it was to set you free." He started to explain to her. She looked really confused. This doctor's logic made no sense to her.
"By kidnapping me and keeping me here?" She asked. He nodded his head slowly, tilting his fedora up so she could get a better look at his face.
"That's the only way I can save you from Dr Shuyona's influence." He told her. She felt anger and sadness building inside her at the mention of her father.
"Well good job. He's dead because of your men!" She snapped, turning away. She was silent for a moment, debating what to do. "Can you finally explain everything that's going on?" She sighed, turning back. He nodded his head, getting up and asking her to follow him.

"It's more fitting that we talk in here." He explained to her. He had taken her to the pink bedroom so they could continue the conversation she started in her bedroom. "I'm sure you don't remember, but when you were very little this was your bedroom." He told her. She nodded her head slowly, looking around. So that's why this room is so familiar to her. "Dr Shuyona and I used to be best friends many years ago, but we were driven apart by his greed." He explained to her. She sat on the bed, wanting him to continue so she could find out how his story would relate to her. "It all started out with you, actually." He said, instantly catching her interest.
"Me? What did I do?" She asked, looking up at him. He didn't make eye contact with her as he told her what he had to say.
"Come, I'll show you." He told her, standing up. She sighed and got up too, following him out of the room.

He took her through the secret passage, into the lab that gave her the creeps the first time she was here. He looked around, sighing before turning to her.
"You were born special. You are special, Mari. The scientist in me immediately wanted to start experimenting." He started explaining. She was silent, in thought. "You know Budo told you about the treatment he got to start walking again? That wouldn't have been possible without you." He told her. He was making no sense to the confused redhead.
"How?" She asked him, looking into his eyes. They were surprisingly similar to her own, but she thought nothing of it. His sight seemed better than hers anyway.
"With your DNA. The experiments we performed on you had... interesting results. I wanted to use that to do better for the sick, but Dr Shuyona wanted to keep it all to himself for his own selfish desires. He kept testing on you, seeing what you would do when placed in serious situations." He explained. That's when she got upset.
"Don't you dare accuse my father of trying to put me in danger! He'd do anything to keep me safe!" She snapped defensively. He sighed and shook his head. He knew that wasn't true, but he also knew she'd have a very hard time believing a word he said.
"No, he wouldn't." He told her gently. She groaned and folded her arms, deciding it wasn't worth her energy to argue with him. "Dr Shuyona often made you undergo many treatments a year, correct?" He asked, changing the subject before a full-blown fight between them occurred and he would've achieved nothing.
"Yeah, to help manage my sickness." She told him. He sighed and shook his head, knowing that might not be the real reason behind the tests. Even if that was the case, he still had to convince her otherwise to stay here.
"No, it was to suppress everything you could become." He told her gently. That was what he believed, anyway. There was something to the young woman in front of him, but he knew it had been suppressed. All the potential he had seen in her when she was a child had been held back, and he wanted to set her free from that. She shook her head, heading for the door.
"All this is insane. I need time." She told him, walking out. He sighed and nodded his head, quickly realising she didn't believe him. Hopefully, he would have more time to convince her now she was essentially trapped here.

As she was heading up to her room she saw Budo. She didn't really want to talk to him right now, but it would be rude to just ignore him.
"Did Dr Casey explain everything to you?" Budo asked her. She sighed and shook her head. She had none of the answers she wanted, and it was driving her insane.
"No, but I have learned something about him." She started. He looked a little surprised, expecting something good. Maybe this was a start. "The guy's a few nuggets short of a happy meal." She laughed. He didn't laugh at all, disappointed at what happened. "He kept saying I was special."
"You are special, Mari..." he sighed. She shook her head, going to the staircase. She was done with this conversation, seeing he was almost as insane as his boss.
"I'm not special, I'm sick. Now, excuse me." She said, running up the stairs. He sighed and went to the kitchen. Hopefully, she would see sense soon.

It was a few hours later, and darkness had fallen outside. Mari had gone to take her medication downstairs before coming back to her room. As she went inside, she was shocked and surprised to see Ayano by the window dressed all in black. She closed the door so they wouldn't be heard before she spoke.
"Ayano? What are you doing here?" She asked, walking over to her. Ayano held her finger to her mouth, looking at her.
"Shh. They can't know I'm here." She told her quietly. Mari put her hands to her mouth, realising she was right. They'd probably try to keep Ayano away from her if they knew.
"Oh, sorry. What are you doing here?" Mari whispered to her, repeating herself. Ayano looked out the window silently, checking for anyone outside. When she saw that the coast was clear she turned back to Mari and told her why she was here.
"I'm here to break you out and take you home."