Subject A7

Chapter Nine

Noah's POV
Noah could not shake this uneasy feeling, the doctor was not scared or even fighting back, she was doing exactly what Dylan was asking.
"She's in the experimentation room," Linda answers.
"Why are you telling us this?" Noah questions.
Linda shrugs. "Because soon, this room will be filled with my men, they will shoot you both. So regardless, we will recapture everyone. You are just wasting your time."
Noah glances worriedly at Dylan. He wiped the sweat from his face. But Linda's eyes locked onto Dylan's. "But now, why is she such an interest?"
Dylan did not respond.
"She's important because she's the daughter of the leader of Fireflies?" she laughs. "Should have known sooner or later that they would send someone after her but after two years, thought you people would've given up."
"Leader of the Fireflies?" Noah couldn't help but question. There was just so much that they did not know, he thought he knew a lot but after this, he was naive and stupid.
"That is why I never bothered to have my own family, nothing but extra baggage" she tilted her head to the side observing Dylan. "But that's not all ..." Linda steps forward a smile coming up on her face. "... why did they send you?"
Dylan still remained silent.
"Is it because you felt something towards her? You know that Avery is long gone."
Without warning, Dylan shoots Linda getting her in the shoulder, she lets out a scream stumbling back. Dylan grabs Noah's shirt pulling him, they jumped up on the table reaching up to the pull the air vent door down.

"Go!" Dylan shouts.
Noah reaches up to pull himself up, Dylan even gave him an extra boost. Dylan than jumps up pulling himself up. He closes the air vent and you can just hear Linda call into her radio.
"They're going after the girl," she says sounding weak, Noah hoped she'd die from her wound.
"We better move," Dylan urged.

Avery's POV
An alarm was going off bringing me back to reality, I had to blink a few times to regain my sight.

The infected was still screaming at me, how on earth did I manage to fall asleep with this thing still screaming? What did Jaxon put in me?
Gunshots were coming from outside the door.
Something was happening, I fought against the restraints.
The infected continued to scream to the point where I was getting more and more frustrated.
"Oh shut the fuck up, will you?" I screamed at it and of course, that did no use whatsoever.
"AVERY?" someone shouted my name.

"Noah?"
I did not hear anything, I waited for the call again.
"AVERY?!"
"NOAH!"
I screamed his name, again and again, struggling to free myself. The door was flung open, Dylan appeared shooting the infected a couple of times until it laid dead on the floor, I stared at him dumbfounded, Noah pushed past him rushing over to me.
"What did they do to you?" he asks.
"Never mind that," I growled.
"Hurry up!" Dylan shouts.
"Come on," he quickly undoes my restraints, once was free a wave of dizziness came over me and I fell on him. "Avery, snap out of it."
"Sorry," I muttered hating myself for feeling weak, I tried to stand on my own two feet. "Where are we going?"
"We're getting out of here," Noah says.
I managed to stand upright without the dizziness washing over me. I was going to be all right, now I just needed to focus.
"Your eye," I whispered now seeing Noah's eye, they hurt my friend. My bets were on Jaxon, if I ever see him again, I'd kill him.
"It's okay," he says smiling.
They followed Dylan who checked every corner they walked with his gun aimed and ready.
"I'd prefer it if we go through the air vents, it will save us time," Dylan says looking at them. He kept looking at me. "Are you up for it?"
I nod. "Just get us out of here."
Dylan nods, he motions to the air vent above us. He climbs up and jumps to pull himself up.
"You go next," Noah says.
I did not argue, I climbed up. The jump was higher for me so I bent down and jumped reaching for Dylan's outstretched hand. Using all his strength, Dylan pulled me up.
"Thanks," I tell him.
"Don't mention it," he answers. "Come on Noah!"
Noah was already ready, he jumps up grabbing the edge. Dylan helps him up but a gunshot echoed, Noah, screams in pain.
"PULL!" I shout helping Dylan pull Noah up.
"Don't run," Jaxon's voice shouts. "It's pointless."
"Move Avery," Dylan shouts.
Noah moaned.
"Dylan his leg!" I cried.
Blood was coming out from Noah's leg where he had just been shot.
"I know! Just go!" Dylan shouts.
I obeyed and crawled through. Noah was behind me with Dylan in the rear. I could hear Noah whimpering in pain behind me, I prayed that he could continue to push through the pain.
"Which way? I shout back to Dylan.
"Left," he calls.
I went left. Dylan had to keep calling out directions for me to follow amazed that he knew where he was going, I wondered how long he had been here to memorize where to go. We continued on for what felt like forever until Dylan shouts "here!" interrupting my thought. I opened up the door, I went first lowering myself down and dropped. Noah was next, he with Dylan's help, lowered himself and dropped.
"Shit," he shouts falling to the ground. I quickly helped him to his feet as Dylan landed smoothly next to us.
"Almost there," Dylan says.
"Where are we?" I ask not recognising the area.
"Level G, we are supposed to be meeting up with the others," Dylan says. "Follow me."
I grunted under Noah's weight but did not complain as Dylan lead the way, we turned a corner and aimed his gun, I yelped as someone else did the same thing.
"Vincent," Dylan lowers his gun relieved. "Scared me."
"Same here. Didn't know what to expect when hearing someone cussing," Vincent replies looking to see both Noah and me, was it just me or when Vincent's eyes rested on me he sighed in relief. Nick and Hunter also came out from the corner, Nick rushed over to Noah and helped me lower him down to the ground. Noah whimpered again.
"Where are the others?" Dylan asks.
"Travis and Gemma helped with saving the other children, as many as they could. They've just escaped through the main door. They're already heading to the safe haven as planned but we came back for you guys. Gemma is staying behind."
"Why?"
"She knows that they'll come after us, she'll try to sabotage their plans before joining up with us again."
Noah hissed in pain as Nick wrapped the bandage around his gunshot wound.
"Nice to see you again," he nods his head in my direction.
"Likewise," I smile.
"What's going to happen to us now?" Noah asks and cusses again as Nick tightens it.
"Sorry mate," Nick mutters.
"They've blocked up the main entrance so our best bet is to head down to the sewers."

"Oh yuck," I scrunched up my nose.
Vincent laughs. "Got a better plan?"
"No..." I trailed off.
"Great, let's go."

Nick and Hunter both help Noah to his feet, Dylan leads the way but Vincent stops me.
"There is something I need to say, Avery," he says.
"Can't it wait?" I ask him looking at the others.
"I don't know if we will make it out of this alive so I need to say it now..." he takes a deep breath. "You were not here as a baby Avery, you were stolen from a family... a family who has missed you so much..."
I wasn't too sure what he was trying to say but found myself holding my breath for it.
"Avery, I am your father."
I stared at Vincent dumbfounded.

"How do you know that I am your daughter?" I asked him.
Vincent smiles, "I knew you were my daughter the second I saw you, you look so much like your mother."
My eyes started to burn from the tears that threatened to spill. Somewhere deep down... it felt true.
"Is that why I can see you in my dreams?" I ask him.
Vincent frowns. "You didn't say that earlier," he says sounding hurt.
"It was weird dreaming of people I don't know and having to say that would have been really embarrassing."
Vincent just smiles. "I'm really happy to see you, Avery."
I did not know what to say, I'm looking at someone who just told me that they were my father.
"Wish I could say the same," I looked away sadly.
"The best thing we can do is hope that with time, the memory swipe will fade. You just got to focus on remembering."
Vincent looked as if he was going to hug me but was stopped.
"Well, well, well" we both look up to see Jaxon holding up a gun.

"What a lovely family reunion."