Wings of Freedom

Chapter 1: Freedom?

'How long has it been since.... that day?' You look at the white washed walls. Arms wrapped around strong legs. Chin resting tiredly on your knees. 'I just wanted to play outside. Like everyone else.... why.... why did this happen?" Tears stared to streak down your cheeks with grief. As you fall to her side. A soft sob coming out. Looking at your reflection. You shutter, 'if I didn't have multiple quarks... if... if I was normal.... could I be outside? Would my family still be alive?'
Your eyes looked at the reflection like a stranger watching a movie. A young woman, you wear dressed in a small slip of a gown. Covered in fire opal like sections all over your body. Scar, from them trying to see how you made it. The crystal that sapped the life from anyone who touched it.
Your dull golden green eyes blinked back at you slowly. Your mess of hair in all different colors. A rainbow with out any rain. The opal glowed even in the dark a soft and warm light. Even if you felt nothing but cold steel and sorrow. Wondering why you even continued to breath, only to be reminded you couldn't die. Eventually your eyes slid shut in agony only to listen to the sounds of the outside world.
That's when you noticed it, the dull thumping of someone hitting the ground outside. Eyes snapping back open you sit up stright. Pressing your back to the cage bars. Not even caring the electric current burned patterns into your back. Snapping and crackling as you stared at it. The only door into the tiny room that held your cage. Waiting for the lab techs to come in as they always did. Dragging you kicking and screaming to more experiments. All that you could think of was pain. You couldn't even remember your own name anymore from all the torture.
The door slammed open much harder then it ever had before. You screamed in both surprise and fear. That's when you hear it. A voice you didn't know. The wrestle of feathers also new. Like a bird, just as surprised by the sound. "Keep it down. Do you want them to come running?"
Before you could blink feathers, in beautiful crimson red. They wear all over. Some grazing your skin as they pushed you from the bars as the cage was dragged over. You find yourself curling inward. Crouched like a wild animal trying to cover your face with your hair. You try to talk but nothing comes out.
A man, his blondie hair just as feathery as his wings. He smelled of leather and fresh air. Your eyes glowing as they watched him. Heart racing in your ears. "Hey Kid, don't hit the shock bars like that. Your going to get hurt.... well worse then you already are. I'm here to get you out."
All you could do was nod. Your vocal cords shot from years of screaming and crying. Eventually you had stopped speaking all together. Now you wish you could talk more then anything. Who was this man? Was he really going to pull you away from here? Tears leaked faster from your eyes in hope. Something you thought long drained. Jumping as a feather gently caressed the tears away from your chapped skin.Carefully you reached out to bet one.
Only to hear shivering from the man. As he crouched by the lock. He didn't seem to say anything as he brought a feather to him the cage key on it. Watching as he unlocked the door after turning off the electricity. "Ok Kid. Come here and we can leave."
Was this real? Wear dreaming... was it a trap. You didn't have time to debate it. The feathers pulling you towards him as you tried to fight weakly against them. Panic clear on your face as he reached out and picked you up. Wheezing in panic you writhed slightly a low hiss slipping from your cracked lips.
"Hey hey now. I'm not going to hurt you. If you can't calm down I will find a sedative. We don't have time for the struggles. Sorry for being so hands. Damn, those burns... they look bad. Those volts wear high enough to numb a giant horse." He looked down at you from behind his flight glasses. Hard to see his gold eyes behind his yellow tint. "My hero names Hawks."
The dull lifeless eyes you had seemed to vanish and bring sparks of hope and the will to fight. Hand wrapped in the leather jacket he wear. You nodded your head in understanding. Opening and closing your mouth but nothing came out and you turned red in frustration.
"Don't push it kid. It's fine. Just hang on tight. I'm getting us out of here."
You shiver he moved so fast out the halls. You closed your eyes against the lights and body's. People hurt or worse all over the hallways. Your breathing coming out in soft puffs of air. Especially as you curled into him.
Hawks reached the outside of the underground bunker and took off towards the sky. "Seriously? Anti air fire?"
You grew nauseous as you looked down at the specs below. Looking to see what he saw. Noticing the flying dots. They gained ever so slightly. Reaching out a shaking hand Hawks nearly pulled up at the movement.
"Kid don't move your in bad shape. Just stay curled up I can handle this." The rustling you could hear it as you watched some of the feather bolt backwards and slice through the objects. The flash was so blinding to your light deprived eyes you closed them tight and barried your face in his coat.
You didn't know how long it was while your eyes wear screwed shut. Your body warm for the first time in ages. Even with the bone chilling winds. The pain aching in as you calmed down. Shaking as you coughed.
"Hell kid, you need to see a doctor." His arms clutching you tightly. Banking towards the side and changing direction.
You shook your head vigorously as you looked up at him pleading. 'Anything but that's.' The doctors you knew wear not there to heal.
"Crap I can't say no to a face like that. Fine, fine, I can take you to a safe place." Hawks sighed as he flew even faster. He wrapped the excess of his coat around you the best he could. "So relax and enjoy the flight."
You genuinely didn't know what to say. Watching his face for a while before your body gave in to the stress and tiredness. The darkness dragging you over as you drifted to sleep. Wonder what gave him such a tangy smell with the leather. It was comforting. The first things that wear alcohol,medicine, burnt flesh, or blood in years.