Crappy title. XD
Finally! I have Nodin's next chapter up! XD I haven't read MCC posts in the past week or two, so sorry if I have some inaccuracies. D': I'll spend the next few days catching up!
This was pretty much all written at midnight when I was in bed and sleep deprived, sooooooo yeah xD
NODIN
Happy birthday, Nodin. Do you know how old you are?
I'm eight today, Daddy.
You're a big boy now. I think you've gotten taller. Soon you'll be taller than me.
I can't be taller than you, Daddy.
Oh yes you can son. You'll grow big and strong. You'll be like a super hero.
You'll save everyone.
You'll be loved by everyone.
Everyone will want to be your friend.
You'll have more friends than anyone else.
Dad never said any of that. Instead, Every year, he looked at that picture, standing so perfectly still, that as a child I thought he fell asleep while standing up. To avoid "waking" him, I simply celebrated my birthday every year by putting some strawberry jelly on a piece of bread and pretending to blow out the appropriate number of candles.
However, despite my young age, I understood the real reason for my dad's wintry mood; my date of birth was the same day Dad's star burned out. The light, the warmth, the beautiful face that greeted him in the early mornings when he awoke; all that beauty, eclipsed by my parasitic existence, absorbing all sense of life it had to give. It wasn't until my eighth birthday that I mustered up enough strength to confront my sins and ask my father for forgiveness.
"Daddy," I said, my voice, hoarse and unfamiliar. My Dad, stunned by hearing me speak for the first time, promptly turned to face me, "was it my fault Mommy died?"
A strange gloss appeared on the surface of my dad's eyes. Kneeling down, he gently pulled me into an embrace, "Don't you ever say that, Nodin" he said, his words breaking up as he tries to sound firm, "Don't you ever say that." Wrapping my hands around his neck, I returned his hug, his tears soaking into my shirt. He wept silently as we held each other, and he continued to hold me tight even when his crying had stopped.
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The trickle of a single tear rolled down my cheek expelled my mind from my dream, and I awoke, unable to open up my eyes due to the crust that sealed them shut. I attempted to remove the unpleasant gunk from my eyes, but I ended up accidentally scratching my eyes. Chest aching, the symptoms today felt painfully pneumonic. I began coughing up blood and sputum. Induced by my disgust and dirtiness, I slowly and unsteadily got out of bed, and stumbled my way to the bathroom. My struggle to get across my Bachelor was a part of my daily routine, so I don't see it as a big deal. Nevertheless all of this extra work is exhausting.
I turned on the water, and proceeded to prepare myself for the day. I washed my eyes; when I opened them, I realized I had woken up in a nightmare. The sudden chill of despair ran its cold fingers down my whole body. A murky celadon smog seeped out my mouth. My mask...it's gone. Where-where is it?! Madly, I searched for a flu mask. I have a life's supplies in my apartment, where did they all go?! Tears swelled in my eyes. I began to hyperventilate, unable to breathe through my nose due to congestion or hold in my breath any longer. Collapsing on the floor, I curled up with my knees against my chest, crying uncontrollably. It's everywhere, everywhere! I can see it! my breath! It all around me! Make it stop! Get it away! No, no, no. Dad. Daddy? Where are you? I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be here anymore! The intensity of my coughs grew stronger as I gasped for breath. What have I done? What do I do?
Suddenly, a soft whirring sound resonated in the room. Looking up I saw unfamiliar vents in my ceiling sucking in my pollution. Where did those come from? Panicked, I reevaluated my surroundings. The room was an exact replica of my bathroom at first glance. The supplies on my counter were in the usual order: cup, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, nasal spray, tissues, etc.; All of them were arranged neatly in the corner. The toilet paper was adjusted so that only one perforated square hung off, just the way I usually do it. Even my bath slippers, now gray and worn, were put neatly at the foot of the tub.
Looking down at my clothes, I recalled the second ambush of the Xenogenesis scientists. Had I spoken up when Griffin delivered his plan, we could have avoided this. The idea of infiltration sounded more like improvisation, but at the time, I was so focused on trying to develop a more effective plan that I didn't realize The whole group had already unanimously voted to execute the plan. Despite being more stable than the other group members, Griffin, seemingly stern and uninfluenced on any other plan ideas, still allowed his emotions to override reality. The Scientists can track all of us. They know what we do and when we do it. Having any kind of group together near the vicinity would risk everyone. We could've hijacked an XL van, stolen some gas if it happened to be there, and then ambushed them with a gas attack just as they did with us. Also, though I understand the members will need rehabilitation upon their return, the house had become XL's number one target. It was only matter of time for them to come back and collect the rest of us. But who would take the time to the thoughts of a sickly, silent man?
As the density of the cloud thinned, the noise from the vents mitigated into a murmur. I see; the ventilation system probably takes up a lot of energy. They can't run at full power all the time. Could they be collecting my breath? Or perhaps filtering it? Or maybe both! After all, my physical stature is inadequate for a weapon. Maybe there's some kind of sensor that turns up the power of the machine if it detects bacteria. That would probably also mean that there are other automatic sanitation devices around to control things like vomit or mucus. The other possibility is that there is someone who's monitoring the bacteria levels and adjusting the machines. That would provide more security, for if any of my breath escapes, the result would be disastrous. If that's the case, they would be aware that I'm awake, and I should get some scientists checking up on
me soon.
My Dad had always described the Xenogenesis Laboratories of centers of torture and depravity; the scientists, objective and passionless, only use us for their own gain. Perhaps if I appear and act civilized, a spark of humanness will let them loosen up and reconsider. Though I knew I was being too ignorant and optimistic, I decided to clean up to clear out my stress.
I thought about the other group members. Am I the only one who got a bed? It seemed too eerie. A bunch of ruthless scientists taking the time to make me feel at home? Unreasonable. Considering all of the careful details, they've probably been to my house quite often, either that, or there were cameras placed around. That could be a possibility. But what is their purpose? That's the only thing that boggles my mind. What would compel them towards such hospitality? I could only hope they were treating the others with similar unusual kindness, though I knew that was probably far from reality. Dad had described how XL scientists don't feel any hesitation in providing a bit more torture to those who don't comply.
Akira... Her face, her name, though familiar, I can't recall any real memories with her. Perhaps we met when we were younger. With her fierce Personality and being the founder of the MCC, she probably will receive the worst punishment out of all of us...what will we do without a leader? Will we be able to even escape this place?
The sound of the undoing of locks interrupted my thought process and routine. I've just finished cleaning the toilet, but I still have the tub and the floors. Spray, wait, scrub. Though I felt the presence of the scientist behind me, my need to clean overcame my curiosity. A few moments passed; only the sound of the scientist's breathing could be heard. It was heavy and muffled. They're probably wearing a respirator. I expected to at least hear the scientist write down observations and data on a clipboard or something. Every now and then, I heard him walk out; other than that, he would just be staring at me, his eyes, nudging towards the back of my head, urging me to turn around.
After about an hour and a half, he had moved to the main room, allowing me to finish off the last thirty minutes of my routine. This scientist was much more temperate than I expected. My original thought was that I’d be in some kind tight confinement with doctors poking and prodding me, treating me as some kind of medical discovery. A darker side of my brain feared that the scientists would dispose of me…that would be easier than try to fix such a dangerous subject as myself. What’s the purpose of my existence? I’m so broken, so…pointless.
I hugged myself and rocked back and forth, trying to expel these uncomfortable thoughts. "Don't you ever say that, Nodin" my dad’s words echoed, "Don't you ever say that.” Breathe in; breathe out. I need to keep my head up. There’s no guarantee that the rest of my team will be mentally, physically, or emotionally stable. Based on my environment and the treatment I’ve received so far, I don’t think they’ll torture me anytime soon…so I need to stay strong until we escape. A wearied sigh drifted from my living room. He’s been so patient with me. Perhaps, it’s time for me to meet my visitor. I took a deep breath, and cautiously walked out.
The scientist, frail and dainty, sat elegantly on the couch, her hands folded on her lab. Her hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail, was faded and frizzed; the hairs around her hairline were graying. A respirator covered the bottom half of her face. Fine lines and bags around her eyes made her look at least in her late 40s. However, I looked down at her ID, and the picture on the card displayed a youthful woman with alluring light brown hair and a sincere smile. I fixated my eyes on the name displayed. No…impossible!
“Hello, Nodin”, she said, “How have you been doing?”
Silence.
“You’re probably wondering why we recreated your apartment. Well, I know you have OCD, and having you in any other environment would make you feel pretty uncomfortable, right?”
Silence. I couldn’t bring myself to give any kind of response.
“You don’t have to respond if you don’t want to, Nodin. I don’t mind. Just come sit by me so I can explain what’s going to be happening.”
I took a seat. She looked at me. Her baby blue eyes seemed dull and sad.
“You are going to be resting here for a while. I’ll give you some medicine so you will not hurt so much. I promise you that things will only get better from here. Will you nod for me so I know you understand?” I nodded. “Okay, good.”
She took my hand and squeezed it. “I’m the only scientist working in this building and it’s separated from the main lab that your friends are in. Whatever you need, I will provide. I’m working to make sure you get out here in a better condition than when you left. Look above you, and you’ll see those vents. Lots of vents are installed so you won’t have to worry about wearing a respirator while you’re here. Have you wondered where your breath goes? Each vent leads through a filter. Last night, we were able to extract a few diseases from your breath. Placing a similar filter in you somehow may help you control your powers. Make sure you stay healthy by eating right and getting enough sleep. Cans of fruit are in the pantries. Cleaning supplies will be replaced when you run out. Forget about wearing a mask for now, so we can work more with the filters. Let me know if you need anything. Each one of your outfits has been placed in the closet. Every 12 hours I’ll come and check up on you.” She squeezed my hand again.
From her lab coat, she pulled a small bound notebook and handed it to me. “If you need to tell me anything, just write a note and slip it under the door okay?” She then stood up. My eyes widened in horror as I watched her take off her respirator and reach out towards me. “Come and give me a hug and a kiss?” I stood awkwardly, unsure on how to approach her. Should I put my arms around her neck? Her waist? One above and one below her arms? There are so many ways to embrace, and what about kissing? What kind of kissing am I suppose to do? Cheek? I think that’s a way to greet people in various European cou—
I suddenly felt her body up against mine, her embrace warm and loving. “I love you, Nodin.” I felt tears swell up in my eyes, overwhelmed by such an unfamiliar form of affection. I wrapped my arms around her delicate body and held her tight. “I love you too, Mommy.”
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After Mother left, I took out the notebook she gave me and began writing. “I’m” “Whatever” “I’m” Look”, “Lots”, “Have”, “Each”, “Last”, “Placing”, “Make”, “Cans”, “Cleaning”, “Forget”, “Let”, “Each”, “Every”. I underlined the first letter of each word.
IWILLHELPMCCFLEE
The use of Dad’s Jacques language confirmed that I could trust in her. If everything goes right…I can get better. I might be able to help save them...
Just wait you guys. We’ll get out soon.
