Michael's POV

"Michael, move!" Reilly yelled over the whirring of the helicopter. "Go, Go, Go!"

After about the tenth time Reilly shoved me my feet finally obeyed, sprinting to the edge of the mountain and throwing myself behind one of the protruding shelfs of rock.

The sound of the helicopter slowly got quieter and then I could only hear my heart beating furiously in my ears.

"FUCK!" I screamed, ramming my fist into the rock above us, chipping some of it.

"Michael, it's gonna be okay. We'll get her back."

"No! We won't! Don't you get it! There's not going back after this! You saw what happened to my parents! They took them and we never saw them again. This is all my fault! If only I had controlled her more. If only–"

"If only what?" Reilly asked, looking me in the eyes. His were red and swirling with fire. "If only you had kept her locked up like they would do to us? Kept her in chains? Michael there is nothing you could have done. We are meant to be free!"

I sat quietly, his words echoing in my head. I remembered freedom. I remembered when my parents would take us deep in the mountains of California once a year or take us to the Volcanoes of Hawaii. I remembered freedom and I wanted it again. So I would save Quinn. I would save her to show her the things she never got a chance to see, being only 13 when they started killing us.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked Reilly, self proclaimed planner of the group.

"For once, I don't. I have no idea how to get her back. We're going into uncharted territory, but I do know that we better follow that helicopter if we have any chance of finding her."

I nodded and swiftly threw myself over the shelf of rock, climbing back up the mountain. The sound of the helicopter was completely gone now, but I could still see it in the distance, following the frame of the mountain.

"Let's go," I said to Reilly, calling on my anger to quicken my transformation. I would save Quinn, I wouldn't let her die like my parents.

Fully transformed, I unfurled my wings and pushed against the wind. Reilly and I set off to the clouds, following the helicopter.

•

Quinn's POV

I woke up surrounded by men in masks and strapped to a table. I wanted to scream, but my mouth was covered by a cloth tied behind my head.

Releasing my fans, I bit down on the cloth harshly until it snapped, falling from my mouth.

"Let me go!" I screamed, trying to kick at the men around me.

They all jumped back, scared by my sudden outburst. I pulled tightly on my restraints, breaking two in the process. As the doctor like men scurried out of the room three other men entered, covered in heavy body gear.

Managing to get out of my two remaining restraints, I threw myself at them, attacking them with my fangs and claws.

They too left, slamming the door behind them with a click and leaving me alone. A crackle suddenly echoed throughout the room, before a voice erupted from a loud speaker on the wall.

"If you refuse to cooperate with us we will have to resort to other measures," it spoke before leaving with another crackle.

I didn't know what they meant by "other measures" until the room had suddenly dropped in temperature significantly. The room was already cold and now it seemed freezing.

As I wrapped my arms around myself I noticed I only had on a hospital gown. All of my other clothes were gone, including my underwear and bra.

I pulled myself into the corner of the room, slouching down to the floor. I began shivering heavily as the temperature continued to decrease. I tried making fire to warm my hands, but I couldn't manage a single flame.

"Please make it stop," I pleaded, my teeth chattering. At this rate I would freeze in a matter of minutes.

I blew into my hands restlessly, trying to warm them with even my fireless breath. I tried to pull the hospital gown over my knees but then my butt and back were exposed to the freezing floor.

"Please," I begged, my hands shaking. My fingers were turning blue.

"Will you cooperate with us?" A voice erupted from the speaker again.

I wanted to scream no, but I knew if I didn't they would probably kill me.

"Yes," I gave in.

The temperature of the room did not get warmer, but it didn't not get colder either. Several men entered through the locked door, grabbing me tightly in my weak state. I was too cold to fight them. They strapped me down to the table again and attached two electrodes to my head. I tried to wiggle my way out of their grasp, but the voice stopped me.

"You said you would cooperate."

I stopped writhing and laid still, tears sprinting in my eyes and traveling down my cheeks. I wanted to wipe them away so I might seem the least it strong, but my hands had already been bound to the table again.

The men in body gear finally left and a single doctor entered carrying a clipboard. He approached me quickly a smile set on his face. I could tell he was eager to meet me.

"Did you know you're the first female we've had in a long time!" He said excitedly. I recognized his voice as the man from the loud speaker.

"What do you want from me!?" I yelled, letting my anger take control.

I could feel my eyes flash and the doctor quickly scribbled something on his clipboard before looking back to me.

"Well, you aren't supposed to be alive, so before we kill you we are going to take tests on you. And since you're the first female we've had in a long time we'll need to do them all.

"What do you mean?" I croaked, still too weak to move. The temperature had not yet risen. I was still going to freeze if they didn't make it warmer in here.

"First, questions," he grinned. "If you answer correctly, that's great. If you don't however," he paused looking to the machine next to him. It was connected to the electrodes on my head.

"So, first question, how many in your party are there?"

"Just me," I lied. There was no way I was going to tell them about Michael and Reilly. If I could still ensure their survival I would.

Suddenly I screamed in pain as an electric shock was delivered to my head. I painted heavily, completely unprepared for that.

"Tsk tsk tsk. And I thought you would be honest."

"I am being honest!" I said

I cringed and screamed as another shock met my brain. I was too cold and already in too much pain for this. And then suddenly it hit me, what happened to my bullet wounds? Did they take the bullets out? What had they already done to me?

I started hyperventilating, trying to breath through the thin air and panicking.

"Please let me go!" I begged again.

A shock of electricity was sent to my head, this time longer and more painful than the others. When it finally ended, the buzzing it my skull made my vision blurry until everything went dark.