Ella

He wants me to stay. He wants me to stay with him after all of this is over with. I can't get Dean's words out of my mind as I search throughout the base for Hunter. I know that we agreed on friendship, and he almost kissed me last night, but I didn't think he still wanted to be friends when this was all over with. I thought that he might be happy to say goodbye, not the exact opposite.

My mind is still on Dean, and I have to tell myself that this isn't what this is all about. I need to find Hunter, find the answers to the questions we have. I know he'll be more open with me when Dean isn't with me, but that doesn't mean he'll be willing to share everything. I'll get him to, though, I won't leave him alone until I find out everything. I deserve to find out everything, as does everyone else in this God forsaken place.

The fact that they want to keep us here, want to contain us and experiment with us, and when we ask what's going on, they get upset, is just plain wrong. Wouldn't they want to know if they were to be crossed with an alien? A way that is not natural, where anything could possibly go wrong? Or are we the only ones that see that this situation is completely messed up?

I have no idea where Hunter will be, or where I'll even begin to look to find him, but I will find him. No matter how long I have to stay out here searching, no matter how many questions I may be asked from looking so lost, I will find him. All we wanted was to feel safe. To go somewhere safe out of harms way of the meteor shower, to get out of the desert we traveled in for so long. We thought we were safe here, but I just know that we're far from anywhere close to being safe.

The base is crowded. They're people everywhere, Norovians everywhere. Guards line the walls and mingle in the crowd. Only today, all the Guards are wearing their helmets with the mask down, making it impossible to discern who they are.

I walk past a line of guards, before I feel a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I see it's a Guard and I immediately know who it is. "Hey," I sigh, happy it didn't take me as long as I thought it would to find him.

"Hi," he replied as he takes off his helmet, displaying the face that I once loved so much, the face I lost, the face I found again, the face of a person that isn't the same as he once was.

"I need to talk to you," I tell him. "Alone." He gives me a quick nod, before guiding me down another hallway, one where no one else is.

"What is it?" He asks, looking slightly bored and concerned.

"What's going on, Hunter? The truth too. I'm tried of being behind closed doors, I deserve to know what's going on, we all here deserve that." He lets out a big sigh, before guiding me farther down the hallway, before looking around in case someone is nearby.

"This is classified, Ella, and I mean I'm not allowed to breathe a word of this. So, do you see how much trouble I'd get into if they knew what I was about to tell you?" The desperation in his eyes, tells me he's not fond of both telling me and what they're planning to do around here.

"Yes," I promise, knowing that if he was to be caught there'd be consequences he'd have to pay.

"Alright. I'm not entirely sure on all the details, but you already know it's not the natural way. It's also not breeding either. What it is, is that they're taking DNA from a Norovian's brain, and replacing it with human DNA. They think that the chromosomes will somehow connect with each other, creating an entire new race altogether. A super race," he ends with, his eyes telling me he's against this idea.

"What will that do?" I ask, not knowing how to take this information. "You don't know the effects. You don't know how it's going to--"

"Ella, I'm sure they have it under control. Why would they risk the loss of more lives after all that's happened with the Earth? Do you think they'd purposely kill us off on purpose? That wouldn't make any sense." I want to tell him that it's the government and they don't make sense no matter what they do, but I keep my mouth shut.

"When are they going to start this?" I ask, wanting to know when they are going to put this all into play.

"They're going to try the first experiment tonight," he tells me, and I have this dreaded feeling seep into my stomach at the thought of how bad this might be. "Don't worry, El," he tells me as he places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure everything is going to be okay. You trust me, don't you?" I look up into the eyes of my once best friend, and I know that my trust is still there, but it's slimming down the more I talk to him.

"Yes, I do," I tell him.

"Then know that I won't let anything happen to you or your friends, okay? I wouldn't do that to you." I only give him a small nod, not knowing what to say to that. "I'll see you around, I have to go." He slips his helmet on, hiding his face and making him blend in with the other Guards, before walking off and leaving me all alone.

I begin the long walk back to my room, the dread getting even worse as I wonder what's going to happen tonight. What if it doesn't work? What if it all goes wrong?

I can't help but shiver at knowing this is all wrong. Entirely wrong, and I need to let Mark, Dean, and Carol know what's going on, as soon as possible.