(OMG GUYS THIS CHAPTER IS *EDITED*, I FEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED. watch there still be mistakes *long sigh* at least I tried this time. enjoy xx)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

AS IF THE WORLD around them knows what sort of danger lurks ahead, the forest becomes silent and even the stars seem dimmer. Evelyn involuntarily shivers, gripping onto the pommel of her horse's saddle so tightly her fingers ache. Talon is indifferent to the change, inevitably used to it if he's been a "prisoner" like he implies. She doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him, but then again, he might be her only chance of getting back safely if things go wrong.

Which, as it's been proven multiple times before, things always go wrong.

She tries to hold her nerve, but she can't help the anxiety churning in the pit of her stomach. She's almost nauseated by it. She hates how she tosses a side look to Talon, as if she expects any words of comfort or some sign of peace from seeing how calm he is. She scowls to herself and turns back ahead, waiting for some villainous castle to appear into view. She knows that's silly, but she can't shake the feeling that she's walking into an evil protagonist's lair.

Probably because she's doing just that. The only difference is this is real life, not a fairytale, and in real life good doesn't always prevail.

So there's that.

She sets her jaw and feels like slapping herself. She needs to keep ahold of her wits if she plans on staying alert and prepared.

"At the gate," Talon says into the eerie silence, startling her, "there will be two sentinels prepared to take your weapons before escorting you into the main hall."

He glances at her as if he senses she's about to retort and continues quietly. "I suggest you place it where they won't feel for it."

Evelyn raises her brows, somehow annoyed she'd never thought of that before. However, since the dagger has no sheath, she can't very well put it down her pants. So she settles for slipping it between her breasts, tucked into the underwire of her bra. She looks down to make sure there's no obvious outline through her t-shirt. If she slouches, the tip pokes through. She reminds herself to stay as upright as possible.

"You sure they won't check?" she asks hesitantly.

"It's highly unconventional to put a sharp object down one's shirt, don't you think?" He looks at her again. "I think most would rather give their weapons up than risk cutting themselves."

She shrugs. Logic is logic.

"I'm just warning you," she says. "If one of them so much as glances, I'll leave them with a bloody nose."

Talon snorts, but she can't tell if he's laughing or mocking her.

Then, soon enough, a building does come into view, but it isn't the dark and gloomy castle with appropriate lighting striking behind it like she had expected. Honestly, she thinks it would be better than this simple four-story building of work offices that looms over her. At least a castle with jagged towers and constant thunder would give her some insight on what exactly is in store for her.

And it would help if she felt like she were in a fairytale, because then she would have hope for the possibility of winning.

Reality is far too unpredictable for such childish faiths.

"I know it is of no comfort to you," Talon whispers as the sentinels straighten to attention, "but I won't be far."

He's right. It isn't of any comfort to her, but at least he's trying, she supposes. She doesn't think she'll ever be able to look him in the eye, or even have a decent conversation with him without feeling the abyss of anger eating her alive at his mere presence. No matter how many months have passed, her parents' deaths are still fresh wounds. It's beyond enraging to see him and know her mother's blood once colored his lips and stained his teeth.

She clenches her jaw again, but not because of the doctor this time.

She can't help herself as the morbid thoughts race through her mind. "How did she taste?" she spits out through gritted teeth.

Talon swallows audibly, his cheeks a deep red. He knows he would be damned no matter how he answers, so, wisely, he remains silent, his face a painting of regret.

His guilt does not ease her anger at all.

Talon dismounts his horse once they reach the gate, and Evelyn despises herself for needing help off of hers. She'd never ridden a horse in her life, had never even seen one in person. New technology made horses slim to nonexistent, even for farming. She had gaped at the horse when Leo first brought it out, and she admits there was a comfort in riding it. She wishes she could ride it properly some day.

Talon reaches his hand to her timidly. She bites back her dignity and allows him to help her down. She cringes away from him as soon as her feet hit solid ground, however, and is quick to put much needed distance between them.

"Arms up," a sentinel directs her curtly.

She rolls her eyes but does so, thankful that her shirt bunches and her back is straight so her dagger does not reveal itself. The sentinel pats her down the sides and her legs, then asks her to take off her boots. She's glad she didn't stay in that dress, though it would've given her more places to hide weapons.

She kicks off her boots reluctantly, making a show out of tipping them over as if to dump out secret contents. The sentinel growls at her, but she merely dusts her socks off and tugs her boots back on.

"This way," the second guard orders, nodding his head towards the door while the first guard opens the gate.

Evelyn follows with her chin up, refusing to cower like the two desperately wish for her to do. She has plenty of experience with these assholes. She's learned to look at them no differently than regular human assholes. An asshole is an asshole, right?

She frowns at herself and shakes her head lightly. Some sleep would've been nice.

The four of them walk silently into the building, which looks nothing out of the ordinary aside from experiments wandering everywhere and chatting like they're at a coffee shop. The sight is so odd, Evelyn keeps her eyes averted from them and on the back of the leading guard's head. She can feel their eyes following her.

The guard stops at an elevator, and Evelyn gawks when he pushes the button and it actually works. How has everyone in this state managed to get power up and running again so quickly when everything was destroyed? It's fascinating and terrifying simultaneously.

The sensation of standing in an elevator again for God knows how long is even worse.

She holds her belly as the elevator rises, and she almost feels like laughing at the strangeness of the feeling. Is it weird to be so giddy over an elevator? It most definitely is. She doesn't miss the sentinels' glances towards her like they're looking at a patient slowly slipping away from sanity. Maybe she is.

The elevator halts at the top floor, and the guards waste no time shuffling out as if they can't wait to be rid of her. She finds herself wishing they wouldn't leave, actually, because when they do she'll be forced to face the man she hates most in this world. Or who she's learned to hate the most, anyways. Before Harry, she never knew this so-called doctor existed.

The door the guards stop at is in the middle of the corridor looking just as plain as the others. Simple offices, once upon a time. She's curious to see if the doctor has added jars with suspicious green liquids or human skulls in a trophy case. She may not have gotten the Disney villain castle she wanted, but this, at least, doesn't seem as far-fetched.

One guard knocks before they both turn and walk back towards the elevator without another word.

"Nice meeting you too," Evelyn calls. Old habits die hard, she supposes.

Neither of them glance back, but she hears Talon snort again.

The door swings open and--dammit. It is just a plain room, with a desk and a sofa and a window with cheap blinds. There's a shelf of books and seemingly random binders, but no mysterious jars of liquids or human remains. It's almost a pity.

"For a villain," she says, speaking her thoughts aloud, "You're not owning up to your role very well."

The doctor looks back at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Pardon?"

She sighs. "Never mind. Can we get this over with, please?"

Disinterest and sarcasm is her coping mechanism, if that hasn't been made obvious to anyone who's met her.

There's a simmering look in the doctor's eyes, almost like rage, as he says, "Of course. Come in."

Evelyn hates that she's relieved when Talon walks in as well. If she's truthful, she'd rather be with the man who murdered her mother than the man who created the murderer.

The doctor sits behind the desk and clasps his hands as if they're about to talk about Evelyn's behavior in school. She shifts on the sofa in front of the desk, trying to stay away from Talon while also trying to rid of the doctor's stare. It almost feels like she's been called to the principal's office and is about to get suspended.

"How has 748 been?" he asks, as if he actually cares.

"I'm not sure who you mean," Evelyn says. "I only know people by their names."

The doctor tilts his head. "It offends you when I call him by his title? Strange. He never minded."

"He never had a choice," she snaps. "And it's not a 'title'."

"I won't ever comprehend how you're so fond of him."

"It's crazy what having a heart can do to people, isn't it?"

"Are you saying I'm heartless?"

"Wow, you catch on quick." She folds her arms across her chest. "I don't see how any other term could fit you. Even 'wicked' is a bit of an understatement."

"That's awfully cruel of you to accuse me when you don't know me," he says, leaning back in his chair. "You've been hearing nothing but biased opinions."

She narrows her eyes. "I'd say my sources are pretty reliable."

The doctor is quiet for a moment before he gestures to her. "I see you're not wearing the gift I made for you. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed."

"Your 'gift' was stolen from me by your 'king,'" she replies, purposefully emphasizing the two words.

"Ah, yes. Wolf can be quite impulsive."

"Why am I here?" Evelyn asks, tired of this back and forth banter he seems to be thoroughly enjoying.

"We never got to properly talk when you were with me before."

"Maybe because you attacked me with your experiments-gone-wrong and then forced me to kill a child."

The doctor smiles wryly. "Necessary evils, I'm afraid." He leans his elbows back onto the desk. "I wanted to give you a chance to find out whatever it is you'd like. I know you're curious, and I'd like to clear my name from all the bad-mouthing that's been going on."

Suspicious, Evelyn glares. "What do you want in return?"

The doctor smiles again, this time more amused. "There's no strings attached to this, Evelyn. You may ask whatever you like and receive a honest answer."

Surely there's a catch to this. There has to be. But... she can't deny all of the things she wants to know. She tries to think of how this could come back around and bite her in the ass, but she doesn't conjure any situation she can't wiggle her way out of. She doesn't want to be that clueless girl who dives headfirst into her curiosity but... Harry isn't able to explain how all of this was done. It's something Evelyn craves to understand.

After a long moment of deliberation, she asks, "Why? Why did you create them? Why did you ruin their lives?"

She feels Talon stiffen beside her while the doctor furrows his eyebrows in thought. "I do not think I ruined their lives," he says honestly. "I think they were each destined for something like this. The war had been going on far too long with too many casualties. I wanted to end it and save as many people as I could when doing so."

Evelyn tries to process this. "But if Harry is the seven-hundred and forty-eighth experiment, doesn't that mean you killed seven-hundred and forty-seven innocent people in the process of your supposedly heroic mission?"

"They did not die in vain," the doctor snaps. "Each of them were an improvement, and 748 was finally the success I needed."

"That's bullshit," she growls. "That's no different than ordinary soldiers dying on the battlefield."

"Don't you understand, you foolish girl? Because of those lives, I stopped soldiers dying. I found a way to make soldiers indestructible so none of them died ever again."

Evelyn stares at the old man. He sincerely seems to think that he had good intentions with his heart in the right place. He looks as if he really believed that the experiments were necessary, and that he saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives.

"If you really believe that," she starts hesitantly, "then why did they all turn on you?"

The doctor rubs his temples, gritting his teeth. "Because they were all ungrateful and selfish. The ones who stayed with me are the only ones I can truly trust anymore, and that was only a spare few. I never meant for them to go rampaging the streets, Evelyn, you must understand that. I only wanted to end the war and bring this country out of suffering."

"Even so, you're only provoking them further by acting the way you do. Why not make peace with people as opposed to threatening air raids on them?" she says, fury lacing her tone. She can't understand how he still thinks he's being a hero. Maybe he really had been one once, but those days are long gone.

"The people are not willing to ally with us," he replies, nodding to Talon. "They see the experiments and they still quake with fear and distrust. There will never be an alliance between them."

Evelyn keeps to herself that Harry has plenty of humans as allies, Leo included. She doesn't want the doctor to take advantage of that information.

"I still don't understand the point of a second operation," she says, changing the subject only slightly with the thought of Harry. "You say you don't want to ruin their lives and yet you know how much Harry hates himself."

"Yes," the doctor whispers, the tension leaving his face as he slouches. "That was unfortunate. I never wanted to hurt him."

Evelyn is seething, but she grips the arm of the sofa to restrain herself from leaping over the desk and choking him to death. "You're such a damn liar."

Instead of retorting spitefully, the doctor smiles sadly. "There was a time when 74--"

"Call him by his damn name," she snarls.

The doctor nods slowly. "When Harry understood what was happening. We were close. He helped the other experiments see what needed to be done. I'm not sure when that started changing. One day he just turned on me."

"It didn't happen overnight and you know it," she says.

"Perhaps not." He purses his wrinkled lips. "But I do believe it was abrupt."

Evelyn pushes to her feet. "I'm ready to leave now."

"We've barely begun," the doctor refutes, blinking in confusion.

"I don't want to sit here and listen to you talk out of your ass," Evelyn hisses, making her glare as harsh as possible. "I want answers, not pity-parties."

"I've answered everything honestly."

Evelyn inhales sharply to control her temper. "If you're really so hell-bent on 'saving the world,' maybe you should start by saving your experiments."

The doctor's eyes widen as if she's had a genius discovery, his lips parting in disbelief. "Yes," he whispers to himself in awe, slowly pushing to his feet. "Yes, of course. The only way to unite them with me again."

Now Evelyn blinks in confusion.

She can hear Talon's teeth grind together before he stammers out, "I thought you wouldn't give us the cure."

Doctor Stevens waves his hand dismissively. "Don't be stupid, boy. There never has been a cure. Only I can take back what I've done. But there is a way to do that and still have you be invincible soldiers."

Talon's temper gradually begins to show as his nails dig into the side of the sofa. "We don't want to be invincible or soldiers."

"You've always let your anger get the best of you," the doctor replies simply. "I can never take your opinion for the majority, 799, you know this."

Evelyn looks between the two. "Don't you think you just proved why none of them follow you anymore without being bribed or threatened?" She rounds on the doctor. "None of them want any of this."

The doctor slams his fist on the desk. "None of you understand! I'm doing what's best for everyone."

A match must have been lit under Talon's seat because he jumps out of it. Evelyn remembers Micah's preparations to Talon's arrival before, how he warned everyone to keep a distance because Talon's temper is untamable. He can't control when he lashes out or what sets him off.

"You're the selfish one," Talon says, his voice raising.

"I'm looking out for all of you," the doctor replies as if Talon is merely whispering.

"Like you looked out for our families?" Talon grinds out, his hands in tight fists and his chest heaving up and down rapidly. Evelyn can hear his deep breaths through his nostrils. "Like you looked out for the innocent cities you ordered us to slaughter?"

"That is enough," the doctor says quietly, menacingly. "Do you need me to get you an escort out of here, 799? I do not have the time for your immature rage."

And that is the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Before Evelyn can process it, Talon grips the side of the desk and flings it against the wall, clearing his path to the frail old man. The doctor is pinned to the window within milliseconds, Talon's hands wrapped around his neck. The doctor opens his mouth to call for the guards, but Talon squeezes harder and instantly cuts him off. Evelyn reflexively steps back when Talon's fangs come into view, tauntingly close to the doctor's neck.

She almost lets it happen. She wants to let it happen. She wants nothing more than to see this man's corpse on the floor.

But...

"Wait," she says, pulling herself back to her senses. She grabs Talon's upper arm to yank him off. He tosses her aside, growling threateningly. She gives him a look, then takes him off guard by slapping him hard across the face. That seems to do the trick. He blinks at her as if coming out of a daze.

"I hate him just as much as you," she assures him. "But if he's really the only one who can change what he's done, we need him around unless we find another option."

Talon loosens his hold on the doctor, who breaks into a coughing fit. Talon keeps him pinned regardless. "We can't trust him to fix anything," he says, still shaking with anger.

Evelyn locks her stare on the old man. "You're going to undo this," she tells him rather than asking. "And I'm going to be in the room the entire time to keep you from trying anything stupid. I'm tired of seeing people I care about hurt every day because of what you've done."

She turns to Talon. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

He frowns as he thinks, then nods as he realizes that she's referring to when he said he was loyal to Harry.

"Good. I think it's about time we get a plan in motion."