Page 194 of Cerulean Truth
“What the hell did you do? You can’t hurt her outside of protocol! It might alter the test results!” an angry voice boomed throughout the room.
“She was trying to escape! You’d rather we let that happen?” Number Two snarled back.
“Sedate her,” he hissed to Number Three, but the latter shook his head.
“No can do. We need her to translate in order to figure out how she does it. If we sedate her again, we’ll have to wait too long for it to wear off.”
Conviction burned within me, mingling with the pain. I couldn't let them break me. But damn it, how was I going to get out of this? James hadn't been training me for months just so I could sit idly, awaiting his rescue.
My head throbbed from the impact against the wall but I still had my mind.
I couldn’t use the translation, that much was obvious. Glancing sideways at the table filled with surgical tools, I recognized most of them, and I knew very well they wouldn’t just tickle. I needed to reach those tools and turn the tables on them, figuratively and perhaps even literally.
With gritted teeth, I managed to push myself a little more upright, shooting a defiant glare at the trio. "You won't get away with this. I won't be your experiment," I declared, faking a little hysteria and sliding the chair a little closer to the table as I did.
Number Two spoke coldly, "Resistance is futile, Emma. We're not here to harm you, just to understand you, but if you fight us, we will do whatever is necessary to make you comply."
I had to keep them talking, I was but a few inches from my goal. I crept a bit nearer, using my voice to hide the noise. So I scoffed, bitterness tainting my words. "Understanding? Is that what you call it? Were youunderstandingwhen you maimed my fucking arm?"
Number One stepped forward with now a knife in hand. "Fight it all you want, but we'll learn what we need to know."
With a defiant glint in my eye, I faced them, sliding the last inch toward the table. "If you want to understand, then let's make a deal. You answer my questions, and maybe, just maybe, I'll consider cooperating."
Number One chuckled, amused by my defiance. "You think you have leverage, Emma? You're atourmercy."
I smirked. "Maybe, but you need me to translate. How much easier would it be if I just cooperated and did as you asked?”
The masked men exchanged glances, clearly considering my proposal, while I surveyed the table next to me, searching for the closest weapon. I was glad to find I had several options. Good, now I just had to get out of these ropes and lunge myself at these assholes as soon as I got one of those in my hands. All the while evading their translation. Easy breezy.
“The boss did say she needed to translate no matter what,” Number Three mumbled under his breath to the second one.
“That’s what the devices are for,” Number One snapped, nodding his head toward the table.
I could not let them use those instruments on me to lure out my translation; knowing my own energy, that might just work.
“If you release me from these ropes…” I retried but Number Three interrupted me briskly. “That’s not happening so you may as well put that out of your head immediately.”
I stifled a smile, as if I needed any assistance to escape their ropes. They’d tied my wrists behind my back, out of their line of sight.Idiots. James could tie knots these three hadn’t evendreamt of. Even with the pain throbbing in my left arm, my hands were nearly free of the rope. My ankles however…
Making a quick calculation in my head, I realized I would have to let them come up pretty close. They were clearly some sadistic sons of bitches and would be too distracted by the promise of sweet pain to fully comprehend what my strategy was.
All three were now standing around me, very close. It would have to be one fluid motion. If I hesitated even for a second, I’d be dead or worse.
Number One was still holding the knife and approached me, holding it dangerously close to my throat. I leaned back on instinct. Sweat beads began to form on my forehead, as I tried to subdue the panic with logic. I had one shot.
“This is just going to hurt a little, hopefully just enough pain for your sedation to wear completely off and for your translation to shoot out. If not, we’re going to have to try a little harder,” Number One said calmly as the second one smirked. “Shall we start with a throaty vein or shall we mutilate your face a little bit? Shame such beauty would come to parish, but sacrifices must be made by all.”
Fucker. I would give him something to sacrifice.
The cold steel of the knife pressed against my cheek. Seizing the moment of distraction when the asshole broke my skin, I headbutted him and grabbed another scalpel from the table, instantly shoving its cool metal against his skin. Number One, still wearing a smug grin, dropped his gaze for a second to the scalpel, now inches from his face. I didn’t hesitate and slit his throat. Surprise flickered in his eyes before his life ebbed away, and the room fell into shocked silence, broken only by the gurgling sounds of the dying man.
Holy shit. I killed a man.I waited for a moment for remorse or guilt to overtake my senses but none of those emerged. I wasin survival mode, running on pure adrenaline, and I had no time for any other emotion.
The two others lunged for me at the same time but I pivoted, hitting them with the chair which was still attached to my feet by the ropes around its legs and my ankles. Number Two stumbled before tripping over his own feet. Precision was next. Jumping backwards, he yelled out in pain, as I crushed his larynx with the foot of the chair.
Swiftly shifting my focus to Number Three, I found him looking at me with a deadly glare.
“You’ll die for this,” he grunted, ready to attack.
