(Adam's POV)

“Do... you... think... they'll give... up... now?” I panted, slowing to a halt next to a tree.

“Maybe... it couldn't hurt... to rest... anyways,” Ty agreed. He flopped down on the grass and I sat down, leaning against the tree.

I looked up and realized that it was getting dark. After a few deep breaths, I asked, “Shouldn't we find a place to rest for the night?”

“Nah... when you're in a cell for weeks, you tend to get used to uncomfortable conditions,” Ty said dryly.

“Sorry,” I said. I laid down on the grass and stared up at the sky, wacthing it grow darker.

“S'okay,” Ty told me. “I just haven't had the chance to actually talk to anybody in a while... I'm probably not the best conversationalist...”

I folded my arms behind my head. “It's fine,” I said.

There was a long silence. Finally, I asked, “Ty, how did you... you know...”

“Get captured and experimented on?” he asked. His voice sounded different, like he was either going to cry or punch something.

“Yeah.” Another silence.

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want,” I said quickly.

“No... it's okay,” he said slowly. I heard him take a deep breath. “I was going for a walk on the beach once... a couple months ago, actually. And then the water just started bubbling, generating waves that shouldn't have been possible that close to shore. I waded into the water to find out what was... what was going on with the water. And then the arm came out of nowhere,

“It was a mechanical arm, the same one that the squids have on their suits. That's what it was: a squid in a suit. I stepped backwards, onto the shore, but it just grabbed my wrist and pulled me under. I think I only took one short, shallow breath, but it clamped some sort of helmet over me to keep me from drowning. It also snapped handcuffs on me... that's what these are,” he said, raising his hands and showing his 'bracelets'. “Handcuffs. They cut the cord when I got there, but left these. I was locked in a small glass chamber, which thankfully had an air pocket. They fed me to keep me alive, but only enough. And then... one day, they rolled in the gun.

“It was a huge, techy looking laser gun on a mount with wheels. Based on the gestures they were making, it only had one use, but that was all it really needed. They pointed the beam through the glass and pulled the trigger. The beam was bright, neon green... and when it hit me... when it hit me...” he trailed off, his voice breaking.

“When it hit you,” I prompted, almost whispering.

I heard him take a deep, shuddering breath. “When it hit me... everything went fuzzy and white. I didn't know why they suddenly seemed so excited when I had opened my eyes and cleared all the sunspots away, but I caught sight of myself in the glass. I... they had...” this time he didn't even sound like he could get the sentence out, like he was on the verge of tears.

I didn't know how to respond to that. I heard him take a few deep, if shaky, breaths. “I'm sorry.” It sounded lame, like when you ask a friend who just broke their arm if they're okay.

“It's okay,” Ty said quietly. “It's why my eyes are red. The... the beam.”

“Oh. What color were they before?” I couldn't help myself. The worst part was, he had to think about the answer.

“Green,” he said finally. We laid there in complete silence. As the stars came out, I felt that we had made an unspoken agreement-to stay together until either we somehow managed to defeat the squids or died trying. I tried not to think about that second part too much.

Yai, epic backstory tiym! And... DUN DUN DUN, 'died trying'. I am evil, aren't I? MUHUHAHAHAH- *cough* *hack* *die*

Also, if anybody reads this, go check out ShadowLykos! Their stories (especially LaMM 2 HKLJHLKJHDAKLHLKJHF) are EPIC!!!! Oh, and they were really nice and voted for me, which is extremely nice of them :')