Chapter 71

Ao's POV

I hit the floor hard when I dodged out of Jack's way. His claws ended up scratching at the wall that was behind me, creating a terrifyingly deep gash. His claws got stuck in the wall for a few seconds, allowing me the time to get to my feet and run. As soon as I turned around to face him, Jack freed his hand and was prowling towards me again. This time he didn't wait and leaped at me with surprising speed. I ducked just in time but a claw caught my armor and scratched it around my shoulder. Unfortunately, he wasn't stalled and I barely side-stepped out of the way before he could drive his nails into my stomach. I only received a burning graze across my side.

Ao, he's going to kill you at this rate. Let me--.

"No!," I exclaimed as I hurriedly leaped out of Jack's way again. Not even a second after, I had to dive forward and roll under him when he pounced again In front of me was the open cage door, and due to my panic, I ran forward and closed myself in. Jack tackled the door with amazing strength but I was able to hold the door with Sam's aid. Jack kept trying to ram the door but it was no use. Frustrated, he huffed and paced around the entire glass cage, keeping his head faced towards me as he moved. I slumped down against the door and finally got a breather.

"What am I going to do? What did they do to him? How do I bring him back to normal?," I murmured, exhausted.

I don't think they've been feeding him...

Looking back at a still circling Jack, I noticed now that he was slightly thinner. He was due to hunt two weeks ago. He can barely last a day without going crazy.

"So, then...we just need to feed him?," I said softly.

It seems to be the only thing we can do, aside from...you know...

I gulped and pressed the button on my radio to call Ben.

"Sheba! Hey, I've got Masky and Hoods, and we're getting Sally out now."

"That's great," I praised him, "I'm gonna need you to do me a quick favor, though."

"Yeah?"

I sighed as I clutched the radio tighter and said, "Send a few MTF over to Jack's cell."

"Aren't you over there? Why would you want that?"

"Just do it. It's...very crucial."

With some hesitance, Ben replied, "Alright, I'll send them some false alert or something--."

A loud bang echoed from in front of me and I looked up to see Jack punching at the glass. A large, spiderweb-like crack spread out over a part of the glass wall, and I started breaking into a cold sweat.

"Ben, hurry," I blurted before letting go of the radio button and standing to my feet. As I waited in place, I watched Jack punch at the glass and create more cracks. At the rate he's going, he'll break through it completely. I knew Sam would pull some protective measure so I hoped Jack wouldn't come through for his own sake and mine.

What was probably minutes, felt like excruciating hours as I waited and watched Jack try relentlessly to break through the glass. My hand was on the door, ready to open it so I could dash out of Jack's way.

With a loud bang, the glass shattered and Jack fell through. He shook off the fall and lifted his head towards me, snarling like a starving dog. Immediately, I opened the door and closed it on him. Jack charged forward into it and, to my surprise, the door hinges snapped and I went falling onto my back. The air was knocked out of me but I still had enough strength to hold up the glass door on top of me, along with Jack. He still growled and scratched at the glass and seeing him so close up was terrifying.

Cracks started appearing on the glass but just when it was about to give out, the main door to the room opened and MTF guards barged in. Jack's attention shifted to them and he began growling louder.

"Shoot the specimen!," a guard ordered.

"Sam," I started, "take their guns away!"

Sam was faster than the MTF and their assault rifles were knocked out to the side in one fell swoop. Then, he forced the door closed, trapping the guards in with us. Jack jumped off from the cracked glass door and started prowling towards the guards. I threw the door off of me and pulled out a smoke bomb from my bag--the last one. I ignited it with red tipped fingers and tossed it into the center of the room, in the middle of the scratched-up cage. Blue smoke began unfurling from the end of the bomb and filling up the room just in time before Jack sprinted forward and attacked.

The screams of terror and agony were instant and I covered my ears so I wouldn't hear all of the horrifying noises. I shut my eyes right and crouched down against the wall, waiting for everything to be over. I knew once I opened my eyes, I'd see a massacre, but it was better than getting killed by or killing Jack. But no matter how hard I pushed my fingers into my ears nothing could mask the sound of Jack's howling and screeches mixed in with the sounds of the dying. Still, this is best.

When silence overtook the room, I opened my eyes and uncovered my ears. The blue smoke still hung in the air in a thick cloud without any place to go. I could barely see a thing, but the smell was putrid and I felt like throwing up. Carefully, I stood up straight and began quietly making my way to the main door. Using the wall as a guide, I followed it, and it took me a good minute to finally reach a corner.

I was doing well until I felt something squish under my boot and I gasped. There was still silence but my heart was pounding in my ears. The blue smoke was starting to get into my lungs and it was hard not to cough. As soon as I started walking again, a low growl sounded from right next to me. The next thing I knew I was slammed up against the wall with a clawed hand around my neck.

Ao--!

"Don't!," I exclaimed before Jack's hand squeezed my neck tight.

He smelled of blood and sweat and I tried not to face him directly. I could feel the blood of the MTF guards on his hand and staining my neck. He growled in my face and blood dribbled down his chin. He barred his razor sharp teeth at me, stained with blood. Still gripping me hard, he leaned his head forward next to mine, his breath hot against my ear.

In a low voice, he grumbled, "Leave..."

I was taken off guard. "Wh...what?," I murmured.

"Leave," he repeats, "Now. I'm too hungry... You smell too good... So leave. I'd hate to rip you apart, too."

I gulped hard and watched as he backed away from me. His hand let go of my neck and it was easier to breathe. He stood a couple of feet away from me, just enough space to let me slip past him and leave the room. I carefully made my way past him, but he snapped at me and said, "FASTER!"

I didn't hesitate for a second and was out the door the next moment. It closed behind me and I leaned against the wall beside it. I leaned forward, grabbing onto my knees as I caught my breath. Looking down, I saw blood covering my boots and a trail had followed me as I left. I sniffed and looked away, relieved to not smell that strong scent of blood and death.

Jack will be in there for a while.

"Yeah," I replied to Sam, "I'd say a good twenty minutes, judging by how hungry he is."

You should take a break, then.

"No. I can't afford to waste time."

You can't keep charging into this like a freight train. If you keep going the way you are, you won't have enough energy to make it to the end of this. Rest.

"But..."

I'll protect you. And Ben is capable of saving the others. He can get them out of here, too. All you would need to worry about is yourself and Jack.

I sighed and leaned the back of my head against the wall.

Rest, Ao.

Closing my eyes and holding my head, I said, "Fine."

So I sat on the floor and waited, keeping an ear out for any noise down the hall. I sat there for a long time, at least in my opinion. While I waited, Ben called me through the radio.

"Sheba, I'm on my way to get the pets. I teleported Sally, Masky and Hoodie to the mansion. Ms. P was there and I'm guessing your other friends, too. They asked about you and I said you're okay. They're super worried..."

"Thanks for your help, Ben. I don't know what I'd do without it," I responded, holding the talk button.

"No problem. Did you find Jack?"

"Uhhh...y-yeah," I murmured, "he's not himself though, but he should be okay in a while."

"What do you mean? What'd you do with the guards anyway?"

I stared ahead and managed a strange, nervous smile. "You don't need to know..."

"Uhm...okay..."

"Tell me if anything happens. I'll meet you soon."

"Sure thing, Sheba." Then the radio was silent.

I sighed tiredly again and looked to the wound at my side. One of Jack's claws had snagged onto the flexible fabric part and scratched my skin. Blood strained the edges of the tear but I'm lucky it wasn't anything major compared to what could've happened. It stung but I could endure it.

You'll have to patch up that cut soon.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I murmured. "Until my blood comes out in gallons, I won't stop to heal myself. I'm not even sure if they have an infirmary here. Probably do."

I don't want that to get worse. It could.

"I'll be okay," I said, stifling a light chuckle to reassure him.

The sound of the metal door sliding open broke the silence and I scrambled up to my feet instantly. From the shadows and still hanging blue smoke, Jack emerged with his nails back to regular size and his head absent of antlers. Instead of his tattered, torn clothes earlier, he had a cleaner black shirt on and black pair of pants. They had small tears in them but judging from the blood spots in other places, the clothes had belonged to an MTF officer. He walked forward, black military boots tapping against the white floor.

My first action was to ask him, "Jack, are you okay?"

He was wearing a scowl on his face but even with that expression the way he suddenly pulled me in for a hug said something else. He still smelled like sweat and blood, but less strong, and I didn't mind it. I bet I smell worse to him considering his heightened senses.

He hugged me tight against him and I couldn't help but let tears of relief fall. In a soft voice, I whimpered, "I'm so sorry I never came sooner... I'm sorry I didn't protect you from this..."

"Don't be," he replied, his voice slightly raspy. "You kept your word about coming back for me, and that makes me happy."

"I could never leave you and the others behind," I proclaimed quietly. When I pulled away, I placed a hand against his cheek and caressed his skin with my thumb. Suddenly, his scowl eased up and I could see the tiredness and relief in his features. He clutched onto my hand and squeezed it tight. His fingers were freezing cold but it warmed my heart to be able to feel him again.

"I've already freed Ben, and he's done well to rescue Masky, Hoodie and Sally," I explained, "He's getting the pets right now. I'll be on my way to find Elizabeth and Jeff soon. I'll contact Ben and tell him to come meet you here so he can take you to the mansion and--."

"No," Jack stated strongly.

I stared wide eyed at him. "What?"

"You promised me that you'd stay by my side through this," he said, "I'm not about to leave you now when I have you again."

"Jack, I know I promised, but this situation is extremely dangerous and I can't risk you--."

"I'm not leaving your side," he kept urging, his face contorted into a scowl again.

"I can't lose you, Jack."

"I can't lose you either." Then, he grabbed onto my hand and clenched it tight. "I'm not going to leave my happiness here, whether she likes it or not...!"

Staring up at him, I could feel the determination radiating off of him, seeping into me and making my heart pound in excitement. I sighed and squeezed his hand back. With a voice full of bravado, I said, "You better be able to keep up then."

He smirked and retorted, "I think I should be telling you that."

I smiled knowing he was okay too, and that he would stick by me. It's dangerous, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't comfort me in this horrendous time.

We started running together down the hall, his hand in mine as I lead him forward. I need to get him a weapon to use, though his claws could work for the time being. First things first, though, is we have to find Jeff and Ellie. I radioed Ben for the cell number. They were being held in the east wing near the end of the hall. I was getting eager to rescue them. They're the only ones left to save and then we can get out of this damned facility. Leave everything behind. Everything.

When we exited out of the north wing entrance, more MTF showed up. We didn't have time to deal with them so Sam took care of them all. He's pretty much all the magic and weaponry I need. Unfortunately, a couple of the guards weren't hit yet and one of them charged at me with a truncheon in hand. I ducked, leaving Jack to grab onto the weapon with a hard grip. He ripped away the truncheon from the guard's hand and slammed it hard against the man's head, cracking the protective visor. He uttered an animalistic growl at the other coming guard, scaring him away from us. He did this all while still holding onto my hand.

We kept running and got through the east wing entrance. Knowing which room to go to, I skipped past all of the others and wasted less time. When the door was in sight, my heart began racing in excitement. I'll finally get to see Ellie and Jeff, and then save everyone like I wanted. All I need is them and we're all home free! I can feel the necklace they gave me--along with the other that Craig, Kayla and Xavier gifted to me as well--suddenly make its presence more known on my collarbone, giving me more motivation.

I wasted no time opening the metal door and dashing inside, still holding onto Jack.

"Ellie! Jeff!," I exclaimed happily.

And then I screamed.

...

Elizabeth's POV

The alarms were going crazy outside. A voice over the intercom kept calling out multiple containment breaches and requests for backup. Zalgo hasn't come back yet and I'm not sure where he's gone in all of this. The more I think about what's happening, the more I'm sure it has to be Ao. It is her, right? It has to be...

I shifted my eyes down at Jeff and my heart felt heavy. Even if we get out of this, what's going to happen to him? I can't get him to talk anymore. What if he gets aphasia? What if he dies eventually, broken, battered, and torn apart? He's stopped bleeding from the stab wound earlier, but he hasn't moved from his position since. I'm not sure if he's fallen asleep, or just staring off at nothing and suffering. Apparently he can't die, something won't let him, and that relieves me, yet saddens me. Was Zalgo telling the truth when he said Jeff wanted to die? I can't blame him. I would never be able to recover from something like this, no matter how much help I get. Then I start to cry because I realize I'd rather let Jeff die than let him suffer what's been done to him. Then I cry harder because it's all my fault for not being an obedient daughter.

"Jeff," I call out to him for what must have been the thousandth time over the course of the past four weeks.

He doesn't respond.

"Jeff, please," I murmured, "say something. Anything. Please? Jeff..."

Nothing.

It's so excruciatingly silent in here, even with the alarms and commotion outside.

Then...

"S....Su..."

My eyes open wide, full of tears, and I respond, "What did you say?"

"Su...s..."

"Jeff?"

A pause of silence.

"S-Su...n..."

His voice is nothing but a faint whisper now; I can barely hear him.

"S...un..sh-shi...ne..."

Sunshine.

Oh god...

"You're calling my nickname...," I said.

He made a quiet grunt and croaked, "S...sing...."

Tears streamed down my face like a river as I replied, "You want me to sing for you?"

"S-S...in-g... si...ng."

Managing a smile, I said, "Okay. I'll sing."

And I did.

At first my voice was shaky and quiet due to my tears, but I knew Jeff wouldn't want to hear that. So I tried lightening my voice gradually until I was singing softly, like we weren't here in this fucking place, like we weren't suffering in our own hells, like we were still okay.

But I knew we will never be okay again.

"You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine, You make me happy when skies are grey, You never know dear how much I love you, Please don't take my Sunshine away..."

I love you so much, Jeff.

Please don't leave me.

You promised me you'd stay with me.

Don't leave me.

I kept singing for him, crying as I raised my voice to sound happier and more confident. I kept singing, and repeating the lyrics, and crying as I did, until the door to the room opened and a familiar voice called out, "Ellie! Jeff!"

Ao's scream was so shrill and horrified, I thought I wouldn't be able to hear after she stopped. But I was still happy to see her. Jack was with her, too. Thank goodness.

She's going to save us.

We're going to be saved.

Thank you...

...

Ao's POV

So many emotions were racing through me and my heart was pounding against my rib cage. Jeff was a mutilated lump on the floor surrounded in a sea of his own blood. I could never have imagined anything more gruesome than the sight of him. And Ellie. She looks so, so happy to see me, but I can see all of the trauma and pain on her face. Even in the dim light, I can tell she's grown paler than before. I should've come sooner. I should've come sooner, dammit!!!

Slowly, with shaky legs, I stepped forward to stand between them, letting go of Jack in the process. I didn't look back at him but I knew he would have smelled the vast amount of blood coating the floor. Instead of stepping forward, he hung back by the door and kept guard. I wasn't sure if I preferred him standing there or helping me, but I didn't complain.

I was hesitant, but I crouched down to check if Jeff was alive. Surprisingly, he was still alive. His breathing was shallow and dry, and he barely flinched when I pressed my fingers against his neck. Through his mess of black hair, I noticed how glassy his dark eye looked (he only has one now...god...) and could see the faint trace of tears on his pale white/bruised-purple cheek. I couldn't bring myself to look at him any more and focused on breaking the chains that bound him to the floor. I also tried to ignore the absence of his right leg up to the knee. It was hard to hold back the tears and vomit. My mask did nothing to hide the scent of blood and misery.

When his chains were broken, I hurried over to Ellie and started ripping away at her thick restraints with red glowing hands. As I did, I asked her, "Who did this to him?"

She took a moment to catch her voice, and when she spoke, the sadness in her tone nearly had be bawling. "It was Zalgo... He's been torturing him for the past four weeks... Everyday..."

I'll fucking murder him. I'll make him suffer.

Once the thick restraints were undone, Ellie fell forward from the vertical platform and I caught her in my arms. Instead of letting go, she hugged onto me (wrapping only one arm around me since it seemed her metal arm didn't work) and sobbed into my shoulder. I brushed a hand over her messy, matted hair and held her trembling frame tight. I never thought I'd ever get to see such a strong woman become so broken and tormented. She doesn't deserve this. No one does.

I'll destroy Zalgo until nothing is left of his disgusting existence.

When I let go of her, Ellie wiped at her tear and snot covered face. Glancing at Jeff, I said, "I'll...contact Ben and tell him to come and pick up you and Jeff."

"Me, too?," she remarked quietly in disbelief.

I nodded. "You'll get to recuperate at the mansion. I can't let you stay here any longer."

"D...Don't take this the wrong way," she started, "but...I can't bear to stay with Jeff now... Let me fight with you."

"No," I answered firmly, to which she frowned in response. I added on, "You're not in any shape to fight right now, physically and mentally. You need to go back home."

"I can't just sit around even more while you put your life at risk. I'm a proxy, too! Let me fight!"

"Elizabeth--."

"Don't send me back! I need to stay and kill the bastard who dares to call himself my father! I need to destroy him and everything he stands for! Let me stay! Let me fight!" She's starting to tremble.

"I can't risk you dying on me," I argued, "You can't even move your right arm."

"Ben can fix it!"

"What Ben will do is take you and Jeff back to the mansion and that's that."

She shot her mismatched eyes over at Jack and hissed, "Well, what about him? Are you taking him back, too?"

I pursed my lips before answering, "N-No, he's not going."

Ellie's frown turned into an intense scowl and she growled, "How come he gets to stay and not me?!"

Jack piped in, "Elizabeth, you're not in any state to fight, or do any extreme activities."

"How would you know what kind of state I'm in?!," she yelled at him.

"He's capable of fighting," I remark.

"So am I!," she persisted, "Let me stay! Please! I need to fight! I need to kill Zalgo! I need to kill everyone!!!" I could see the intensity in her eyes as they flared with unbelievable rage. Her very being radiated pure aggression that made me feel extremely uneasy. I could feel the effects of her mind breaking, and I could feel her not even trying to hold it back.

"Ellie, please calm down. You're too emotional right now--."

"Don't give me sentimental bullshit!," she screamed, "Let me fight, god dammit!"

"Ellie--."

"Shut your fucking trap and let me fight!!!"

"NO!," I barked loud and clear and that surprised her greatly because she shut her own trap first. After my adrenaline subsided, I said in a quieter voice, "You're going back and that's final. I'm not going to repeat myself again. Do you understand?"

With an angry yet defeated sigh, she nodded and backed away. After staring at her for another moment, I pressed the talk button on my radio and told Ben, "Hey, I've found Jeff and Elizabeth, and I need you to come to their cell room and take them back to the mansion."

"Great! Are they okay?," he chimes with a light tone of voice that juxtaposes this entire situation.

I hesitate before replying, "No, they're not. It's...horrific in here. Please hurry."

"Oh...okay..."

We stop talking and I turn back to Ellie. She's leaning against the vertical platform she had been stuck against, her brow furrowed from difficult emotions. Then, from the silence, she said, "His ring..."

"Hmm?"

She gulped before continuing, "Jeff's ring. Zalgo has it now. If there's anything else important to do, aside from defeating him, it's getting that ring back. Please, do that for Jeff."

I nodded, then glanced down at Jeff's still, broken body. Dried and fresh blood caked his skin, the floor around him, and the chains. I couldn't last staring at him for more than a few seconds, but something had caught my eye. A long, black feather had appeared beside his head. I furrowed my brow in confusion and leaned forward to see if I was only imagining it.

Suddenly, a strong breeze hit my body and sent me stepping back as large, pitch-black wings seemingly manifested in the air. Attached to those wings was a lone figure who loomed over Jeff's immobile body, dark and brooding.

"What the hell?," I hissed, "Who are you?!"

No response. All the mysterious figure did was ignore me and crouch down next to Jeff.

Elizabeth reacted and snapped, "Get away from him!!!" When she tried charging forward, the figure pushed a black wing into her body, sending her back against the vertical platform. The wing held her there as she struggled and growled. I didn't step close and stood still just watching the figure.

Looking closer, I saw that the figure had pale skin and black hair. I couldn't really see their face, but the structure of the body from my angle tells me it's a man. The man speaks.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," he laments to Jeff, "I'm sorry I'm so weak. But, I'm here now, and I can save you. I'll put you back together again." The strange man gently brushes a pale, slender hand through Jeff's hair and adds, "Even if you hate me for all of this, as long as you're okay I'll have my...happiness. Forgive me..."

It takes me a moment to realize that that last sentence is directed towards me when I finally notice him looking at me. His eyes were an unusual color: silver, sparkling and otherworldly. Gazing into them felt strange and almost taboo, yet I could recognize the human guilt and shame in his eyes. And in that moment I knew his intentions are good without any words.

The man turns his gaze away from me and, within the blink of an eye, is gone from the room. Jeff's body, along with that severed leg of his, is also not in its previous place anymore and Ellie freaks out. She shouts and lunges forward, dropping to her knees in the puddle of blood where Jeff was. Desperately, she claws at the floor for a few seconds, before giving up and staying bent forward, her fists in the blood. She begins to make quiet choking sounds and I figure she's crying.

I take a step forward and whisper, "Ellie--."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

I flinch at the shrillness of her voice and stand still as she continues.

"You had the chance to stop that man, but you let him go. You let him take Jeff away! How could you?! HOW COULD YOU?!?"

"I--."

"Don't leave me...," she murmured and I could tell her words weren't for me. "Don't leave me, please. Come back. Don't leave me, don't leave me, dontleavemedontleavemedontleavemedontleaveme...."

Leave her be, Ao. There's nothing we can do...

I hated to think that Sam was right.

Ben came not too long after and showed up by the door. He came running in, exclaiming, "I'm here!," before lowering his voice upon seeing all of the blood and then murmuring, "Oh my god, what happened...?"

After surveying the room, the blonde man asks, "Where's Jeff?"

I purse my lips and don't respond right away, allowing Ellie's quiet sobbing to come through.

"Someone else took him...," I answered reluctantly, "I don't know where to, but I think he'll be okay."

Ben's face squeezed into a grimace as he remarked, "Is this all Jeff's....?"

I shook my head to get my bearings and ordered Ben, "Get Elizabeth out of here, and fix her arm. Check on the TIRACorp building and see what's going on, too. Jack and I will stay behind for the time being. All of the others are secure, yes?"

Ben nodded, his blonde bangs bobbing forward.

"Good. Thank you for all of your help. We'll see you soon." I then gave him a strong hug and he squeezed me back.

Afterwards, Ben managed to carry Ellie to her feet and they teleported out of the room in a second. I couldn't help but feel a strong chill, even after they were gone, because of the cold, dead look Elizabeth gave me before she disappeared.

I turned back to Jack and grabbed onto his arm. "Let's go."

He followed along with me, holding the truncheon in his hand. As we hurried down the hallway together, he asked, "What else could we need to do?"

"I have a few things in mind," I answered. For one: I want to see if Ian made it out of this okay. I'm sure he has, but still. And two: ....I need to see my father.

As soon as we made it out of the east wing entrance, we were blocked by dozens of MTF. Without any warning, they raised their guns at us and Sam had to catch all of the bullets. I pushed Jack away against a nearby wall and we stayed crouching low against it. I looked around, noting the 'offices' area that was near the west wing entrance. While Sam was busy dealing with every single bullet shot at us and pushing the MTF back--sometimes violently--I pulled Jack along with me to get to the offices. My father has to be there.

When we passed the north wing entrance to get to Offices, it opened and more guards came rushing at us. Jack and I were pushed apart into a crowd of black uniformed men. Jack's angered growls echoed throughout the lobby as guards pinned him down against the floor. They tried arresting me too, but I created another scarlet hued barrier and sent the MTF around me falling to the floor in pain. I leaped over all of the bodies and shoved past coming guards to get to Jack. With a fiery first glowing brightly, I punched through people, causing extreme damage. While the guards were busy paying attention to me, Jack attacked them. One man was unfortunate enough to be caught in his clutches, and Jack furiously bit into the man's neck. Jack yanked his head back hard, allowing blood to spurt from where the man's jugular was. While we all fought off our own guards, Ben spoke up from the radio.

"Ao! I have some news, and it's bad, and you're not going to like it, and a lot of shit might happen," he blurted through the small speaker, his words coming out too fast due to his panic.

"Kinda busy right now so go ahead and tell me!," I exclaimed as I right-hooked an MTF officer.

"Okay, well, long story short, I was teleporting with Ellie, right? And we stopped at the TIRACorp building to see how it was doing, and I also fixed her arm super fast because there were tools there, right? Well, uhm--."

"Spit it out," I demanded, kicking another guard hard across the face.

"As soon as her arm was fixed, she ran away from me and transformed into her Nightmare mode, and now she's, uh, destroying a lot of things."

"What?!?"

"She's not okay, Ao. She's gone crazy...!"

"Dammit," I hiss. Looks like we have to head back up a lot sooner.

Just as I swerved around to grab Jack, I noticed something going on near the 'offices' entrance. A few MTF were escorting a few scientists into the west wing entrance. Among them was my father's colleague, and Ian's boss, Dr. Stephens...

And next to him was my father.

"Hey!!," I shouted out loud, just enough for them all to hear me from their spot. My father turned his head around instinctively and saw me. As soon as I lifted my mask, his face grew pale.

Every part of me wanted to run at him and hurt him for betraying me, and locking me up for three damned weeks, and hurting my friends, and lying to me about everything. I wanted to let him know how much pain I and the others have been through, but my thoughts immediately went to Elizabeth. She was more important than him. Eventually, someday, I'll come back and show him what kind of person I am now.

Cursing under my breath, I slipped my mask back on, then grabbed onto Jack and we ran towards the elevator. I shoved him inside and punched the button for the TIRACorp lobby. Sam held back anyone who chased after us until the elevator doors closed and we were moving up.

Jack and I leaned against the back wall, panting from the fighting and running. I looked over at him and noticed that he had more blood on his clothes now. His claws were out, but when I grabbed his hand they retracted so he could squeeze back.

"Are you okay?," I asked him.

He shrugged. "Could be better. You?"

"Could be way better," I replied.

A few seconds of silence passed before Jack squeezed my hand tighter and said, "I know you probably won't have a home to go back to after this, so I promise you I'll take care of you."

A single tear slipped down my cheek and I murmured, "Thank you... I love you."

"I love you, too," he responded without an ounce of hesitation. I smiled behind my mask and my tension eased just a little.

We finally reached our floor and the elevator doors opened. But, as soon as we stepped forward, the floor shook underneath us. I yelled and grabbed onto Jack with a nervous grip. The elevator creaked and shook and the lights above began to flicker. It jerked downward and the gap to the lobby became smaller. The elevator is falling... Did I break it with the pipe bomb earlier? Did someone else break it?

The elevator jerked down again and the gap was even smaller now. The creaking got louder and the floor was a little lopsided now. My heart was pounding in my chest as I grabbed onto the back of Jack's shirt and pushed him toward the gap.

"Ao what are you doing?," he asked quickly.

"Get him out, Sam!," I exclaimed, ignoring Jack's rushed query.

Sam gave Jack a boost up through the gap and he fell onto the lobby floor. Just as soon as he sat up, the elevator gave out and the gap was closed. Suddenly, my stomach felt like it was squirming up into my chest. I felt weightless as the elevator fell down at at a high speed. My back hit the ceiling of the compartment, and I couldn't move at all. Then, just as soon as I became weightless, I was sent back down onto the floor with an almost crushing force.

My ears rang so high, I thought I'd go insane and every part of my body seemed to ache. It was a struggle to lift my upper body up from the floor.
The lights above me were broken and raining down sparks on me. The voice that came from the intercom above that announces entry into SCP was broken as well, repeating the 'Wel' part of Welcome over and over again in a jagged cycle. It was dead silent except for my heavy breathing and Sam's voice.

Are you okay...?!

I groaned as I sat up, and answered, "Peachy..."

No broken bones, thank god... I have a feeling the elevator isn't gonna start up again any time soon. We need to find another way out of this facility.

"The MTF were probably escorting my father to help him escape," I murmured, dusting myself off. "Maybe we should follow them..."

And Jack...?

I gulped knowing I left him all the way up on the surface by himself. "I'll radio Ben... Tell him to find Jack and take him back home..."

Ao, your radio is busted...

My eyes widened and I stopped breathing for a second. "What...?"

It fell off while you were falling. See?

I looked down at the floor and saw saw the radio lying in pieces. The speaker was popped out and hanging by a few wires and the talk button was missing, leaving only a black hole. I picked it up messed with it, trying to put everything back together. It was no use.

"Dammit!," I yelled as I threw it against the wall, crushing it completely.

It's alright. We'll find another way. First, let's get out of this elevator.

"Yeah..."

The doors had come together and were left ajar and lopsided next to each other. It wasn't hard for us to pry them apart and I slipped through the gap that led into the SCP Site 16 lobby. The entire place was empty, save for the bodies of MTF Jack and I left behind. I walked forward, limping a bit, towards the west wing entrance. I held onto my right arm as it throbbed with pain from having hit it against the floor first. Once I got the hang of walking, I began running.

Adrenaline still rattled my body due to the elevator drop, and it was made worse when I ran toward the west wing. I got close to the gate and it opened up for me. I would have dashed through easily but I had to stop dead in my tracks.

A shadowy figure stood in front of me. Despite that the lights were still on, it never illuminated the figure. It felt like a strange vacuum in space but it was a figure. Its darkness seemed to seep into the white floor like watercolor. It was cloaked and hooded. It loomed over me and radiated malice, instilled a feeling of emptiness in me. Its face was hard to distinguish, but it held a big, wide smile and unnaturally prominent teeth. When its mouth opened, its voice was like an eerie whisper that rang in my head.

Before I could back away, the shadowy figure lunged at me with bony gray hands out towards me. Panic set in and I lifted my hands up, sending magic to them. In the rush and confusion, both hands flared one color--one blue, one red--and mixed together to create a purple flare. As soon as the shadowy figure came in contact with this new aura, everything seemed to explode around me. The violet glow burst like a solar flare, illuminating the entire, spacious lobby. It swarmed around me like there was a wind leading it, and I felt it surge inside of me. It engulfed the strange, shadowy figure in its aura, then compressed it in all directions. I couldn't watch for long since it was too bright, but I could feel of the magic roar in my ears, and buzz in my head. It was unlike anything else and I was overwhelmed.

When it finally died down and the lobby wasn't washed in purple light, I stood in my place, panting. The shadowy figure was gone from its place, and I couldn't feel it anywhere else in the room. It was just...gone.

What the hell was that...?

I was just as awestruck as Sam. I looked down at my scratched up, dirt covered hands and replied, "I don't know, but I'm using it."

What was that monster anyway?

I shrugged. "Who knows? This was a little anti-climactic though..."

Isn't that a good thing?

"Definitely."

Sam chuckled in my ears.

C'mon. We've got a shark boy to rescue and an angry, demon lady to stop.

I couldn't help but smirk at Sam's sly remark and set off through the west wing.

...

Jack's POV

My side ached from having been tossed out of the elevator. I listened to it scrape against the walls of the elevator shaft as it fell down, and the echo of a loud boom below made my stomach clench. I couldn't smell Ao near me, couldn't feel her anywhere. She was still inside. She's down there. No...!

I got to my feet and began pacing around, trying to think. The only way down was through the elevator, but it's of no use now. I need to get to Ao quick in case she's still alive and needs help. She must still be alive, there's no way she can't be. I'll find Ben, and he can teleport us back into SCP to rescue her. Yes, that has to work.

The scent of the TIRACorp lobby came back to me and I didn't think I'd ever have to be here again. There were alarms going off, and I could smell smoke. No one seemed to be inside the building anymore since I heard no voices and no one was attacking me. Regardless, this place is dangerous. I don't want to be anywhere near it now.

As soon as I walked forward to leave, another scent besides the smoke and the lobby hit me. It smelled like another person. Then I heard their footsteps (wearing military boots like me). It wasn't an MTF guard, because I would've been yelled at and shot at by now. No, this one was different. They smelled like something familiar, along with a lot of blood.

"Who are you?," I asked aloud.

I was given no response.

Scowling, I stepped closer and smelled a stronger scent. Why was it familiar? It's no one I know, so why? I kept muddling over it for a good minute and the other person let me. Then it finally dawned on me.

It was a long time ago, but when I rescued Ao, these SCP did something to her. They hurt her just like they hurt me and the others. Someone bit her, left their mark on her, their scent. It pissed me off...

This is the one who bit her.

And all I want to do now is kill them.

So I will.