Nightmare: Corruption

Elizabeth smiled, "Okay, first I'll check your vitals." She started at the ears and then the eyes, but the strange thing was that she found no trace of Anima Mortis. In a normal case, the individual would have bloodshot eyes, and report a loss of hearing or a supernatural increase. "Now it's time to see that your temperature is stable. Say ahhh," She put the tools away and then poked a small device in Lisette's mouth, slipping it under her tongue. It beeped after a moment and she read the figure with a satisfied nod. She then took the girl's blood pressure which was understandably above average, but nothing dangerous. "Good, good. We're almost done. We'll just go through a series of physical tests now to see if your body is in any pain."

The tests took a few minutes and involved various pulling, pushing, and stretching exercises, but Lisette passed effortlessly. The problem was that if she had Anima Mortis, then her strength would be increased and her body would be showing changes reflective of that. She was showing nothing of the sort, anywhere. Elizabeth suddenly remembered she had stopped to think while behind the girl, her cold fingers still pressed against Lisette's ribs to see if there was any trouble breathing. She released her hold sheepishly and walked back to the table where she sat with her scotch.

"Good news is, you're in great condition minus the alcohol you drink too much, but that's to be expected of an AMS..." And here she paused with a sigh. "But that's the thing. You don't have AMS. To be honest... I don't know what you have, but it's not normal." She locked eyes with the girl and frowned, "I saw something looming over you earlier and by something, I mean it was... unnatural. It wasn't anything like I've seen in AMS, but I can't say much more than that because I just don't know." She shook her head and sat back, "I know a guy in the testing facility that probably knows more about this kind of thing than I do. I can take you to him and we can try to figure this thing out together." She stood up and walked over to Lisette with a smile, touching her hair gently. "Does that sound alright to you?"

It was funny how often she asked if it was alright with her. Given the circumstances she did not really have a choice. After Elizabeth was done, Lisette quickly returned to her drink. She sat and waited for the next step, constantly refilling the drink with ice and more scotch. The room was air conditioned and rather chilly, it did not bother her much but the room began getting colder than it started with.

"How do you see something loom over me?"Lisette asked,"how is it that you can see anything like that?" 

If she meant anything like seeing strange flickering like what she saw on certain people, then perhaps she could understand it a little it more. Unfortunately, the woman used a strange device. The purpose of this facility was questionable at best. 

"I can see it sometimes."She found herself say,"the abnormal occurrences. I can hear it, too."Lisette looked seriously at her, taking a sip of her drink. "They say you are going to die and so am I; and they say many other things." 

Liss... tssk.. kksh.

She drank again.

Tsskk.

They always liked to sneak back but it was barely heard.

kiiiilll..

Do not trust anyone. No one.

"I know." Lisette murmured softly, sinking on her chair now simply staring at the white floor.

"Well... that's not very nice of them, is it?" Elizabeth frowned and showed Lisette the device she was using earlier. "This is a scanner that most D44 agents use to detect the... abnormal, you could say. When I said something was looming over you, I mean an energy signature that is not of this world. I guess you could compare it to magic." She explained it as if things like that were real, but then she gasped and made apologetic motions, "That's not to say you're weird or anything, but there's something about you that's..." Her voice trailed off as she couldn't say anything without making it sound offensive.

She quickly changed the subject, "A-anyway, why don't you take a bath and get dressed? We only have one outfit down here, but it should suffice until we get out of this area." She walked over to yet another hidden compartment which would make anyone question the foundation of the room they were in. It seemed as if everything was packed away and neatly accessible through some advanced technology. She picked out the outfit and left it on one of the tables for Lisette before turning to the girl and smiling, "I'll get washed up too and meet you by the exit," she pointed to a section of the wall that looked solid, but apparently it could open if given the right motivation. She then disappeared into one of the glass rooms.

Moments later, Elizabeth was dressed and waiting patiently by the exit. This girl does not have Anima Mortis and yet the scanner responds to her... She thought idly. We need to figure out why. Hopefully he can help, and if he can't, we'll just go straight to the source.

When Lisette joined her, she opened the door and they walked through a small corridor before there was another door. "Stick close, okay? This leads to testing and research development. The guys in here are not as friendly as I am, but we don't need them." She entered her credentials and the door slid open after multiple locks came loose. They proceeded inside.

Aiden turned at the sound of the door opening. He had sent everyone out of the lab so he could concentrate alone and study more on Anima Mortis. It had been several months since he had seen his first specimen of an infected, however the first one that they had shown him was only half developed at max. Over the next few days he was shown more and more specimens and with each growing day the disease got worse and the specimens more gruesome than the last. It had been both an enlightening and dreadful experience. The blood samples he had collected from each specimen all showed the same results, DNA that flowed and coiled in ways a normal human beings did not as well as a completely alien chemical structure. However, as he studied them he noticed that the chemical structure hinted at something less alien and more ancient. He was still unsure of what exactly was going on but he was determined more than ever to figure it out.

For someone to be bothering him currently, it had to have been of great importance. He turned to see two women walking into the room, one of whom he was well acquainted with.

“Afternoon, Elizabeth and Friend.” He nodded towards the women and relaxed a bit in his chair. He scanned the unknown woman and noticed no signs of Anima Mortis. “Well that’s always a good sign…” He thought silently to himself. Elizabeth greeted him and introduced the second woman.

“Dr. Pierce, this is Lisette. Lisette this is the man that can probably tell you what is happening to you if that’s alright with you.” She motioned towards Lisette and Lisette nodded with silence. Lisette’s brow furrowed as if she were fighting something internal and distant. Elizabeth turned back to Aiden and explained the details of Lisette’s examination.

“Curious…I wonder… Lisette if you could please step onto the stage in the right hand corner of the room?” Aiden motioned to Lisette and rolled his chair over towards a larger computer screen. Lisette glanced at Elizabeth and with a nod obeyed without a word. It was as if she did not trust the doctor completely.

Aiden tapped at the computer’s keyboard furiously allowing the computer to think and read Lisette.

“Lisette, if you don’t mind I would like to take a blood sample.” Aiden grabbed a needle and a light anesthetic to use on her arm. Lisette winced at the sight of this but obliged all the same.

“Now…if my thoughts are correct about you what we will see here is something quite extraordinary, and yet completely terrifying.” He stood up and grabbed a couple of test tubes. He placed the blood sample equally into each tube and grabbed another chemical that was simply labeled as buffer. He poured it equally into each tube as well and placed both tubes into a machine. A few moments later he took the tubes out and to both Elizabeth and Lisette’s surprise the tubes were glowing, one blue and one Orange.

“This glow is something that is caused by what D44 has dubbed “The Guardian”. It is a special preventive method against Anima Mortis that very few people possess inside of them. The more curious part about it is the fact that you contain two. The labs here at D44 have been desperately trying to recreate these Guardian glows chemically but we have yet to be able to come close to it. What is even more peculiar is if you notice from the bottom up the glow is being interrupted.”
As Aiden pointed out the two glowing vials had a large black lump at the very bottom with black spots spotting up towards the top. It seemed as if the black were growing and fighting against the Guardian Glow.


“This black spot is of much concern here at D44…it signifies Anima Mortis, however not the disease itself but what we have come to recognize as the carrier. The source of the disease.”

"That's ridiculous!" Lisette exclaimed. It was the complete opposite of her nature to shout or to speak up, however what the new  Doctor had said was complete and utter bullshit. It was insane to think that she was the source of the virus. Her association with the facility was becoming out of hand. The accusation and the factual tone of voice he had said it made it sound like the complete truth and yet it was still preposterous. "I have nothing to do with this... all these talk of Guardians and spirits, council, the voices and .... the nightmare."
 
Why were the lights closing?
 
Her limbs felt heavy, her eyes couldn't stay open and the weakness in her body began to over come her. Something was happening and she was part of it. It was something she said. Something she shouldn't have mentioned. And something she should not have known. Lisette recalled the time when she couldn't control her body. They were talking about nightmares. She knew Matthew Heart. He had something to do with everything and perhaps he was the reason she was caught up in this mess.
 
"H..eart." Lisettle mumbled, losing her footing carefully and using her limbs to support herself upwards. She was blacking out for no reason and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
 
That night, she dreamed.  

A tall slender man stood in pitch black room with a spotlight in the center. The light shined brightly on him, his long limbs and handsome face. His shoulders were slouched and he looked at the light with desperate eyes. The hurt and pain that he appeared to feel was seen on every inch of his body. The plain navy polo he wore was crumbled, the black dress pants were torn and his sleek black dress shoes had scratches and dirt on them. He had white silvery hair with the darkest navy blue eyes.
 
Suddenly the sound of cracking bones began to fill the room. They rose from the pitch black darkness and the red glow in their eyes spelled something sinister. They were unarmed yet there was something more to them than just a pile of moving bones. The skeletal figures dashed quickly towards him, death written all over the stage.
 
He moved swiftly, more spotlights began to appear in the room and he destroyed the feeble army as he danced through the large open area.  All they took were kicks and some sharp icicles to destroy them.
 
"Don't send these toys at me! Nanashi, the things the Council will do to you when I remove you from my Chosen!" His voice was pleasant, alluring and filled with anger and defiance.
 
A laugh could be heard from the darkness, echoing across the expansive stage. The skeletal puppets ceased. Instead a woman with golden hair appeared, the lights set for the stage. "Lein." She called out to him.
 
"I am not at fault for what happened to you!" He yelled."But do not corrupt my child! She is mine to protect and not yours to play with!"
 
"You are doing a crap job at your job, Lein! The voices she hears are persistent and if it were me, they would have escaped her mind a long time ago! Those are demons! Demons to the soul, to the mind!" A string ran across his face, it froze after drawing blood from his cheek. Again the string shattered after he flicked it away.
 
"I will not stand here and be criticized by you. Nanashi, by exposing all our secrets to the humans, to Heart, you are breaking all the laws of our existence."
 
"She is broken. She won't survive. It will be as the demons say." Nanashi hissed, referring to Lisette. Her expression soon changed, discussing a new subject."They kept me from her, Lein. They tried to break my bond and they succeeded. The moment that happened, I lost her. She was gone and she died. All because of the choices our Council made."
 
"I cannot risk Lisette."
 
"I cannot risk the same mistake."
 
"What?"
 
"Nightmare is rising, Lein. She won't be strong enough. I am older than you, I know more, I was there. I was in the war. I have so much more to offer."
 
"What you are suggesting is complete and utter insanity. Hand her over to you? Over my dead body, woman!"
 
"That can be easily arranged."
 
Nanashi jumped back into the shadows. Her golden eyes faded into black as a string wrapped around his neck, slicing other parts of his body making deep cuts onto his skin. The pain didn't matter as they all froze and broke. Every string that came his way now froze mid way and he began to walk. It was always difficult to see in a dream.
 
Large frozen shards of ice began to ascend from the ground. Frost filled the room. Soon the scenery changed. It was a broken lot, abandoned and empty. However the sun howled through the large windows and Lein could see it was like a spiders nest with the strings reflecting on the light. The icy particles from the ground were sliced as they rose from the wooden floor. Nanashi was standing at the other side of the room, her hands twisting the strings with her fingers.
 
The frost in the room shattered all the wires creating a beautiful effect. Large puppets appeared, the twine, magic and string all twisting into a large voodoo doll that quickly made its way towards him. It flung it's large hand, moving it's body erratically like a puppet. It struck his stomach sending him flying to the wall. He got up quickly as it ran towards him head first. Another puppet rose from the shadows. A cat-like creature with large buttons for eyes, large menacing claws that scratched the wooden surface. "Come, Lein. Come."
 
Lein sprinted, his icy silver hair flowing against the wind releasing icy particles. The cat puppet stomped on the ground creating a small earthquake. Sharp needle-like thorns peeked from the ground along Lein's path. His feet slowly made an icy path towards Nanashi, whose fingers hummed a song along her wires. The voodoo puppet leapt towards him, arms swinging like a propeller. Lein changed his direction to meet the cat puppet, claws swiping front wards, the very long and large nails trying to stab him open. What ice shards he sent towards it was simply crushed in the swiping motion.
 
They kept intercepting him, coming from different directions and always leading him away from Nanashi. Instead he tried a different approach and a large shard of ice came from under her, unbalancing her and as she moved the focus on her puppets lessened. He tore the voodoo doll to shreds with his frozen hand in a blade shape. Nanashi kept running from the attack, the cat puppet now coming back towards him with new abandon.
 
"It's futile, Lein!"
 
"You are futile, Nanashi. You shouldn't even exist." Taking several new hits, the accuracy of the shards that tried to kill Nanashi lessened. The cat puppet however was more vicious than before.
 
"I shouldn't, Lein. So why did Nightmare draw me here?"
 
"I do not know. I do not care. I only care for Lisette." A deep stab. Blood dripped down his body while three large claws protruded from his shoulder.
 
"Nightmare is doing something."
 
"He should conduct his business elsewhere."
 
"But he isn't."
 
"That has nothing to do with me."
 
"It has everything to do with you."
 
"It cannot."
 
"Lisette is the source. Admit defeat, Lein."
 
"I cannot."
 
Nanashi smiled. "I know."
 
The cat puppet attempted to tear his shoulder off, although Lein took that moment to stab his hand inside the fabric and freeze the contents of the puppet. Although blood kept flowing, giving up wasn't an option. The puppet shattered like ice and dropped him on the ground.
 
Dark smoke began to emerge from the wooden floor. It removed all the ice, strings and puppets from the scene. Lein grasped his shoulder and stood.
 
"Trivial matterrss..."
 
The two guardians felt sick. It was the feeling of utter disgust and a volatile stench.
 
"Merely a stepping stone..."
 
"What?" Lein gathered up the courage to ask.
 
"Remember this; the purpose has been served and the deed is done. I tell you Guardians... what are you to do now? Join me; and perhaps you shall keep this chosen. Perhaps I will spare her life. But do not decide now! You must see the play! The stage has been set my friends. Enjoy the show make your choice. Live? Or die?"

Matthew Heart tapped his foot impatiently as the black-clad woman watched him curiously. "You are usually so calm and collected," she mused.

His eyes slanted sideways to glare at her, "You haven't told me why I'm here, but I can take a shot in the dark. This is about Area 83, isn't it? Why don't you just come out and say it?"

She laughed while leaning back against the desk, "Because unlike our good Commander, I like to watch grunts sweat in misery."

He stood up abruptly and was about to open his mouth to shout, but she narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Sit down, Heart, and shut up. You fucked up. You're lucky it's me you're sitting in front of and not the Council or the Commander himself." He did as he was told and she stretched an arm over the screen by her side. The lights flickered off as the screen flashed with an image of a ruined city that looked like it was leveled by an atomic bomb. "San Diego," she announced in a deceptively pleasant voice. "Great place, isn't it? Only 1.2 million dead bodies to wade through on your next vacation there." She watched his reaction and he seemed to be shaking. She guessed it was anger, but she changed the picture to another scene that was more gruesome. "Camp Pendleton, home to over 3,000 brave men and women who gave their lives to protect our country... only not really, because one of their own thought it would be a good idea to ignore procedure and blow up most of California. You wouldn't happen to know who that was, would you Heart?"

With that, he stood up and stalked towards her, but she made no move to guard herself. He stopped inches away from reaching out and grabbing her throat. He took a step back and pointed accusingly, "You... have no right. I did what was best given the circumstances! What the hell else was I supposed to do? The entire base was infected. If all those infected soldiers took to the streets, imagine how many cases of Anima Mortis there'd be!" He argued his case passionately, but the woman wasn't buying it. Isolating an Area was drastic enough, but blowing up an Area was an absolute last ditch resort that needed to be authorized by her, the Commander himself, or a mix involving the Council - a secretive group housed in one of the most secure chambers of D44.

"The truth is that you acted impulsively. You've always been a passionate agent, but our fear is that you're letting your emotions get the better of you," she grabbed a folder from the desk and walked forward to hand it to him. "We have decided to revoke your privileges indefinitely. Your rank will be stripped away and you will be forced to do odd tasks here until we feel we can trust you again. Details are inside the folder. You are dismissed." She walked over to the screen and glanced back at him as he just stood there dumbfounded. The folder was about to fall out of his hand and he didn't care. He had given everything for the organization and just like that, they would throw him away? It made him angry. In fact, it made him rage. The rage built rapidly inside of him until it boiled and then just like that, it was gone... replaced with a dark emptiness that seemed to call out to him. It was faint and he wanted to ignore it so badly.

"But Sarah... surely there's been a misunderstanding," he looked at her with pleading eyes, but she shook her head. "After careful deliberation, the decision was unanimous. And please, address me as Vice-Commander Taylor. Have you forgotten courtesy as well?"

He clenched a fist and the voice grew louder, the words slithering out into the light of his brain as if testing the waters.

"That woman... that vile woman hurt you as ssshe hurt me, my poor sssweet child..."

"E-excuse me," he clutched his face with one hand and quickly stepped to the door, his other hand throwing it open. He slammed it closed and leaned against the wall in the hallway.

"If only the pain could ssstop... but oh, it can... for darknesss can eassse any wound, consssume and mend... unleasssh and dessstroy..."

"Rid yourssself of needlesss control, needlesss inhibition... and pain, child, will be your... sssalvation..."

The whisper had become a scream now, the words deafening as they were comforting. Heart cradled his head in both hands as Sarah Taylor linked the screen inside the room to the security camera in the hall. The whole point of her meeting with him was to see his reaction and confirm their suspicions. If Heart was infected, now would be the time for him to act.

The bright light brought upon the most bitter memories in her deepest subconscious. There was always something wrong with her, Lisette the poor sick child. They would pry into her mind and attempted to fix it but all it did was aggravate it. There would always be a blinding light above her, for hours and hours she stared onto it barely blinking. Come to think about it, when did she start hearing them...?

Something ached, something very real and when Lisette opened her eyes it took a minute to realize it was her body. An innocent looking lamp above her lighted the otherwise dark room, the windowless quarters gave it a suffocating feeling. Forcing herself to sit up with her mental state feeling slightly vague she groaned in displeasure.

Tssskk. Shaaa. Death death. Kill. Wut. Kkkkst!

Some things would never change. Feeling more alert, she allowed herself to glance around. A small but decent sized room, fitted with the basics. A desk, bed, chair and cabinet for any personal belongings. On the table was a tray of suspicious looking food and pills. There was a note on it as well and Lisette hesitated to stand up.

Her stomach growled in protest. She knew the routine well and the fact that she was being perfectly documented. She was in lock-down and their prisoner. Walking towards the desk, she glanced at the note.

"We'll have some scotch for you later, for now sit tight." - E

The food on her plate was decent, rice with questionable toppings. Only half was consumed before she felt too sick to eat more. Her appetite was never a particulate problem but for some reason she ached for no reason and felt horribly ill. Perhaps they slipped poison in her body before she passed out.

Pass out? She questioned, why did I? Her eyes found themselves staring at the ceiling corners, wondering where the camera was.