Narrator-

The Test Subjects found themselves in a circle, as the bullets streaked past their bodies. Khiran kept his eye on his brother, Lauren had her eyes on Matthew, Adina kept switching between Jackson and Valerie.

The water was cold, and they soon began feeling lightheaded from the lack of oxygen in their brain.

"Sir, they are not coming out." Stated Renaldo, as he referred to the Subjects.

"Are they dead?" demanded Archer, irked at the fact that he found himself in a situation in which he could not control.

"I am not sure sir." Replied Renaldo, his throat running dry.

Archer would have his head if his precious lab rats were injured. Archer was not the most lenient of men, which is why you had better deliver, or rue the day you were born if you ever failed to do as he demanded.

"Then fire some more for good measure." Ordered Archer, he was going to fish those little pests out, if it was the last thing he did.

"You want them dead sir?" asked Renaldo, making sure that he executed the plan as Archer wanted it.

"No you idiot!" muttered Archer, the vein in his forehead bulging, as he grunted irritated, everyone in the lab, including Vivian keeping their distance.

Archer was a blink away from exploding.

"The water is cold they won't be able to hide for long." Explained Archer.

And boy was he right.

The Subjects had been holding their breaths just for a few seconds, but the bullets kept tearing through the water around them.

With a tap to Jackson's shoulder, Valerie found her head emerging from the water as she tried to catch her breath. She coughed violently, just as everyone else brought their heads over the water for a breath. But the moment was cut short when another band of bullets began piercing through the water.

With no other choice, the group of Subjects found themselves holding their breaths once more, as they ducked back in.

This pattern continued for what felt like forever, and soon Jackson noted that Adina was shaking.

Adina felt the shivers tremor through her body, causing goose bumps to grow on her skin. A while later, the goosebumps intensified, but this time they were not due to the cold. She could feel an attack trying to shove it's way up her spine and to her brain, but Adina closed her eyes, she had to keep calm. If she panicked now, she was sure to die,

The water was dark, it was cold, and it was deadly place to be.

"Sir if we keep going like this, we won't have any more bullets." Stated Renaldo, after a while.

He knew defying Archer would lead to dire consequences, but he had a feeling that either the Test Subjects were dead, or they were waiting for them to run out of bullets, before they attacked.

"Fine, you and your men get on the ground. I know my Subjects, they're resilient and they're smart, they'll be coming out of hiding soon." Stated Archer, as he deployed two-hundred guards to wait in the forest.

He had a feeling that the Subjects would be coming out soon.

Just as Renaldo acknowledged Archer's orders over the radio, Archer found himself being called by one of the camera techs who had eyes on quadrant Exa.

"Some of the creatures, they're alive, and so is Mateo and his men." Pointed Sarah, as she zoomed the camera's in.

"Mateo? Come in Mateo." Called Archer over the radio.

In the camera, he could see Mateo groan and hold his head.

"Mateo here sir." Responded Mateo, his voice hoarse.

Archer didn't miss the relief he saw in Vivian's shoulders, and for a second, he debated on whether or not to warn Mateo to come back to the center, but then his mind flashed over the Subjects. If one person could bring them to him, it would be Mateo.

"On your feet soldier, you have creatures approaching in the East hallway. Head back to the center." Ordered Archer.

"Copy that." Replied Mateo, as he rounded the men who were alive, and they made their way back to the center.

Matthew found himself saying a silent prayer when the bullets finally quiet down.

The Subjects counted a few extra seconds of silence, just before bringing their heads back over the water.

Adina's bottom lip was quivering, and Jackson could feel Valerie's shivers on his back. His fingers felt frozen at the tips.

They weren't going to be able to stay in the water much longer.

"How are you guys holding up?" Jackson asked, his voice suddenly croaky.

"Just dandy." Retorted Khairo, though his teeth chattered with every breath.

"We just have to hold on a little longer." Pepped Jackson, even as he felt numbing pains gnawing at his joints. Even he knew that it was only a matter of time before his body would give into the cold.

"Well not all of us can do that." Pointed Adina, as she noticed Valerie begin to dose off.

Her cheeks lost all color, and her lips began to turn blue. Adina wanted to go to her and warm her up, but she found moving alone to be a challenge. Her entire body felt as though it was trapped in an ice block. Her jaw began to ache with every chatter which caused her teeth to click against one another, her nose burning, as snot bathed her upper lip.

She sniffled, and so did Lauren, who had bags forming beneath her eyes. Lauren's chest felt cold, and her toes were numb.

Khiran seem to be the only one pulling through, as Khairo tried to fire up his powers, but the water was proving to be quite the oppressor.

Matthew licked his lips, his gums burning with every harsh breath he sucked in through his mouth, no thanks to his congested nose, which stung with every sniffle.

Valerie felt the cold begin to warm against her skin, she felt comfortable, she wanted to sleep, forever and in peace.

"Yo V, you gotta stay up." Encouraged Matthew.

Valerie's eyes blinked groggily at Matthew, as she smiled a faint smile and said, "I am up."

"Nah man, you're falling asleep. I can see you." Smiled Matthew, but he knew him taunting her wouldn't keep her up for long, and soon, Valerie's eyes closed for good.

But her nap didn't last long, because Valerie soon found herself wide awake, as Lauren screamed her lungs out.

"Sir? The Subjects, if I am correct, they are hiding in the graveyard, I know it's early, but what if we were to conduct a quick spring cleaning and draw them out of the basin?" spoke Nathaniel, as he pointed to a giant map of Lab 405.

Archer looked over at what Nathaniel was pointing at, and he smiled and patted Nathaniel's bag in glee.

"Yes, I suppose a spring cleaning would do nicely. Adam, fire her up!" The Head Scientist ordered.

Archer smiled, if the Subjects were not going to come out willingly, he would force them out.

"What? What? What is it?" questioned Jackson, everyone being startled awake, Lauren's scream echoing in their ears.

"I felt something brush my leg." She stated more disgusted than worried, even though her voice was laced with cold trembles.

"Seriously? You're spooked because a fish kissed your legs? I expected you to be flattered, given that you haven't been receiving a lot of attention lately." Taunted Khairo, he couldn't help himself, and Lauren was about to give a snide remark, when Matthew exclaimed as well.

"I just felt something brush against my leg too." He breathed, "It didn't feel like a fish." He added after a thought.

And everyone tensed, each now becoming more aware of their surroundings.

For a while, there were no more fishes kissing their legs, and Khairo was ready to break the silence, when Adina noted Valerie's eyes, "Valerie? What's wrong?"

But before Valerie could reply, Adina turned, as well as everyone else, and there, they noticed an object floating towards them.

As it got closer, Adina noticed that it was the body of a child.

And he was dead.

"Oh Shit." Muttered Matthew, as another body floated around the pool.

Adina now felt something brush by her knees, Khairo and Khiran also knocking into a few corpses.

"What the hell is this place? And how the hell are we just now seeing these?" breathed Matthew, as the Subjects realized that they were neck deep in a pool of dead bodies, as more figures began floating to the surface.

Bodies young and old, male and female, black and white all began to rise and drift from one end of the pool to the other. Some were naked, others were dressed in the thin paper gowns.

These people were Test Subjects. But how did they get here?

Suddenly, Jackson's eyes widened after a thought, as a body brushed passed him.

The others were not going to like this, but he had to tell them.

"The hidden graveyard." Stated Jackson, as though something just clicked into his brain.

"We have to get out of here. Now." Prompted Jackson, as he suddenly felt nauseous, the realization of their location hitting a nerve, and upsetting his stomach.

"What the hell is going on?" questioned Khiran, as he noticed Jackson's ghost white features.

Jackson shook his head, his mouth filled with a foul taste, he looked into the eyes of the six other humans who had trusted him all the way to this point, but he did not look at Adina.

He couldn't.

Especially not with what he was about to reveal next.

They were definitely going to hate him now.

"This is the hidden graveyard." He stated, as the eyes of his fellow lab mates stared back at him blankly.

He sighed, as he felt another wave of nausea washed over him.

"Come on dude, spit it out. I mean this entire ordeal is already this bad, how worse can it get?" stated Matthew.

Jackson shook his head as he continued "During our orientation of Lab 405, we learned that there was a specific place where Archer got rid of the bodies of the Subjects who died along the way, just to keep the entire experiment under wraps. It was an undisclosed location that only a few knew about. He called it the Hidden Graveyard. I didn't realize it until now, and this would be the perfect place to rid of the bodies. The waterfall is just a cover up." He explained, his eyes snapping up.

"Okay well I swim corrected." Muttered Matthew, his stomach suddenly churning uncomfortably.

This was one sick and twisted situation, which only worsened by the second.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Murmured Lauren, as she felt bile building up her throat.

She found herself gagging at the thought that she was bathing in water contaminated with dead bodies. Lauren suddenly wished she could be blasted by the sanitizing gas tank, just so she could feel clean again.

Jackson remained silent; he didn't blame the looks that crossed over their faces. Yet through all his bravado, he couldn't bring himself to witness the hatred in Adina's eyes and he knew that she was staring at him.

He could feel it.

"But wait, if this is it, then it's a stupid place to hide these bodies. I mean, if one of the corpses gets into the river beyond the waterfall, they could easily be traced back here." Pointed Khairo, and everyone looked over at him, but just as he spoke, a giant gas bubble rose from beneath their feet, popping on the surface of the water.

Another set of bubbles rose, the water around them warming up, as a sound similar to a generator firing up began resonating around the walls of the pool.

"What the hell is that?" asked Matthew.

"What's happening?" questioned Adina, Jackson refusing to look at her.

The bubbles grew bigger and bigger, making a bubbling sound to harmonize with the noise which whirred like a giant fan. The Subjects kept their eyes sharp waiting for something to happen.

But their suspicion quickly changed to fear, because just as the final bubble popped over the surface, the water began to swirl, as it started flushing down a vacuum like tube which laid at the bottom of the pool.

"Time to go then?" suggested Lauren, and the others silently agreed as everyone attempted to swim.

Key word: Attempted.

It became a challenge as the swirl grew bigger, and the flush sucking every whole object towards the bottom.

Lauren and Matthew were the best swimmers out of the group, followed by Khairo and Khiran. Adina was holding her own, and Jackson had to work for two, with Valerie on his back.

At some point, Valerie felt her finger began to slip over Jackson's drenched skin. She could feel the water pulling her backwards, and she screamed just as she slipped from Jackson's back, but Khairo who was behind him quickly wrapped his hand around her wrist and hauled her onto his back.

Valerie, teary eyed found her hands locking around Khairo's neck, her head stuffed into the crook of his neck.

Khairo felt her fear, and that was all the motivation he needed. Khairo pushed himself to swim harder, until he and everyone else made it to the other side of the water wall.

The Subjects ran from the water, and quickly buried themselves under the blankets of the forest's treetops.

"They have left the water sir." Confirmed Renaldo quietly, his eyes on the seven individuals a few feet ahead of them, the night cameras on the soldiers' suits providing a live feed for the lab to follow along as the battle continued in the forest.

"Bring them to me. Alive." Ordered Archer.

"Yes sir."

"Where are we?" questioned Adina, as everyone turned to Jackson, but before he could reply, bullets began raining through the trees.

"Run down river! Khairo light the way!" yelled Jackson, as Matthew grabbed Valerie, and they began to run, Khairo using his fiery palms, to shed light into the thick darkness of the forest.

It would be soon that they heard the army of thundering footsteps heading their way, along with the menacing barks of dogs trained to hunt, on their tails.

Archer kept his eyes on the monitor. Through the body cameras, he could see the Subjects in the far distance running from the racing soldiers.

On the field, bullets zoomed past the Subjects' heads, piercing tree trunks and the ground inches from their feet.

"Don't aim for their heads you idiots! I need them alive!" grunted Archer, he was so close to having a stroke.

"Understood sir!" confirmed Renaldo, their bullets becoming more careful.

"Anyone has a bright idea?" asked Jackson as they continued to run.

The cold from the water earlier transforming to heat and adrenaline, their survival instinct kicking in.

"I have an idea!" volunteered Adina after a few seconds.

"Well what are you waiting for? An invitation?" urged Matthew, as Adina flew off the ground.

She told the group to run, as she harnessed her energy.

"Wait! Subject 150 just flew up, keep your eyes on her!" ordered Archer, as he noticed Adina divert from the group.

Adina flew a few inches above the treetops, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she felt the air around her slow down. Every action became sluggish, every breath she took resonated in her ears, then she felt her power and energy build. She could hear the echoes of the footsteps thumping the dry ground below, and the tremors of thrumming hearts rushing her way.

Adina breathed out slowly, then smiled.

She was now one with the natural energy which buzzed alive around her. She was able to pinpoint each soldier that was quickly running her way, and with a smirk, then a grunt, Adina felt a wind rush from her, and burst through every tree, rock and obstacle.

Adina heard screams from the soldiers lift in the night, as their bodies swayed violently, their feet lifting off the ground, and crashing against tree trunks and others, her energy crashing into their beings like a tidal wave, but she knew it wouldn't take long before they were on their tail again, so she flew to catch up with the group.

Archer's jaw fell, his entire communication with the troop destroyed in seconds. He lost both eyes and ears on the field, and now had no idea what was taking place in the forest. The last thing he heard was a low rumble approaching the soldiers, right before the screen flashed, and feedback was heard over the speakers, then silence.

Renaldo was the first to get back on his feet. He understood why the Subjects were running, but it did not give them the right to keep him from delivering to his boss. It was their heads or his, and he rather preferred to keep his head on his shoulders.

"ON YOU FEET MEN!" he ordered, and those who survived Adina's blast began to tread through the forest once more.

Meanwhile, Adina flew until she caught up with the rest of the group who had found a clearing, where they were all catching their breaths.

"What happened? We heard screaming." Stated Jackson as he approached her.

"She gave them the business, that's all." Cheered Matthew.

Adina smiled and looked back at Jackson as she said "It won't hold them for long. We have to figure something out, and fast."

"I know." And just as Jackson spoke, he heard the approaching army.

"Okay, we have powers, they know that, but are our powers enough?" calculated Jackson.

"We will have to make do; this clearing is the best place we can use for this fight." Stated Adina as she brainstormed with Jackson.

"Guys, something's wrong with Khairo." Pointed Khiran, as Adina and Jackson turned to find Khairo on the ground, his body balled up in pain.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? What are you feeling?" stated Jackson, as he approached Khairo.

Khairo grunted and groaned, his voiced sounding distorted. Then it was as if his body began splitting apart.

Khairo's voice multiplied, as he screamed, then from his body, jumped 1-2-3-4-5 clones.

Khiran backed up, as did everyone else including Khairo, and his duplicates stood to their feet.

"What the-"

"Ugh!" grunted one of the clones, a bullet suddenly piercing his shoulder.

Adina and the others turned quickly, ready for the attack.

Another bullet pierced from the forest line and headed straight for Valerie, but Adina quickly stopped it, just as the group of soldiers flooded the clearing.

Lauren disappeared, Khiran iced up, Jackson grabbed Valerie's hand, as Adina flew up.

Jackson felt defenseless while Adina stood before him, covering both he and Valerie with her powers. There was no electricity in this forest, and without a jumpstart, he couldn't get his powers to work.

The clones seem to have picked on Khairo's powers, as the five bodies blazed down every soldier that came their way.

Lauren found herself walking through the soldiers, breaking necks, breaking backs, bashing heads. With a black belt in Taekwondo, and her invisibility, Lauren felt unstoppable.

Matthew was having a blast as he zoomed through the soldiers, taking them down one at a time, but they wouldn't stop coming.

Valerie from her spot was pinpointing the weak-minded soldiers. She remembered what it felt like to control Matthew and Khairo, and soon, she had the soldiers shooting one another.

As Matthew blurred through the bodies, he was suddenly met with harsh knock to his abdomen. Matthew doubled over coughing, as the man prepared to hit him once more, but suddenly the soldier turned his gun on himself.

Matthew fell to the ground, in order to catch his breath, and that's when he felt it.

The pull of the earth.

It called out to him. And he responded. When he felt, it's as if all his energy rushed from his body and soaked into the earth. But as his palms kissed the ground, he felt the energy from nature seep into his skin, reenergizing his body and spirit, and soon Matthew was on his feet running ten times harder.