{Book Two} 123 | Poison

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The Tethered Ones

Chapter 53
(Extended Ending)

━━─── • ───━━━

Luna

When Luna's eyes finally opened, she felt her body tingle and ache as though she had just finished a marathon and been mauled by wild dogs. She was annoyed by the strange beeping noise near her ear because all she wanted to do was return to the place where there was nothing. After she closed her eyes, she didn't want to reflect on the terrible things that had happened.

The beeping, on the other hand, wouldn't let her sleep. It was faint, and every beep was followed by another, as if it were chasing her or she was chasing the other beep, so she listened with her fingers twitching. A tremor shot up her arm and then through her body.

She despised being in the hospital.

She despised them as much as she despised thunderstorms.

They reminded her of death and disinfectant.

"Luna?" Her mother's soft voice was next to her. "You're awake?"

She nodded but wished she hadn't. She grimaced as pain shot through her head.

"How do you feel?" Elizabeth inquired, her tone worried.

"My head hurts."

She stood up. "I'll go find one of the doctors so they can check you out. See if they can give you something." She gave a soft smile. "Then you won't feel anything."

That is what she wanted, desired, and would love.

To not feel anything.

The room was empty except for Vikram who was lounging against the wall by the curtain. He gave her a slight wave. She smiled a little and turned away, causing another ripple of pain to run from one temple to the other.

"Honey, the doctor has good news," Elizabeth announced when she stepped in through the threshold.

"Hello, Mrs. Khan. I'm Dr. Bellanger. Do you know where you are right now?"

She shook her head.

"That's all right. This happens." He shifted his gaze to Vikram before returning his attention to her. "You've been admitted to Covington General Hospital after your fall."

"I . . . I died." Luna looked over at Vikram and her mother, who were now holding each other's hands, their lips trembling.

"You were close to death, Luna, but thankfully you have some good friends who were able to get you here in time," the doctor said. He was a middle-aged man with soft gray hair and piercing green eyes. "You suffered a concussion after falling into Lake Ramsey just as a power line collapsed. You were electrocuted and are lucky to be alive."

As the sun filtered through the blinds, she nodded at him.

"You have no broken bones and your vital signs are improving. You should go home and rest once we release you," he continued, rubbing the area where gray speckles peppered his hair near his temples. "Now, if you start experiencing dizziness or nausea, vision problems, or memory loss, you should see a doctor right away."

"Oh, her husband is a doctor," Elizabeth said, giving Luna a tight smile. "He is watching over their daughter."

"All right," Luna said as she examined the pills. At this point, she agreed to anything.

Elizabeth hovered as she took the small plastic cup and pills from her, quickly swallowing them. She didn't care what they were, and she assumed the medicine was safe because her mother and brother-in-law were next to her.

Moving closer after the doctor left the room, Vikram smiled. "Hey," he said. "It's good to see you're awake."

"Barely." Luna's right thigh ached. "So, Amir is at the community?"

He and Elizabeth nodded.

"Everyone is okay. The group hurried you here just before your heart . . ." She trailed off and turned her head.

Luna reached for her mother's hand again but was cut off by an exciting voice in the hallway.

Liberty rushed into the room, her face pale and worried. "Luna! I'm so glad you're awake!"

Luna raised her arm and smiled weakly. "I'm just a little drowsy and tired."

"I know. But the important thing is that you're getting better."

Clearing her throat, she asked, "Did . . . did Amir tell you anything that I'd said before I . . . I passed out?"

All three of them frowned at Luna, and Elizabeth sat in the recliner, her face in her hands. "He said that you were . . . poisoned?"

She sighed and sniffed. "I was injected with a slow-acting poison after I was apprehended by BARDA. There is no antidote, and the only way I can kill it is . . . to unleash my dark side."

"Oh, God, Luna." Liberty threw her hand over her mouth and jumped up, turning in a circle. "That's insane."

"We can't let that happen," Elizabeth said, holding Luna's hand. "And we can't let you die, either."

"We need to get you back to the community," Vikram commented. "They can't treat you here."

Luna nodded.

"How do you know you were poisoned?" Elizabeth wondered, her lines creasing around her eyebrows.

"General Davenport told me . . . sort of."

"Wow." Vikram rubbed his chin. "We'll figure out a way to heal you. There has to be an antidote."

She moved up and laid her hand on her lap. "The only thing I need is to see Amir and Sarah."

Liberty grinned. "They're down in the lobby. We all rode together."

Elizabeth placed a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Everyone keeps an eye on you."

"Thank you." Luna winced and scooted a bit on her side.

"Yeah, we don't trust anybody who works here," Liberty said. "No offense to the staff, but we're dealing with an insane organization out to kidnap people." She closed her mouth, but then said, "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, her voice quivering. "How . . . how long have I been here?"

Liberty and Vikram exchanged solemn expressions, then her sister nodded, and he spoke up for everyone. "You've been here for—"

Sarah dashed toward her bed, cutting Vikram off. "Mommy!"

Luna wrapped her arms around her daughter, smiling. "Sweet pea! Are you okay?"

"Of course. Papa and I made a painting for you."

Her eyes welled up as Amir entered the room, wearing a white kurta and his hair styled back. His eyes watered when they locked gazes.

"See, Mommy?" Sarah brought out a crumpled piece of paper with a painting of the mountains in Islamabad on it. Her hair was darker, and her smile was as beautiful as the sun, the same smile she'd always loved.

As Amir approached her side, she raised her head. "Our little artist drew a picture of home," Luna commented, watching his bottom lip tremble.

He sniffed as he sat beside her, Sarah in his arms. "Home?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. That is home."

Amir wiped the tears from his eyes, and her mother stood up. "Why don't the four of us go to the waiting room and let these two talk?" she suggested, motioning to Liberty, Vikram, and Sarah.

Luna reached around Sarah's waist and tightened her grip. "I love you, sweet pea. And once I get better, we'll travel to Islamabad to see the mountains. How does that sound?"

She nodded quickly. "Can we go there now?"

Everyone in the room laughed, and Luna turned to look at her. "It's not a good idea now. I'm not one-hundred percent."

"I want you to feel better." Sarah frowned and looked down at her painting. "You're my mommy."

Luna held her tightly.

"Come on, Sarah. Let's go see if they have Sugar-Free Apple Juice in the cafeteria," Liberty suggested.

"Okay. I love you, Mommy and Papa."

Amir hugged her tiny waist and said, "We love you. Be good for your grandmother and aunt and uncle, okay?"

She nodded and the four of them exited Luna's room.

Sliding in next to her, Amir asked, "You feel all right?"

"I do now," she whispered, trying to gain control of her spiraling emotions. "I'm . . . I'm sorry. I should have told you about what they had done."

"It's all right, Moon." He helped her puff a pillow out, and the room spun a little. "So, you've known about being poisoned since we were at General Davenport's house?"

She nodded. "I should have said something."

"Maybe," was all he said.

She hoped he wasn't mad at her for it, but how was she supposed to tell the man she loved that she was dying from an illness that he couldn't fix?

"We'll fix you, Moon. You're not going to die on me."

When he said it again, her stomach churned. He kept saying that after they'd put themselves in danger many times, and she wondered why he feared her death so much. She was too afraid to ask and assumed he would bring it up first.

"What do you remember?" he asked quietly.

Her chest squeezed tight. She inhaled a breath, expecting it to hurt more than it did. "That we infiltrated Ramsey last night."

"Last night?" His brows furrowed. "It didn't happen last night. We did that four days ago."

No, that wasn't right. She remembered running through the tunnels after retrieving the Khans, and Ethan's family. Four days couldn't have passed. "How did that happen?"

"Moon—"

"No." She attempted to stand, but his arm returned, forming a steel band around her waist that she couldn't break. "We'd just freed our people. I remember lying in the grass with your arms wrapped around me, trying to keep me alive. I remember us discussing—oh God, I killed Defectives. Half of them wouldn't go down."

"It's going to be okay. Just breathe."

"Four days?" He nodded, and she frowned as she moved her waist, wincing again. "Why have I been asleep that long? What if they're after us?"

"Luna, I think you should get some rest."

"I can't rest. I've been resting for days. I have poison in me."

His eyes narrowed. "I know. That's all I've been thinking about since you've told me."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dropped it on you like that." She curled an arm around his waist and looked over at the window. "I've missed out on more time with Sarah."

"Just get better, so you can be there for her."

Her breath quivered. "Is your family . . ."

"They're okay and in the infirmary at the community. They've been worried about you."

Her stomach churned. "It was so scary, Amir. That night was so scary." She wiped her tears on his sleeve as he caressed her skin. "Could you please get me some water? Dasani if that is available?"

He shifted and nodded. "Sure. I'll be right back." He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

Shortly after he left, a gray-haired nurse with a Brigitte Bardot hairstyle strode in behind a male orderly. "Hello, Mrs. Khan. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Just hungry."

"I'm sure. You've had quite an ordeal." She spoke with compassion as she stood by the bedside. She started lowering the sidebar and assisted Luna in sitting up. "We're going to take you down to the lab."

The male orderly opened the wheelchair and began putting Luna in it without giving her a chance to decline.

She couldn't see through the glass windows as they rolled her down the corridor, so she had no idea where the staff was taking her after the nurse threw all her weight to open a set of double doors. None of Luna's family members or anyone she knows was around.

"Can I eat first?"

The aroma of pork chops and mashed potatoes wafted into the corridor as they turned a corner. Luna's gaze followed the nurse into a small room that wasn't the cafeteria, and she was shocked to see John Davenport.

"What's going on?" Luna asked, running her hands down her hospital gown.

John jumped to his feet and rushed to her side. He took hold of her free hand. "There has been an accident."

"An accident?" She thought she gasped. Her insides pounded as she stared at him. "Who has been in an accident?"

His face was pained and haggard, and he avoided looking her in the eyes. "It's your sister and Vikram. They were walking out of the hospital when they were hit by an 18-wheeler."

"How . . . How bad is it?" Her voice trembled. All she could see was Dr. Kim—General Davenport had the same manners as the doctor, straight, stern, and direct. There was something strange about this.

He shook his head and opened the elevator door. Luna could see a rainstorm approaching once they reached ground level. She could feel the air, which was cold for September, but she couldn't understand why. Her entire body was numb. She questioned that maybe it was some sort of medication running through her that has made her icy cold. General Davenport led her to a white Yukon. Unease crept in, and a horrible thought occurred to her. She grabbed the chair's wheels and yanked them back.

"How come we're in the parking garage instead of the ER?"

She didn't have time to question anything anymore. He leaned forward, and she noticed a long, frightening needle. She jerked back in her chair, but not quickly enough. The general inserted the needle into her upper arm. There was a pinch, followed by coolness and a faint burning sensation in her veins.

She tried to knock his hand away. In any case, the needle was out of his grasp, and he was staring at her with caution. His finger pressed against her arm. She couldn't feel her pulse, but it was pounding in her chest. "What . . . what have you done?"

He'd already started loading her into the car.

He spilled out of the hospital parking lot with his hands on the wheel but didn't say anything. The second time she asked, he remained silent. A kaleidoscope of white and silver distorted the road ahead. Her fingers moved over to the door handle, but she couldn't pry it open. She struggled to keep her mind awake after her fingers stopped working.

There was no way she could use her powers. She battled with every last bit of strength she had as the darkness crept into the corners of her eyes. Even though she knew it would be over if she lost consciousness, she couldn't stop her head from jerking to the side.

BARDA was everywhere.

• • •

When Luna regained consciousness, her mouth was dry and it felt as though a drummer had moved in. She had experienced similar feelings once before after consuming an entire bottle of cheap beer during a sleepover with a friend. She was sweating then, but now she was freezing.

She pried her eyes open by lifting her head off the coarse blanket her face was resting on. For several minutes, shapes were blurred and unrecognizable. She pushed up, flattening her palms, and a wave of disorientation hit her body.

Her arms and feet were uncovered. Someone had removed her medical gown and replaced it with a long white tee shirt. In response to the near-freezing weather, goosebumps formed on her skin. She knew she was someplace inside. Perhaps a freezer. That much she could tell from the continuous hum of lights and distant voices.

Her eyes eventually cleared, and she almost wished they hadn't.

She was locked in a cage with icy cold bars. She could fit her palm through the gaps in the thick black metal. Probably. She looked up, realizing she couldn't stand or lie down straight without touching the bars. Chains and manacles dangled from the ceiling. One was attached to her numb, cold waist.

Panic clutched at her, driving her breath in and out as her eyes darted around frantically. Cages around her. The insides of the bars closest to her and the manacles on her wrists were coated in a dazzling whiteish-gray powder.

Luna continued reminding herself to stay calm, but it didn't help. As she rolled onto her back, she sat up as tall as she could and reached down to try to take the object off her body. Red-hot pain shot up her arms and right to her brain the instant her fingers hit the metal's top. She screamed and jerked her hands back.

Terror washed over her like a surging tide. When she reached for the bars, the same piercing pain ripped through her, causing her to fall back. Her voice screamed as she shuddered, her hands close to her chest. She could feel the agony now. It was exactly how she felt when Dr. Kim placed that halo around her brow.

She attempted to summon the strength within her. She could blow these cages apart without even touching them. But there was nothing left inside her. It seemed as though she was depleted of energy. Confined. Tormented.

In the cage closest to her, a chunk of material began to stir and rise. It was a person—a woman, not a lump. The woman sat up, shoving greasy strands of long blue hair away from her tanned face, and Luna's heart pounded against her ribs.

She looked at Luna. She was her age. A nasty reddish-brown bruise developed across her left cheek from her hairline. She would have been attractive if she hadn't been so thin and disheveled.

She sighed, lowering her face. "I used to be pretty."

Had she read my thoughts? "Um . . ."

"No, I did not read your mind." Her voice had become harsh and heavy. She averted her gaze, inspecting the vacant cages before focusing on the twin doors. "But, I suppose you're like me—owned by The Biological Research and Development Agency, the ones no one can seem to get away from no matter how hard they try." She then chuckled, lowering her pointed chin to her battered knees. "They were going to catch you sooner or later."

They have more people here? Of course, they do.

"I'm not even sure where this place is."

She began to rock a little. "You're in a storeroom behind a laboratory. It's similar to a test site. Hopefully, we're still in Louisiana." She flicked her small fingers at the bruise. "I was picked up outside of a gas station and sedated."

Luna swallowed. "You're tethered, right?"

Another stifled, bitter chuckle rang forth. "I used to be, but they took my partner away from me. Completely separated us. But I am still an Origin. My ancestors were not born tethered."

"So, what exactly does the organization aim to do to you?" Luna asked. She wanted to keep talking so she wouldn't freak out much more than she already was.

The woman sighed deeply. "They want to turn me into a Trojan. They've already injected a serum into several of us, although some of the subjects have failed, but you . . ." Her eyes narrowed. They were the hue of lavender without any contacts. Pure amethyst. "I believe you're here for another reason. John Davenport brought you, and he's a douche."

She was right. "What's your name?"

"Darla," the woman croaked, feeling her dry lips. "Family used to call me Dee-Dee." Her tears welled up, and she shook her head. "What's yours?"

"Luna Khan." She crept closer to the Dee-Dee's side, barely touching the bars. "When was the last time you saw anyone you knew?"

"I'm not sure." Dee-Dee lowered her head, burying her face behind straggly hair. "If the calendar is correct, it stated September, and I was in Lafayette in January." She raised her chin. "They had another person in here. He was tall with dark hair. Like, really black hair."

"Did you see where they took him?" Luna asked, scared that it could be Amir.

A door somewhere outside the huge, frigid room shut before she could respond. Dee-Dee retreated, her tiny arms wrapped around her bent knees. "Stay still. Pretend you're under sedation. You don't want to ruffle their feathers."

Luna remembered her time at St. Matthew's. "Wh—"

"Be quiet." She ducked down into her curled form. "They're close."

Luna moved to the back of the cell and lay down, slinging one arm over her face so she could peek under it without being spotted.

When the door opened, she saw two sets of legs in white pants come into the room. They strolled silently toward the women's cells. Her heart was beating once more, increasing the throbbing in her head. They stalled right in front of Dee-Dee.

"Are you going to cooperate with us,

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