Vol. 2, Chapter 6: Futility (Part 3)

Gabriel
Adam, you can’t be serious!

Adam
According to you, they planned for all this. They grabbed the both of you and they’re threatening to hurt my family. They’re clearly working under the government’s radar for their own agenda. There’s no way out of this for me but to go along with what they say. I’m not saying it’s going to work, but I don’t have a choice.

Gabriel
Your family is safe. Ryan is fine. I’m sure Lisa is in good hands, too. As far as they know, Carrie is here because she volunteered. And as for me, I don’t plan to stay here very long. I’m only still here because I’m trying to get as much information as I can.

Carrie
What are you saying? Do you expect to just walk out of here? I haven’t even seen this entire place and I already know there are guards around every corner.

Gabriel
I can take care of myself.

Carrie
Then how come they caught you?

Gabriel
I wanted them to catch me.

Carrie
Now you’re just delusional.

Adam
I’m still going to help them. Maybe they’ll lay off the search for Lisa if they think I’m trying to help.

Gabriel
And when they realize that you can’t give them what you promised?

Adam
Then I hope my family is long gone by then.

---

Lisa is in a stable with some horses that belong to Sean and Sandra. Sandra walks up to her.

Sandra
Are you okay?

Lisa
What do you think?

Sandra
Look, I know you may feel useless with...

Lisa
I don’t feel useless. I think this operation is useless. What are you trying to accomplish here? We were done with this whole life, Adam and I. We were ready to just enjoy the rest of our lives and then we get pulled back into this world that he helped create. All this fighting is just for your own purposes. I don’t want any part of it anymore. I just want my family back and to go back to where we were.

Sandra
I know. But what are you going to do now?

Lisa
I don’t know. I’m not entirely sure I care.

Sandra
Well maybe you should figure that out before you decide our interests are so different. If you stand back and do nothing, the fighting is still going to happen and one side is going to win. If you want the right side to win, you have to be apart of it.

Lisa
And what then? What if you stop all of the Protesters? What if you convince the world that life is worth saving, after you’ve lost so many of your own in the process? What will I do after that victory?

Sandra
You do whatever the hell you want to do, because you just proved you took on the world and you’re still here. There’s nothing they can take from you that you can’t take back.

Lisa
…do you think my husband is still alive?

Sandra
I know we won’t find out standing here looking at horses.

Lisa
Then I guess it’s time I fight back.

---

Carrie is about to walk into Lionel’s office. She hears voices on the other side of the door. One of them sounds familiar.

Voice
Are you sure you know what you’re doing?

Lionel
No, but I’m not sure what else I can do. What do you think?

Voice
I think if you actually let me out of this cage I can help you out. You know I would stick by you, old friend.

Lionel
Unfortunately I’m not done with my testing. You’re still in alpha and not ready for the world.

Voice
Well I just hope you keep me informed. I need to know what’s happened to them.

Lionel
I’ll be speaking with Joe Tyler tomorrow morning, if that makes you feel better.

Carrie’s curiosity is finally getting the better of her and she now needs to know who he is talking to. As she turns the knob on Lionel’s door, she hears Lionel say his last words to his guest.

Lionel
Shut down.

Voice
Of course.

Carrie
Hello, Lionel. I…

Carrie is stunned to see there is nobody else in the room with Lionel.

Carrie
Oh, sorry… I thought I heard voices.

Lionel
I was keeping an audio log of some company stuff. I hope it didn’t sound like I was talking to myself.

Carrie
Of course. How silly of me. I have those reports for you.

Lionel
How about that other assignment I put you on?

Carrie
I’ve been talking to everyone I can. They all seem to like me, especially since I grew up with Adam. They have a lot of questions about what he was like as a kid.

Lionel
Yes, I remember those stories you’ve told me before. I’m glad to see you’re getting along with everyone. I’ll be out on a meeting tomorrow. If you have anything to give me you can give it to Stacy. I have to go for a run on business. I’ll see you Monday.

---

Agent Bennett is sitting in a hospital with agent Chang, some other FBI agents, and government doctors who rushed to a hospital near Belmont at the call of agent Saunders. Bennett still has no feeling in the leg he was shot in. They are all aware of Bennett’s situation. The FBI has told all other hospital staff that this was a government emergency and not to interfere or ask questions.

Doctor
Well, Mr. Bennett, would you say in your state you would have completely healed by now?

Bennett
It would have healed twelve hours ago, soon after I was shot. I don’t even think the bullet would have pierced my skin any other time. What gives?

Doctor
Relax. There’s nothing wrong. It’s a bullet wound. Even in your situation, this is normal.

Bennett
I can usually withstand an entire clip and barely feel an itch; that is normal for me.

Doctor
Nobody knows for sure how this phenomenon works, agent Bennett. It’s not impossible that the After-Effects sometimes won’t work. It’s not a perfected science.

Bennett
Not yet.

Doctor
It’s fine. We’ll just put you in a Pod to heal that leg up. We can run more test afterwards if you like, but you should be good as new. If your history is any indication, you should be able to shoot that leg again after you’re done and still be able to break dance.

Bennett
I don’t break dance.

Doctor
Clearly.

The doctor grabs some X-rays off the wall and walks out of the room.

Chang
See, there you go. You probably just haven’t been shot in that area in a while and it hasn’t caught up to the rest of your freakishly rock hard body or something… that came out wrong, didn’t it?

Bennett
No, this is different. I know. I can just feel it.

To be continued...

ReGeneration will continue it's weekly chapter release starting this Monday, July 8th!