Jade's Escape

Jade's Escape

There are times when a cry for help is so desperate and painful, that it can reach ears that were not even aware they could hear.


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With a roar of fury and pain, Jade pounded against the door to her cell. Her bloodied fists and razor claws unable to even dent the thick material. The metallic thudding echoed down the dark and otherwise silent hallway to no avail, not even reaching the ears of anyone who could help. Hot tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes, staining the fur on her cheeks and muzzle as she continued her fruitless endeavour. Her strength waning, she sobbed and futilely slammed her whole body as hard as she could into the door, before losing her balance and toppling backwards to the cold concrete wall on the other side.

Finally the silence of the night returned, broken only by the quiet choking and sobbing of the hopeless creature. Jade drew her legs close and wrapped her tail around her feline-like body as she tried to shake away the feelings of nausea that overwhelmed her. She was, and always had been, a complete mess, in every way imaginable. Her copper hair was knotted and tangled beyond all repair, falling over her leopard-like face. Her golden, spotted fur was matted and caked with dried blood, completely exposed to to the world as she had no clothes to wear. She was a mistake of nature, or an abandonment of god as some of them had put it, her origins unknown. A cat that walked on two legs, that moved like them and mimicked them… but killed with the ruthless and unfeeling bloodlust of an animal. Her hands were more like paws, covered in fur with pads on her palms, but with long and very human-like fingers, each with a small pad where the fingerprint would be and a long sharp claw coming from the tip. Her body so very human…

…Human…

If there was one thing Jade hated more than herself and her every waking moment of existence… it was the humans that trapped her in it. As far back as she could remember, all she could remember were the humans. The humans that tortured her, the humans that confined her… and the humans that she vowed revenge on. Under her fur, she was covered in scars from their experiments… their tests. For all the pain they had caused her, they seemed insistent on keeping her alive, but given the opportunity she would not grant them the same. Over the years she had learned to understand the humans, but she never spoke back to them. The few times she did had only resulted in even more experiments. She did not know how she came to be in the world of humans, or even how she came to be at all, so much was hard to understand… only her hate remained constant.

The walls that held her normally bustled with human activity, but night had fallen and ended the day’s activities. The humans had long since left, leaving Jade alone in her cell… the cold concrete cage they had built for her. It was little more than a box of stone with a solid steel door. Inside they gave her food and water… but without a window she had never even seen the light of day. But no matter what humiliating things the humans had done to her during the day… the night alone in her cell was always worse.

Jade’s ears perked as a faint noise caught her attention… the faint sound of a voice… of laughter. Quiet at first, then louder, the voices grew in number.

“STOP!” Jade sobbed, but it was to no avail. The voices grew louder until they reached a deafening roar that filled the tiny cell. Jade writhed on the floor and covered her ears, continuing to plead in short, desperate gasps.

Then, in an instant, the voices vanished, receding back into Jade’s mind to the nothingness they had come from, and Jade was left once again with the night’s silence.

Jade gasped for breath as she lay on the steel-plated floor, bits of leftover decaying meat and grime soaking into her bare fur as she struggled to calm herself. At last she pushed herself back up into a seated position and leaned against the wall. Quivering and shaking, she drew one paw to her neck, extending her claws and fingering the warm flesh of her throat. Wincing, she pressed the tips of her claws to pierce the flesh ever so slightly as small beads of blood leaked out and stained her fur. In that position she sat, desperately seeking the courage to rake her throat and arteries out of her neck and end the constant torture. Finally, after an eternity of silent tears and nervous shaking. She slowly removed her claws and let her hand drop to the ground.

Defeated, Jade hung her head and pulled her legs tightly towards herself and sobbed into an exhausted sleep.


---


“Report File, August 19th, 2004” Coenn droned to himself quietly as he typed at his desktop, a bad habit he had never managed to quash.

“Jade continues to grow more and more erratic, it’s reached the point where we can’t even rely on normal sedatives to make her co-operative. Tests on her brain chemistry show severely fluctuating levels of nearly every vital chemical, whether these irregularities are natural or caused by her time in the facility is yet unknown. Observation has yielded extremely concerning results. She seems to hallucinate, responding to things that are not there, even occasionally attacking absolutely nothing. Extreme mood shifts have left her erratic and unpredictable, and her muscle spasms and shaking seem to be getting worse.”

He paused, running his fingers through his newly greying hair, sighing deeply. The faint sound echoing off the bare walls of his office. He was the last in the darkened facility, as he usually was, the day having long ago ended and the whispers of the night creeping through the window. The sound of the late night city traffic drifted in through the shut windows, almost drowning out the faint noises of the lab’s specimens. Documents of various lab reports and graduate term papers strewn across the office were the closest things to “decorations”, spare the nameplate that sat on his desk.

‘Dr. Julius Coenn’

Coenn had worked at the London Laboratory of Biological Sciences for over 20 years. His once young face was now beginning to grow old, now looking tired and worn. His average frame, once the body of a college football player, now hung with a few extra pounds… but he was still as devoted to his research as the day he first arrived so long ago. During his time he had worked on countless projects and helped hundreds of graduate students complete their doctorate degrees, but only in the past few years had his work become truly interesting.

Only a few years ago, he had finally become the head researcher on Jade, the laboratory’s most intriguing specimen, in which time his research had grown in leaps and bounds. There was no limit to what could be learned about the evolutionary chain from such an oddity, and the implications of her tenacious regenerative system could mean expanding the human life span by almost a decade…

If he could only find out the secret.

“It has been nearly two years since the last injury related to Jade,” He continued, the keys clicking softly under his fingers “but it feels like it is only a matter of time before there is another. At this rate of deterioration, we may well lose the specimen within a year, and in light of our failure to either locate or breed a new specimen, it could mean the end of a lot of funding.”

Again, there was another pause as he rubbed his temples.

“We need Jade alive and stable, the future of this facility depends on it.”

With that, he saved the report and flicked off the computer, grabbing his coat and making for the door. Locking his office behind him, he made his way down the darkened corridors, with the sound of traffic gone, all that could be heard was the barely audible sound of someone or something pounding against metal, but Coenn had long since tuned it out.

It was time to go home.


---


Another day later, Jade once again lay on her side in the cold cell. Another day passed full of physical torture and humiliation to be followed by a night of mental torment and self-inflicted woe. Her side ached horribly from where the humans had been testing something that day. A fresh set of stitches held together a deep incision in her bare skin in the small area they had shaved her to work. Jade’s tail twitched in her sleep as she rested, her tear stained eyes clenched shut as she used the only means of escape that she had…

“Wake up…” An odd voice spoke, seemingly out of nowhere.

Jade’s eyes shot open but she did not move, instead she remained perfect still, her ears straining to hear the approach of anyone.

“Don’t be afraid.” The woman’s voice continued in a soothing tone.

Jade finally pushed herself up and looked around. Something was out of place… something she couldn’t figure out. It was as though the cell she sat in was not real. If this was another hallucination it was certainly different than the ones she was used to. She steadied herself and waited, suspicious she was again hearing things that were not real. The room was filled with complete darkness, but Jade was used to seeing in it, and there was nobody with her.

Suddenly, a light appeared, hanging in mid-air. A pure and white orb that lit the small cell with a soft light. Jade jolted backwards, pressing her seated form into the far corner. As she watched the light glow brighter, a figure seemed to materialize before her eyes. A creature like none she had ever seen stepped out of the light and stood before her. Jade instinctively snarled in fear and tensed herself for attack, but the winged being only smiled.

“Please” She spoke softly. “Don’t be afraid.”

The being stood the height of a human, but looked very little like one. It was another creature like her… but… different. Her softer face was white, with black fur on muzzle and around her eyes. Her hands and forearms were also covered in black fur, along with her feet and shins. Grey fur covered most of the rest of her slender frame, spare the white on the front of her human-shaped torso. Long reddish-blonde hair flowed from the top of her head, gently resting on her shoulders and flowing slightly down her back. Her striped tail thicker and longer than Jade’s own. She was adorned with beautiful golden wrappings, made out of a material that Jade could only guess at… And on the being’s back were two divine feathered wings of pure white, the large feathers tipped slightly with a darker colour.

But her eyes… they were the most beautiful things Jade had ever seen, they seemed to shimmer in every colour, sparkling with life as Jade stared into them with fear.

“My name is Kataryna.” She spoke, keeping her smile.

Jade stared at the being before her, breathing heavily as her tail twitched in tension and fear. Finally she broke out in sobs, ignoring the apparition before her and turning her emotions on herself, shaking her head violently and clenching her eyes shut as she covered her ears, apparently now fully convinced she was hallucinating.

“STOP!!” She shrieked, tears running down her face as she clawed at her own head. “GO AWAY!!”

“It’s alright!” Kataryna insisted and kneeled next to Jade, touching her shoulder softly. “I’m real.”

Jade jolted at the touch, snapping out of her fit to stare into Kataryna’s face with shock.

“You’re-…?” Jade stammered, her eyes wide with surprise as she clasped Kataryna’s hand, then her wrist, making sure to herself that she had not fallen victim to another of her own illusions.

“A lemur.” Kataryna smiled. “I’m a spirit.”

For reasons beyond her understanding, Jade’s fear seemed to vanish at the being’s touch. It was as though the light that now filled the room were moving through her, dissolving the unease and fear that gripped her mind so tightly. Looking into Kataryna’s eyes, Jade could see many glittering colours, making her eyes seem more like beautiful jewels.

“Why…?” Jade finally manage to stammer. “…How?”

Her voice trembled as she stared, looking like a small child as she sat cowering in the corner while the being leaned over her.

“It doesn’t matter how,” Kataryna spoke softly. “I came for you.”

Jade shifted slightly, suddenly wincing as the wound in her side protested. She reached down to soothe the wound, rubbing her paw on the swollen, bare skin. Kataryna seemed to notice, looking down at the set of stitches.

“May I?” She offered sweetly.

Jade eyed her momentarily, before curiosity got the better of her and she reluctantly moved her hand. Kataryna pressed her own hand lightly onto the area, concentrating briefly. In mere seconds, the pain was gone. The wound still remained… but it no longer hurt in the slightest.

While Jade curiously prodded the would, something else seemed to catch Kataryna’s attention and she fingered through the fur on Jade’s leg, uncovering a large scar… then another, and another… Jade watched as Kataryna’s smile faded, she began inspecting Jade’s other leg, then her abdomen… revealing at least two dozen scars in the process.

She suddenly gasped in shock as she pushed away the fur on Jade’s stomach, revealing a grotesque C-section scar that ran around most of her belly. The scar tissue was thicker here than anywhere else, it looked like the wound had been severely infected before it had finally healed. This scar even showed visibly through Jade’s thick fur. Kataryna’s eyes seemed to change to a bluish hue for moment, before flaring slightly red and then returning to normal. She mumbled something Jade could not understand and finally looked back up to Jade’s eyes.

“They did this to you…?”

Jade nodded slowly, shaking a little as she tried not to think of the memories that each scar carried with it. There was a pause as Kataryna thought, her previous expression of calm and reassurance replaced with poorly hidden anger as she looked away from Jade. Finally, Jade managed to gather enough wits to complete a full sentence.

“…Why are you here?” She asked bluntly, her voice barely above a whisper. At the question, Kataryna seemed to regain her composure.

“To help you, I come to those in need, in your case… I have come across worlds to find you.”

“…help… how?” Jade questioned curiously, having begun to calm down a little and rising carefully to her feet. “They will catch you too…” She stood slightly hunched over as she always had, an instinct she instinct she felt no need to ignore. Kataryna stood at full height and seemed to think about the question Jade had posed.

“They can never catch me.” Kataryna assured her. “They have no such means. As for helping you, I will help you in any way that I can.”

Confused, Jade thought for a moment, using what rational sense was left to her. If this being… Kataryna could get into her cell… then she must also have a way out.

“Can… c-can you release me?” She finally stammered. Excitement burning in her eyes at the thought of finally getting the opportunity to repay the humans for what they had done… finally she would be able to shed their blood and rejoice in the slaughter. The image of their terrified faces and screams of terror and pain brought her immense joy.

However, there was a long pause from Kataryna.

“I can.” She said coldly, “But I won’t.” Her face was solemn as she said these words, her gentle smile gone replaced with a concerned and torn expression.

Jade was stunned, she began to shiver as the hope of her escape was drawn from her.

“N-no… you have to...” She squeaked.

“I can’t” Kataryna responded, stepping backwards. Her eyes seemed to be watering but she kept a stern and collected expression.

“NO!” Jade roared, panic and anger bursting out in her as she saw her opportunity fading away. She began panting loudly in anxiety as the fur on her tail stood on end. “YOU HAVE TO!!”

With Jade’s outburst, the light in the cell began to fade, as did the image of Kataryna. Kataryna looked away from Jade as she vanished, her expression pained at the decision she made. With the light fading and the cell beginning to grow dark, panic overtook the fragile sanity of Jade’s mind.

“NOOO! COME BACK!” Jade roared and leaped at the failing light, but it was too late. Kataryna was gone, along with her chance to escape.

“PLEASE!” She sobbed hysterically, beginning to claw and pound futilely on the cell walls and door. “DON’T LEAVE! PLEASE! LET ME GO!!”

She continued to claw at the walls and scream, her voice in a half animalistic roar. Finally, she lost her balance and toppled backwards. “Please… let me go…” She finally choked out between her sobbing as she sat alone in the dark, her energy drained and her voice equally spent. No trace of Kataryna remained, and Jade again lay defeated and broken. Her anger was gone, and she was left only with the deep hopelessness.

“…please…”


---


With another day past, Jade was again locked up for the night as the humans left the building. The day had been an easy one, nothing but some hunting exercises. The only enjoyment Jade got out of any given day was the pleasure of the taste of warm blood. The kill was something to savour, watching the life slowly drain out of the animal as she held its windpipe shut… something she wished she could do to each and every human. She sat in the cell, licking the blood from her fur as she amused herself with thoughts of the taste of human flesh.

Jade had since convinced herself that the previous night’s encounter had been nothing more than another hallucination, or perhaps just a dream as she had so often had.

Suddenly, her ears perked… she was not alone.

“Hello.” The familiar voice echoed, and light once again filled the room.

Kataryna appeared before her, garbed the same as she had been the night before. Jade stared at her, her face an expression of surprise and suspicion.

“How are you feeling?” Kataryna spoke softly, her face showing deep concern as she watched the confused feline.

“…I didn’t imagine you…” Jade mumbled quietly, her eyes wide.

“No.” Kataryna smiled.

Jade suppressed her anger and spoke bluntly, apparently wanting to get straight to the issue that had been plaguing her mind.

“Why won’t you release me?” She questioned, her eyes burning as she stood to her feet. There was a long pause as Kataryna seemed to consider her answer before she finally spoke.

“What would you do if I released you?” Kataryna spoke quietly with a solemn look, standing quite still as she addressed Jade. Jade stared at her momentarily before responding with the obvious answer.

“Kill them.” Jade stated coldly.

“And that is why I cannot free you.” Kataryna responded, standing her ground as Jade slowly advanced on her.

“Why?” Jade growled, her anger beginning to rise.

“I exist to help all those in need…” Kataryna spoke calmingly “I live to bring peace and prevent suffering to all who would endure it. By letting you kill the humans, as much as they would deserve it, I would be breaking that code. I would be failing to help them… and failing to help you as well.”

“You…” Jade snarled, taking another step closer, the fur on the back of her neck standing on end.. “You want to protect them?!”

“…yes…”

“After… After all they’ve done… after the… the pain they have given me… the… torture!?!” She stammered, beginning to shake a little as her anger reached volatile levels.

“You’d what?” Kataryna stated coldly. “Kill them all? You couldn’t get all of them. They’d capture you again and torture you even more than they do now. Don’t you want something better? If you ignore their rights as they’ve ignored yours, you’ll be just like them, and you‘ll never escape.”

“I AM NOT LIKE THEM!!” Jade roared, barring her claws and teeth. She was about to rip the being to pieces, but as she looked into her eyes, she found a stern glance without fear and somehow her anger drained away… and she realised what the being meant.

“They don’t deserve rights…” She mumbled slowly, relaxing her stance a little. “They deserve to die.”

“Maybe they do…” Kataryna returned quickly “but if you deliver it to them, you would be burdened with their sins.”

There was a long pause, Jade wasn’t quite sure what Kataryna meant. In fact, she had no idea. Killing the humans for what they had done to her was all she had left. Many different questions ran through Jade’s mind, but the one most prominent finally made it to her lips, pushing the others away as it did, at least for the time being.

“…What are you?”

Kataryna smiled, seemingly glad that Jade had collected herself.

“I am a spirit,” She began, speaking as though she had recited the story a thousand times. “the soul of one who has passed on. I come from a world much like this one… but where this world is inhabited by humans, my world has people of many different kinds.”

She stopped for a moment and paused, watching Jade. She seemed to be listening, but said nothing as she waited for Kataryna to continue.

“But, people do not live forever.” Kataryna continued. “Like all creatures, we eventually die. Like the animals, like the humans… But death is not the end. Every being has a soul, a part of them that lives beyond the life of their bodies. A part that goes on to become something better, stronger for its experiences in life.”

Jade eyed her carefully, still silent as she hunched over to watch the being.

“I am that part, and now I live to help those who have not reached this truth yet.” There was a long pause as Jade just stared at her, her tail swishing back and forth.

“Do you understand?” Kataryna spoke softly.

“…no…” Jade blurted after short silence. Kataryna nodded, apparently not surprised.

“One day you will.”

Jade thought hard, trying to comprehend exactly what the being meant. Thinking was something she was unaccustomed to, normally it was so far hindered by emotions, urges and delusions that it had become useless to even try.

“…then…” She finally stammered “..why won’t you let me kill them?”

Kataryna expected the question, and began to speak.

“What happens to a someone after death is decided by what they did during life. By killing them, you doom yourself to an afterlife of pain and misery worse than anything the humans could ever imagine for you.”

Jade could not understand. She had spent her entire life under the thumb of the humans as they tormented her without mercy. They had never taught her, or allowed her time to think. Jade had never heard of such concepts of a soul or an afterlife. She had never learned the difference between right and wrong. All she had known was the hate and the pain put on her by the humans and even she herself.

Of all the things she had killed, she had never seen one come back to life. How could something live after it died? What was this “other world”? And why did this being still wish to deny her the pleasure of bringing justice the humans?

“I want to kill them.” She finally choked out, her gaze locked in determination as her tail twitched.

“I know.” Kataryna spoke calmly. “But you must trust me, things will be better if you don’t.”

Jade lowered herself to the ground and sat, holding her head as she feebly tried to understand. Seeing that Jade had had enough for one day, Kataryna began to fade away, the light dimming with her.

“I’ll return, I promise.” Kataryna spoke soothingly.

Jade only watched in silence as Kataryna vanished… she would need every second of the long night to ponder what Kataryna had really meant…


---


Coenn lay alone in his bed, sound asleep. With the day over he had returned to his small house at the outskirts of London to rest up before the next day of work. He had never found time to start a family, or even put himself in a relationship, but it didn‘t bother him. To him, his life was taken up with his research.

One of the most well known figureheads of the scientific community, Coenn had made quite a name for himself in many fields. Countless awards and certificates of distinction lined the walls of his otherwise sparsely decorated home. His research had redefined the classification of animals and shed new light on the evolutionary lines, even several breakthroughs in medicine had been credited to his work. But all those things would pale in comparison if he could simply unlock the mysteries hidden within Jade…

But as soundly as he slept, an unpleasant vision had begun to form in his mind:

Coenn stood in the middle of darkness, a void filling around him he could not escape. Fear and anxiety ran high through him until a voice appeared, seeming to come out of nowhere.

“Why?” A female’s voice echoed through the darkness.

“Who’s there?” Coenn called out, but nobody responded.

“Why do you torture her?” The voice continued, seemingly not listening. Suddenly, the darkness of the vision was broken as the form of an Angel appeared before him in a blinding beam of light. Coenn stumbled backwards, shielding his eyes from the light as the woman stepped towards him, her wings spreading wide behind her.

She was the most beautiful person Coenn had ever seen, everything he had ever imagined in angelic beauty in one form. Reddish-blonde hair framed her perfect face, golden wrappings covered the soft skin of her slender body… but what struck him most of all were her eyes... Shimmering in every colour like jewels of light…

“Why do you torture her?” the Angel asked again, scowling at the man before her.

“Torture who?” Coenn finally managed to stammer.

With a motion from the angel, the featureless void slipped away, and Coenn was presented with the image of Jade, clawing and banging at her cell door as she sobbed helplessly.

“Her.” The Angel shouted.

Coenn had grown immune to the cries of his specimens so long ago, it was something that had to be done in his career. If you couldn’t detach yourself from the subjects then you lost sight of the goal.

“Jade?” Coenn gawked.

The angel only nodded, waiting impatiently for a reply.

“Who are you?” Coenn stammered, still keeping his composure.

“It doesn’t matter who I am.” She said as her gaze penetrated deep into Coenn’s heart. “What matters is who you are.”

“Pardon?”

The Angel only glared. After a few moments, Coenn finally began to defend himself.

“What I do, I do in the name of science and for the good of everyone!” Coenn stated. “I use dozens of animals in my experiments, experiments that have allowed people to save lives. Jade’s blood is unlike anything ever found, studying her could help save more lives than the creation of penicillin.”

“She is not an animal, and you have no right to keep her captive.” The Angel stated coldly.

“If you think I enjoy bringing pain to my specimens, you’re wrong. But this research needs to be done. She is no different than the mice, the monkeys or any other animal we have.”

“Tell me,” The Angel said sarcastically “do your mice cry? Do your monkeys speak?”

“Jade doesn’t speak, she only mimics the sounds of words.” Coenn stated bluntly.

“If that’s what you believe…” The Angel growled, with an almost feral tone. “Then perhaps you should try a different method of research.”

With that, the dream ended. Coenn’s eyes shot open to see the familiar sight of his bedroom, still shrouded in the darkness of night. He sat up and wiped the cold perspiration from his forehead, while the unsettling feeling of the dream faded into memory. And as the silence of the night returned to room and Coenn’s panicked breathing returned to normal, he was left to wonder what the dream had really meant.


---


“Somebody tighten the ankle straps!” One of the humans shouted as Jade lay thrashing on a mobile cart. Her arms, legs, neck and body were all bound to the table in preparation for the day’s work. Jade roared and thrashed her body frantically, trying desperately to escape from the confines before the humans managed to sedate her again. Three or four assistants in lab coats bustled about, preparing various instruments and drugs in the large examination room.

“Who was supposed to be keeping track of the anaesthesia?” A woman shouted, loading a syringe.

They had sedated her early that morning, by the time Jade woke up she had found herself in the examination room with the humans. Daylight flooded in through the windows high up the wall of the large room, illuminating sights Jade was all too familiar with. Even though she knew it was pointless, Jade continued to roar in a completely feral and catlike howl at the top of her lungs.

Then, as the woman lowered the syringe to Jade’s neck, Coenn stepped into the room.

“Everybody out.” He commanded in a forceful tone. “Go take lunch.”

“But we haven’t-” The woman began to protest, before Coenn interrupted.

“I know, but I have some things to do and I don’t want any interruptions. Now, out. You can help Dr. Ashford mark the Graduate Biology papers if you want something to do.”

With that, the other humans filed out, Leaving only Coenn in the room. Jade strained to watch him, relenting her screaming for the time being out of sheer confusion. Coenn walked slowly around the room, as though pondering how to begin. He put away the tools and instruments the others has brought out, before finally approaching Jade, stopping a few feet from the helpless feline. Jade only stared at him, wide-eyed with fear.

“I’m going to make you a deal.” Coenn spoke in a calmer tone than usual, standing with his hands in his pockets. “I’m going to cancel today’s tests, and we’ll leave you alone the rest of the day.”

He paused for a moment, watching Jade’s face before continuing.

“But in return, I need you to answer some questions for me.”

Jade stared at him, her breath short and her expression fearful. Was this another trick? It would not be the first time they had played mind games with her. Coenn took another step closer, Jade cringed but Coenn once again stopped, standing with his hands held up in plain view. His expression was odd, as though he were trying to figure something out… or perhaps worrying he was mistaken about something.

“Jade, if you can understand me, you must let me know. There’s nobody else here, and as soon as we’re done I’ll leave you alone.” Coenn tried to speak as softly as possible, seating himself in a nearby chair.

“…W-why?” Jade finally stuttered out, her whole body shaking in fear. She did not know if she had made the right decision in speaking… but anything would be better than another experience in the examination room.

Coenn’s eyes widened in surprise. There was a pause as he decided what to do next.

“What is this?” He walked over to her, withdrawing a pencil from his pocket and showing to her. Still suspicious of some sort of trick, Jade waited before responding.

“Pen” She blurted. It was not exactly accurate, but enough to have Coenn continue his test.

“And this?” He continued, holding up a pocket-sized notepad.

“Paper.” Jade blurted again. Putting away the paper, Coenn pointed to the open palm of his other hand.

“Hand.”

For a final test, Coenn closed his fingers tightly inward, and again waited for Jade’s response.

“Fist.”

Jade’s shaking slowly subsided as she watched Coenn. He turned away from Jade, rubbing his forehead in disbelief. Jade strained to watch him, twisting her head as far as she could in her restraints.

“All this time…” He mumbled, before at last turning back to her. “Why haven‘t you spoken before?”

“…More tests…” She choked out quietly, tears forming in her eyes.

As Coenn looked down at her, the animal seemed to vanish, leaving behind only a sad and tortured little girl. A girl terrified of everything around her, with no escape. For the first time he saw something other than the creature that had murdered his co-workers, or the specimen that could change medical history. Instead, he saw her pain.

Suddenly, Coenn reached down to her. Jade tensed and tried in vain to pull away, but suddenly stopped as she realised what Coenn was doing. With a few snaps he had undone the restraints on her neck, chest and arm, allowing her to sit up on the small table. Coenn stepped back, but still within reach of Jade where he stood and watched her, his hands clasped behind him.

Jade, confused beyond all meaning of the word, sat up and stared at him. Her eyes were wide and her tail flicked as she tried feebly to understand what was going on. Looking at Coenn, she could see small beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. What kind of game was this? What was he doing? Every instinct in her body wanted to reach out with her free arm and grab the human, to pull him into range of her teeth and rip the innards of his neck clean from his body… but something was stopping her, something she did not understand.

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like Kataryna’s voice… coming from inside her own mind.

“Do not fail yourself.” Kataryna’s voice spoke softly, before vanishing. Jade looked at Coenn, if he had heard the voice too, he wasn’t showing it.

Finally, Coenn spoke.

“If you attack me, even if you kill me, my colleagues will find out. You will still not be able to escape, and they may kill you in the process of trying to restrain you. If you don’t attack me, I will promise you a week free of any testing that you don’t want to do.”

Jade simply stared at him, only her tail twitching.

“I’ll take that as a success…” He mumbled, paused for a moment, then continued. “Lie down, I’ll return you to your cell and you can rest. I’ll make sure the others know not to bother you.”

She stared at him for a moment longer before complying. Soon she was back in the solitude of her cell, trying to figure out exactly what had happened.


---


“Report File, August 31st, 2004”

Again, Coenn sat at his desk, typing a report file. Over a week had passed since his peculiar confrontation with Jade, and he still could not figure out what had compelled him to risk his on safety in such an extreme way…

“All forms of obtrusive inspection and examination on Jade have been halted for the time being, and we are beginning to learn more about Jade’s intelligence than we ever thought possible. Jade’s ability to form words, which we once thought a simple mimicry of the sounds, has turned out to be an actual form of articulation. We have given her some puzzles designed to gauge the intelligence of animals… and even some designed as children’s toys to try to re-gauge her intelligence level, and the results are astonishing. Our best guess is that she has an IQ in the range of 85 as compared to an adult human mind, she has a remarkable capability to think and learn… but it seems to be hindered by an overwhelming amount of instinct, and her ever-more rapidly deteriorating mind.”

There was a long pause as he considered what to put next. Suddenly he seemed to decide against it, saving the file and turning off his computer for the night.


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Jade lay in her cell, she had fallen asleep quickly that night. She had seen Kataryna only a couple times in the past week, but in that time Kataryna had told her many things… of her world, her home… and even tried to explain what a soul was… but Jade still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Kataryna had even helped make fighting her hallucinations easier.

Suddenly, Jade was awakened by the familiar sound of footsteps. She tensed as she listened, there were never any humans around this late, and it was too quiet to be morning. The footsteps approached, then stopped just outside her door. The small slider halfway up the door opened and a familiar sight greeted her, the muzzle of the tranquilizer gun. Before she could react, the gun had fired and she felt the sharp pain of the dart in her side.

She quickly slipped into unconsciousness.

When she awoke, she found herself in the examination room again, this time the darkness of night filled the room. Her breath quickened as she realised she was once again strapped to a table. She struggled but the straps held tightly.

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught movement and she turned her head to see Coenn standing in the darkness. His face holding a solemn expression. He stepped towards her quietly, until he loomed over her and looked down at her with sad, pained eyes.

“W-what are you… doing?” Jade stammered.

Coenn said nothing, he only drew up his hand, revealing a large syringe. Tears rolled down his face as he brought the needle to Jade’s neck.

Terrified, Jade screamed and struggled, trying desperately to free herself… or wake herself up… or call Kataryna… or anything at all.

“Please!” She sobbed, as she felt the cold steel pierce into her neck, but her pleas did no good. Within seconds, Coenn had emptied the syringe and began stepping away.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled. “…for everything.”

He stared at her for a moment, then left. Closing the door to the examination room behind him with a soft ‘click’.

Jade continued to cry out, but she felt herself growing tired… and her vision began to blur.

“No… Please…” She sobbed, her voice growing weak. Things seemed to grow darker around her. This was not a sedative… and she knew it. As she began to fade more and more and her struggling slowed, she felt someone grab her hand. Jade’s vision was gone, and so she clung blindly to whomever was there.

“It’s alright.” Kataryna spoke soothingly. “Don’t be afraid.”

“..I’m scared…” Jade mumbled weakly though her tired sobs, her blind eyes wide with fear.

“It’s alright…”

For a moment, Jade slipped away completely. Lost in a world of darkness… but in moments it was gone. A brilliant light appeared before her, and Jade found herself still clinging to Kataryna’s hand. The facility had vanished away, and Kataryna smiled warmly at her and began to guide her forward, keeping soft reassuring grip on her hand. As she moved forward, Jade suddenly became aware of two large wings on her own back similar to Kataryna‘s, she felt intense fear and confusion… but somehow it all slipped away as she gazed into Kataryna’s soft and beautiful smile.

“Where am I?” She finally asked.

“Home.” Kataryna said proudly, taking her the last step into the light.