To no surprise, the facility was also in shambles. The entrance was littered with dead bodies trampled on top of each other. Also, the place was crawling with Voids everywhere because the prison was densely packed with trapped people, essentially creating a mass of sitting ducks.
Theodore sucked his teeth; he had to quickly come up with a plan to go inside and escape undetected. However, it was extremely difficult and highly risky without any equipment or weapons.
"Alright, listen to me, Evan. I need you to throw me into that opening," He planned to enter through one of the broken parts of the building.
"Wait, how the hell are you going to find her with all this mess?" Evan expressed a very valid concern.
"It doesn't matter." Even if he had to dig through hundreds of dead bodies, Theodore wouldn't stop until he was sure where his sister was.
Evan continued forward to where Theodore pointed toward. "What are you doing?" Theodore wanted him to keep a safe distance.
"Two people means it'll take half the time, right?" Evan joked. "Why do you keep trying to send me away? I'm not leaving you alone, so don't bother," he reassured.
When Theodore was constantly bullied with no one to turn to, one person stepped forward. He was not an influential figure like nobility or from a wealthy family. No, he was the most regular, average citizen. As a result, Evan faced similar bullying to Theodore, although less extreme.
Theodore ignored him constantly, hoping he would stop foolishly putting himself in trouble. However, Evan's bright smile never went away once. Sometimes, Theodore thought he had enough happiness for the both of them.
Over time, he became a rock in Theodore's life, unaffected by the dirtiness of the world. Of course, Theodore began to treasure him similarly to a brother and vice versa.
"Watch out!" Theodore leaned on Evan, pushing him toward the right.
WHOOSH
A large piece of cement flung past them. Below, a Void was staring with a smile at the two. A cold shiver ran down their spine.
"Ah shit, they are much scarier than the books say," Evan chuckled weakly.
"Quick, get inside the building." Theodore urged him.
***
They safely arrived on the 2nd floor of the massive building. In front of them were collapsed parts of the ceiling and broken furniture.
"Let's move fast, I don't think this place will hold up for long," Theodore stated. They began to run around the building aimlessly since they didn't know the layout.
As a result, they did not find anything except empty, messy laboratory rooms. Theodore began to stress as time ticked on. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Evan! Take me to the top." Theodore thought the Warden's office on the top floor would have some records of where his sister was.
They quickly flew up, breaking in through one of the windows. The warden's office was the entire top floor. It was covered with an assortment of weapons, hanging like trophies off the walls. The dark interior was slightly scary.
Theodore rushed toward the large wooden desk, and Evan began rummaging through the cabinets. They threw papers around haphazardly and in a rush.
"GOT IT," Evan screamed in excitement. He rushed over to Theodore with a file in hand clearly labeled "Subject 106: Sophia" in thick, bold font.
'Subject? They told me she wasn't being experimented on.' Theodore's eyes lit up with anger. In exchange for becoming the General's lap dog, he was promised his sister would be left alone.
Evan handed the folder to let Theodore open it first.
They quietly scanned the documents. Blood rushed throughout Theodore's body, rapidly raising his heartbeat.
The first few pages described Sophia's age, gender, background, and preliminary details. Then, it began to highlight the research conducted on her.
Unfortunately, most of the words were covered in black ink, making it nearly impossible to decipher.
"500uL of— injected into a right arm vein. The subject experienced extreme pain for— hours before resting and experiencing— hours of— pain… Significant changes in— and— recorded… Swelling and discoloration throughout—"
The details continued for pages. Even the dates were censored, too. Theodore began to crumble the paper, gritting his teeth until he drew blood.
Evan grasped Theodore's hand, "Snap out of it. We have to find her." Thankfully, he regained some composure. They skimmed through the rest of the pages until the end.
"No further experimentation is available. Subject 106 has been transferred to— for further care. We hope to continue our research into— for the sake of mankind. Glory be upon us."
Theodore nearly lost his mind again. Truly, Sophia seemed to not be at the facility.
'It's not true. It's not true. It's not-'
BOOM
The entire building shook from a loud explosion. The ceiling above them began to creak and whine. "Hey, we gotta get out of here."
"You go ahead, I have to look for Soph," Theodore tossed the useless folder to the side and began to head out. However, Evan grabbed him quickly.
"Theo-"
SWOOSH
Suddenly, Theodore twisted Evan's arm off him and raised it.
"Ouch, that hurts. Let go."
"I'm going to look for her don't try to stop me." Theodore's deadpan expression shook Evan.
WHOOSH
Evan bent forward slightly, pivoting his body, and hooked his foot behind Theodore's. He shifted his body weight, slamming Theodore into the wall. A slightly surprised look covered Theodore's face.
For the first time, he saw Evan's serious face as well. "Wake up, Theo. If you die here, how are you going to save her?"
Suddenly, Theodore's body went limp. Uncontrollable tears began to form in his eyes.
"W-where is she then?" His voice cracked.
"We'll find her. I promise you. But for now, we have to save ourselves," he grabbed Theodore and jumped out of the shattered window.
Finally, they began their journey toward the evacuation zone.
***
Theodore went completely silent as they rode through the sky. Evan couldn't find words to comfort him, so he was also quiet.
The loud groan of the leg thrusters attracted the attention of the Voids below. However, they mostly stared and then turned away to the fresh corpses beneath them.
Again, one of the Voids beneath them looked up. However, it began to run alongside them. Its amazing physique allowed it to travel at the same speed as the Helia equipment.
Evan noticed the abnormal behavior but couldn't do much. He was afraid if he accelerated, he would burn through his fuel too fast. There was still a while until they reached the checkpoint at the edge of the city.
Finally, the Void jumped high on top of a small building. Evan quickly panicked. The abnormal vertical jump could easily reach him if the Void decided to jump again.
Just then, the Void flexed its legs, clearly trying to jump again. Evan began to zigzag irritably to throw it off.
However, it wasn't long before he messed up. It was his first time using Helia equipment, so his mobility was inexperienced.
BAAM
The Void rammed its massive body into the two of them. Evan's grip on Theodore loosened. "Theo!" He yelled as Theodore's body went in the opposite direction from him.
Theodore seemed to be in a trance from the bad news about his sister. From afar, Evan faintly saw Theodore whispering to himself.
"I'll kill them. I'll kill them. I'll kill them," his eyes were fixed but unfocused. Finally, he raised his dead black eyes and locked onto the Void.
It rushed straight forward toward Theodore. He curled his hands into fists. Mid-air, he twisted his body far and flexed his biceps.
He poured everything forward. Screaming, his fist connected dead center of the Void's chest. But nothing happened.
In contrast, the Void's sharp razor claws pierced through Theodore's chest.
"NOO!" Evan shouted in tears from the opposite side. He rushed forward, but it was too late.
Theodore looked down at the gaping hole in his chest.