Page 16 of Killer (Project)

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.” I stuttered over my words, confused as to what PGI had to do with me being held wherever it was they were holding me. Things were failing to line up correctly, and I was starting to wonder if they even have a legit reason to keep me here.

Anger zinged through the air. “Let me put this as easily as I can. The company you work for transformed young men into genetically altered beings.” My breath stilled in my chest—it couldn’t be true. It had to be a lie, a ploy to get me to stay here.

“They wiped their memories away, except for the ones they wanted them to remember. Trained some of them to be lethal killing machines, forcing them to kill day in and day out. Others were turned into lab rats. Injections were forced upon them. Some were used for genetic changing drugs while others were cures for cancer. Plain and simple, they were experimental monkeys. The cure for AIDS you hear so much about…” My eyes grew wide, and I couldn’t help the hand that flew up to my mouth as he paused mid-sentence. It couldn’t be—there was no way society had allowed such a thing to take place.

“Yeah, sweetie, your people forced that on my people. That drug didn’t come about from just thin air. It was used on MY people. Processed until there was an exact cure for that disease.”

Tears formed in my eyes. How could they do that? Immediately, I wondered if Roger knew. If that was what all his secrecy was about.

“It can’t be…” The words escaped my lips. I was astonished. A tear slipped from my eye, trickling down my cheek. I watched Gauge’s eyes follow my tear. There was no compassion in his eyes, and I understood why. It was true—everything he had said was true. My heart ached, and the contents in my stomach threatened to come up.

“It is. Your tears mean nothing to us. We aren’t looking for sympathy or understanding. All we want is retribution. Which we will get in due time. For now, we will settle for what we can get. I will keep this tidbit of information between you and me as long as you do as I say.” His voice held authority and caused shivers to run down my spine. Was I being blackmailed?

“What do you want me to do?” I asked hesitantly unsure if I wanted to agree to anything he had to say. Diesel was a lethal monster now, a man I no longer knew. A smile formed on his face, and I should’ve taken it as a warning.

“I want you to work with Killer.” My jaw all but hit the floor. He wanted me to work with Killer. Killer who was technically Diesel.

“I don’t—”I didn’t get a chance to finish what I was saying because Gauge cut off my words. The table before me went flying with one swipe of his hand. With brutal force, it hit the far wall with a loud thud, and then he was right in my face like a raging bull.

“You will do whatever the fuck I tell you to do. If that little secret doesn’t help keep you in line, then the fact that I know who Killer is to you will,” he seethed. My arms went slack falling to the sides of my body. My chest heaved with every breath. How had he figured that out? How had he discovered anything about my job, about whatever it was that PGI did?

“He—”I mumbled. “He tried to kill me. He wrapped his hands around my neck until I couldn’t breathe. He isn’t the same person I knew. He doesn’t recognize me, and he doesn’t care. He was going to kill me. I saw the look in his eyes.” I sounded hysterical as I shook my head back and forth. I had once loved Diesel. But the man who almost forced the life out of me wasn’t Diesel. He was a monster, one on a mission for death.

Gauge stopped my head from shaking with a hard grip to my chin causing me to come face to face with him. He was so close I could feel his breath on my face. Terror grew deep within me. He looked like he was about to shake me to death.

“It doesn’t matter. We won’t tell him who you are until his memories allow him to remember you. That’s what you will be doing. You will be working through his emotions with him, his memories of the two of you. He won’t hurt you. He has promised not to.”

I wanted to snort. This man had a very trustworthy heart if he thought Killer wouldn’t try to take my life again if he got the chance. He had almost killed me without cause—what would he do with a cause?

“Oh, yeah, because that is so believable. In fact, almost everything you’re saying is hard to believe. Impossible even,” I said straight into his face, unable to turn away from him. His grip on my chin tightened to an almost unbearable state.

“Once you get out there and you start interacting with Killer—once you hear all he has gone through, once you spend one night listening to his screams, you will know all I have said to you is true. It’s only impossible to believe because you haven’t seen it yet.” His voice was right next to my ear, his words being forced into my mind causing me to think, making me feel.

As soon as he was done talking, he released me. I wanted to reach up and rub away the pain that had formed in my jaw, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Report to the arena in ten minutes time. Be prepared to see him. He knows you’ll be there.” Those had been Gauge’s final words to me before he left what I now considered to be the interrogation room with a slam of the door.

The sound vibrating throughout the room shook me to the core. Diesel was alive. He was Killer. His humanity completely gone as he cared for no one but himself, and the others who were like him, but… he was alive. That was one constant in all those things, one thing that mattered above all.

I wanted to cry… to hate him for not knowing that it was me. After all this time, after all my praying, and dreams of hoping he was alive…

“I wish I was dead…”

I recall the moment he said those words to me. It was days before he actually died. Well, died a fake death. None of this made much sense to me. What I did know was when I leave this place, if what Gauge had said was true, I would do anything and everything I could to bring PGI to its knees.

Ten minutes passed faster than I thought it would. I took a deep breath as I stood. I was scared. Beyond scared. Yet butterflies filled my stomach. I had a need to see Killer even if it wasn’t meant to be. Even if he didn’t want to see me.

I walked the hallway, keeping my eyes trained on the white tiles lining the floor. The walls were painted an off-white color, which lead me to believe they painted them that color to not make it look overly clean.

I could hear the pounding of fists against a punching bag. Laughter and voices filled my ears. I wondered if they have other women here. The way Gauge talked made it sound like PGI only used men as experimental monkeys.

I stopped just shy of two doors that reminded me of a high school gymnasium’s entrance. There was a small piece of glass cut out that allowed me to peek through and look inside. On the other side of the doors was literally the biggest sports complex I had ever seen in my life. A boxing ring was centered in the middle of the room. There were mats everywhere you looked. Doors that lead to locker rooms. Men of all shapes, sizes, and ethnic colors were inside working off whatever aggression they had.

A throat cleared behind me, causing me to turn around with a shriek.

“You going in, sweetheart?” My cheeks grew red in embarrassment. I had been caught gawking. The man before me stared hard, his gray eyes darkening with every second that passed.

“Uhh…” was all I said, all I was able to get out. He was shirtless, his abs and, well, everything else on display. He gave me a dimpled grin. As he smelled the air, his nostrils flared. Then, without warning, he pushed the door behind me open drawing attention to us.