"Another one?" I asked Sunell in shock.
He solemnly nodded his head. "This one was found hanging by it's foot just outside of Grace's house. It had a red "x" painted across it's chest. It's head was wolf, body human."
"Ew." I grimaced.
"And one other thing, Vanna."
I tipped my head down, waiting for him to continue.
"Tanno's gone."
My eyes widened. Tanno couldn't possibly be gone. Probably just running around in some craters, or something.
"We found a scrap of his exform. And a smudge of blood. We tested it. It's his."
I put my hand on my forehead and walked out of the cool room, moving into the sunlight, then through the door into the outside world.
The sun burnt my flesh. It must've been well over 130 degrees today. Wow, the people who were here before us really messed this place up. I couldn't search for im in this weather. I needed to swich my moldette out for an exform. I ran across the scorched, uneven ground to my house, It was built into a hill, as were all the other houses here, to keep cool in the extreme temperatures. The were designed to save materials, water and energy by using the power of the sun, water and air themselves. And we kept them cool by using a running body of water the flowed through all of the houses.
Inside my house, I took one of my three exforms from the wall. This one was my favorite, silver and green with a complete hood. I slid it on. It was a one piece, with built in feet and gloves. The feet had toe holes and a nice hard yet thin sole. It was made of a smart fiber, so it molded to fit me, as well as adapt to the temperatures, so it was good for this weather. Moldettes were more for day to day, inside use, while exforms are good for hiking, exercise, fighting, etc. The fiber would treat wounds and patch up holes in the clothing itself.
I filled my pack with aq-curs, nu-packs, em-shots and my communicator. Then I left. I headed across the desert terrain until I was almost to the edge of the town.
"Vanna!" Someone called from behind me. I spun around. It was CaPri.
"What are you doing out here in that? You'll get fried!"
She smiled at me. "You don't think I'd let you go alone, do you?" She ran back to her home and returned in an ex-form similar to mine.
"I like Tano too, you know!"
So we set off, into the scorching sunset, hopefully to find y dear, dear friend. We searched through the trees, rocks and craters and found nothing. Occasionally we would have to stop to ward off a mutant creature with CaPri's knife, but the excitement ended there. The sun set and two of the moons rose.
"We should be getting back." CaPri said.
"Ya." I choked out. We ran home to find Sunnel’s wife standing in my green room.
“Hi?” I asked her.
“Hello, Vanna K`e. Sunnel told me you would be distraught. And now that I see you, I know you are. So tell me, why does this mean so much to you?”
I stared at her with a blank, confused question on my face.
“What I’m saying is, you were trained to be strong, Vanna. You’re mother was a strong warrior. She trained you not to care. So why is Tano such a blow to you?”
“He was my friend.” I said simply. She didn’t need to know my secrets. Plase leave, Indago.”
“I know how you feel. Sunnel and I started out as friends.”
“I said leave!” I spun and round and round-housed her in the face.
“Vanna!” Souted CaPri, grabbing me in a not-so-lovely-hug.
“Vanna! You will learn to respect your elders! “
“You’re like, five years older than me!”
“Nonetheless, I am your elder and if you attack me again you will be reported to Mrs. Chail. Now, have a nutrient pack and a hyration cup then go to bed. It’s late.” And with that, she left.
CaPri looked at me.”I’m not cut out for this life. I’d be better in the past. Before they destroyed the earth.”
“I know.”
“Wake up, Vanna!”
I slowly opened my eyes. A person I didn’t remembe the name of was stading above me. “Wha-?”
“Vanna! We found Tano. You need to come, right now!”
I was still wearing my exform, so I just hopped up and darted out.
“Where is he?”
“In the medical center. Wing 6.”
“Wait- why wing 6?”
He looked at me. “Other wings were full.”
I could tell he was lying. Of course he was. The hospital was designed to consereve the most space if needed, and Tano would be in the wing according to his condition. What was going on? Wing 6... I tried to remember what wing 6 was for... Oh, I don’t know. Wing 1... Head injuries. Wing 2, Serious illnesses and/or deseases. Oh, too late. We were already there. We walked through the door and into the lobby. A women sat at the desk.
“How may I help you?”
“You know who I am,” I said, pushing through the curtains into a hall. “Which room?”
“Eight.”
Just as I was about to go through the door, Sunnel came out.
“Let me through!”
“Vanna-“
“No, let me in!”
“Vanna! Listen to me. You aren’t gonna like what you see in there. Please, just stay calm and don’t run off! We don’t need another person- nevermind. You go in.”
I opened the door. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Tano.”
“Vanna!” He said cheerfully. “Come ‘ere.”
“No. No, no, no! This can’t be happening.” I backed up against a wall. I couldn’t be closed to him! He would bite me. “No, Tano. Why? Why, why, why...”]
“No, look, Vanna. See this?” He held up his arm, revealing an iv going into his vein. “See? It’ll fix me. I’m gonna change. See?”
I shook my head. “No. Once you’ve been changed...”
“Vanna! Look, Vanna! It’s still me!”
No. I knew he was different. The Tano I knew was dead. And in his place was a hiddeous part man part wolf creature. He had been captured and injected. Then released. Someone was trying to sabbatoge us.
“I’m going. I’m going to find them. Kill them.”
“No! Vanna, I said stay here!” Sunnel said, rushing to me to grad my arms.
“Bye, Sunnel.”
“Get her!” He yelled to an assistant.
“No!” But I couldn’t go now. The assistant had put something like laughing gas over my mouth and soon I would be unconscious, lying on a bed in a room on 24 hour watch. No. It went dark.
“Ms.?”
I opened my eyes. Where was I? I was on a white hospital bed... in a blue and green room. With no windows.
“Who are you?” I demanded from the man standing to the side of me. He was holding a clipboard.
“I am simply a helper, monitoring results.” He scribbled something onto his paper.
“What do you mean, monitoring?”
“Oh, surely you must know. The latest drug created by the head of our company.”
“What drug?”
“You don’t know? It’s a drug that makes you more adaptable to anything. Genes from any and all of the successful speices that have ever lived on this planet. Strenght. Agility. Aging. Fighting skills. So on. But you will be terminated after we see how it worked. Can’t have you running amuck.”
“What?”
“Terminated-“
“I mean, what are you going to do when I bust out of here?”
“Oh, no, Miss. Stay here. You aren’t stable yet.”
I lept up. I was still in my ex-form. I smiled before kicking him down, making him pass out.
“Bye.”
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