I took Lucian's hand and threaded my fingers around his. "If there's a cure, it's on the other side of that wall. Are you ready?" I asked.
He nodded but shot one last glance back at his father's lifeless body. "I told you once before. The only cure I need is you."
I kissed his shoulder and inhaled his comforting scent. I had fallen in love with who he was. I adored his mutation because it made him understand and learn empathy. However, I understood what it was like to search for something your whole life. For me, that pursuit came in the guise of my mother. For him, it was the serum that would cure his transformation.
We were all looking for something. We had been through hell and back. We deserved to get what we wanted.
"I want you to find it," I said. "You deserve closure."
I reached into my pocket and felt the folded up photograph that my father gave me just as he allowed me to go with Lucian on this journey. Looking back on the memory was so strange. It seemed like ages ago when it happened. I was younger and more naive. I looked at life through such a narrow lens.
The words on the back of the photograph were no truer now than they were back then. I’ll meet you on the other side of the barrier, critter.
It all made so much sense now. I was going to meet her on the other side of that wall.
With courage burning within my breast, I walked toward the door and reached for that silver knob. I felt the cold, smooth metal turn inside my palm. Taking one giant breath, I closed my eyes and pushed it open.
My heart was frantic and heavy. This was it, the moment I came face to face with the truth. It was a day we all could look back on with warmth and understanding.
I opened the door, and the wind from inside rushed out at me. It nearly knocked me over, but I braced my heel to the side and used the door to pull myself inside. Lucian and Dad quickly followed, and all three of us were silent. The door slammed shut behind us.
Lucian put out his hand. "Stay on alert. There's no turning back now."
We were inside a narrow and roofed enclosure. Surrounding the walkway was technology I had never seen before. There were computer screens displaying complex and oscillating shapes. The soft hum of electricity buzzed below us. I stopped, enthralled by the oddly sequenced lights. I almost forgot why I was here.
"Are you sure that you're ready?" Lucian asked.
Proudly, I gazed upon the three men and nodded. "Readier than ever," I said.
At the end of the path was a large metal door with a complex design carved into the center. I recognized the logo from the picture that Dad gave me. It was the insignia imprinted on her lab coat. Onyx Laboratories, a division of Onyx Corporation.
They were the ones who’d done this. I felt scared. Enraged, but also worried that I had gone too far.
Kahn stepped aside. "Your mom was right," he said. "This is just the beginning."
I nodded. As much as I had been preparing for the end times, I couldn't really fathom a life without hope. I had to believe there was something else on the other side.
I pressed my hand against a small computer keypad. The room lit up brightly and made a bell-like noise. I jumped back, and the door slid open.
The inside was dark, and the air smelled stale. The area was completely abandoned, but I noticed that electrical coils ran across the center. A small mist came through the floor underneath us. I looked down and saw a small control center of sorts, but that was all I could see.
I exhaled with surprise. I dropped to the floor and looked at the machines closely. They didn't look like they were from this era. In fact, none of the tech did.
More mist surrounded me, coursing through my lungs.
"Oh, my God," I whispered.
"Critter," my dad muttered. "Where are we?"
I stood and swallowed, throat feeling like a piece of sandpaper. "It's a ship," I said. "We're in a spaceship."
Lucian dropped and looked at the control center. "What the fuck…"
I stood and stepped forward. "Hello?" My voice echoed across the room.
A light flickered at the other end of the large space. "Wait. Don't move," Lucian said. "I think I see something."
I squinted and ignored his request for me to stop. I had been waiting for this moment since we’d met.