Chapter 77: 77: The victim [pt2]
The kid was stuttering too much. It was almost impossible to understand what she was saying. But both Amane as well as Charlie decided to be patient with the kid. They could see this situation affecting her.
She was in trauma and they needed to be 'understanding' human beings to ensure that nothing happened to her.
Besides, they also had a feeling that the information they were about to receive was important.
"Calm down kid. And you can take your time. There is no need for you to force yourself to tell us if you do not want to."
Amane kneeled in front of the kid with a calm expression. She tried to approach this kid like she approached terrified small clubs. And somehow, it seemed to work wonders. The kid calmed down and there was even a blush on her face.
The action irked Charlie but she soon smoothened her face out. Amane was surprised at the sudden look of hostility that flashed across Charlie's face for a second.
"I…no. I need to tell you before they come for me as well. Someone needs to know about our story."
The kid forced herself to say these words out loud. She was acting braver than most of the victims Amane knew.
"Take your time. If you need to pause in between, then you can."
Amane's voice was calm and sweet. This was the same voice she often used on her adoptive kids when they were upset. It was nice to see that Amane had not lost this when she had been reincarnated.
"The people I lived with were researchers. This place used to be a lab and we were all happy. S-Sometimes, people disappeared from this place, but m-mommy said that it was because they went to a better place."
"But yesterday, a beautiful man visited us. He seemed angry and he scared Mommy. I do not know what they discussed, but there was a verbal fight before the man left."
"And in the night, the m-monster came for us. It was huge and had claws and fur and horns. I think there were horns and also-"
The more Penelope spoke, the more she went out of breath. This conversation was affecting more than she was willing to admit.
"Hmm, it is alright. I get what you are trying to say so you can calm down now kid. Is there something else you can recognize that can help us out? Like, what the man was wearing? Or your parent's lab uniforms?"
Anything small here would help. But from the looks of it, that was all the information Amane would be able to get from the kid.
But just when it looked like the kid would not speak anymore, she decided to surprise Amane.
", there is something I remember. My parents often wore white lab coats. But there were a few special occasions they wore a black coat with a honeycomb symbol on it. Will this be helpful?"
Penelope replied with an almost questioning voice. Her shy eyes looked away adorably and tears threatened to fall.
But the pair in front of her suddenly froze as soon as they heard Penelope's words.
"A honeycomb? Hmm, that certainly does help us out. Thanks a lot, kid, you were a great help to us. Now, you should go to a hospital and get yourself checked out. You have a lot of wounds on your body."
Penelope also looked ready to crash and sleep. Her small body might look alright, but her mind was not alright. It was tired and ready to collapse any second now.
"Hmm, are you sure I cannot help any more than this? I feel pathetic while sitting like this"
The child tried to ask but neither Amane nor Charlie was going to allow her to stay. Keeping Penelope around was too much of a risk.
"No, it is alright. I will ask my *adoptive* son, Sean, to take you to a hospital and get you checked out. He will also take you to your new home."
For some reason, Charlie emphasized the word *adoptive* while looking at Amane. But Amane did her best to avoid Charlie's looks.
"Y-You will catch them, right? All those people who killed my parents and other people in this facility? You must avenge us all."
The child begged with tears in her eyes. Anyone would have felt sorry for her condition.
The child had lost her family and a lot of other friends. She was bound to be angry and resentful.
"Of course, we will avenge them all. But for now, you need to focus on realizing yourself and healing. You would not want your parent's sacrifice to be in vain, right?"
Amane's voice was soft and filled with consideration. Penelope nodded and quickly stood up on shaky legs. Her eyes suddenly burned with determination and she allowed Sean to take her away.
Once the kid was gone, the easy-going mask slipped off Amane's face and she was serious once more. She knew for certain what happened here.
"Those scientists got what they deserved. I am certain that they were a part of 'The Hive' and were silenced because they were thinking of rebelling."
That was an easy and logical conclusion to reach. Even Amane was certain that this was what had happened to all these people.
And they all would have deserved this to happen as well. They had been experimenting with the innocent beasts and humans after all.
"Hmm, I feel sorry for the kid. She did not deserve what happened. But I cannot make myself fake being sorry for the people around her. They were all scum."
Charlie sounded mad about what happened to the beasts. But looking at Amane's calm face helped her calm down as well.
"Well, that solves the mystery of who attacked these people. But there are still many questions left. Why did 'The Hive' want to silence these people? Why now of all times? And why in such an open manner?"
There were too many inconsistencies to consider. Not only that but there was also a solid concern about what this incident would bring to the table.
After all, 'The Hive' was not a formally recognized organization. People only knew of them from word of mouth. Even the government was hesitant to give them a formal status.
It was kind of like the mafia in that sense. Everyone knew they existed, but no one wanted to confirm their existence in any true manner.
"Anyway, I think we should keep an eye on the kid. I do not think she was supposed to live and The Hive will try to finish her off as well."
Charlie's words made sense. An organization like 'The Hive' will not let any stray part of their plan live. Be it an adult or a kid.
They had even destroyed all the evidence of this place being connected to their organization.
"I will keep an eye on the kid. I am sure The Hive will come for her soon."
Amane had made up her mind. She could see that Charlie did not look happy with her decision. But Charlie knew the importance of backing down as well.
"Alright. In that case, I will transfer the kid to our private hospital. All the staff is well-trained and can take care of themselves. I am sure it will be safer in there."
Charlie's grin did not invoke any confidence inside Amane but she decided to give her a chance anyway.
What was the worst that could happen?
.......
"N-No way. I messed up. I was supposed to finish everyone in the building. How did I miss a single child?"
The man panicked as he clutched his head. One of his thumbs bled due to the nervous nibbling the man was subjected to.
But what could the man even do now that he had already messed up? The boss would not let him live. The man would be subjected to replace the experiments he had collected.
"I need to make things right I need to get rid of the kid before she becomes a problem for our side and gives any secrets away. And to do so, I need to find out where they took the kid."
The man was certain that he would be able to kill the kid easily. The chimera was a powerful tool he had at his disposal.
And no matter how much the other side tried to protect the kid, her wild nature would kill her once the man stimulated her enough.
"Penelope, my dear experiment, it is time to come back home and die for my sake. You have outlived your usefulness. Now, come to Papa so that we can both become happy."
The mad scientist suddenly laughed out loud as he realized how easy it would be to kill a small child.
And with that, his plan was set into motion. He was going to kill Penelope tonight and no one would be able to stand in his way.