Chapter 14 Return What Was Taken

Zarda was confident in their odds of getting rescued. The soldiers had agreed to help no matter what the costs. Zarda stepped back into his cage shutting its metal door. It clicked loudly assuring it was locked once again. Zarda sat down next to maleena. The awful body odors bothered zarda's stomach. He had a brief relief from it, while inside the test rooms, but with the gap of time between. His nostrils were sensitive to the smells again.

"Hey zarda. How long you think it's goin' to take to get your staff back?" Asked Osborn.

Zarda wasn't sure. He hoped before the end of this week.

"Maybe, a week or two. I hope it comes back soon." He replied.

Osborn nodded in agreement.

"Say boss. What does your staff do anyhow? Here I'm excited to get it back for you, but I dunno what it does. How an itty bitty staff goin' get us out of ere'? " Osborn curiously asked.

The bear had no idea, and Zarda couldn't wait to show osborn the power of Elohim.

"Don't worry about that now, friend. You will understand when I get my gift back. I'll be sure to demonstrate before everyone." Zarda replied.

He leaned his head back against the bars and closed his eyes. Sleep, would be his top priority on his to-do list. He would prefer sleeping, then rather doing the other options. It was so humiliating to have to sit in your own mess, and possibly, someone else's.

Sadly, it didn't last long. Just as the soldiers had thought, their fears were confirmed. Hopkins came zipping into the bunker, walking with a mission in her step. She had rested up enough at home that she was ready for round two.

Her steps drew closer and closer towards the cage. Hopkins halted at the cage door and slipped the master key in. The click of the lock startled, zarda and maleena. She flung the door open harshly, glaring angrily down at them both.

"Get up, you two. You're coming with me." Hopkins said, annoyed.

She had gathered, four soldiers this time, and only the three male scientists. No delilah. Zarda was happy she wouldn't witness another traumatic scene like this morning. Zarda was tired and vulnerable. He stood up straight, in his new clothes. Hopkins fumed as she looked at them.

"Strip him naked. Leave his clothes in the cage. You won't be needing them where you're going. I understand I ripped up your shirt, but I would rather you go naked and suffer, than to be given nice clothes to replace what was destroyed. On the plus side, I have a surprise for you!" She said sarcastically.

Maleena looked over at Hopkins trying to avoid zarda's naked body.

"What's wrong, never seen a naked Lion King before. Maybe you should go naked too." She said. Hopkins snapped her finger at the scientists and pointed them in maleena's direction.

" Strip her, boys. We will burn her clothes. They are filthy. When you're done, escort them up to level two. Meet me in room orbital." She directed.

Hopkins walked away hurriedly. Her heels clanked on the hard surface as usual. Her pants swished between her thighs. Zarda embraced his body. He was used to being naked by now. His arms hung open by his sides.

"What was the point of clothes?" He thought.

"Sorry zarda. We have to take orders. I'll make sure we all take it easy on you two." Said soldier nicholson.

It had been, the four familiar faces back to witness another horrendous test. Maleena whimpered. She was afraid and didn't like her body exposed. She was covering her womanhood with her left hand and using her right to cover up her breasts. Zarda could sense her discomfort and stepped in front of her. Zarda whispered back to her to hide behind him as they walked. He asked soldiers kendrick, conrad, ramses, and nicholson to walk a head of them for his friends' sake.

For the next two hours, Hopkins, fainly, tortured zarda. She forced maleena to watch. If she closed her eyes, the scientist ordered the soldiers to shock her with a taser. After a while, zarda gathered enough strength to ask a bold question. His silent words had become vocal and echoed inside the room.

"I thought you were running a facility based on running tests to find a cure, not a prison for torturing the innocent." He gasped out.

The soldiers stood by watching sadly in shock. Everyone was in awe of his bravery. Hopkins only smirked at him sternly.

"I am, and we do. The thing is that was my goal, until I found out that my top soldier keenan was murdered. We sent gibbs and anderson back over to retrieve more of our men. Well, at least what was left of them." She said calmly. Then her facial expression turned wicked.

" YOU KILLED MY FIANCÉ!" Hopkins screamed loudly.

She held up her phone and flashed it in zarda's face.

"Do you see this picture? It's called a dog tag. On it, is my fiancée information. Nothing was found of his remains except for this. You killed him, and now you and maleena and sweet little delilah must suffer. Oh, yeah, that's right, I almost forgot your surprise I promised you." Said hopkins grinning.

"Boys bring her in, please." Hopkins commanded.

Soldiers, conrad and ramses, walked in a naked delilah. Her face was smeared with blood from a busted nose. Her eyes were wet from tears. Zarda looked upon her sad face. His temper was building up. Zarda knew it was triggering his animal instincts. He closed his eyes and thought on the master's words once more. He was drawing from its power. Zarda looked up with a calm face and smiled at hopkins. The scientist was confused at his reaction. She cocked her head to the side like a dog. She then looked over at delilah's body.

" I heard, you had quite the evening today, while we were gone. You, two, didn't actual think I wouldn't know about your lovers' escapade, did you?" Hopkins asked.

"Do you take me for a FOOL?" She said, screaming in delilah's face.

She looked back at zarda. "Just so you know! I have camera's everywhere in this facility. I see all, and I know all. Not only that, I hear all. In fact, I'm basically god, only better." She stated with arrogance.

Zarda shook his head no. Within himself, he knew who the greatest god was. His master, Elohim.

"Eugene, let's crank up the machines and tanks. I want to see zarda squirm, while his girlfriend and best friend are tested in front of him. Cyrus take notes, love." She said in a bizarre happy tone.

She was a sinister woman. A true evil being.

The test ran for hours, non ending. By the time, hopkins was finished. Delilah had nearly drowned to death in the tanks of putrid sludge, Zarda was drained of all his energy, and unfortunately, for maleena. She had lost her life from the powerful, electric current shocks. It was too much for her already feeble body to continue enduring.

Her heart couldn't take anymore. So, maleena closed her eyes and released her spirit back to Elohim. Hopkins was shocked. She wasn't, actually planning to kill maleena. She would have rather it had been Delilah or zarda.

Hopkins looked scared and walked away, throwing her blue rubber gloves in the trash. She ordered the scientists to clean up. The soldiers hung their heads low as they unstrapped zarda. He fell from the seat onto the cold floor. Zarda drug himself over to his friend. Looking over her weak, burnt body, Zarda wept bitterly. He looked back over his shoulder and called out to the soldiers.

"I'm charging you now, nicholson, to hold to your word. Take Delilah, over to Severance and don't you come back, until you return what was taken from me. You want to see true power. You bring my gift back to me." Zarda said, gasping for air.

He looked back down at maleena.

"One last thing. Will you, please, bury my friend maleena?" Zarda asked, with his head hung low. He cried over her body.

"She deserves a proper burial." Stated zarda sadly.

Nicholson felt terrible on their way out from last, leaving zarda. Hopkins had the two soldiers ramses and conrad draw them and delilah away. They had the new orders they had to uphold. Hopkins wasn't going to allow ramses and conrad get away without holding the three hostage.

Nicholson wished they had left sooner, and then they would have been at Severance long before they caught them.