GMN-1 shot off from the bed dragging all the machines that were connected to her. She just yanked them off and was nowhere to be found.
The medical staff stood there confused. It took them a while before they comprehended what just happened. Then they banged the alarm buttons from every point possible. The whole building resonated with the sound but it wasn't enough. The head doctor pressed the intercom and shouted.
"she's awake and she's gone!"
GMN-1 felt like her brain was about to explode. Memories kept resurfacing as if from the deepest parts of hell. Memories she would rather do without. She couldn't believe it, didn't want to but they were tearing her apart.
Her eyes shot open and she was out of bed. She took a second to comprehend that she was in a medical room and had lots of machines attached to her. She yanked them off and was out before the staff could blink. she refused to believe this.
She was in Doc's office within two seconds. She scanned the room and headed to where she knew the safe. She ripped the safe out of the wall and tore it open with her bare hands. She stared at the first file that fell out. Her face stared back at her. She knelt and picked up the file and opened it. She felt like an invisible force was trying to choke the life out of her. Her breathing became labored, and her vision clouded. She dropped hers and picked another.
"No, no. No!!" she screamed.
The evidence made the memories that she had been trying to suppress overwhelm her. She grabbed her head which was threatening to jump right off her neck. Her chest hurt not physically though but something else. She remembered! She remembered everything!
She was the project her parents were working on. Her mom had talked about the research, written about it, and talked about the first test. The available test subject, she had thought was some kind of newly discovered animal but it turned out that she was the newly discovered animal. She began to piece together the bits of conversation she had overheard. She choked and spat out blood as memories continued to bombard her.
"Your Standards are very high" she had heard someone tell her mother and her mother replied.
"don't worry. I already had the test subject before I started the research"
The test subject…her. She chukkled bitterly. She picked up her file and flipped. Her chest was hurting more and more with every page she flipped. She got to the last page that stated the medical team that was in charge of her procedure. There it was the doctors in charge, Dr. Annabella Stone, Dr. Andrew Stone, and Dr. Adriana Georges. Her parents carried out the procedure on her. The last family get-together. She laughed. Then leaned back and laughed and laughed banging her fist on her chest because it hurt too much. It hurt too much that she wanted to rip it out. She could feel a piercing pain in her brain. Her mom had broken her threshold of pain so she could feel this and feel every bit of it. Her whole body felt like it was disintegrating.
She let out a scream. A scream filled with pain and anguish, frustration and bitterness. A scream filled with anger and more pain. Then she laughed again and again like she was insane. Then she coughed and spat another mouthful of blood. She wiped her mouth with her sleeves and looked at the stain and laughed some more.
I can and will. They said. It was never her choice. They never asked her what she wanted. They never did before. Just gave her what they wanted. She had only one requirement. Love me! Was it too much to ask!?. she laughed again, hitting her chest harder. Her anguish was eaten her from the inside out. Wasn't it what they wanted? To watch her die slowly of no visible cause.
She wore fake smiles, won awards, competitions, name it! She won them all! just so she could be used for their experiment? She burst out laughing. She was pitiful. She laughed again. Then nodded. After all, she was something that shouldn't have happened in the first place, someone who shouldn't be existing. She laughed again. They didn't blame themselves for having a child, they blamed her for being their child. They blamed her. Since she could remember they blamed her for being their child, for being born.
"do you think I want to be!!!???" she shouted to no one in particular. She looked down at the file lying on her lap, each file came with pictures. They were scattered all over the floor around. She picked one up. It was GMN-8 with her mom laughing. They uprooted children from their families, tore families, and caused them pain. She picked one of her pictures at an award-winning event and compared both of them. In the end, she was the one who had nothing. She screamed again and then laughed and spat out another mouthful of blood. Her eyes were clouded and watery from unshed tears. It was then she noticed a particular scent. That disgusting familiar scent. She turned they were people crowded at the opposite end. They came to watch a show. She bent her head, placed her hand on her forehead, and laughed, her body quaking violently and a trickle of blood ran down her nose. She wiped it off with her sleeves and looked at it if seemed to amuse her the more. Then she gathered the files and stood up. She flung them across the room it landed at the feet of those people scattering every which way.
It was then she noticed the owner of the disgustingly familiar scent. She folded one arm under the other and place the other hand on her forehead and laughed. Her laugh went from mirthless to hilarious. Then she stopped and removed the hand on her forehead and looked at the man. She had a bright smile.
"Hi dad," she said with a wave at the man and then started laughing again. She closed her eyes tightly and laughed and laughed because she refused to let him see her cry. He never cared. Then she opened them but this time she couldn't mask the pain in her eyes. She had promised herself once long ago that these people would never again have the power to hurt her, she bowed it even. She laughed again. Just like always, they make a mockery of whatever she holds sacred.
The GMNs had rushed to the room GMN-1 had been in and she was not there. That was when they knew things had gone south. Where could she be? Then they heard the No! Ringing from two stories up. They knew that voice anywhere.
"She's in Doc's office," GMN-9 said showing them the computer screen he had left in the room.
GMN 2 and 6 were out before he finished.
GMN-3 glanced at the board where her recent charts were pinned. His eyes widened. He needed to stop 4 from killing Dr. Stone because they may have a serious problem.
"7 come with me. We need Dr. Stone alive!" GMN-3 was already gone before he finished and 7 took off after him.
The remaining two took off for Doc's office and the medical staff, in short, every other person in the facility that had heard the alarm followed them. The medical team was surprised that the head doctor could run so fast. They pursued him.
GMN 3 and 7 found Dr. Andrew on the floor all bruised and GMN-4 searching for something. The man was conscious but just sat there on the floor staring into space. They didn't waste anything. 7 grabbed the man and zoomed off. 4 turned like an angered beast.
"4 you need to listen to me! She's awake!" GMN-3 said in a rush because he knew that was the only thing he'd ever listen to.
GMN-4 stopped directly in front of him and 3 swallowed. It was as if his head was trying to create space to comprehend the information. GMN-3 didn't waste any time because he knew that 4 wouldn't be here in a few seconds.
"she's awake but something's wrong," GMN-3 said. GMN-4 grabbed him by his collar raising him off the ground but he continued. "I need you not to kill Dr. Andrew because he may be the only one that can help," GMN-3 said. He wasn't sure that GMN-4 heard or understood the last part.
"Where is she!?" GMN-4 thundered squeezing tightly choking 3.
"D…Doc's…" GMN-3 was on the floor before he could finish and 4 was nowhere near there. He stood up, adjusted his collar, and followed. The sight that met them, he could never describe in one word neither will he ever forget. They had pushed past the crowd, to the front, and just starred.
Who the hell was this!? their heart clenched when they realized it was GMN-1. they didn't know what to do, they just stood there staring like the others. It was like she was having a monologue with herself and was laughing. The gravity of pain behind that laughter was spirit-crushing.
They had never seen her smile before and now she was laughing, the laughter of pain. The irony! She would laugh than scream then laugh again and she was spitting blood. Then she noticed them but more especially Dr. Stone. She threw the files at their feet and they scattered. They already knew what was inside the file but the others rushed to take a look. Then she said,
"Hi dad" with a wave and it dawned on them. She has remembered.
Dr. Andrew Stone stood transfixed watching his daughter. He could hear the pain in her voice, the anguish in her laughter. It was calling out to him, mocking him, begging him, and like always he did nothing just standing there, watching.
He didn't know what to say or what to do and he knew that it was already too late. She noticed him and stood up, never taking her eyes off him, she flung the files. A picture landed at his feet and it was a picture of them. It mocked him, cursed him, and then she said.
"hi, dad" waving at him so he would know she was talking to him, that she remembered and then she laughed like it was the most hilarious thing she ever said. At that moment it dawned on him. He failed her. He could see the little girl trying to reach out to him in his head but before him right now, he saw a time bomb already triggered. When she opened her eyes again, he saw the raw pain in her eyes, the damage he wroth, he saw it all.
Just then Williams pushed forward and stood beside his father. She saw him and they locked eyes. Williams's expression was that of shock. He probably would have never believed the spectacle they were watching was his sister. He just stood there.
Gmn-1 folded both arms and stared at Williams without saying anything. Then began to step forward. In a reflex defensive gesture, Andrew pushed Williams back. She stopped in her tracks and looked from one to the other then she laughed again. This seemed to snap her sanity. All those years, she had looked to him for help, to be a father to her, to protect her….
"I was wondering why you were here and now I have my answer. You came back for him" she said mockingly remembering all the times he abandoned her. So this child was the important one. She laughed again but the pain cut so deep. She was the child degraded, abused, and used for an experiment and he was the child worth protecting. She could taste the bile.
She stepped forward again and Andrew moved Williams back again and she stopped.
"What? I can't meet my brother?" she asked. Andrew realized something. She had known that they were siblings but how? "how is it that you can protect a grown man but not a little girl?" she asked like she was curious. Her structured statements told a different story from her crazy eyes.
Those watching couldn't understand what was going on. One minute she was all depressed and anguish, the next she was mocking and sarcastic.
When he didn't answer, she scoffed and nodded. So this was how it was, this was how it always was. She smiled and nodded again, made to say something, and smiled again and then burst out laughing. It was as if she couldn't control her laughter or herself.
Williams was all shades of confusion. He didn't understand what was going on.
The head doctor flipped through the pictures, then the files, threw them on the floor, charged for Andrew, and punched him in the face.
"You Monster!!!" He punched him again and again. Wiliams tried to separate them. The head doctor pointed at the files on the ground. Williams picked them up.
"he used his child for a science experiment!!" the head doctor shouted. Everyone gasped.
"No, it's not true!" Williams said picking up the files and flipping through the pages "there has to be some sort of explanation!" he said looking up at his father. "this isn't real right? a misunderstanding right?" he said, grabbing his father by the clothes but Andrew said nothing. Williams went insane, shaking him violently. "we searched for her together!!! you gave me leads, and I followed them!!! did you know all along? You did this!!!"
"probably gearing you up for the second experiment" GMN-1 mocked.
"I would never!!!" Andrew shouted and they all paused.
1 laughed. She was the one suited for experiments. Andrew Stone would never use his bastard son but his legitimate daughter was a public testing field.
GMN-1 stopped then laughed lightly. Then she turned and walked farther away, speculations were one thing but hearing him admit it hurt on another level. Williams let go of his father in shock and stepped back.
GMN-1 turned when she was far enough.
"was this what you meant by sacrifice? You told me that to keep one we have to sacrifice the other Was! This! What! You! Meant!?" her eyes mirrored her dying soul. She gave a short laugh. He chose a child that wasn't even rightfully his over her. She turned her back on them.
The lack of answers was grating on her nerves. No wonder her mother found her doing it so annoying. She had spent her years trying to understand them, trying to please them, and what for? So they could recognize she was their child and not some emotionless super robot. Still, she was the one that got kicked in the face. She wanted to know why, she wanted to hear from them.
"what did I do wrong?" she asked but there was no reply. She turned angrily. "I'm asking you! What! did! I! do! wrong!? What did I do!?" she shouted and they had to cover their ears. Then she said in a low broken voice. "What did I do? Tell me, what? You pushed and punished me for years, at least tell me what I did. What did I do? What!? Tell me!!!" memories seem to drown her.
"Nothing!" her father shouted and the quiet room became quieter. He then said in a more subdued voice. "nothing"
"nothing? Nothing!? So why did you choose to punish me!? You tormented me all my life and you stand here and say nothing. Nothing!!?? Why!!?? why drag them into this!?" GMN-1 gestured to the other GMNs. Then she laughed again and coughed. She cleared her throat, nodding. "You wanted to punish me," she said, chuckling to herself. "You wanted me to feel guilty. Well congratulations," she said, clapping her hands. She turned towards the other GMNs. "My parents were responsible for ruining your lives. They are responsible for the twenty-two innocent children who were murdered on their tables. You're angry, right? Here I am. Feel free to collect your pounds of flesh with a bonus. Well here's the thing, it's all my fault" she said pointing at herself. "They couldn't bear to send me to hell alone, so they dragged you all along so you could equally torment me," she said with a laugh. She walked a few steps closer. "so here I am. Feel free to vent your anger. I won't stop you and I won't fight back, so come on" she beckoned them but they didn't move. They were just stuck.
Williams turned to his father.
"monster!!" he said and Andrew winced. GMN-1 just stood there watching them. What was left of her was dying bit by bit. When it was her, he never turned back but a single word from Williams had him remorseful. She watched her father's eyes like he couldn't bear for his son to hate him. She just stood there watching them. The pain coursing through her body was enough to turn her insane but she just stood there. She watched even though it killed her. The hurtful expression on her father's face, he could not bear for his son to hate him but he willingly gave her up. She kept her eyes wide open and watched it all. The love that she had tried to earn. If Andrew wanted to kill her why not go all the way?
"monster" Williams called again like he couldn't believe he was in the presence of such a monster. Andrew shook his head and turned towards her. She just stared back. He didn't think he was the only monster. Whatever he wanted to say died in his throat. He saw that look. Years of silence had been so ingrained that he hesitated. Her eyes watered the more but she adamantly refused to cry even though it was killing her.
She nodded. Then smiled. She was the child of monsters so she was the greatest monster. She could kill without batting an eyelid, without remorse. She led them to kill. She looked at her hands. She had a lot of blood on them. She had killed and killed even those who were innocent. He gave her up because he saw her as a monster. She laughed bitterly. The parents she wanted so desperately to love her saw her as a monster. Her head was heavy. She staggered back a little. Was that why they hated her so much? Her heart clenched painfully. It was like a fist was around her neck, she could barely breathe. She staggered again.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw that signal 3 was giving 4. She scoffed under her breath. He had noticed her body was failing. As if on automation GMN-4 stepped forward towards her but she raised her hand, stopping him.
"stay there!" she said, closing her eyes. It was like she was struggling with something but she didn't quite know what it was. She opened them again and looked at all of them. She had just remembered a vital piece of her memory. This wasn't his first attempt. Her father had tried to kill her on more than one occasion.