I woke up shivering in a pool of sweat. I was crouched in the corner of my room under my bed slab. I ruffled the fur on top of my head to fully energize myself and looked around for the source that awoke me. I heard repetitive meowing from the cell next to mine.
I crawled along the floor and peeked out of my bars to see professor Kovid making his way over to my cell. Scrappy must have been warning me in advance. I smiled to myself and composed myself. I stood from where I crouched and stared at the approaching figure sternly.
I noticed as the man came closer that Darcy trailing behind him. I also noticed by looking at the clock that it was past medication time.
Darcy locked eyes with me and smiled nervously, I shot her an inquisitive look.
"Good afternoon number 23," he greeted me, "it is time for your medication."
I know.
"Darcy will be doing it today for you. I think you're smart enough to know what will happen if you hurt her."
I nodded and watched as professor Kovid stepped aside to let Darcy open the door. Darcy entered the room carrying a clipboard and pen.
"Now, my dear, do you remember what this medication is for?" professor Kovid questioned, lowering his gaze on her.
"Ummm," she held her finger to her lips in thought, "you never... told me, father..." Darcy giggled nervously.
Professor Kovid sighs, "the medication we are giving number 23 is the medication used to keep his brain... functioning as ours do."
Darcy tilts her head in confusion, he explains further, "without this medication, they would revert to being brainless wild animals. Without these human qualities, they wouldn't be able to fight for us in future wars."
Darcy nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard. She then rummaged around in her left pocket of the white lab coat she had on and pulled out a needle. Darcy took out a bottle of liquid and inserted the syringe into it.
I was sitting on the ground at this point while she crouched in front of me. We met eyes for the first time this way, as she held a syringe near my neck. I kept my expression cold, while her baby blue eyes showed hesitance.
"Are there any side effects father?" Darcy asked meekly.
"Well... he is one of the... calmer... ones. Usually even before the needle is injected into their skin, the experiments become vicious."
Rightfully so...
"When the needle is injected, they will experience a more intense pain than a regular needle." Darcy grimaced and looked sympathetically into my eyes, "their muscles will tense up for a brief second. Although, number 23 experiences a higher pain than most of the other experiments." He continued.
"Why is that, father?" Darcy asked curiously.
"Number 23 has more violent and wild blood coursing through him, my dear. Therefore, it is harder to tame, thus increased effects."
"I see," Darcy said and I turned away from her gaze shamefully.
Professor Kovid paused while Darcy readied herself to go forward with action. "Be warned he might become aggressive, he can't attack you like this though."
He was right. My hands were cuffed and my mouth was covered.
Darcy nervously neared my skin with the needle. The situation was becoming excruciating, the wait was becoming aggravating.
"Just do it!" I growled at her angrily.
Darcy whimpered and stabbed the syringe into my skin. Instantly, all the muscles in my body clenched together as a burning sensation shot through my neck and through my body. A terrifying snarl erupted from my throat as I writhed on the ground. The breath that came in through my mouth was strained, saliva was building in my mouth.
As this occurred, Darcy lept back in fear. Trembling as she watched me with pained, regretful eyes.
"Stop looking at me!" I screamed at her, my voice breaking. My voice was almost inhuman. Darcy flinched and pressed herself against the bars.
"Argh..." I huffed in between my growls, keeping my short tail in between my legs. "...why... ah..." I tried to keep my tears at bay, "p-please... just go," I pleaded Darcy with watery eyes.
Professor Kovid was emotionless as he watched the scene. Darcy stared at me with wild eyes while she fidgeted with her blonde hair.
"Go!" I choked on my spit, "please!" I screamed and hid my face from her.
Professor Kovid nods to his daughter and starts to walk down the hall. Darcy reaches her hand towards mine and pulled back almost immediately. I heard her heels tap against the floor as she exited my cage and locked me in. When she sounded far away, I wept into my handcuffs. I sucked in sharp breaths until the pain went away. Afterwards, I lay there trying to calm down.
I heard a quiet meow from the cage beside me and a note was slipped through the bars. I picked it up with my claws and read it:
"Why did they give you the medication so late today? Why was that girl giving it to you? She doesn't look like a guard or professor,"
I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my shirt. I sniffed a couple of times, "I-I d-don't..." my voice was pathetically quiet. I chuckled darkly to myself. I looked up and Scrappy's paw was held out for me to take.
"I-I'm afraid I'll hurt you," I trembled. Scrappy still held their paw out.
I shuffled towards the bars and gripped them with my paws. I rested my nose against Scrappy's paw. They meowed comfortingly and I inhaled Scrappy's scent to calm down.
"Thank you," I whispered, a bit embarrassed. I nuzzled closer to Scrappy's hand, "I wish I could just... see you Scrappy," I was starting to become drowsy.
I felt Scrappy's temperature rise, but I didn't pay much attention to it, "I don't want to go to sleep..." I lowered my head to the ground and Scrappy rested their paw against my cheek.
I subconsciously licked Scrappy's paw before falling asleep with my face sticking out between the bars.
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"Dinner!" A gruff voice shouted which echoed along the walls.
I whipped myself off the ground, slamming my head into the bars in the process. I cursed under my breath and rubbed my throbbing head.
The guards made their way over to us, letting us out one by one. All the experiments went to 'tier tables' as I like to call it and started to chat amongst themselves. Scrappy and the others were already seated there when I sat down.
Scrappy meowed at me in greeting, Sailor hit her spoon repeatedly against the table, Harlo stared at nothing and Rolly was shaking her shoulder rapidly. We don't get chances to eat dinner together often, only once a week, so everyone was enjoying themselves.
Sailor looked up at me, "Froddy! Yer just in time, we're next." She then went back to stabbing the table with her spoon.
Rolly started laughing hysterically. I looked over at her to see that another high tier was seated at the table. They looked liked they were an eagle mixed with a lion.
"This guy is a riot! What's your name again?" Rolly cackled.
"Dom." the experiment smiled. I believe that they could be a 7 or 8 tier, "I jump around from table to table a lot, so you might not know me."
Dom noticed my staring and glanced at me, "who's that?"
Rolly became nervous, "er... Froddy..."
I am surprised at Rolly's behaviour. I'm practically the only person she is afraid of and I have no clue why.
"I don't talk to him a lot... he's scary." Rolly leaned into Dom and whispered that last part, but because of my sensitive ears, I heard what they were saying.
"That's not like you at all Rolly!" Dom leaned back in his chair, kicking one of his legs over the other, "you usually annoy everyone without a care in the world!"
"Oh stop! You're making me blush," Rolly giggled evilly, "I dunno, he... well I'll tell you a secret..."
Dom leaned closer to Rolly again as she whispered into his ear, "I can see auras and stuff... and his one is really weird! He just gives off a really weird vibe." Rolly's voice was becoming more high pitched by the second. I frowned and lowered my ears. I tried to ignore their conversation.
Sailor was now talking to Scrappy, I guess Sailor could understand what they were saying since they were both part cat because they were both pretty excited about something. Rolly and Dom continued whispering while I tried to block it out. I almost couldn't hear when one of the guards called our table up.
The meals that we collected were low grade, suited to what each of us had to eat to stay strong. I was the last to collect my meal and when we sat back down everyone started to eat. Except for me. I felt sick to my stomach.
"Aye Froddy?" I looked up at Sailor, "you look a bit pale there buddy."
I held my hand over my mouth as a surge of nausea rushed over me, "excuse me-" I blurted out before stumbling out of the room to the bathrooms with the guards in tow.
I slammed the door open and the door broke off its hinges. I slouched over the toilet and threw up into the toilet bowl, "urgh..." I wiped my mouth with some toilet paper.
Suddenly, the door opened and a head popped in. It was Darcy. "Froddy..?" she called timidly.
I wheezed a bit over the bowl and she stepped closer to me. "What happened..?"
"Why are you humans so damn interested in me all of a sudden!" I growled, finally letting go of my hesitation and awkwardness, "I get it! I'm a high tier! I have friends! I'm really violent! What is wrong with you?"
Darcy tried to calm me down, "we've just never had anyone like you before, its really not my deci-"
"Your father isn't making you do this is he or do you just feel bad for me?" I croaked, dry heaving.
"No- I, I... I-I just want to make things better."
"Then wake up." I hissed at her. Darcy stood speechless in front of me. Then she started to become mad.
"I know I can't do anything, this is the least I can do!"
"I don't need your help!" I yelped, "...three years without your damn help. THREE YEARS!" I screamed, "what could you possibly do to erase three years of trauma?"
"I-"
"What could you do to ease the pain? Sympathise? You have no idea what it's like to be outcasted! To be classified as a beast, a killing machine! You have no idea what it's like to be an animal, to be put in a cage and given bullshit medication! You have no idea how fucked up I am because of this place!" I seethed, "so tell me, is your sympathy really going to fix that?"
Darcy stood staring at me exasperated. From the look on her face, it was as if no one had ever spoken to her this way before.
"ANSWER ME!" I growled, my voice inhuman as I slammed my fist down on the edge of the toilet seat breaking it. Darcy fell back onto the bathroom floor frightened and vulnerable. I started to sob into my hands, "why was I born? why was I born?"
Guards stormed into the room, trying to restrain me on the ground. About five were trying to pin me down but I kept knocking them off of me. I screamed and spat at them until one shocked me with an electrical current. They had enough time to restrain me as I lay convulsing on the ground.
They started to drag me out as I sobbed, still screaming, "JUST KILL ME ALREADY!"
They dragged me out into the cafeteria, the others watched me as they pulled me up to the second floor. In my fit of rage, I saw Scrappy try to run after me but Sailor held them back, "Scatterbrain! You'll get in trouble too if you ain't careful!" I heard Sailor hiss. I was actually glad for her intervention.
It was too late.
I was going to the correction chamber.