The first thing he remembered was the cold. He was weightless, alone, and cold. When he was conscious he would stare for what felt like an eternity. His visage reflected back to him on the surface of his glass prison. And he was alone. The liquid he was suspended in was thick like honey; as he became more conscious of his body he could feel it pressing in on him. He could not move. As he faded in and out of consciousness, he observed the darkness around him. He saw other tanks like his own. Inside were people and just like him they were suspended in a thick, yellow liquid; wires connecting their bodies to the hard steel above that topped off their capsules. 'What is this? Where am I? Who are they?'
As he watched them, unmoving and pale, he saw light. The bright whiteness swept into the room, parting the darkness that had preceded it. From the light emerged two figures, dressed in white, their faces concealed behind masks and visors. They strode down the rows with the authority of God, stopping before each capsule and making adjustments to the consoles before them. Then they would scribble something down on a tablet and move on to the next capsule. Eventually they came to the capsule beside his own. He watched through the liquid and glass as they typed on the console, paying no heed to the boy suspended within. Satisfied, they moved on to him. And there they stood, dressed all in white, staring at him through soulless, black visors. He could glean nothing of them, his head felt groggy and his thoughts clouded. But the strange winged symbol that adorned their shoulders stood out, his eyes latching onto it. Eventually they moved on from him as well, going to the next capsule over, and the next. When they had finished their rounds, they left the way they had come and they took the light with them.
They came frequently now, or maybe it was just that he was conscious more often. Regardless, they continued to come and stare at him through the glass and he would stare back. They called him DOMINION Subject: 28. He had never had a name before so he accepted it. Subject: 28 could remain conscious for much longer periods of time now, and even as his body developed to be able to experience more sensations, he grew accustomed to the ever intensifying cold and discomfort.
The boy, a tank over, had started to move. Every now and then shifting ever so slightly in the liquid, seeking a more comfortable position. Subject: 28 also wondered if he would be able to move 'Maybe later.' He didn't quite feel enough for that yet. Most of the other people were unmoving; still in their capsules, sleeping most likely. The white figures seemed to pay special attention to the other boy and Subject: 28. They called the other boy DOMINION Subject: 27, so that must have been his name. It was probably because they had both shown consciousness, unlike the others who still slumbered in their containments. The white figures would continue to come, typing away at the consoles until something changed. Subject: 27 had begun to move far more frequently, turning to look at Subject: 28. 28 saw something in his face, something he did not recognize. 27 reached out, pressing the palm of his hand against the cool glass capsule, desperately extending his hand towards 28. Then his eyes grew heavy, and he slipped into slumber once more. Subject: 28 was alone once again.
On the figures' next visit, they stopped at Subject: 27's capsule as he slumbered. They typed away on the console, their fingers like giant white spiders. While before they had moved deftly, now they hesitated. A clenched fist shook as they gazed upon Subject: 27, suspended in the capsule. Their muffled voices muttered in anger and frustration. With frenzied purpose the figure set to the keyboard. Then the yellow liquid began to drain away, leaving the other boy bare, behind the glass, hanging from the wires like an abandoned marionette. The wires released, dropping the boy limply to the steel floor of the capsule. There Subject: 27 laid unmoving, and the figure flipped open the glass case of a red button on the console. Disappointment was evident in their every move, and frustration seemed to burn within them. The figure slammed their palm down on the button and with a sickening hiss, white gas began to fill the capsule. The gas burned away at the prone boy, his flesh withering and his bones melting. His face peeled back, revealing the skull beneath which in turn began to wither. The gas turned red as it burned him away into nothingness, and when the work was done the gas filtered out through tubes, leaving the tank as new. The figures turned away from the now empty capsule and came before Subject: 28's. They looked him over and their fingers leapt across his console. He stared back, unmoving. At last they scribbled something down on their tablet and turned away, cordially , moving on to the next capsule as if nothing had happened. Subject: 28 hung there, helpless before the figures who typed away at the console and scribbled on their tablet, who could bring about his demise with the push of a button. In that moment 28 came to know his first emotion. Fear. Soon thereafter the figures had left, taking the light with them once more and leaving him in the dark. Alone and afraid.