Prologue
Shivering, curled up in a tight ball, a small humanoid being coward in the corner. Wide gold-on-black eyes gawked in terror back at their own reflection. The small child, looking about no older than nine, hugged their knees tighter to their chest; long tail curled tight around at their clawed paw-like feet. Heart thundering, pounding rapidly against their ribcage, breathing quick and frantic.
On the other side of the mirror wall, a middle aged man in a long white coat grinned delightfully at the cowaring child. The complete primal fear his little pet project was just so... perfect. He enjoyed 'playtime' the most. Some days, the man would throw off usual scheduling to see how his subject would react to each different change. Each reaction: blissfully wonderful.
Though, there are days he doesn't get the reaction he is looking for. So, he made sure he punished his little pet till he gets it.To his test subject, they're put through Hell and back. A nightmare that never ends. The middle aged man hummed a cheerful tune, a smile on his face as he tapped at the reinforced plexi-glass wall. The child's whimpering, terror-filled shriek was music to his ears when they jolted in their spot. The man chuckled, feeling rather pleased with himself.
A ping at his omni-tool alerted him it was time for 'playtime.' He grinned, turning on his heel and continued to hum. The scientist gathered a few tools of his trade, glanced over his shoulder to his little pet. "You and I, my darling, are going to have so much fun!" he mused excitedly.
The child whimpered, sobbing as the door leading into their cell slid open and the scientist grinned as he stepped in. "It's 'playtime', shall we begin?" he chuckled, closing in on the child as they begged and wailed, the shadow of their tormentor blanketing them. "Now, now," the man tsk-tsked teasingly, "Be a good boy for Daddy."