The Tower was, quite simply, a mutant laboratory. They had two types of mutants: responsive and unresponsive. Responsive mutants were considered successes: they interacted with others in mostly positive ways, they were normally intelligent, and could be sent from the Tower without problems. The unresponsive mutants were a different case. They showed no signs of mental life at all. Other mutants couldn't get them to interact with them. Unresponsive mutants couldn't not be let out of the Tower. They were technically failures, but the Tower scientists didn't not want to give up on them. The scientists isolated them away, into a room known as the Evidence Room. After a few months of studying, the scientists came upon the conclusion that, if cared for properly, some mutants can start responding to humans. Now, as every month goes by, another scientist goes into the Evidence Room and gets themselves their own mutant to care for, hoping that over time all of the unresponsive mutants will be able to function on their own.
Malcolm Duncan worked at the Tower, but not as a scientist. He was a transporter of responsive mutants to other places. He was told he had one of the most important jobs, so he was slightly confused when he was told to go get his own mutant. Mal wasn't told who would transport the mutants when left, in fact, he wasn't told much of anything. He was told just to go to the Evidence Room and pick a mutant. So he did.
The Evidence Room had to be the most disturbing thing Malcolm had ever seen. For one, it was completely white, reminding him of a mental institute he had dropped a responsive mutant off at. The main pathway went down the center of the room, going off into different directions, leading to different mutants. The part that disturbed Mal the most of the conditions of the mutants. Each mutant hung from a rope attached to the ceiling. The rope constricted the mutant's legs and arms, as if the mutant would escape. Their mouths were all covered, but their eyes remained shown, sometimes wide open, just staring into the air. To top it all off, every mutant in the room was naked, having a piece of cloth covering the private areas. It made Mal sick to his stomach, especially since most of them looked human. They didn't deserve to be treated like this, even if they didn't know they were. Mal tried to ignore the staring eyes and looked at the sign above him. The mutants were organized by date, with the older one in the front of the room. He ventured to the back, wondering if the newer mutants were any different. They really weren't, except for one that pulled Malcolm's attention.
The mutant that had caught Malcolm's attention was in the very back, almost hiding. He looked like most of the other mutants, hanging from a ceiling with limbs tied behind his back. But unlike the other mutants, his eyes were covered instead of his mouth. Maybe this was the initial reason Mal went over to him, feeling more comfortable around a body that wasn't staring at him. Looking at him closely, Mal realized how innocent the mutant seemed to look. His lips were soft, opening just a little bit. He was quite thin, looking like he would break under too much pressure. A few blond curls strayed and carefully lay on his forehead. Malcolm wondered how old he was. He looked at the chart next to him, curious if it had the answer. The chart had the very basic information. Mal scanned over it.
Name: Joseph (Last name unknown)
Experiment label: Jericho
Age: Sixteen
Location Found: Himalayan Mountains
Malcolm turned his attention back to the hanging boy. Knowing the little information he had about the mutant, it appeared to be even more innocent than before. It sickened Mal to think about how the boy had been torn away from the world so young. That thought there is what made Mal decide to take this mutant as his own. Maybe he could give the boy the life he deserved. The only problem was, he had no idea how to wake him up.