The boy sat in the corner of the room, holding his knees against his chest as he breathed through his teeth harshly. Tear stains streaked his cheeks despite his previous attempts to wipe them all off and his long silver hair was knotted painfully behind him.
The door opened and he looked up, his heart leaping to his throat and a terrified scream escaping his mouth as he scrambled to his feet. He held his arms out, trying to shield himself from the tall figure that approached him.
It was all in vain.
The man grabbed his arm firmly and pulled it forward, stabbing the needle he was holding into the soft flesh of the boys inner elbow. The boy writhed for a moment, his chest heaving from fear and his arm sending spasms of phantom pain up to his shoulder before the sedative took effect and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The man straightened his glasses before stepping back and signalling for someone else to come in and scoop the boy up. He wasn't finished his testing yet and wasn't going to let some boy's irrational fears stand in his way.