Chapter One

The Beginning of the End

Opening my eyes slowly a glaring white light pierced my pupils. Wanting to defend myself from its harshness all I could do was blink rapidly. Adjusting to the brightness I began to see clearly. Outside my tube there was a room with tables and different equipment. It was a lab, to be precise. Test tubes, syringes, many assorted precision cutting tools; laid upon a small tray table. Next to it though, remained an examination table. Straps were dangling from the sides of it.

Veering my view to the right of me, were a few tubes designed like the one I resided inside. There were about four or five of them, at least in this room alone. The closest one to me seemed to be the most human, and farther away only looked more mutated than the last. Until the very end could have been off the image of what could only be, as I thought, in someone's worst nightmare.

Not neglecting my own swimmingly prison. All the tubes, at least at one point had translucent sea green liquid. I was unable to move myself merely a floating observer. This had become my existence, because I was having difficulties remembering the last time I had been free. But this would never be my home, forced to live a nightmare. That was taken from me, by none other than the professor who just walked through the door on my left.

Noticing the clock on the wall by the door, I calculated that the professor arrived three hours before he was scheduled to. Not that he followed them, really. He came and went as he please. No one could really tell him to do otherwise. Once something grabbed a hold of his attention, he couldn't stay away from his work.

Bio-genetics was his current working field. So far I stayed unchanged outwardly through appearance where as most of my lab mates died. Some died literally and the rest were deadly in the eyes of man. Even their minds changed, no longer thinking beyond the reason of hate. As if whatever happened in their trials, managed to strip their humanity away.

They began to scream in my head when the professor strode near. Though it wasn't nearly as loud as when night descended. It was as is the screams bled into my dreams, weakening my already twisted soul. I wanted to call out and beg him to take me away from this. But then he would know and only observe. I didn't want him to know more on me to consume my very being. No, I bore it in silence.

A tapping on the glass brought me back to my state of affairs. It rang in my ears lightly. I looked to see where the source of the noise came from. Only for me to see the professor standing there. He was staring at me with his trusty clipboard in hand. It was really the only thing he could trust than results. Not even his co-workers stood a chance.

Continuing to look over me as if I was the missing link to where all his failures went wrong. He was scribbling down any differences that occurred lately. Though he had been gone for awhile, some other project was in early stages as well. Not sure as to what that one was yet, I tuned myself to understanding his mutterings.

"A clear change in eye color is suggestive that the fusion is taking place. The mind still seems coherent, to the extent of acknowledging my presence. No signs of mutation as of yet." Pausing to write these down, "Hmm, what is different here than all the rest that have already failed?" Turning his back for a moment, he shouted for a file to be brought.

Once he had acquired the file in question, he placed it on the closest lab table to my tube. His eyes were scanning for any information that could help get this project going in the right direction, and back on schedule. Continuously flipping past another page only frustration to his face. Finally not being able to take it anymore, slammed his hand on the table in exasperation. Understanding that he would either need more specimens would have to be acquired or more test runs, but probably both. Just to comprehend why out of the twenty to so far go through his hypothesis I had remained unchanged.

Then he began preparations to take samples from me. Ordering people around the room, scurrying to complete his demands with speed. Stepping out the right side door, almost hidden from my view, and up to the next floor. Hearing noises above my head, I barely registered that this was the second unluckiest day of my life. Only wishing I could say goodbye to this place.

The ceiling opened up above my head, for this was the only way out. Unless, of course, someone broke open the tube. Using hooked instruments, they were placed underneath my armpits. The professor instructed this as to not contaminate my tube, before the necessary samples had been acquired. Samples of my tissue, blood and fluids were taken before they were allowed to clean me. After viciously pricking me with a needle, mouth swabbed and liquid scraped off; it was off to the shower. After I had been unceremoniously dumped inside the emergency chemical shower. I was treated to giving more DNA.

Once that had been completed, I was placed and strapped to on of the examination tables. No sooner had that been accomplished, that my body started to go through fits. It was like I turned into a fish and needed back in my tube to survive; just to stop flopping about. Of course my body's actions didn't go unnoticed and were documented. The cold table added to my calamity, shivers spread down my spine. They tied me down firmly, making me struggle to control myself. And through this ordeal, all I could wonder how long I remained entrapped in my tube. Or when this small window of freedom was going to end.

But thankfully my mind couldn't take much more, so I faded in and out. Because I didn't even comprehend why I was being acupunctured by needles, poking and prodding. And the sudden need to vomit brought me back for the briefest moment. Or it was my body craving the liquid in the tube. Like a child addicted to their favorite security blanket, not wanting to let go. And then faded back out before I could wonder if the tests had begun. Also forgetting that I still in fact remained fully exposed. I liked the feeling of being in total oblivion.

Coming back to full consciousness, I sensed that a new dawn approached. Still I had remained strapped to the examination table. Feeling the straps biting push deeper on my skin. I had to suppress the urge to wiggle free, knowing too well they would break through my weakened state. I accidentally sighed when I controlled myself, and I heard footsteps draw closer.

The professor looked down upon me, when I forced my vision to clear. A glint of his evil malice quickly passed over his eyes, and vanished just the same. I finally came to understand why the others had this untamed rage. Knowing at any moment that who you are, could be stripped away into nothingness instantly. Not even if I played nice, could there be a guarantee to remain unscathed.

At that notion, all tendrils of sleep faded. Only to be replaced with a sudden tingly, stinging pain across my body. Focusing, I could tell that I indeed was covered in needles. They had been strategically placed, with care and precision. I wanted to know what this was about, but I kept my mouth shut.

One of his co-workers stepped into the room. Glancing this way, he momentarily stopped. The man's face registered confusion, which grew into fear and then rested on anger. He then began to storm his way over, seething at the professor. He was about to open his mouth, when the professor put up a hand. Then proceeded to chuckle at the man's ignorance and almost outburst.

"If you wish to take the time to go slow, then you're out of a job. We were given x amount of time to complete this project, and if taking some extremes are necessary, then all the better." The professor smirked, "If you think you can't survive here, you're more than welcome to try your luck in one of those." He made an indication to on of the tanks below. "Anyone put on this project is not allowed to leave until it's finished. You should know this, you signed the contract. If you wish to pin it on ignorance, then you should have taken a closer look upon the fine print. Don't need anyone walking around with this knowledge, especially if they're not going to bring it to fruition here."

The other worker nodded his head and walked to the other side of the room, beginning his menial tasks. The professor made a note on what transpired, to put a sign up to stop this from ever happening again. No one was smart enough to escape his clutches, seeing how their contract gave him full range of their lives. One snap of his fingers and they would learn the horrors he could conduct. Being on an experiment table or in a small cylinder tube as another failed attempt. Chuckling to himself, he reached for a tool by the wall.

Coming back to my naked disposition, I shivered. My body temperature was dropping past where my mind deemed cold. The professor put a tube encasing above me, just down far enough to graze the needles. He placed a cloth in my mouth forcibly, before I could make any action against it. Then he secured the tube from being able to move. He didn't want any accidents to happen.

After the casing was secured, the professor placed the tool node attachment on metal rods. These rods were placed near my head and down by my feet, four in all. Once this was complete, he switched on the machine. A high pitched sound resonated through my encasing. My neck hairs stood on end, as if a lightning bolt was going to strike. I knew right then and there, that this was only the beginning of hell.

The first initial shock stung more than it should have. Waves of electricity crashed over my body. Forcing my muscles to move, from their current state of atrophy. The waves were just ant enough intervals to course through, but stopped right before my body tensed up and seized. But my muscles were responding to the stimulus. The sense of ever being cold was washed away, as my flesh seemed to want to melt right off of me. I opened my mouth to scream and I remained soundless. Even if I ever were to, the cloth in my mouth prevented me to even produce a muffled one at best. The cloth was really there to hinder me chewing my tongue off.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, the professor turned off the machine. Sweat couldn't even pour off of me, because I was steaming. My body was on fire. My mouth and throat were dry from the exertion to remain breathing. My vision was plagued with dots and everything outside those dots were spinning.

His female assistant came up to me, and removed the cloth from my mouth. She exchanged it with a tablet, a small pill. I could feel moisture flooding my tongue and I almost had difficulty swallowing. Though the look on her face expressed that was not what she had intended me to do. But I did not care, and I relished in its soothing presence. Not before I went through the stimulus again and a few more times that day.

A/N: This is the first final fantasy fan fic I've written. I've enjoyed writing it so far, and if there are any problems that may arise later; please don't hesitate to point them out.

Any ideas on how you think it should look, and if the story needs a push or a shove.

Thank you for your consideration and don't forget to drop a comment.

-Kerrigan

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that originally came from Square Enix.