Chapter 1:
White was a color that no mater how much you stared at it. Nothing would ever really come to you. White was the lack of color…nothingness. Then again white light was the full spectrum of all colors, why was it so plain then?
Lights flashed on and surprisingly the florescent bulbs were pure white and only added to the annoying almost blinding white of the sterile walls. The flash of light, plus the pure white walls was almost blinding.
The thuds around the room were clearly audible as in each dog crate a creature flung itself away from the light and into the recesses while their pupils coped with the extra light. Some though merely growled some seemed to scramble towards the light! Reaching out malformed hands to try and catch each ray. A small group clambered about their cages wondering what was with all the commotion and then silenced as the smell of the whitecoats reached them.
A table across the room was soon cluttered with plastic tubes and metal syringes. Then one man leaned over to type in a few keys onto the keyboard so that the screen blinked into life and a soft hum filled the room.
"Looks like number one, three, six, eight, three. Requires a vile of serum c six, ten." One man said and another complied by picking up a syringe and stabbing it into a bottle. Then he pulled at the end and started to remove the serum.
"Hey Pierce? How's your kid doing?"
"Much better! Kathy and I went took him back for another check up and he has drastically improved from last week." There was a tone of relief in the man's tone and the other gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
"While you school girls catch up. Why don't I just do it?" One man said turning towards the one and taking the syringe carefully. The other nodded and walked to the side with the other who looked at the man with the syringe and laughed.
"Eh Lewis, you need to get yourself woman you're way to serious."
"Shut it Pierce. This is work not social hour. I don't mind hearing about your kids sickness during lunch but right now I'm supposed to be working so I don't really want to get into social problems. Besides I-
"Lew? Wanna come for some dinner at my place Friday night?" one woman asked inching in on the conversation and smiling at the man. Wondering what his response would be.
All three men stopped what they were doing. Lewis knelt at one cage turned to her and laughed slightly. "Yeah, why not!"
The room was silent for a moment then the woman began to fill another syringe and spoke again. "Friday it is. Pick me up around seven."
Lewis grunted and reaching into his pocket pulled out a key to unlock the cage. He swung open the door and reached in with a gloved hand to pull out what was inside. It screeched and hissed, but struggling he yanked it out and sliding a hand up to the neck was able to pin the creature down. Its skin was a sickly green and scaly. Its eyes were pale and an eyelid slid over blurring the pale pupil slightly then another slid over blending the eye in with the skin of the creature. Its hands were three fingered with one thumb and it kept screaming what sounded like the word "no."
Lewis stabbed it with the needle and the creatures arm instinctively stopped moving as the cool liquid seeped in.
"Sometimes these things turn out real creepy…" He grumbled as he shoved the creature back into the cage and locked it.
"Well some I actually turn out pretty darn good if I say so myself."
"The great Dr. Pierce and his amazing creatures of the world!" Exaggerated another woman, who had been silent until then and was now filling her own syringe and then making her way to a cage.
Pierce sighed and gestured for him and the man he had been talking to start their own work since it seems their other conversation had died.
The second man-after filling his syringe- stepped to another cage and opened it up. "Here's one of those 'amazing' creatures right now. G, five, seven, one, one, two, nine." He began to yank at the creature and grimaced. "Stop fighting lad and just come out! It barely hurts, if even at all!" he grumbled and Pierce came to help him.
"I don't, maybe we should move him to the second unit room for further testing. He's defiantly more advanced then the other creatures in this station." He was now serious and the other man nodded.
"I got it." She had been talking to Lewis on other details about Friday when she heard what they had been discussing and now waded over to the intercom. It was to the right of the large window that took up the majority of the main wall. "Dr. Michelle Boosely. Requesting transportation for unit G, five, seven, one, one, two, nine. Section twelve C."
The room moved on as was normal and the rest of the injections went as normal. The five waited then for the unit to arrive.
"So…Global warming, what's up with that?" Dr. Pierce said clasping his hands together and looking around the room.
A few stifled laughs could be heard and Lewis was about to speak up but then the light above the door blinked and the door made a series of noises and then got pushed forward slightly to show it was unlocked. A man pushed it the rest of the way open and stepped in with what was…well, exactly what it looked like. A cage on wheels!
The man behind the cage smiled at the group and walked to the cage labeled with the number he had been told to collect.
With the relief of having the new doctor in the room the five exited. They separated either way down the halls in two groups. Lewis and Michelle went down the right discussing Friday once more, while Dr. Pierce and the others went down the left ready for a good meal after work.
The whitecoat kneeled down on the cage and flicked open the lock and reached into the cage. He received an angry growl but continued. Obviously accustomed to such responses he gave another swift yank and out of the cage came a teenage boy. He was without a shirt and as the man threw him into the wheeled cage he remained seated. He looked to be about fifteen years old and plastered against his back were pure black wings. His hair was long and unkempt. The doctors had enough sense though to tie it together. It reached just midway down his upper back and was tied into a pony tail so that it would not get in his way or the way of surgeon's. Though some of his hair hung down enough to cover his ears and then got shorter on an angle towards his face to be just longer then his eyes but not covering them.
Piercing yellow crow eyes glared at the man who easily ignored the stare. The boy couldn't help but do anything but stare. As the two started down the hall the boy stared into other rooms with other creatures that looked anything but human anymore. He closed his eyes and bent his head in dismay not wanting to see what this horrible place was doing. It wasn't until he heard the opening of the cage door and was yanked out into another equally cold chamber that he opened his eyes.
The room was unsurprisingly similar to the last. Of course the cages here were much more like cages rather then crates and they were less in numbers. There were about five other cages in the room each with a crouched figure in it. He didn't bother looking any further as there were the whitecoats working on loading their syringes and one tapping away at the keyboard. The experiment-as he was called- could now stand completely and he found himself not far from the ceiling. He reached up to tap the metal with his arm, which had plenty of easily identifiable burns and scars from times he had acted out. Or that an apprentice had messed up with a needle and caused some problems.
"So what's with the new one?" Asked one man looking over at the cage with the new boy in him.
"I don't know lets check his chart." One man shrugged a little and then walked forward eying the boy for a moment and then picking up the clipboard that now hung on his cage.
"What's it say?" The other asked again now at one of the other cages trying to pull the arm of a younger boy towards him but continued to get resistance.
"Let's see…Age 12," he stopped to look in the cage. "He defiantly is advancing well. He looks more in shape then my tenth grader whose turning sixteen soon!"
The other man stifled a laugh.
"Hey Curtis is a strong boy. Besides he's in better shape then your kid."
"He's nine..."
"Well when Curtis was nine he was much stronger then your kid is now!"
The other man stifled another laugh and shook his head slightly finally getting the small brown haired boy's arm out between the bars. "There we go little bird boy! Now was that so hard?" The boy grumbled slightly but took the needle and once he was released he yanked his hand back to his body. "What else does it say?"
"Ah here is the DNA sequence. Ninety percent human and ten percent Corvus corax."
"That's one of the sixth generations then. Its one of the first strands with that much of the crow strand. Actually I think there are a few more of the sixth generation strains in this room." At that he couldn't help but look at a few of the other clipboards.
"The rest are just some personal notes and what not." He took a look at some of the scars that raked the figure. "Looks like someone tried to escape one to many times and failed."
"If one of these things hasn't tried to escape at least once then something is wrong with it. Or the opposite and it ends up getting dissected to see what they did right. Happened once, they ended up just killing the thing and losing the experiment completely."
"Yeah some doctors around here really are a bit crazy if you ask me." Replied the one stepping back from the new cage to fill a new syringe. "How many more need this serum?"
"Besides the new guy. Three." Replied the other stepping to another cage and indicating two others. The one he was in front of had a girl in it. About the same age as the boy next to her but she was smaller. And seemed more timid rather then objective. She gave her hand out to the man and he pricked her with the needle. Smiling as he stepped back and threw out the needle. "I like that one. She doesn't disobey like the others."
"She also seems to have a pretty good learning capacity. Most experiments do, thanks to some of the enhancements that have been made but still she shows exponential advancement."
"Yeah I just think you've picked out a favorite haven't you?" A smile appeared on his lips as he asked the question and filled a second syringe.
He stopped and shook his head quickly. "No I don't have a favorite!" He replied quickly obviously it was a lie but the other man decided just to take the answer rather then continue to argue.
"Really because I have one." He walked forward and tapped a cage next to the newer experiment. "Another one of those generation sixes she is. Ninety percent human ten Panthera pardus. About half way through her eleventh year. With these things it's always hard to tell. They almost always look older then they are…" he sighed.
"I find it funny you pick the oldest female subject." The other man took this chance to raise an eyebrow at his colleague while he kneeled down by the cage on the other side of the wall.
"Oh you know I'm not a weirdo like that. Besides I'm married!" The other man grumbled as he finished the injection. "Before the new guy even came just a few minutes ago there were four girls as is so chances are if you had a favorite it wouldn't be much better. Gah! I can't believe we are having this conversation when we're both in our thirties!" He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Just hurry and finish up so we can get out of here and get something to eat before the place gets filled and all the food taken."
"I'm done, I'm done. Let's go." He stepped back from the cage and threw away the used needle with his gloves and followed the man out of the room.
Things were silent other then the soft hum of the computer after the men had left. None of the experiments moved much and at one time a sniffle could be heard and though most looked up to see who it was, but no one really discovered the source. The room was quiet and remained quiet even when the lights all dimmed alerting the facility that employees on the day shift may head home and that the experiments were aloud to sleep now. It was actually something the experiments waited for. They would not sleep until that light dimmed or lest the whitecoats come and decide to wisp them away while asleep and further warp them. They finally felt safe and for the next eight hours they would remain so, then the lab would start back up and they would start the day a new. A new day of torture where hell was just behind you and heaven far out of your reach, you felt as if you would never reach it. Heaven was something that didn't exist in a world like this. Only Hell existed and only Hell was what you knew. Heaven was something that you would never reach and never thought about it in return. The only thing you thought about was. What more can they do to me that they haven't already done? Or can I make it through tomorrow?
Chapter 2:
Two and a half years later.
"Morning." A grumbled voice mumbled and there was movement throughout the cages. The sound of the person's voice was barely audible but clearly enough to wake up anyone else in the room.
"Actually the sun won't rise for another half an hour." Replied the youngest boy stretching slightly his clawed hands tapping the cold metal slightly.
"It doesn't matter. Besides just because the sun is up doesn't mean it's not morning." The first voice replied standing up and stretching both his arms and his pure black wings. Now his head hit the top of the almost six foot cage and his golden crow eyes stared out at the brightening hallway. "How would you know anyway Lupe?"
"The lights always start about a half an hour before the sun comes up."
"How do you know that? There aren't any windows in the room and in the exercise room all the light is artificial." Said a female voice. The figure in the cage next to the standing figure next to her finally yawned showing long fangs and her black tail rose behind her as she stretched across the cage.
"Sia told me." The little boy that was probably about five foot four and only nine years old pointed to the girl next to him.
"One night I couldn't sleep. So I counted the seconds until morning. I know the lights go off at about ten o'clock and the sun rises around six thirty. I only counted enough seconds for about seven hours and thirty minutes so that means the sun won't rise for another half an hour."
The room was silent for a little but then they all broke into a laughter and another voice. Spoke from the other side of Lupe. "You have too much time on your hands Sia!" A giggle followed her words then there was good conversing going on. This was but natural before the first doctors showed. Most of the kids to the left were around the same age. Lupe was nine, Sia eight, and Arc was ten. The other side consisted of another three. Two of them were similar. Both being girls that were almost identical in human features and each showed signs of cat DNA. In fact they had shared the same DNA strain and the fertilized egg had split and a mutation caused the gene that made one black and the other the original yellow and black spotted. Both had long light brown hair with ears poking out of the top. A tail out of the seat of their pants a slight bend in their knees that wasn't exactly normal but not exactly obvious. Maybe if they ever got any freedom around here the two would try more to express themselves. It hadn't been until just a few months ago that the whitecoats moved them into the same cage and their different personalities were really obvious.
"So how'd you guys sleep?" He asked spreading his long black wings and checking the door before he let them slip through the bars of the cage and spread the length of the room which was a good maybe sixteen feet. Then he snapped them back against his back. And he stood to at the back of his cage leaning against it with his right shoulder so he couldn't damage his wings. They weren't easy to damage actually but they took pain easily and he didn't want to be uncomfortable at the moment. Though it could have been worse he supposed. He could have been wearing an itchy shirt. He had grown up here without one and when they did give him one he put it on and found it dreadfully uncomfortable.
"Great! Pan kept flicking me with her tail though." The girl narrowed her blue eyes and for a moment they became the cat like slits that one would expect of them. She flicked at the other girls black tail and Pan grabbed it and pulled it away from her sister.
"Quit it Thera!" She grumbled stepped away slightly.
"Yeah well, what about you Corvus?" Pan asked turning from her sister again to the bird boy in the other cage.
He shrugged slightly. "The usual." There was that combination of sounds at the door and all six frozen. Corvus, Pan and Thera quickly dispersed from their conversations and resumed seats on the ground. Sia, Lupe and Arc did the same, but Lupe couldn't help but smile and stare at the door with a grin that was cute and childish but yet with his canines slightly visible it was menacing as well.
Three doctors entered each with one of the wheeled cages. One went to Pan and Thera to put them in the same cage. Ultimately things were highly on DNA pairings. The two cats in one cage. The two birds in another. Corvus and Sia, and the last two. The wolves in the last cage-Lupe and Arc.
"What's up doc?" Lupe asked smiling up at the doctor and adding the little click at the end of his sentence.
"Breakfast. Then you'll be sent to your morning classes. Get time for exercise and free time," that was obviously the shortest time. Part of the government contract. Any experiment that advanced as far as this group would be given classes. Most of these tests here were to see if they could enhance intelligence and strength. So exercise and classes were kind of obvious to help study these affects.
Breakfast was normal. Each person got a pile of whatever that was supposed to be the healthiest thing they could eat but tasted like. Nothing, it was like shoving some warm piece of mush down your throat and not tasting anything! It was odd, but probably better then it could be. Things were silent as no one wanted to say something in front of the countless scientists who were undoubtedly armed. Even a few Lizards stood around the room!
No one liked breakfast or really any of the meal times because of all the guards and the food. It was almost as much torture as being in a cage.
It wasn't long maybe about fifteen twenty minutes before a voice came over the announcement system. "All groups in the H section classes please move to your first period classes." The School had adopted the same system to move their experiments around much like middle school and high school students used. The groups moved in a cycle of seven periods. Breakfast, lunch and exercise were all universal for all the class groups. Most groups were separated by their DNA signature. Avians, lupine, and felines took up the majority of this. Though since other creatures had to be fit in. There was also a way of separating.
There were twenty-six classes in total. H stood for the eighth generation since H was the eighth letter in the alphabet. Anyone in the eighth generation experimentation cycle would follow this path. The H group then was split up into age groups since specimens in the same generation didn't necessarily have to be in the same age group. If a few specimens in a certain group were advancing faster and showing promise they would be separated from the others. Another subject to test if teamwork could be handled between experiments and this was why specimens shared rooms. Normally in groups of six the scientists allowed free time so that these teams could converse and form certain parties. So that possibly a group advancing well and showing teamwork could be traded to branch of the government for police, guards, or soldiers. Or whatever they showed promise in. most of the times they did advance though it was not a happy occasion. Or not for the group…if the group moved on that meant the same thing as before. They would move out of the school and live in a work facility where they did what they were told for no pay and possibly worse living conditions. They weren't humans anymore. They were tools. Tools to be used as needed and stored away when not needed and not thought of until the next mission.
"Groups one, five, and eight of the F section please report to your first period classes. Remaining groups in the F section please move to your second period classes. Your schedule has been reversed slightly because of certain technical difficulties revealed only to important personnel. You will be informed of an advanced schedule once you reach your classes.
Corvus stood up and started out of the room with Sia behind him holding his hand. Lunch tables were also set up according to DNA signature so they would have to find the others some time down the hall. A Lizard came forward to trouble their exit and propped Corvus' bare chest with the barrel of his gun and Sia whimpered slightly to hide behind the older boy.
"Return to your ssssseat." The S was dragged out because of some of Lizard genes that caused the teeth and tongue to form that letter into a much longer syllable. Sometimes it wasn't that bad other it was just down right annoying.
"Group eight. Section is to report to period one." Corvus replied. "Experiment G, five, seven, one, one, two, nine. Experiment C two, four, six, eight, nine, three. Belong to group eight, section F. We require passage from the feeding area." He replied. Conversing with Lizards required a certain way of using words. Their names really didn't exist so when talking to guards and what not they had to use their numbers. Corvus pulled out Sia from behind him and pointed down to the little girl that only came up to his waist. Her hair was long and light brown almost a dirty blond. Her eyes were a dark brown and she stared wide eyed, at the cyborg.
The creature stared at them for a minute obviously calculating what to do next. "No authority, return to ssseatsss." He prodded Corvus' chest once again this time more forcibly.
Sighing Corvus repeated the request and got the same response. He was about to attack the annoying thing when a living breathing person came forward and nodded to the creature. Who by now had whirling eyes obviously showing the signs of confusion that happened so often to the machines.
"Sorry about that. Please continue on towards your first period classes." The man smiled and stamped both of their hands then stepped aside to let them through.
Corvus smiled and as he left he looked over his shoulder. His nose rubbing his feathers slightly he thanked the man. "Thanks Lewis." He recognized the man from so long ago and quickly urged Sia on before the man could regain his composure and speak up to them. Later down the hall they met up with the others. Lupe almost automatically moved to Corvus' side being the only other male in the group and the oldest of the six.
"Enjoy the food?" He asked the smaller boy who stuck out his tongue and made a sound that indefinitely meant no.
"Tasted like nutin." He grumbled and at that Corvus couldn't help but laugh his golden eyes sparkling slightly at the boy's young face as he pouted and earned himself a new hairdo as the fifteen year old messed up Lupe's light gray brown hair.
Pan moved in on his right to take up the other side and Sia was next to her squeezing her way between the two. Thera took the other end so that the youngest were in the middle and out of harms way. Arc was the oldest of the younger children and so wanted to be treated as such. So Corvus allowed her to lead them. He was right behind her judging her moves to make sure they were going the right way but ultimately had nothing to worry about. She was a good tracker and probably knew the building better then him. It just helped appease something inside of him to know where they were going.
The hall was plenty wide and even though they took up the majority of it there was still enough space for doctors to get past and eye them angrily. They hated how the experiments had this kind of freedom. Though really it wasn't freedom… a camera came up every fifteen feet. Every person they cam in contact with was probably armed and in any moment a hoard of Lizards could be down here ready to "delete" them as they so often mumbled. Finally when they reached the room there was a whole matter of groups about each with a similar balance of DNA. Some lead by lupines or other animals some not.
Corvus led them to their corner and lifted both Lupe and Sia up onto the table. They could probably do it themselves but it was just a kind gesture for the younger kids. Of course Arc was too old to get help and had to do it herself.
When a figure came towards them the group stopped their conversing and stared at the man. He was of similar height to Corvus but just a bit taller. "How's it going big T." Most of the people had a spin off of the scientific name of their animal but they had never heard what he was but suspected that the larger experiment was some sort of Lizard spin off. A completely organic Lizard with more human in him then the cyborgs that were so common around here. They didn't know what to call him so they went by the T in his ID number and the fact he was the biggest of them all. So thus came Big T! During free time they proved groups with television for some entertainment so the group was in the know of what was going on around the world and some famous people.
A grin spread across Big T's face and a toothy grin became penetrated with a forked tongue. Snake eyes stared at them and Big T clouted Corvus on the shoulder laughing heartily. "Just the way you sssaid that Corvusss." He said happily.
Now the whole group was laughing and Big T took a seat by Corvus who was leaning against the table edge grabbing it his hands as well. "Try and get out since I last saw you. I think I see a few more scars." That was of course the bird boy's ID among experiments. He had tried to escape more then any other that they knew off and had the scars to prove.
"No….But I did manage to break one man's arm." He replied with a grin. That had happened and the man had been asking for latterly. The intern thought he would do it so when he stuck his hand in the cage. Snap!
Corvus may not be a giant with extreme muscles like Big T but that didn't mean he wasn't far stronger then an average man. He had that muscular athletic appearance that was with most experiments even some of the kids. He had a good intelligence. Defiantly not as smart as Sia, but that was a given for really anyone he knew. That kid was a genius! Of course there were one or two things he could hold over the others. He had amazing vision and hearing. Flexibility and agility were his pride and though plenty of the bird kids hosted the same assortment he was one of the best. Though the cats had him beat entirely he had strength over them or well most. In truth he defiantly wasn't the strongest thing here but he was clever and had beat plenty of other creatures in promoted and non promoted experiments.
"But if you have a plan…" He raised a dark eyebrow to Big T his pale skin bending slightly to accommodate the muscles in motion.
Big T laughed again and the room seemed to shrink at the deep bass of the snake man. Again Corvus was clouted on the shoulder, but this time he didn't have the table behind him to support his weight as the hit came from behind and he felt forward. Instinctively his wings shot out and a few flaps had lifted him up and with a few more steps forward he was standing again. Pan was by his side with a hand on his chest just in case he lurched forward again and he shooed the girl off. "I'm fine."
"Sssorry 'bout that bird boy. I forgot how light you were." Big T apologized sticking out his own hand to shake and show a truce. In reality Big T looked like a normal man in his mid twenties. One that went to a gym often was bald and had no eyebrows but a normal man. Of course his eyes were those snake-like slits but like Pan and Thera only when strained. His grip was firm and slightly more cold then normal but otherwise Big T was the most normal physically.
"No problem. We're a team anyways."
"Aye!" Was a chorus of all the six kids, Big T was actually the same age as Lupe but wasn't treated as such for some reason…
"Good! Now my team is gonna shut up before they attract attention to themselves. Idiots…"He scoffed and looked away folding his arms across his chest.
It was only another minute before he was being pushed and shoved about again. Being booed between the laughs and probably caused them to draw more attention to themselves, but it didn't matter how many stared they were a team and a team was a team through tick and thin! No matter what they were part of they were all human and they were all friends so whatever part of them was animal didn't matter it just mattered that they were here and having fun!
