Blaine sighs contentedly as he packs away the last of his sheet music; a relatively successful first day. He was thrilled when his father had gotten him a summer job at the Laboratory. He'd never been interested much in science, but when his father mentioned that they were looking for a music teacher, he had jumped at the opportunity.

He wasn't entirely sure what he expected upon seeing the Mods for the first time. He remembers when he was growing up thinking of them as robots with the way his dad always talked about them after a long day at work. Like they were machines that needed tweaking except 18 years after their creation they are still being tweaked to perfection.

But as he grew older, he started questioning things; he learned that the Mods were actually people and once or twice confronted his father about it, asking if it was moral to keep them contained but he would always just shrug him off, tell him not to mess with adult matters.

The thing is, seeing them in the flesh, talking to them and learning about them really drove home the fact that they are real, living, breathing people. Experiments created by the incredible facilities at Dalton Research Lab, sure, but still Human Beings.

When Prototype One, Kurt broke down in tears after hearing a piece of music for the first time in his life, Blaine's heart broke. He never would have anticipated that kind of reaction, he'd always assumed they lived relatively happy lives in the lab but now he was starting to doubt that. But what could he do? This was just the way it was.

Prototype Four had reacted similarly to how Kurt did when Blaine played a piece for her however the other two remained guarded and weary. None of the others would tell him their name either, only Kurt had given up that information.

As Blaine hauls his backpack onto his shoulder, the door slides open.

"You were late this morning," a stern and familiar voice scolds him.

"Sorry Dad, there was a problem with my car and-"

"I don't want to hear it. Just make sure it doesn't happen again, it reflects badly on me and on my whole department." Blaine nods in understanding. "And because you were late, you missed the training. What would you have done if one of the prototypes had acted up?" Professor Anderson asks.

"But they were fine, really great students actually-"

"What would you have done Blaine?" his dad demands and Blaine knows he's expecting an answer.

"Um…if I couldn't handle it myself I guess I would have called in someone to back me up?" His questioning reply earns him a scoff from his father.

"Blaine," he says condescendingly, "these aren't civilised people like you and me; they might not always do what you say despite how nicely you ask them. They're just animals. You wouldn't go into a lion enclosure without any way to protect yourself, would you?" Blaine shakes his head, frowning as he wonders what sort of training he's going to need. "I've rescheduled your 'Instruction on Handling Defective Mods' training and you're expected in 6C in 5 minutes. Don't be late." Blaine nods hastily before exiting in a hurry, trying to remember which direction 6C is in.

He follows the numbers on the doors of various rooms he's not sure of the purpose for until he finds it. Inside is a scientist standing by a complex looking control panel awaiting his arrival.

"Blaine Anderson?" he asks and Blaine nods. "I'm Professor Hughes." He extends his hand and Blaine shakes it firmly.

"It's nice to meet you, sorry about this morning…"

"It wasn't ideal for you to be alone with them for such a length of time like that, but if we thought you were under any real danger then we wouldn't have allowed it to happen. Thankfully there has never been an attack on a member of staff here, this is merely for precaution." Blaine sighs; relieved he isn't going to get into too much trouble on his first day.

Professor Hughes takes a seat and speaks into a microphone on the control panel, requesting they send in the test subject and beckoning for Blaine to take a seat next to him. He does so nervously as he stares in bewilderment at the pane of glass that makes up the fourth wall of the room. On the other side of the glass is an empty white room adorned with a shiny metal floor, the door slides open as a figure stumbles uncertainly into the room.

Blaine's jaw hangs open the moment he recognises the pale, seamless face of Kurt. He wants to ask what he's doing there in the vacant room, staring blankly as though he can't see the others through the glass, but he's fairly sure he'll find out soon enough. Professor Hughes rummages through his pocket before producing a smooth round device with a black button attached to it and handing it to Blaine. He inspects it curiously; on the side is a small switch with different voltages labelled along the side and his heart sinks the moment he realises what this device is for.

"This is your portable Electrounit. It is connected wirelessly to several chips located inside each of the Mods' bodies, just point it at any of them and it will work. Do not lose it." The scientist instructs before taking back the device and turning to face where Kurt stands, oblivious to their presence, behind the glass. Blaine watches in horror as Professor Hughes adjusts the setting and presses the button without even the slightest hesitation.

Kurt flinches slightly, keeping his eyes trained on the floor but otherwise there's no reaction.

"That's the lowest voltage, it doesn't hurt, just makes them aware of our presence and control. If a Prototype starts lacking in concentration during your lesson just give them a quick shock at this setting." Blaine's eyes are wide with shock, Kurt didn't do anything; he's getting punished for nothing.

Before he can say anything, the Professor adjusts the setting again and, without warning, presses the button. Kurt lets out a small yelp this time which is projected around the room from a speaker on the control panel.

Without thinking, Blaine's hand closes over that of the scientist. He knows he'll get into trouble for this but that doesn't seem to matter; he can't just sit and watch this man heartlessly shock the sweet boy who had been so eager to learn about music.

"Please," he begs, "you don't have to show me, I understand. If they act up I'll use this." In his mind Blaine knows he would never be able to use it, ever, but at this point he would say anything to get him to stop.

"Anderson, it is integral that you complete this training in full; you need to recognise the intensity of each setting so you can use them appropriately." Professor Hughes ups the setting again and presses the button before Blaine has a chance to stop him, Kurt's pain-laced scream filling the room.

Blaine squeezes his eyes shut, wincing as Kurt's screech penetrates his own skin. He stands, retrieving his bag and placing it hastily on his shoulder as he makes for the exit; he can't take this, he can't watch another person stand helplessly while they are tortured.

"Anderson if you don't finish the training, you cannot be permitted to work with the Mods," Hughes says, his threat lingering in the air. Blaine bites the inside of his lip; it's such a good opportunity, his dad had arranged for him to do this as work experience and his college professors had been thrilled at the idea. It was all he had ever wanted; to teach music. Not like this.

"I…" Blaine stammers. He wants to leave but that means giving up everything. He sees Kurt, crippled from the shock and trembling as he awaits the next one. He looks so broken and defeated and Blaine wants nothing more than to leave just to relieve him of this torture.

He notes that there are tears in Kurt's eyes but they are a stark contrast to the ones he had seen that morning. He tries to recapture the image, sitting next to him at the piano as he begged him to keep playing. The soft, ghost of a smile he had seen drift across his face as he taught him as much as he could about music. He had seemed so happy and open to everything then; the broken boy before him who was finding just standing to be the most strenuous task, was someone else entirely.

Blaine wants to bring back the boy from earlier; he wants to revive that smile. The torture won't be over if he leaves, they'll just replace him with someone else who doesn't mind watching a defenceless boy get electrocuted for nothing. But if he stays, there's at least the chance of bringing back that smile.

Dropping his bag once again, Blaine takes his seat, sinking into it slowly before breathing a shaky sigh in hopes of calming himself.

"Okay," he breathes, "I'll pay attention."

"Good," Professor Hughes acknowledges patiently before launching back into things. "Those are the three setting the Electrounit is capable of," he says. "For a cranial inspection, we need to attach wires to the Prototypes in order to get a direct current." He starts pressing buttons on the control panel and suddenly there are wires crawling seemingly by their own means towards Kurt's body. Blaine freezes; it's like something out of a horror movie. They climb his body and from the whimper that he emits as they cling to his head, Blaine knows they've done this before, used him for training new staff members.

"This isn't for punishment; it would take too long to get the wires attached anyway. If, however you find that a prototype isn't performing at the best of their ability, this will clear any brain activity that might be hindering their concentration and will get them back on track during the lesson much more effectively than a quick shock." Blaine nods slowly, confused as to how it's supposed to work, before Professor Hughes explains how to perform the technique. Blaine attempts to follow as Professor Hughes presses an array of controls on the panel before gesturing to a small green button. "Now all you do is activate it." It takes Blaine a moment until he realises that Hughes intends for him to press it. He eyes the button nervously, he really doesn't want to but he knows everything he does with Professor Hughes will get back to his dad and he'd already caused enough trouble as it was. He hesitantly presses his thumb to it, causing a faint buzz to echo around the room.

He looks through the glass to Kurt, where his face is contorted in pain and Blaine's heart drops. There's no scream this time but he can see the tear tracks running down his face as he whimpers quietly.

"Make it stop," Blaine begs almost immediately.

"Don't worry. It's nothing damaging, all they feel is a slight discomfort as the waves travel through their brains," Hughes ensures, though Blaine is certain it has to be more than just a 'slight discomfort'. He watches in distress, knowing that he caused this, that he administered this pain and that there's nothing he can do to stop it. Pressing his hands to his temple, Blaine grits his teeth and waits it out. It can't be much longer.

Thankfully the buzzing soon stops and Blaine chances a look at Kurt once more, only to see him standing dazedly, still trembling slightly. Since there is nothing specific for him to be concentrating on, all trains of thought were dismantled, leaving him confused, alone and in pain in the freezing room.

"Okay, we're done with the Prototype, could you take One back now please?" Blaine hears Hughes say into the microphone on the panel. The wires detach themselves and the doors open as Kurt hastily makes his exit, allowing Blaine to sigh in relief. At least he won't be subjected to more unnecessary torture for the day. "There should be a smaller, portable control unit in your room which you can administer this treatment with," Hughes explains. When Blaine doesn't reply, his eyes narrow curiously, "This is really affecting you isn't it?" Blaine nods.

"I'll be fine though. This is just if they're bad, right?" he reasons.

"They're not people." Blaine begins to argue until Hughes cuts him off. "I know they look like people and sometimes they might act like people but you just have to remember that they're not. They're experiments and everything about them is artificial and manmade."

"Yeah, okay, I get it." Blaine mumbles, wishing that this training could be finished. His wish is not granted, as Hughes opens a drawer to pull out four syringes. He passes them to Blaine who turns them over in his hands, a sinking feeling spreading throughout his gut as he takes a morbid guess at what they are for.

"Be careful with those. It's standard that we issue them to all staff members who work directly with the Mods. Only use them if you feel like your own safety is threatened," Hughes explains. Blaine turns the syringes carefully in his hand feeling as though he were holding something as destructive as a grenade. He has to keep reminding himself that they are only dangerous should he choose to use them and he knows he never will. "Half a dose will put them to sleep for maybe a few days," Hughes continues to explain. "A full dose means death. Remember, millions of dollars' worth of research has gone into the creation of these Prototypes. Be careful."

Blaine gulps, placing the syringes in the four identical pockets on the inside of his issued lab coat. All he wants to do is teach but now he can't help but feel like a trained assassin.

"That's everything for today then. Use your equipment wisely and don't let the Mods get out of control." Blaine thanks Professor Hughes for his time, apologising once more for being late before snatching up his bag and leaving.

What a first day.


The next morning Blaine thankfully manages to arrive on time. Despite his promptness, he can't help but feel weighed down with anxiousness, both his mind and body heavy with the syringes resting inside his lab coat, as they along with the Electrounit serve as a constant reminder that he is expected to show dominance; they want him to punish the Prototypes if they do even the slightest thing wrong and he's not so sure if he can do that.

He makes it to his assigned classroom - if you could call it that - setting up everything before his first student arrives. He can't help the wave of guilt that washes through him when Kurt appears at the door looking tired and uneasy for reasons Blaine knows he is partially responsible for.

"Morning Kurt," Blaine greets, attempting to keep the tremble out of his voice. Kurt raises his head but doesn't let his eyes meet Blaine's.

"Good morning," he mumbles in reply, taking the seat facing Blaine. Before he can change his mind, Blaine reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Electrounit. Kurt's eyes widen at the sight, a pleading look on his face that tells Blaine he knows exactly what the device is for.

"I'm not going to use it," he assures immediately, though Kurt is clearly not convinced. Blaine knows that if anyone were to find out about this he would be in big trouble, but at the moment, he's willing to do anything to put Kurt at ease. The terrified look still registering in Kurt's eyes, Blaine places the Electrounit device in Kurt's hand. He wonders if maybe he's being a little too reckless; what if they do attack him? What if they are dangerous and Blaine is giving Kurt the only weapon he has against them? Well, aside from the syringes, but he doesn't want to think about them.

It's an impossible thought. Kurt is just a boy, probably the same age as him and doesn't look at all capable of hurting anyone. He's not so sure if he can say the same for the other Prototypes; Two and Three were cold and bitter towards him and Four barely said a word. There's just something about Kurt that he can't help but trust. Maybe because he's the only one who volunteered his name, or perhaps because of the way he actually cried when Blaine played for him. He knows he shouldn't favour students but he can't help but have a soft spot for Kurt.

Kurt jolts him out of his thoughts as he placing the Electrounit back on the table between the two of them, vaguely resembling a small time bomb.

"You won't use it?" Kurt says, barely above a whisper. Blaine shakes his head; no. Suddenly, Kurt smiles and it's as if his entire being transforms, it's then that Blaine knows he has earned his trust.

"Let's get back to the music then shall we?" Kurt nods enthusiastically, the Electrounit left entirely forgotten on the table as Blaine begins to explain the history of music, the different periods and how to distinguish when a piece was written from sound alone. He plays pieces for Kurt on the piano and Kurt is able to name the different techniques he uses. Blaine is astounded at how quickly he is advancing considering he didn't even know what a note was the day before.

Kurt revels in his praise; it's as though no one has ever given him so much as a 'good job!' before and Blaine begins to wonder if that's not far from the truth.

The only trouble Kurt seems to have however is with interpretation.

"This piece could be interpreted to express the joy that comes from seeing the first flowers bloom in the spring," Blaine tries to explain but is met with only a blank expression. "Th-the trills and flourishes sound almost like birds singing which is usually associated with the spring and-"

"Birds?" Kurt asks curiously.

"Yeah!" Blaine confirms excitedly, hoping that Kurt might understand.

"I've read about them, but I don't really know what they are." Blaine's heart sinks as a thought occurs to him. He's not sure if he should really ask but he feels like he needs to know,

"Have you…ever been outside?" he inquires, afraid of the answer though when Kurt shakes his head it is suddenly clear why he doesn't understand the interpretation of Vivaldi. "Maybe we should leave the listening for today and go back to theory, okay?" Kurt shrugs and Blaine feels a great loss. His job is to teach them the technical side of music only but how is he supposed to do that without the practical?

As he begins to explain the idea behind time signatures, it's not long before Blaine realises that Kurt isn't paying attention, and he curses himself for suddenly being aware of the control panel tucked away beneath the desk.

"Kurt?" He questions.

"Sorry," he says in panic stiffening as he expects Blaine to punish him.

"It's okay, we've covered so much already today, we can slack off for a few minutes," he justifies, "what's on your mind?"

"Birds," Kurt answers almost sorrowfully.

"What about the birds?"

"What do they look like?" Kurt wonders aloud. Blaine falters for a moment as he thinks how he could answer.

"Well, there are all different kinds; mostly they're quite small, covered in feathers and with beaks…" Kurt nods slowly but Blaine knows he still doesn't understand. "I'll tell you what," he reasons, "if you can focus for the rest of the lesson, then I promise I'll show you what a bird looks like tomorrow." Kurt's eyes widen at the idea as he nods frantically.

Eventually Kurt has to go and Prototype Two shows up for his lesson. Blaine hides the Electrounit back in his pocket, deciding it best not to mention it around him; he's not so sure he would react much like Kurt did.

Teaching Two proves to be a lot more of a challenge than Kurt. Kurt has a willingness to learn and marvels at the seemingly endless amount of sounds that can be made whereas Two is still struggling to understand the purpose of music at all.

Three is the same, but unlike Two, she does try. Blaine can tell she wants so badly to be better yet she gets so frustrated when she doesn't understand.

Four on the other hand understands perfectly, Blaine only has to explain something once and she understands immediately, almost like a computer storing information yet Blaine scolds himself at the comparison.

Blaine manages to finish his second day at work, thankfully, without getting into any trouble with his father. He packs up the last of his things but before heading home, he makes a detour to the local book store.