SUBJECT 204

Notes: This chapter is shorter than the last one, and more of a continuation from the last chapter and some buildup to the next one.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The sun had yet to set, but already, she was getting her headaches. They always seemed to worsen at night, until going to the basement soothed them and she just found herself falling asleep.

Right about now, it was almost tempting to go home and do that. The constant vibrations of her phone in her pocket also added to her second thoughts.

Releasing her frustration in a long, low groan, she fished her phone out and declined Mother's seventeenth call. The calls weren't going to end, and she would probably be grounded for the rest of her life if she didn't call this off and just go home.

But it was getting too much at home. Mother was getting increasingly difficult to talk to and instead of loosening her grip like most moms and slowly letting their daughter have just a little bit more freedom every year, the case was the other way around.

Mother kept saying odd things, bringing up how their family was different than everyone else and they had to maintain their distance and she should start thinking about breaking up with Peter for his own safety.

Bad things always happened to this family and they were better off keeping their distance. In fact, maybe they should just go back home to Canada. It was a mistake for Granny to come here and they should go back and stay along the outskirts or the countryside, away from the crowd of the city. Mother had some friends from her childhood there and they had a son named Quinn who would be a more appropriate match.

Grumbling to herself, she shut her phone off and put it inside her bag instead.

Out of sight, out of mind.

She hadn't told Peter yet that Mother was thinking of moving them out of the country. Was it necessary though? What if they ran away together instead? It could work… She had some money saved up from her shifts at the diner, and she'd been browsing cheap places to stay. It could work. If Peter pitched in as well, they could make things work.

Resolving to tell Peter about her plans, she put her hands in her pockets and paced the park, mentally rehearsing how she would broach the subject once he arrived after basketball practice.

The headaches were receding into dull throbs again.

She could do this. It was all going to work out, and it was all going to be okay.

It had to.

The headaches were coming on more quickly. They were the only way to tell time anymore, but she'd lost track of how many wolftimes had come and gone. At this point, she had resigned herself to her fate.

What freedom did she deserve, anyway? After what she did to Peter, how could she have the gall to wish she could be out of here?

Even if they did finally succeed in curing her, did she really deserve to be free?

What she really deserved was being locked up and treated like the monster that she actually was.

The door to her quarters slid open and she sat up to ready herself for whatever would come next. Today, it was Dr. Gold striding in, with his lifted chin and wide smile. "Greetings, dearie," It was difficult to tell if he purposely didn't say if it was morning, afternoon or night. "Has your bed rest helped calm you down a tad?"

The chains rattled as she folded her hands across her lap and shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you getting the headaches again?"

She nodded.

"Yes, looks like Dr. Hopper noted that as well." Dr. Gold took a moment to study the file, careful to be just out of reach, a good meter or so away from the bed. "We'll be running some other tests now. Mostly strength and endurance tests since there is always a surge that comes before the final transformation."

"Gaston," Dr. Gold snapped his fingers, "Transport her to Examination Room 2A."

It was Dr. Whale facilitating their research this time. A stupid part of Belle was just a little bit disappointed that Dr. Gold wasn't available for the morning. This ridiculous schoolgirl crush had to go away soon and ever since Emma pointed it out, Belle could almost imagine her snarky, judgmental comments whenever the giddiness came and went.

Just focus on what's going on now, Belle told herself.

They were running more tests with Emma and Regina, this time with one of the interns assigned to be in the room with Regina. After a minor incident where Tamara failed to deescalate a tantrum from Regina, they were monitored more closely. A guard was stationed at the corner, ready for action in case Regina lashed out at Aurora.

Glancing at the guard's belt, Belle hoped the weapon at her holster was just something for stunning or shocking, but from the look of it, it was most likely a gun. That and the prod hanging from the guard's other hip made Belle uneasy.

She tried to tell herself it was just standard procedure. The guards were here for the safety of everyone involved and probably were trained to protect both the subjects and the scientists.

You are annoyingly optimistic, has anyone ever told you that?

Belle suppressed a groan and rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

"The fuck is your problem?" Tamara sneered.

Belle shook her head and returned her attention to the screens. "I'm fine, just a migraine or something."

"Aurora, the idea here is for you to say something to Regina, anything really," Dr. Whale sounded bored. His hand wasn't bandaged anymore, and the cut in his palm was healing, but he still rubbed at it and stared at it a lot. Even now, he was fidgeting with his hands and glaring at the cut. "Something that neither she nor Emma would know. We're trying to see if adding another variable will affect the range of Emma's abilities since she's already very accustomed to reading Regina."

"Regina says the girl's kind of hot. In a cardigan and dress kind of way." Emma's voice came through the speakers in the control room.

Interestingly enough, Regina banged a fist on the table and spoke out loud. "Dammit, I told Emma not to say anything and she said she just did. What did she say?"

"What do you mean?" Aurora looked at Regina, then glanced at the guard, who just shrugged. Belle had to remind herself that due to the soundproofing and the carefully controlled speakers and microphones, Aurora couldn't hear anything coming out of Emma's mouth.

"Am I wrong?" Emma's voice was as goading as ever as it hit them from the control room speakers. "I mean, I can see her right now, through Madame Student Council President's eyes." She shrugged, "I wouldn't say Cardigan Girl's my type, but eh. Whatever float's Reggie's boat."

"Dammit, 223." Dr. Whale was tensing up as he pushed the button to Emma's mic. "Just behave for once in your life, why don't you?" With an exaggerated sigh, he pushed the button for Aurora and Regina's mic. "Aurora, just say something to Regina, like a passage from your favorite book or a quote from a song, I don't fucking care, really, just get this test moving along."

Aurora looked chastised and fidgeted in her seat. Belle noticed that both Regina and the guard were looking at her sympathetically.

"Right… uh…" After casting another set of glances at the guard, Regina and the mirror, Aurora finally spoke, "I know you once upon a dream. That look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem but if I know you, I'll know what you'll do. You'll love me at once the way you did once upon a dream."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Aurora shrugged. "It's from this poem my dad used to read to me so I could sleep better since I had pretty bad insomnia as a kid."

"Ohh… Okay." Regina clasped her hands and leaned forward. "Could you repeat that? I think Emma didn't catch the whole thing,"

With more confidence than last time, Aurora recited the words again, then glanced at the camera for further instructions.

"Well… that was interesting." Dr. Whale fidgeted with his hands again before pressing the button for Emma's speakers. "Did you catch that? Can you repeat it?"

Emma folded her arms across her chest and indignantly looked at them, again like she could see them through the mirror. "What like word for word?"

"Preferably, yes."

The groan Emma let out was long, loud, unfiltered and exaggerated. "Fiiine. Okay. I think it went… I know you? Something something gleam? Once upon a dream? Seldom seems… dreams… love. Something." She threw her hands up in frustration. "Fuck if I know! I do telepathic shit, not photographic memory shit!"

"Maybe," Belle wasn't sure if it was her place to speak, but she thought it was as good a time as any to make a suggestion. "We could have Aurora repeat the poem line by line? Or can Emma just paraphrase? I mean, it's clear enough that she heard the poem, she just can't remember it. On top of that, she just admitted a moment ago that she can see through Regina's eyes, and not just have a capability to sense outside of herself. Has that been recorded before?"

Dr. Whale didn't speak right away, but he did turn to face her with a raised eyebrow.

Well he wasn't asking her to stop talking. Tamara was glaring again though.

"I feel like that's an interesting development since until now, the notes say that she's capable of having mental conversations with Regina, and sensing details surrounding Regina, but she hasn't previously revealed that she can see through Regina's eyes." Belle hesitated, then waved her hands to dismiss what she'd just said in case she'd actually spoken out of turn and already upset the irritable scientist. "I mean, that's based only on the files you've allowed us to look at, of course. Sorry."

"Actually," Dr. Whale pointed at Belle, "Good point."

Fuck you, Teacher's Pet.

Blasted by a wave of Emma's anger, Belle felt guilt settle at the pit of her stomach. This was starting to feel like an us or them situation and as far as Emma was concerned, Belle was with them.

But it was more complicated than that. Belle did feel worry for Regina and Emma and whatever they may be afraid of, but what could be done? There was still so much to the facility that Belle had yet to be granted access to. The keycards they were given only allowed them to enter certain rooms.

If Subject 204, whoever or whatever she was, had multiple levels of security to go through, what chance did Belle have of finding her? What did Emma and Regina think Belle could do?

Gold likes you.

What.

Emma was staring, and Belle felt scrutinized and exposed. It should be impossible for anyone inside the examination room to see anyone in the control room, but knowing how well Emma was at hiding the real scope of her abilities, anything was possible.

Maybe you two are just a match made in heaven and you'll be next to poke and prod at us. We're just labrats to you anyway, aren't we?

Maintaining eye contact, Emma continued to unnerve Belle as guards came into the room to escort the subject back to her quarters for a short break so the team could go over their findings.

Quarters? It's a fucking prison cell. At this point, I'm not sure if I would have preferred jail or this.

An image flashed through Belle's mind, of a bare room with a metal bench covered by little more than a thin mattress, a lumpy pillow and stiff sheets. There was no TV, as Belle had imagined. Just… a room with the bare necessities. A toilet in the corner, but not even a mirror or a sink or books or... or anything.

Sometimes they let me read books. You know how I watch TV? Regina sends me scenes. And I have a bad feeling that one day, they won't be allowing her to go home after a test.

Belle frowned and had to physically stop herself from questioning out loud why Emma would think that.

I just know.

"Belle?"

Blinking, Belle felt the connection to Emma waver, and then vanish. She looked up to see that Dr. Whale was already packing up his notes and the other interns had already left for a break. It was just Aurora who stayed and she was tapping on Belle's shoulder.

"Sorry." Belle wasn't sure what to think anymore. It was possible that Emma was being manipulative and nothing was wrong. Maybe she and Regina were simply paranoid. But Belle felt like she had to give them the benefit of a doubt. There had been some instances where the scientists seemed just a little too clinical with the subjects, and Belle hadn't liked that.

There could be at least just a bit of merit to Emma and Regina's concerns.

Realizing that Aurora was still staring at her, Belle said, "Gosh, sorry again. I just have a lot on my mind. Did you say something?"

"Did you want to have lunch together again?" Aurora asked.

Lunch sounded good right about now. "Yeah, sure!"

"Shit!" Dr. Whale, probably distractedly fidgeting with his hand again, knocked over a box next to the monitors. Files spilled out across the floor and Belle immediately noticed that there were files pertaining to subjects other than Regina and Emma. There were some of what looked like Cora Mills's files, and then Belle glimpsed a picture of an older woman, in her sixties or seventies. Pictures included in the file were shots of the older woman's arm, with deep scars cutting through the skin.

"Do you need help, sir?" Mentally kicking herself for taking advantage of this, Belle kneeled down and started helping Dr. Whale gather up the files. As she was putting some together, she spotted the numbers.

204.

Unable to help herself, Belle paused and looked at the sheet. At the top corner was a picture of a teenager who looked terrified. Haunted. Her green eyes sunk deep into dark circles. The picture was faded, possibly a few years old. It was the same person as the one in the hazy image that Emma showed. It had to be.

Dr. Whale snatched the file from Belle and stuffed it back into the box. "You're not cleared to see that."

"But-"

"Get out or I'll have Gold take you off of the program!" Dr. Whale snapped, and Belle knew better than to call his bluff.

Note 2: Belle is still on the fence about joining forces with team Swan Queen, but she'll get there soon enough. Just a little bit more pushing and pulling is needed, really.

On another note, I've started churning out longer chapters lately, which means I'm not finishing as many chapters a day as I was when this first launched. Which means I'm starting to post more chapters than I'm finishing, so we may be reaching an end to my buffer this weekend, depending on how I fare with regaining steam.

So my question is this: How are you finding the daily schedule? Will you be willing to downgrade to an every-other-day or possibly bi-weekly schedule? Chapters will most likely be longer, if that helps you feel any better about the possible schedule change.