SUBJECT 204
Notes: We're back to our usual programming today and MY GAHD this chapter was so hard to write because there was so much going on and so many characters in the scene. WHEW. I hope I did the scene justice.
Guest: I love you too.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Belle made her way into the conference room, everyone was already seated and Dr. Gold was at the front with the screen.
As much as she wanted to sit as far away from Tamara as possible, Belle knew that would be petty, so she reluctantly forced herself to flop down on the empty seat next to her. Tamara barely nodded in acknowledgement of Belle's presence.
"How kind of you to join us, Belle, dearie." Dr. Gold said before he pushed a button for the screen to flash pictures of 204, Emma and Regina.
204's picture was dated, and Belle felt her chest tighten at the sight of the frightened fifteen-year-old girl with long hair and wide green eyes and pale skin. Emma's mugshot was there again. Regina's picture was the one from her file.
"Igor, I thought I told you to take a new picture of 204 for our files." Dr. Gold glared at an assistant who was now pressing himself against the wall like he was trying to disappear.
Rolling his eyes, Dr. Gold then turned to the team that consisted of himself, Dr. Whale, Dr. Hopper, Belle, Tamara and three other assistants. Gaston and another guard were stationed at corners of the room.
"Tonight, instead of the control exercises we've been doing with the wolf," Dr. Gold continued. "Thanks to Tamara's brilliant suggestions, we'll be bringing in 201 and 223 to interact with 204."
He pushed another button to show a room similar to the one 204 had been chained in last night. There was a horizontal bar on the floor, separating the chains from some chairs and monitors. Belle figured the bar could be activated into an eletified fence of some sort. Most likely as a precaution if the wolf managed to break free of the chains.
"We'll use Testing Room 2B for this. It has the right chains and restraints for 204's transformation as well as room for the chairs and scanners where 201 and 223 may be stationed."
The screen transitioned to a table with the abilities of the three subjects.
SUBJECT 201
Telekinesis, underdeveloped biokinesis and pyrokinesis, potential ESP, one recorded instance of levitation; has shown ability to accelerate healing and regeneration.
SUBJECT 204
HUMAN STATE
unusual strength; heightened senses; can extend fingernails into claws; teeth tend to sharpen; eyes sometimes turn gold/yellow;
WOLF STATE
enhanced strength; enhanced senses; accelerated healing/regeneration
SUBJECT 223
Aura Reading; Clairvoyance; Remote-viewing; generally a range of ESP abilities; rapidly developing telepathy; underdeveloped postcognition; untested instances of mild precognition; may have potential for Telekinesis but no properly recorded instances yet
Dr. Gold gave them time to go over the screen before he spoke. "We hope to develop a program in which the abilities of both 223 and 201 can be used to control the abilities of 204."
There was something about that statement that rubbed Belle the wrong way and she tried to bottle it and hide her discomfort.
"223 has a wide range of telepathic abilities and is reported as being able to look into and get into other minds. Belle has noted that 223 claims to be able to see through 201's eyes."
It wasn't so long ago that being given a special mention like that would have thrilled Belle. Now, it left a bitter taste in her mouth and she felt disgusted with herself.
"201 on the other hand is a highly capable telekinetic. When pushed, she has also the potential to be biokinetic. That could be key to controlling 204. Are we all following what I'm getting at?"
Dr. Hopper raised his pen, "Sir, so essentially, we want 223 to control 204's mind and 201 to control her body?"
Grinning like they weren't talking about taking autonomy away from a living being, Dr. Gold said, "Right you are, Hopper. That's exactly the outcome we want to achieve with this new program."
"What's the guarantee that 201 and 223 will cooperate?" Dr. Whale asked, head resting on his palm. "201 might be compelled to do as asked, but we all know how 223 can be."
"I think," There was a look in Dr. Gold's eyes that sent chills up Belle's spine. "That with the right push of the right buttons, any of them can be compelled to do what we want them to do."
This was sickening and infuriating and Belle had to swallow down the rapidly rising anger. She wasn't used to being this angry for this long and it was stressful being in this state and a part of her wished she could go back home and sleep some more.
But she knew she couldn't do that.
Specially not now that Emma and Regina's fears may actually be coming true.
The headaches were coming in again, telling her it would be the full moon soon. She was still strapped to the bed with assistants watching over her. Struggling and squirming weren't working and she had little choice but to breathe and whimper her way through the waves of pain.
Moments like these, she just wished her head would explode.
"Should we administer the painkillers?"
"Dr. Hopper didn't say. He's still at the meeting."
"Dammit. I hate watching her when she's not sedated."
If she just had the words to apologize to them for being difficult, she would have spoken. Instead, a wail came out of her and her body convulsed as waves and waves of agony crashed over her. Her head was splitting, her ribs were breaking, her eyes were burning up. She dug her claws into her palms and felt the skin break open again.
Pain.
So much pain.
She tried to think of Peter. But his bloody remains haunted her instead. She tried to think of Dorothy. But her limp body pierced through instead. She tried to think of Granny, but news headlines of the serial killer were what came through instead. She couldn't think of anything that could ground her and ease her through this.
Not that she deserved that.
Monsters deserve their punishment.
Finally, the pain eased and she lay limp against the bed, damp and warm and dazed.
"Heartbeat's more or less back to normal. A bit fast, but it'll normalize soon."
"Same with breathing. Brainwaves are all over the place though, but that's from the full moon. Nothing unusual."
The door swung open and several guards came in, and the subject felt her heart sink when she saw no Mulan.
"Here's our pass to transport 204. Gold wants her in Testing Room 2B."
Seeing Emma and Regina being transported into the room like prisoners with handcuffs and guards made Belle's blood boil. She held her hands behind her back so she could clench them into tight fists.
One of the guards, the big guy, Gaston, roughly shoved Emma into one of the chairs.
"Get the fuck off me!" Emma was squirming and struggling despite one guard firmly holding her upper arms and shoulders. Another guard was unlocking the cuffs so they could strap Emma's arms down, but the girl wasn't cooperating. She managed to wriggle free from their grasp and stand up, only to have Gaston's fist collide with her cheek.
"Sit." Gaston shoved Emma back down. "The fuck." He roughly strapped her right arm onto the chair. "Down." He caught her flailing left arm by the wrist and strapped that down too.
Belle saw the bruise forming along Emma's cheek and the blood welling up from her lip where she must have bit it during the punch.
"Gaston, could you please-" Dr. Hopper seemed to shrink when Gaston turned to face him. "Be a tad gentler on the subjects? Maybe?"
Gaston merely grunted his response and walked over to the other chair, where Regina was being strapped down with less difficulty. After checking the work of the other guards, he gestured for them to take their positions nearby, ready to move in whenever needed.
Now, it was time for the scientists to hook the scanners up to the two subjects. The two people. Belle corrected herself.
Mind telling me what the fuck is going on? And why they're treating Regina like this?
Belle felt Emma's anger and fear and worry and had to breathe out the tension and straighten up, lightly shaking her stiffening hands. Some new tests would be conducted tonight. They would be involving Subject 204.
Images from last night came swimming back into Belle's mind and she had to focus on keeping her face neutral and relaxed as she played out the image of 204. A starved, broken young woman, a shell of a person, with sunken green eyes and a shaved head and a recently scarred face. Scars riddling her skin from cruel tests to record her healing rates. Electrical burns from the brutal and outdated training methods employed to tame and subdue the wolf.
Shit.
She thought about how peaceful 204 looked in her sleep. How she almost looked much younger when her sharp features were relaxed. How painful it was to see the fresh scar across her face.
That's fucked up.
It was.
It really was.
What are they going to do with us?
There was fear radiating through Emma now. Fear and anger.
But above all of that, there was worry.
I can't let that happen to Regina.
Belle was taken aback by the depth of emotion that Emma was feeling, and it clashed with all the files that went on about how she was self-absorbed and unsympathetic and self-preserving. This girl wanted nothing more than to see to it that the one person she felt a connection with could be taken out of here, safe and sound.
She's helped make this hellhole become almost bearable. She matters to me.
Before Belle could come up with a response, Dr. Gold came into the room and strode straight over to Emma and Regina. "Good evening, dearies."
Emma and Regina exchanged a glance.
Regina was the one to speak, although she made sure to cast a warning look at Emma before doing so. "Can I ask what we're here for? My tests aren't usually run at night."
"Excellent question, dearie." Dr. Gold spoke as if he was in a classroom with young students. "Tonight, we want the two of you to collaborate, which I'm aware you enjoy doing."
What the fuck is this going to be about?
Belle could feel Emma's rising distress and how she was trying to mask that with anger.
"Okay." Regina kept her voice calm and collected. "What are we to collaborate on tonight?"
"Essentially? We want you to control Subject 204." Dr. Gold said, looking from Regina, to Emma, then back. "We want you, Regina, to control what you can of her body. And you, Emma, to control what you can of her mind."
"What the actual fuck?" Emma couldn't hold back this time and she jerked in her seat. "You're fucking sick!"
"Come now," Dr. Gold rolled his eyes, and his condescending dismissal added fresh flames to Belle's anger and it was like that moment when she used to admire him was a lifetime ago. "It's not like you're going to be controlling a person. It's not supposed to be such a major issue."
"What, are we going to be controlling some kind of animal?" Regina asked.
Gold's teeth gleamed. "In a manner of speaking."
Belle was caught off guard by the sudden pull that felt like her head was toppling forward. She had to clench her teeth and shift her footing to keep herself grounded and steady, but it felt like she was doing it from far away. It was like a part of her was floating somewhere else.
She felt Emma's rapidly beating heart coinciding with the beeping machines. She felt Regina's worry and better-hidden fear.
Show her.
That was Emma, directing Belle to think about 204. There was a fresh wave of turmoil as she thought about the way Dr. Gold had shocked and beaten the wolf to within an inch of her life. She thought about the painful transformation as 204's body bent and broke itself back into human form. She thought about how drained and starved 204 was, with her protruding, scarred ribs and her pale limbs.
The connection was broken when the doors burst open.
As subtly as she could, Belle rubbed at her temples to ease the dull throb. A glance over at Emma's readings showed that she was still very stressed out. Her facial expressions showed more of her anger though. She was good at that. Regina kept her demeanor calm and collected- chin high, shoulders back.
There was a commotion going on as several guards tried to pull at chains.
Belle felt her blood run cold when she saw the guards pull in a struggling 204. She was squirming and bending over as they pulled at the chains hooked up to her collar. Her hands were cuffed behind her back and when they pulled too hard, she stumbled and couldn't catch herself, landing heavily on her knee then her chest.
Glancing around her, Belle saw that Tamara looked irritated. Dr. Gold looked exasperated. Dr. Hopper looked worried. Emma looked horrified. Regina's mouth was set but her eyebrows had shot up.
The guards roughly pulled 204 to her feet then shoved her down into the third chair. As they struggled to move her into the strapped down position of Emma and Regina, Belle realized that 204 wasn't struggling like she was trying to get away. The way her hands were clenched fists and her face was contorted, it looked more like she was in pain and reacting to it and the guards were mistaking that as struggles and lack of cooperation.
When they finally succeeded in strapping her down -noticeably with silver bands as opposed to Regina and Emma's leather straps- 204 was still squirming and trembling.
Belle had to hold herself back from going over to comfort the poor girl.
She's in pain.
Emma's voice was coming into Belle's head again.
I can feel it and I don't know if I can take it.
"Regina, Emma," Dr. Gold walked over to stand by 204, who continued to squirm. Soft whimpers were starting to come through her lips. "I would like you to meet Subject 204."
He spread his bony fingers over the top of her head and pulled it backwards, forcing her to face them instead of bending over. She was breathing heavily and Belle felt her legs going weak and her stomach going cold and her head heating up.
"You want us to control her?" Emma's disgust was clear in her voice and in her expression. "How fucked up do you think we are?"
The wave of pain seemed to have passed because 204 looked more limp in the chair now, breathing heavily. Her green eyes were darting around and trying to take in what was going on.
"I was hoping you'd be more cooperative." Dr. Gold said. "You, Emma, don't even have to fully control her mind yet. We hope to work our way up to that. For now, we want you to read what you can from her in this state and then read her again when she goes into her wolf state." He pointed to Dr. Hopper. "How much longer do we have?"
"Two hours, give or take." Dr. Hopper answered.
"So for tonight," Regina kept her voice even. "You want Emma to just read 204. What about me?"
"We hope you're willing to practice your biokinetic abilities." Dr. Gold answered. "As best you can."
Regina looked at Emma, then at Dr. Gold. "What if I can't?"
"Dearie, don't push me." Dr. Gold's smile was icy and Belle wasn't sure if she wanted to walk out of the room and get as far away from here as possible or run over and set everyone free and save them from this disgusting place. "I wouldn't recommend it."
Her mind is so hard to read.
Fear was deep and cold in Emma, but she had anger boiling as well and her defense mechanism was to throw more fire into the anger so it could overpower the fear.
"What if I want to push you? Are you going to do to me the shit you've been doing to her?" Emma's monitors were spiking as she got more riled up, and, Belle realized, because Emma was also secretly using her abilities.
204's thoughts… It's garbled and nonlinear. But she's scared and she thinks she's dangerous. She's confused. She keeps thinking vaguely about a dark basement and her Mother. I also keep seeing images of two teenagers- a guy and a girl. And then she also keeps thinking about…
Belle felt the lurching feeling again and she found herself feeling intense pain and self-hatred and desolation and guilt and fear. She felt the guilt of killing the boy she loved and killing the girl she was afraid to love. She felt the horror of knowing she was a monster. She felt the distress of knowing she was surrounded by people she might harm if the wolf got loose. She felt pain throbbing through her head and she wished she could die but knew she didn't deserve to die.
There was a lurch again and Belle nearly stumbled.
"The fuck is going on with you?" Tamara was looking at Belle suspiciously.
"Uh… spasm. Thing." Belle would have kicked herself for how stupid she sounded. "It's cold in here."
Tamara's expression was somewhere between disgust and confusion, but she eventually rolled her eyes and returned her focus to the scientists and their subjects.
"Well, Emma," Dr. Gold was curling and curling his fingers over 204's short hair. "If you push me, I think I'm willing to push just how low you really score on empathy."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Emma demanded, "What like are you going to start zapping your electric stick at Regina, too?"
Dr. Gold scoffed, "Heavens, no, dearie. I don't just yet have clearance to run tests like that on Regina." He tightened his grip on the short strands. "But I do for 204 over here."
"You're a sick fuck!" Emma struggled against the restraints. "If I wasn't strapped down right now, I'd have my hands around that stupid skinny little fucking neck of yours!"
"Calm yourself, dearie." Dr. Gold sounded like he was reprimanding a child and it only served to anger Emma further.
Though the link to 204 was broken, Belle still felt Emma's emotions and wondered if she could find 204's name. Referring to this person, who was already so stripped of her humanity, by nothing more than her subject number was unsettling and wrong.
It's hard.
Hard as in 204 couldn't remember her name anymore?
As in she doesn't think she deserves to have a name. She refers to herself as the subject. As the monster. As the wolf. As 204.
That revelation hit Belle hard and she felt her throat tightening up and she had to remind herself to keep her head up and her face calm.
Yeah, that's it. Just keep your composure. Coz God, I sure can't. Not with how bad she looks. Those scars and those burns, man. I can't. Connecting with her is heavy shit and I'm afraid that I won't be able to handle it.
Belle wondered if Emma had tried to communicate with 204 yet or if she'd only so far been squatting in 204's mind.
I haven't yet. I think she'll freak out if I jump on her suddenly. I'm trying to ease into her with images since she seems to go through her thoughts more visually than verbally.
None of this was making any sense and the subject was feeling her mounting distress take a tight hold on her chest. There were these new faces and two of them were strapped down just like she was and she didn't understand why and she didn't like seeing them being treated the way she was.
Her head was still throbbing, and she could feel that the full moon was just a few hours away.
Dr. Gold was still gripping her hair and keeping her head up and she couldn't understand what was going on and what they were hoping to accomplish and Mulan wasn't here and the subject didn't know what to look at to collect herself.
A feeling passed over her.
It felt like it was coming outside of her.
It was a strange feeling. It was holding hands. It was standing together. It was sitting at a bar and laughing with two guys named Neal and Killian. It was companionship. It was solidarity.
She didn't deserve any of that.
She was a monster. She deserved isolation and punishment.
A monster that could maul Peter until his remains were unrecognizable did not deserve any companionship. A monster that could swipe at Dorothy and break her did not deserve solidarity.
"I have a feeling." Dr. Gold still hadn't let go of her head. "That you are already linking with her right now. I'm noticing spikes in your readings that coincide with each other."
What was that supposed to mean?
A fresh wave of pain burst through her skull and she jerked her head from Dr. Gold's hands and screamed as jolts of agony burned through her body, causing her muscles to spasm and jerk against the burning silver restraints.
Another scream was mingled with hers and she felt like someone was sharing her pain. She felt like she wasn't alone.
She deserved to be alone.
No, you don't.
Amidst the agony of her body pushing and pulling against the power of the full moon, she felt a thought invade her head. It was a voice that was strange and foreign and delirious from the pain it took her a while to connect the voice in her head to the blond girl strapped down to the chair in front.
The subject deserved this. After the pain and grief she brought upon so many people, she deserved to die a thousand times and come back a thousand times to be tested and prodded and hurt a thousand more times.
It was an eternity before the pain finally passed and she slumped in the chair, breathing heavily.
I'm with you.
Looking up, the subject made eye contact with the blond girl.
My name is Emma.
The subject felt the girl pushing and prodding for a name.
The subject didn't deserve a name. She was 204. She was no longer the person she used to be. She was a monster.
She jerked in her chair and tried to get away from the poking, prodding intrusion in her mind that was trying to pull her name back from its depths.
Okay, I'll stop. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed.
"Emma," Dr. Gold had moved over to stand at Emma's side now. "I know you linked with her just now. And apparently, you're capable of sharing her pain as well. Care to tell me more about that?"
"I'm not telling you shit."
The subject looked away from Emma and looked over at the new girl that had been nice. Her name was B… Be… It started with a B. She couldn't remember. Something about Dorothy and a movie crossed the subject's mind and she wasn't sure why.
Her name is Belle.
There was that intrusive voice again.
For a moment, the subject felt another presence in her head. This one wasn't as rough and edged as Emma's. It was soft and worried and distressed and felt a depth of care and concern for the subject that was impossible to comprehend.
I'm going to take you away from here. I just don't know how.
The subject shook her head side to side to shake off the invasive thought of two people inside her head.
Soft presence was pushed out, but Emma's stayed.
"Very well." Dr. Gold took his prod from one of the assistants and the subject felt her heartbeat picking up as she saw it come closer and closer towards her. "If you're still linked to her, like I suspect you are, maybe this will entice you to be more cooperative."
The prod touched her shoulder and she screamed as it sent agony through her body and made her spasm and jerk and struggle and scream.
Her screams weren't alone.
Leave me alone, the subject thought. It was bad enough that these two other girls were being experimented on as well. Emma didn't need to share the subject's pain. Emma didn't need to put herself through any of this.
I'm with you.
The pain finally eased and they both slumped in their chairs.
"Are you more inclined to cooperate, Emma, dearie?" Dr. Gold asked.
Emma was breathing heavily, but she managed to straighten up and look Dr. Gold in the eye. "Fat chance."
They barely had time to breathe before pain and agony and electricity burned through them again and it was strange not feeling it alone and it was horrible knowing that someone else was feeling this and knowing it was all her fault. She wished Emma stopped sharing the pain. She wished Emma wasn't feeling the pain. Emma didn't deserve the pain.
"You don't deserve this anymore than I do!" Emma's words were screamed out as she jerked and struggled in her seat.
"STOP!" That was Belle, and she was moving forward, only to be stopped and restrained by Gaston. "Dr. Gold, please! Stop it! This is torture!"
The pain stopped and they collapsed into their chairs once more.
But seeing someone so nice being handled so roughly by Gaston made the subject angry. She growled and glared at Gaston and wished she could get up and tear him away from the nice girl.
Belle. Emma's voice came into the subject's mind and there was exhaustion and fear and pain.
Belle. The subject wanted to tear Belle away from Gaston's hands.
"Dr. Gold, please! It's not working, it's only hurting them!" Belle was struggling against Gaston's grasp.
Belle tried to pull herself free of the guard's hands on her shoulder and arm until he maneuvered her around and shoved her against the table. She was being bent over it and her arm was being twisted painfully against her back and her cheek was pressed against the cold table and she was scared and horrified, but the anger was still there. She tried not to cry out as pain built up in her shoulder the more she struggled and the more he twisted.
"Sir? Gaston maintained his painful grip on her arm. "Orders?"
Dr. Gold's mouth was a thin-set line as he looked over at Belle.
"Should I cuff her?" Gaston prompted.
It felt like hours before Dr. Gold finally spoke. "No. Let her go."
"Yes, sir."
Gaston released Belle and she stiffly brought her arms in front of her and pressed them against the table, propping herself up and catching her breath.
"Do you want to be taken off the program?" Tamara quipped and Belle had to restrain herself from snapping back.
"Is there another way you recommend getting this juvenile to cooperate?" Dr. Gold asked, eyes locked on Belle.
She felt put on the spot and she didn't know what to say. If only she could tell them to put a stop to this and just let everyone get out of here and rest and sleep and be safe. The pain in her shoulder was still there and she couldn't let herself dwell on it knowing that 204, and even Emma, were going through much worse.
"Well?" Dr. Gold prompted when Belle didn't give an answer.
"I'll do it." Regina's voice was soft and it wavered, but as they all turned to look at her, she spoke again, more clearly this time. "I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just… please don't shock them like that again."
Dr. Gold's smile was back. "Very well. Thank you for your cooperation, Regina, dear." He strode over to stand by Regina. "For now, I won't require you to do anything just yet. When the wolf does eventually transform, that's when I would like you to take control of her body."
Regina took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes, Dr. Gold."
"Good girl." Dr. Gold's praise was condescending and infuriating.
Belle ran a hand through her hair and straightened up. She felt sick and weak and horrified. The pain from Gaston's rough treatment was still there, but Belle refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he'd hurt her. She grit her teeth and kept her chin up.
She's worried about you. And angry at Gaston for hurting you. And she's feeling this nasty headache that she connects with the full moon and her transformation.
And it surprised Belle how Emma refused to let go of the link with 204 and continued to share in her pain.
She's been alone here for such a long time. I can't just stand by and let her continue to face this shit by herself.
It was impossible to grasp the concept of having half your life taken away. To be cut open and shocked and beaten and burned and tortured for seven years. She was a teenager when she got here and now… she was a shell of a person and it broke Belle's heart.
Seven years? Really? Fucking hell. If I can just get my hands around Gold's fucking throat. Or if I could just reach Gaston's fucking gun. Regina doesn't want to do anything sudden and stupid. She's scared it's all going to end badly if we do anything now.
As much as Belle wanted to get them out of here and take there somewhere safe and just act here, act now, she knew that was out of the question. There were too many guards, too much security, too much surveillance. This was something that needed to be planned out and not done on a whim, no matter how much Belle wished she could.
You really want to help us get out of here?
Belle hardened her resolve. No matter what it took, she would get them out of here.
"Despite 223's lack of cooperation, we still did gather some valuable findings." Dr. Hopper was speaking to Dr. Gold and it seemed like an attempt to calm the head scientist. "We know for a fact now that when linking with someone, Emma can share not just their thoughts and abstract emotions, but she can concretely feel their pain as well."
Dr. Gold nodded as he toyed with his prod. "That is true."
"We have a little more than an hour before the transformation is due." Dr. Whale spoke up from his position among the monitors. "Shall we start moving her into position?"
"Are we going to be keeping the gown on?" Tamara asked, and Dr. Gold turned to her. "I mean like isn't her wolf form a bit… bigger? That's a waste of the gown if you ask me."
Disgust churned in Belle's stomach as she turned on Tamara. "Are you actually suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
"What?" Tamara looked Belle up and down. "We should be practical here. What even are you doing here?"
The jab stung and Belle clenched her fists. As tempting as it was to engage Tamara in this argument, Belle instead turned to Dr. Gold. "Dr. Gold, we can't seriously be considering stripping 204 before her transformation." It was impossible at this point to keep her anger contained and she spat out the words as she glared at scientist she once thought was brilliant but now knew was cruel and evil.
Gaston started moving towards Belle, but stopped at a gesture from Dr. Gold.
"We do go through quite a few gowns when she shifts." Dr. Gold said. "It is a tad wasteful."
"What about basic human decency?" Belle demanded, pushing past Gaston and standing in front of Dr. Gold. "What about at least trying to have some semblance of humanity with how we treat 204?"
"Watch yourself, dearie." Dr. Gold's eyes were cold and dark and narrowed. "You're stepping out of line."
"Dr. Gold, sir," From his place by the monitors with Dr. Whale, Dr. Hopper chimed in, "I'd have to agree with Belle. Shouldn't we at least let 204 have some… er… modesty?"
"What modesty would a beast like her need?" Dr. Whale turned to face Dr. Hopper, "I've said it before, I'll say it again. You are far too soft with her. She's an animal."
Dr. Hopper's face was reddening. "She deserves some humane treatment either way."
"We go through so many of those stupid gowns every year, why don't we actually save some of them?" Dr. Whale's fists were clenched and he was standing up now.
The argument was starting to escalate. Belle looked at Dr. Gold and searched his face for the brilliant, ingenious, passionate man she had once looked up to, but there really was no trace of him anymore. Instead all she saw was this man of cruelty and obsession. This horrible person who paraded himself as revolutionary. The temptation to call him out on it was strong and nearly impossible to resist but she had to remind herself of Mulan's warning. Nothing good would come of being kicked out of the facility.
"HEY!" Emma's yell broke through the noise of arguing. "She said yes."
Dr. Gold raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
Emma's swollen lip was trembling as she winced, then she straightened up and looked Dr. Gold in the eye. "She doesn't want to be a bother and she'll cooperate."
There was interest in Dr. Gold's eyes. "Did she now? What's it like, reading her thoughts? How does it differ from Regina's?"
At the barrage of questions, Emma set her jaw and lifted her chin. The expression on her face was so clear, she didn't need to say the words out loud.
I'm not telling him any shit.
Recognizing Emma's look, Dr. Gold rolled his eyes then gestured towards the guards. "Well you heard her, did you not? Prepare 204 for the shift and get rid of the gown."
This was sickening. Belle felt her stomach churning and her throat tightening and her chest pounding. She turned away from 204 as the guards started moving in towards her. There was no sound of struggling, just the clanking of chains and the thudding of boots and the click of locks.
As Belle glanced over at Regina and Emma, she saw that they couldn't watch either. Emma was looking off to the side while Regina had her eyes closed as she bit her scarred lip.
Just as they were finishing up chaining her loosely enough for the wolf to have some slack, she felt exposed. Not cold, she didn't feel cold very often. But bare and inhuman.
Not that she was human.
You are.
Emma hadn't let go of their link yet and the subject wasn't sure what to feel about it.
You are more human than Gold is.
That wasn't true. Dr. Gold was doing everything within his power to find a cure for the wolf. He was going to great lengths to test and experiment and discover how best to cure the subject. He was always testing her and pushing her to see how well she could fight the shift. He said that they were doing everything they could to reach the day when she wouldn't have to shift anymore.
There was a new presence in her head, this one more calm. Her name was Regina. The subject didn't know how she knew that. She just knew it and felt it.
She saw how Dr. Gold would talk to Mother when they thought she wasn't listening. She saw how Dr. Gold and Mother would negotiate how long she would stay at the facility and how much it would cost. She saw Dr. Gold talking to her ever since she was a child, convincing her that she had to use her powers to be able to control them. She felt the pain of Mother's harsh words. She felt the fear of disappointing Dr. Gold. She felt the frustration of having to spend so much time in the facility. She felt every opportunity that slipped out of her grasp as Mother forced her to put away the universities that accepted her into their programs. It was especially painful when even the ones with offered scholarships had to be put away.
We deserve better than this. There was deeply buried anger in those words.
They deserved better than this. None of them killed the ones they cared about. None of them were monsters.
Try me. There was a pull in her stomach and in her head and she felt like she was falling over even if she was already crouched down on the floor. She found herself transported back to when Regina was young.
Experiencing the memory second hand made it hazy, and it was so long ago, that most of it was scattered images and raw emotions.
Father was playing with her. They were messing around. Playing with dolls or horses. Figurines that meant the world to her. She was happy. She was loved.
Then there was Mother. She smelled strange. It took years for her to realize the smell was alcohol. She was yelling. Father was yelling. Everyone was yelling and she was terrified and wanted everything to just stop.
And it just happened.
She didn't know how it happened, but she felt anger rush out of her because she wanted to stop them from fighting.
Father lay still on the floor. Mother had blocked the force of the anger and was left standing.
We may be monsters because of our pasts, but we do not deserve this torture.
They were wrong. She curled up and clutched at her head, wanting them to go away and leave her alone.
204, please. This was Belle's voice. Her presence was soft and blue and soothing and it brought the subject back to when they had that brief moment of shared comfort. It brought the subject back to when Belle felt care and concern and worry for the wolf. It brought the subject back to when she was being viewed as someone helpless and tortured and abused. Not someone being cured or controlled. We want to help you.
The pain was starting to build up in her head again. She knew they were all wrong. She knew what she was and what she was, was a monster.
Burning, building pain took hold of her head and she felt Emma pull Belle and Regina out, but she herself stayed.
It was like her head was going to explode and she didn't know if she would ever get used to the feeling as her skull split apart and her jaw dislocated itself and her teeth broke through her gums.
There was screaming coming from somewhere in front of her, but she couldn't concentrate on it as her ears stretched and pulled into position. Her eyes were burning so bad, they felt like they were going to melt out of their sockets and her shoulders were dislocating and relocating and her ribs were breaking themselves up and stretching forward and her spine was arching and contracting and breaking and pushing and pulling her into position.
I'm with you.
It wasn't by much, but it was enough to be noticeable. The pain was just a little bit lighter, just a little bit blunter. The transition was just a little bit smoother.
The burning agony was still there, but she felt less like she was going to die in the middle of transforming.
Emma was thrashing in her bonds, screaming out in pain and Dr. Hopper had to attend to her. The monitors were showing intense spikes to her vitals and although there was no physical, recordable cause to Emma's pain, the accelerated heartrate and blood pressure were reaching dangerous levels.
"Don't you fucking sedate me." Emma yelled at them the moment she saw them preparing needles. Another scream tore out of her just as 204's body jerked into unnatural positions. There was blood coming out of Emma's nose and she looked like the strain of maintaining contact with 204 was taking a toll on her.
"This should ease the pain and calm you," Dr. Hopper insisted as he pressed the needle into Emma's arm.
There was so much going on at the same time, Belle felt overwhelmed and distressed and unsteady on her feet. She looked over at Tamara, who had her arms folded across her chest and her face cold and expressionless.
"How can you be so okay with all of this?" Belle winced as 204's scream transitioned into a long, piercing howl.
"Besides everything being really fascinating shit," Tamara said, "It's simple. I care more about this job than I do about them. They're not like us, after all."
Wanting nothing more than to get the subjects out of here, Belle held back the exasperated sigh she wished she could let out.
Emma's vitals were starting to stabilize, but the strain of the contact was too much and she looked like she was close to passing out.
"Regina." Dr. Gold's voice pulled Regina away from her focus on Emma. "The wolf is there. Control it."
Belle chewed at her bottom lip and ran her hands through her hair and wished this wasn't real. The movement of lifting her arm reminded her of her stiff, sore shoulder and she had to keep herself from wincing visibly.
There was so much going on.
Emma was being removed from the chair and strapped down onto a stretcher and they were taking her away.
Reluctance was clear on Regina's face, but she turned her eyes on the wolf.
The wolf was pulling against the chains, barking and growling. She was baring her teeth and her fur stuck out around the collar and her protruding ribs heaved and her muscles were tensed as she strained against the chains.
Then she froze.
Panting rapidly, she seemed to be trying to move. There was exaggerated tension in the muscles along her shoulders and limbs. Tremors were running through her body.
The concentration on Regina was intense.
Whining and crying, the wolf fought against the external force controlling her body.
"Excellent, dearie." Dr. Gold was rubbing his palms. "Excellent."
"I'm not sure how much longer I can do this." Regina's voice shook, giving away the strain it was taking her to keep the wolf in her power.
Slowly, the wolf's head was forced down, then her forelegs were pushed in front of her until her chest touched the floor. The whimpering was reaching a piercing pitch as the wolf was forced into a bowing position with her head between her forelegs.
Sweat was coating Regina's furrowed brow as she fought against the wolf's struggles. The machines were beeping loudly and rapidly.
"Dr. Gold, please." Dr. Hopper was checking on Regina now. "Her vitals are-"
"She can do this." Dr. Gold's snap quieted Dr. Hopper.
The wolf was whining and her own vitals were spiking. Her tail was between her legs and her body was trembling violently as she continued to be forced in that bowing position.
"This is insane." Belle moved forward but was stopped by Tamara putting an arm in front of her.
"Are you really so desperate to get yourself kicked out of here." Tamara asked, and the look she was giving Belle was that of some twisted fascination. "I mean, you do know that this unprofessional behavior is going to get you pulled out and that would mean being far away from your new best friends, right?
The world must have just stopped turning if Tamara was suddenly the voice of reason.
"I mean, if you know that but still want to make a scene," Tamara put her arm down and clasped her hands behind her back. "Be my guest because that would be a pretty interesting show."
Tamara had a point.
Tamara had a point and it infuriated Belle.
She hated this shitty situation where she could only be helpless and watch as the machines' beeping reached a crescendo and Regina's head lolled forward. It was like Belle was seeing events unfold in a daze.
Assistants came by to unstrap Regina only to strap her down again but this time onto a stretcher. They took her away. Belle didn't know if she wanted to stay with the wolf or go after Regina and see where they were going to take her because wasn't she supposed to go home after this?
The wolf was whimpering, but she could move now, albeit on shaky, unsteady legs.
Through the fog overwhelming Belle as she tried to process so many things going on all at once, Dr. Gold came over.
"If you can't find it in yourself to behave like a professional, then there might not be a place for you here." Dr. Gold's voice was low and cold and threatening. "We'll talk tomorrow. I need to think about what to do with you."
The words sounded chilling given what she now knew what this man was capable of.
"But I think you should leave."
Belle looked over at the wolf. She was regaining her strength and starting to growl and pull again.
"Now." Dr. Gold said. "Come back tomorrow. At noon, or afternoon."
There was that intense temptation again to retort or lash out or do anything other than stand by and watch. But she felt Tamara's eyes, almost goading Belle to make a scene.
Swallowing back the rising anger, Belle nodded. "Yes, sir."
Note 2: Another big chapter that was hard af to write. But here we are. The next one should be when things start moving further along in the Escape Department, I think. I'm still writing and I'm not sure if I'll be able to post it promptly tomorrow since I've got my cousins sleeping over tonight. So we'll see. As always, all the comments I get give me life.