Warnings: Dark themes, lots of mentions of death, strong language, human experimentation, experimenting on children, child abduction, graphic descriptions of experimenting, lots of needles, lots of violence, poor descriptions of panic attacks, descriptions of blood, rated M for safety.

*If I need to add any more warnings please tell me in the reviews or a PM and I'll be sure to add it!*

Chapter 3: Soup, Tests and Needles, Oh My!

Time in the cell passed quickly. Ace and Luffy were distracting themselves, listening to Sabos many stories, and before they knew it there was a new sound coming from the hallway.

"It sounds like something's rolling, like a cart..." Sabo mused, stopping his story as he and Ace moved to the bars to look out. Luffy didn't move from his spot, though he hadn't moved from there the entire time except when they talked to 11049. Ace and Sabo watched the darkness for movement, Luffy watching his brothers. Eventually, they were able to see that it was a cart being pushed by someone new. They would stop at every cell, open the door, and slide something in before closing the door again and moving on to the next. Soon enough they were able to see that it was bowls filled with some strange green soup. Sabo cringed at the repulsive color of it and stepped away from the bars.

"I guess breakfast is here." He said, sighing and sitting. Ace stayed at the bars, yelling at the guy who promptly ignored him. Soon enough the man reached their cell, sliding in their own bowls as well as a cup of water each. Luffy looked at it, face scrunched as he tried making out what was in the soup. It was an unappetizing shade of green with unidentifiable chunks in it and the smell was worse than sour milk.

"What is this?" Luffy asked, lifting his spoon and watching the almost slimy substance drip off his spoon.

"Food... maybe?" Sabo said, unsure.

"I don't think this even classifies as garbage." Ace said, his face scrunched in disgust.

"Well... it's better than nothing... I think..." Sabo said lifting the spoon and looking at it, his face scrunching up as he took a bite. Ace and Luffy watched in amazement as Sabo was able to swallow it, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"Not good..." He groaned, but he was right, it was the best they had, so they all held their noses as they ate, slowly but surely.

"It tastes worse than medicine!" Luffy whined, though he continued to eat it without any complaints. When they were finished the three felt sick to their stomachs, but they weren't hungry, which was a first.

"Ugh, that was worse than anything I've ever tasted!" Ace moaned out, chugging his water, though the taste still lingered.

And so they were left alone once more with nothing to do. Instead of telling more stories Sabo decided to teach Luffy and Ace a little more on how to read. After some time passed they were given lunch, the same green slime, and water.

"Didn't that wacko 'doctor'," Ace made quotes with his fingers at the word doctor, a scowl on his face.

"Say something about tests after lunch?" Ace asked, not liking the sound of it. Sabo frowned, nodding, while Luffy merely looked confused.

"Tests?" He asked.

"That's correct! Are you all ready?" The voice came from outside their cell, a familiar one at that. Haru walked in, swinging a set of keys around his fingers as he moved ever closer. The three jumped to their feet, Ace and Sabo moving in front of Luffy protectively.

"Who would want to do your stupid tests?!" Ace snarled. Haru ignored him, looking at his clipboard.

"It seems 11097 is up first!" Haru's voice was almost too cheerful as Ace and Sabo glanced at their wrists, seeing that it wasn't their number. They turned to Luffy with wide eyes, the youngest watching back with equally large eyes, tears of fear already starting to form. He didn't know what was happening, he didn't know where he was, he didn't know anything, but he did know that he did not want to go anywhere near the man that called himself a doctor. Ace and Sabo spun back to Haru, ready to defend their brother, but they couldn't do anything when there were needles jabbed into their arms.

"What the... hell?!" Ace asked, falling to his knees, brows furrowing in confusion. He couldn't move. He turned, seeing Sabo fall as well. Haru walked passed them, moving to grab Luffy who began scooting away in fear.

"G-Go away! Ace?! Sabo?! Help! Don't let him take me!" Luffy cried out, the tears falling hard and fast as he soon backed himself into a corner.

"Luffy!" Ace and Sabo shouted simultaneously, wishing they could help. Their hearts broke at the sight of Luffy as terrified as he was.

"Come now 11097, we have lots to do," Haru said, a slight edge to his voice as he reached for Luffy, picking him up effortlessly. The straw hat fell off the boys head and slowly fell to the ground.

"No! Let me go! Let me go! Ace! Sabo!" Luffy shouted as Haru carried him out of the cell.

"Luffy!" It was useless for the boys to even try anything. No matter how hard they struggled to move their limbs wouldn't respond.

"Damnit! DAMNIT!" Ace shouted in fury, falling completely to the ground. Sabo watched, mouth agape as his little brother disappeared out of the cell, his screams reaching them even after they couldn't see him.

"What are we gonna do? We have to get him back! Those bastards can't just take him like that!" Ace continued to shout, drawing Sabo's attention back to him.

"W-we were given some sort of drug that paralyzed us. Ace, there's nothing we can do until it wears off." Sabo said sadly, feeling horrible.

"Well, I'm tired of not being able to do anything! They just took Luffy goddamnit! Screw waiting, screw hoping that shitty gramps finds us! We have to get Luffy and get out of here!" The shouts only got louder as Ace continued talking. Sabo swallowed, nodding his agreement. They both felt horrible after witnessing Haru take Luffy with little to no effort. They had only sat there and watched as their brother cried for their help.

"I know, I agree with you Ace, we'll get him back and we'll get out," Sabo said, determined. Ace seemed ready to say more but stopped, eyes gleaming and frown permanent as he turned, glaring at the cell.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Ace! Sabo!" Luffy's shouts echoed around him as he was once again carried off to an unknown destination. They were about halfway down the hall when a door appeared on their right and Haru turned, opening it and blinding Luffy with how bright it was inside. Squirming and doing his best to get out of the 'doctors' grip did nothing as they moved into the room. It was all too bright and the walls and floor were too white. The combination gave Luffy a headache and there was a smell that surrounded him that made it worse. It was almost too sterile in the room and it reeked of medicines and rubbing alcohol.

As Luffy's eyes adjusted he saw that the room was big and open, machines filling almost every inch of space that they could. Along one wall there were three tanks that were transparent, showing the water that filled the tank. Next to the tanks was a row of chairs with straps on the arms and legs of it, and next to those there was a wheelie table with random shiny things Luffy couldn't identify. In the middle of the room, there were metal tables, also equipped with straps, and more wheelie carts and lights that could be pulled closer from the ceiling. The opposite wall had machines that Luffy would probably never know what they did.

"Welcome to the lab 11097! You better get used to it because this is the only room you'll be seeing for a long while." Haru said sinisterly, sending a shiver through Luffy as more tears pooled into his eyes. He was carried over to the chairs where he was immediately strapped down, more people coming into the room wearing the same white doctor's coat as Haru.

"Preparations are ready." One of the voices said. Luffys mind was in overdrive, the fear and adrenaline making him jittery as he struggled against his binds.

"Perfect, we shall begin immediately! I need blood drawn first before we can move on to any testing. I wonder where we should start?" Haru mused as someone moved to Luffy, hooking him up to tubes and wires. Someone else came over as well, drawing blood before leaving the room completely.

"I think we shall begin with the pain tolerance for a boy with a rubber body."

Luffy didn't know if minutes passed, hours, or even days. However long he was in that room for, though, was nothing but absolute hell. Voices mingled, needles poked into his skin, lights shone brightly in his face, and all the meanwhile Haru stayed cheery, maybe even more so than when they started.

"These results are absolutely perfect! Quick, onto the next test! Let's find out how far a rubber body can stretch before it can't anymore!" That one was the worse. Hands pulled at his arms, tugging and stretching the limb as much as they could, Luffy too weak to even form a fist with all the drugs he had been given. He knew when he had reached the limit but the doctors didn't stop pulling, tugging Luffy's body with them. Within seconds the skin started tearing, blood beginning to rise to the surface. The doctors let go, moving out of the way as the limb began flailing around, retracting back to normal length.

"Amazing! At its limit, the skin begins tearing! And it's like a spring! The potential energy forming proves to be quite disastrous when released!" Haru announced, scribbling notes down. Luffy stared at the ceiling, panting heavily from exertion.

"Next! Move him to the table! If its true that everything is rubber then that means that even everything inside is as well! Organs, blood vessels, maybe even nerves!"

/\/\/\/\/\

Ace wished they at least had a clock in this damn cell. He was tired of guessing how much time had passed and he was tired of just lying on the ground doing nothing.

"Hey, I think I feel my arm!" Sabo suddenly said. Ace lifted his head.

"Really? I don't feel anything!" Ace whined as he watched Sabo start wiggling his fingers.

"Maybe mine was weaker than yours or something? Or maybe they gave you more." Sabo said, still focused on his arm as he slowly moved the entire arm, shoulder and all.

"My other arm too! It's wearing off!" Sabo said, elated. Ace was about to whine some more when his arm suddenly tingled.

"Hey, I think mine is too!" Ace said happily, wiggling his fingers like Sabo had. Over ten minutes the two slowly began moving their limbs again, one by one, until they were standing and moving like they used to.

"Alright, now we just need to get out of-" Ace was cut off by Sabo slapping a hand over his mouth, confusing Ace. He shouted behind the hand but it came out muffled as Sabo shushed him.

"I think I hear footsteps," Sabo said, moving to the bars. Ace followed, hoping it was Luffy. It was hard to identify the many sounds surrounding them and even harder to just focus on just one, but they did their best, and after a few seconds Ace heard it too. Definitely footsteps. The two watched with hope, praying their brother would be ok.

"Luffy!" Ace and Sabo shouted, relief filling them as Haru came into view, the small boy stumbling beside him. The eldest brothers didn't bother hiding their joy or relief at seeing Luffy, moving to the cell door as they waited impatiently for them to finally reach the cell. Eventually, they reached it, Haru opening the door and Luffy stumbling in, collapsing as he passed the threshold of the cell, the door slamming and locking shut behind him as Haru left.

"Normal testing resumes tomorrow! All subjects get ready for a day of fun!" Haru's voice echoed through the halls but the brothers could care less as Ace and Sabo ran to Luffy, hugging him tightly. A groan of pain left Luffy's mouth, causing the two to pull away quickly.

"Are you ok Luffy? What happened?" Sabo asked, worried and scared. The youngest was panting heavily, eyes barely opened as if it was too much effort to even try.

"Oi, Lu, you ok?" Ace asked, trying to mask his concern but not succeeding very well, his face giving it away.

"It hurts..." Luffy moaned out, laying on his back. Sabo hesitated before examining Luffy. He noticed bandages peeking out of his shirt and lifted it slightly revealing his stomach which was completely wrapped in bandages, not a single piece of skin showing. There even looked to be bruises on his skin, which was odd seeing as Luffy shouldn't be affected by blunt objects to get bruises in the first place. His arms were also littered in red spots that Sabo recognized were marks from being poked with a needle, having one on his own arm from the shot Haru had given him and Ace.

"Luffy..." Sabo uttered in shock, eyes wide. Ace was just as shocked, though it quickly turned to anger, as usual, the freckled boy clenching his fists tightly to try and control himself.

"It hurts Sabo... I don' wanna go back!" Luffy cried, tears falling. Sabo was at a loss. Pulling Luffys shirt back down Sabo smoothed his brother's hair back, sweat covering the youngest's forehead.

"Don't worry Lu, we'll get out of here." The words were spoken in a soft tone while Luffy continued to cry for a while before drifting off to sleep.

"Ace..." Sabo said quietly, not moving his eyes from Luffy.

"Those goddamn, good for nothing bastards!" Ace growled out, obviously wanting to be louder but not daring to risk waking Luffy up. Sabo didn't know how to reply, still trying to get over his own shock and anger. The two sat in silence, all their attention on Luffy and doing their best to make him as comfortable as possible. Neither of the boys wanted to speak, but the horrifying sounds coming from everyone else trapped in their own cells only proved to make Ace and Sabo's skin crawl. Eventually, they couldn't take it anymore.

"What now?!" Sabo jumped in surprise at Aces sudden, loud, exclamation.

"We... we get out..." Sabo said softly. Aces eyes narrowed.

"How? You always got those plans of yours." Ace said, deciding that they would probably need one to get out. As much as he wanted to use brute force and run out it probably wouldn't be that easy.

"Well... we don't know what anything looks like, or even the layout of the building. I think we're in a basement so we would also have to find some stairs. Luffy might know a way out though. Maybe they took him through some different rooms, he could have seen some stairs on the way there." Sabo said, trying to think clearly.

"And if we know where the stairs are the next step would be finding the door out of here. It would be nice if we had a map but I don't know where we'd get one of those. Not to mention the fact that we'd have to find a way to get out of our cell first, and then we'd also need more strength to fight against anyone after us, which would probably be everyone in this building." Sabo continued. Ace groaned.

"Stop talking, I regret asking for a plan. Mines better after all." Ace grumbled. All the steps and situations Sabo made up in his plan made it seem harder then it should be.

"Oh yeah, what's your grand plan?" Sabo asked, already having a feeling he knew what it was. Ace grinned maliciously.

"Easy! Bust the cell door down and run outta here!" Ace said. Sabo sighed, shaking his head.

"I think you're purposely forgetting the part where a ton of grown adults swarm us. Not to mention, we have Luffy to worry about! And your plan also doesn't take into account the fact that we still need to find the stairs and the door out of here." Sabo pointed out, looking pointedly at Ace who pouted.

"I didn't forget! Its called being opto-... opti... optamiric? No that wasn't it... opterelic? No-"

"Optimistic, Ace. The word is optimistic." Sabo informed Ace with a sigh. Ace scowled.

"Whatever! That's what I am!" Ace said defiantly, causing Sabo to scoff.

"Ace, you're the complete opposite of an optimist! You're the exact definition of a pessimist!" Sabo laughed out, Aces scowl only deepening.

"Who cares if I'm pestimidic-"

"Pessimistic!"

"Whatever! You know what, fine! We'll go with your stupid plan!" Ace shouted, crossing his arms. He was done with the conversation and never wanted to hear the words optimistic or pessimistic ever again. Sabo continued to laugh for a few more seconds before calming down, clearing his throat.

"Anyways, if we are going with my plan then we should really try and find a map somewhere if we can," Sabo said. Ace nodded, showing he understood.

"Maybe one of the people around here have one, but that's a stretch. If worse comes to worse we're just gonna have to run around blindly." Sabo said, really hoping it didn't come to that.

"What about-" Ace stopped talking, confusing Sabo until he heard the sound of the food cart rolling down the hall.

"We can talk later, though we should be careful, if the people here hear about our plan they could stop us," Sabo said in a whisper. Ace nodded his agreement to the statement.

"What should we do?" Ace asked. Sabo thought for a moment, the rolling cart getting closer.

"Hmm... we could talk in another language," Sabo said offhandedly. Ace gave him a look.

"I barely know how to speak this language, now you want me to talk in another? We're not all bookworms Sabo." Ace said.

"I don't know any other languages either! I meant we could make up a language, like sign language! We stay silent but we can understand each other through different signals. You know, like this," Sabo said, demonstrating. He scratched his left ear while Ace gave him a confused look.

"Could mean something like, someone's listening. Scratching our right ear could mean that we hear something or someone. Stuff like that." Sabo said. Ace was about to retort that it would be too difficult to understand and annoying to make up, but thought better of it, nodding instead.

"Yeah, ok." He said with a sigh, the rolling cart coming up to their cell. Ace was about to look at the person serving their food when he saw Sabo scratch his left ear. Ace scoffed, flicking Sabo's forehead.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Sabo asked though he was smiling. Their food slid into their cell and the rolling cart went back down the hall while Ace rolled his eyes, grabbing the food.

"That means, 'You're an idiot.'" Ace said, handing Sabo his bowl and moving Luffys toward the sleeping child. Sabo laughed lightly, turning to look at Luffy.

"Hey, Lu, time to eat," Sabo said, his voice turning soft and gentle. Ace watched with a slight concern showing but hid it with his disgust as he ate his soup. A groan came from Luffy as he blinked his eyes open, looking around in confusion.

"M'tired..." Luffy mumbled, closing his eyes again. Sabo shook him lightly.

"You can sleep in a minute Lu, you have to eat first," Sabo said. Luffy was silent, but nodded, moving to sit up before wincing.

"I still hurt," Luffy whined quietly. The middle brother nodded, helping Luffy sit against the concrete wall.

"I know, you can lay back down soon. Come on, I'll help you." Sabo said, helping spoon the food into Luffy's mouth, the youngest grimacing at the taste. Ace watched, his anger rising towards the 'doctors' that did this to his youngest brother. He gripped his own spoon tightly, eating almost automatically.

"Hey Lu, we came up with this cool idea so that we can talk without saying anything!" Sabo suddenly said, his voice a little louder, but not much. Luffy peered at Sabo, confusion on his face.

"How can you talk without talking?" Luffy asked dumbly. Sabo laughed.

"Well, there's this thing called sign language where you use different signals to communicate with others. Ace and I were coming up with some, right Ace?" Ace looked up in shock, Sabo breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Wha-? I mean... yeah." Ace said face set back into disgust due to the soup.

"Cool!" Luffy said, though there wasn't as much enthusiasm behind the word as there used to be. The youngest did have a smile on his face though so Ace sighed.

"Yeah, Sabo made up some moves, like this, meaning someone's listening." Ace said, scratching his left ear. Luffy nodded as if he understood and Ace wondered if he really did. Suddenly Aces face brightened.

"This is my favorite though, I made it up. It means, 'You're an idiot.'" Ace said, Sabo already glaring at him, but Ace ignored it, flicking Sabos forehead again, causing the blonde to pout while Luffy laughed.

"We still have to make up a lot more motions though so we can have full conversations with each other without talking," Sabo said after getting over the flick. Luffy nodded, finishing the last bite of his soup and yawning.

"Alright, time to go back to sleep Lu," Sabo said, helping Luffy lay back down.

"Mm. Night Ace, night Sabo." Luffy mumbled tiredly.

"Night Lu." The brothers chorused. Luffy fell asleep almost immediately as Sabo reached to pick his own bowl up, grimacing at the taste and sticking out his tongue.

"Seriously, do you think they're trying to poison us with this?" Sabo asked. Ace merely shrugged, having finished his.

"Who knows, those bastards probably get a kick out of it"

Has it already been two weeks?! Man, time sure does fly! I thought it was still Tuesday and freaked out when I saw it was Wednesday and I hadn't proofread this for the third time. Now we're three chapters in and my plans are finally being put into motion! I hope you're all still enjoying this so far and haven't been too off-put by the themes of this chapter, but to be fair, I did warn you guys in the beginning that this story has heavy themes, and this is only the beginning! Things won't get too much worse than this, at least, I don't think they will, so there's that.

Also, quick note, I don't really like reading, or writing for that matter, OC's so there won't be many of them in this story, but there will be just a handful of them. They won't be major characters, and they won't be all that important, mostly just no name background characters, or named characters that only show up for a chapter or two. Of course, there are exceptions to everything and Haru is one of them. He's one of the most important villain characters in this story, but I won't ever focus too much on him by doing something like writing in his perspective. He will always just be mentioned from other people's perspective. He will have a knack for being mentioned quite often though, whether he's around or not, so I hope you all don't mind!

Anyways, I think this concludes our chapter for the time being! As always, I can't wait to show you what I have coming up next for our favorite brothers! I'll see you in two weeks!