Chapter 6 - Waiting

The first thing that came to Zyro's attention was a familiar, intense ringing. A ringing in his ears, in so far deep it was nearly in his brain. Overwhelmingly loud but unable to be quiet.
And his head was fuzzy, almost like television static, muddling his thoughts and every other sense so that he could hardly make sense of anything. There was just the ringing, and the unbearably heavy feeling that was spread throughout his limbs, nearly tying him down to... whatever was under him. His eyelids felt like they were stuck together, so heavy that it was impossible to even try to lift them open. But he tried anyway, striving, through the fuzziness and endless ringing, to pull himself out of his half-unconscious state (And, yes, he knew that he had been unconscious because he knew by now exactly what waking up from it felt like by now).
He struggled to open them, but, eventually, he did.
The sudden brightness that met his blurred gaze made him issue a small groan, one that could barely be heard through his own ears even after the ringing started to lessen and he could finally make out other sounds.
There were no shadows this time... The brightness was not as bright, not as blinding... There were no voices, none of any kind, no sounds...
Had all of that just been a dream? It had to be, right?...
Vision still blurry, Zyro had to wonder where he was. Through the ringing that still permeated in his ears, he could hear his own troubled breathing more than feel it. His body was heavy, much too heavy, but he endeavored to move, anyway. He pulled at his arms, and twitched his fingers, tapping one of them against the soft material under him.
Soft?... A bed? Maybe...
Grunting softly with his efforts, Zyro turned his head to the side, and a sudden ache in the back of his head caused him to cringe. Still blurry... He closed his eyes again, his head pounding calmly, and waited a moment before opening them. The same pale brightness that there was above him, all around him... But there were other things that were there...
A chair, a table, both?...
Had his parents redecorated his room or something? He knew that they wouldn't just do that, but...

With great effort and a lot of strain, Zyro managed to pull his arms up until they were half under him and push himself up into a sitting position. He doubled over the moment he was sitting upright and coughed dryly into his knees. His throat was dry and sore, and nausea that filled the pit of his stomach made him whimper softly along with the ache in his cranium that still remained.
Oh, why did he feel so terrible?...
Slowly, he bent his knees and brought them towards himself, and then swung them heavily to the side so that they were hanging off the edge of the bed. The soles of his shoes touched the floor below, and made a small, echoing tap against the hard floor. That wasn't like the floor at home... The floor of his room was carpet. Scratchy carpet, but carpet.
Breathing through gritted teeth, Zyro lowered his hand from his head and gripped the edge on the mattress on either side of him. The hard mattress beneath the beige blankets almost as solid as the frame that it lay upon. But why? This wasn't anything like his room...
Unless, of course, it wasn't his room.

This thought suddenly struck Zyro violently, and he opened his eyes in shock at the memories of fear and pain and panic that all came flooded back to him. Of dim-lit rooms and staring faces and sharp pains and stiff limbs.
Suddenly, his blurry vision was clear, and the ringing in his ears was gone. The ache in his head and nausea that was still half-present were all but forgotten, and his sky blue orbs dashed from corner to corner of this room that he had been dropped in.
The walls were whitewashed, plain and paneled in 8 by 8 squares that looked to be made of metal. The roof and floor were the same, bright, circular ceiling lights embedded into the roof and lighting the room well. Beside the low bed of which he sat on was a metal table, chained to the floor so that it couldn't be moved, and in the corner opposite to where the bed was stood a wooden chair, ornate in design and probably one of the only sources of color that this place - whatever it was - held.

Where was he?

What was this?

Moving Slowly, Zyro pushed himself to his feet, and almost immediately staggered and nearly fell. However, he gripped the table that was just beside him and held himself there while his legs trembled beneath him.
God, how long had he been out?... What had they stuck in him?... Something sharp, obviously, but...
Only then did the raven notice that he wasn't wearing his usual jacket, the fuzzy, dark blue sleeves replaced with a thinner, white fabric that came down to his wrists. And not just his shirt, and his pants and shoes were as white as winter, perfectly pristine and surprisingly fitting.
When had he changed?... It was then that he came to the conclusion that someone else had changed his outfit for him.
At this point, Zyro's heart was beating so fast that it physically hurt, and his breathing came in such quick beats from his dry throat that he half felt like he was suffocating.

No, no suffocating, don't think about that...
With a soft groan, Zyro pushed himself upright again, spreading his feet out a bit in an attempt to keep his balance. Thankfully, it worked, and after a few minutes, he was able to stand normally, even though he remained a bit wobbly.
Nervous, Zyro swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat, and he glanced around the room again, trying to see if he could notice something that he hadn't before. But it was all the same. Bed, table, chair. White walls, white floor, white ceiling, white clothes.

"H-hello?..." Zyro called out dryly and flinched at the stinging sensation that protruded from his throat. He swallowed once, twice, three times, each just as painful the last. It didn't make it any better, but he decided that he didn't care.
"Hello?" He tried again, and ignored the strain it put on his throat, "Is anyone there?" His voice echoed back to him in the room, the solid metal walls rebounding every sound until they eventually faded away. "Where am I?" The raven demanded, feeling his heart race nervously, "Answer me!"
God, what the hell was going on? This couldn't be happening, it couldn't... For all he knew, nobody might even be listening or watching, or anything of the sort, and he could just be yelling at the walls and ceiling like some crazy person. But that thought was quickly dismissed.
"Please, just...!" Zyro began hoarsely, and his voice died briefly as he coughed into his hand. His throat stung, and he hissed slightly as he swallowed.
How long had it been?... That sudden thought made his heart race even more, and he was suddenly struck silent, his hand still pressed to his mouth, as he wondered just how long he had been out.
How long had been here?
It couldn't have been that long, right?
He was tired, and his throat was dry, and he felt sick, but what did that have to do with anything?
How long had he been here?
How long since they had...

(sharp pains and panic and fear and staring faces)

Swallowing thickly, Zyro shook his head and forced back the panicked and frustrated tears in his eyes that had gathered against his will.
Don't panic, just don't panic, that only makes it worse... Don't panic...
But his silent mantra didn't make it any better.

A sudden loud noise from the other side of the room made him jump more than he should have, and he nearly toppled over entirely. The table behind him was the thing that saved him, and he clung to it with one hand - he cringed briefly when his grip tightened - while his frightened blue eyes shot to the door that he hadn't realized was there.
How had he not seen that before?...
Through the door, of which had slid open and off into the rest of the nearly nonexistent door-frame, came four different people clad in dark suits. he black of their slacks, shoes, and coats and the different colors of their hair all a welcome contrast against the overwhelming white of his newfound prison. However, the professional air they gave off was less than welcoming, and the four pairs of cold eyes boring down on him made it no better. Not that he would've thought that they were, anyway...
They all walked in nearly perfect formation towards him, and the raven couldn't help but feel pathetically small at that moment. His heart beat hard against his rib cage, and his legs felt weak from underneath him. He bit the inside of his lip until he almost tasted metal to keep from screaming, but it was nearly a poor attempt.
It was only when they were practically crowded in around him (sparing only a couple feet) that they really stopped.

Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic...
But it was hard not too...

Suddenly, there was something in front of his face, and it took a moment for him to actually see what it was. Held from the top by a lithe hand was a white, cardboard cup. Like the kind you typically saw in hospitals... Slowly, he moved his gaze along the arm holding it, and found himself looking into the indifferent eyes of the one woman of the group. Obviously, she wanted him to take it... Like he was really going to do that. Taking caution, Zyro slowly shook his head and lifted himself back onto the edge of the bed.
"It's just water." The woman reassured him, though not exactly kindly, and still continued to hold it out for him to take.
Eventually, he did, if only to get them to leave him alone. He pretended that he could care less about it, when, really, it soothed his throat wonderfully when he took a few small sips of it.
All they really did was stand there and watch him, which was... Unsettling, to say the least. Who were these people?
What did they want?...
"Now, now, let's not crowd in on him too much." Came a deep, uncomfortably smooth voice from the direction of the door, and Zyro felt his heart nearly skip a beat. For what reason, he wasn't entirely sure, but it made him clutch his paper/cardboard cup like a lifeline.
Silently, the four finely dressed adults looked over their shoulders slightly and obediently stepped aside to allow the man who had entered - whoever he was - to see the raven for himself. Wary and frightened blue eyes locked onto the man the moment that he came into his field of view, and Zyro could feel the shiver that crawled up his spine and the goosebumps that rose unpleasantly over his skin. He suddenly felt incredibly small under that teal-eyed gaze that observed from behind wire-rimmed glasses, an angular face dressed with a venomous smile disguised as that of a welcoming one, and could feel himself instinctively curl into himself where he sat.
One part of his mind cursed him for doing so, but at this point, he couldn't bring himself to listen to it.
The man walked forward at a leisure, but professional, pace, his hands together in front of him and his posture giving off a superior and threatening air to him. Even if it there hadn't been anything seemingly intimidating about him, Zyro was sure that he wouldn't have liked him either way. After all, he was here.
Wherever 'here' was...

"Well now..." The man said in a deep voice, smooth and speculating, and Zyro was confident he didn't like the way that those eyes gazed at him, "It looks like you're finally awake... Though I must say, I expected you to be asleep for much longer than you actually were. One of the many very special things about you, I'm sure..." Zyro swallowed thickly, and slowly brought the cup of water to his mouth again.
To this, the man smirked slyly. "Oh, where are my manners?" He asked, and put a hand to his chest, "My name is Director N. Hideyoshi, I'm sure you may have heard of me before."

Hideyoshi?

Wasn't that the name of the Director of the Tokyo WBBA?

"Even if you haven't," Hideyoshi continued, "it doesn't matter. You'll be able to identify me very well soon enough. And no need to tell me your name, I know all about you and who you are... More than even you know who you are, I can assure you." Whether or not he was silent out of choice, or by the fear that engulfed his heart, Zyro wasn't entirely sure anymore.
How was he to be sure of anything at this point?
The pounding against his rib cage and his shallow breathing and hunched posture were enough to speak for him, even if he didn't want them too.
What the hell was going on?...
Why was this happening?
"What's the matter?" Hideyoshi asked with what almost sounded like sincerity, though it was a twisted version of it, "There's no need to look so afraid... This is the last place that you should need to feel fear in, and we are the last people that you need to be afraid of, I can assure you that."

"W-who are you?..." Zyro finally asked, and didn't care about the stutter in his voice, "W-where am I?..."

"Ah, there's your voice." Hideyoshi said with a satisfied gleam in his eye, "I was wondering if you were going to speak or not... Well, you already know who I am. The rest of these kind people work under me, here in the AETL and our main Headquarters. As for where you are, well... We'll have to show you around if you're to truly understand."

What?
Show him around?...

Zyro knit his eyebrows together, suddenly confused. 'Showing him around' implied taking him around the building, which meant taking him out of here, out of this room.
Why would they just do that?... They wouldn't just do that, right?...
Slowly, Zyro scooted himself further back onto the bed and bit the inside of his lip. He didn't trust himself to say anything.
Hideyoshi observed this, and chuckled softly, that unnerving smile of his never leaving his face. "As I said before, you have nothing to be afraid of, Zyro." The man insisted, and the boy shuddered at the use of his own name, "Now, if you please, me and my associates here," He gestured to the 4 finely clad people who stood around him, "will be escorting you throughout the facility and helping you get to know the place."
Hideyoshi half-turned, but stopped short, and Zyro froze when he did. Teal blue eyes looked at him from a side-glance, that ever-present smirk sending chills through his body. "I would make a threat to get you to comply," Hideyoshi admitted with a signature smug air, "but I think you are well aware of your situation."
Shakily, Zyro nodded his head in agreement.
"Good." The older man said, his smirk changing once more to a mock pleasant smile, "Come along then... There is much you must introduce you too..." It took Zyro a moment for him to find the strength to slowly push himself up into a standing position, glancing nervously back and forth between both Hideyoshi and the four 'associates' that stood off to the side but were still a little close for comfort.
Carefully, he leaned over and placed the paper cup on the table beside the bed, and then slowly walked towards the man who stood to wait. Zyro said nothing, his body rigid and stiff as he walked, mostly due to the chill that had settled in his spine and the way his chest and stomach ached with nausea that he was so suddenly reminded of.
Hideyoshi just smiled at him and then turned to lead the way out of his white prison (something of which he still couldn't believe they were actually allowing, since kidnappers didn't just do that right away for as well as he knew), the 4 suit-clad strangers following suit. All of them walked rather closely together, but Zyro did what he could to assure that it was well in between the Director who walked in front of him and the four men and woman who walked behind, curved and walking rigidly like a wall that stood between him and the rest of the world.
Zyro bit his lip nervously and tried to focus on anything but the weighing sensation that bore down on him. By this point, it was a subconscious thing, even if he didn't notice the closed spaces and the low ceilings and the- No.
No, don't you think about that...

Trying to breathe as steadily as he possibly could in his situation, Zyro took to glancing side to side at his surroundings. Hideyoshi had said that they wanted to get him to know the place. Maybe he'd do just that, but not for their reasons. Whatever their reasons were...
The walls were just as white as that of his metal-plated cell, and the LED lights overhead reflected off of their surfaces and lit up the whole corridor with the greatest of ease. Finally able to see properly and not clouded by his own panic and fear (although it wasn't like he wasn't still afraid), he finally noticed all of the white metal doors embedded into the walls. Besides all of them were card readers, outlined in various colors that ranged from yellow to green to red to blue to black... So was that how they were all opened?
Bolted to each of the doors were glass panels, and within them were what appeared pieces of paper, or even stickers, for all he knew.
Thankfully, they were walking leisurely enough for Zyro to make out what they said... And, dear lord, how he wished he hadn't decided to do that.

Subject 091
Class: Safe
Sentient and Non-Violent

Subject 092
Class: Safe
Sentient and Non-Violent

Subject 093
Class: Safe
Sentient and Hostile

Swallowing the bile that had risen in his throat, Zyro forced himself to tear his eyes away from the labels. If he hadn't already been scared before, he was most definitely scared now...
It wasn't too much longer before the doors of their 'Subjects' had disappeared, and replaced with more hallways and other rooms. Not necessarily normal rooms that you'd just find anywhere in some building or another, but definitely more normal than what he had seen before.
A lot of these doors actually had windows, but they were small ones and were typically more translucent rather than transparent. Now that they seemed to be in the somewhat 'normal' part of the place, it was now evident that it wasn't as empty as it had previously seemed to be.
Strangers all walked to and fro, some conversing with each other in the rooms they passed by, though their voices were all too muffled to hear properly. Any of the people they passed were often dressed similarly to the Director in front of him and the 'bodyguards' behind him.
Aside from them, there were people dressed in lab coats and scrubs who passed by, and the boy could have sworn he had seen one of them walking by in a HAZMAT suit. It wasn't very long before there was just a steady though quiet buzz of various chatter throughout the corridors, and it was almost rather... normal.
Strange, for a place that seemed to be pretty comfortable with kidnappings.
But even with that, nothing settled the raven's trembling nerves. Especially not the keen and curious looks that people kept giving him whenever they passed by. Typically the men and women in the white coats and scrubs. Whatever that was about, it made him sick to his stomach...
Just when he felt like the halls might go on forever, the 6 of them finally came to a stop at an elevator. One of a few, Zyro noted, upon spotting the two other elevators on either side of the one they were going through, spaced at least 10 meters apart from each other. The elevator doors opened with a slight 'ding' that was almost comical, and Zyro followed Director Hideyoshi into it.
The elevator was large, larger than elevators usually were, so the 6 of them had nothing to worry about when it came to space.
However, Zyro still found himself staring down at the floor, his arms wrapped around himself as he felt and breathed the crowded air around him.
Look at the bright side, he told himself. At least it isn't smaller.
Despite this thought, he felt trapped. More so than he already was. He felt the jolt of the elevator as it started to move, and instinctively held himself a little closer to... well, himself.

"You're awfully quiet," Hideyoshi commented.
Zyro turned his head away slightly and said nothing.
"Naturally, I suppose." Hideyoshi said with a faint smile, "After all, you have yet to adapt. I understand that this is quite sudden for you, Zyro, but trust me when I say that you'll feel at home in no time."
Trust you?
Zyro almost couldn't believe he'd heard those words come from the man's mouth.
How could you just kidnap someone and then expect them to trust you? But Zyro bit his tongue and stayed silent.
Finally, the 'ding!' of the elevator sounded again, and the sound of the doors sliding open as a most welcome thing to Zyro. But as soon as he looked up and saw what - who - had been waiting behind those doors, he froze, and suddenly wanted nothing more than to push himself to the back of the elevator and huddle there until his last days.
"Ah, Naomi." Hideyoshi greeted in a welcoming tone, "There you are. Right on time. So glad you could meet us."
Naomi, cold eyes, hard features, tied back hair and all, nodded her head stoically. "But of course." She said, her hard voice a jagged puncture wound in Zyro's memory, "I wouldn't dare miss this for the world." Her dull eyes briefly gave Zyro a once over, and the raven felt like he was going to be sick... Once more, they began walking, the woman - Naomi - falling into step with Hideyoshi in front of Zyro.
Unwittingly, Zyro fell back slightly, and at once point had to even be pushed along by the four bodyguards that continued to follow along behind him. Eventually, he regained at least some of his composure and kept himself well in the middle of their group.
His gaze constantly flickered to Naomi, to the broad slimness of her shoulders and the tight, orderly hairline at the base of her neck.
She had been there. Back in Omitama...

She was there and she had watched as-

Carefully, Zyro swallowed the lump in his throat, and simply followed, taking care to notice his surroundings once more. Anything to distract him from those awful memories waiting to pounce on him.
The corridors were similar to that of the floor they had originally been on, except that there were far more people here than there had been. The walls were also no longer an overwhelmingly white, but a light, earthy green that was far more pleasing to the eyes than what he had previously been surrounded by. However, although the surroundings were more pleasing, and stares and curious looks that he kept getting were most certainly not.
Why did everybody keep looking at him like that?
Several turns were made down a few hallways, and before long they came to a dead end one with nothing but a 'pull open' door on the far wall. One of the well-dressed men that were accompanying them hurried over and pulled it open for the rest of them, allowing them all entry onto an indoor balcony ('balcony' being a nice word for it) that overlooked a large area that was practically flooded with people. Most of them were dressed in lab coats, Zyro noted, which was probably because the area seemed to be a giant research/science lab. And he was spotting some less than comforting things down there, to say the least.
They walked slowly across the metal balcony that was hugged tightly to the wall, making their way to a door in the center.
Strange... They had been walking rather briskly before, so...
It was only when the dozens upon dozens of pairs of eyes started to look up and stare at them - at him - did he think he realized the purpose of this.
Why did they all keep staring? What was so fascinating about him that they had to be so compelled to stare?...
He swallowed nervously as they went through the door to their right, which opened up to a short flight of stairs that lead downward and to another door, leading out into the lab area. When that door opened and they all walked through it, the sound of quiet chatter and inquiries and questions between one another filled the area, becoming the only thing that there was to be heard in the large room. And the stares, dozens upon dozens of stares, were far more menacing now that he was so close to them.
Why were they down here? Why bother if it was just for the stares?...
Seemingly unfazed, both Hideyoshi and Naomi made their way through the crowd of Scientists and Researchers at an unnatural, leisure pace. Zyro followed behind them, but his posture was far less relaxed than theirs were; stiff and rigid, hugging himself and pulling at the thin fabric of his sleeve in his suffocating discomfort.

Don't you think about that, just breathe, just breathe, and count...
One...
Two...

Unexpectedly, they stopped walking, and Zyro looked up in alarm at their sudden cease in pace to see Hideyoshi speaking with one of the researchers in hushed tones. There were few words that Zyro was able to make out from between the two of them, for his fear and nearly crippling anxiety was starting to get a bit too much all at once.
However, they didn't seem to be keen to drown out the mutterings from all around him, though.

"-can't believe it, is that really him?"

"No other explanation."

"He came in last night, I heard."

"How did they actually find him? It's been years..."

"Not sure."

"Upstairs, for now."

"They look identical."

"So much alike."

"No, he has darker skin than them."

"Does it matter?"

Cold shivers ran through him and raised his skin uncomfortably, feeling a thousand needles dig into his back with the stares that bore into him from every angle. He did his best to breathe in steadily and exhale all the same. It didn't really work, though...
Why, oh why was this happening?...
"Good." He heard Hideyoshi say in a pleasing manner and looked up with nearly pleading eyes (pleading? no, you're better than that, don't let them see) towards the man. The two of them seemed to be coming to the conclusion of their previously hushed conversation.
"Be sure to alert me when you finally get the results. I'd like to see them for myself." Hideyoshi continued, and the other man - slightly shorter, middle-aged, slightly overweight, and a buzz hair-cut - nodded.
"Of course, Director." He said and then stepped back a few feet to allow them better passage through the lab area.
Only then did all seven of them start moving along again, but Zyro didn't fail to notice the look that the man was giving him - the same look everyone else was.
What 'results'?
What about him?
What were they all talking about? This lack of information was almost more than he could bare...
Silently, Zyro bit his lip nervously, looking over his shoulder back at the many men and woman that filled the room as they came farther to the opposite wall. Many were still staring after them, but others had gotten back to their strange work. That, at least, he was grateful for.
"As you can probably guess, we've been waiting for this for a very long time," Hideyoshi said suddenly, and Zyro quickly looked back towards the Director and his apparent assistant.
"For what?..." He asked quietly.
With that ever pleased smile on his face, Hideyoshi glanced back over his shoulder at the raven, the bright LED lights of the building reflecting off of the lenses of his glasses.
"For you, of course." He said, as though it were just that simple.
Zyro felt his breath hitch and his heart skip a beat at those words, his pupils shrinking on reflex for the instinctive fear and confusion and shock that ran through him.
"Me?..." He repeated softly, confused.

What did that mean?
'They've been waiting for him'?
Why him?
What was so important about him to these people?
"Yes, you." Naomi answered this time, and Zyro only just stopped himself from flinching at the sound of her voice, "We've been searching for you for a very long time, Zyro Kurogane. For your whole life, in fact... And for the longest time, you managed to elude us, and so did those who were hiding you. We could've sworn that we would never find you again, and yet here you are, after all of these years. And to think, you were nearly right on our doorstep for awhile..."

"What we're saying," Hideyoshi began in a slightly warmer tone than hers, "is that having you here with us is the greatest honor that we ever could've had... After all, losing you was quite the disappointment."
As he followed them through the, once more, white, door-line corridors, Zyro could do nothing but look at both of their backs in disbelief and silent, but desperate, confusion. Hideyoshi, once more, looked back over his shoulder at the boy as they all rounded another corner.
"You see, Zyro," The man explained, "we, here at the AETL, make it our duty to take peculiar things, some inanimate objects and living beings alike, under our wing and study them so that we can understand them better. And we keep them here. You just happen to be one of those 'peculiar beings'."

"B-but, what-"

"I understand your confusion to that, so I'll explain. You see, we always knew you were special. The moment we saw you as a little newborn, we knew you weren't of the normal sort. So we decided to keep you here. However, you were taken from us the moment we turned our backs, by a cursed woman who we believed we could trust indiscretion. Unfortunately, we couldn't. And you vanished off the map for years. But, as luck would have it, we happen to find you all these years later. And so now, we finally decided to take you back."
Throughout at least half that explanation, Zyro had been shaking his head, but Hideyoshi had looked away by then. Even now, he continued almost subconsciously, swallowing the sour bile in his throat that kept rising up in his fear. All that he was able to do was tell himself that all of this was a lie, that they couldn't be true.
Because it couldn't!
He knew who he was, where he came from!
He was born to Ikiyo and Saburo Kurogane (although he supposed it was technically Minoru, but that was beside the point at the moment) on May 19th of 2001, in the small, half-rural town of Khudene.
He had grown up there, been cared for, hung out with friends and even babysat some of the younger kids when he was old enough to do so. He was in 11th grade, a B- to A student on average (thankfully), and even now hoping to do something in Mechanics when it came to a career path.
That was his life, and that was fact...
So why did these people seem so convinced about what they were talking about with where he came from?...
"It may be a lot to take in all at once, I understand." Hideyoshi said, half-consolingly, "But you'll get used to the idea in time."

"Where are you taking me?..." Zyro asked, suddenly concerned at the thought that they 'worked to understand' what they classified as 'peculiar creatures'. All things considered, that could mean anything.
"To meet someone." Hideyoshi answered simply, "You see, before you were taken from us, we got a few minor DNA samples. Blood, hair, the basic things... And, after your disappearance, those few samples we had gathered were all we had left of you to study. So, naturally, we conducted several different experiments with them. After some... Interesting results with one of our tests, we decided to use them for a certain Project we had been trying to conduct for years, at the time. And, as it so happens, we were successful."

"I-in what?..."

"Ah, here we are," Hideyoshi said instead of answering, and it took Zyro a moment to notice that they had stopped in front of a pair of double doors, much similar to the ones that had been passing for the last while. Both doors had circular windows at the top, but the glass was slightly translucent, so it wasn't easy to see right through. However, the raven got the idea of where they were when he caught sight of a clear, glass panel screwed into the left-hand door, the sticker beneath it giving all that he needed to know.

Subject 508-1
Kuro
Class: Safe
Sentient and Non-Violent
Psychic /
Technology Affecting

Naomi was the one who did the honors of sliding her key card through the card reader beside the doors, which was encircled with black. A light on the pad turned green, and, with a faint 'clicking' sound, the doors opened. Slowly, Hideyoshi and Naomi walked forwards into the room, Zyro and the 4 behind him following in tow.
Although the rest of the facility wasn't exactly warm, Zyro found it safe to say that this room was stifling, making it almost difficult to breathe without sucking in a blast of warm air.
He also noticed, upon looking back and forth, that this place actually had furnishings. Fairly nice ones, at that, and nothing like the boring and uncomfortable things he had seen earlier.
Whoever was in here, the people had to like him.

"Kuro, I'm glad to see you're awake." Hideyoshi said to someone that stood in front of him, and of who Zyro couldn't currently see, "We've brought you a visitor, and I'm sure you'll be pleased to meet him at last."
Turning slightly, the Director lowered his gaze to Zyro once more, and the raven shivered coldly at the look in those teal-green eyes.
"Zyro." He addressed, and slowly stepped aside, "Allow us to introduce you to your younger brother."
Confused, Zyro followed to where the Director was gesturing to and felt everything in his body choke, then freeze. There, just barely ten feet away, sat a boy, roughly, if not exactly, his age. His familiar posture was exhausted looking, his slim shoulders slumped and his breaths slow by heavy. Long hair of monochromatic black and white poured over the sides of the armchair and lay pooled on the floor.
He was looking at him, and, for some reason, Zyro had a hard time processing that. His skin was unhealthily pale, and his eyes were a far lighter blue than his, but Zyro knew that face anywhere. After all, it was the same face he saw looking back at him whenever he stared into the mirror.

"This," Hideyoshi said, his voice sharp to the touch, "is Kuro. Our pride and joy, here at the AETL." Eyeing Zyro briefly, Hideyoshi moved forward towards Kuro, and stood beside the chair of which he was perched in. "He's been with us all his life. We've raised him, cared for him, and, in turn, he's provided us with some very helpful information for our research." Softly, though in less than a familial way than he seemed to attempt, the man placed one of his larger hands onto the boy's shoulder, his fingers spread so that his hand was half on his back as well.
The boy - Kuro, so they called him - made no visible reaction to this other than the movement of his gaze towards the ground.
"He was one of the biggest breakthroughs in our science and understanding of people such as him than we had ever thought possible. And we have you to thank for that, Zyro."
Confused (and, quite frankly, still terrified), Zyro looked towards the man but said not a word. However, his silence said everything that he couldn't as he looked back at the boy in the chair.
"I was telling you about that project of ours." Hideyoshi stated, keeping his gaze fixed on the raven, "The one that we were unable to successfully complete until we had pieces of your DNA. Project Eden, we called it." As he spoke, the man removed his hand from Kuro's shoulder and circled the chair slowly. "For years, we'd been attempting to create living and breathing lifeforms out of borrowed DNA. 'Cloning', if you will. We'd spent decades studying the science of it, pulling out all the stops to understand how the body works, how cells and DNA work. We'd done studies on small lifeforms, such as bacteria and the like, and slowly worked ourselves up to plants, animals, and, finally, the human body. Only then did we start with our actual experiments. We would take several DNA samples from some of our other Test Subjects, and work on duplicating it. And, after that, building it into a living organism. We conducted thousands upon thousands of them over the years, and all of them failed. Either, nothing worked and the experiment fell apart, or the small, pathetic creations we did make could hardly be called 'organisms' at all... Yet, we still kept trying. Over and over again, until Project Eden was a lost cause and one of our greatest disappointments." Hideyoshi's voice had gone bitter, and his face had twisted ever so slightly into something far more sour than sweet. However, the expression softened once he stopped on the other side of Kuro's chair, and his cool, calculating gaze returned to Zyro.
"Until we found you... We knew you were anything but 'normal' from the moment we saw you; special, even..."
Slowly, Hideyoshi started walking towards the raven again, and Zyro swallowed thickly. He didn't notice, nor did anybody else notice, Kuro's eyes watching the man as he did so. "And how right we were..." Hideyoshi continued, "Until you and your peculiar DNA came along, Project Eden had all but been abandoned... But once we did some testing with those DNA samples of yours, we finally decided to start up the Project once again for one last final try at what we had always dreamed of creating. And lo and behold... We did."
The Director stopped walking once he was halfway to the raven, and Zyro watched him with wide, frightened eyes. Hideyoshi smirked coyly at this and continued with his explanation.
"With a normal human body, cells replace dead cells when they're no longer fit to keep the body running. Cells regenerate all the time, in a non-stop cycle that goes unhindered for as long as the body remains healthy and alive. However, while they do regenerate, they do not simply duplicate. Cells replace themselves, but they are, for the most part, only created at the rate that other cells die. Therefore, that meant we had to actively help the cells along. Science can do well for replacing cells, but that does not mean it's easy for creating them, which was always our greatest flaw in our experiments. But with you, however... We hardly needed to do anything but work to construct it all properly. Your DNA did the rest..." Once more, Hideyoshi made his way back over to the boy in the chair and gestured with his hand to him. "And from Project Eden, Kuro became the result. One that we have you to thank for..."

Thank?...

Zyro said nothing, but couldn't help but internally reel in disgust at the thought of them thanking him for something like that... What had he even given them?
This kid who looked exactly him because of their apparent shared DNA? And for what purpose? These experiments they kept going on about?...
"But, that aside," Hideyoshi continued on, and Zyro hesitantly looked up at the man again, "we didn't just come here to introduce you to dear Kuro. We actually have a favor we need to ask of you, one of that is of vital importance to us."
Warily, Zyro's glance wavered between Hideyoshi, Kuro, and Naomi, who stood slightly off to the side but was no less an intimidating presence.
"What favor?..." The boy asked reluctantly.
He didn't like the sounds of any of this... Not one bit. Not that had liked the sounds of any of this to start with, but that was beside the point.

"I'm glad you asked," Hideyoshi said, looking almost genuinely relieved.
Bullshit, Zyro thought bitterly.
"Kuro's been with us for a very long time," Hideyoshi went on to explain, and proceeded to, once again, place a hand on the other boy's arm, "but we're afraid that that time is now running short... Dreadfully short."
Zyro furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at his doppelganger briefly.
"Y-you mean...?"

"He's dying, yes." Hideyoshi said in confirmation, though his tone was more factual than anything, "The experiments and tests have taken a toll on his body, and his strength is slowly diminishing. He can't even speak anymore..." Zyro glanced at Kuro again and didn't fail to notice the solemn look on the other boy's face, his light blue eyes fixed towards the ground.
"We need you to save his life," Hideyoshi said after his brief pause, and Zyro's gaze was suddenly ripped away from Kuro and back to the Director.
"W-what?..." The raven questioned, confused and shocked at the sudden statement.
"Whether you know it or not, you, Zyro, have to the power to give life." Hideyoshi stated without directly answering, "Your DNA proved that to us very well, and, because of your ability to give life, Kuro was created. And, with your power, you have the ability to save your younger brother's life. Unless... You choose not to, of course."

What?
Were they... giving him a choice?
Whether or not to save this kid's life?

"If you refuse, we won't hold it against you." Hideyoshi said though it was less than reassuring, "However, I really can't see that there is a reason not too... After all, he is your flesh and blood, and you seem like someone who values life very highly. Do you wish to prove me wrong?"
Zyro just stared at him in disbelief, his gaze repeatedly flicking back and forth between the Director and the boy in the chair.
Were they actually asking him to do this? Actually?
What was he supposed to say to that?!
Finally, between looking back and forth, his gaze settled on Kuro, who was looking right back at him. His eyes were half-lidded, and his expression was blank, but something about him was trying to say something. Something that would, more often than not, need words; which the boy seemed to be incapable of.
Zyro shivered as he looked into those eyes that were so similar to his, and tried with all his might to see what was in them. But, somehow, he just couldn't... They were giving him the option to save this kid's life. Stop from him from dying at such a young age, however old he was... And even though he wasn't entirely too sure how exactly his powers worked yet, he couldn't just say no to that!
But, still... Something was stopping him from immediately agreeing.
Something about this kid was trying to turn him against his moral compass, but what exactly that was was something he wasn't sure of.
"Well?" Hideyoshi asked, the patience in his voice unbelievable.
"I..." Zyro tried, but faltered, "I..."
Silently, he adverted the boy's eyes and aspired to look at anything but the people that surrounded him.
How could he just decide something like this?
Smiling, Hideyoshi simply nodded his head.

"Very well, then." He said, "We can leave you two alone for awhile. You can get to know each other that way." Zyro watched as the man walked past him and headed towards the door with the rest of his cronies.
"And, when we return..." The Director said as he paused at the side of the door, his hand reached out to address the card reader off to the side, "I hope that you have made a decision."
With those final words, Hideyoshi seemed to slide his key-card through the reader on the wall. Zyro watched as the metal doors slid closed behind them, and the resounding slam of mechanical metal on mechanical metal echoed in his ears.