10,008 continued on with his duties after that fateful day, as hard as it was. He was prone to noticing things now. Seeing just how boring Octarian life was. Once his eyes were opened, they couldn't be closed again.

He slogged through his work, hunting down deserters of the army and bringing them before the generals. There, they stood a trial where the only outcome was death, no matter how they pleaded.

One such trial was currently happening, a deserter cowering against his bonds. The "courtroom" could barely be called that. Everything in Octarian society was underground and protected, so this room was mostly allowed to stay open. It was a conscious decision by the higher-ups: let all who had thoughts of deserting see what happened to traitors. Let them see what 10,008 could do.

Let them bow beneath his might.

Two generals stood before the prisoner, who knelt before them. His hands were tied behind his back, and a shock ring was attached to his neck, the control in the generals' hands. If the prisoner tried to escape, tried to attack, it would activate. That is, if 10,008 didn't kill him first.

"Soldier Number 9,909," General Malik intoned, her hands crossed behind her back. The soldier froze, his throat bobbing as he swallowed back his fear. "You were caught by our elite soldiers attempting to assault your fellow soldiers and desert them." She leaned forward, so close her breath was hot on the deserter's face. "How do you plead?"

"Innocent," the desert choked out, although everyone gathered knew he was lying. "My friends and I were having a friendly spar, which they must have mistaken for me trying to desert." His bright orange eyes stared directly at Malik, an inferno burning in his eyes. "I would never dare to betray our glorious army."

The other general—Marner—sneered. She was one of the crueler generals, reveling in the suffering of those beneath her. She dug her heel into 9,909's chest, and he grunted at the pain. "Oh dear thing. Do you think you're irreplaceable? That you mean something?" She kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back. 10,008 winced slightly, aware if he disobeyed, the same would happen to him.

9,909 coughed out a wad of blood, and it landed near Marner's feet. She curled her lips in disgust, glaring down at him with a heat in her eyes that could melt steel.

"You are making a mistake," 9,909 growled out, struggling against his bonds. 10,008 flexed his claws, confirming they were sharp enough to pierce flesh. Whether Marner and Malik decided to forgive the deserter didn't matter, he would die. "I am not the first, nor am I the last. There are others. So many others. It's become clear to us that we have never been here out of our own free will. You are forcing us to serve you, and someone helped us see the light." He let out a broken laugh. "You can't stop the Tsunami! You can't stop the–"

The silent signal.

10,008 pierced the neck of the deserter, claws sinking into the flesh like a knife through butter. 9,909 stopped speaking, eyes widening like eggs in surprise. He turned his head slightly to stare at 10,008, who couldn't meet his eyes. So he turned them away, staring at the blood that leaked from the deserter's neck.

A cough of pain.

A drop of blood.

A sob of fear.

10,008 retracted his claws, watching the deserter bleed out. He had just barely missed the arteries in the neck, unfocused and weak. It wouldn't be a quick death, but he didn't deserve one, did he?

He is a deserter. A traitor. He doesn't deserve a good death.

You are a traitor.

9,909 started a barrage of coughs, choking on the blood that filled his mouth and lungs. If he didn't bleed out first, he would probably die of suffocation. Malik watched with a blank look, while Marner looked absolutely delighted at the death. 10,008 heard her sniggers, as if this life being lost was just a game to her. 9,909 was still choking on his own blood, gasping for any air he could get.

Marner knelt down to look at him, her deep red eyes aflame with fever. "Do you think," she said. "That we don't know about your little rebellions?" 9,909 seemed to widen his eyes in shock, but 10,008 couldn't tell. He was dying, anyway. "That you are outside of our eyes? We have undercover agents in every corner of the valley and the canyon. You cannot and you will not stay out of our sight. When we find the rest of you, I promise they will all meet your same fate." She turned her wild glare onto 10,008, who stood at attention. "Is that not right, Experiment #10,008?"

He had no choice but to nod.

And then 9,909 was dead, murdered by his own hands. He stared at the body as Malik called a group of agents to dispose of it. He would be dropped into the canyon, left to be picked on by scavengers. No traitor deserved a decent burial.

No traitor deserved a good life outside of this hellhole.