Chapter 6:

Pain- Pain it hurt it really hurt it hurts everywhere but where is everywhere?

That was the thought that ran repeatedly in E-107’s mind as his eyes opened to a bright flashing light that was blinding him up above. Rushing out of the unknown darkness that surround him merely micro-seconds ago before he sudden awoke to the light when did he fall into the darkness he couldn’t remember.

Then as suddenly as he found himself in the light, he realized all too late he would wake into a world of excruciation. Once conscious, it over took his senses instantly faster than the body registry time to recover his senses. All he felt was only the agony, flaring down every nerve and making his skin feel ripped up with hooks his muscles burned like hot molten lava was coursing through him instead of blood.

The sensation of feeling cold and wet then hit him fast and hard cutting down into his very core and he soon discovered the reason he was nude laying down on a steel surface. Over a crimson pool of blood with more still dripping through the seams of his reattached skin. When he tried to move the burning agonizing, feeling cut through his body a mixture of feeling hot and cold overwhelmed his senses.

Such a burning sensation it clawed at him a pain that was all too familiar and then it hit him he remembered why it hurt. E107 then remember the grownups in white their faces covered behind masks as they held him down to the cold table, his body ached and twitched remembering the saws cutting him opening the sounds and earth scattering crunching feeling of his bones breaking. The liquid tubes they pumped into him a cocktail mixture of god knows what, it ate into him clawed at him from within. Then all he could remember then was the blood, blood oozing from every part of his body, the blood that clouded his vison turning the world around him crimson red.

All he could see was the blood, the blood so much blood, thus he laid there his eyes half-lidded, his rip torn body static on the metal cot. Stiff as a statue bating in a pool of his blood dripping of the edges of the metal cot, being a statue was all he was capable of doing for a long time. And then, just as he felt some strength beginning to twitch again in his still prone limbs he tried to move fired and the biting sensation of a million insect bites and his muscles torn apart his bones creak and crack under his flesh.

Instantly the sensations overwhelmed his senses again his face blurred instantly in to a mask of intolerable pain his mouth a gap in a voiceless scream. His lips torn at the ends such was the length and strength he was emphasizing on his voiceless cries, that should able to reach the heavens if only they could be heard sadly no one would hear his screams no one ever has.

It was dark…. but yet….it seemed so clear as day due to the lights hovering him though it only allowed him to see only about three feet around him. Once again, he tried to move his limbs but to no avail pain overwhelmed him but he didn’t stop gritting his teeth so forcefully with enough force to crack them he tried lifting his arms again. This time with little success he was actually able to move his arms and grip his hands, before falling back down splashing back into the blood puddle under him. Through immeasurable time frame he has repeated this again and again first his arms, then his legs and alternate, fighting back the pain he continued to shifted and turn trying to move any part of his body. The reward however after such excruciating effort advancing each time was worthwhile, E107 was finally able to lift his upper body off the slippery metal cot which took him nearly two tries as he had no grip.

E107 eyes long adjusted to the blinding light above him finally gazed upon the ruination of his body. Lifting up his arms looking down at them there were bright red blood mark lines running through his arms as well as his legs down to his ankle, no pass that to his toes even and runs up to his thighs in a straight line. It also ran from the tip of his finger to his shoulder each line connecting all around his body, everywhere he looked was exactly the same situation. The lines still ran bright red with his movements seemly increasing the amount of blood flowing out of his body reopening the wounds.

Unable to bear the pain much longer his let himself fall backwards landing roughly against his cold metal cot with light splash in his puddle of blood which of course didn’t aid in softened his landing.

There he laid his vision began to fail once again the blanket of a shadow covering his sight, he tried looking for those he knew but couldn’t see beyond darkness his cot adding to the fact of his failing eyes. He had hoped for a respite of relief seeing those he cared for to be safe and alive or the hope seeing the familiar faces that she grew up one he could turn to for help to ease the pain. Atlas that was denied to him this only seemed to intensify the pain, it felt like everything inside him was breaking and the pain was becoming far too unbearable for him. Making him feel extremely tired and yet even when he closed his eyes and even dared to hope to be drifted off into the dreamless rest that too was barred from his grasp. Hovering over the border of self-awareness and desired nothingness of sleep of which he had hoped would have happened but, he only felt pain nonstop endless amount of pain. If he could cry, he would but no tears came out. He himself knew that he was trying to fool himself. No matter how much time has passed he couldn’t drift off into dreamless sleep so he laid on the cold wet surface of the metal cot while bitterly enduring the pain that was not going away.

At another location in the room directly above E107 and the other there were two people looking over them through the glass there were also countless screen monitors in the room showing each individually subject’s vitals down below them.

Today’s procedure has been complete and once again several more of the children died due to the pain of the surgery alone, many of them didn’t make it during the beginning phases of the process. The pain alone was overwhelming enough to end them before the actual process, not surprising really since they were not given antithesis to help ease the pain no one among the staff cared even as they screamed out their hearts. No one paid them any heed as they cried out in pain and plead for the end to come one would grant them that anytime soon.

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It was only when the screams and crying had ceased for an extend period of time, did they pay any attention to the tormented souls beneath them. Not out of concern but only just to check if they lived if they didn’t, if they could be brought back swift from the edge the pain resumed if they didn’t return, they were casted aside immediately on the spot not even properly buried and respected they were tossed aside like fifth. Their open torn bodies casted aside to a trash compartment like door in the walls nearby, casting them down into the abyss below to rot away from the light to be forgotten.

A male doctor dressed in the uniform like any in his profession stood there by the viewing glass, looking at the many holo-screens of data projected on the glass as well as the many lit individual spots down below within the massive space below. The man’s uniform was filthy its pure white coat was now stained with large blogs of gory red gore repainting the surface. Specks and pieces of human vital clinging onto it like gum.

His hands originally bare was now slick up to the wrist deep in crimson gore overlaying his skin resembling a latex glove. Trails of red streaks marked his face as well like old tribal warrior marks in ancient times, his attention on the data feed was broken when the taping of high heels shoes upon the smooth floor tiles rang out behind him.

“Doctor Kent”

A female assistant walked up behind the man and without any expression on her stern cold face spoke coldly without any feelings or remorse in regards to the topic of the subjects.

“The second stage procedure has been completed most of it has been successful to a somewhat satisfying degree however though, we had predicted a great majority of the test subjects wouldn’t make it the process but the number was higher than anticipated. Ha~, absolutely useless even with all that we invested in them they broke so easily and we can’t just easily get new bodies nowadays.”

Doctor Kent still didn’t turn to face her though his blood felt like burning lava hearing her words but shallowed his anger he reaches out slightly and clenched his fist tightly on the guard rails in front of him. The blood smearing the grip made it slippery but he held his grip firm.

“Doctor?” Seeing as how the man was not responding she raised her voice slightly to get his attention.

“…. how many?”

Doctor Kent spoke so softly that it was near impossible for the assistant to hear. “Yes?” confusion soon replaced the expressionless features of her face not understanding what was being asked of her.

“How many of them……how many children have we allowed to die today Calare?” he spoke a bit louder trying to contain the anger building within him.

“Out of the 2023 test subjects that we had remaining only 1562 of them now remain, ha~, I understand doctor we originally started out with 3000 now less than three thirds of them remain.” The woman named Calare responded in the same cold calculated manner unawares to his changing mood.

Bodies…that’s all they are to you just numbers…...statistics…...on a chart their deaths mean absolutely nothing to you? Those are children down there…...just toddlers they should be in the main cities enjoying life and now today once again…more children……. were lost.

“I suppose if we try to put it in good convincing words maybe the big boss might approve of us get more bodies after all they just worthless street rats the people up in those tights button suits could care less about.”

They were but mere orphans taken from the street and alleyways but, a life was still a life and they should be in an orphanage not a test lab having these numbers isn’t enough you want more? Doctor Kent want to voice out this thought building in his mind but after taking a deep breath he simply fighting back the anger building up inside, he then said simply as he turned to face his assistant.

“Our resources are finite even if we get the approval to get more…...bodies……we might not have enough supplies to even continue onward with the project properly.”

The assistant Calare wore a similar outfit like himself as befitting their profession minus the mini shirt which only went down dangerously low only passed her knees, her hair was short barley passed her ears with a cute face. All in all, she was a typical beauty that any man would find themselves attracted to if not for her cold demeanor even her eyes showed no emotions, looking directly at those eyes it felt like he was looking directly into an abyss.

That fact nearly unnerved him not of fear but of disgust lately that all he has felt in this place, and the emotion has only just increase.

“I understand doctor I will put in the order to see if the boss can connive the big wigs upstairs to give us more time.”

That’s wasn’t even what I meant. Doctor Kent sighed inwardly not bothering to correct her but simply nodded his head as she turned away to head towards the door behind her.

Doctor Kent then turned back away from his assistant his left hand still gripping on the guard rails in front of him tightly while his hand began dancing on the glass. His index finger rapidly tapping at the viewing glass as an array of different holo-screen was projected on the surface of the glass. Each screen displayed each of the surviving test subjects below vital signs scrolling through each and every single one slowly time has flow without him even realizing it. By the time he has finished the last one, he finally looked at the time being past twenty-three hundred it was already a new day.

Throughout the night more of the test subjects below succumbed to the grievous procedure or were deemed nonfunctional these were ferried away via robotic drones stationed below. He was told that the children were taken to get medical care however deep down Kent knew that those poor children who could not make it were disposed of. It was all the same just different wording nothing about what was being done was different, it was almost unbearable knowing the truth but not being able to change that fact.

Yet still he didn’t stop he tapped at the glass again several spots smeared with now dried blood stains a new set of screens appeared replacing the previous ones. These were nothing like the vital reading of what he was looking over before but mass influx of data along with what looked like blueprints and massive detail plans. The amount of information being displayed was simply overwhelming such amount of work that was rushed, most of these wasn’t even properly tested it was all still just theories put to the test.

“These augmentations are outrageous those from 30 years ago were nowhere near as insane as these, why would the board give that man the authority to perform these inhuman tests surly they must not have forgotten the tragic that was done to those candidates. As matter of fact wasn’t, he greatly affected by these experimentations being one himself? how could he…no how could someone like that man even morally approve of this?”

Scrolling down the list of augmentation procedure slowly and carefully studying each one in depth as much to his understanding much of it baffled him.

“Most of these have such a high risk of danger of failure this is impractical it’s hard to believe that they would still continue this research, there have been some much death already and for worst most of the children who had survived but could not handle the change had become disabled.”

He had to fight the incoming feeling of a brain sensory overlord after scrolling through these data logs, such length and amounts of resources put forward into this project left him many questions.

(Who the hell is funding this project anyway I can’t believe that there would people who would even fund lent alone support this sort of a project.) he theorized and made assumptions but made no connections doctor Kent then gave up on his thoughts just like many ideas he has cast aside as of late. This was something beyond what he can even handle best not to think too much on it or get too involved with the politics behind it.

He dismissed the data screens before him, turned on his heel and head towards the door that his assistant Calare exited the room from. The massive corridor door opened automatic before him sensory data picked up on his movement to the door, revealing a massive open space on the other side of the door. He then took one step onto this path his step echoed out loudly in his ear due to the isolation around him.

I guess we’re all prisoner here.

He then continued onward his path forward without looking back is foot steps rang out loudly around him.