Chapter Two:

Rustle~, Rustle~, chatter~, chatter

Seven awoke feeling his body was swaying back and forth he whole body lean against something rough and lean but was comforting and warm at the same time.

“Se-……...seven~……. seven hey sevens awake you guys.” Looking up to the voice that he heard he saw the face of someone that he knew the face of the one who was carrying him on his back.

“You okay?” he asked with concern as he gently let Seven down before helping him stabilize his footing.

“I’m fine thanks One O One (101).”

“For the last time it’s ONE, just ONE leave out the O and the other number you don’t hear me call you ONE O SEVEN (107) now do you.” One sighed clearly annoyed by this having to remind him again.

“Yeah but you are not number One but number one hundred AND One remember?”

“Just like how you aren’t number seven but number one hundred AND Seven.”

“I know that so call me just like that but you just keep on calling me Seven.”

“Cause its easier that way.”

“Come on One, Seven get over here hurry!”

“Coming~!” One responded as he quickly started jogging over to where the other children were gathering because of that it was making Seven bounce up and down on his back making the once smooth pretty uncomfortable.

“One put me down I can walk.”

“Are you sure yeah I’m sure don’t worry about me.”

Due to Seven's pleading One reluctantly let him off of his shoulders as he gently squatted down to let Seven slid off of his back letting his feet touch the ground before he let go. Seven landed on his two feet as he was supported back up by One but because his legs were numb from the pain that resurfaced when he planted his feet on the ground his strength left his legs, causing Seven to tumble and fall forward when he tried to take a step forward falling face first towards the ground.

However, before his body even touch the ground seven was swooped up and was back on One’s back who grabbed Seven using the momentum to swiftly put him back on his back.

“What did I say?” One said while looking Seven in the eye but before Seven could even respond back One turned his head back and walked forward no longer paying any head to what Seven might try to say.

“Hey One is Seven ok?” as the two were heading to the gathering sight one group separated from the mass and headed straight for them the one in the lead immediately began to check on Seven seeing the state that he was in.

“I’m fine E57 really.”

“Bullshit you’re covered in blood from top to bottom and your face is all pale your lips have even turned purple and your clothes are a mess.”

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E57 refuted what Seven just said as he took off his shirt and cover Seven’s body with it.

“Ah E1 you can let him go now I’ve got him, hey E205 could you help E001 with his wounds.”

“Got it.” The one called E205 responded from a group of young boys similar to their age just a few feet away from them.

E1 after letting Seven down from his back into E57’s arms he turned around and began walking over to the group of young boys a few feet away from their location.

“Wait!” Seven called out to E1 causing him to turn his head around to face him.

“E1 where’s Eighteen he was with me before but why isn’t he here is he with another group?”

E1’s eyebrows twitched slightly while looking troubled at that question before breaking eye contact with Seven for a moment before looking back at seven’s eyes even E57 who was next to seven had a gloomy expression on his face.

“Seven…...Eighteen h-……Eighteen is gone seven he’s not here anymore.”

Silence enveloped the atmosphere around then no one spoke a word as the world revolved only around them and only them filtering out all other sounds in the world leaving nothing but void at least that was how it was to seven who was laying in E57’s embrace.

“Anyway, just stay put here with E57 and rest up I’ll be right back I need to check on the others.”

E1 turned away and walked away from Seven and E57.

“Eighteen……...E57.....is-is Eighteen….is he really gone?” Seven spoke as he slowly raised his head to look E57 in the eye as E57 also looked back straight into his eyes as he spoke.

“Yes, he’s gone……E018 is gone he’s not here anymore.”

“I see.” Seven looked down breaking eye contact with E57.

“Seven~.”E57 worried about Seven lifted his head to look him in the eyes.

“I’m fine E57 really I’m fine lets just go where everyone else is.” Seven knowing what was on E57’s mind immediately changed the subject.

“Ok here give me your hand I’ll carry you over there.” After lifting E007 up onto his feet E57 supported him with his shoulder as they slowly walked over to the mass gathering with other children around their age who are just as tattered as they were a couple of meters ahead of them.

Not far away from them in another location far from the eyes of the children there were several individuals watching them as they were gathering up.

In a building room with a large observation window along with several Tv and holographic screen along the edges and on another hill close to where the children were, there were multiple groups of men in white lab coats with several holding a device that looks a translucent, touch-sensitive panel between two solid end grips.

These men were looking through the window and observing the children through the screens in the room.

“Well look at that~, looks like quite the load of them survived this round today.”

“Indeed.”

“But man, these kids seem to getting faster and faster or is it just me does anyone else seem to think so?”

A particular group of these men not too far away from the window but closer to the back of the room were discussing what they were seeing.

“You’re not imagining it look at this.”

One of them tapped on his device a few times before showing the other guys in his group as the others look at the device.

“In the beginning they were running only about eight miles per hour then it slowly increased to ten and it just seemed to increase by the day just now these kids were running with a speed of nearly seventeen miles an hour and that was only the slowest among them.”

“What!?” the other men’s face was filled with shock listening and reading the data off of his device.

“Seventeen miles an hour! That’s almost even faster than the average adult, you’re trying to tell me that those runts out there are faster than a full-grown adult that’s insane even with all the medication we have given them their bodies would not be able to withstand that amount of energy or force their still just a bunch of runts still in their diapers no more than what five or six years old!”

Exclaimed one of them while throwing his hands in the air.

“Not to mention they were able to run at that speed without nearly two days of sleep?!”

“The data does not lie and besides we all saw how they were able to run faster before the shells could even hit them and besides look at the time they finished that ten-kilometer course, that clearly shows that they were running a least seventeen miles an hour for them to finish at this time.”

Hearing this the man shut his mouth as the information provided prove the truth there was no more need to discuss.

“Should we be worried about this?” Breaking the silence one of the men looking at his own device raised a question.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think there could be any side effects to this? What would happen to the chil- I mean the test subjects what happen if they break down?””

“I don’t think the chief even cares the only he’s concerned about is whether or not the drugs will work and if there are any bad side effects what we can do to is improve on it before the final product that we present to the top brass remember, we have to finish this by the end of this month the boss is already not pleased with our progress we’re already fallen behind the other sections.”

“But these are human lives we are dealing not some play toys here, our future generations the beginnings of our species don’t you-”

“You have to remember what the boss said it does not matter what we do we just need to get result that’s pleases him its either their heads or yours.”

The man’s colleague said interrupting what the man was saying.

The answer he got caused the man to casted his gaze down after hearing what his colleagues just said.

“Come on its time to leave.” One of the men said as most of the people in the room was already heading towards the door at the back.

The man looked back towards the screen filled with young boys all covered blood, dirt and in rags a look of helpless and grief filled his heart he wanted to help these children, however he could but he quickly threw those thoughts away to the back of his head as he knew the consequences as he turned around and followed his collogues out the room.