{Toby}

I groaned when I finally found myself waking up. I heard someone laughing and looked over to see someone familiar… It was Simon Charles. My eyes went wide when I saw him. "What the hell?"

He smiled at me. "Hello there! It's about damned time you woke up! I think Uncle 42 might have gone overboard on sleeping medicine. I don't blame him because everyone at A-Circle is very and I mean VERY excited to welcome you home!"

I blinked. "Uh home? What do you mean home? Where am I?"

His smile turned into a sinister grin. "Welcome to A-Circle and I'm a little upset that you don't recognize me although I did have a mask on when I delivered Dominic's message to you."

"Huh?" I said.

He reached underneath his right ear and pulled off his mask. My jaw dropped when I saw who Simon Charles really was. "Jason! What the hell?"

Jason laughed. "Yup! I've been working for Dominic this whole entire time! And get this, Dominic's been doing testing on you for the past two years. So it's very possible that he would've captured you along with 32401 anyway. It just so happens that you fell for her! Aww, isn't that cute?"

I blinked again and it took a moment to register what Jason just said. I looked over at him. "Is that how I gained a new ability without even being at A-Circle Labs?"

He nodded. "Yup! Honestly, I had a feeling you'd fall for 32401 eventually. I mean she is totally your type. It's a shame though because she's totally my type too. Dominic told me if you didn't fall for her I could have her," He did a dramatic sigh, "But unfortunately, she just had to fall for you!"

I chuckled at the bitterness in Jason's voice. Dominic is one sneaky little bastard! I swear when I get my hands on that guy…

"You know you can't win a fight with Dominic right? He's a genius at what he does!" Jason said, "And when he wants something, he gets it."

I rolled my eyes. It was at that moment that I got a chance to look around. I noticed I was lying on a bed that was a full sized bed and the walls in the room were painted pink. Now that I got a look at where I was, the room looked a lot like a little girls room! Well more like a teenage girl's room. On the far right corner of the room a small sign in the shape of a crown hung and it had the numbers 32401 on it. There was a pink teddy bear sitting on a table underneath the sign and a medium sized dollhouse sitting next to the table.

I looked to the left of me and I noticed that the wall held a couple of pictures on a shelf of a young woman standing next to Dominic with a small smile on her face. I could tell just from the picture that the woman was not happy. The woman looked familiar to me. I tried my best to sit up so I could get a better look at the picture on my own but I felt some pain in my chest for whatever the reason.

"I wouldn't try and sit up on your own just yet if I were you," Jason said.

"Why?" I asked.

"The sleeping medicine that was in whatever shot Sergeant 22 gave you has yet to wear off. It takes at least twenty-four hours to get out of your system, so for now if you need help I'll be assisting you. So tell me if you have to go to the bathroom or anything like that," Jason explained.

He came over and helped me sit up. I looked over at the picture again. "Who's that in the picture next to Dominic?"

"That young woman is 32401," Jason answered. "That picture was taken the second year she was here with us. She didn't like smiling on pictures much and from what I know of she was quite a handful. I wonder if that's why Dominic is so dead set on her becoming the new leader of A-Circle?" He shook his head. "That's the million dollar question isn't it?"

I nodded.

"And don't worry, 32401 will be back in this room when Dominic sees that she's been taken care of," Jason said. "She put up quite a fight before she was brought in and that can't be good for the baby. Although I don't think she could get rid of the baby even if she wanted to. And from what I know of, she's been pretty excited about being a mother."

I smiled. "Yeah she is. At first she was nervous about it but now she can't wait to become a mother! Although I could do without her taking opportunities to stab me with a fork for no reason."

He snorted. "I'll be sure to let Dominic know about that although knowing him he probably already knows. Now that 32401's pregnant-"

"It's Emily!" I hissed.

He paused. "Excuse me?"

"Her name is Emily," I said.

He shook his head. "Nope, her real name is 32401 and pretty much everyone around here will be addressing her by that name. So you might want to get used to that."

"But why? Why not give her a real name?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I have no idea that's the way things are around here. Most lab rats with no rank and file have numbers and then when or if they get a ranking they'll have a title in front of their number. That's usually how it happens."

"I see," I said. Then my stomach growled.

Jason laughed, "Well looks like you're hungry. I'll go get you some food and I'm locking the door so don't even think about trying to escape. Although it's not like you'd get past the security guards anyway."

I rolled my eyes when I saw him leave. After he left I looked at the pictures with Emily in them again. I sighed and thought, It must have been hard for you growing up in this hellhole. Hopefully, we'll figure out a way to escape.

***

{Emily}

"Oh 32401! It's time for you to wake up now!" I heard Dominic say.

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes but the moment my eyes were opened I shut them because of the blinding bright light. "Where am I?"

"You're back at A-Circle my dear," Dominic said. "And once you get checked out you'll go back to your room where your boyfriend is waiting for you."

My eyes shot open and I sat up. "What? You mean Toby's here?"

He nodded. "Yup, he's in your room but like I said, you won't see him until you get checked out. So far so good. Oh and you're having a boy! Isn't that wonderful?"

I opened my mouth to say something but at the moment I was at a loss for words. The last thing I remembered before I passed out was seeing Toby transformed from his Anaconda form to human and I fell over in his arms.

Dominic smirked. "You sure put up one hell of a fight before you were brought in! And I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Oh and I should inform you of your upgrade to your name. Your name is now Lieutenant 32401! You are going to be the next leader of A-Circle after all."

I grit my teeth. "Again with that bullshit? No I won't do it! Why not have Sergeant 22 be the next leader of A-Circle instead?"

He shook his head. "Nope! Not happening and I'm just going to tell you that it's because you're the perfect person for the job and you've always been perfect in my eyes."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Does it matter why?" Dominic said, "Like I just said, you're perfect for the job and you will be the next leader of A-Circle whether you want to or not. Now get some rest and I'll send someone to assist you with things because the sleeping medicine that's in your system won't be out of it until twenty-four hours later."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I sighed and sat back on the bed. Without another word Dominic got up and left the room.

***

{Dominic}

I smiled when I watched the security cameras that were trained on Lieutenant 32401's hospital room. I started thinking about shortening her name to Lieutenant 32 because nobody will have her number or rank.

"Well someone's awfully happy today!" Sergeant 22 cheered, "I don't blame you I'm super excited that 32401 is finally home. We'll have a welcome home party for her and her boyfriend right?"

I chuckled, "Yes we will, I just want to make sure they're settled in first and then we'll officially welcome them home!"

I looked closer at the security cameras and my smile turned into a grin because I could see the wheels in Lieutenant 32401's head. I could tell she was already trying to figure out an escape plan. But this time it won't work because I have tightened security around the house and the labs twice as much as I did before. Not to mention I can use her boyfriend and her friend Anna as leverage to get her to work with me.

"Hmm, I wonder how she's going to feel when she finds out that her little friend Anna aka Auntie 91 has been working for me this whole entire time?" I asked.

Sergeant 22 had a sinister smile. "I bet she'll be shocked and then her shock will turn into anger. I can't wait to see it happen!"

"Speaking of Auntie 91," I said, "How's the interrogation going?"

She sighed, "She's annoying because she won't give us any information about how she helped Lieutenant 32401 escape. She keeps telling me to go fuck off! Can we turn her into a lab rat?"

I snorted. "I don't know about that just yet. She's been a good worker in all the years she's been with us. I should've known to suspect her because she was too good at her job. I'll interrogate her next and then see where to go with her from there."

She nodded. "Alright then."

***

I walked down the hallway to the interrogation ignoring the screams of terror and pain as I went. Normally those screams would be music to my ears but at the moment I was too angry to care. There was one person whose screams of terror and pain would be music to my ears right now and that would be Auntie 91 aka Anna.

When I got to Auntie 91's cell I saw a couple of my guards pushing Auntie 91's head under a bucket of water.

I smiled. "Okay guys, take a break! I need her alive for questioning."

After the guards tied Auntie 91 to a chair they gave me a short bow and I dismissed them. I pulled up a chair across from her and sat down on it backwards facing her. "Wow, I can't believe one of my best workers wound up stealing from me."

Auntie 91 snarled, "I didn't-" She paused and rolled her eyes. "Nevermind…"

I kept my smile and laughed. At least she knows she can't win the I didn't steal from you argument with me. She did steal and I don't care if Lieutenant 32401 went with her willingly or not!

She didn't say anything but she did scoff at me. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah just keep scoffing and snarling that won't get you anywhere with me. You're not going to give me any useful information aren't you?"

She smirked and puffed out her chest proudly. "You damn right I'm not going to give you any useful information! So go fuck off!"

I scoffed and laughed, "Tsk, tsk you seem very proud of yourself, since you refuse to tell me anything starting tomorrow you are a lab rat. And I already have your number picked out for you. You will Lab Rat 91504! I can't wait to see if you develop any powers from this."

I laughed as I got up from my chair and turned around and left the room.

***

{Emily}

At this point I had a lot to think about. Dominic added a title to my number which means he finally gave me a rank. But why? I didn't do anything! I left A-Circle for six years and I had to come back when I got captured and why is he so obsessed with me leading A-Circle? I don't get it.

The door to my room opened and I rolled my eyes. "Dominic, I don't feel like talking right now!"

I heard a familiar voice sigh, "I know Dominic told me you might not feel like talking to him. But he sent me to assist you. And to tell you the truth…"

I looked over to see Anna standing in the doorway with a white lab technician coat on and a name badge hanging on a lanyard that said Auntie 91 on it. My eyes went wide when I saw her. "An… Anna?"

Anna sighed, "Yes it's exactly what it looks like. I worked for Dominic and now I'm a lab rat."

She pulled up a chair next to my bedside. "Listen there's a lot that I need to tell you but it's rather hard to explain. And I'm not sure if you're going to understand."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well then do your best to help me understand."

She took a deep breath and let it out. "I started working for Dominic under the fact that my parents sold me to A-Circle Labs. A-Circle Labs at that time gave me a purpose. Like most of the kids that came here A-Circle gave them a real meaning to their life. But somewhere down the road I started to dream of escaping or if I couldn't escape from A-Circle I wanted to help someone else escape."

"So you only helped me for selfish reasons? Selfish reasons that you deemed to be noble?" I asked.

She sighed, "That's part of it. But I knew in order to help someone escape that I would have to stay at A-Circle in order to find the one person who wanted to leave. And that person was you. You wanted to leave. You didn't want any part of A-Circle and what they were doing. You hated it here and I was going to be your way out."

My eyes narrowed and I felt tears forming in them. "Why? Did I ask you to save me?"

"No you didn't, but I wanted to save you. I guess you could say that I fell in love with you the first time I saw you and I wanted you as a sister. A sister to protect and keep safe from harm but again in order to do that I had to keep working for A-Circle," She said. "How do you think I was able to keep track of Dominic's movements so easily?"

"And yet you had no idea who was on our side and who wasn't," I said.

"Actually, I knew who was on your side and who wasn't," Anna said.

I grit my teeth. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because you had enough on your mind as it was-" Anna said.

I cut her off, "Oh spare me your excuses wasn't that the idea that we'd beat Dominic at his own game? Or did you think that I would be so stupid and not know what to do with the help?"

She opened her mouth to say something but shut it.

"Or did you not trust me enough to tell me who supported me and who didn't?" I asked, "Because if you didn't trust me enough-"

"No that wasn't it! Like I said you had enough to worry about and you had trust issues. So even if I told you who you could trust and who you couldn't there would still be a chance that you wouldn't trust them," Anna said.

"But I trusted you didn't I?" I said, "I took a chance and I trusted you and I was safe for five years until Dominic tracked me down again. I mean sure we celebrated my 'birthday' and that would make it six years away from A-Circle but at what cost? What about Toby? Did he work for A-Circle?"

Anna smiled and shook her head. "No, he never worked for A-Circle. As a matter of fact from what I know of he's been locked in your old room at the house."

I flinched when I heard that. The fact that Toby's being locked in that ugly pink room must be driving him insane and he must be worried sick about me. At that moment for whatever the reason the air in the room felt like it was suffocating me. I was feeling pissed off to the max too. Anna didn't trust me enough to tell me who was on my side and who wasn't. The only person who didn't work for A-Circle this whole entire time was my boyfriend Toby, the man who loved me with all heart and who is the father of my baby.

I felt like I couldn't breathe and machines that I was hooked up to started beeping at an alarming rate. Anna grabbed my hand but instead of looking at her I looked away.

"Emily," Anna panicked. "Emily deep slow breaths… Deep slow breaths…"

"FUCK YOU!" I roared, "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK A-CIRCLE! I HATE YOU!" I yanked my hand away from her as if her touch burned me. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!"

"But-" Anna started.

"No! You didn't believe in me, you didn't trust me and I let you feel the way," I cried. "Just get out, tell Dominic I won't let you help me, ever and I don't care if you're a lab rat or not right now! Has I just said, fuck you!"

Anna sniffled, "Okay I'm going but I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me one day…"

As soon as I heard her footsteps leave and the door closed I scoffed, "Forgiveness my ass!"

Less than five minutes after I kicked Anna out, I heard Dominic come in and he was laughing.

I snarled, "What's so funny?"

"Man I expected you to be angry once you found out about your friend was working for me but I didn't expect you to be that angry!" Dominic said.

I turned and looked at him. "I hate you!"

He chuckled, "Yeah I know and I've lost count of how many times you've said that to me. I love hearing that from you! That statement is like music to my ears!"

"Asshole," I scoffed.

He snorted. "Yes… Yes I am."

I rolled my eyes and didn't say anything. Dominic smiled at me and said, "I'm so glad you're back at A-Circle where you belong! And in a couple of weeks we'll have a welcome home party for you and Toby! Oh and I already thought of a number for him Sergeant 54. And I'm shortening your name from Lieutenant 32401 to Lieutenant 32. Congrats on the upgrade!"

He reached over and kissed me. When he kissed me I bit his bottom lip hard enough to make him bleed. He laughed after the kiss, "Feisty, just how I remembered you were. Alright then, I'll send someone else in to help you. Until then, make sure you get plenty of rest and I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

He got up from his chair and left the room. I wiped my lips to get rid of the kiss. That kiss reminded me about why I hate him so much.