A course, dull scraping filled the chamber as the lights grew brighter. A speaker blared an alarm as the subjects sat up from their restless slumber. low moans and winces from pain echoed throughout as their bare feet made contact with the frigid concrete floor. Ava’s eyes adjusted as she focused on Thomas scraping another tally into the wall by his slab.

“Forty three. I think that's forty three days now mates. I'm guessing you are all in as much pain as I am.” his hair and beard had grown dishevelled as his will to live had degraded. At the end of his rope the man had completely given up on seeing the sun again. His only solace was charting the days that passed.

Carlos sat down at the concrete table as he held his hand. Fresh cauterised wounds adorned the length of every finger shaking as he cradled them in his opposite palm. “This aint good man. I think these puto did something to my hand. I can't move it.” he shook his unresponsive hand as he breathed heavily in a panic.

“We took your tendons subject three. We spent so long looking at your muscle and bone and found no results. We are examining your tendons now. Your hand will not move again.” Doctor Himmel’s disinterested voice bounced through the chamber. Through the past weeks the Doctor had taken much from the group both mentally and physically. Each had lost much in the pursuit of the Doctor's twisted science.

“You’re all sick. You keep us locked in a cage but you’re the fuckin animals!” Thomas spat into a camera as the rest of the group congregated around the concrete table. Sebastian felt his freshly shaven head. A feeling of sickness overcame him as he felt the small sealed wound on the back of his skull. Ava quickly lifted him over to a toilet as he vomited pure bile into the metal bowl.

Kazama sat stoic as ever at the table awaiting his morning meal. The fresh wounds left him unbothered as always as he breathed calmly. “You know the whole tough guy not talking thing is getting old mate” Thomas sat down next to him as Kazama opened his eyes to scowl at Thomas. The aged man has never taken kindly to the man's silence.”

“Subjects will move to the back wall and face it!” a commanding voice came from beyond the large metal door to the chamber. “Subjects will remain still or will receive a beating” the voice commanded once more as alarms began to blare. The shunting and clunk of heavy steel bolts shook the chamber as they unsealed.

Three large armoured men equipped with rifles stepped into the chamber and took aim as the subjects. “Staff will be entering with food. Subjects are to remain still at all times or they will be fired upon.” Two men in orange jumpsuits entered the chamber pushing a cart of prepared bowls. They slowly made their way around the table laying down five piping hot portions of porridge.

The orange jumpsuit wearing men exited through the large steel doors as the guards lowered their weapons. Thomas turned his head as they walked away. His eyes focussed on their weaponry. Their magazines were empty. The small glass window that allowed for the user to see how many rounds they had left was vacant. The guns were nothing more than a tool for intimidation.

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“Yeah nah fuck this then” Thomas sprinted at the guards pushing one over as he ran out of the chamber. The remaining guards screamed at him as alarms sounded filling the corridor with flashing red lights. He laughed to himself as he sprinted further and further. In his joy he disregarded the many other chambers he ran past.

Each window he passed contained another chamber. Each looked in on a group of subjects of its own. Each approached their door as they were roused by the blaring sirens. Coming to the end of a corridor he took a sharp left and was met with a long hall with hope at the end. A large elevator door beckoned in the distance.

Thomas fell to the floor as two metal prongs secured themselves in his back. Thousands of volts of electricity flowed through his body causing his muscles to twist and scream. Doctor Himmel stood behind him holding the handle of a bright yellow Taser pistol. “Sometimes I wonder why we pay these buffoons we have for security.” he threw down the pistol as two men brought Thomas to his feet.

Dragging him back by his arms his feet bounced and scraped against the metal floor. His head hung low as he spat drool from his mouth. “You’re all….. You’re all fuckin monsters.” the Doctor chuckled as he walked “that is a matter of perspective subject three.” Thomas attempted to struggle against the soldier's grip. “My name is Thomas fuckin Logan you German cunt.”

The remaining four subjects lay on the ground as guards unrelentingly beat them. Each was forced onto their front facing the table as a guard took position on their backs firmly placing a knee into each spine. A second guard for Carlos held a cutting torch to his neck. “We asked you all for co-operation to better the human race. You have all sought to hinder us at every turn.”

The doctor entered the chamber as a guard swept his arms across the table sending the bowls crashing to the floor. The two guards holding Thomas slammed him down into the table on his back. “Subject one I have been holding back on my most desired procedure for you for your sake but your actions require correction. In this we can achieve two goals!” an assistant handed the doctor a tool as a third guard grabbed Thomas’s Head pinning it to the table.

“Now subject one you have been blessed with incredible sight. Your storied military history is testament to the potency of your gift. In order to harness this we must inspect directly.” Thomas struggled as the Doctor readied his tool and approached him. Its three metal prongs reflected in the light as he bought it ever closer to Thomas.

The Doctor halted for a moment as he turned to address the subjects on the ground. They struggled and writhed against the force on top of them. All but Kazama that calmly watched from the ground. Their hair was held back by the guards atop them forcing them to bare witness to the events occurring. “Let this be a lesson to you all.”

The doctor plunged the instrument into the socket of the helpless man. He struggled and screamed as the tool spun and tugged. The guards held firm as the doctor smiled gleefully. He pushed the tool further as Thomas’ screamed echoed through the chamber and hallway.

His screams were overpowered by a fierce roar that cascaded through the corridor. Its distorted tones shook the very bones of all present. “All personnel to the main chamber. Subject Zero is awake! Sedate it! Sedate it now!” a primal growl accompanied the voice that came through the soldiers radios.

The doctor pulled his instrument from his victim as the soldiers began to release the subjects. With a loud plop Thomas’s right eye fell into the water filled jar held by the Doctors assistant. Holding his head and crying out Thomas rolled onto his side. Blood began to spill onto the table as Sebastian took hold of his head.

Ava ran to his side as she tore a piece from Thomas’ sleeve. She wrapped it tightly around his head as Kazama calmly held his hands. “There are two paths following great suffering. Wallow in the dirt with the worms. Rise with the phoenix into the sky. The time has come for us to choose.” Kazama’s words silenced the room as they carried throughout.