Hatchetfield Stories

Double Trouble

The last one of my Nightmare Time stories that I hadn't uploaded yet :)

This is my first oneshot to be over 3k words, which is a milestone on its own, but according to AO3 statistics, I also passed 100k total, which is just insane to me. I started writing to get better at English and here I am a year and a half later, writing every single day and working on plotting an actual original book series.
Thank you for reading and supporting me❤

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Car crash
-Stabbing
-Death
-Needle mention
-Injuries

SPOILER WARNING:
This story contains major spoilers for Nightmare Time episode 2, specifically Forever & Always.
(This will be the last time I put a spoiler warning.)

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Emma sneaked upstairs, the newspaper her father had left on the table in her hand. Earlier today, she noticed a small advertisement asking for someone to be part of an experiment. Usually, she wouldn't have cared about some dumb science project, but she could use the two-hundred bucks they offered, so she could finally escape this hellhole and travel around the world.

She dialed the number, and after it had rung for a few seconds, a female voice spoke up. "Coven Communications, Research and Power, Sylvia speaking, what can I do for you?"

"Yeah, hey, I saw your ad in the Hatchetfied Gazette, do you still need someone?"

"We do! What's your name?"

"Emma Perkins."

A short silence followed. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"And would you be available at short notice? Tomorrow, for instance?"

"Yeah, but could you maybe give me some more information first?"

The woman cleared her throat. "Why, of course! We will just perform a few tests to make sure you're in good health, and then we take a small DNA sample. It shouldn't take longer than two hours."

Emma nodded despite the fact that the woman couldn't see her. Two-hundred bucks in two hours, that's over ten times more than she makes at her job at a small gift shop downtown. "And what will that DNA be used for?"

"Well, here at CCRP we're trying to make androids, or human robots. We need a few people to provide the 'base' for these machines. Doesn't it sound cool? Within a few decades, there might be an android that looks just like you!"

"Sounds good! Tomorrow, you said?"

"If you give me your email, I'll send you the details."

After Emma gave her email and hung up, she checked her computer, and it didn't take long for the notification to pop up.

Dear Ms. Perkins,

CCRP thanks you for your interest in our research. We scheduled your appointment for tomorrow at 10 AM. Click the link below for directions to our building.

Kind regards, Sylvia (Coven Communications, Research & Power)

Emma smiled as she closed the tab, grabbing the small suitcase from under her bed and walking around her room to put her important belongings in there. When most of the shelves were empty, she sat down behind her desk, writing a note to her parents.

I left. Don't bother calling. Tell Jane I love her.
-E

*** *** ***

As Paul sat down on the couch, he realized his mistake. He'd forgotten to throw his cup away after he had finished his coffee. He didn't like to give the cleaning staff more work than needed, and regularly stopped to chat with the nice lady who always started her shift by watering the plants.

He looked at the clock. 9:45. The staff would be done by now. He sighed, telling himself to leave his workplace extra clean the next day.

*** *** ***

Emma looked up at the massive building and saw the big letters that spelled out 'CCRP', with smaller letters that read 'oven', 'ommunication', 'esearch', and 'ower'. She walked inside when a tall man in a suit held the door open for her, and she smiled awkwardly at him. He smiled back, a blush spreading across his cheeks. What a loser, she thought, can't even look at a girl without his face turning red.

She walked towards the desk, where a woman with red curls was talking to someone. Emma smiled when she saw the small sign that said 'Sylvia' on her desk.

Sylvia excused herself from the conversation and turned to Emma. "You must be Emma!"

Emma nodded, and the woman smiled.

"Come with me!"

She led her through a maze of halls and staircases, pulling out her keycard multiple times to open locked doors. When they stopped in front of a metal door, she typed in a code on a keypad. "I have to get back to work, but those guys will take good care of you. Come say goodbye when you're done, okay?"

Emma nodded, and the door was pushed open, and closed behind her with a 'clank'. Three men in lab coats smiled at her.

"Welcome! I'm Vincent," one of them said, shaking her hand. He didn't seem much older than her, though the other two scientists looked to be double his age. "We just want to weigh and measure you before we start, is that alright?"

Emma nodded, taking off her shoes and stepping on the scale while the men quickly scribbled something down on their clipboards. After they measured her, they sat down at a table.

"So, I'm glad you're interested in our experiment!" Vincent told her. "You just have to sign a few consent forms and answer a few questions about you and your family's medical history, and then we'll make a 3D scan and take a few DNA samples. Sounds good?"

Emma nodded, scanning over the papers he handed her and signing on the dotted line. He handed her more forms with questions about her and her close relatives.

She hated being so open, but she constantly reminded herself about the money. Only a few more hours, and she would be 35,000 feet in the air, away from the town she hated so much.

Vincent smiled when she put the pen down. "Alright," he said, pushing his chair backward and standing up. "Come with me."

He led her to another room, where he handed her a clothing hanger with what looked like a hospital gown. "Please put this on, then we can start. You can leave your underwear on, as long as they don't have any metal parts."

He left her alone in the room without saying another word. Emma hesitantly changed into the gown, feeling the smooth fabric on her skin.

"I'm done!"

"Perfect!" Vincent spoke through a speaker, and one of the other scientists came in, guiding her towards a big machine that reminded her of a hospital. He sat her down without saying a word, gently pushing her until she lay flat on the hard surface when Vincent spoke up again. "It'll be a bit loud, but it will only take a couple of minutes, we will make a scan of your body and bone structure, so that we can replicate it!"

Emma nodded, laying her head down on the pillow as the man adjusted her position.

"Okay," Vincent said after the man had left the room. "We're starting now, close your eyes and relax, okay?"

Emma looked at the small line going over her legs, like a printer making a copy of an important document. She closed her eyes as the line hit her face, but she could still see the light shine through her eyelids.

As the machine whirred and moved around her, she thought about where she would go. Her bags were packed, and her plan was to go to the airport and take the first plane to a warmer country. She failed to keep herself from smiling at the thought, but the machine had already stopped.

She opened her eyes, standing up when they told her she could, and changed back into her sweater and leggings.

When they were back in the lab, the men told her to sit down.

"We're just going to take a few different DNA samples, and then you can leave!"

Emma smiled, looking at them as one of them put on a pair of gloves and grabbed a cotton swab. "Have you eaten anything this morning?"

"I only had a glass of water after brushing my teeth. I was going to get something after this."

"Okay. How long ago was that?"

"I don't know, a few hours?"

"Okay. Open your mouth please."

Emma did as he said and sat there for a few moments while he swabbed her cheek.

He placed the swab into a small container, and grabbed another one. "We'll do two, just in case."

Emma nodded, opening her mouth again, and he swabbed her other cheek.

"Perfect! We also have to get a few hairs, but it won't hurt much."

Vincent grabbed some tweezers from a tray, and pulled a few hairs from her scalp. Emma winced, but smiled awkwardly when he apologized.

"That's it! Just a small blood sample, and we're done."

Emma looked away as soon as her eyes fell on the needle, but she didn't fight when he came closer. She really needed the money.

"Alright, all done!" He removed his gloves after labeling the vial. "As promised, your two-hundred dollars." He handed her twenty ten-dollar bills, and she shook his hand.

"Good luck with your research," she told them. "Bye!"

She pocketed the bills as she left the building, and walked home, where her bags were waiting for her. She placed the note to her parents on the dining table, and left.

When she'd arrived at the airport and had inspected the big screens displaying the next takeoffs, she walked to one of the counters.

"One ticket to Guatemala, please."