Avid Adopter

41 - Probe

Cross. 

~~~~~

This was by no means good. After we had been found, the scientists had decided to figure out how we had escaped, and they weren't simply going to ask us. I wished I had my aura..the others could inverse them, manipulate people's actions, and overall be a help with them, but..I couldn't. I hadn't even developed mine yet! We had been placed in a cage to prevent our escape, and no amount of aura manipulation was going to save us..

"All right, everything is ready to go." A scientist looked to Ink.

"Okay." The artist looked at us. "Which of you fine young gentlemen would like to take part in our experiment?"

"T-take me." Killer volunteered. "Don't hurt my brothers.."

"Yeah, no promises." Ink pulled Killer out of the cage roughly as we watched helplessly.

Killer was brought to some sort of machine in the center of the room and strapped into it; he didn't look very comfortable..

"So, what is this thing?" Ink looked at the machine curiously.

"It's our latest project." The lead (at least, I was assuming that he was the lead, since he did almost all of the talking) scientist replied. "It was originally meant to probe Nightmare's powers, to find out if he was hiding any secret abilities, but I think it should work just fine on other beings."

"Is this going to hurt?" Killer hoped not.

"...It might." 

"You'd better not kill me before I reach adulthood! I'm so close!"

"How close is he to adulthood?" Dust wondered.

"Uh, multiverse custom would say eighteen years old, twenty-one at most." I responded. 

"He is close.." Horror muttered. "I'm close, too."

"Do you think Dad will still let us live with him when we grow up?" Dust didn't want to leave.

"I don't think he'd let us go if we wanted to leave.."

"When is Dad's birthday?"

"I don't know..why?"

"We should take care of him when he grows up, too; he takes care of us."

"True." I nodded. "That's a good idea."

"Yeah, we should do that when he grows up.." Horror paused. "But when do adults grow up?"

"When they become old." Dust shrugged. "Maybe when he starts moving slower?"

"He moves slower after battles, though.."

"Maybe he's older after battles." I said.

"So we need to take care of him after battles." Dust reasoned.

"That sounds about right. We-" I was cut off by a terrifying sound: Killer's scream.

Our conversation was as good as over when we turned our skulls to see Killer's struggling body; they were hurting him! The room was filled with the unavoidable shrieks of my big brother for several minutes, until the machine stopped, rendering him unconscious. He was returned to our cage a few moments later, allowing us to see the damage done; he had sustained several physical injuries, and I didn't want to know about any mental ones! Ink soon walked over to the lead scientist, and I took it upon myself to listen to their conversation while my big brothers looked over Killer.