NUMBER THREE.

New Friends

"PROJECT INTERITUS"

We all sat in silence, staring at the words projected on the retro display, the youngest of my new colleagues wouldn't stop nervously drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

After what felt like ages, Dr. Sephiran looked like she was beaming with pride as she began to speak, This is the happiest I've seen her.

"Everyone in this facility, including myself have been working diligently to see this project succeed, and after countless, sleepless nights we truly believe we have achieved that goal with you four." The silence amongst the four of us seated became stale, and the nervous drumming beside me stopped.

"What are we?" The eldest boy with a scowl piped in with a voice that sounds more like glass in a blender. A wicked smirk adorned Dr. Sephiran's face, as she went on to explain.

"What a fantastic question Number One." She clicked a small black button in her right hand and the presentation slide changed. On the next slide was an image of fetuses incubating in separate containers, there was eight incubators total, each with an infant inside.

"You are originally human DNA, personally grown and developed here in our facility." All was shown of the infants in image was the top of their fuzzy newborn heads, a blue room surrounded them with clouds painted along the upper walls of the room. The doctor clicked to the next slide as she continued, pictured was two scientific diagrams of two DNA strands.

"Much to your confusion, I already know each of you individually, very well. I have raised you alongside my colleagues and will continue to as you reach this next final and important step of your purpose." The idea of having a purpose that I didn't even sign up for made my heart drop into the empty pit of my stomach. She clicked to the next slide with little to no hesitation, on it was a new strand of DNA overlapping the previous slide.

"This is what we have developed your DNA into." She smiled broadly, but all I saw was a couple more colours and dots added.

"Ok, but what is that?" The bruised boy, now known as number one, spoke out of tongue once again, his hands spread outwards in an exasperated gesture, much to Dr. Sephiran's displeasure.

"Allow me to get to it." She chirped, the foreign smile leaving her lips and the scowl returning to match Number One's. "You are fused with canine DNA, allowing you all, hopefully to develop skills and abilities accustomed to you at will. What that will all pertain, is unknown, which is why we are in consistent moderation of you all." She paused, once again clicking to the next slide as we all sat in a stunned silence, my jaw slightly unhinging at the idea. Displayed on the screen was a freeze framed video, on it was what looked to be a man, strapped down to a table and fighting it profusely.

"With this blessing, you will learn to adjust to your heightened senses, intelligence, agility and new found strength. You were not given this gift for no reason, but you will learn more regarding that in due time."  She pressed play on the video, and what was displayed was difficult to watch, the man began to thrash restlessly, shouts and growls leaving his mouth as it frothed with foam. He looked feral and sick. He broke from his restraints, tearing the office in which he laid into shreds, his face painted with sweat and a glassy expression before his disfigured body contorted, grew new features, sickening crunches echoing the film as he moved violently, the film abruptly ended.

"Your canine is harboured inside you and you will be trained on how to properly control yourself and you will all adjust." Doctor Sephiran gestures Doctor Pace to the front with a sharp look in her eye, and he stumbled his way forward, almost falling in the process.

"You do not recall because I have been doing my best to make this a smooth, painless ride for you." Doctor Pace's infamous smile brightened up his face once more as he clicked to the next slide, on it was a separate photo of us four seated. Under each photo was a number.