Unknown Experiments

Chapter 13

I did keep my promise on weekly Friday updates, but the next two weeks will be silent. I won't have time during the day to publish - I explained in the notes for the last chapter, but I hope to see y'all waiting in three weeks!

Anyway, onto more APCC lore and some extra important stuff for the future. Enjoy!

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"What happens to experiments that die? Or their families?" Lucia asked.

"All experiments that are killed remain dead, and all clones of the experiment will continue to serve the APCC Facility until they die. No clones are sent to replace the dead experiment within their family or continue to clone themselves and create more workers within the APCC Facility," the computer replied. "Would you like for me to read more?"

Lucia shook her head and replied, "Not unless it helps with my own survival." She stayed quiet for a moment, deep in thought, before saying, "Tell me about the biologically engineered animals."

The computer processed her order and began to explain the animals held. "BEAs – short for Biologically Engineered Animals – are the lesser known organisms of the APCC Facility. There are two categories of these organisms: organic and artificial. Organic animals are more commonly used for food, along with agricultural purposes to continue providing for the personnel and experiment inside of the APCC Facility.

"Artificial organisms make up forty percent of all BEAs. The most well known Artificial BEAs are the night beasts. Originally named Midnight Stalkers, which was quickly dropped to provide a sense of mystery to their nature, the night beasts now serve as an experimental extermination device for the APCC Facility. Any and all experiments that do not find themselves within the safety of their cells by the time one of these sees them is prone to die. Some are lucky to be close enough to their cell to survive.

"Night beasts are engineered to hunt to the death. They hunt down their prey and rip them limb from limb without even killing them first. Every single organ and bone within the body is consumed by these beasts. They will remain in their spots until all blood spilled has been cleaned off of the floor before they continue the hunt. There are a total of six hundred night beasts currently residing within the facility and are restrained during the day.

"The most notable piece of information about the night beasts' physique is their red eyes. It allows them to see thermal energy throughout the facility despite its constant, unchanging temperature. One other thing is their speed, reaching as high as a hundred miles an hour, though reports show that running at that speed can wear them down. While the speed may seem unnecessary, it serves as a precaution during their hunt, and they instead chase their prey from anywhere between thirty and ninety miles per hour. They also have a keen sense of smell and are able to identify fear through their nostrils.

"While hunting, the night beasts may seem like they work as a pack, but that is far from the truth. They all hunt for themselves and themselves only. And despite the similar sounding calls they make, they all serve a purpose. If they are in their hunting phase, they will call out in triumph in finding fresh meat, and others return the call to begin chasing the food for themselves. During their killing phase, they let out a call of victory. All other night beasts that hear this call will know that it is time to eat, and they will fight over the live meat until there is nothing left."

Lucia spaced out a bit as she tried to link everything together from her current knowledge and the new knowledge. She only half paid attention to the computer as it continued to speak about the beasts. She very briefly caught something about a venom, turning her attention back to the computer, but it had already moved on. She finally listened back in as it moved on from the night beasts.