The Scientist

TKOO-23

Zedaph pov:

With my full access security pass, I could now move freely down to the lowest basement, the 5th level, without worrying about people questioning me. I hadn't told Impulse about my promotion or that I would be working in the lower levels; he was already stressed out with the recent kidnappings of adults.

As I made my way to my new office, I was accompanied by an assistant who helped me navigate through some of the technical stuff, like ID scans and codes I didn't know yet. I wrote everything down on my clipboard as we walked. The assistant spoke about the people we were working with as if they were just subjects for experiments, which really pissed me off, but I held my tongue.

I got assigned to TKOO-23, a Netherborn. They told me he was dangerous and had to stay in a cold room to suppress his powers. I thought that was inhumane. As the person now responsible for him, I checked on him first and saw that he was freezing to death. I turned up the heat to a livable temperature for Netherborn—still a bit colder than ideal, but what I could handle. My office was right next to his room, so we shared the same thermostat.

I walked out in front of the glass that separated us and sat down. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, but eventually, he got out of his bed and looked around, very confused. He had a whip-like tail and fiery hair, and his eyes were a deep red. He reminded me of someone, but I couldn't remember who. The effort to recall caused such a sharp pain in my head that I ended up passing out in front of his cell.

When I woke up, I was confused and disoriented. The tag that had been on my ear since the day I was taken was gone. I had tried removing it many times before, resulting in numerous scars around my ear, but it had always been impossible to remove. Now, it was just...gone.

I rubbed my ear, still dazed, and noticed the Netherborn watching me with a mix of curiosity and concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice surprisingly soft.

I stared at him, processing what had just happened. "What's your name?" I asked.

"They call me TKOO-23," he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"I don't want to call you that," I said firmly. "You deserve a real name."

He looked at me, surprised. He smiled slightly, the fire in his hair flickering softly. His tail wrapped around him a bit, showing his fear, but he put on a caring smile. "Your ear is bleeding... doctor?"

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a scientist," I said, a bit harsher than I intended. I was still disoriented and on edge. I reached up to my ear and saw the blood on my fingers. The sudden removal of the tag must have caused it to bleed.

"Sorry," he murmured, looking down, his earlier smile fading.

I softened my tone, realizing my mistake. "No, it's okay. I'm just... I'm not used to this." I wiped the blood away with my sleeve. "Thank you for telling me. What's your name? I mean, do you have a name you prefer?"

He hesitated. "They used to call me Tango... before all this."

"Tango," I repeated, feeling a jolt of recognition. The name stirred something deep within me, but I couldn't quite grasp what it was. "I'm Zedaph. It's nice to meet you, Tango."

"Nice to meet you too, Zedaph," he said, his smile returning just a little. I could tell he was uncomfortable. "Hey, Tango. What's with the..." I pointed to my neck.

He seemed to understand. "Shock collar? To keep us where they want us..." he said, looking down as he sat in front of the glass. He pulled his tail onto his lap and played with the fluff on the end, his red eyes watching me carefully, as if he was searching for something.

I felt a surge of anger and sympathy. "That's horrible," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We need to get that off you."

He nodded, a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. "But how? They'll know if it's tampered with."

"We'll figure it out," I assured him. "There are a few people I'm looking for in this lab. Do you know a place I can take you so you can meet the others?" I held a cloth to my bleeding ear, hoping to stop the bleeding. Tango was quiet, his eyes lingering on my neck for some reason. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. After a moment, he spoke, his voice trembling. "T-the lunch room or the g-garden," he said, looking down at his tail. He was shaking badly, and I couldn't tell why. He seemed so scared of me.

To ease the tension, I got up and walked over to my desk, starting to type. "It's not lunchtime yet, so maybe the garden?" I suggested, glancing at him from my desk. He didn't say anything at first.

"Or... you could get to know me a bit more if you would like, Tango?" I asked gently.

He looked at the bed and then back at me. "Yeah, let's talk..." His voice was really quiet, almost a whisper. There was a long period of silence as Tango didn't say or ask anything for about an hour. I didn't pressure him, instead focusing on the paperwork for my new office. If I didn't have my sensitive sheep ears, I almost wouldn't have heard him.

"I miss the sun..." he said more than asked.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up at him. He was playing with a small flame he had created, his control over it evident as it danced in his hand.

"Yeah," he nodded, his eyes fixed on the flame. "I used to spend a lot of time outside, feeling the warmth. It's not the same in here. Everything is cold and artificial."

"I can imagine," I said softly. "Being stuck in here, away from the natural light and warmth, must be really tough."

Tango nodded, still entranced by the flame. "It's like being in a cage. Even with my powers, I feel so... powerless."

I felt a pang of sympathy for him. mad "Do you remember what it felt like to be outside? Maybe talking about it can help a little."

He took a deep breath, his eyes drifting as he recalled the memories. "It felt... freeing. The sun was warm on my skin, the breeze was gentle, and everything felt alive. I miss the colors, the sounds of birds, the smell of flowers. It's hard to describe, but it was beautiful."

I nodded, listening intently. Soon, it was time for lunch, so I decided to take Tango to the lunch room. I had him walk next to me, knowing that I had the remote to his collar but secretly having removed the batteries. As we walked, I noticed some of the other experiments being shoved and pushed around by their handlers. I felt a surge of anger but kept my focus.

I carried a few photos of my boss's old friends, looking for four specific individuals besides Tango. As I scanned the room, I saw some experiments with more than one handler. One that caught my eye was a beautiful avian with sandy blond hair, feathered ears, and large red wings that faded to yellow in the middle and blue at the tips. The bald spots on his wings indicated over-preening due to stress. I compared him to one of the photos and realized he matched one of the friends.

I looked at Tango and whispered, "Do you know who that is?"

Tango glanced over and whispered back, "Oh, that's GR3-47. He speaks Japanese. His handlers are Sam, the rabbit, and... er, I don't remember the other one's name, but they are really mean to him. They're stuck being his handlers because they speak Japanese too."

I nodded, absorbing the information. I took my pen and on the back of the photo, I wrote down the 'name' they gave him. Then I continued to observe, letting Tango get his food. Suddenly, someone with more energy than I thought possible down here ran over and hugged Tango.

"TKOO-23!" they exclaimed, their voice filled with happiness as they sat down next to him.

Tango looked genuinely happy to see his friend. "REA-88! It's good to see you!" he said, his voice brightening.

I glanced over at REA-88 and recognized the dog-like features, realizing it was the child who had been crying before, the one that had led me to the vent. I didn't say anything, focusing on my pre-packed lunch while keeping an eye on the interactions around me.

REA-88's eyes were bright as they looked at Tango. "I was worried about you. They said you were taken to a new handler."

Tango nodded. "Yeah, this is Zedaph," he introduced me