No Longer Human | Arlecchino

Chapter 2: Rebirth

The world around David seemed to fade out and grow a suffocating darkness as he was dragged ever deeper into Dottore's facility. The cold bit at his skin, and the harsh fluorescent lights overhead stung his eyes. He had lost count of time long ago. Anguished cries of other children seemed to echo through the sterile hallway, haunting him as ghosts in a nightmare that did not end.

David was thrown into a bright, clinical room, a wave of dread washing over him. Instruments that seemed far better suited to a butcher than a scientist gleamed in the space. The cold metal tables were lined with tools that shone menacingly under the harsh light, the walls lined with screens filled with incomprehensible data.

"Welcome, David," Dottore said smoothly, his voice cutting through the haze of fear that hung about him like a cloud. "Good to see you awake. Well, today is the first day of your transformation into something remarkable."

The reality weighed so heavily on his shoulders that he felt his heart racing in his chest. 

What do you want from me?" David croaked hoarsely; his voice was hoarse from screaming, and the words barely escaped his trembling lips. "I'm just a kid!"

"Exactly," Dottore said, stepping closer, his unsettling red eyes shining with a manic intensity. "Children are clean. Unsullied by the cerebral machinations that come with adulthood. If I twist them in just the right directions, I can make humanity perfect, something strong, intelligent-"

Desperation clawed at his insides as David's mind raced. "I don't want to be part of this! Let me go!"

Dottore chuckled, the sound cold and mirthless. "Oh, my dear boy, you don't have a choice. You're here, and we do have so much to do together." His hand swept toward the instruments arrayed on the table, each one more diabolical than the last. "We'll start with a few tests. Nothing, really, to concern yourself with. Just a little pain.

Panic set in like a bucket of ice cold water, surging through his body as cold metallic grips strapped him down. He struggled against the restraints, but it was no good, cold metal pressed unyieldingly against his skin, holding him tight. His breathing quickened, the reality of his situation washing over him like a tidal wave.

Dottore hobbled forward, holding a hypodermic syringe filled with some sort of glowing viscous liquid that pulsed ominously. "This will help heighten your cognitive functions. You will be astonished how much you can learn in a few hours."

"No! Not!.," David screamed in a breaking voice as tears streamed down his cheeks. He felt completely helpless, with his heart beating on his ribcage, and then the needle pierced his skin. A sharp burning sensation erupted in the veins, like fire that was sweeping through him. It felt like some sort of smelted iron moved within his blood, igniting every nerve ending to make a wave of excruciating pain.

"Excellent," Dottore observed, his face a mask of cold satisfaction. "Just a little more. You see, David, pain is merely a step toward progress. You'll thank me for this one day.

Time became a blur, a torturous fog. Hours merged into days, minutes into years, and with every second that ticked by, the torture dragged on. He was subjected to countless experiments each forced him to his limits. His body received enhancements that felt like a violation: sharp tools piercing skin as Dottore watched in mesmerizing detail. With each incision, waves of pain radiated through his body, his peripheral vision turning black.

They made him run tests on machines that convulsed his body in electric jolts, each pulse hurling him deep into a well of agony. His muscles tore, his mind shrieking in protest as Dottore's voice rang out cold, clinically instructing his assistants to increase the intensity. "We need to see how much he can handle," Dottore would say, tone void of empathy.