X-periment 5

Anticipation's A Killer

--1 week later-

    It’s been several days since my last encounter with Dr. X, and night after night I've tossed and turned around in my bed unable to sleep peacefully. Endless thoughts cloud my senses, I haven’t been training at the best of my abilities, but I mustn’t allow myself to give in. Sentries have been watching me constantly, waiting for me to give up so they can report to Dr. X that I cannot be trusted with such an important task. Celina, my roommate had cornered me earlier about my behavior but I had to shrug it off as though it was nothing. On the inside though, I wanted tell the one person I could regard as a friend what was really going on. Anticipation was brought on with this entire situation though, and knowing someone from the outside world was being kept within our walls- ate me up alive.

     “Rye. I know you hate when I interrupt you when you’re muttering to yourself about who knows what, but you’re still acting pretty strange. ” Celina comments as we enter the Dome. The Dome is the training room here at the Institute, and it gets its name for its large metallic grey dome shape. Equipped with multiple exercise activities that enable us to be at our most lethal, I think about how this is where I have learned to be merciless.

     I walk over to the knife-throwing station and stand on the platform. I set my level at high where pixelated red humans formulate. They start running around in different directions and each time I throw my knife it hits my targets where death is instantaneous, the heart. It’s not real, but it will prepare me for the real world when I graduate onto being a lone agent. I’m not one to brag about my abilities but when it comes to my work on the field, I know deep inside I can be nearly invincible at times and I know Dr. X will keep this in mind when deciding who will be awarded the title. I smirk at this thought and my amber eyes light up. Here is where I feel at peace…

     But of course, my peace is disrupted when my roommate decides to step in front of me with her light grey eyes glowering in annoyance. I stare back and notice the one trait that binds us "Experiments" all together. A deep red, almost crimson-like color outlining our pupils with green mixed in our irises. It makes us different, but Dr. X says that it is what puts us above everyone else. 

 “Yes?” I pester as I try to maneuver myself so I could hit my next target.

“Stop avoiding the obvious. You and I both know that you never act like this.” she mutters under her breath so the Sentries don’t hear. Celina knows me best and it doesn’t surprise me that she suspects something but there is no way I can betray Dr. X; not if I want to end up terminated. 

“Nothing’s up. Fine I might be stressed out since our Final Trials are coming up and my serum might be acting up again. I’ll just ask a Sentry if X could whip me up a stronger batch.” I reason as the lie slips out smoothly through my teeth. Celina stares back at me, looking for any sign that can prove her suspicions, but I simply give her a reassuring smile. After 2 minutes she gives up, finally believing me

“Okay... Anyways, you understand that since I was born deaf Dr. X has saved me from my disability by permanently giving me the pills? Yeah, well given that my pills allow me to have a vaster hearing range…I’ve been hearing something that sounds strangely like… screaming...for the past few days” she whispered ever so lightly, I almost couldn't hear her.  But I did.  I froze.

     No, they wouldn’t hold this intruder within a near radius of the Academy sector of the Institute. I know for a fact that this building is enormous given what we’ve been told, we didn’t even know an eighth of what the layout is. No, they wouldn’t do something so dangerous and outright reckless. My heart began beating faster and a single beat of sweat formed on the side of my face. I closed my eyes as I grabbed the final training knife and used it on my final target. I rouse as slowly as possible but Celina wasn’t looking at me anymore, she was staring ahead at the approaching Sentry. 

     With a baton instead of a gun slung over his shoulder, given this was during training hours he approached the two of us as if he wanted everyone within his radius to be drown in by the glory of his presence. Celina fixed her posture but I glared at him with daggers in my eyes. He ignored me completely though as he sauntered over to my friend.

“Experiment 23,” he started as he took out a small silver box. My eyes lit up at the sight of it. Now, this showed that this Sentry clearly hadn’t given Celina her physical-performance improvement pill before. As he gave Celina the orange tablet she swallowed it whole on one try. I never had the pills, Dr. X preferred I take his specially-modified serums since he told me I had a bad reaction to the needles in the past…not that I remember. Celina stretched her neck to the side and then stared intently at the smirking Sentry.

     Ah, now my favorite part came along when watching the other Experiments take their pills.

Celina, in one swift motion roundhouse kicked the Sentry and proceeded to take a single jab to his stomach, which his uniform covering hadn’t done much to protect.

“THANK YOU for that. I was feeling a bit slow today.” her giddy attitude shining.

“No...problem Experiment.” The Sentry spit out the last word as he doubled over in pain. A single lock of black hair fell in front of his face. He quickly tucked it under his helmet and walked away limping. 

“Nice going.” I commented with a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Celina gave me a proud grin as she turned back to me. “I know. Damn, I don’t ever want to know what I would’ve been like without these medications.” She sighed, loyalty seeping off her aura. I bit my lip. All of us are truly willing to die for our cause, but what were we doing here trapped inside a building? WE should be out there fighting against those who have caused harm to the New World’s society. I continued to ponder about this thought. I then flinched, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Big hands whipped me around and I was face to face with a new Sentry.

      Clearly he was of high ranking given that he still had an issued gun at his side at training hours. I looked back at him annoyed that he had disrupted my train of thought. But, before I could give him a snarky retort for this, he spoke with a deep yet warning voice. One that told me I should’ve been ready for this. Celina had walked over to another station when he arrived but still I felt her eyes staring right at me. 

“Experiment 5…” he questioned. I nodded.

“It’s time.” He replied simply as he left the training room not waiting for me to follow. Words were caught in my throat. "It’s time", his words repeated in my head and I almost felt dizzy. No- I couldn't show weakness, not at a time like this. I let the chills of this meeting subside and I close my eyes.

You have a mission, I tell myself. Find out who this infiltrator is and how he found us. You will not fail, this is not a test but very real. A problem that must be fixed for the safety of those you will fight alongside and the one you have sworn your entire life to protect will depend on its outcome

          Easy.