The Fallen Prince

Sector 9 Cleanup

"Tsk," hissed a man dressed in a worn, white lab-coat. His countenance fell in displeasure as he examined a human test specimen floating in a large glass vat filled with a sort of light blue, nutrient-rich, life-preserving liquid. "A196. Dead at 0135."
His companion, considerably younger, dressed similarly but his lab coat being clean and crisp, noted down this data. The hasty, efficient manner in which he did so indicated that such things were routine for him. The crammed writing on his clipboard showed that there was a lot of information.
"That's the seventh one today. If the other three show any sign of breaking down like the others, we'll have to find more specimens. Even so, acquiring better subjects will prove a difficult task. The Minister handpicked these subjects himself; who could find better?" said the first man.
"Avann Rasmus must be such an intelligent man to have found such first-rate specimens. In all my years of being transferred throughout different sectors of the Magical Sciences Section, I have never seen researchers work with such devotion than the ones here in Sector 9," chimed his young companion.
The two of them walked past the lifeless Subject A196 and out of the room, the sound of their steps resounding around the cold, grey walls. The lights went out soon after the door shut behind them and the room was enveloped in darkness. The only lights were the ones emitted by the lab equipment and from underneath the glass vats, illuminating the gruesome, mutated figures of the ten specimens, seven of which had died in the last 24-hour period.
Only three were alive; one dying, one struggling, and the last one fully alive. This last one, Subject A201, had just opened his eyes, having heard the conversations of the scientists earlier. His long, red-brown hair floated in the blue water, parting occasionally to reveal his disfigured face, which had been altered in a way that removed almost all his human features, making many mistake him for a beast.
Suddenly, he gnashed his teeth, some of which were replaced by long ivory fangs, as he felt a pain shoot up his entire body as the anaesthesia in the tank wore off. Without it, he experienced continuous pain in the tank due to the potency of the life-sustaining fluid. He couldn't move much since his limbs were bound together by a high-strength fibre rope. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose, with holes to make space for his fangs. If he wasn't in such a poorly condition, he would have broken his bonds easily.
A tall man emerged from the shadows of the room. He was a scientist like the rest of the workers in the lab, but was dressed in a black long-sleeved top and dark green chino pants, his silver ID card hanging around his neck certifying him the scientist he was. He peered at the engraved plate attached to the glass vat.
"A201. Ah yes, I haven't been living in the lab for a long time, but I have heard of you," he chuckled in an ominous, drawling voice, narrowing his eyes in amusement as he watched A201 writhe in agony. "The 'King Specimen' is what they call you. You have received much of their devotion and attention, not to mention, the best upgrades Minister Rasmus has sent in. It's such a shame your body isn't compatible with the parts. You would have made the finest creature."
A201's face twisted into a mocking smile as he slipped into unconsciousness, to the slight annoyance of the scientist. He turned on the lights again and drew a communication device from his pocket.
"This is Crawford, bring me four men... We are commencing a cleanup in Sector 9. The specimens will be removed first, then the equipment... Yes, according to Rasmus' orders... Why? Whatever do you mean, questioning the order of the Minister of Magic?... Oh, a court noble is visiting next month... He's from Human Rights. Pesky thing."