PROJECT ELITES

Chapter 2. Improbable deviant

My legs are shaking.

Every so often I hear the soft tap-tap against the wooden floor echoing in my room. I cease it the moment I notice the unnatural bulging nerves on my arms—darkened to blackish-purple colour—throbbing against my skin.

Staying in the practice room, it's safe to say, was calmer than being here—all alone and blank with my weekly episodes.

I don't have to see myself in mirror to know what my appearance is like. Snake like dark nerves twirling around my bare arms, dishevelled hair, like someone pulled them from the scalp and blood red rim around my blue iris. The contrast is sometimes just funny, like the rupture of the rim with blue fluid flowing out of it, calm and complementary.

I grip my sheets tight enough that my knuckles go white as papers. Few of my loose hair strands start floating around. My breathing is fast and hard. No matter how deep breath I take, it cannot fill the space in my lung. Every muscle in my body starts aching.

A feeble knock on the door makes my shallow breathing normal. I release my grip from the bedsheet and smooth my dishevelled hair down before putting my calm façade on.

In a grim voice I say, "come in."

Liam and Thomas come in, already in black gear. Seeing me Liam immediately ask me, "episode?"

"Episode." I confirm.

That's one more reason that makes me like Liam: he never pry my words.

"If you still can't cope up with Jace's absence then you should join him wherever he is."

I narrow my eyes in slit. "One more word Thomas. Just one more word and I'll castrate you alive."

He raises his hand in mock surrender and reasons himself. "Just trying to cheer you up."

Liam scoff from beside him and raise his eyebrow as if to say 'useless as always' or maybe not, but that's what I'm going to interpret since I don't have any further plan on brightening my day by their presence.

"Who do we have to take down now? If he's just another junkie you both have my permission to play with him. Just leave me alone today, I'm not in mood." I wave my hand in tired dismissal. I really need some more time to clear my mind cobwebs.

"Unfortunately," Thomas cross the room in less than a second with a zap sound and put his hands on my shoulders from behind. "Paige finds a new assignment for us and that includes you as well. Now, we can't let our homey wait more, can we?"

"I can." He releases my shoulder and comes beside me, pulling me flush at his side. He raises his eyebrow.

"No, you can't. Even if you have some freaking balls."

"At least I have one."

Liam chuckles amusingly but Thomas just gives me a lopsided grin. "Rick is back on his feet. Words are he have classified documents from Biointel and they may contain the alleged papers for our new deviants. Now," he looks at me from his periphery, "if you want, we can take him down on our own."

Biointel is one of Futura's rival who aims to put a stop on genetic modification. They think all the scientific advancement with something as intricate as the human gene are exploitation for unethical gain. It's not like Futura Nanotech's secret is out and open but even small speculation can lead to a huge mess.

I give him a look. "You know how to get me up."

"We aren't partners for nothing."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Biointel HQ is not exactly what I expected it to be. For a building with thick glass from outside, it's weirdly difficult to get a real look at what's going on inside.

The security is real tight for someone who claims of having their hands off of any exploitation for unethical gain. Passing through the reception desk needs to get fingerprinted twice. After that getting through every set of door needs intense scrutiny from two security officers.

Getting in the Biointel's research lab need a swipe of my—Orla's—ID card and getting retina scan. When I change my body into someone's, every cell in my body changes to match the prey's DNA, making it impossible to find a real and imitated version of a person. This makes the retina scan a 'no challenge' for me.

Orla is Rick's wife, who fortunately for us, work as one of Biointel's Research leader. Her day's usual routine was provided to us by Betty. That made it pretty easy for Thomas to pick her up from her way to home and for me to utilize her body for transformation.

The electronic metal door that Biointel has installed for research lab is just a simple card scanner, somewhat like an ATM machine. I take out the card from the breast pocket of the lab coat. It's a simple card with a magnetic strip and 'Biointel Research Access' word written in board at the top of it. A warning of not returning the card when found is a punishable offence is printed on the back of the card.

I slide in Orla's access card and jerk it out. Soundlessly, the door opens instantly. The inside room is completely white, like hospital rooms, with no windows. There are many tables with cages captivating mice and hamsters. Four people, dressed in the same coat as mine, have circled a long table.

"Dr Orla, we were waiting for you." A woman from the table calls me. Her fire red hair's pulled into a bun, she has freckles all over her face.

I sophisticatedly make my way towards the table. Nearing it I see what actually is lying there, entertaining their interest. I thought I was ready for anything to see but this is far beyond I've ever imagined.

A body, half naked from his upper torso, is lying on the table. He's cut open from his neck to pelvis area. Normally it would look like a body brought for medical practice for beginners but this is no normal body.

This is no normal human. His neck tattoo, a delicate feather, is screaming in its full voice. He's a deviant. Our deviant. This body is the voice of the unsaid speculation.

We are exposed!

*~*~*~*

Is this the end of Future's secret or the threshold for a more dark secret?

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