The Ink Trials (A Bendy & The Ink Machine AU)

Chapter 4: Inky Experiments

Ben had passed out ten minutes later, his body sweating ink as his vitals shifted and changed. Joey monitored his condition carefully, tapping his fingers on the metal table as he waited for them to even out. "Almost there, you're doing so well" he cooed softly, watching the machines he had hooked him up too as his pocket watch ticked in his hand. The monitors eventually stopped their chaotic wailing and settled down, alerting Joey the ink had finally made its rounds inside Ben's body. 

Joey pulled open Bendy's eyelids and grinned as he gazed almost greedily at them. Two perfect orbs of black, swirling ink had replaced his eyes and didn't trickle down his cheeks when he pushed at them. He grabbed an empty syringe and poked at Benjamin's limp finger, a bead of ink bubbled to the surface, his blood.

"Brilliant! Even better than I imagined!" he cried, doing a little dance around the room, "Samuel!" 

Sammy stood up, "Yes, sir?" 

"Put him in his cage." 

Sammy hurried forward and unstrapped Benjamin from the table, a smile on his face as he took him over to the tarp-covered cages at the back of the room. He yanked off the plastic blue sheet, startling the beings huddled away as he set Ben into an empty cage and locked it shut. A girl whimpered, half her face melting away as her right eye dripped ink down her broken cheek. Alice had been Joey's first of Inky experiments and had been considered a failure as only one of her eyes had became the swirling vortex of darkness. Her other one, a pale blue, stayed closed most of the time, too weak to use. A boy, not much older than she was, lived in the cage next to her. 

Boris had started off good, both eyes made of ink just like Joey had wanted, and inky blood. But when Trial two had been given the poor thing had mutated all wrong, according to Joey himself. Boris covered his muzzle with his hands as he recognized the passed out kid.

That was Ben! 

~ 

"JOEY! Hurry up will ya! " Henry cried, everyone else was already heading off to lunch and here was his friend still cooped up at his desk working. Joey waved a stained, gloved hand at him, "I'm busy! Just go without me!" 

Henry came forward and picked up his scrawny friend from under his arms, "Nah ah, last time I allowed this you didn't eat for two days! You're worse than Sammy!" he explained, pulling Joey to the lunchroom as the man hurried to take off his gloves and lab coat.  

Black liquid stained most of his science equipment, and vials of the stuff sat in his desk drawer. Henry didn't know what exactly he was working on, but he hoped it would be revolutionary, just like his own work. 

"What's on the menu?" Joey grumbled, 

"Food." 

Joey huffed and followed Henry close behind, he was slightly smaller than his older friend was and got picked on by the others who thought themselves better than he was. Henry protected him and kept him from being abused, he was good with words, while Joey Drew was not. 

~ 

Ben woke slowly, his head pounding painfully at the back of his skull. He could hear whispering, incoherent and dark, and it sent a shiver down his spine that made him feel sick, as if whatever was talking to him was very wrong.  

"Ben? Can you hear me?" a voice asked, quiet, weak and female, but louder than the whispers. Ben blinked a few times, wondering why it was all dark before his vision returned to him, clear and very enhanced. He rubbed his eyes a few times as he got used to the sharpness, "Whose there?" he asked, trying to get comfy in the cramped cage they had placed him in.  

"Look to your left." 

Bendy turned his head and shrieked, almost tipping over his cage in his terror, "Calm down, Ben, you ain't looking so hot yourself you know" the being grumped. Bendy's eyes widened as he studied her features carefully,  

"Oh my god, Alice!?" 

Alice smiled and nodded, "Long time no see."