Experiment 0

{Mc POV}

*GASP*

I can't breathe, yet I'm not suffocating. I realized a mask securely attached to my lower face as I woke up in a chamber full of cool liquid. I can't seem to move my limbs but I could feel something attached to my navel. I can't even open my eyes. It took some time before I came back to my senses.

After a while, I could move my fingers. The moment that I did, the liquid in my ears started to rumble lightly. I could hear voices. Curious, I opened my eyes successfully and saw a faint reflection of myself from the glass chamber.

*GASP*

More eyes directed toward me as I flinched at the sight of my reflection. I have the body of a toddler with small horns poking out my temples and a hairless tail that I could wag at my will. As my eyes were getting used to underwater, I could clearly see the environment outside the glass. Buttons and lights flicker on and off all over the place. People with peculiarities wearing lab coats scurried in and out of the room. One has scales for skin and another with hooves as feet. The more I move, the more attention I get.

I closed my eyes for a while hoping they won't notice me. When I tried to take a peek, a woman with ewe horns was standing in front of me, with the glass and the liquid between us. She looked so stern as she scanned me from head to toe. When she was about to step away, I took a deep sigh of relief.

A terrible mistake I made.

Bubbles fluttered under the mask and made a loud gurgling sound in the water. For a moment, her stern facade broke as she pressed her right hand against the glass. But within seconds she snapped back and I heard her say something to her colleague. The people around her immediately positioned themselves behind stations around the room with spot on precision; as if it was choreographed a thousand times.

Every attempt to open my eyes, I hoped it was a different image. I imagined waking up seeing my wife by my side and maybe my little son tugging my hand. Yet I was still at that same place; cold and alone. But now, it's slightly different. I felt a flow in the cord on my navel. The liquid started to look wonky. My arms were going numb and my eyes grew heavier. I heard the voice. But this time, I heard it clearly.

"LYNDON"

And that was the last thing that I remembered.

─── ༻ ༺ ───

{Vivian's POV}

[GREYMAN LABORATORY, PRIMARY ROOT DISTRICT]

"LYNDON!"

The room's hustle and bustle was silenced with a burly creating ruckus outside. I know that voice.

"S-sir, please… you c-can't be here. Dr. Clyde specifically ordered us to prevent *squeak* all visitors."

"DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? STEP ASIDE, TWIG. VIVIAN. YOU BETTER LET ME IN OR THIS MEASLY GUY WOULDN'T WALK IN WEEKS!"

*sigh*

"Let him in. I can't afford any more hospital bills for my husband's victims."

"Y-you may *squeak* g-go in, Sir."

I felt the weight of every step and thought, security can't hold that man down. We should hire a new agency to guard this place.

The doors slammed against the walls of the room and squashed the plant behind it. That reckless buffoon is my husband, Lieutenant Edmund Clyde; he is serving in the wolf regiment of humanity's collective army. He must've heard about my experiment for him to return from his mission so early.

"VIVIAN. WHERE. IS. OUR. SON?!"

"Take a look at him yourself."

Edmund's high and mighty shoulders slumped at the sight of his son floating in a glass chamber. His flexed biceps relaxed as he took off his cap and rested his hand against the glass. You wouldn't have imagined that this was the guy who tried to debone my security guard a while ago. He was soft as a pup.

"His vitals are now stable. Rest assured that he is safe in my hands."

"We need to talk, Vivian."

Every head in the room followed our direction as we moved out of the room. Soft voices exchanged just as I closed the door behind me. They'll be hearing from me in a while.

We sat on a nearby bench beside a water dispenser. He took a sip of cool water and took a deep breath before reaching out towards my hand and gripped it tightly. He managed to say these words calmly.

"I'm sorry, Viv. This is too hard for me to take. I know how much you value your career and I admire and support you for that… but… I don't understand how you could do this to your son–to OUR son."

"We're running out of time. People are already expecting results and I can't proceed without a subject. He is the only person who could do this and…"

"Why, because he's just within your reach? *scoff* You could easily give out your consent without even consulting me because you're his mother. Then, he could just then be any lab rat?" Edmund's voice then reached the rooms at the end of the hall.

"I saw him. Before I left, his hair was jet black. I walked into the room, it's platinum white! How much torture are you doing to him, huh? He's just a kid! A-and.. why does this experiment matter so much to you? How could you be so blind to success and perfection to the point that you could even sacrifice Lyndon. DO YOU EVEN CALL YOURSELF HUMAN?"

I snapped. "I AM NOT, and you aren't too. Don't you DARE play that card on me."

People from the hallway can't seem to help themselves to eavesdrop. I tried to compose myself and continued, "How many times have you willingly sacrificed the lives of the men under you as you fought those bloody wars? Do you really think it was easy for me to sign a piece of paper knowing that my son was at stake? Every time he flinches on that chamber, I flinch. Every time he holds his breath, I feel like I'm in there; suffocating with him. I am doing all that I can to keep him alive and I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing."

Edmund's brows met closer and his eyes sparkled with the tears he's holding back. He sat back down helplessly and buried his face in his hands. "Vivian, I already lost many. I… can't afford to lose him, too."

Softly, I caressed the top of his head and said, "Soon, you will understand. He could be our last hope–He IS our last hope." I turned my back on him and I strode straight back to the lab as I brushed a tear on my left cheek. I thought to myself, "This is no time to be emotional. We can only move forward." I really do hope Lyndon is still holding up.

Lyndon was our only son. In forty-eight hours, he underwent into a series of experiments that wore out his two year-old body. His hair turned white, flesh tattered with wounds, and most of his body deformed as his bones were pulverized under his skin. It was never an easy decision. Afterall, he was my greatest treasure. I would give up my career just to save him. It turns out, this was the only way to save us all.

The murmurs in the room halted as they heard me enter the room and say, "Vitals?"

"He is now stable, doctor. After the experiment earlier, he had an increase of heart rate and blood pressure. We gave him a sedative to calm him down."

"Great. We need him stable for the next experiment. Proceed to phase two."

In a split-second, the tank's liquid was tainted with a substance as black as ink. It seemed to be alive, actively drilling through the child's body. It replaced his bones and mended the shredded flesh. But suddenly the child's vitals flatlined.

I stared at the unmoving figure in the tank, barely managing to keep my composure. I almost felt lost at my gamble. I don't know what to feel. As a professional, I need not let my emotions get in the way. I turned to my assistants and said,

"Record the result." Everyone looked at me with a shock. I can't blame them.

"What are you staring at? Do your job and record the result!"

I may sound cruel and coldblooded. But I didn't care what they thought. I now only need to focus on the success of this experiment.

Whatever the cost.

─── ༻ ༺ ───

{3rd person's POV}

[THREE HOURS AFTER THE EXPERIMENT FAILURE]

"I can't believe how cruel our boss could be", a young intern said.

"Yeah… Even beasts wouldn't eat their own cubs. She just killed hers, just like that," another commented.

"The poor guy even died in pain. She didn't even bat an eye," another followed.

The laboratory was filled with hushed conversations, the whole staff was perturbed by the lack of emotions expressed by Dr. Clyde. Whispers revolved around the pitiful child who had just lost his life on the hands of his cruel mother.

"Did you hear that?" the young intern asked.

Everyone silenced in response. Nothing was heard.

*BEEP*

They scrambled in front of the monitors and were astounded by the result.

"Get the boss, quick!", a senior commanded.

"Oh god! The kid's still alive," the young intern commented.

Dr. Clyde rushed to the laboratory as soon as she was informed of her son's current situation. She was running through the halls carelessly, faint cracks littered the marbled floor. By the time she reached the lab's door, she took a slight pause in order to tidy her clothes and compose her emotions. She pushed the door open and flatly said,

"What's his status?"

"His vital signs are weak ma'am. Perhaps he is still adapting to his new body," the senior in the group reported.

"Okay, I want him to be observed 24/7. Record everything and tend to him carefully." Vivian ordered firmly.

Dr. Clyde stood in front and stared intently at the floating figure as the excess black substance settled beneath the glass chamber. She hid her sweaty hands inside the pockets of her coat and just stood there for quite some time. No one knew what's going on in the doctor's head. But everyone felt mutually at ease with the thought,

HE IS ALIVE.