When Neo opened the door to Quilliene's room, he was met with a scene he didn't quite expect. It was oddly quiet, and something about the energy around the room felt rather unsettling. When he saw Quilliene sitting there on the bed, rows of papers scattered around her and her face buried into one of them, Neo froze in the entryway. He glanced at the broken floorboard that looked like it had been stomped open before returning his gaze to her.
ㅤㅤ"What are you doing?" Came his nervous inquiry.
ㅤㅤShe looked up only when he spoke, her expression softening upon sight of him. "Oh - my apologies," Quilliene hummed. "I was just a bit distracted." She paused. "Are you alright?"
ㅤㅤ"Are you?" Neo raised an eyebrow, shutting the door behind him as he strode forward. "What is all this?" He asked, picking up one of the papers.
ㅤㅤ"I'm…" She began, then averted her gaze. No, she couldn't tell him what happened. "I'm not even sure where to start. I found all this under that floorboard. They're records of... people."
ㅤㅤ"Really?" He glanced over the page in his hands, but it quickly came off as vague and off putting. "You just… found this?"
ㅤㅤ"Yes." Quilliene lied carefully before changing the subject. "They date back decades from now, and, well…" She picked one out from a pile and handed it over. "Take a look for yourself."
ㅤㅤNeo peered at the paper he was already holding before setting it down, taking the new one with his other hand. Looking it over, he found it just as disturbing as the last one. It seemed like it was describing a person, but more animalistic, and referred to as a subject. He found himself put in a daze as he read it.
Project C227
Name: Family Heritage Unknown. Subject Introduced as Alysson.
Age: 18 Years and 7 Months
War: Russian Revolution Survivor
Injection: V66, Hydra
Session 1
C227 has been injected with V66.
Subject expresses irritability with the lungs and chest cavity.
We urged the subject to eat but the subject expressed a sudden and rapid decline in appetite within the next hour.
Subject showed signs of purple etchings along the shoulder and neck area.
ㅤㅤ"Who wrote these?" Neo asked darkly as he looked up at the queen.
ㅤㅤ"I don't wish to say, but…" Quilliene took a deep breath. "The records are in the family name."
ㅤㅤShe lent another file to Neo, the one newly in his hands describing how a different subject had started exhibiting scales as a response to the V66. She flipped through another, eyes scanning over it in what had to be a dull fascination. Although her expression read nothing, her breaths were broken and filled with dismay. She couldn't believe any of what she was holding and yet it was all sitting right in front of her.
ㅤㅤ"Session two," She read out loud, drawing her bodyguard's attention to her. "Subject B24 seems to have a quick response to the serum V23, showing signs of automimicry within the body and face. Subject was able to copy the face of someone they had seen in the newspaper. However, the test failed after just three seconds. Subject is still unable to mimic voices."
ㅤㅤNeo had been staring at the file he had in his hands, though was failing to read it all as he listened to Quilliene rattle off hers. When she reached the word automimicry, he listened intensely, then peered at the other files. His memory filled with that of the shapeshifter. Had the files been what the shapeshifter wanted him to find?
ㅤㅤ"Did you find any others like that?" He asked. "About Serum V23, or Subject B24?"
ㅤㅤ"B24 seems to have..." She paused momentarily. "Disappeared. Without a trace. By that, I mean there are no other further records from B24, and it is not just that one. A lot of them are under the same experiment pertaining to V66, but many of the folders here... don't seem to continue past a certain number."
ㅤㅤ"What about ones with automimicry as a result?" Neo questioned further.
ㅤㅤHe felt his heart fluttering, as if he was finally getting answers to something he desperately needed. He was always in the dark about something, and now there was finally an answer just within reach. He had to find it, and gods forbid anyone try to stop him. He would do whatever it had to take, he soon realised. Well, almost anything.
ㅤㅤ"Perhaps," Quilliene responded, skimming thro-ugh the files before perking up at one in particular. "I found one! Subject C26. B24 and C26 seem to have come from the same region, but... C26 didn't survive the experiments. It says here that, although C26 showed signs of tremendous progress and talent, the subject's body could not maintain its own homeostasis properly."
ㅤㅤNeo circled around the bed, sitting down next to his queen. "What were their names?"
ㅤㅤQuilliene traced a hand over the notes, skimming through each one on the particular file for a name. So intently focused on her work that she hadn't quite noticed the closeness in distance between her and Neo. Alas, the bodyguard did, realising his face was peering over her shoulder and right next to hers. He pulled back sharply, but she hardly noticed how red his face was becoming.
ㅤㅤ"Her name was Alexandria D. Nubard," Quilliene pointed at a place on the paper, but Neo had turned away.
ㅤㅤ"What about the other?" He asked, covering his cheek that was facing her - despite the fact she wasn't looking.
ㅤㅤShe went back to the other file, putting the one about Alexandria down. "Nothing," She frowned. "The subject's name is Axelius Nubard. There isn't a single hint or detail about their family heritage, though. But... it says here that B24 and C- I mean, Axelius and Alexandria both had brown eyes. And they were both the same age. That can't be a coincidence, right?"
ㅤㅤNeo stood back up after a moment of silence, his arms crossed and one hand at his mouth, holding his freshly shaven chin. Could they be related? Twins, even, or just very close together in siblingship? Furthermore, the V66 - the Hydra - was it still around? If so, could they get information from the creature and understand the whole ordeal in greater detail? Closing his mismatched eyes, he finally sighed and shook his head.
ㅤㅤ"You're right - it's not. But if she's dead, then we only have one lead." He looked down at her still on the bed. "That V66 blood. It was mentioned before that it was a Hydra's. Do you happen to have any Hydras in your merry band of weird creatures downstairs?"
ㅤㅤQuilliene pondered for a moment before she nodded, but then frowned with a furrow of her brow in a forlorn expression. "We do... or, well, did. The Hydra is one of the oldest of the Nameless, which also means that the Hydra was bonded to one of my parents and thus, making it a Tired One. We won't be able to have much of a conversation with it, but hopefully we can try and get some answers from the other Nameless."
ㅤㅤ"Tired One?" Neo asked. "What does that mean?"
ㅤㅤ"The Tired Ones," She continued. "They are the ones that sleep, the ones who don't speak since the death of their previous contractor, or bond. In this case, being my parents. They have taken a vow of silence and slept since that day. I haven't made any attempts to speak with them, but now that we have information, we may get a sliver of a lead."
ㅤㅤNeo was silent for a moment, remembering then what had happened when he went down to help Christopher in the chambers of the Nameless. He frowned, realising it wouldn't be such a good idea to go with... but at the same time, he didn't have much of a choice. He glanced at the papers again, thinking it over before randomly turning to her.
ㅤㅤ"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" He questioned.
ㅤㅤQuilliene blinked, surprised at the rather abrupt change of subject. "I- No, I have not. I haven't had the chance to with all of this-" She gestured to the files scattered along her bed. "-taking up most of my morning. I'm sure I'll eat at a later time. How about you? How are you feeling?"
ㅤㅤNeo almost immediately avoided the question, having almost forgotten about his own ordeal. Thoughts of the dream came and left as quickly as they appeared before he smiled. "I'll make sure you get some food. You should eat before we go and do anything." He motioned at the files. "Put that all back in the box, so you don't get food on it. We might want to take the two important ones with, as well."
ㅤㅤQuilliene blinked as she watched him head for the door. She blinked once more then, out of annoyance to see him already being so protective so early in the morning. Although she knew he wasn't going to answer her properly, she still hoped this time he might be more comfortably honest with her. His damned smile that said things... things no one heard.
ㅤㅤ"Don't ignore my question!" She called after him.
ㅤㅤ"I'm fine," Neo spoke over his shoulder, resting a hand on the knob before glancing at her with the same sly grin. "Don't worry about me."
ㅤㅤWith that, the door was pulled open and shut behind him just as quickly, leaving them separated by only a slab of wood and a thousand words.