I watched from my glass cage, that I was confined in, as he walked around busily. His face always had this weird look, as if everything he did brought a puzzling result. I never understood it. His face was calm, yet I could tell the demonic radiation oozing out of his body. Every second, his face would shift from amusement to confusedness to excitement and then to annoyance. Almost as if his body couldn't quite follow how quickly his emotions changed inside of him.
I couldn't understand the time here compared to the outside world, yet I knew it had to have been at least months since I had seen the sun since I had seen another human. Deep down, I slowly began to question it all. Question the fact that anyone outside of this place was still alive.
But watching him, darting around his lab with immense speed and the determination in his work, I realised I was in the presence of someone truly special. Even though I was his prisoner, I couldn't help but look at him in awe. The way he worked, the methods he used, the speech he adopted, and everything about him were perfection.
A calm monster. That was what I could make of him. Another thing that I could not help but stare at immensely was his appearance. He looked angelic. The way his white hair lightly glowed in the darkness accompanied by his blazingly passionate red eyes; it was thrilling to witness it as he worked away.
He never spoke much to me, but everything he spoke about was directed towards me. Sometimes, he would name a few people that I had never heard of, but the confirmation that I was not the only human left alive brought me joy. I could finally have something to look forward to. People to meet. If I made it out alive.
The glass cage I had lived in for a long time was rather spacious. I had enough room space to walk, and I could see the whole lab around me. He had provided me toys to play with and brought me the most luxurious food that I could ever be offered.
I would sometimes forget the fact that I was a prisoner. That I was his subject that he was testing. Eventually, I would succumb to otherworldly pain that I had never experienced before.
Yet, the place I was in was far better than where I was before. At some days, I would recall my times back there, struggling to live, fending off against the other children, food being a luxury. It was horrible. The caretakers were horrible. I hated everyone. Except...
"Well, it looks like you have been awake for some time." He said, walking up to my cage.
"I have been for quite some time." I replied.
His voice was calm, but I could feel the hint of violence and cruelty spilling out of him.
"Well, forgive me for not realising." He spoke.
"This is the first time you have actually looked at me when we spoke. What is the occasion for such an event?" I asked.
"You truly are smart, aren't you. For your age. I was glad to have been handed you by him. These past few months have been amazing. But I have brought a gift...of some kind." He replied.
"What kind of gift?" I asked, curious.
"Another human...if you could call him that." He answered.
My eyes lit up as joy filled my face. I couldn't believe what he was saying, but I couldn't care. The thought of having another human near me was thrilling. I yearned for it for so agonizingly long that by the mere mention of that word, my heart races intensely.
To my right, a spotlight shone directly at another glass cage. It was much wilder than mine as leaves were scattered all over, as well as no sofas to sit on, nor a bed to sleep on. There were vines across the walls. It was much more animalistic than I had expected. Like a monkey was about to be brought in to live here.
Suddenly, two people in gas masks walked in, holding a cage. It was big enough to fit me, yet I could hear low growling creeping out from within.
What kind of beast are they bringing in here?
I thought to myself, as I stared with immense attention. They walked into the cage and placed the smaller cage into the middle of the room. Carefully, they lightly opened the latch before running out and shutting the door close. The glass that had made these rooms was as tough as metal. It was right enough to say that it is metal. So, for them to run out with such fear, I had my eager to see what would walk out.
I waited and waited and waited, my hands leaning against my cage as I stared intently at what would appear. Suddenly, a frail, thin hand emerged from within the dark box followed by a low, demonic growl. Following its first hand, another hand emerged, and then it poked out its long, white hair that drooped down onto the floor like vines.
Slowly, a thin, almost skeleton like human emerged from the cage as it slowly crawled on all fours around the place it had been placed in. I couldn't see its eyes, but I could feel a sense of hatred and anger boiling within it. It crawled around carefully, as if it was observing its surrounding and laying out the area around it, placing its hands all around the glass cage with its hair following it as it dragged it across the floor.
I watched with immense curiosity as I waited to see what it would do next. Slowly, it tilted its heard towards me and stared directly at him. I froze.
What the hell.
I thought to myself.
Did my body instinctively shut down out of pure fear of that thing?
I couldn't move a muscle as its long white hair slowly parted from his face. I could feel my heart thumping violently as I stared deep into its horrifying, black, button-like eyes. It made it way towards me as it crawled in a peculiar, inhumane manner. I could feel its low, soft breathing as if it were directly in front of me.
Placing its hand on its cage, I could see its long, sharp nails as it began to tap on the glass.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
It was a slow, unnerving tap that crawled its way into my mind and nestled in it like a parasite. Four continuous, agonizingly long taps that looped in my mind. My body still didn't move a muscle, fearing that the tiniest of motion would result in my death. I stared directly into its eyes as if I was falling into a void. A void of darkness, pain, misery, sorrow, and horror.
Suddenly, it stopped its psychotic tapping and shifted its attention towards the man watching us. My head subconsciously followed its movements as I stared in its direction. I could see the smile that filled his face. He was thrilled.
Slowly, he walked up towards its cage and stared directly into its eyes. Placing his hand on the cage, he waited for the creature to do the same thing. The same dread and hatred that I felt oozing out of its body mere seconds ago had vanished instantaneously at the mere presence of him. It was almost frightened. Cautiously, it placed its hand on the cage as they stared at each other for a minute in silence. After their silent conversation, he retracted his hand and immediately retreated back to the monitor.
"Now, welcome to your new home." He spoke to it.
"You'll be spending the rest of your life here. Next to you is my personal experiment, which has been with me for about six months now. I hope you two both get along very well. And please do not make a lot of fuss, I wish to continue to have...discipline in my laboratory. I hope you both understand that. And perhaps, you might even ignite a friendship of some sorts. Please do make this worthwhile. I'll be here watching. Always." His voice had been filled with immense enthusiasm as he tried his best to contain his inner excitement, but his tone leaked out bits of his happiness that he had tried so hard to bury within him.
"Why here?" I asked, my body finally gaining the courage to come back to life.
"What do you mean 001?" He asked.
"Why bring him here? From what I can tell already, he isn't a human. Sure, in appearance, he is, but everything about him is nothing short of animalistic. I highly doubt he can even talk. So why bring him here? If what you want is research, then shouldn't you first teach him how to speak?" I explained.
"Well, we tried to have a sort of education placed on him, but as soon as we asked a scientist to stay with him and educate him as we record it, we ended up needing a body bag." He said softly.
"I see, and you brought him here to use me." I replied, finally realising everything.
"You truly are quite the intelligent child, aren't you. Or did you just...never mind. Yes, I need you to do it. And please convey his messages towards me when needed. Thank you, 001."
I let out a small sigh of annoyance as I knew what had to be done. Slowly, I stared at the creature opposite me as it watched me with immense intrigue. It tilted its head to the left as its hair fell to its side.
"Hey, what's your name?" I spoke.
It could see its eyes shoot wide open as it scratched its head with its sharp nails as if trying to get rid of whatever had invaded its mind. It screamed and flailed violently as it cried out for whatever it was to get out of its head.
"Stop that. I won't hurt you. I'm just trying to talk to you. Can you reply back?" I asked.
"How... How a...are you do...doing this?" He spoke. His voice was much squeakier than I had envisioned as I could feel the shakiness of fear in his tone.
"Everyone that comes here has something unique about them. Whether it be their mental or physical attributes. Others...well, they have something else special about them. Otherworldly things, if you must say. I am one of those. A telepath." I explained.
"And you are able to communicate through minds? How unusual. When did you gain this ability?" He asked.
"For as long as I can remember. No one knew about it; I kept it hidden." I replied.
"Where is this place?" He asked, looking around.
"You're in his laboratory. Not even I know where. But that man in front of you experiments on us. Research on us, to find mysteries, knowledge, anything of value. The fact that you are here means there is something to find out. Congratulations, you're a prisoner. For life." I replied back mockingly.
"Something is different. He looks familiar, but he isn't the same man that found me." He spoke.
"I have listened into his thoughts here and there when he allows it. This place is separate from the main building where other people are experimented on. The man that found you is the one who owns everything. They both work together as they share eerily close similarities. Sometimes, it feels as if there is no difference between them. The same ideas, same beliefs, same mindsets, same emotions. The only difference is that this man is filled to the top with insanity. I sometimes question if they are the same being, just somehow separated by some mystical power." I spoke.
"Regardless, the other one, who is called The Scientist, he has no control over here. Everything is governed by this man. What comes in, what goes out, what lives, and what dies. Everything follows his orders. You should get comfortable. If he is bringing you here, then you'll be in a whole lot of pain." I elaborated.
I could see his button-like eyes slowly brimming with unease as his eyes fixated on our captor. He watched as he fiddled with the monitor and flipping through pages and pages of notes.
"The only thing special about me is the fact that I have never met a human before in my life, not face to face." He spoke.
"Then, how can you speak so fluently in your mind?" I asked, curious.
"I'm not sure. But I can remember everything since the second I left the womb. I lay in the middle of a forest. It was cold, very, very cold, and the grass tingled on my bare skin. I could see what appeared to be my mother on the left, her body being devoured by wolves. I realised that she had given birth to me whilst being eaten alive."
"I still remember her screams. The wails and cries for help. It was horrible. The first ever sounds I heard when I came to be my mother's screams on the verge of death. The animals made sure that they ate every bit of her, and soon later, all that remained was her bones. Every inch of the meat had been stripped off, and she had become nothing more than mere bones."
"By some miracle, they let me be. Perhaps they had had their share and could not eat any longer, but they walked off, leaving me next to a skeleton. Over the few months, I survived the grass that I lay on. Nothing else, all I ate was grass, and all I drank was water that came from the rain. My body couldn't keep itself safe from the cold, the wind, or the rain. It was hell. Nothing less than that. A hellish, grotesque way of living."
"But instinctively, I wanted to live. My body couldn't accept death. It yearned for sustenance. For life. And so, I spent my first few months in gruelling fashion. Once I had learnt how to walk, I was able to pick up food from my surroundings. My mother's bones slowly began to decay after all that time. The most that I could find was berries and leaves."
"Daytime was hell, and night-time was a nightmare. The constant howls and growls of animals deep into the woods kept me frightened. I was only a child, a little young boy, about the age of four, fending myself off from the wilderness with nothing but my bare fists and sticks around me."
"But, over time, I began to become familiar with my surroundings, and in a few years, I had memorised every inch of the whole forest. It was as easy as looking at the back of my hand. And...I enjoyed it. I enjoyed that life. Being free and away from any humans. It only dawned on me recently, but back then, I forgot they even existed. That there was something outside of that forest."
"Life truly is simple when you are innocent. Childhood is a blessing, and growing up is a punishment. Once I had finally turned ten, I decided to step outside of my sanctuary. To witness the outside the world. An unknown and dangerous place. When I reached the city, it was barren. A wasteland. There was nothing. No humans, no sounds, no voices. The buildings looked abandoned, and planks of wood barricaded multiple houses."
"I continued to walk across the quiet wasteland in hopes of searching for someone else. Someone like me. Someone who resembled me. But I found no one. Whilst walking down, I found multiple signs of the human language, but I couldn't understand any of them. I didn't understand much."
"And then the hunger kicked in. It was an instant punch right in my stomach like a knife forced right into me. I was hungry. So hungry. I looked around everywhere for food, any place that resembled anything to eat. I was a long way away from the forest, and I had no way to find my way back."
"And that's when I met him. Not the man here but his counterpart. He found me in the trash and stabbed me with something, and I ended up here. That is my story. My existence of hell."
I stood there, not knowing what to say, my mind completely destroyed, but what I had just heard. Without realisation, a tear crawled down my cheek. A single, solitary tear. My heart ached, and the emotions bubbled inside of me.
Hearing his horrific life, his struggle to just live, it...it connected with me. Not just as another human but me personally. It reminded me of the orphanage, the hellish days I lived over there. And now, I had someone to share that same pain. That same feeling of hopelessness. That same struggle for survival.
And before long, the tears just kept coming. They flowed and flowed and flowed like the ocean until I had formed a tiny puddle on my feet. I fell to my knees as I stared at him. The same person moments before I was viewed as a rabid beast, I now saw as more human than anyone I had ever met. Someone who knew the meaning of struggle. The futile existence of one's own life. It was reassuring. I felt an unusual sense of tranquillity after hearing that terrible story.
For a brief moment, all we did was stare at each other in silence. There were no thoughts being communicated, no conversation being held, yet it was as if we had never stopped conversing. We had slowly begun to acknowledge each other, to understand each other, to feel each other's pains and sorrows. We became human again.
"So, what happens now?" He asked.
"Well, it depends on him, how long he wants to take before he starts his experimentations. But I am curious as to what he will do to you. You can not speak verbally, but thanks to the vast number of humans that would camp in the forests, you were able to pick up the language so quickly it is very unusual. Perhaps he will study your brain." I replied.
"What happens if I don't comply?" He asked.
"No one ever disobeys." I replied coldly.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Looking to our right, we saw him standing there with an eager look on his face. He waved his right hand at us, as if expecting a wave back before dropping it down to his side and carefully expecting his new subject. Slowly, he walked around the entire cage, never leaving his eyes of the rare specimen in front of him.
He always had this odd grin on his face whenever he looked at us like a predator eyeing his prey. It never faded and never grew, always staying the same size covering half his face. His hand slithered across the outline of the glass before stopping right in front of him. I could feel the unease coming from my new friend as he moved backwards instinctively.
Suddenly, the man shifted his attention towards me.
"Ask him what his name is." He spoke softly and calmly.
"Do you have a name?" I asked him.
"No, I never had one." He replied.
"No name." I spoke to the man.
"Hm, interesting. Well, from now on, tell him his name is Michael." He spoke.
After I relayed his message to Michael, he replied with an unusual smile. Even though he had been captured against his will and placed into here, a weird fondness arose from his smile. A fondness towards his own captor. After a while, we were both left to our own devices. Me and Michael conversed with each other, trying to understand more about each other and growing a close relationship in such a short span.
Only a few hours later, we knew everything about each other. Our likes, our dislikes, our dreams and passions, our thoughts and ideals. Everything. These last few hours that I had spent with Michael equated much more meaning to my life than the few months prior to his arrival. We talked so much that we had forgotten that everything we did was being watched, our every move being noted, our every facial expression being memorised.
The man was an unusual being. He could read your thoughts so easily just of the contortions of your face. And even when you tried your hardest not to give a reaction, he could still understand everything going on in his mind. It was mystical, a far greater gift than my own. I could see him, staring at us with deep intent from the shadows, his red eyes glowing in the dark, burning brighter and brighter with each passing moment.
His arms were folded as he stood still like a statue to the point that you wouldn't even be able to think he was breathing. Michael also noticed it, as his eyes would occasionally steer off to the dark corners of the room before returning back to me. We were kept under constant watch and surveillance, a camera pointing at us from all directions as we could hide, not even a breath escaping our lungs from them.
Suddenly, the light immediately turned off as we were left in complete darkness. I could sense the panic and fear from Michael as his silhouette's head darted around his cage, afraid that something was about to lunge at him.
"It's okay, Michael. It just signals the time for us to go to sleep now." I spoke, calming him down.
"Al...Alright. Well then, take care and goodnight." He replied.
"Goodnight." I replied back.
I watched as he fell asleep, my eyes never losing sight of him. As soon as I heard his breathing slow and his body stop moving, I stared into the dark corner behind us, my eyes dead cold and all previous emotions stripped from my soul. I watched and waited until a pair of shimmering red eyes stared back at me. I watched as they lurked in the back like a predator stalking its prey, its movements erratic and unorthodox, before a shadowy figure emerged out. I made my way towards it as our eyes locked momentarily.
"What do you make of him?" The figure asked.
"Intriguing. His movements are barbaric, yet his speech and conversing skills are as good as any ordinary human. What surprises me more is the fact that his memory is photographic, and he is able to remember everything down to the minutest of details. Truly is a marvellous find." I replied.
"I see the same. Yet I want to find out more, I want to examine his brain. Tear his flesh away bit by bit as I dissect every single piece of his mind. The thought of what I could learn from such a wild beast is exhilarating. Science has so much to learn from this. From this person. I am thankful to that man for what he has brought me. His ideals and thoughts on certain things are hard to agree with, but the knowledge he has opened for me is otherworldly. I can't wait for what happens next. And...I must thank you. Thank you for being such wonderful help. I hope that you continue to aid me in this conquest in the name of science." His voice was unusually comforting that it brought me unease and comfort.
"Could you know tell me about my..." I hesitated, but he smiled back, knowing what I was asking about.
"She is doing just alright. A matter of fact is much better than I anticipated. Her current situation is truly hilarious but so amusing. Trust me, she is in great hands. That man has a way with his mind, and the idea he has sprung using her is truly something only he could ever pull off."
He spoke before leaving me in the complete darkness with nothing but my thoughts and my assumptions. I lay back onto my bed, my mind still focusing on what he had said. I couldn't fully grasp what he meant and what was going on in her situation, but the confirmation that she was still alive and breathing and living well brought me ease.
My memories lapsed back to the moments we shared back in the orphanage, how we both struggled for scraps and always had each other's backs. I remembered her soft smile and her relaxing eyes. A small tear strolled down my cheek as I could feel myself dozing into a slumber. A few words escaped my mouth before I dozed off, and my consciousness slipped from existence.
"Forgive me..."
"So, what do you make of the new subject I gave to you?" A voice spoke through the monitor in a cold tone.
"Fascinating. He truly is remarkable. I have decided to call him Michael." I replied.
"Michael. I didn't take you to be a biblical person." He spoke.
"It's fitting, isn't it? His barbaric nature resembles something of a soldier. I can make use of his skills. His memory is godly, and his movements are far superior to any human. How did you come across such a thing?" I spoke with curiosity.
"Luck. I was lucky to have stumbled across him. A lone animal searching for scraps. Something that looked human but was nothing more than a beast. But, when I looked closer, I saw that it truly was a human. More human than any of us. I handed him over to you because I knew that this is where your expertise lied. You have always had a knack for the supernatural, and I can see something supernatural about this boy as well. Train him. Raise him. Turn him into a weapon that we can use. I know that you will be able to accomplish such a feat quite easily." His voice had such determination and power to it that even someone like me could feel fear slowly creeping out of me.
I let out a small chuckle. "You truly have a way with your words." I spoke.
"Well, only because you understand me so well." He replied.
"Of course. We are the same. I am you, and you are me. There is nothing different about us. Two sides of the same coin. A demon and the devil." I spoke.
"Well, which one of us is the demon and which one of us is the devil?" He asked.
"Who knows. Perhaps there isn't a difference. Perhaps we are both demons, or we are both devils. Or perhaps, it is the one more willing to pull the final trigger regardless of who stands in their way." I replied.
"Amusing. How very amusing. Well, one day we will find our answer." He continued.
"Well, I shall wait for when that day arises." I spoke. "How are your subjects doing?"
"Harold and Jolynn are doing well. However, there is something weird about them. After Harold's dream, for some reason, I wasn't able to view it after a certain point. The same happened for a mysterious one for Annabeth that left her in a coma. Something is very odd. I can feel something being planned." He explained.
"Are they coming out of their shadows after all this time?" I asked.
"It is possible, but I do not understand why if they are. Something must have gone wrong. We need to find out what it is, or else everything we have worked for will be lost." He spoke sternly.
"Are you sure you are up for that? Your heart won't? Your mind will allow you to do whatever it takes? Even if it means you have to kill?" I questioned.
"Yes." He replied coldly.
"Even if it is her, you have to shoot?" I asked.
I could hear him freeze from the other side, as if thinking about a reasonable answer. There was a short, odd silence that filled the room for a brief moment before I heard small shuffles coming from the monitor.
"Yes." He replied after a while.
"Do not lie. I have seen how you look at her. She reminds you of Abi..." I started.
"Don't say her name." He interrupted.
"Struck a nerve, did I?" I boasted.
"As if you are not the same. Your emotions are more uncontrollable than mine. If Annabeth stood in front of you, would you be able to shoot. Even though she reminds you of..." He started.
"Only my anger is heightened. My compassion, my sorrow, my pain, and kindness have vanished. All that remains of me is an empty shell fuelled by hatred. A being such as me does not have space for care nor for empathy. If Annabeth stood in front of me, regardless of what you wanted, she would die. No ifs, no buts. I will shoot her. That care for her does not feed onto Annabeth for me. It only does for you. Do not forget that." I interrupted harshly.
"I guess you are right. You are nothing more than a shell with one feeling. But with hatred, there must always be love. And with anger, there must always be joy. You may only have one emotion, but you still have a heart like me. Give it some time, and all those emotions that were stripped from you will come flooding back. And when it does, then we will see if you can talk so proudly after." He retorted.
"Perhaps there is a possibility. But for now, I have no more emotions. And why do you question it now? After all, it was you who did this." I asked.
"Because my emotions are resurfacing. And I hate it. But alas, all things must end, and that applies to you. Like you said. I am you. And you are me. Never forget that." He spoke before cutting the transmission, leaving me alone in the darkness once again.
I stood there for a moment, recouping my thoughts and our exchange before walking out of the laboratory. I made my way down the dark hallway towards a small vending machine in the corner. Placing a quarter into the slot, I grabbed a honey drink and made my way back to my lab. As I took a sip of the drink, my mind went back to what he was saying before.
Is it possible? Will I... Will I feel more than just this hatred again? Will this heart of mine be much more than a tool for vengeance? Will I become human finally? What foolish thoughts. Whether I am human or not, the plan doesn't change. We have to do this. We have to find out more about this world and theirs. About those aliens that came down here. And maybe, just maybe, I could find out more of my own existence. I already know how I came to be, but that answer isn't enough. I need more. More reasons, more answers, more understanding. Am... Am I just a monster? Someone with no free will only governed by a singular concept. Or can, can I be much more than that?
I crouched against the wall, lowering my head as I stared at the floor. My heart ached, but I knew that the emotion I felt wasn't sadness but hatred and anger. My heart ached in anger. A solemn anger filled with hatred for my own existence and for my own life. I hated everything. This life that I live was a burden to me. I wanted to be free of it, but I knew that it was not possible.
I was nothing more than a puppet. To him. Even then, I still had power, but that power still wasn't enough. Everything about me was based around him. We are no different, just like he said. Deep down, my heart wished that there was more to me. That I had emotions, that I had feelings, and that I understood them. I wished to feel love and to love, I wished to be kind and care, but whenever my mind drifted there, the anger came flooding back to me. This psychotic nature I was confined with was suffocating. But I couldn't escape it.
I wouldn't.
How hilarious. Even though I am the one who watches people from outside their cages, I am the same as them. Even if my cage isn't physical, it is always there. I am nothing more than an animal manipulated into thinking I'm free when, in reality, I am more of a prisoner than these subjects. But I suppose that applies to all humans. We are all prisoners. We all wear shackles.
Just because we don't see a cage doesn't mean there isn't one. Human life is so amusing. It's so ironic. So, depressing. But I suppose there is no need to question such a thing. It doesn't matter anyway. We have something to achieve. If being a prisoner brings that to life, then I shall accept it. I shall accept these shackles.
For what is life, if not being a prisoner to your own greed?
I stood up as my eyes slowly illuminated in the darkness, the insanity flooding back into my mind as my body restarted. My face returned back to its previous nature as I made my way down to my lab. I had a stone-cold expression, one that resembled someone who had lost everything in their life and had nothing more to lose.
My movements reverted back to how it was before. Erratic and unorthodox. A small, psychotically demonic grin spread across my cheek as the red in my eyes switched on and off like a switch. I dropped the drink as the last bits of the liquid spilt out onto the floor land slithered around like a serpent.
Standing in front of the door, my hand made its way towards the handle as I let out a deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment. Opening them back up, the redness inside my pupils illuminated immensely as I flung open to door being greeted by the two glass cages in front of me.
I made my way to the monitor and sat on the chair, slumping back and hanging my head on the head rest. I placed a towel on my face, covering everything but my demonic smile as I let out a small chuckle. A chuckle filled with insanity and anger and hatred. My body, my mind, my brain, my mannerisms, and my emotions had reverted back to its previous nature as I felt rejuvenated again.
I peered through the cracks in the towel towards the glass cages and stared at my two playthings, another creepy smile filling my face up.
"Time to continue the show."