Futuristic Rise of the Alphas

[Lost Echo]

Four woke up slowly. What happened? Had it happened again?! She whimpered, trying to curl into herself. When her limbs felt too heavy to respond, she cried out, opening her eyes. Where were the others?! Tears sprung in her eyes, and she bit her lip, trying to hold them back. Her fingers tapped out a paradiddle: RLRR LRLL. She remembered. She remembered the voice, the Numbers. She remembered their names. Girlboy, Disgruntled, Wallflower, Wraith, Muppet. They were what was important. She might have agreed with the others, that something had to come before, but she didn’t have that anymore. She didn’t have that connection. She was connected to the other numbers though. And god did she want them back.


Her eyes scanned the room. There were other people there. They didn’t have numbers on their clothes. Somehow that made them scary. Or maybe it was that they were masked. Faceless. They weren’t looking at her, even though she couldn’t control her breathing, each coming out in pants or sobs. They knew she was awake, but they weren’t looking at her. She wasn’t sure she wanted them to. What were they doing? She stared at the colored tubes, tracking them to herself. Her breathing got fasting, gasps and whimpers. Her ribcage felt too small, too tight. Were there straps on her chest? Was that why she couldn’t breathe? She was alone. She wanted her other Numbers.


She can’t help looking at the new man. He was as monochrome as everyone else, but he was looking at her. She now knew she didn’t want to be seen. She tried to shrink back into the chair behind her, but the heavy bands kept her from hiding. He kept looking. She didn’t speak: just whimpered, silently pleading he would leave. The body can only panic for a maximum of about 20 minutes. Four did not know this, nor that it hadn’t already been hours that she was trapped here.


She jerked in her bonds when he spoke. Trembles ran through her, and she couldn’t stop shaking. She tried to focus on his words. Just the words. She could panic about them later, now she needed to remember them. She did not understand pride. Only fear and confusion. Only the safety of the lies, and the connection with her other numbers. She did not understand how pretending that she wasn’t scared could help her. It didn’t occur to her to pretend to be strong, just quiet and scared.


There were words that stuck out the most to her. Observe. Of course they were watching. Her eyes flicked to the Faceless, they were scientists. And the numbers were subjects. It seemed obvious now.


Change. If she didn’t know what she was now, would she be able to tell if she was different? Her eyes flicked around the room to the Faceless. They were the only thing she knew that was different. She didn’t want to be them.


Words had still abandoned her, but her cry was obviously still of protest as a Faceless tried to choke her. For a moment, her body remembered the gasping breathlessness of earlier, but after a few pants, she realized it wasn’t constricted. The piece made no sense to her. She had no connection of subjugation or power with the strap around her neck. The only connect her had was to the other bands, but they already was one holding her head down, and this new one wasn’t connection to anything.


She had barely relaxed when the shock shot through her body. It bowed, straining against the pain, against the straps, against everything. Pleas escaped her mouth, promises she could not understand. Her face was wet with sweat and tears and sobs came out, long after the collar had stopped. She nodded, willing to agree to anything, so that the pain did not happen again. Death, she did not fear. It would get her out of here. She wanted it. She knew it would keep her from the pain. Still, she felt if she’d begged for it, these monsters would never give it to her. Her body gave way to stress before the IV bags emptied, finding relief in the blankness of sleep.




The heaviness was still in her limbs when the buzzer woke Four up. She rolled over, curling her limbs, unbearably grateful to be able to. As she tucked her down, the ring, the collar dug into her neck. She whimpered, remembering the pain from before. Was it happening again? No. Just an echo from how much it hurt before. Four felt she would be feeling that echo forever. Slowly, she uncurled.


Her legs wobbled when she stood, a fine tremor running through her body. She scanned the room. It looked the same. The bathroom was the same, even the food packet. It was like déjà vu. Did they think she’d been made to forget again? Her hands went up to touch the collar. No. There wasn’t the Voice again. Only the Man. She wanted the Voice back. Her lip trembled again, but she tried to hold it back. They were watching, and if she wasn’t doing what they asked…her knees almost buckled under the memory of the shock.


Under it, she blanked on what she was supposed to do. She could remember him saying to obey their commands, but what were they?! A sob broke again, and she dropped her face into her hands, her calluses scratching against her skin. She expected the shock to come any second now. She was sure they were only waiting to make this fear last longer. After a minute, when no more pain came, she closed her eyes, sitting down on the cold tile of the bathroom.


Taking a deep breath, she started to count aloud, “One-two-three-four. One-two-ready” she took a breath, and started to beat out a rhythm against her thighs. She kept her head down, slowly relaxing as she got lost in the music. It grew more complicated, and she expanded her range to include the tile, then the hollow echo of the wall.


This was the first time she could remember feeling truly calm. The tremors stopped, and her breath steadied. The fear wasn’t gone, but perhaps that was for the best. Who knows how long she would have sat on that floor, lost in the peace that was the music? The fear of too long made her come to a soft end. Slowly, she raised her head, looking all the way up to the ceiling. It was as bland as everything else. Swallowing, she raised her hand to the collar, wrapping her fingers around it. It dug in a little, sharp points that she tried to ignore were from those IVs, but she spoke aloud, “Thank you.” She was grateful that they hadn’t punished her for the relief. She didn’t deserve their treatment, but she was going to thank them for any relief they provide. Appeasement was her current plan.


She stood quickly, not wanting to dally any longer. She stripped, her mind catching on the idea of someone seeing her naked, but she pushed it away. There wasn’t anything she could do. She turned on the shower, running her hands under the spray. While it warmed, she grabbed the bar, wrapping it, then taking it into the stall. The steam seemed to soften it, but she still ate it as quickly as she could. She drank directly from the spray, letting it run over her face. Once her belly felt full, she opened her eyes, scanning for soap. There were only two containers. She searched the room, looking for the third. She had a feeling that something bad—no, something not good, at the moment bad only equaled that shock—would happen without the third, but knew protesting wouldn’t help. She started with the shampoo. Her hair was tangled, and it pulled when she tried to work her fingers through the strands. She scowled, but this seemed normal. That third bottle would have helped.


The under current that she shouldn’t press her luck, she let it rinse out, ignoring the knots for now. Soap was next, and she swallowed, remembering what the Man had said. Changes. Had they already happened? She started at the top, and gasped as she remembered the collar. (1) Why hadn’t she been electrocuted?! The entire piece was wet. If it was going to shock her again, it would have. Or they would have. She focused on the rest of her body. The pricks from the IVs stung against the soap. There were bruises around her wrists and ankles, likely from the bounds. Her neck was tender, but she didn’t know if it was from the shock or when she had fought that strap.


She couldn’t tell if anything else was different. She had a brown circle on her hip and a small scar on her elbow. They didn’t look new, but she couldn’t tell. There weren’t any other wounds though. She told herself to be grateful for that.


Turning off the water, she hurried through drying off, not minding the moist creases as she returned to the…bedroom? Cell? She wished she had the proper words for things. Going to the closet (that at least was the right word) she didn’t hesitate to pull out the first outfit. Set of clothes. Ugh, it didn’t matter. She pulled it on quickly, remembering the camera that was certainly watching her.


She stared at the closet again, an idea coming to her. Trying to be subtle, she shifting in front of it, blocking the view, while she shut the door most of the way. Quickly, she tied a messy knot on the sleeve of one of the outfits. She wasn’t sure if they’d let her keep it, but if she saw it the next time she woke up, it would [help] prove this was the same room. If that mattered, she didn’t know, but it was something she could change.


She shut that door quietly, then walked out into the rec room. She was a bit of a mess. Though the clothes were clean, and most of her was, there were obvious tangles in her hair. Self consciously, she threaded her fingers, tugging it apart more. Her eyes still had residual redness from her crying, and you could see the bruises between her shirt and the collar. Still, she smiled in relief at seeing one of hers. “Girl—” she hesitated, glancing at the ceiling for a moment, before correcting herself, “Nine. Are you okay?”





(1)I’m assuming it’s actually waterproof

 

[Clairvoyance]

7


__


The Wraith
_______




A steady, rhythmic beeping woke 7 from her deep, unwanted slumber. She felt straps digging into her wrists, ankles, and chest, and it scared her that she was powerless to fight against the scientists. Scientists...of course. We're an experiment, some kind of trial. And I doubt I took part in this willingly...


After a moment of looking around, 7 heard the door slide closed and the deep voice of a man entered her ears. He told the young woman what they were going to do to her, what they expected her to do, and what would happen if she resisted. As he spoke, 7 screamed and thrashed around. She wanted to get free, and she wanted to hurt everyone in the room.


At that point, she finally noticed the multicolored fluids flowing into her veins. She cursed and tried to yank her arm away, but she simply didn't havethe strength. She had worn herself out trying to get free, and could now only pant as the man finished his monologue. Then, he pressed a button that sent a powerful electric current throufh her body. "You...will regret this..." She wheezed out, struggling to point her middle fingers his way. "I promise, I'll make you regret this."


------------


7 gasped as she woke up. She sat up from the bed, scanning the room for anything out of place. Her eyes settled on a tape recorder that was placed on her nightstand, and she scowled. She read the directions and clicked the record button, holding it up to her mouth. "Your drugs gave me one hell of a headache, assholes."


With that thought recorded, she tossed the device onto her bed and stood up. Her body was -- yet again -- stiff and sore, and her stomach growled hungrily. She looked towards the bathroom and began to strip in the middle of her room.


In the bathroom, she glanced at the corners and ceiling. It was creepy to imagine that they were watching her while she showered. "Fucking perverts..." She mumbled. She turned the water on, waiting until it was steaming hot before stepping under the steady stream. It was soothing. It temporarily washed away the worries of what had been done to her, what side effects he may have meant. She didn't bother with the bottles of soap or shampoo, stepping out and toweling herself off. She was curious what the other numbers thought of what had happened, and was eager to hear what they had to say -- even Disgruntled.


7 slipped into a fresh jumpsuit and took a deep breath, tieing her damp hair back and walking into the rec room. Girlboy and 4 were already there, and both looked just as shaken as she felt.

 

[CaR_HoPPeR]

One woke up gasping slowly, as his sweat beads ran down his forehead with slow succession one after the other. Still laying on the bed, his body laid there. It was hesitant to move regardless of its old and rigid figure. One thought this to himself as well. Could be some night terrors that were catching up. He mentally shrugged his thoughts, addressing his current problems more of his wrinkles finally rested on his face.


He slowly risen from his bed, his body quivering. He didn't thought to wipe off the sweat from his forehead as his whole body was soon permeating a nasty sheen from the neck up. It stick to his jumpsuit like snot on cement. He was still gasping slowly, automatically his strained hand clutching his heart. His heart responded with loud thumps but nothing painful. His stomach churning and his nostrils flaring from his own sweaty stench. He hasn't felt this bad since... Since when? His brain seemed to do less thinking: it's conditioning less methodical than more of finding complacent relief for its meandering and grumpy thoughts.


The lack of faces putting him into a chair didn't help remembering, nor do it gave him any comfort. One didn't rack on about what happened before. Didn't want to. Maybe felt a worse experience in his apparent lifetime. One didn't particularly know at this moment. One just knew that he struggled hard on some straps once he glanced at his wrists: wrinkly stung with bands of strained pink. He felt his neck and winced; One didn't have to bet his feet were bounded before as well. He only remembers nothing and his body instinctively remembering a spark...? Shock? His nerves were shattered for a moment when he woken up but now it's anticipating that same feedback. But nothing similar came: only prangs of quivering and hesitance when he woke up. His old body remembers and his memories died with a whimper except one in particular: a tape recorder for his thoughts.


One stopped gasping after that thought, his body finally stopped tensing up and tried to walk. A foot slipped. His body thudded to the ground loudly. One groaned as his arms weakly tried to have composure, but they too slipped awkwardly to the ground. He tries again. Dragging his hands to push himself off the ground. His body was still dealing with the shock however it can but the brain just registers it as pain and pain only. He grunted angrily at his body as he slowly got to one knee, his body shivering from some pain he can't remember. The acoustics of the room amplify the sounds dramatically, making a echoed One even more angry.


One finally wiped his forehead. He stood up slowly for his feet to register the ground complimented with his heavy breathing.


"One step at a time." He breathed, walking methodically to his sink and washed his face. After looking at his face. he craned his neck to and fro: he remember he wasn't this old. Maybe it was the egotism talking. Least he got that. He thought to himself.


He looked at the tape recorder on the table and picked it up. He pressed the record button with a pudgy thumb.


"I'm more surprised we still use tape recorders." He mused to the recorder. "Well to start off I feel..." What did he feel? He paused.


"I feel... Normal." He replied with a frown. He let go of the REC button and plop the recorder down the table again as he went for his shower bringing himself tooth amenities.


After he forgo his sweaty jumpsuit, he went on to his drawer to find another jumpsuit.


Huh.





He thought to himself, his thumbs automatically feeling the back of his suit, as if it's missing something. He shrugged and put it on. One decided to just get out of the room as usual and sat down in one of the tables in the recreation room. He rested his pudgy sleeves onto the surface as he stared at a particularly empty wall.

 

[Byatis]

IX



​

Nine was caught off-guard by the meek sound addressing her. Surely, she would have expected people to join her in the rec room. The lanky girl just didn't anticipate to converse with the silent tempo-keeper. It took her a moment or two before actually registering what Four had asked her. Nine continued to shuffle through the cards trying to find the right words.


There was no reason to lie to Four. She looked up to tell her she was fine but decided against it. Saying she was fine felt true. It also felt deeply dishonest. She looked down and rearranged the cards, her hands moving the top card repeatedly to the back of the deck with increasing speed. After a short while, she stopped and brought one to her face. The Wall of Illusion.


In one fell swoop, the gaps between the last time she was reading the cards and now were filled. She remembered being restrained. She didn't struggle at all. She remembered being told that she would be different. That didn't feel new to her. Most importantly, Nine remembered having a man explain that her body might change to be foreign to her. In her eyes, he told her that she was a stranger in her body. He then placed a collar on her and sent a shock after a few commands. Of course, it hurt. Nine remembered her body recoiling at the pulse emitted from the collar. During the moments where she was in physical pain, she couldn't push past the anguish of her thoughts. She was a stranger in her own body. It was miserably familiar and she didn't want to think about it. She finally saw images of the needles and bags that led her to sleep.


The willowy girl reached up to her neck. There it was, the lock that kept her from feeling at home with herself. She put the card back on the deck and set the deck down. She felt a pressure building up behind her eyes but all that came of it was blurred vision and a pain in her throat. She looked back to Four, shaking her head from side to side. "He said he would kill us, right? Are you afraid to die?" Nine asked, her feelings swelling her throat, allowing the passage for a few more sentences. "We're subjects. We were people. I was a person. Now, I'm not that person."


Nine slowly fidgetted with the collar before including, "I have a feeling that the person that I used to be was afraid to die. But who are you without yourself?" She reached back to the cards and flipped them face-down, "When there's nothing left of who you are, you're dead." Nine looked at the wall behind Four's shoulder before admitting, "I don't know. I feel like he's already killed me."


Nine inhaled deeply and shook her head a bit. A few moments after, Seven and One entered the room. Everyone who had returned so far looked bothered and she was sure there was a distinct different in interaction because of it. This was the cost of purpose.

 

[Samuel James Aran]

5b

​

5b entered the room alone and without his brother. He looked around the room and saw how gloomy everyone was. He understood that he wasn't the only one who had been experimented on but he wasn't going to let that get to him. He sat down at an unoccupied table and thought about his brother. The poor twin wouldn't get out of bed. 5a had enough problem trusting people yesterday, now he was terrified of everything. He stared at the instructions for the card game and thought about taking it to his brother.


After a few minutes he got up and walked over to the instructions and picked them up. He made his way back to his room and went inside to see about fetching his brother. It took a few minutes but 5b soon returned without his brother. He placed the instructions back on the table where he got them with a sigh and sat down in a chair at the table Nine was sitting at and stared into his room.

 

[Lost Echo]

With the peace she’d reached earlier, she had no issue waiting for Girlboy to think. She wasn’t sure how she would reply herself; probably something innocuous like, for the moment. Still, she was grateful that Girlboy was willing to answer. When she was strapped in that chair, her main hope was to go back to them. She wanted to build that connection with them.


So she watched the cards. They were shuffled too quickly for more than glimpses. She tried to anticipate the sound of each card hitting, tapping her finger against her thigh to match it, and speeding up as Girlboy did. It was an interesting challenge, as the pace was not steady. She mistimed most cards, but it kept her mind in the calmness, not the fear.


She was not so distracted not to notice when her companion’s hand raised. She met her eyes, her own, already red ones, automatically burning with tears. She nodded at first, but it was stopped by the second question. She remembered her fear that they wouldn’t kill her if they knew that they could keep her with that pain forever. Still, she did not want to lie to Girlboy. She was hers. And she’d answered honestly; Four would return that. “I fear more pain.”


Still, she couldn’t help wrapping her arms around herself as she continued. People. She had no doubt she was a person. She felt. Right now. She felt fear. The Voice, the Faceless and the Man did not feel. The man had said they’d messed up his plans. But he was not angry. She remembered Wraith’s hands slamming loudly against the table. No, the Man did not feel. They were people.


Observe. Her eyes flicked, but she was careful not to move her head. She hadn’t looked last time, but in her peripheral vision, there were no black boxes, no obvious recorders. They were still observing. What would they do with that extra information? How could she limit more?


Her hands had started shaking again, but she started a rhythm against the table. She tried to keep it steady, to keep her whole self from shaking. Still, she used a little more force than usual, making it a little louder.


“You aren’t that person.” She agreed. Fear was there again that they’d punish her for abusing this privilege. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what she could say that could satisfy both Girlboy and the Man. “And maybe you won’t ever be that person again.” God was that hard to say. “You’re a person if you feel.” She lowered her voice slightly, hoping both Girlboy could hear it but her beats covered it. “They can’t hurt you if you’re dead.”


She stopped her hands when Wraith walked in. She tried to manage a smile at her, but it was shaky like the rest of her. While she was still pale, she seemed okay…but then so had Girlboy. Did Four seem okay to the others? One did not seem fine. He didn’t even seem to notice that anyone else was in the room. She remembered how he entered last time, shouting his questions to the room at large. Was he smaller? Had they changed him to be smaller? Or was it just that he was quiet?


Horror etched her face as only one twin opened the door. Had the Man killed him? That boy had seemed so timid. How had he disobeyed enough for them to kill him? Four now feared death. Not her own, but everyone else’s. She looked at the unopened doors. Were they dead too? When she watched him left, she started to doubt. Or perhaps she started to hope. It cracked when he returned alone, but when he sat, she tapped the table lightly, to get his attention. “Is…does your brother need help?” Would it have been worse to word it as if he were already dead? Then she would have relief. Now, they both would just have extra pain if he was.

 

[CaR_HoPPeR]

One glared at Four behind his back. Afraid of what might not have happened before. He shook his head back and forth at Four to indicate to stop her mindless thinking and phrases. To One, there are more important things than to ask vocally like this.

 

[Samuel James Aran]

5b

​

It took a second before 5b turned to look at Four. He sighed as he spoke, "Yesterdays events traumatized him. He refuses to get out of bed and is just laying there crying. I tried to cheer him up but I think he just needs some space." He said returning his gaze to his room and trying to figure out what he should do about his brother. "The man in the glasses really scared him." He continued as he crossed his arms. He thought back to that time and felt angry at how he couldn't do anything to protect his brother. Staring at him from across the room as the man tortured the poor boy even when he lost consciousness from the stress. "I couldn't do anything to protect him..." His voice cracking slightly to show how upset he was.

 

[Lost Echo]

No, One wasn't smaller. Why wasn't that a comfort? Did he not want them to be together? Change. Those monsters wanted to change them into the Faceless. Could One have changed already? She remembered his awkward smile of reassurance. She didn't want that to be gone. Maybe it was the observing. She bite her lip, trying to remember what the Voice and Man had said. The voice had said 'interact.' But the Man had not been happy with how they interacted.


She had to always remember that the Man was watching. Listening. They wanted them to not feel. Four didn't think she could even manage to hide that. And she was a person. She was going to feel. To care. Could she pretend not to care? That would hurt the Brother. Still, she could try appeasing the Man. One of the last things she remembered was Muppet's comment that the monsters feared them. She could play up on the opposite? Would that keep One happy? "The Man was very scary. And very powerful." She wanted to say something more. Like that it wasn't his fault. Or that at least they were still together. She could try concealing it again with her rhythm, but that seemed obvious to her. Maybe distraction would be okay. "How about we try to play these?" She picked up the card Girlboy had looked at before, the face was really freaky. She glanced at the willowy girl, who seemed to know how, "More than two can play right?" They had provided the cards. It couldn't be a trick too right? She glanced at One uncertainly for approval, before glancing away.

 

[CaR_HoPPeR]

One shook his head back to the wall, playing with his sleeves. He was uncertain as well but he needed one person that could doubt him, at least it would be an indication of a before.


He knew he had to wait. But what he was waiting for... He wasn't particularly sure. He sighed and stared back at the wall.

 

[Swindle]

"The buzzer again." The infuriating noise just couldn't help but stay at Eight's bedside, sadly. Although she made no effort at the futile patting around this time, she was no less annoyed by the sound of the stupid thing than last time. Something struck the girl as strange, though. She felt even more tired than usual - in addition to that, her legs and arms suddenly felt very sore upon trying to move out of the bed. Worse yet, an intense pain was striking its way through her head, the right side of her head throbbing as if her innards were attempting to burst out and escape. Every little sound and light struck her as being more intense, too. In retrospect, she didn't recall the buzzer being so loud that it hurt her ears.


Pulling herself up slowly, Eight, already a frail girl to begin with, flinched in pain at the effort of trying to leave the bed. "Ah...what could have happened? Surely I'd remember something as bad as this." Stumbling slightly as she stood up off of the bed, she noted the odd new addition of a...something sitting in plain sight in the same room. It was blurry, just like the rest of the details of what she figured was the same room as last time. Also an oddity. Pulling the object as close as possible to her face to try to make out what it was, she eventually gave up on trying to find out and simply grabbed the piece of paper next to it.


Scanning the paper, the events that transpired earlier almost instantly returned to her. "Right..." Making a vain effort to rub her forehead to make the intense headache go away, Eight also let down her bun in an effort to try to relieve the extra concentrated weight on the back of her head. No help, sadly. "Electrocuted and then told that we'll get electrocuted more or killed if we don't do what they say." As she made this realization, her stomach began to turn, causing her to sit down as quickly as possible to try to regain her bearings, only exacerbating the prior issue of the headache and sound sensitivity. It only took a few seconds, but Eight's weak body quickly buckled as she vomited what little she had in her stomach on to the instructions.


Although dizzy, she had at least managed to digest the information that was on the paper before her rather disgusting episode. Tapping the button to record, she strained out a short sentence, "P-pretty horrible...My pants are covered in expelled matter." Deducing that she probably didn't have the energy to clean herself up without collapsing, she simply made her way (however slowly it may have been) to the restroom, obtaining the disgusting bar of cardboard and then shuffling as quickly as possible out of her designated room into the main area, using the nearest wall for support until she could sit down in a seat.


Wiping the phlegm from her forced regurgitation off onto her jumpsuit sleeve, Eight placed the cardboard food on to the table, heart beating alarmingly quickly as she attempted to recover from the labor she just endured.

 

[Clairvoyance]

7


__


The Wraith
_______




7 winced as 4 and Girlboy talked. Their voices seemed off, like they were talking through glass. Somehow though, the muffled Numbers were hurting her. She felt like screws were slowly being drilled into every part of her skull. What had first begun as a simple headache had rapidily escalated to the most intense pain she'd felt since the shock.


She quickly ran back into her room and fumbled for the tape recorder, pressing down on the button and whispering, "It hurts, it hurts! Their voices hurt, even though they're muffled." The pain suddenly began to ebb away, leaving 7 clutching tightly to the outdated device. "I-It stopped...just like that. It...I hate you people for doing this to me!" She screamed, throwing it at the wall. Luckily, it didn't shatter. It clattered harmlessly to floor, and 7 sank down to the floor beside it.


Outside, she could hear the voice of one of the 5's join the others. She figured that they heard her, and didn't want to face any quips Disgruntled may have about her anger. She instead stayed still, taking deep breaths and slowly unclenching her tightened fists.


Eventually, she felt calm enough to join the others once more. She sat at 4 and 5B's table, tossing a glance at each of them before sighing. They were talking about death. She couldn't think about that, or she'd end up breaking something. Instead, she turned to 4, saying, "What do you think they did to us?" Her usually confident tone was subdued, meek even. She wasn't in the mood for being a bitch, and everyone would be able to tell. She was vulnerable.

 

[Byatis]

IX



​

They can't hurt you if you're dead. The problem was that Nine was hurting. She wondered if it made her crazy to feel an overwhelming need to mourn the death of someone she'd never known a thing about. She missed someone she would never meet. Nine touched her face and reflected on how she felt like she was merely wearing a mask. Her skin didn't fit. Did this skin fit her like a glove or did it also feel loose and cumbersome? Nine would never know that answer. Who she was and who she is had burdened each other with no ability to relieve the weight.


Although Nine tried to avoid it, she became immediately aware of her preferences among the numbers. That enlightenment came in the form of a squat, vomit covered woman. She knew it was probably wrong to divide them into groups but chose to just accept it for the moment.


"Yes, more than two can play, but not at the same time due to our limited amount of cards. We could jus-" she trailed as her vision caught the struggling woman. She glanced to Four, hoping she would understand her concerned departure before sprinting across the room to the once outspoken woman.


"Disgruntled?" Nine made sure to speak in a quiet, gentle tone. The woman looked like she was in shock and the last thing Nine wanted to do was startle Eight. "Hey. You should come with me."

 

[Swindle]

No matter how hard she stared down at the cloudy-looking table, the symptoms of her problem didn't appear to get any better. If anything, it felt like the headache part in particular had only been worsening as time went on. Granted, looking down at the table did at least alleviate the fact that the lights in the room felt like she was staring directly into them even though she was probably as far as she could be from their location. Looking down at her hands, they were shaking intensely. She wobbled slightly in her chair, placing her digits back onto the table to steel herself.


Nine's words gave Eight a bit of a start as she was so focused on the headache, but they were delivered lightly enough to not harm her, at least. Understanding the cue, but also feeling too weak to stand up, she presented her hand in a flimsy manner. In sotto voce, "Okay."

 

[Byatis]

IX



​

Taking the extended hand and swinging it around her shoulder, she guided Disgruntled to the bathroom in room eight. It took longer than it should have because of the awkward way that Nine had to walk. The woman was heavier than she looked, but then again, Eight wasn't able to offer any assistance in reducing the load. She felt Eight's body lurch lightly. I need to get her there faster, Nine thought, the more time she spends moving, the worse it will get.


Nine could not have been more grateful that the rooms were so lacking in size. The small area lends itself well to a speedy trek but does nothing to disperse the pungent odor that left the air nauseating. She scanned for the source and saw a thickening puddle near the side of the bed. Her cost for purpose seemed to be much less accommodating than some of the other numbers have shown. She made a mental note to clean it later and continued her short, haste filled steps. When they had finally reached the restroom, she lowered Disgruntled to the floor, leaning her up against the wall between the toilet and the shower. Nine reached for the shower knob and turned it. She tried her best to achieve a mild, lukewarm temperature. "Wait here for me. I need to get a few things and wait for the water to become a little warmer than it is now," she gently ordered Eight.


She returned to the room to retrieve a new jumpsuit from Eight's closet. Forcing open the door, she froze. Right? Left? Middle? Nine hesitantly grabbed for the right most outfit before pulling her hand back. She looked back at the hardening puddle to confirm that it was the right side of the bed that Eight had soiled. She placed each hand on the jumpsuit that corresponded with its respective side. Left meant avoidance. Right meant erasure. How do I fix it? How do I know I'm not choosing wrongly? Nine stared blankly into the space between herself and the hanging fabric. "Right is erasure," she whispered and yanked at the left-most hanger.


She re-entered the bathroom and checked the water. Figuring that was as good as it was going to get, she shot Disgruntled the best reassuring face she could muster. "Hopefully, we can get you fixed up. But first, we need to get you cleaned up." After about a minute, she followed with, "Well, that means you need to get undressed for the shower." Nine held up the fresh jumpsuit.


Eight, who was at this point still aware enough to understand what Nine was saying, complied as quickly as she could manage. Pulling the zipper of her jumpsuit down with relative ease, she then tugged a little on the shoulders of the garment until she could eventually slip one of her arms out of the first sleeve, her free arm making it a little easier to remove the remaining clothed one. Although she found that act to be simple enough, standing up to remove the jumpsuit from her wider bottom half was a much different story. The girl looked at Nine questioningly, presenting her hand in a similar fashion to earlier to assist her in removing the bottom half of the onesie.


Nine didn't hesitate to help the woman up. Lending her shoulder to Disgruntled for stability, she stared into the water, waiting for the shuffling to stop beside her. When it finally did, she nodded her head toward the shower. "Make sure to drink some water while you're in there. Throwing up is a huge loss of liquid. What made you vomit anyway?" Nine asked aloud when Eight slowly entered the shower.


"I'm not sure. I already woke up feeling unwell, but it just grew worse and worse until, as I was standing up reading the paper on the voice recorder thing, my insides simply felt like they were going to turn inside out." Her entire statement was staggered and somewhat breathy, but she eventually finished talking.


"When you're done, we'll ask the others for help on figuring out what's wrong with you. Maybe they can give some insight," Nine sighed. Now sitting on the toilet, she stared into Eight's room. Fading in and out of her subconscious thoughts, she pondered about the other numbers and what prices might have been given to them in exchange for a purpose. Hearing the water turn off, she handed the jumpsuit to Eight. "You need to get some rest. You can sleep more in my room."


Nine led Disgruntled into her room and helped her lay down on the bed. "Try to sleep. And please, if you need to throw up, throw up as far away from the bed as possible." She snorted playfully.


Nine took a much faster shower after she was done using her original jumpsuit to clean things up as best as possible. As she was drying off, she felt a slight prickling feeling. Her legs had fallen asleep. She didn't think much of it until the sensation rose from her legs and up through her torso, spreading outwards to her limbs. She panicked as the feeling grew more assertive and was accompanied with an itching feeling. Anxiety ridden, she looked at her palms. Did I choose wrong? Was I supposed to choose erasure? Nine shook her head. She was positive she had chosen correctly.


Upon closer inspection of her palms, she found a small flesh like door that she could open and close at a whim. Widening the hole, a small black widow spider crawled out. What the...? Nine shook her hand furiously, sending the spider falling to the ground. It started to crawl back in her direction. "Go away." She said sternly. She started to laugh at herself for talking to a spider as if it were a person. Surprisingly, the spider stopped. It looked at her for a few more seconds, did an about face, and walked into the rec room.


Nine, now fully dressed, followed shortly after the small, eight-legged creature. She looked around at the rest of the numbers. "Well, Eight seems to be doing fine. I also might have spiders falling out of my body. Okay..." She explained, eyes shifting back and forth from disbelief. Nine returned to her room and sat quietly against the wall. Why is the price disproportionate?

 

[Slop]

"Ugh..." Marquess grunted as he rose once again from his slumber - this time more abrupt.


"What on Earth even - wait..."


His statement was interrupted by the sudden realisation that he was unable to produce any sound from mouth. He then repeated the sentence - this time louder but was once again heard only by himself in his head.


"WAIT, I CAN'T SPEAK! WHAT THE - HOW EVEN?!" His confusion has then turned into panic. In attempt to calm himself, he tried to rest both palms on his temple. Alas, his attempt did nothing more than exacerbate his panic - he realised that he was... well, invisible...


He wasn't able to touch his head, or see his hands for that matter... His instincts got him to rush out to the Rec Room that had just opened and started shouting out random gibberish - not that anyone could hear him...

 

[Alecto]

SIX


Location: Room >>> Rec Room


Interaction: Everyone in the Rec Room

Six woke up with a jolt, sitting up straight on his bed. Sweat dripped down from his forehead. There was weight on his throat. His limbs felt sore. He gasped as memories of events from yesterday flashed in his mind in a quick succession.


Seeing the other numbers... the contrast between the stark whiteness of the room against the color on the card one of the others held up... mindless chatter as his attention zeroed in on the colors and nothing else... smoke... it was becoming harder to breathe... black spots dancing in his vision as he faded into unconsciousness... the feeling of weightlessness...


Then the memories slowed and began to show every detail vividly, forcibly making Six relive each excruciating moment.


No movement. Despite his struggling, he could not move. There was something sharp poking him... something foreign... didn't belong. There were unfamiliar people too with no numbers attached to their clothes, their faes hidden from view... an irritating beeping noise somewhere to his left... colorful liquid to his right... a man speaking in a tone unlike the Voice... words that sounded so close yet so distant...


"Greetings... numbers... plans out the window... observe... experiments...accelerate our plans... with a special serum that will... change you....side effects that you will undoubtedly receive right away... room... recorder with instructions on how to use it... everything you feel... numbers... everyday at the end of the day... failure...show you."


A man moved forward... something constricted his throat... something foreign... He remembers having no time to think further about it as pain flooded his senses. Six can hear someone screaming; he thinks it might be him.


The collar. That's the weight on his neck; where the shock came from.


"...didn't want it to be this way... do something we don't like... push this button... there is much worse we can do... obey our commands... problem... disobey... get a shock... Or we kill you. The words abruptly stopped after that, siilence ringing in his ears. Even if there was noise, all he could remember after that was the uncomfortable feeling of being watched... then everything began to fade into a blur before there was nothing but humming from the back of his mind.


As the memories came to a halt, Six found himself on the floor beside his bed, sheets tangled between his legs. The brunette let his head drop to the floor with a thud, as he tried to get his breathing even. It took him a few minutes to gather himself before he pushed himself up, almost getting up close and personal with the floor for the second time within a short period of time as his foot got caught in the sheets.


His shaking hands clenched into fists as his gaze fell onto the recorder on the nightstand beside his bed, debating on whether he should take it now or later. He was supposed to tell the Man and the hidden people about what he was feeling. What was he feeling? Rage. There was certainly rage, he thought as he cleched his jaw. There was also fear. Crippling fear. His shoulders shook. Each breath he took was shallower and quicker than the last as distress began to creep in. "What did I do to deserve this?" He asked out loud as he buried his face in his hands, momentarily forgetting the fear of being shocked.


Then his actions sunk in. The Voice and the Man had to be working together. The Voice said not to ask any questions. The Man said they'd shock him again if they disobeyed, and that they were watching. Six sucked in a sharp breath, eyes closing as he braced himself for the shock that was surely coming. A few seconds passed, and nothing came. When he opened his eyes, a breath of relief escaped him. Perhaps they took that as simply voicing out his thoughts. Shoulder relaxing, he told himself to focus. What did he do yesterday before he went out to the rec room?


He had eaten before leaving to the rec room, but he felt uncomfortable right now. Whether it was due to the fact that the Man and the hidden people were watching him or it was due to the sweat making his clothes stick to his skin, it didn't matter to him as brunette forced himself to enter the bathroom, planning to strip himself of his sticky clothes and quickly take a shower.


As soon as his hand came in contact with the metal door handle, there was a jolt that had Six snatching his hand back, painfully reminded of being electrocuted despite the minuscule amount in comparison. What...? Eyebrows furrowing, he tried to open the door again, but there was nothing. Shrugging it off, he entered the bathroom, leaving the door open. As he stepped into the shower, his thoughts began to quiet down, making Six painfully aware of a dull hum from the back of his mind. He reached for the shower knob, hand jolting back in surprise again when he felt the same shock again. Okay, now this was getting ridiculous. Huffing, Six turned the shower knob, ignoring the minuscule shock.


When the water hit his body, the brunette sucked in a sharp breath, making him turn the water off. What was that? It was like being electrocuted all over again, but it didn't hurt. Not really, just made his entire being tingle with... what exactly, he didn't know yet. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the shower, having no patience to deal with that weird tingling along with the strange humming from the back of his mind as of that moment. He quickly dried off and stepped out of the bathroom - not before taking his bar of food with him. All the while wondering if his collar had anything to do with the weird microshocks as he got into another jumpsuit, taking comfort in the familiarity of it and the sight of the six on his shoulder, and ate the bland bar of sustenance.


His gaze fell on the door leading to the rec room... The Man had said to record what he felt about the other numbers. That undoubtedly meant he had to interact with them. The thought of being among others like him and putting the humming and microshocks in the back of his mind cheered him up considerably. Six marched up to his door and flung it wide open, mouth pulled into a huge open smile before it slipped off completely upon seeing collars on his fellow numbers.


At no point in his musings did he think that the others would have gone through the same thing. Questions began to race in his mind. Did they go through the same thing? Did the meet the same man? "Were you guys electrocuted as well?" Horror flooded him seconds after the question slipped from his mouth, voice ringing in the entire room.


I tried to stop, I really did

 

[Eldarkon]

10 sat there in the chair, staring at the man with intense anger. he now knew the reason why he was here, and what his purpose was. while the man was talking to him, all he could think was "I swear, im going to kill you slowly and painfully when i break out of here". he then turned to see the needle in his neck, pumping a clear liquid inside of him. "What the hell are you putting in me" where his thoughts on that. But his anger only got worse when the man shocked his neck and threatened to kill him if he did not comply with his requests. For now at least, he was going to play along. but he was going to get his revenge, no matter the cost.


After the man left 10 remembered the side effects that he told him about. and sure enough, they came. after about ten minutes of the clear liquid being pumped into him, 10 felt and extreme pain. The pain just made his rage increase as it got worse and worse. Veins all over his body began to pop out, and all his muscles were clenching. this continued for about forty five minutes, until it happened. His hair was singed from deep black to a bright white. his sclera's became black, while his nice deep blue iris's became a glowing scarlet red. by now his rage was too much to control, and he blacked out again as the bag with the clear liquid was empty. but but these were only the first of the side effects. there was much more to come.


After 10 was woken up by the buzzer, he got up in the same manor he did before. The pain was gone, but his anger was still strong. he walked over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror to see his new appearance. he opened his black and red eyes and ran a hand through his long white hair. for a second, he said nothing. staring blankly at his reflection for a few moments, the room was silent. after about a minute, a long sadistic grin crept across his face. Starting to giggle, he ran his hand through his hair again and opened up his eyes before bursting out in maniacal laughter. "Im beautiful. ive never felt so, ME!" he said while laughing. Obviously the serum had an effect on his brain. By now he was insane, but not completely crazy. he still held on to some sanity, allowing him to only be like this to his enemies. After laughing for a few minutes, in his rage he punched the mirror in front of him , causing it to crack. blood trickled down the mirror from his fist, although his insanity was able to block some of the pain. By not viewing his reflection, he was able to snap back into reality.

 

[Lost Echo]

“Hurt us.” The answer to Wraith’s meek question was harsh and sarcastic. Four scowled at herself, clenching her fists. Stupid! No wonder One was mad at her; she deserved it! Why couldn’t she just think? She knew they were watching, but the stupid girl had to just keep talking. She hadn’t called the brother by his number! She was sure that was part of what the Man didn’t like. Did she want that punishment again?


She ignored whatever Girlboy was saying about the goddamn cards. Those Monsters had provided them anyway. They were just like that collar. Four was sure there was some way the Man would use it to hurt them. That’s what they did. She caught the girl’s sprint across the room, turning to follow it’s path. Eight looked fucking awful. She was covered in shit and scum, and her hair was a mess.


“Dammit!” Four swatted at the cards in front of her. Her people were hurt. And if she couldn’t get it together they were going to be hurt again because of her! What difference did it make? Those fucking assholes were going to hurt them regardless of what they did! If they obeyed--yeah right. They didn’t care. They’d lie before; they would again. And even if the shock didn’t come, the Change was certain to hurt.


Four pulled her knees up onto her chair and buried her face into her lap. She had to keep it together. The more she felt, the more they hurt her. She remembered the promise to kill her and how that promise would be taken away if they knew how she longed for it. Would they kill the others for her behavior? It seemed just as likely as not.


She tried to keep with gasping breaths, not full sobs, but her eyes were burning and there were weird colors in her vision. Was that what happened when you tried not to cry? They weren’t anything too unusual, just blacks and reds, but they seemed to be at the edges of her vision, not everywhere. Mostly they were separated, but black and red together flickered on one side. It was very strange. Yellow suddenly appeared on the edge. Not a lot, but the color was such a change Four couldn’t ignore it.


She lifted her head to see Six speak. She whimpered, trying to scramble away from him. This time there were no bounds to hold her in place, nor the chair she was sitting upon. It tipped backward, with her in it. Though the pain landing on her back made her cry out, she used her freedom quickly. She scuttled to the other side of the room, closer to One for he might be mad at her, but he had smiled at her before. Even if he hit her, it couldn’t hurt as much as that shock.

 

[CaR_HoPPeR]

One quirked his brow at Four's outburst, his eyes widening as he got off of his chair and walked briskly to a frightened girl in the corner.


"Whoa whoa, you alright there lass?" He asked politely, reaching out his hand to Four as a friendly gesture.


"Don't worry, these old bones will carry ya if need be." One trying to reassure her with a broken smile.

 

[Lost Echo]

Four looked up at One. Her eyes were wide with fear, and a tremble ran through her, but she relaxed somewhat at the smile. "You're not mad at me?" She flinched, her eyes flicking first to Six then around the room. She didn't see any cameras this time either. Still, she lowered her head, nodding and whispering, "You're right. You should be."

 

[CaR_HoPPeR]

"I ain't mad at ya." One whispered to her softly this time. "But we gotta be more careful regardless, your outbursts were making me worried and it's gonna trip 'them' out as well so quit it." He finished sternly, edging closer to her persons. His stern tone fell short due to One noticing her attitude. He frowned at himself as he walked to the corner.


"... Jesus you're being more paranoid than me." He breathed as he let his body fall onto the corner next to Four. He rubbed his eyes before glancing at her face.


"So what's your take of this? All I really remember now is just these strains on my neck, hands and feet and my body's got weaker." He whispered as One pulled up his sleeves.

 

[Lost Echo]

Four shifted slightly, keeping One between her and Six. He hadn't said much. Actually at the moment, she couldn't remember what he'd said. Something about colors? Taking a deep breath, she took the same tactic she'd used before. She kept her palms open, the slaps against her legs seeming loud. The tempo was fast, more frantic than she wanted and she had to work to slow it down smoothly. As she did, she spoke. "You remember us though?" She assumed so. He had smiled. Exactly the same as before. Her trembling had lessened as she moved, and her voice was soft, but steadier as she spoke, quickly, and trying to keep it brief. She tried to rationalize it that they would want him to know their new rules. "I woke tied to a chair with the Faceless around me. They did not feel." She took comfort in that again, since she had to be far from a Faceless if that's what they were hoping for. "They put colors into me, then the Man came." Fear rose again, so she took a moment to focus on the beat, spreading out from just slapping her thighs to the floor in front of her, "He said they sped up their plans from what they'd observed. The colors would change us. Then a Faceless put the collar on me and it hurt." Her voice cracked, and her rhythm faltered, "If we didn't obey it would hurt again. Or kill us." She couldn't keep the hope out of her voice at the end; could only wish that the Man could not hear her over her beats.

 

[Swindle]

The gentle nature with which Nine handled Eight felt so foreign to the girl. Of course, like everything else here, she didn't understand why. Despite the alien feeling of the tall girl's generosity, being carried around and taken care of made her feel...comfortable. Even through everything that was ailing her right now, some part of her felt peace. Letting go of Nine to lay down on the bed, she did so slowly, making sure to pull her rather long hair behind her to prevent it from being all over the place when she woke up. Although it took a moment, she eventually drifted off into an uncomfortable slumber.


Not for very long, admittedly. She was stirred from sleep within minutes of managing to fall into it, the combination of throbbing headache and nausea proving too intolerable. There was another feeling, though. One she didn't notice before. "Wallflower..." She already disliked him because he blew her off earlier, but for some reason she suddenly felt much stronger regarding that feeling. Getting back up, the head throbbing returned in full force after dissipating slightly from her sleep, which did nothing but exacerbate the negative wave of feelings she had.


"I really hate that Wallflower guy, you know, Girlboy?" She could feel her face starting to blush with anger, and bizarrely, fear. She began to breathe heavily and quickly, tapping the bed in no particular order with her fingers repetitively. "How could I let that broody scum just blow me off like that?" Tears started to form in her eyes, losing her composure being a feeling that she found to be just as foreign as Nine's nice treatment of her. She was saying all these mean and angry things, but yet she hadn't opened her mouth once to say them to Nine. "That's strange. Why am I in the head of someone like you?"


She shook her head, slightly in disbelief that she was talking to Nine, but not actually talking to Nine. "It's no matter right now. Would you come help me up into the main room, please?"

 

[CaR_HoPPeR]

One frowned as usual at Four's response and tapered breaths.


"Seems like cryptic bullshit to me..." He muttered.


"But it's better than nothing. Least you're one of the few people I spoke that has a reference of anything." He sighed to Four, twiddling his thumbs.


@Fading Echo