CHAPTER EIGHT

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SUBJECT ZERO STARES at his reflection in the one-way glass. They replaced the window in his cell, but with one he couldn't see through. That was weeks ago.

The only good parts of his days are when he sees his teachers. Granted, they are all 'bad' and Katie is the only 'good' one, but it is better than going days on end just staring at his reflection.

At first, he was enamored by his own reflection. Of course, he had seen others' faces, but he had never seen his own. The excitement soon wore off, however, and he became bored once more.

In those weeks, he has shifted three times. The first two were using the serum, but the last time he shifted on his own. That one was much less painful and almost felt pleasant.

He has progressed quite well in his education, according to Katie. He can understand most of what everyone says, as long as they use simple words. Unfortunately, he has yet to learn how to speak back.

The young lycan has struggled endlessly with trying to speak. He understands what he is supposed to do, but he just can't make any sound come from his lips.

Katie stands before him now, urging him to use his voice, but with no luck thus far.

"C'mon, you can do it. Say E," she says.

The Subject exhales, holding his tongue in the position he was shown, but no sounds come out. Only the sound of his breath and a frustrated growl are heard.

The door opens, revealing Dr. Vanderwall. The heavy metal door clicks shut behind him as he strides into the tiny cell. The lycan hears her heartbeat accelerate.

"Sir," she greets, turning to face him. The lycan sits up a little straighter, willing his hands not to shake.

"Any luck?" He asks.

"No, sir. He has improved in all other areas, though."

"Good. At least he can accomplish something."

The Subject didn't quite understand all the words the Doctor had said, but he got the feeling it wasn't very nice. Nice was another thing Katie had taught him.

"Well, it's time to move on for today. The rest of the crew should be here any minute."

"What are we doing next?" Katie asks.

"We are going to see how quickly he heals."

*

The lycan is in what they call the 'lab'. It has multiple counters and wheel-around carts full of supplies and medicines. It has only one window into the corridor outside, all the other walls being made of concrete.

In the middle of the room lies an operating table.

The Subject is strapped to the table with shiny metal cuffs that sting his skin. He whimpers at the discomfort. His feet and wrists are both bound with extra straps over his thighs and chest. A final strap is secured across his forehead, holding his head to the tabletop.

This is so you don't hurt yourself, Katie had said. Only, he doesn't understand why he would hurt himself. He feels scared, cold, and in pain. All the clothes have been stripped from his body except for a pair of cotton shorts, leaving him cold and embarrassed.

The metal of the tabletop feels like ice on his skin, sending little shivers down his spine. His body trembles and shakes, but he isn't sure if it is from the cold, or fear.

People stare down at him from all sides. All wear masks over their faces and latex gloves on their hands. They hold various items: siccors, scalpels, needles.

The lycan is only soothed by the gentle touch of Katie's fingers stroking the hair out of his eyes.

"Don't coddle him. He isn't a puppy." The harsh voice of Dr. Vanderwall cuts through the eerie silence.

Katie's gentle touch stops.

"We are ready, sir," an unknown voice says.

An oxygen mask is placed over his nose and mouth, limiting his vision greatly. He feels the subtle prick of a needle in his arm. He expects to start getting sleepy, but he doesn't. In fact, he feels himself becoming almost hyper aware of his surroundings.

"Sir," Katie says. "I thought we were putting him under for this?"

"No, we need him awake. We need to know if he heals himself consciously or if his body does it on it's own."

"You can't be serious!" Katie says, appalled. "You are going to hurt the boy, and you want him awake for it?"

"Yes."

The lycan does not understand everything they are saying, but he knows that whatever the Doctor is about to do, it won't be good. He can hear the nervous hammering of his heart beating against his rib cage, as well as those of a few others. The Doctor's however, is a slow, steady thrum.

He jumps when a glove covered hand grasps his shoulder tightly. Looking up, he sees the Doctor looming over him. A scalpel rests loosely in his palm, poised over the lycan's chest.

The small blade descends, piercing the skin over his right pectoral muscle. He drags the scalpel downwards, cutting a line about three inches long. The lycan only feels a slight sting from the blade, but is still afraid.

The scientists observe silently, their pens gliding across notebooks, recording the experiment. The cut slowly begins to close shut, a proud smile lighting up Henry's face.

"Its working," someone in the room whispers.

Subject Zero whimpers as the scalpel begins a new line, this one on the left side. The blade cuts deeper this time, blood bubbling up around the knife. He jerks, grunting as the pain increases. He pulls at the restraints until he realizes the stinging metal will not budge. Why are they hurting me?

"Stop." The lycan easily recognizes the command and arrests his movements.

The slice heals slower this time, leaving a tiny white scar behind, but heals nonetheless. A thin line of sweat has formed over the lycan's body.

"Let's try something a little more challenging, shall we?" The Doctor asks.

He plunges the knife deep, all the way to the bone at the top of his sternum. Subject Zero growls. The Doctor drags the knife down, agonizingly slow. The boy jerks and growls, the joints of the table screeching in protest. Veins pop out along his neck and arms, his nails elongating into claws.

"Very good," the Doctor mumbles, continuing the knife down past his sternum. He begins to cut down the Linea Alba, knowing it will be harder to heal.

The knife finally comes to a stop just above his navel. The boy pants into the oxygen mask, his body slacking once the scalpel is removed.

They wait many minutes before the cut is finally sealed, leaving behind a much thicker scar. The Doctor nods approvingly.

"Are we ready to move onto the silver, doctor?" A nurse says.

"Yes, I believe we are."

It looks like Katie is about to protest, but she stays silent. The boy begins to tremble once more when she retreats out of sight. As her scent gets farther away, he knows she left, leaving him alone.

The Doctor now grasps a new knife, this one shinier, matching the cuffs that encase his wrists and ankles. Beginning in the same place as before, he plunges the knife down.

The lycan screams. His raw, pain-filled voice bounces off the concrete walls, penetrating the ears of the room's occupants. Tears fill his eyes and drip down to his temples, his eyesight blurry. This pain is so much worse than before.

The knife slices through his skin, again and again, leaving five, bleeding lines across his chest and stomach. Only, these don't heal. They continue to ooze, blood dripping down in small rivulets, pooling on the metal tabletop.

The boy whimpers and grunts, little sobs escaping his lips. His chest stings with every inhale he takes, his panicked breaths only opening the cuts more.

"Sir," someone's shaky voice sounds. "He isn't healing. I-I think that should be enough."

Dr. Vanderwall sighs indignantly, scrunching his nose at the boy on the table.

"Someone get him cleaned up."

*

Four weeks. Four. Freaking. Weeks.

All that time and Quinn is still unable to unlock her father's office door. First, she googled how to do it. When the didn't work, she tried again. After about a week, she ordered online a set of real lock-picking tools. Apparently, the pad-lock he uses to lock it is super high-end and really hard to pick.

It took several weeks for them to arrive, as the snow has been positively HORRIFIC. And now, here she is, finally opening up the package.

Retrieving the tools, she begins her work on the locked door. Another thing, she has no idea when her father will be back. He left only a few hours ago, but his schedule is so infrequent she can't help feeling paranoid he will come back and catch her. She gets to work.

An hour later, and the lock finally clicks open. "Finally!" She exclaims, hastily standing and opening the door.

She opens it to reveal, well, an office. A cheap desk, roll-around office chair, filing cabinets, the usual. It looks extremely mundane, but there has to be something in here, right?

She heads over to the filing cabinets. That's where important stuff is, right? She pads across the floor, her slippered feet scuffing. The metal creaks as she tries to open it, but it doesn't budge.

"Locked? Seriously?" Quinn sighs dramatically before plopping on the floor in front of the locked drawers. This time it only takes a few minutes to pick the locks.

Opening the first drawer, she is a little disappointed by the contents: tax invoices, birth certificates, S.S. cards, passports. Moving on, the next is just filled with meaningless papers with numbers and charts she doesn't understand.

It is only until she gets to the bottom drawer that she finds anything of interest. In fact, it is the exact thing she had glimpsed when they first moved in.

A brown box.

She pulls it out and opens the lid. Inside, there are dozens of yellow file folders, each with the same red title stamped on the front.

THE TEKULA PROJECT

She takes out the first file and begins to flip through. She can't believe what is before her eyes. Pictures. Pictures of a wolf. Pictures of a man. Pictures of a man turning into a wolf. Along with the pictures are her father's handwritten notes.

DAY 01:

Three weeks ago, a wolf was found in the North West Territories. The animal was brought to a small research station to be tagged and marked as a study of wolf behavior.

The wolf was brought to B.E.A.R. LABORATORIES when he transformed  into a man.

The first lycanthrope to ever be discovered.

I have been given jurisdiction over this case, now called THE TEKULA PROJECT, per request of General McManus.

The goal is to study and tame the animal. We have tried to find more of it's kind, but with no success. He seems to be the only one.

Today is my first interview with the beast.

Quinn's hands shake as she reads, her eyes anxiously skimming the lines. This can't be real. She drops it to the floor, eagerly moving to the next. Only, these aren't in her father's handwriting.

Veronica Odair

Session 1: May 26, 2019

Today was my first day with the project. I can't say we made much progress. He kept calling me Mate. It seems important to him, whatever it means. It seems I have my work cut out for me.

Quinn continues to read through every file she can possibly find. Each page becomes crazier than the last. This girl, Veronica, falls in love with the lycanthrope, Theseus. And soulmates? Quinn starts to feel dizzy.

The last page is an entry of her father's. Apparently, he never liked the two together. Quinn mumbles some very unpleasant words about her father.

What excites her the most, is that the two escaped. Veronica and Theseus are out there somewhere, alive. She can't help but smile, feeling proud of the couple for sticking it to her dad.

Quinn is startled by a noise she had completely forgotten to be wary of.

The click of the front door opening.

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