15 Code:Worry

***

Varin stood up and looked at Dagen with an apologetic expression.

"Thank you."

Dagen was confused by the sudden thanks.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Looking back down to the body that was guard #01, Varin said:

"For not saying anything even though I'm sure you had protests. For coming back in here after me, even after I shot you. I… I've never had a partner before so I never really realized how much easier it makes things, I'll admit you busted in here and probably saved my ass. So, thank you. *He he* "

Dagen felt like he had so much to say, but all that came out was

"You're welcome."

'I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you to die.'

Dagen gestured to the doctor and asked:

"So, what are we going to do with him? Whether you like it or not he's probably the only man in the world who can help you. We don't know what that last injection was meant to do, but you better not pretend like you're fine, cause you're not."

Varin approached the doctor and looked a little conflicted, then annoyed.

"Get up! Your ass has been awake for a few minutes now."

A little startled by that comment, Dagen took a couple steps back from the table.

'He's awake!?'

With a short sigh, the doctor opened his eyes and slowly sat up on the table.

"Oh, what gave me away?"

Varin sneered and said:

"Your breathing increased for a second and your foot twitched slightly when you came to. I may have been invested in my little payback but I never forgot about the devil in the room."

The doctor looked as indifferent as ever as he said:

"Impressive skills of observation. I also have impressive skills of observation. I am currently observing the most stubborn test subject I've ever had, finally making some progress."

Dagen was growing even more worried as anger built up in his chest, he let the gun rest on its strap and lifted the knife towards the doctor. Trying to remain calm he said:

"You're going to stop it. Whatever you're trying to do to Varin, you're going to stop it.

Turning his head to look at Dagen the doctor said:

"Stop it? Why would I stop it? He's the most promising subject to date? Other subjects would have already changed or died before this point. By the way, how did you escape your cells? I'll have to make some corrections in the future."

Varin raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip on the knife.

"The future? Bold of you to assume you have a future beyond this night."

Raising his voice at the doctor, Dagen replied:

"What are you even doing this for!? What is your goal for all this!?"

Varin looked at Dagen and sighed.

"Dagen, stop. You know very well that he won't help me. How could I- how could we ever trust him. We'd never know if his actions were meant to help or harm me until it was too late."

The doctor looked annoyed and snapped at Dagen.

"Why? Don't you think that the world is dull and boring? Haven't you ever wanted to spice things up a bit. I am creating the next step in human evolution! We can be so much more, but we've become so idle and dull!"

Dagen was baffled by this answer. He knew that the doctor had to be a madman but he couldn't believe that THAT was the reason for all this. Because what, the world was too 'boring' for him, really!?

Dagen was about to yell in outrage when Varin interrupted.

"Dagen! Cool it! What is the point in arguing with a madman? Obviously he isn't going to help and I wouldn't trust him anyway. We should just kill him and leave, he can't continue this mad experiment if he's dead."

Dagen lowered the knife and took a deep breath. Everything was finally getting to him and listening to the doctor made it all boil over. He knew they couldn't trust him, he knew, but he didn't know what else he could do. He looked at Varin and said:

"Are you sure about this?"

…

"I am."

The doctor glanced at both of them and somehow seemed unconcerned about the conversation between the subjects.

*Ugh*

"Spare me the melodrama and bromance and get to a conclusion will you."

Dagen couldn't believe what he had heard.

'Does he not care about dying!?'

Varin raised the knife to stab the doctor, then suddenly, he swayed and groaned as he took a step back.

'Varin!?'

Dagen rushed over and grabbed Varin by the shoulders to steady him, standing on his left. It looked like he lost his balance for some reason. He was breathing heavily and holding his head with one arm while clenching his chest with the other, he looked to be in pain.

"What happened? Varin are you alright!?"

Varin groaned in pain again as Dagen felt something drip on his arm. Looking closer, Dagens eyes grew wide as he turned to see Varins right eye. It was blood, Varin looked as though he was crying blood from one eye. Aside from that his eye looked perfectly normal, which confused Dagen because if his eye was fine, where was the blood coming from!?

"Varin!"

Looking up, Varin managed some pained words.

"Stop yelling at me idiot! I'm not gone yet!"

Meanwhile the doctor just looked on in fascination.

"Amazing! All that solution and the only thing that has happened is a little eye bleeding? By all other accounts you should be dead, or at the very least mutated beyond recognition. How is your body so resistant to the changes, and how hasn't that very resistance killed you yet? Fascinating."

Carefully leading Varin to the desk behind them, Dagen leaned him against it to give him something to balance on. After making sure Varin wasn't about to fall over, Dagen turned to the doctor with a dark expression.

Dagen had never felt this level of panic, desperation, hatred and bloodlust before and it was all swirling within him at once. He didn't know how to quell it and wasn't sure that he wanted to, for he needed it to do what he was about to.

He stepped over to the doctor without missing a beat and shoved his blade into his chest with as much force as he could muster.

'Varin was right, a monster like this cannot be allowed to live!'

Right as the knife pierced his ribs, the doctor swiftly removed a syringe from his pocket and jammed it into Dagens thigh.

"Ah!"

As he saw it coming, all Varin could do was shout.

"D- Dagen!"

Slowly slouching back the doctor whispered his final words to Dagen.

"A shame, that was, for me… consider it, my final gift to humanity."

Yanking the syringe out of his leg, Dagen stared at it, stunned by panic.

'SHIT! FUCK! DAMNIT!'

Varin tried yelling at Dagen a couple times but it seemed as though he couldn't hear him. With a grunt Varin threw a small paperweight at Dagens back.

Snapping out of it, Dagen spun around and looked at Varin, still kind of dazed.

Feeling a little better, Varin stood up by himself and took a practice step forward.

"While I wasn't expecting you to be the one to end him, at least it's done. Please feel no guilt for killing a monster like that, that action alone made the world a safer place. What did he say to you, I couldn't make it out?"

Dagens hands were shaking a little as he responded.

"He- he said that it was meant for him and to consider it his last gift to humanity. I- I think he was talking about the… injection he gave me."

Seeing Dagen clearly shaken, Varin once again tried to put on his most reassuring voice and said:

"If it was meant for him I think you'll be fine. Think about it, why would he inject himself with something if he wasn't completely confident in a positive outcome?"

Hearing that, Dagen calmed down quite a bit. He still didn't know what was going to happen to him but Varin was right. The doctor wouldn't have given himself something bad… right?

A grin appeared on Varin as he gestured to Dagen.

"So… are you ready to get outta here again? I might need a bit more help this time though. *Heh heh*"