1 TEST SUBJECT ARES

The searing sun rays glistened down onto the earth. Piles and piles of sand were all that could be seen for miles. The air was humid and thick. Water was a rarity in this type of environment.

Yet, in the middle of the vast, scorching hot desert, a large lab existed below the dunes of sand. The lab ran 200 meters deep underground. It was a military-operated facility, where only a select few can gain access.

"DR. SHAWS!!!" A loud, rough bellow resounded throughout the room that exists at the very last lower level of the facility. Within the slightly dark room, rows and rows of stasis tubes were lined up on each side of the room. In the middle, a large metal table was placed.

Swarms of people stormed through the door. At the front was a woman in a fitted navy-blue suit, that you can just tell from one look that it was from a top brand, leading large military men behind her, who were in their camouflage combat uniforms with firearms in their hands, ready when a problem arises.

They stood in four disciplined lines, marching in unison. They gave off an oppressive aura, but on their face was a look that was not one as domineering as a military man's face should be.

Instead, their countenance only held one expression as they continued to walk towards the center of the room. It was a look of complete utter horror. A reflection could be seen from within their eyes.

It was a scene of unclothed people suspended inside every one of the stasis tubes that was filled to the brim with blue liquid. Their skins were ghastly white, and their bodies pierced with tubes and needles in parts that nobody thought possible. They stayed afloat in the glass tube. Like a corpse drifting away into oblivion.

"What is all this?!" The woman in the front whisperingly asked with a hint of aversion in her voice.

A mixed look of shock, horror, and disbelief was deeply etched onto her face. She glowered at the couple standing behind the metal table. A clear view of a crazed expression was written all over their faces while they held a bloody scalpel in their hand.

Their used-to-be white lab coats were now crimson red, doused, and dripping with blood that belonged to the naked body of a woman laid on the cold metal table.

The body began to convulse as blood gushed from her mouth. At a closer look, the woman was still alive, lying on the cold hard metal table. Her chest cut open, revealing her organs and her heart beating rapidly. She turned to face the woman with an army behind her with pleading eyes before she breathed her last breath.

General Johnson, the woman who led the army of armed men, looked in horror when the life in the woman's eyes was no more. Anger surged through her when she directed a murderous gaze to the couple.

After years of working, side-by-side the rapport between the two scientists was nothing anyone has ever seen before. They can understand what the other wants without even saying a word. It was one of the reasons why she hired the two of them. That and the fact that they were the most renowned and decorated geneticists and physiologists across the United States.

Their brilliance was well known in the study of science. While most of their theories were tested and successful, they strive to leave a mark in history. The top power couple of the century, Andrew and Reyna Shaw.

"Oh! General Johnson! What brings you to our humble abode?" Reyna Shaw playfully asked with a wicked smile on her face, placing the scalpel on the table.

"Humble abode?! What the hell is all of this?!" General Johnson roared, pointing at the scene around her.

"What do you mean what is all of this? Isn't this what you wanted us to do?" Reyna Shaw replied, running her nail across the metal table. The screeching sound of the sharp ends of her nail scraping the metal table harshly pierced the eardrums of the people closest to her while Andrew Shaw was enthralled by the sight of her every move.

General Johnson stared at the couple, feeling a headache coming on. She knew that the couple was a bit eccentric at first but now it looks more like they have completely lost their mind. And she, alone, has to clean up everything they did. Without needing to turn around, she ordered her men behind her, declaring, "Apprehend these two and get those people out of those tanks."

At that moment, bursts of striking waves of laughter drowned out her last words.

"HAHAHA HAHAHA!!!"

More rounds of laughter erupted from Reyna Shaw's lips. Her hair-raising chuckles caused the men to stand root in their tracks, staring at her with a look of agitation.

"The second you destroy or shut those down they will all die," Reyna Shaw, who has lost all reasoning, stared straight into General Johnson's eyes with a lopsided smirk. As if she was provoking her.

General Johnson's brows furrowed in rage. Her teeth and hands clenched on either side of her body. They had indiscriminately kidnapped innocent civilians and took the liberty to conduct human experiments without authorization.

At first, she was outraged to find out what her "lead scientists" were doing right under her nose and decided to let them off with a small offense. But to think that their crime was to this extent where there were almost a hundred people in those glass tubes. How can she let them off after this?

"What are you waiting for?! Arrest them!!!" General Johnson shouted.

The men flinched and moved according to her command.

But before they could take a single step, Andrew Shaw walked to his wife's side, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. If you take one step, I'll blow this place up." Placing his arms securely around his wife's waist, Andrew raised his hand high, and in it was a remote with a single red button that was most likely a detonator.

"Stand down!" General Johnson signaled her men, her eyes not once strayed away from Andrew Shaw, and continued, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, this? This is just insurance. You see, I made sure to place a bunch of C4's on every floor, safely hidden somewhere you'll never find. It left a huge dent in my savings, but it looks like it was worth it. Just to let you know, the moment my finger comes off from this button. BOOM!" Andrew imitated the sound of an explosion, "Shall I make this our grave?" He mockingly waved the detonator in front of him with a jaunty smile lingering on his lips.

"What do you want?" General Johnson asked through gritted teeth.

"Hahaha! Now we're talking! Let me see. I won't ask for too much. So, just get us a chopper ready on standby and do not even think about following us. This detonator works even from 100 miles away but once it's out of range the detonator will automatically become inoperable. So only then you'll be safe."

"Why? Why should I believe a word you're saying?"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not," Andrew Shaw walked over to her. He stood from behind and whispered into her ear, "You decide. Will you let us go and save everyone in this facility? Or will you take the risk to arrest us and kill every single person in this place? Yourself included. Hahaha! What to do? What to do? I'll give you five seconds to decide."

"You son of a b*tch!" General Johnson cursed.

"Five," Andrew Shaw replied, standing to face General Johnson while waving the detonator in front of her face.

"You're bluffing!"

"Four."

"Even if you escape, I'll make sure that the whole world knows what you look like and have you both hunted down like animals!" General Johnson attempted to lessen his resolve but was instead ignored.

"Three."

This time General Johnson stared at the detonator in Andrew Shaw's grasp, contemplating on her decision.

"TWO!"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" General Johnson finally gave in, "Give me a second." She took out her phone and dialed a familiar number.

"General Johnson?" A male voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Get my chopper ready! Dr. Reyna and Andrew Shaw will be up in a moment. Do not try to stop them on any account! That's an order!" General Johnson gave her orders before hanging up.

"This is why I like you, General Johnson! You have a good head on those shoulders of yours. I'm almost tempted to cut your head open and see what your brain looks like on the inside. But maybe another time," Andrew Shaw roughly patted her on the shoulder, chuckling. He sauntered over, back to his wife's side with his free hand out in front of her, "Shall we go, Milady?"

"Thought you'd never ask." General Johnson can only watch them walk away free, leaving her and her men in silence. With them now far out of her reach, she stood rooted in place. Silently vowing to herself that she will stop at nothing until she has their head on a pike.

"I will hunt you both down like dogs!!!"

15 Years Later...

"Today is June 6, 20XX. It has been exactly five years since the experiment trials started. And so far, there has been no reaction to serum number 48 and the test subject's condition is perfectly stable," the woman spoke into the voice recorder.

"How are the test subject's vitals?" She asked, turning her attention away from the recorder.

"No changes. But there is a lot of brain activity going on," Andrew Shaw answered his wife.

"What do you mean? What brain activity?" She walked towards her husband, sitting behind a monitor.

"If you look closely, you can see countless gold linings running all over the lobes of the brain. This occurred only minutes after the injection of serum 48. I have never seen anything like this! It is like a layer of a gold wall surrounding the brain. What do you think it is? Or what's causing it?"

"I don't have the slightest clue. Do you think that this might be a symptom from serum 48?" Reyna Shaw asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. We might need to run more tests to figure out the cause and if it is related to serum 48. But we also have to be sure that it's not life-threatening to the test subject. We've come too far to see our efforts go down the drain. We can't risk it."

The married couple looked at each other with a depraved glint in their eyes.

"We're almost there. I know it. I can almost feel it." Reyna Shaw placed her hand in her husband's.

After escaping General Johnson's grasp fifteen years ago, it took them nearly 5 years, but they safely assumed a new identity without traces and did a complete facial reconstruction that kept them under the radar for the past ten years. It took them a while to find a suitable place to stay permanently until eventually, they did. They were no longer Mr. And Mrs. Shaw. To the world and everyone around them, they go by Ryan and Emma Cox.

"Mmhm," the sound of a light groan interrupted the couple.

"Ssh! She's waking up," Andrew Shaw exclaimed.

"MMhhhmm," the muffled voice became clearer and louder.

In the dark background, you can barely make out anything. However, despite how dark the room was, you can still distinguish the shape of a person knocked out in the corner of the room.

The small basement could only fit so much. When entering and walking down into the basement, a glimpse of a sizable table with computer monitors, labware, and an ECG monitor settled on top. To the left of all the equipment, the small figure continued to stir, entangling the tubes connected to its limbs. Because of the layout of the basement, the room was entirely deprived of any source of sunlight.

"We have to strap her down before she wakes up!" The wife shrieked. She rushed over to the small figure lying on the ground. The married couple rushed to each side of the figure, securely strapping her limbs down with the leather straps that could be found drilled into the concrete floor.

"Up the anesthetic. Her tolerance is getting stronger."

"Hurt-" A slurred voice suddenly called out. On the cold, hard cement, the small figure strapped down began to arouse. "My head hurts!" The figure weakly slurred out in pain. At a closer look, the small figure strapped to the ground was a girl who looked to be around eight years old.

She started to squirm, struggling to get her small limbs out of the bonds. She persisted, weakly pulling at her wrists.

"It hurts! It hurts! Please stop! Please!" She continued to beg. It wasn't because the straps were too tight that it was hurting her. But it was because she could feel every nerve in her body exploding. The pain was indescribable. It felt like she was being electrocuted but on a whole new level.

"Ares, sweetie, it's okay! You are fine. You just need to bear with it," Reyna Shaw continued to stroke her head repetitively. "Now be a good girl and hold still," she spoke with a sadistic smile on her face. She held a syringe in her hand while maintaining that same grin on her face.

"No! Please stop! You're hurting me!" She screamed. But no matter how loud she screamed nobody could hear her cries and the pain wouldn't stop.

With the straps holding her down tightly, the little girl could only whimper in pain while tears continued to fill her eyes and in a matter of seconds, her consciousness seemed to be slowly drifting away.

After injecting her with a shot of anesthetic, the couple stood there watching their "test subject" with malicious ideas, and the hope of their future ambitions would soon become reality. The couple turned towards the stairs, leaving the child strapped down in the dark, cold room with only a sheet of wool to keep her warm. Up the stairs the couple went, locking the door behind them.

If anyone had witnessed these two people leaving the room, they would have found it suspicious. Especially with the creepy smile that still hung on the couple's lips. However, in the safety of their own home, no one in the world would have ever suspected that they had an eight-year-old child locked up inside their basement.

Their house was just like any other normal house from the outside. It has a dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, and garage. It has every room a normal house should have.

Yet, somehow, within the interior of the house, the basement seemed to be the eeriest room which was understandable. Because eight years of reprehensible secrets were all that the basement holds. It was eight years of hell for the girl.

Time passes by extremely fast for others, but for Ares, who was locked up in the basement, it felt like an eternity. Before passing out, she casually stared at the ceiling absent-mindedly. Day after day, she could only stay still and cry out in pain, praying out to any god to save her from this suffering. She desperately called out with every fiber of her being that still held onto hope. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Months turned to years. Still, her prayers were never answered.

In her situation, it's only natural to lose all hopes. But despite her young age, her eyes, at that very moment, contained a reflection of not a little girl but a survivor who still has the will to live and she intends to survive to the very end, against all odds.