Broken Deal

♠️Still no gore, read in safety... for now♠️

Back in the lab, Fred saw his colleague from before waiting for him. Her face looking slightly distressed.

"Vivien what's wrong?" He asked, going to her side.

She clutched her arm tightly. "F- Fred!" She looked up with frail voice throwing herself on him.

He was thrown off balance by the sudden weight and the medic box slipped out his hand falling down with a loud thump.

Sobbing sounds came out from Vivien in his embrace and he felt how a wet patch spread on his shoulder.

Almost incomprehensible, words came out her mouth. "I don't 'sob' want to anymore, this is too 'sob' cruel!" She finished.

Burrowing herself deeper in his arms, feeling the warmth he emitted, different from the cold environment that resided in the lifeless laboratory.

Even though her voice was filled with sobbs, Fred heard her, tugging her tighter in his arms.

"Vivi.."

It took a while, but soon she calmed down and told him what happened.

It was starving period in one of her quarters, and she had to see how Nr.67 -the child she was assigned for- was losing his sanity.

Just as the name 'starving period' suggests, the children aren't allowed to eat regularly for a span of 2 months. Hence, every two to three days she would deliver him a meal and something to drink.

The food intake was starkly regulated, that is why she couldn't smuggle in any other food, or she would have done it long ago.

The purpose of this experiment was to analyse the survivability of children with higher intelligence than the average one.

That is right, that means Vivien's subjects doesn't get gene manipulators that would give them weird inhumanly traits, but!

In no means did they had it better than the children who did get gene manipulators.

Those children in Vivien's section had to go through many physically exhausting situations, where for them the choice of death would be more likable than losing slowly their rationality and sanity.

That's is why it's called lunatic asylum.

But even if they begged on their knees, death will be the thing they will never be granted.

"Fred! Mika¹ is! Mika is out of his mind! We're only in three weeks within the starving period and he starts hallucinating! Calling me his.. his mo-" a sob bubbles up her throat and she mutters 'mom' in a heartbroken way.

Fred looked at her with the same distress as Vivien did, clenching his fist.

To remind again, having any personal bond with the experimental subject is strictly forbidden.

It would only hinder the work efficiency and give every worker a headache and heartache, forcing up their human moralities onto the experimental subjects.

Both of them broke it, but this couldn't keep going on. Humans are not guinea pigs.

Every worker here were the best of the best, scientists, professors and doctors in K Country; nonetheless, the workers were still humans with emotions.

The operator of this secret facility -the government- might have done a good job for decades, choosing people who'd keep everything wrapped up, but they made a big mistake having let in these two green and sensible younglings.

Fred had to stop this, if this continued, then uncountable more children will get hurt and more heartache will follow.

And even when the vials he made worked, the disposal would only stretch onto another day in the future and death would still hover upon his children.

"Vivi, listen..."

....

Meanwhile, -while Fred was talking with Vivi- in the quarter of Grace and Sera.

The two no longer felt cold and sluggish, because of the heater in the room turned on.

Raising a hand Grace rubbed Sera's hair in disarray.

"Hah~ feels a hundred times better. Doesn't it, Sera?" He sighs in comfort over the heated air smashing on his skin.

A blush came over Sera's cheek from her brother's show of affection, "En" she hums melodiously in assent.

Feeling stiff after huddling together for so long, they both stood up stretching to loosen up the muscles and afterward, start eating their food that was on the table.

But before they could shove a bite of mashed potato into their mouths, the door opened.

"What do we have here?" Boomed a deep male voice and three man in lab coat came in.

"Two little snakes eating human food. Did Fred forget catching some mice for his darling pets?"

The others hearing him chuckled out loud, already itching to play with them.

Grace's and Sera's faces turned pale the second their view catched on to the people, who entered their quarter.

It was the head of the bird section with his other lab workers, holding a box that rattled and gave off squeak sounds.

"Hehe, don't worry! We knew you guys would never be full with just some mashed potatoes, so we brought you guys some delicacies."

A menacing grin formed on his lips and his eyes twinkled with excitement while he shook the box, making the thing inside squeal louder.

'clatter'

Grace sprung off his stool, gripping Sera's arm and tugging her behind him, going in a defensive mode.

"Why are you here birdy?! We thought you will only visit once a week for an experiment! And when I complied you said you will leave Sera and me in peace for the rest of the week!" Grace hurlled in a bit of panic, through the unexpected 'visit'.

The man Grace called birdy stepped to his side with his man in tow.

His smile growing wider and wider, looking disgusting if you asked Grace. His big eyes squinted into slits curving down and the oily fat on his chin wabbling.

A dream hunting sight.

"Well, we came up with that deal because you would retaliate and struggle, making it hard for us. I did say your sister will be left in peace, when you let us do whatever experiment we want once every week, without you tattle tailing on that stupid Fred."

Hence, Fred could have told the manager of the laboratory, and punish birdy for acting on the ground of having no authorization over the other sections experimental subjects; that would give him a pretty long break from his job, until he could come back.

Birdy ran his snub fingers over his chin and licked his thick worm-like lips, drenching them in his saliva, before he followed up with the reason, he graced the sibling pair once again with his unsightly presence.

"Nr.44" He began with the deep voice, what was odd compared to his round figure. "After today the deal is off."

"What! How come?!" Grace asked in disbelief.

"Hahahaha" came the mocking laugh from his followers. "Stupid snake! Who are you! That our leader would make a deal with!"

"Right, right! Now that you are on the disposal list there is no need for us to hold back!" chimned in the other follower.

"You!" Grace growled.

He kept Sera safe for the entire time, thanks to this deal he made with them.

But now that they want to dissolve the deal just like that. How will he protect Sera?

They will be disposed of anyway, so those b@stards won't curb in their twisted cravings and do who knows what to them.

He gnashed his teeth hard making them ache.

Just what should he do?!

When he fell in a loop in his own mind, searching for a way out for both of them, he felt a tiny hand clutching tightly on his back.

Turning back, he saw Sera looking at him with helpless eyes.

Right.

There was never a way out for both of them.

Only one can be granted a way out and that is his sister, Sera!