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When everyone was together Alice was a lot happier. She didn't like it when Anna left and then when Lia had to go. Anna looked like she was in pain in her pointy shoes, trying to navigate her way to the table. Alice could sympathize, as time went on and the pain medicine continued to fade, she could feel the brunt of the work they had been performing on her spine and legs in the past few days. Alice wanted to get up and help Anna, but she was afraid to move, afraid that she would collapse out of pain.

When Ryuu asked her a question Alice turned to him, trying to recall what it was he was inquiring about. "They're fine," she lied with a smile. Alice didn't want them to worry, she hoped that her lie wasn't obvious. When Anna came and Lia left, her smile faded little by little. Ryuu left to see if Anna needed help, leaving Alice at the table with Grey. He seemed out of it, as though he were consumed by thought. Alice tilted her head to the side curiously, she hadn't ever thought of Grey as one to think. He was more of a man or action than anything really.

Looking at the food on the table made her mouth water. Maybe she could just have a little? She looked around to see if they were being watched and sure enough, in every corner was a camera trained on them. She sighed, leaning on the table and wondering when they would be able to go outside. She missed the feeling of the wind on her cheeks and the sun in her hair. The smell of grass and the whistle the trees made when their leaves were shaken.

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【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#96CDCD ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #D4318C】

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Grey had already started eating when Anna came over and whispered in his ear, asking if he was alright. "Yeah," Grey replied, his voice quiet. "Just tired," he could still feel the buzz of the aftershock, the feeling of electricity coursing in his veins, giving him strength. He wanted to punch something really badly, breaking a dish had done nothing to quell the fire in his stomach. "What about you?" He turned, looking at Anna and evaluating the damage. Even with the makeup he could make out the light bruises on her skin, the abuse they were doling out like candy, only not as welcome.

When they called Anna to leave, Grey grabbed her wrist, standing up and pulling her by the waist towards him. "Give 'em hell," he whispered in her ear before releasing her and watching as she strode away. Nothing could throw Anna's confidence, Grey was sure. She was their fearless leader and he would follow her to the ends of the earth. Grey retook his seat so that the eyes behind the cameras didn't become suspicious and continued to eat. When Lia returned as well Grey breathed a sigh of relief.

His name was called next, something he wasn't expecting. Surely they didn't need to doll the men up? The tech at the door called for him again, growing impatient. With a sigh Grey stood and gave the others a two finger salute, promising that he would return. As they led him down the hall, his family growing farther away, he felt anxious. He wanted to find out where they were keeping Clock and why he wasn't there. Grey also felt desperate to find a chink in the armor, a weak spot no one had evaluated. When he finally got to the room and was led to a bathroom, they attacked immediately. Apparently Grey was a mess that needed much fixing. They hosed him down with freezing water, waking him up with the attack of frothy soap. When the shower was over he had his hair trimmed, his nails clipped so he couldn't even think of scratching them to get out of this. They wrestled him into a chair to apply bits of makeup to cover up the singe marks on his skin from the shocks. "You had better be on your best behavior," the Doctor from before hissed. She leaned close to him, her breath warm on his skin. "You take one step out of line, one snarky word and your family will pay."

"You won't touch them!" He lunged, but she stepped back and he was wrestled back down by two burly techs. "We'll start with the littlest one," she promised. "Her screams will haunt you for the rest of your life, knowing it was your fault we terminated her. The pathetic dragon will be next, one by one until your precious family will be nothing more than a distant memory." Grey was shaking, he could feel it. His hands clenched into fists, what was left of his nails digging into his palms, leaving little moons creased in his flesh.

"Do you understand the position you are in Eleven?" He didn't answer, Grey was counting, biting his tongue so as not to say anything that could have the others punished. "Eleven?" She asked again, waiting.

"Yes Ma'am," it was a whisper, a barely heard confirmation. They had finished by now and he was allowed back up. Black pants adorned his legs with shoes that had been shined so you could see your own reflection. His shirt was little more than a vest, open to reveal the dreaded bar code tattoo that was inked into his skin over his heart. The mark of ownership.

That's right, Grey was not his own person. He was a puppet, a genetically engineered doll with little more purpose than to serve those who had created him. He shoved his hands into his pockets, walking back to the dining room. When Grey entered he retook his seat, going back to eating as though nothing had happened. "So, who's ready for the presentation?"

【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#84BE6A ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #7BBF6A】

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Alice was basking in Anna's compliment. She was glad Anna liked it and she thought Lia looked cute too. "I like your sweatshirt Lia," Alice said, smiling up at the girl. She looked at Grey weirdly after her made the comment, wondering how anyone could be excited for this. Even little Alice could understand what was going on, that they were being shown off like dogs in a show. It was then that something caught her attention, the bar code, they all had it. All of them were exposed. The one on Grey's chest, Anna's collar, Lia's body, and Alice's wrist. She looked around for Ryuu and noticed he was gone, when had he left?

Ryuu entered once more and Alice lit up, glad that they were all back. She noticed something off about him though, his jaw was tensed as though he had something in his mouth. "Do you have a bad taste on your tongue?" Alice asked, holding out a napkin to him. The doors swung open once more, the Doctors marching in like before and parting for their leader. This time Alice was sure to keep her mouth shut, she was not going to giggle at the fact that they looked like penguins all waddling out of the way for their King. "It's almost time. You're going to be viewed one at a time at first. Then there will be a short presentation where you will each showcase your abilities." Alice was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up. "Stop it." She struggled to turn to look at them all as she was carried out the door, calling the first name that came to her head. "Lia!" Alice didn't want to leave them again, they were just reunited.

"Don't worry," the nurse soothed. "If you're good, you'll get to see them again." She was placed down inside of the same room they had prepped her in, only this time the set up was a singular chair and a table. As soon as she was put on her feet searing pain ran up her spine, causing Alice to nearly fall over. The nurse caught her, holding Alice under her arms and guiding the girl to the chair. It was a relief to sit, although her spine still screamed in pain. "You need to get over this," he hissed, "They'll want you to stand up." He left then, leaving Alice alone in the room with her thoughts.

When the sponsors came she stood, pushing herself up without hesitation and biting her tongue to keep from crying out. "This is Experiment Number Thirty Four." Alice gave them a shy wave and a few of them looked as though they were going to melt. "Please call me Alice," the child spoke, her smile lighting up the room. She was instantly surrounded by them, a gaggle of questions assaulting her senses. "No need to be shy Thirty Four, you can answer their questions." The nurse spoke, egging her on.

"Um, I can turn into other things." She suddenly felt very shy and could feel her cheeks heat up as she answered one of their questions. "Oh you're so cute, I just want to squeeze you," one of the nurses advised the sponsor not to touch Alice, but the child reached up and the woman squealed, dropping the papers in her arms and kneeling down to give Alice a hug. She was warm, Alice noted and she smelled really nice. Soon the group moved on and the nurse told her to sit down before the next group arrived.

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He wasn't trying to seem happy about it, no, Grey was about as upset as the rest of them. He just didn't want to give anything away to the cameras. As soon as Ryuu was back the doctors came in, taking Alice away just as quickly. Grey stood to protest, but the Doctor raised her arm to shush him. "Remember anything you do will reflect on her." She sing songed and Grey sat back down, clenching his hands into fists. "You are all essential pawns. She is not. As well as your other friend; Clock I believe he calls himself." Grey could hardly contain his fury. They were not pawns, they were not tools for the Doctor's amusement. The fact that she was threatening all of them, that if any of them stepped out of line, made Grey worry even more.

He had no time to think though as soon as Grey turned away someone tapped him on the shoulder and instructed him to follow them. Grey had no choice, he gave a curt wave to the others and followed the woman down the hall to the room he was being "presented" in. "Think of Clock," Grey murmured. Clock, who was probably in such bad shape they didn't dare show him off to the sponsors. Clock, who hadn't gotten the chance to see their family together. He had been segregated as to why Grey had no idea, but he was going to figure it out. Almost as soon as the door closed it reopened, this time a group of well dressed, clearly wealthy, people stepping inside. "This is Experiment Number Eleven." Grey turned to face them, forcing himself to smile. One of the men parted from the group, circling around Grey like a lion sizing up his next meal. It made Grey feel utterly uncomfortable.

"What is your ability boy?" One of them asked, looking down at a pamphlet in their hands. "I can weaponize," Grey didn't show them. He didn't want them gawking at him more than they already were. He also didn't want the temptation of being able to shoot them. "He looks like any other eighteen year old. What makes him so special?" One of them wanted to know. "Most eighteen year old's aren't raised in a cage." The quip slipped from his lips before he could stop it. Grey mentally cursed. They whispered among themselves and having no more questions, left. As soon as they were gone the shock came, rocking his body and making Grey crumple to the floor. This was not good, Grey shouldn't have said that. They were going to punish Clock, they were going to punish Alice.

【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#84BE6A ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #7BBF6A】

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Alice hated this. All of the sponsors coming and gawking at her, she was doing a good job playing to her strengths though, using her cuteness to her advantage. Most of them fawned over her, some looked down their noses, as though watching Alice through a glass wall or observing an animal in a zoo. Alice hated those types the most, she liked the ladies that would hug her though. Some wanted to stay longer and were pushed out, their necks craning back at her as Alice waved goodbye. When the last group left she was exhausted and she hadn't even used her shape shifting abilities. "Good job," the doctors came out from a different door, swarming around her. Alice wanted to lay on the ground, curl into a ball, and cry in pain. Instead she smiled, pretending to be happy, pretending to bask in their compliments.

She liked doing a good job, she liked being in people's good graces, she just hated the people that had put her in this position. "It's almost over, alright? They were going to have everyone present their abilities together, but something happened so the group is going to come in here together." Alice looked up at the Doctor that had spoken, their expression was one of annoyance and for a moment Alice wondered if everyone was alright. She had no time to think though, as soon as the Doctor finished speaking the group returned, crowding around her. "Alice, why don't you show everyone what you can do?"

Alice looked down shyly, tracing her the toe of her shoes on the floor in a circle. She received a round of the expected coos and ah's and was ultimately pleased by their reaction. Yes, Alice could play these humans like instruments. "O-okay," she looked up, putting on a brave face and squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to focus. In reality, it was very easy to change, but she wanted to make it look like she had to put effort into it, that she wasn't the perfect toy the scientists thought they created. Suddenly she was shrinking, her clothes seeming to melt in a puddle around her. Crawling out from beneath the dress that was no on the floor was a tiny kitten, its fur a silky black and its eyes a piercing green. One of the techs picked her up, stroking her back in smooth circles. Even like this it hurt but with her spine compressed into a smaller form the pain wasn't as intense. "Mew," the crowd burst into applause, shuffling out of the room shortly afterwards. She jumped out of the Tech's arms, going under her dress and turning back.

Suddenly the head Doctor stormed inside, her expression anything but happy. Alice moved back, flinching as though the Doctor were going to strike her. "Very good 34, unfortunately, your siblings aren't doing as well." She leaned down as though she were telling Alice a secret, "And it's your fault." Alice's complexion became as white as a ghost, the Doctor straightened, removing her hands from her pockets. "We're going to have to punish you 34." Her knees began to shake, she sunk to the ground, her whole body shaking. "Please," the nine year old's lips trembled. "I'm doing the best I can," It was whispered, Alice balled her hands into fists, tears leaking from her eyes. "Yes I'm sure you are. Unfortunately your siblings have been giving me nothing but trouble." The Doctor wouldn't look at her, she looked through her, as though Alice were nothing more than her number. 34. It was dehumanizing.

She hardly felt the needle go under her skin. The world spun. She didn't remember making the decision to lay on the floor. The paralyzing agent from the injection kicked in, suddenly Alice couldn't move. She couldn't protest as she was lifted from the ground, taken out the back door back to a room that was unfamiliar. She had never been punished before, Alice didn't know what to expect.

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【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#96CDCD ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #D4318C】

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Grey was done with pretending to be likable, he hated the pinching and excited stares he got by young women who thought they were making a good decision by being here. Still, his family was at risk and Grey had to be on his best behavior. So he pretended to play nice, smiling and nodding, answering any questions, saying how great at was to live in such a place.

Liar.

When it was over, the Doctors came for him, saying that the presentation would begin in a few minutes. He had five minutes to himself and as soon as everyone was gone, Grey turned his hand into a gun, shooting at the bulletproof wall to blow off steam. "I hate this freaking place," when the gun clicked to notify him there were no more bullets in the chamber, his hand turned back. They came moments later, leading Grey down the hall to what looked to be a convention room. There were chairs set up, sponsors already filling them. He was led behind a curtain onto a stage, a space set up for him. They would each be called, Anna going first, and Ryuu going last. Grey blinked, he felt as though someone were missing, but he couldn't think clearly. His mind felt foggy and he wasn't sure why.

Grey shrugged, trying to stretch out the tension in his shoulders. Hopefully Anna would be here soon, Grey had always thought her to be cute. Where were these thoughts coming from? What had happened? He tried to think back, recalling his morning medications. Nothing had been out of the ordinary. The room; the reason they had left him alone. They must have pumped it full of gas, he was sure of it. The room was spinning, Grey held on to the wall to stay upright. He couldn't think straight, his vision was doubling. What was going on?

((Sorry, about to get on a plane so I don't have the chance to proofread.))

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Grey wanted to close his eyes, he wanted to sleep, to lay down and relax. Of course that wasn't going to happen though. The first person to enter was Anna, she ran over to him, concern in her eyes. What was there to be worried about? Grey wondered, swaying a bit. "I-I don't... know." He replied slowly, his tongue feeling thick and heavy in his mouth. He looked Anna up and down with a frown, she looked fine, but her expression was concerning. "I can't remember." He said after a moment, running a hand through his hair. "Did they hurt you?" He asked, his expression becoming one of worry.

Suddenly Lia entered and walked up behind Anna, asking the older girl if he needed healing. Grey shook his head, then stopped, the simple motion made his mind swim. "No-no, I'm fine." His tone suggested he wasn't so sure though. Ryuu came in afterwards, the young boy's appearance was much more concerning. Ryuu looked as though he had finally lost it, chuckling to himself. There was nothing funny about this situation, even Grey with his drugged mind could tell. There was some shuffling in front of the curtain, someone came back and told them to take their seats. Grey furrowed his brow, as though this took a lot of mind power to complete. He had to focus on putting one front of the other, nearly tripping over himself. When he finally reached the chair and sat down, he found it awfully hard to stay awake.

When the curtain opened, Grey had to fight to stay awake. A few times his eyelids drifted closed and when he opened them, he found the Doctor talking enigmatically into the microphone, the sound causing his temples to pound ceaselessly. Finally she made a sweeping gesture towards them and there was a round of applause. Grey hoped it was over, but apparently they were being showcased now. Why weren't they having Anna go first? He couldn't help but wonder, his mind finally clearing so that his thoughts were organized. Suddenly everyone was moving and Grey was asked to stand. They brought out a target, making it clear as to what they wanted him to do. They were risking a lot, but Grey knew that the lives of his siblings was held in the balance.

His hand turned into a cannon, tech's diving out of the way as the buzz of the charge crackled in the air. He put his other hand on top of the cannon to stop the shaking in his arms. He had never had this problem before, it must have been the drugs. When he shot the cannon, the target turned to ash, leaving a pile of soot on the ground. He sat back down right after, his head slumping down to his chest as though he had been shut off. Grey barely heard the scattered, surprised applause. He finally drifted off to sleep, right there on the stage.

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She had fallen asleep sometime after being taken to a room. When Alice awoke, the pretty hair bows and fancy dress had been replaced with a stark white hospital gown that had no sleeves and fell a bit above her knees. She was wearing a collar, like a dog, like property, that felt as though it were choking her. Alice used the wall to get to her feet, wobbling with every step. It appeared to be a sealed room, with no visible exists or entrances. She felt her way around, attempting to pry anything open, trying to figure out how she had gotten into the space. A light came on behind her, Alice turned as the door slowly lifted into the ceiling, the smells of outside wafting into the room. The child made her way over, poking her head out to see a walls made of hedges that twisted and turned in every direction. A maze. The sun filtered down from a beautiful painted sky that took her breath away. She was really outside, Alice realized as the grass squished under her bare feet. She felt like Alice in Wonderland, shrunken down in the Red Queen's Garden.

She took one step, then another, walking slowly. The pain that shot down her spine with each move made her want to cry. Suddenly, a shock came from the collar that made her yelp. She walked faster and when another shock came, began to run. Alice didn't get very far before she fell, tumbling down the hill through bushes, thorns scratching her skin and tearing the gown. There was a rather large scratch on her cheek, blood rolling down her chin and painting the green grass red. Alice stood, realizing she had come to a dead end. The shocks began again and soon she was running uphill, breathing heavily. When she reached the summit Alice turned right, a surprise waiting for her at the next dead end. A cage door opened, a dog the size and color of a wolf walking out, it's head low, it's mouth frothy. It barked, leaping from its penitentiary and running towards her. "Nice doggy," her voice was quivering, fear climbing down her throat. Alice turned, running the other way, weaving her way through twists and turns, trying to lose the dog in the maze.

She wasn't sure where she was, or if she had gone backwards or forwards, but soon Alice reached a pond. The dog was behind her and she had no choice. As soon as she jumped in she realized it was shallow and began to walk through, finding it to be a bit of a relief for her spine. Halfway through it went far too deep and she turned into the only thing she could think of, a shark. The water went deeper, the dog barking behind her. When she finally reached the other side, Alice realized there was a sign that red EXIT in big red letters. She felt like crying, she had never been outside at all, but in the bottom floors of the facility. As she crawled onto dry land she realized the gown had been left in the water, floating back towards the dog. She shivered, her hair dripping wet. The PICC had been immersed under water, they were not going to be happy. When she reached the door Alice pushed through, collapsing and coughing on the other side. She was wordlessly lifted from the ground, a tech wrapping a towel around her naked body. Little did she know this was only the beginning of her punishment.

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Alice couldn't see. Her vision was blurry and when she reached up to wipe her eyes to try to make her vision go back to normal her hands came away bloody. Or right, that's why she couldn't see. She couldn't remember what she had been doing, or where she had been going. All Alice could recall were flashes of the ensuing nightmares that was what her punishment had been. Isolation tanks, being shocked and burned, drugged, beaten. The whole time they had been negatively reinforcing her, making Alice believe that it was her fault her siblings had failed, that she had been horrible and she would never get to see them again. She had panicked, had tried to fight back, but Alice was weak. "The boss is gonna kill us." Alice suddenly heard through the fog. She was being moved again, this time she was allowed to lay down. They forced a tube inside of her nose, the sweet smell of chemical induced oxygen pumping into her lungs. "These were The Head's orders, they really went overboard, though."

"This is gonna leave an impression on the poor kid..... The OR just called, they're ready for her." It was the last thing Alice heard before the anesthetic began to work and a burning feeling crawled up her arm, making everything else fade.