"Subject-141, it's time to call it," a cold voice sounded, full of disappointment.
I looked into the windows, the harsh white light blinding me.
"Sir, please. I'm not done yet. I can keep going."
My breath was ragged, and my legs shook with the strain.
"No, 141. That is enough. You have shown me again what a waste this program has been on you. Any further defiance will be handled by The Smiths."
My heart jumped into my throat.
I stopped. A pen clattered to the ground as a faint black cloud itched its way back home, into my skin.
"No! Sir, no! Please, sir!" I said, shrinking into a dark corner. I held up my hands and sat back. My brown hair fell over my face in wet, dark clumps.
I Looked up at the blaring lights, and my vision swam with tears.
Not the smiths. No. Never again.
"That's a good girl, 141. Your test results have been filed. I may be disappointed with the results, but you have risen in rank. Congratulations are in order. Perhaps we can arrange a few minutes in the Happy Room tonight?"
My heart jolted. Looking down, I smiled and a thought struck through my mind.
Sir said he was disappointed, but he was treating me anyway... I'm such a lucky girl!
A desire to get up and jump around ran through me, but I felt that familiar shiver run down my spine. Evening out my mood, keeping things in tip-top shape.
Sir hadn't spoken in a long time; the smooth dark room felt so empty without his steadying voice.
The only sound was my own breath and the vents recycling the air in the room. A slight stale smell drifted into my nose.
I began to play with my dress, a blue and white checkered piece of cloth that tied at the back. It felt scratchy and had been freshly cleaned. Standing up, I stretched. My body always aches after the tests.
A slight click of the speaker broke the silence.
"She's not ready, Commander. Few of them are... If we could have more time and funding, I think we can get some real results, though."
That was Sir's voice! What is he talking about?
Striding to the middle of the room, my feet padded with soft taps. I stood there and looked up, trying to figure out what was going on.
"No Kimura, enough is enough. We've had a hell of a time spinning false reports to The Protac, it's starting to notice and the algorithms are starting to pick up inconsistencies... that and the war is on our doorstep."
Most of their words sounded like gibberish, but I understood one thing.
Sir sounded like he was in trouble.
"Commander!" cried out Sir. "With all due respect, the safety checks and the need to humanize these weapons is getting in our way! Why, 141 down there cannot focus because she feels fear and happiness... if you'd only let us cut those out..."
My blood froze.
There was a way to get better? To become stronger?
Listening harder, my eyes shut.
"Are you mad?! Do you know the hell we'd catch if a single peep gets out? That's it, Kimura, this is over. This has been a farce and a waste of taxpayer's trust. Expect a red bell within the hour, pack your things and never speak of any of this to anyone... I mean it, Kimura. You'll regret it."
"Yes… Commander. I'll leave immediately. Will there be a shuttle ready?"
The commander cleared his throat, "Yes, you will be given severance and transportation. Your experiments will be withheld of course… Kimura, why is that light red!? Have you been sitting on the damned button? Fool! Get up now!"
The hum of the speaker cut off, and silence fell again. I opened my eyes and my world once again became a sterile dark room, the sound of a vent and my own breath echoing off of the walls.
My nails scraped across the floor as I drew patterns with them. Flowers, like the happy room. A small black liquid formed, running down my finger like blood. It pooled onto my drawing and formed around it. Taking its shape.
Thinking of the flower, it took shape in my mind.
It bloomed with six bright petals, a thick strong stem with many wild-looking green leaves under it.
Sir had once called it a lily.
As the image became bright and powerful in my mind, the black liquid began to form, taking the same shape as what I saw. It bubbled and writhed against gravity. Standing tall, it began to solidify.
The lily was yellow in the happy room, but as mine formed, the color always came out orange. I looked at it, my failure. My cheeks flushed with blood and I could feel my temper rising.
No, 141, be a good girl. Sir doesn't like bad girls.
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. A familiar weight settled in my chest, and a cold dread seeped into my bones.
I was a failure, he was disappointed in me. I hate myself. I deserve The Smiths.
As I opened them, the lily began to grow twisted, thin appendages along the petals. Like some sort of nightmare.
"NO! Stop! You're supposed to be yellow! Stop. Stop. Stop!"
I clenched my fist and yanked back instinctively. The flower crumbled into black dust and slinked back into my body where it belonged.
I was no good... I'll never make Sir happy.
The door cracked open and red flashing light flooded the room, sirens blaring a binary tune.
Standing there was Sir. His shirt had a dark, bleeding circle of crimson running down to his black pants.
He's here to take me to the Happy Room!
My face flushed and a smile crossed my lips.
His hair was ruffled and messy.
He wore his mask on the side of his head.
Fear coursed through me and I closed my eyes, again.
"Sir! Your mask! I can't see, put it back on. Please! The Smiths will take me away!"
"Shut your mouth, 141. Activate Protocol 6 November, Gamma, Delta, 224, 7 Bravo. Maximum settings, full integration. Do it! Now, before they come!"
My eyes widened and my vision darkened. I could feel a heat in my head spreading.
"Hello, Doctor Kimura. Subject-141 is now processing your request. Please submit your verification key."
My mouth moved on its own. The words that tumbled out, clean and clear were not mine.
"Blast it! Damned girl, I only have so much time. Meridian-225. Now hurry up and activate!"
A hum built up in my mind, like a drill to the back of my skull. Then a series of ear-splitting noises thrashed through my head, as if a thousand buzz saws were grinding against each other at different speeds.
My vision started flashing, from inside to outside, like a wave. My skin flushed hot, then sweat poured out profusely, and I became cold and clammy. My heart thumped, skipping beats.
"Start-up sequence complete. Please ente—"
Sir cried out, "God damn it, girl! Hurry up! I don't require verbose communication! Hurry u—"
"—r your desired template mode. The options ar—"
Several loud thumps quickly filled the room through my own speech. I felt them reverberating in my chest.
"—e: Standard, Combat, and Support. There are two experime—"
Several more thumps and a soft cry.
"Com... bat. Y... ou. Fool."
Two more loud thumps and silence.
"—ntal options available. If you give the key for administrator privileges....."
The silence was deafening, until I heard through it.
"Target neutralized... I repeat, K has gone to the farm."
A hand gripped my shoulder. "It'll all be okay, kid... it's all going to be okay."
A surge of power rushed through me. My muscles contracted and my mind rushed into a flash of pain.
My eyes opened and my vision felt different. Filtered, cleaner. Looking at the scene, I saw that Sir was no longer Sir. He was many Sirs. His body was torn to bits.
A small giggle escaped my lips.
I felt alive, like something in me woke up.
"Combat mode selected. Lifting safety restrictions under Protocol 6 November, Gamma, Delta, 224, 7 Bravo. New parameters assigned... Primary Directive: Terminate all threats to Doctor Kimura."
My voice trailed off, coming back to me.
I looked at this man, wearing a full Mk. 6-PC Combat suit. His weapon was a Talon 773 combustion rifle, corporate edition with a custom grip.
What does that even mean?
He was my enemy. He killed Sir...
My vision began to fade as I felt like an alien in my own body.
I watched it reach out with them. Shooting a metallic black spike through this soldier's chest. Terror flooded me as I watched his blood drip out of him, as he was held suspended above me.
I threw him away, the black dust swirling back into my body.
I stepped out of the room into a tube-like hallway, with metal grating for the floor. Sirens blazed and lights flashed.
"Subject-141, you are to stand down and tur—"
My hand shot up and another metallic spike lanced through the hall and spread through the spaces in his battle armor, penetrating him like a pin cushion.
He fell, spraying blood across the hall as dust returned to its home.
"Enemy neutralized," came from my own lips. My eyes shifted, following cabling on the walls, a pathway. They couldn't hide. I broke into a sprint, my steps silent and hungry as the metal grating stabbed at my bare feet.
I came to a four-way and my head began to turn to look around.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
I turned my head and was greeted with a young woman with black hair, green eyes, and claws made of a metallic black material, like my own.
She had a wild look in her eyes.
"141! I could've sworn you were only an E-ranked Esper. Either you've been hiding this pretty damn well, or you've blown a fuse in your Cortex. Either way, say nighty-night, little sister."
My eyes darted across her; my body became loose and ready to move. Something, not me, told me she moved fast and I had to be ready for it.
A black flash and a claw raked at me. Almost instinctively, I ducked and shot a spike of metal out of my palm at her stomach. Internally I felt panic.
I don't want to do this! I want to go to the Happy Room with Sir!
It pierced her, running her through.
I looked up and smiled; she also was smiling.
"Ouch little sister, that hurts. That's what I'm talking about! More! Give me more!"
She dissolved into a black dust. My heart beat almost uncontrollably, but as soon as it began to run off the rails, it slowed.
Looking for her, I couldn't see her.
She must've run or something. I felt the hairs raise on the back of my neck.
Thump.
I wasn't fast enough... I let him down again.
Everything went black, and I felt my consciousness fade....