When Alice first gave blood she’d screamed in surprise, continually wincing and crying out in pain as the needle dug into her arm. Though unpleasant, the pain had eventually passed growing to a dull numb, a sort of uncomfortable pinching ever present in her arm as the collection tube worked to drain her. This initial flare of pain only happened again when the needle extracted itself, the rubber collection rube pulled free of her arm. She hadn’t thought much of this interaction after it was over, in large part because she couldn’t understand what the excited doctor collecting her blood was muttering.


    This time was different. As the needle bore deeper into her flesh, digging into one of the cracks marring her she felt pain she couldn’t describe overtake her. She thought she’d come to know pain, come to understand it after the Unbroken in the corridor beat her and voice ground her body down. She was wrong. This small needle drove into the black scar felt worse than any pain she''d ever experienced.


    She felt distanced, disconnected from her body as her screams escaped her. She could feel the strings in her body near her hand stressing, beginning to fray and snap as the needle drove further and further into her body. With every fray of the strings, every snap of the invisible twine within, her screams grew louder, more desperate. Mustering every bit of strength she still had left her hand flew toward the rubber band dug into her flesh. Quick to try and rip it free from her, she found her hand stopped as her fingertips brushed the edges of the band.


    “Now, now. Careful there…” She heard the voice of the intern whisper to her, faded and far away. “Wouldn’t want to stop early would we? Barely got eight vials, still have a long way to go! We need to be certain you stay safe, we need to be certain to examine your irregularities. SAY!”


    Suddenly the intern’s voice sparked, as if an exciting thought suddenly occurred to him. Alice couldn’t see him clearly now, her vision foggy with pain, yet she could fear the snaked tongue of the researcher whispering ever closer,


    “We may not get enough to help you, you know? Never seen irregularities like yours before, not quite sure where you’re from after all. Why don’t you stay here? A few vials of blood, a few biopsies, well have you good as…”


    The researcher was gone, his words pushed far away with a grunt of pain. Then, suddenly the pain was gone. She could still feel it linger in her arm, feel drizzles of blood leak fresh from where the needle had dug deep. Her breath escaped fast and heavy as her head slumped forward, vision still clouded from the phantom agony tormenting her.


    Jake stood next to her, livid and clutching the collection tube. Tossing it randomly to the side, he heard it crash to the metallic floor of the lab as he rushed forward and grabbed hold of the dazed intern’s shirt. Simon, surprised, let himself be dragged around not prepared for the sudden altercation. His focus had been utterly occupied with collecting blood, he’d neglected to pay the other subject any focus.


    “The hell’s the matter with you?” Simon finally managed to ask his voice escaping as a hoarse croak. Jake’s grip had moved upward to grab hold of his collar. “You know the terms of our deal, don’t you? We get to collect all the samples we want from you, so what do you think you''re…”


    “DAMN YOUR DEAL!” Jake screamed, giving the intern a light shake, “THE HELL WAS THAT, HUH?”


    “You… you both agreed to give blood…” The strangled intern said, a small smile stretching across his face. Whether it was meant to be innocent-looking or disarming Jake couldn’t tell. It simply looked unnerving on Simon’s visage. Fuming, Jake released his grip on the struggling intern. Internally as his rage burned toward the intern, who now fell back with a look of smug satisfaction, he could feel hatred for himself blossom forth.


    He hadn’t given Alice’s cries that much thought at first. He’d been present when they first gave blood, obviously heard her screams and winces of pain. Had written it off as her inexperience with bloodwork. He figured her screams now were a continuation of that inexperience. Yet as they continued, growing more and more pained and desperate, he glanced over to see her desperately pawing at the collection tube. Seen her locked in a hopeless struggle to relieve herself from the pain coursing through her while the intern stopped her. Held her hand with a cruel, mocking smile on his face.


    Jake had no regrets about potentially jeopardizing the pair''s deal with the lab. It’s not like he really expected Lab 458 to deliver on the promises made to the two. All Jake regretted was not interfering sooner. Not trying to help Alice as soon as the screams began. He was too distracted, too lost in his own thoughts to try and help. Because of that, she was stuck suffering who knows what.


    Sliding away from the intern he knelt next to Alice, still wincing every time she tried to move her arm. Burning heat coursed through her muscles with every slight twitch, leaving behind scorching pain. Offering her his other hand to help her up he asked,


    “You alright?”


    “Fine, fine…” she replied, tone conveying rather the opposite, “Just… I can’t wait to get out of here. Hate this place more and more each passing second.” Smiling slightly at that as she took his hand, Jake could only nod in solidarity, the two excusing themselves from the struggling intern''s workstation to continue sorting through their supplies.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Exactly how long passed, neither knew, but it certainly felt like a substantial amount of time. Certainly, enough for the pair to grow hungry again, and even feel somewhat tired again. Yet neither was eager to move around the lab or try to fall asleep. Not with Simon staring at them. Finally, after what felt eternity, Dr. Lewis returned with a small clap of the hands.


    “Nearly sunup now, if you two will follow me…”


    “That close, huh?” Simon asked, glancing toward Dr. Lewis from the corner of his eyes before clambering to his feet. Grabbing a small assortment of devices from the workstation beside him he called, “Going to insert their trackers now. I’ll lead them to the departure point afterward, alright?”


    Dr. Lewis shot Simon an exasperated look that seemed to scream questions about why the intern was so far behind after having ample time to prepare the two but said nothing else. Instead, he just sighed and turned to leave the same way he’d come in.


    “Hurry, we only have a few minutes to spare…”


    “I got it, I got it…” Simon said with a wave of his hands before gesturing for the two test subjects to approach him. Neither moved an inch, instead staying as far away as they could pressing into an empty workstation across the length of the lab. Simon chuckled at this rejection, shaking his head and saying,


    “Look, let’s cut the bullshit, ok? You don’t want to be here anymore and we''re trying our best to get you out of here. I get you don’t like or trust me, but I didn’t tell Dr. Lewis about your little rebellion earlier, did I?” Simon leaned back; grateful the test subjects hadn’t mentioned the altercation earlier either. If Dr. Lewis investigated the issue, things could get tricky…


    “This is the last thing we need from you, ok. Will it hurt? Yes. Will you like it? No. But as soon as it’s done where going to lock you two in a room and leave you be till you fall out of here. Can we get on with this already, please?” Simon saw the two glance toward each other before neither made a move. Sighing, Simon continued his voice losing any sense of friendliness it may once have held.


    “Look, it’s a shame it’s come to this but we''re cutting the bullshit right? Get over here and let me stick these in you or else you two? Where separating you. We''ll send you on ahead, falling endlessly through reality, and you? We’ll find some use for you I’m sure…” Simon held his breath as he watched the two’s expressions harden, saw anger and distress take center stage on their faces. Finally, the two trudged forward across the lab towards him and Simon allowed his breath to flow free again.


    There was no way Dr. Lewis would allow the two to be forcefully separated. As of now, the Lab had no clear way to traverse other realities. These two test subjects, falling interdimensionaly where all the lab had, their last hope of getting funding. Well, Dr. Lewis’s last hope anyway. If one of the two had begged to stay here, chosen to remain behind, then maybe Simon could have worked something out. Convinced the doctor of the value they held as an in-house test subject. But keep them here by force?


    “Good, good, turn around would yah? It goes in your back.” Simon said, a hint of annoyance used to mask the relief of his empty threat working. The two complied, clearly furious with the intern as they turned their back to him. No longer able to see what he was doing they could only imagine based on the clicking sounds they heard behind them.


    “This’ll hurt.” The intern said, voice perfectly calm and casual before suddenly Jake felt a thick needle stab directly into his spine. The sudden force of the needle caused his body to exhale, forcing all the air free from his lungs as suddenly he stood gasping. He felt something injected through the needle into his spine, settling comfortably in his mid-back. Then the pressure of the needle was gone and Jack collapsed forward gasping for air, the wind knocked out of him.


    “That’s one…” The intern said, moving behind Alice who flinched a bit to be near the man again, flinched as she watched Jake writhe for air. Then without further warning, she felt something slicing into her flesh, carving a chunk of her away. She let out a small yelp of pain, meant to whirl around and smack the intern before she heard him call out,


    “Whoops looks like the needle got stuck or something! Let me try again!” Then she felt an entirely new sensation drive its way into her spine. As the air was forced from her body, she felt something quickly injected into her spine and retract from her body. Falling to the floor mirroring Jake, she gasped for air clutching her heaving chest.


    “Hurry up now, don’t want to be late do we?” The intern asked his voice mocking as he casually began to stroll away from the collapsed pair.


    “Deal be damned… consequences be damned… I really think we should kill him…” Jake muttered as he forced himself upright to sit on his feet.


    “I… I just want to get out of here… please…” Alice said, voice shaky and uneven. She could still feel her arm killing her, the very act of struggling to breathe causing shockwaves of pain to radiate into her injured arm.


    The two sat a moment or two longer recovering before they hauled themselves upright and, grabbing hold of their repacked luggage, followed after the intern down the halls of the lab.


    <hr>


    “Got them locked away?” Dr. Lewis asked, not bothering to glance up from the mass amounts of displays surrounding him towards Simon.


    “Yep, all locked away. Trackers are installed. Tossed them the handheld one too. Now we just have to wait.” Simon replied, stalking across the room not bothering to focus on the monitors around him.


    He held little interest in the doctor''s project anymore. It had been a means to an end, a way to restore his derailed career track. That was the only reason he was stuck here, toiling away for no pay in the laughing stock of the Government Research Compound.


    No more though. He didn’t know what she had that caused her skin to fracture like that, a rare disease or maybe something genetic. He didn’t know and he didn’t care. He saw firsthand the pain it caused her. Knew if he could isolate it, weaponize it, he’d be made for life.


    The only problem was his resources were limited. Only nine vials, that’s all the excess blood he could gather before the subjects rebelled. He’d need to report some of it to Dr. Lewis too, so call it six to seven he could safely work with. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Now with the source waltzing away, he’d need to work something else out.


    His new project… all he had was nine vials of blood… and a sample of skin tissue. A smile crossed his face as he felt the freshly collected skin fragment in his pocket, already beginning to freeze in its container specially designed to avoid necrosis. Oh yes. This he could work with. A smile broke across his face as he was so lost in thought he missed the departure of the two test subjects. While Dr. Lewis began excitedly exclaiming over data collected from the two’s departure, Simon began planning a trip to Lab 46.