Chapter Text
77’s mother said that the metallic implants would improve its eyesight and make it more efficient. Though it would completely disagree, the added depth perception and the heat signature feature of its new eye were a challenge. One eye may not have provided enough sense of the world for 77, but this was too much . In hindsight, this is where the resentment started.
It would rather be disabled than survive like this. But what was it to tell its mother? She’d probably just tear the metal from its face and let it bleed out. It couldn’t care for it too much, if it cared, it wouldn’t be in here. Maybe if she’d cared, 77 would have a name. Family. Friends, maybe?
Did 77 consider Claws a friend? Maybe if they lived in another universe. Claws was the girl who took 77’s eye. Who’d almost killed it. Who faced horrendous treatment at the hands of her own parents. 77 couldn’t trust its mother to give it the truth. It’d rather the hard truth of the scalpel rather than the soft lies of the gas.
In a way, its mother’s training of her son was going to be the labs’ downfall. It had learned to explode, and 77 was going to bring the whole system down, even if it was inside of it.
The questions never stopped, either. 77 had just gotten smarter about asking them. Names were obviously a sensitive subject, but the mother’s name couldn’t be that taboo, could it? 77 just wanted to know. It really shouldn’t have asked.
Evelynne. She had said. 77 felt worse somehow after knowing. Evelynne sounded something out of a fairy tale that she’d occasionally tell 77 to send it to sleep.
A fairy tale dream it could never achieve. There would be no father and mother who loved it . That’s when it realised how fucked up its situation was.
Why was it here? Evelynne wouldn’t tell, but 77 never got in trouble for the question. So it was a safe question.
Was it going crazy? Would it even know? Madness could creep up like a sedative; not realising its power until it knocked 77 out.
But it still wanted out, it just needed the chance
・・・
It got that chance sooner than it had expected. And it did exactly as they wanted to.
A sharp spear through the chest.
Clink
It detonated the second time, leaving a spray of another scientist’s blood across its pristine metal face. They were not hooked up to a re-spawn anchor like it was. It was happy that was the case, that meant it was dead-dead.
Clink
The third time it let its assailant send a bullet through its flesh eye. The pain kept it sharp. The pain reminded it that it was still alive.
Clink
The piece of glow stone hidden in 77’s mouth; This needed to be perfect. It wouldn’t get a chance like this again in a long time.
Clic- 77 detonated, and so did the anchor.
77 sat up in its bed. It would sneak through the lab and get what it needed, no need for the additional bloodshed-
This ends tonight. It knew, deep down, that it wouldn’t be this easy.
It’s time they learned a lesson. Wasn’t that one of the Doctors’ favourite things to say to 77? Walking back to the fighting hall it could see the damage it inflicted; a crater where the anchor had been, bodies and blood littered the floor. Some were still moving.
We can’t have that, can we? 77 didn’t recognise the voice as its own- it terrified it -it loved it. Walking through the mostly destroyed doors 77 felt something more than just confidence, it felt power.
It saw the trident used to kill it the first time. There was still its blood on the prongs. The still-moving body had slowed significantly- But it’s still alive, isn’t it?
77 didn’t even realise that the guard was dead before it left the training room.
It was total chaos as it roamed the halls in search of the head office. Guards and orderlies alike was there any actual difference? tried to subdue it. Nothing worked, 77 kept moving, it was unstoppable like a tank.
Something had broken finally in 77, it didn’t register the pain in its shoulder or eye. Nor did it flinch when blood splattered its face. 77’s hands were red from the blood, whether it belonged to the scientists of 77 itself didn’t matter, escape was the only thing on its mind.
Every step and turn that 77 made the carnage only became more graphic, yet it didn’t seem to register anything. It was on a mission to free itself, and nothing short of death would stop it. 77 laughed, a hollow sound, death would be an escape from this hell.
77 pushed open the main office door and ended up face to face with its mother, Evelynne.
She had a gun in her hand, but it wasn’t pointed at 77. She smiled sweetly, “Those scientists giving you a hard time?” She asked, ignoring the blood dripping from 77. Like it wasn’t panting and growling like a wild animal.
“ Why? ” It managed to choke out, “Why do you do this to me? What did I ever do besides being born to deserve this.”
Evelynne unclipped the safety on the gun, though she still didn’t raise the weapon to her son. “You did everything to deserve this,” She said cheerfully, “Trust me with this: this was the last resort, but I couldn’t have you continue on as you were. I had to put a stop to it.”
“A stop to what though?!” 77 cried, it was beginning to panic. This wasn’t part of the plan! It was supposed to get the documents of its birth and then escape, it shouldn’t be here with its mother, just talking.
The gun was never raised in Evelynne’s hand, but 77 still froze the experiment on the spot. Evelynne picked up a small device on the desk and spoke into it: “Guards, PROJECT 77 is in 204 with me.”
That snapped it out of its daze, it had merely seconds to ask what was on its mind. “Answer me this,” 77 demanded, voice surprisingly calm, “Who is in charge here? Who runs all these twisted," sadistic torture, "experiments?”
“Oh, right. Them.” Evelynne’s face had a soft smile on it, as if she was recalling a pleasant memory. “Right, actually, son. This lab is mine. ”
・・・
Xisumavoid was off server. Not unusual for him, but this was the first time he'd been to this particular hub. The city was high tech as fuck. Even the most talented redstoner would scratch their head in confusion. The only thing that seemed slightly out of place, was the old fashioned looking speakers on every block corner. He'd asked a local about the speakers, but only got a short, clipped response of 'monster attack', instead. X assumed that meant that this server had either A) extremely hostile mobs or B) boss mobs roaming the overworld on a daily basis.
X got his answer a couple minutes later though. An ear splintering shriek of an alarm sounded all across the city. Armed forces seemed to spawn out of nowhere and rounded up the crowd, X included. He and about twenty other people were herded into a sort of above ground bunker with reinforced walls and about a thirty centimetre thick pane of glass window high up. X stood on his toes to see out of the window, something was charging down the now empty street. It was human shaped, but very large for a human and covered in blood. There were about a dozen armed guards chasing it down. One shot something at the creature, tangling its legs and sending it crashing to the ground.
X watched as the thing struggled to stand. He could see it much more clearly now. It seemed to be some kind of mutant humanoid creeper, with green fur, hands, and rams' horns curling out of its head. It was almost through the restraints on its legs before being surrounded by guards. Three of them struck the creature with electrical prods, causing it to writhe on the ground as electrical shocks coursed through its body.
X watched in horror as the creature made a whining sound that eerily resembled a human crying or pleading. They didn't manage to make much noise as a muzzle was locked around their head. Three guards hoisted the mutant to their feet and a sixth grabbed their horn and led them back the way they had fled.
