sʜᴏʀᴛ sᴛᴏʀɪᴇs

Subject 07

I never liked working at the Foundation. We never really improved the human race. We took people from their loved ones, promising not to hurt them. We would take them in exchange for money. It was sad to see how desperate some were. The Foundation promised to keep them healthy and safe. What a bunch of liars.

I stood behind the one-way window that looked into a white padded room. The white, padded room was mostly bare. There was a thin mattress on the floor and some blankets for subject 06, he was the only successful experiment so far.

From the notes on the table it stated he was born a boy, he is only around 8 years old. But the other researchers and scientists like to keep him weak, just in case he tries to do something irrational. Occasionally I slip a nutrient filled pill into his meal, just to make his appearance a little less gaunt.

But a small pill never made much of a difference. He was taller than all the workers here, by a lot. His elbows looked too prominent and his limbs were unnaturally long. His face was thinner and he had more teeth than a anyone should. His hair was long from the amount of time he has been in the facility. But he refuses to let anyone cut it. It was one of the only things that made him look a little bit human.

06 was sitting on his bed facing away from the window. A few of the scientists beside me were getting impatient with 06's refusal to do anything. I sat quietly, watching 06's chest rise and fall from each breath.

"Great, the one freak we didn't terminate is nothing but a waste of space" One of the researchers remarked, causing a chuckle out of a few of the other scientists.

"Leave the damn kid alone" I snapped back, giving a him a harsh glare.

"I don't see why you care about this one so much, it's going to end up just like the others..." A different scientist muttered, walking out of the room while scribbling down some notes on his clip board. I looked back at 06, who had taken a blanket to cover himself.

"You treat him like he's an animal" I replied, dimming the lights in 06's captivity, which seemed to make 06 relax. "He's just a child..." I added.

"That thing doesn't even remember it's own name. At this point 06 is more creature than human" Another researcher said, walking out of the room. The rest of the group followed, leaving me alone with 06. I checked the time on my watch, 9:30. Which meant that everyone was leaving for the day except for the night guards.

There was the quiet hum of machines and people leaving the sector of the lab, they all headed to the break room to gather their things. I opened my laptop to type some notes, but I just couldn't find the right words.

I took off my lab coat and leaned back in my chair with a sigh. There was still little movement coming from 06, so I decided to try something a little different. I presses the button to talk through the intercom.

"How are you holding up in there, bud?" I asked, trying to make my voice soft in order not to scare him. 06 didn't respond, he just sat on the edge of his bed. "Alrighty then.." I thought to myself, taking note of the lack of response on my laptop. I pressed the intercom button again.

"I could get you something to eat" I offered, looking up at 06 for a response. I watched his body twitch, as if he was going to say something, but didn't. I leaned back in my chair once more and rubbed my temple. "A small snack wouldn't hurt..." I said, heading out of the observing room.

I went to my dimly lit desk and pulled some leftovers out of my lunchbox. I just figured it would taste better than what the faculty are feeding him. I went over to the door and pulled out my key card, looking around to make sure security wouldn't witness anything.