Project K-9

Chapter 2

The trio gasped as they entered what looked like the foyer of a wooden house. Fruitberries turned to look at the security guard, who nodded before shutting the door behind them.

There were several couches where children were either reading, wrestling, or playing a board or card game.

Giggles echoed down the hall, just before a little boy and girl came running around the corner. The pair appeared to be playing tag, with the boy being it. The girl weaved around the visitors to avoid her pursuer.

"You can't catch me," the girl teased.

"Come here, Mars!"

"Nuh-uh...you gotta catch me Beckerson!" she said before disappearing into the next room.

"These children are from..." Skeppy started to ask.

"Orphanages, the slums, or the streets, though we only take those with potential and the director's approval..." Fruitberries answered. "This part of the house is only for the younger children, follow me," he commanded, as he lead them across the house to another door with a guard.

The guard gave Fruitberries a respectful nod, and let them pass through. At first, they were blinded by the bright light, but once their eyes adjusted, they found themselves in a large soundproof space. The iron floor and walls made it look like a futuristic prison, and the fact that the walls were lined with little rooms that had glass panes serving as doors, was not helping the case.

Each of the small rooms, contained a bed, a small closet, a study table with a few books on it, and a small white door to the side, which probably led to the bathroom.

Well at least they get some level of privacy, George scoffed. How could a human actually live here?

Suddenly all the white doors opened in sync and out stepped people who looked to be 18 or older. They all wore the same white shirt and pants and slowly walked towards the glass plane. It scared the agents on how in sync their movements were, and the trio subconsciously stepped toward each other for comfort.

There was a loud buzzing sound as the glass panes slowly slid up, and the young adults exited their cells. From there they separated into groups. Some played games on the hard floor, others headed over to a shooting gallery or the matted area in the opposite corner for sparring.

A team of other agents soon entered and went over to their respective groups in order to mentor, or simply watch over their charges. Several doctors and nurses were also running around checking everyone's overall health, yet this whole situation didn't sit right with the trio. No one appeared to be happy, all the white robbed young adults wore deadpan expressions.

"Alright then, go ahead and pick your K-9," Fruitberries stated nonchalantly.

"You have got to be joking, these are human beings, not animals," George spoke out angrily.

"They may look like you and me but they are not. Their minds are much sharper, and so are their instincts and senses. I am not being mean when I say that they are more animal than human, especially since most of the emotions that make a person human, has been locked away. Of course, we do not force these children, they have the choice to leave and start a new life, or continue their training when they turn 18, all things done to them were consensual..."

George was about to argue again when he felt Karl place a hand on his shoulder. The brunette took in a deep breath and shot his friend a smile.

"Well unless you have any questions... I suggest you choose your partner now while it is still early, and they are in a good mood." Fruitberries stated.

The three men hesitated for a bit, before proceeding to look around the space. Their presence was hardly acknowledged, with the K-9s much too focused on their tasks, and only a few spared them a quick glance.

Skeppy stopped in his tracks when his attention was caught by a brunette, that appeared to be around the same age as George. The brunette was practicing knife throwing, with each blade hitting its target with incredible accuracy. Skeppy shot his co-workers a look and they gave him a small smile and nod, which he returned before heading over to the brunette.

The two remaining men then turned their attention to a raven head, who had the pieces of a Glock 20 in front of him on a table, along with a single bullet. The man took in a deep breath before tying a blindfold over his eyes. One of the overseers stood beside him and held a timer in their hand.

"Ready...go!" the overseer said.

The raven-haired man quickly set to work on reassembling the gun, before loading it with a single bullet and firing it at a paper target.

"24 seconds," the overseer informed, as the man removed his blindfold and looked at the paper target in front of him. The bullet had pierced its center, but the man still let out an audible tsk.

"Not fast enough, again!" he demanded. The overseer nodded and reset the timer.

George tapped Karl on the shoulder, who was still frozen in awe by the man's skills. He flashed his friend an encouraging smile, before giving him a gentle push towards the raven head. Karl smiled back before making his way over.

"Looks like you're the last one..." Fruitberries voice suddenly spoke up from behind him, making George whirl around in fright.

"You scared me, Sir!" George breathed out, placing a hand on his beating heart. A hint of an amused smile flashed across the chief's face before returning to his unreadable expression.

"Why do you even need us to partner up with these highly trained men and women. They surely could handle even the hardest of missions with ease." George asked once his heart rate returned to normal.

"I already told you, they are more like hunting dogs than humans. They need a handler who can stop them before they go too far. Someone who will look after their safety when out on the field. We have lost several K-9s already due to them being incredibly tenacious..."

George turned his gaze to the floor, these poor kids have given up their humanity to serve the country. I can't help them all, but I can at least save one... he thought as he continued to look around.

Suddenly a loud siren rang out, and one of the cells started flashing red.

"He's trying to kill his doctor again!" Someone yelled as several overseers and medical staff rushed over to the blinking cell.

Curious, George decided to peep in, but what he saw made his heart drop.