Rejects (Seriously so discontinued I cringe whenever I see this name)

Rejects. Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.
The Problem.

Thomas gasped as his father turned around and saw him standing there, just inside the door. 'Ahh, there you are Thomas.'
'I was wondering when you would turn up.' 'Come on in son, its rude to loiter in doorways.'
Thomas didn't move. His father frowned and pushed a button on a remote. 'Come in.'
Against his own will, Thomas shifted his feet towards Pete. 'Good on ya boy.' His father said, clasping him to his chest. 'Feast your eyes on my lifelong masterpiece.' He gestured around the metal room.
Thomas soaked in the surroundings with a dumbstruck look on his face.
Benches lay everywhere. 'Look at this.' His father said excitedly.
He dragged thomas toward the bench holding the body. Thomas tried to stop him but his feet weren't working. 'Look at that.' Pete said, self-importance etched in his voice.
Thomas looked, still clasped to Pete's shoulder, he could see everything. And he could see that there was something wrong with the body. It had no top. The flesh on top of the torso had been removed, revealing the cavity underneath. But theres where the similarities with the human anatomy stopped. All of the organs had computer chips and wires running from them. Some organs were entirely replaced. 'Do you like it mate?'
Thomas finally found his voice. 'No! What are you doing to people?'
'Not people son, genetically engineered humans, I create them here. Well not just me, me friends do it too.'
'What!' Thomas exclaimed.'Your friends are in on this as well?!'
'Yep, and you know that little thing that Frank dropped off?'
'Mr. Percival. Yes, the little project.'
'Well it wasn't a project so to speak, rather animal genes that I use to create, well, not just cyborgs. Over here.'
Pete dragged thomas over to a set of three green tubes with floor to ceiling height and it had a sort of fluid inside it. 'Those animal genes had to be used on something. Anything stolen from a top secret lab had to be used immediately so here we go.'
'Wait, what?'
Pete peeled himself from Thomas and grabbed the inch long needles that were sitting on a bench that was curled around the front of a tube. His father pressed a flurry of buttons that were built in to the bench. A naked body fell into the tube. It was a small boy, almost seven, floating helplessly. Pete placed the end of the syringe into a small hole on the side of a tube, pushed the contents out and withdrew the needle, stopping up the hole with a piece of metal.A reddish tinge was given to the green goo. The red spiked toward the body as though it had a mind of its own. The reddish tinge seemed to swirl around the boy and it absorbed into his body. Once the tinge was absorbed, the boys body started to convulse. 'Here we go!' Pete shouted excitedly, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.
Thomas felt sick but he could not tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him. As the boy convulsed something strange happened. The boys nails grew to claws, his teeth to fangs and dog ears became visible just above his blonde hair. Thomas took an involuntary step backwards as the boys body suddenly stopped convulsing, straightened up and turned to face the two men. Thomas took another step because as the boy stopped turning his eyes flew open and Thomas saw that his milky eyes were filled with madness and hatred. The eyes closed once more and the momentary sense of fear that washed over Thomas ceased. 'Damn, not perfect but scary, eh?' Pete half-whispered. 'Got me the first time too.'
Thomas finally came to his senses and tore himself away from his father's arm. 'What are you doing to people?' Thomas whispered.
'Nothing to people.'
'They are people!' His voice rebounded around the room.
'I think many would beg to disagree.'
Thomas was now backing away, shaking his head. This wasn't his dad, his dad wouldn't hurt people. Not the dad who worked hard at The Toolbox to make a living. Not the dad who made treehouses and sandcastles with him when Thomas was a kid. 'If you think this is crazy,' Pete said.' You should've seen me when my dad told me. Flippin nearly hit him on the head with a wrench.'
Pete gave a small chuckle at the memory and said .'C'mere.' He tried to put a hand on Thomas's shoulders but Thomas ducked them.
Peter made a wild grab at Thomas but he dodged the meaty arm and backed away faster. 'Oi.' Pete grunted. Another grab at Thomas and he was powerless inside his father's tight grip. 'Now mate.' Pete growled. 'I have one last thing to ask ya.'
He twisted Thomas so he was facing into Petes face.
Thomas had never seen his father more serious in his entire life. 'Thomas,' Pete grunted. 'My father did this before me and his father before him, and they always asked only their firstborn sons. You're lucky, you'll have someone your age at least, as Frank's, Mr Percival to you, son is going to join us this year.'
Oh great, Thomas thought. Friends with Michael Percival, the school bully.
Thomas had no idea what his dad was blabbering about but from pete's tight grip it looked like there was nothing to do but find out.
'Son, would you join me and my friends in our Circle.'
Thomas tore himself once again out of his father's grip.
'What do you mean? Whats this about a circle? Why are you doing this? Why...' Thomas stuttered.
'Its a great privilege.' His father spoke overtop of him. 'Basically help me and my friends build more of the cyborgs and the animals.'
'They aren't animals! What do you need them for anyway?' Thomas yelled. He was extremely scared now. His father was getting angry and both of them knew that.
'I can't tell you why yet but I can tell you this. They are animals Son, they are animals and robots with no mind of their own. And if you can't see that then you must be blind.'
Thomas's heart sped up dramatically as his father picked him up by his collar and half-carried him up the two short flight of stairs like a kitten. Pete threw Thomas into his room and barked. 'You can just stay here until you make up your mind, the family tradition or weakness for some stupid creations.' He could be heard locking Thomas's door and stomping down the stairs. When Thomas heard a door slam he was extremely certain that his father had gone back to the workshop. The workshop of horror. Thomas thought. He'll never let me out of here alive.
'Well, we will find another way, won't we Lola?'
Lola gave a bark from outside the door and Thomas took that to mean: 'Get busy!'