Filled with anxiety, (Y/N) made her way to the lab, uncertain about how her day will go.
Wednesday came pretty fast. Yesterday, (Y/N) finished her time helping out Mr. Khan. The two Keepers finished the rest of the inspections and she had some time to bond with C5 while Mr. Khan sent in the reports of the inspections to the Scientists. When she first came in, C5 had given her a drawing he made of her, Mr. Khan, and him together holding hands under a rainbow with snakes, flowers, and other cute stuff that melted (Y/N)'s heart. She felt bad when it was her time to leave, C5 begged her to stay and play some more and each time (Y/N) refused, she felt like the cruelest person ever. The little demon eventually gave up and hugged the lady's legs tight, but he did ask if she can come back and play whenever she can, to which she agreed to.
It's hard saying no to the small child.
Before she left, Mr. Khan did repeat what he said the day before. About her demons potentially losing trust in her and how she should keep her distance for some time. She's been thinking about it all night and the more the clock ticked, the more her nerves fired up. As she walked the long halls, passing by various people, she pulled and tugged at the edges of her lab coat to ease her growing nerves.
Stepping into the line of Keepers ready to enter, a buzz sounded from her bag, grabbing her attention.
She unzipped her bag and pulled out her tablet. A message was sent regarding the results of Ki and Akai's experimentation, judging from the first words 'Complications involved' it didn't go too well.
(E/C) eyes skimmed through the message to get to the point, but she would often see her demon's scientific names and 'uncooperative' together. She reached the bottom where the final results were and none of them were pleasing.
"The first official experimentation of subjects: A1 and B2 have proven difficult due to A1's issues with rage and B2's feral nature. While this isn't unusual, a few of our staff were injured in the process so repercussions were issued.
'Test results for B2:
Age: unknown
Blood: Non-toxic. Freezes to a solid. (Further samples have been taken)
Abilities: Can teleport long distances. Freezes objects other than it inside the portals. Has two forms, its true form, and a more human-looking form.
Personality: Feral
Cooperation: Low
Etc Etc...
Test results for A1:
Age: Estimated around 310-303 years.
Blood: Highly lethal due to demon type. Fizzes through any material. (Further samples have been taken)
Abilities: Can change its body to whatever it pleases. Has the ability to change its chemical makeup to produce fire from its lungs. (May dissect in future experiments)
Personality: Malevolent
Cooperation: Low
Etc Etc...
Due to the hardships the Scientists have faced with subject: A1 and subject: B2, both are scheduled to come in again October 18, 2437 for further analysis. Some changes (including the date) may occur."
(Y/N) looked at a large clock on a nearby wall that displayed the date and time. 8:47 AM September 22, 2437. "Huh..." (Y/N) muttered as she read the results. Some of these she already knew while others were completely new. When she read about a possible dissecting of Akai, she cringed. It's understandable for them to want to learn more about his body, but why dissection? They should have technology capable of looking into him without cutting him open, maybe that's what they mean? But also Akai's age made her taken back. He could've been born around the time the apocalypse started, she wondered how old Ki was since the Scientists couldn't even determine it themselves.
"Hey!"
(Y/N) jumped in fright as a hand was placed on her shoulder, almost dropping her tablet. When she turned around, Blythe was there snickering to herself. "Are you always this jumpy?"
"Blythe!" The (h/c) haired Keeper turned back around with a huff. Blythe continued to chuckle to herself as she stood next to her friend. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. So whatcha' reading?"
"The results for Ki and Akai came in. Apparently, it didn't go so well." (Y/N) scrolled through the files again for anything she may have missed.
"Well it's their first times. Of course they're gonna give the Scientists trouble. How'd it go with Mr. Khan?"
(Y/N) smiled in glee. "It went great! Mr. Khan gave me some tips that sound helpful and C5 is too adorable! How could you say he's a nightmare when he's really sweet!?"
Blythe's eyebrows raised at (Y/N)'s use of pronouns towards the demon, but she passed it off. "Well... the whole snake thing it does is... creepy."
The line started to move as the Keepers were allowed to enter. (Y/N) smirked. "You don't like snakes do you?"
"Don't get any ideas. I have to deal with pranks from Axel already. And no, I don't." Blythe rolled her eyes and pushed (Y/N)'s amused face away. "They're just... weird to look at."
"What's so weird about a snak-"
"Shush!" Blythe pressed a finger on (Y/N)'s lips, effectively shutting her up.
The two made it to the entrance, presented their IDs, and entered the lab. Blythe stopped to take out her cross to put it on but stopped when she held it in her hands. (Y/N) wasn't paying attention to her friend, instead making sure she has everything she needs in her bag. As Blythe spent a few seconds debating whether to wear the cross or not, she started to feel a small tingling sensation where the cross laid in her palm. Her heartbeat slowly increased as she continued to stare at the cross until (Y/N) broke her entrancement. "I have everything with me, you?"
"Y-yea yea... I'm ready." She clench the cross in her hand and shoved it into her bag.
(Y/N) also took off her cross and placed it into her shirt pocket. Blythe noticed this, a bit confused. "Why aren't you wearing your cross?"
The (h/c) haired Keeper sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ki tries to make attempts to steal it, so I have to keep it out of his sight." She looked to Blythe to see that she wasn't wearing her cross either. "Why aren't you wearing yours?"
Blythe paused and looked away. "Uh.." She quickly turned back and tapped her turtle neck around her neck. "I keep it under my shirt. I rather keep it hidden too."
Not thinking about it, (Y/N) believed her.
The two walked down the halls towards the elevator, the sounds of demonic voices and chatting people filling the halls like usual. They were on the opposite side of the lab, so looking down to the second floor over the railings, (Y/N) could see Ki and Akai's cell. The steel wall was down and two guards were posted directly outside the door instead of one guard nearby. "That's strange..."
"Hm?" Blythe stopped walking and looked too. "You mean the guards?"
(Y/N) nodded and backed away from the railing, she continued walking as Blythe followed. "It's usually just one guard standing nearby. Why two now at my cell?"
"Well if A1 and B2's experimentation didn't go well, the Scientists will assign two guards to watch over the Keeper for a few days until the demons settle down. Think of it as protection."
"That makes sense but for how many days exactly?" They reached the elevator and Blythe pressed the button for floor two. "For me, it was about three days but it can differ with others. Depending on how the demons act."
The elevator arrived and two other Keepers exited out. When the two ladies entered, (Y/N) leaned against the glass behind her, her nerves really getting to her as she got closer to her destination.
"Question?"
(Y/N) looked up to Blythe, who was giving her a weird look. "Why do you refer to your demons and C5 as 'he'?"
The younger lady's eyes widened, not expecting that question. "I- uh..." Blythe raised an eyebrow, making (Y/N) look away.
"I guess it's a habit of mines. I tend to forget that we don't give human pronouns to demons. If it's weird for you, I can stop." (Y/N) shyly stated, scratching the back of her head.
"No no you don't have to. You're just the second person I know besides Mr. Khan to call a demon a 'he'. Not that many people do that." It's kind of a taboo among the Zones to refer to demons as anything but 'it'. Mainly due to humanity's fear and hatred towards them. It's pretty rare to find anyone who shows any sort of respect towards the creatures and oftentimes those people get judged for it. (Y/N) has faced her own moments of judgment for simply saying she finds them interesting...
The elevator arrived on the second floor and (Y/N) stepped out. Blythe said her goodbyes and headed down to I9's cell while (Y/N) stood there nervously. She didn't know why her nerves were going through the roof, maybe it's from what Mr. Khan had told her.
"They'll blame you for the pain they went through and all trust will just disappear."
She hoped this wouldn't be the case and everything will be normal. But the older Keeper has a lot more hands-on experience when it comes to dealing with demons, all she had were lessons and books, there's no other reason to take his words for granted. So, sucking in a deep breath, she started making her way to the cell where her, hopefully trusted, demons reside.
As she approached the cell, she observed the two guards posted outside the cell door. They were each carrying an electric rifle and wearing padded down armor that made them look bulky. This wasn't the usual armor the guards wore. The older guard, looking to be in his forties, saw the Keeper approaching. He held his hand up when she got too close, making her confused. "Are you the assigned Keeper to A1 and B2?"
(Y/N) nodded, holding up her ID that also had her demons' scientific names labeled on it. "Yes. Today's the day they come back, right?"
"It is, but..." Spoke up the younger guard, looking to be a few years older than the Keeper. "They're not here yet."
'They're not here?' (Y/N) looked to both guards then the steel wall covering up the view of the inside. "What do you mean they're not here?"
The older guard shrugged, lowering his gun to his side. "The Scientists may be keeping them for a little bit longer. Maybe some last minute observations? The demons are scheduled to be returned today, we'll just have to wait till then."
"Oh. Well, can I enter?" (Y/N) gestured towards the door. She's the only one with the keycard to enter besides the higher-ups and maybe more elite guards. The younger guard, looking distracted, blinked and looked in the direction she gestured towards. "Oh, yea sure!"
As she walked past the men, the younger guard kept his eyes on her with a small blush. The older guard bumped his shoulder, seeing the looks he was giving to the Keeper. (Y/N) pressed her ID against the reader and after it binged with a green light, the door slid open.
It was sorta weird to enter and not see Ki or Akai around. (Y/N) was usually greeted by a wave or nod from Ki and a heart attack inducing scare from Akai that fully woke her up in the mornings. But now it was just... quiet. She entered and waited for the guards to come in as well before shutting the door and locking it back.
The younger guard looked around the cell, amazed at the amount of damage the place had. A large burned out portion of the floor in one corner, deep claw marks that shredded the far wall, and several dents on all surfaces that looked to be caused by something big and heavy. 'How can a pretty girl like her watch over these monsters?!'
"How long are you guys gonna be here?" Asked (Y/N), setting her bag onto the desk.
The older guard placed his gun on the desk too and leaned against it. "As directed by the Scientists, at least a week. But I mostly have say in how long judging by how your demons act. If they behave, we can leave early."
She didn't mind them being there, it gave her some relief knowing that she won't be alone when Ki and Akai arrive. "Well, since you're gonna be here for a while, we should introduce ourselves. I'm (Y/N)!" She smiled.
"Davis." Nodded the older guard.
Davis looked towards his partner who shied away. "Come on, introduce yourself to the young lady." His partner glared at him, seeing Davis hide a small smirk.
"I'm... uh..." He looked towards (Y/N), making eye contact with her. Seeing her (E/C) eyes made him quickly turn away and cross his arms, an embarrassing blush reddening across his face. "ᴵ'ᵐ ᴬⁿᵍᵉˡ." He muttered, so low that the other two didn't hear.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." (Y/N) stepped forward and Davis chuckled under his breath. "Speak up boy! The lady didn't hear you."
"I'm Angel!" His shaggy brown hair fell over his face, covering his embarrassed expression.
(Y/N) smiled. "Cool name! But kinda ironic considering where we are." She giggled which made Angel die inside. Davis chuckled some more but was surprised that (Y/N) didn't rip on the poor boy for his name. It was nice seeing that but he also enjoyed hearing the roasts that his fellow comrades would throw at the poor boy.
An hour went by and the demons still haven't arrived yet. (Y/N) wondered if they were even returning at all. To pass time, she struck up conversations with the guards where she learned a little bit about them.
Davis is an elite guard and has worked in Castor Labs for twenty years. Before that, he was in training to become a soldier to protect his Zone back when he used to live in Zone 10. He got rejected unfortunately but found work as a guard in a different lab before being transferred to Castor Labs at the age of 26. He's married to one of the chefs who prepares meals for the Keepers and has twin daughters, they both have an interest in working with demons but Davis tries to persuade them to look into other fields. He's seen a lot during his days of being here and doesn't want his daughters to see the same horrors as him. (Y/N) understood where he was coming from, Davis reminded her of her older sister, Nora. Her sister knew about the explicit details of working with demons and some of the stories that went viral of 'Keepers being murdered', 'Capturer gone missing' 'Scientist possessed'. Being the protective older figure, Nora detested (Y/N)'s ambitions to become a Capturer, suggesting other things like a teacher, a doctor, a mailwoman, anything else that didn't involve demons.
Clearly (Y/N) didn't listen.
Angel, on the other hand, graduated two years before (Y/N) in Zone 12. He has a degree in economics but decided to train to be a guard for Castor Labs for some reason. His reason being 'his friends were doing it.'
(Y/N) chuckled. "Do you regret it?"
"Yea..." He sighed. "Out of all my friends, I was the only one who made the cut."
Davis shook his head while messing with his gun. "This is why you shouldn't be a follower."
Angel sent a glare at the older man. "I wasn't a follower! I was..." He paused.
Davis looked back unimpressed. "A follower?"
"A follower..."
The Keeper laughed. "Don't be ashamed! I was a follower too. My friends wanted to work in this field and it was all they talked about. I guess I just followed along too." It was because of them too that her curiosity towards demons grew since then. Now she actually gets to work with them.
A loud clang interrupted the three as the back wall of the cell started to move. They all quickly turned around and watched as a large portion of the wall split into two and separated. Eight guards walking alongside two large grey cases lead by two Scientists entered the room. The cases were moved to the center of the room and (Y/N) could guess that her demons were inside.
Angel and Davis quickly grabbed their guns and stood close to (Y/N) as the two Scientists approached.
"Ms. (L/N)?" A filtered voice spoke from one of the Scientists. They wore the white suits that covered them from head to toe. She nodded and was handed a clipboard.
"The results of the experiments were proven unsatisfactory. We'll be here again on October 18th for further experimenting. You'll be sent some more work to be done until then, so be prepared for it." The Scientist turned to Davis and pointed towards the two large cases. "I'd advise you to help the rest of the guards let the subjects out now while they are unconscious. You two will protect the Keeper until they calm down. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" Both Davis and Angel replied.
(Y/N) looked over the clipboard but she has already seen this from the message sent to her earlier. She listened to the Scientist speak and her nerves were back after finally settling down. Ki and Akai must not be in such a good state to be let free. She stepped back to her desk and watched the guards surround the two cases.
A guard pulled a switch on both cases and the fronts were let down, revealing an unconscious Akai strapped down onto a stretcher and an unconscious Ki in his demon form also strapped down in a cage. Her eyes widened as the guards dragged them out, placed them on opposite sides of the cell, and activated chains in the walls that they used to lock up both demons in their spots. Akai was propped up against the wall with his head hanging, but some small movements in his hands indicated that he was still alive. Ki, however, laid limp on the ground. The guards strapped a muzzle over his neck area and even chained up his tail to prevent it from moving. When they were done, the two Scientists walked over to each demon and placed a collar around their necks, a light in the middle of the collars flickered on after they did some adjustments.
Before the Scientists and eight guards left, a Scientist advised (Y/N) to not release the demons or remove the collars. The collars are gonna prevent Ki from teleporting and Akai from shifting out of his bonds. They left the same way they came, out through the back wall and sealing it shut like nothing was there.
(Y/N) gazed at both her demons, unsure of what to do. Davis sighed and lowered his gun. "I guess we wait till they wake up."
Ki twitched and Akai made some small movements. (Y/N) was worried. She wanted to go over and check them, make sure they were alright,.... but that might not be the best option.
"Yea... we'll wait."