Aren watched the strong iron door with great intensity. He shuddered knowing of what was to come. Would it be a test with sharp needles? A body aching trial? Or would he have to take up a fierce job for some sort of general or rich snob who wants a wicked looking gun? He hated each one of what he was faced up with each and every day, through admit-ably he decided he hated the tests the most. He was the most helpless then... Shackled and strapped to a cold metal table being poked at like he was a pin cushion.... At least during the trials and jobs he could have a sense of mind.

Aren shrunk back. Another was being taken to her daily chores...

It was the assassin girl who had been in his original sector before they had been sorted into Area X with multiple of others... She looked older than him by a few years. Her creators must of wanted her to be more job efficient soon after she was snatched from them. Aren always found it the most interesting when they extracted her from her cubical like cell. She yelled as an escort placed a rough hand on her wrist. In a flash of light and white skin he was on his back unconscious. Blood pooled out of his temple.

          Now she almost always put up a fight. She gained enough energy and recovering time to fight. She was built to be light and strong too. Aren watched as she was dragged screaming and kicking down the long corridor of cells. One or twice she turned her body to a translucent, slightly milky color. Stealth mode.

       Her creators made sure she would be one of the most top elite assassins in the north. She had pasty white skin that most had and brown dim eyes. Despite the boring shade of her eyes they had neon orange pupils which reflected in the dark. Much like the cats and dogs Aren have seen wandering the halls. After a long angry screech, flash of silver knifelike nails, and a flick of short, strait, vantablack hair she was gone. Disappeared to what ever happened to her.

           Aren never caught her name. He never looked at the name plate on her cell door. He did know that the scientist nicknamed most of the artificals by their code or by what they did. His own code was AR3N.1312 and so on but they simply called him Aren, and THAT was one of the only things Aren didn't mind about the scientist. He knew the female in the cell next to him was called Maisey because her code began with M41S3y.-, and the boy in the cell across and a good amount down from him was called Apollyon.

     Now Aren wasn't sure why he was called Apollyon but he did know that his cell was a lot more protected than his own. Aren's cell had 1.8 in thick bullet proof glass and an iron door that could only be opened with a key card. Apollyon's has a security dog outside with razors for teeth, metal wires for hair, and a bark so intense that it could paralyze its victim. He had no window and his door had stronger bolts and walls. One thing he did know of Apollyon is that Apollyon's code did not start with something similar to Apollyon.

          Sulking deeper into his cell as the small boy directly across was retrieved, Aren made sure that his light was dim. Aren had small control over his small cell. He has a touch screen control panel that allowed him to control the brightness in his room, and speak to scientists if needed. He wished that he could control the freezing temperature or how much light got in from out side his window.

     He knew that he could do it but they wouldn't let him. He hacked it once before but had gotten into serious trouble. He wasn't allowed to eat for two days. Fortunately he didn't have any jobs in those two days. Aren walked over to the other side of the room in three long strides to the small twin sized bed and curled up on it, pulling his warm blanket over his head.

The blanket was knit out of a false wool. It seemed to be a soft type of plastic but never less it kept Aren warm and that all what mattered. The blanket shut out the irritating lights and gave Aren a false sense of security... It might just be a self heating blanket but to him it was his shield and protecter. Just maybe the scientist will leave him alone. Just for a day... Unfortunately wishes don't come true in life torturing labs and Aren heard to all too familiar click and whose of his cell being unlocked. He closed his eyes and willed for the scientist to fade away in a puff of smoke. Nothing happened.

       That was until the blanket was yanked off of him and Aren was dragged into the halls. He looks at the ground, watching separate lines disappearing under his feet. His ties slid on the tile floors with a soft swishing and rustling noise. Aren lifted and closed his eyes as moisture began to form under his eye lids. He let out a small puff of breath, a strangely adult action.

     A sigh. As he was whisked among the dreaded halls, landmarks passed by such as the burned mark high on a wall that couldn't be cleaned, or the one large crack in the tile next to the elevator room. Another was the lone sofa in the middle of the sector C hallway. It was old with stuffing tumbling out its worn sides. Despite being weathered and aged it brought immense satisfaction.

        It proved not everything was perfect and oddly in the wretched place. It gave a feel of warmth and comfort. Also Aren was confused why it never moved. Hope sofa.... At least that's what Aren thought of it. After he was taken down the labyrinth of halls, cells, classrooms, and labs, he reached a large room that resembled a gymnasium. He felt a bit relieved. Not happy but relived. He wasn't going to be strapped to a cold table where he could hear his heart thudding in his chest. Although it was unfortunately a small victory it was a victory after all.

. . .

     Aren panted as he sprinted full speed through the simulation. This time they wanted to test his endurance by putting him to different tasks such as swimming in an underwater cave trying to find air or climbing up a large building while chased by a glitch or virus. Although it was mainly computer programming and head gear, the chemicals running through his flesh was enough to make any thing dizzy and disoriented by the end of the day. Today Aren was running through an obstacle course. Aren hated this. It was forced upon him every month.he wasn't being tested to make sure he was strong enough. It was to make sure he was weak enough.

     If he got too strong the scientist would implant another chip in to his brain to weaken him. He already was slow, easily winded, and short legged when he was first made. Unfortunately that wasn't enough for the scientists....  They had to make his reaction time slower, his breathing weakened, his ankle misplaced in its socket. After the next barrier, which happen to be a balance beam going across water which bubbled mysteriously, Aren finally broke.

      He collapsed gasping and coughing, the sim shocking him with electricity a few times before retreating realizing that he was done. His vision blurred and swayed. The chip was kicking in. Only a month before did the scientists implant it into his head. It was there to make him feel sick whenever he ran. It was there to taunt him.

     Half a year ago the systems had a black out. The black out ended up unlocking all the cells in the entire facility.cages releasing hundreds of creatures from humanoid to alien could only result in anarchy. Everyone made a run for it. The older creations fell first already having programs ready to shut them down. Aren remembered it very clear he did have a photographic memory after all....

     He sprinted as fast as he could, small legs carrying him faster than he had ever ran before. He watched as random animals, androids, cyborgs, humanoids slowly falling around him. He was so close. A rabbit with three long tails that smoked blew a hold out of the wall. Aren was thrown back by the blast gasping as he slammed full force into a wall. He began to cry as green fluid leaked out of cuts and bruises. The bright green color slowly darkened to a deeper forest color. White blurred rapidly outside. His head couldn't keep up with it. Everything blurred and glitches and finally gave away to black, numbers and letter screening across his gaze.

      Half a year later the same happened to the small boy as he shut down from exhaustion.