The entities eyes were sunken low into the cavity of the skull, a milky film covering the entirety of the organ. Slowly nimble fingers outstretched to caress his cheeks which was a sharp contrast to the creatures own. A few noises escaped the creatures mouth, drool accompanying it, its lips unable to conform to the speech patterns that he himself had learned. The terror that gripped him like a vice kept his feet firmly rooted in place, chest rising and falling rapidly to keep pace with his elevated respirations. What scared him the most was not the hideousness of the being that’s face was inches from his own, no. What was in front of him was wrong in every essence of the word, this deduction stemming from a primordial fear that did not have an explained origin. When he gazed at it he saw a mirrored version of himself however distorted it may be. Something not manifested in water or glass but a physical presence that could touch him.  He inhaled shakily stepping away from the bars that held whatever it was in place before his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, mind whirling with questions that could never be answered. The boy now wrapped up in his thoughts didn’t notice another presence until a calloused hand with a strong grip grabbed his arm and forced him up. His heart was still racing but upon turning his attention to the male that had arrived to save him he relaxed. “Markus what is that?” He managed now gravitating to familiarity the adult male provided, gripping onto his uniform tightly. Hazel eyes bore into the boys grey ones, his lips usually turned upwards now pressed into a thin line. This shook the child at his core, puzzlement crossing his face at the peculiar expression his handler possesed. The being that touched him earlier seemed to be throwing a fit, spluttering and blindly reaching for them. “Isaac you should’ve just listened to the instructions given to you” Markus spoke without emotion making him sound somewhat robotic startling the child to answer. “I just wanted to know what was down here” The seven year old muttered moving quickly to keep pace with the older male as he was ushered out of the restricted area.

“Is mama upset?” The boy questioned sheepishly, ducking his head. “Very” Was the one worded response he received from the man. He pouted but didn’t say much more as he was lead back to his room and sat on the bed. Markus left him alone, standing outside the door with his back to him. He gave a sigh and looked down at his feet, dangling them off the edge of the bed. Isaac hated making his mother upset. It wasn’t because he was punished for doing so but he had seen how happy he could make her. He once told her that the white coat she wore made her look like an angel. The way she smiled and laughed created his goal to make her do it again. When she visited him sometimes she brought lots of friends who would sometimes ask him questions which he didn't mind answering at all. A more common occurrence included the nurses that would take his blood and check his body functions. His mother would stay by his side and assure him that it was okay as they worked. Generally the staff was very nice. He would never admit it however his favorite was a younger nurse name Josie who would slip him a bar of chocolate every now and then. He smiled slightly at the memory realizing he hadn’t seen Josie in a while. He was jarred from his thoughts as the door opened and in stepped his mother, her long brown hair hastily thrown up in a messy bun. The long white coat she wore that came down to about halfway through her thighs didn’t have its normal coffee stain down the front.  When he looked at her he tilted his head curiously noticing the youth that had not been present only yesterday. He’d grown used to seeing her become young again every few weeks but this frequency was new. “Mama I’m sorry” He murmured apologetically averting his eyes.

“You’ve caused me a lot of hassle”  The female sighed wearily, her voice gentle despite the apparent stress.  She moved over to the bed and sat next to him and he happily rested his head on her shoulder. “You aren’t mad at me right?” He asks. “No I’m not mad. Your decision simply creates a lot of work for me. You know that your only task was to follow instructions and you did not obey”.

“I know” He murmured his voice hushed  “I just got curious is all. I had been following the same halls for a few days and there was nothing to do. I was bored and figured that investigating what was down there would be fun! But it wasn’t. Mama why did the monster down there look like me?” There was a long silence before Isaac’s mother spoke again. “Sometimes in science to achieve one goal there are many steps needed to get from one point to another. That was one of those steps. It was a failed experiment designated subject twelve. You are apart of an experiment that will help make the world a better place. We both have numbers. You’re Subject 527 and I’m…” She trailed off noticing the child hadn’t been paying attention and instead was now processing the information she had told him. She slowly slid a hand into her coat, pulling out a syringe that had been at her side, taking the opportunity to pierce the child’s neck. He yelped, eyes widening at the surprise of being poked head whipping over to stare at the person he’d come to know as his mother. This wasn’t an complete abnormal occurrence however he found it odd his mother had administered it without his prior knowledge. “I’m simply a control factor. That is the truth. And you are now a failed experiment. You should’ve just followed instructions Isaac. You now have sixty seconds to live”.  He was quite alarmed at the sudden shift in personality and the news he received. “No I don’t want to die! Why do I have to die?!” He wailed as tears spewed from his eyes. The female stood from the bed and Isaac followed reaching for her desperately. Despite her hand delivering his untimely demise he yearned for comfort from familiarity. “Because the government will only continue to fund this project only if we make significant strides to the goal they want. We have no use for you anymore”. The female watched the clone’s body convulse as the seconds ticked away and when he finally stopped moving she turned on her heel and left.

“Make the report and leave it on my desk” Came a sharp voice, the female gazing at the surveillance camera no emotions stirring in the wrinkled face of a women in her fifties. Her hair once brown now was grey, her voice once gentle now icy and devoid of emotion. She turned and left leaving the assistant that had been to her right to follow her command.

Report #127-a

Subject 527 has been terminated in correlation to it’s expression of curiosity. [Redacted] clone when put through testing showed deviance after undergoing two days of conditioning. The reason for subject 527 disobedience is unknown. Subject 12 who failed the cloning process has also been terminated as the test came to its conclusion. Operation [Redacted] will continue under the watchful eye of Doctor [Redacted]. Further experimentation is required.  Subject 446 previously designated as Subject 527’s guardian promptly underwent excessive emotional distress after 527 disobeyed instructions and therefore was promptly terminated. Subject 449 was then assigned as 527’s handler and undertook the procedure as intended. Subject 449 will be reassigned to Subject 528 when the cloning process is complete.