My cheeks became like vibrant roses.

I felt small as both stared down at me. One set of eyes were filled with compassion while the other was repulsed. Tears moistened my checks as I crawled underneath Joseph. Mortification consumed me; I needed to hide my face.

With all my might, I tried to calm my raving nerves, leaning my head against the man's calf for comfort; but when my eyes caught Dr. Asad's sharp, bloodthirsty glare my heart couldn't help but beat harder against my sternum, as if it were trying to break through.

Icicles ran down my back while wondering what the repercussions were going to be. I couldn't find the exact words to express my worry, but I wondered if Joseph was still proud of me, or if he seethed with anger at my failure. Shaking, I was like a helpless dog that scurried away with its tail tucked between its legs, whimpering.

Gripping tightly to his jeans, I said in a small, jittery voice, "I-I sorry. Did... did bad. Sor... Sorry."

The man was frozen; he didn't know what to do or how to respond.

Asad walked away from us as if he were calm but when he turned around, his displeasure was obvious. I couldn't tell if he were more furious at the fact that Joseph lied, or that I still remained on the floor clinging to his legs. With skeptical eyes, the Suited man looked down at me as a mistake—a waste of time. He and certainly all the others wanted perfection, yet, I wasn't able to give them that satisfaction. I had already failed and my foot was proof.

As Dr. Asad sat in his chair, he said, "What a shame. We do all that we can to prevent something like this from happening, yet, like flies they keep dropping. He's probably the eightieth one today to have shown some sort of sign of a setback. The AH could barely walk on his right leg. You know what that means, don't you Mr. Collins?"

Becoming tense, the man replied, "That means... you're planning on doing tests on him?"

Asad answered with a strained, "Yes. But it also means that there's most likely malignant tumors consuming the inside of his body by now."

"Who... who knows maybe his leg will strengthen with due time?"

"Not a chance," he countered. "99.99% of the time the subject dies shortly after the discovery of a deformity. For reasons still unknown, genetic diseases attack them with full force without giving them any possible chance of survival."

The man swallowed. "What about... what about the .01%? What happens to them? Do they survive?"

Asad turned his neck with the swiftness of an owl and glared at the man with lion-like eyes as if he were staring at his prey in plain sight.

"Once again, you plan on burdening me with your questions, Mr. Collins. You never learn, do you?"

The man lowered his chin in silent apology. When the doctor saw this, he said, "Considering your noticeable, divided loyalty, you don't need to know the complicated details. All the information you know now should suffice." Slightly tilting his head, a sheen of light gracefully flowed across his glasses. "Just do well to stay in your lane. There will be trouble if you don't."

Joseph didn't know what to say next, so the old man continued. "Also, why haven't you notified the Organization of Two-Sixty-Eight beforehand? We would've had this issue resolved by now."

"I-I know, and my excuse probably won't be that great. But I was just hoping he'd improve. The last thing I wanted to do was get him in trou—"

"You lied to me," Asad suddenly said, silencing the man immediately. "You were untruthful and not only is that a painful disappointment, but it's something that isn't tolerated. Because how will I and the others trust you further down the road if your allegiance is with the AH more than the Organization? To show you just how truly sharp my words are, a punishment will be your reward. I will notify the subordinates and they will ensure that what I say comes to pass."

The man stiffened at the word punishment. It was as if a skilled horseman had lassoed his entire body. He wouldn't move.

"Don't worry," Asad said, begrudgingly with furrowed brows. "Since it's your first time working with us, I'll be lenient with my decision. So, you don't have to shut down on me. It won't be... awful."

"Yes, that's fair." The man chose his words with care. I was sure he wasn't too fond of the idea of being punished, but he knew that agreeing rather than defying the men in charge was a way to semi-dilute a situation. "I'm grateful for your leniency, even though I deserve worse."

"Don't think I'll be this understanding the next time. If it weren't for the fact that you're new, then I don't know what I'd do with you. However, cross the line and abuse my kindness again then you'll see what a true punishment is." Though his eyes were dull, they could pierce through diamonds. "Don't lie to me again, Joseph Collins. Ever. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dr. Asad," he answered. "I do. And I apologize for my stupidity."

"Good," he said. "Now hurry. In the meantime, get him onto that wheelchair. I've just notified the others, and shortly a pair of nurses will arrive to retrieve him. Wouldn't want this taking longer than it should." A bitter scoff twisted his lips.

Retrieve... him? Me?

Deep down I knew it tore the man to hear those words and to know there was a possible chance that he'd never see me again. I was like a son to him, a son he never had. In spite of this, he withheld his emotions.

With a nod of his head, the man tried to step forward, but my grip against his jeans tightened in response, preventing him. Shaking my head, I embraced his leg, not wanting him to leave my side. If he did, I knew I'd be left vulnerable. He was my safe place. I was secure as long as the man was with me, but without him I felt lost.

"Two-Sixty, stop it. Let go of my leg... please."

Though he hid his true feelings indubitably well with a straight face, he failed to mask his crestfallen voice. When I stubbornly shook my head in reply, the man bent down, with a sigh, and unwrapped my arms. He tried to do it gently but because of my bullheadedness he had to apply some force. I was no longer weak like I was on the first day.

Once he broke free from my grasp, he said, "I'll only be a second."

I kept my eyes focused on Joseph and anxiously waited for him to come back. Normally, I wouldn't be this attached to him, however, something felt different. There was an eeriness in the air. Why was there so much tension! I couldn't understand why my intuition disturbed me so greatly.

Thankfully, as promised it didn't take long before the man returned to my side. I perked up at his presence. Placing the wheelchair next to me, he bent down and slid an arm under my knees as the other went to my back. Joseph counted to three then, with a grunt, lifted me up and onto the chair. As he straightened himself, two men walked through the door.

One was average in stature and size, appearing expressionless with his hands hidden behind his back, yet the other was the complete opposite; his face was firm like that of a military sergeant, and was head and neck taller. When he crossed his arms, his biceps enlarged and looked as if they could be the same size as basketballs.

Noticing my anxiety at the sight of the new faces, Joseph gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze.

When I looked up at him with frenzied eyes, he said, "Be calm, don't cry. There's no need to be afraid." He was soft spoken. "We will be with each other again soon, but it's only if you behave yourself."

Crinkling my face, I didn't know what he meant by 'we will be with each other again soon'. I thought that we were already together. But after Asad spoke, my eyes opened.

"Take him and do you best not to hurt him in the process, even if it's tempting," the Suiten man ordered the nurses. "You know how these separations can go. Also, inform Dr. Reeves that I'll be joining him in a little while, right after I'm finished examining those assigned to me."

They nodded their heads in unison, then came toward me. Wanting to create space for the men, Joseph stepped aside but before he went too far I flung my arm to the side and caught his wrist with my sweat-drenched hand. Lifting my gaze, I stared at the man pleadingly, trying to find the right words to communicate that I didn't want him to go. Yet, being so befuddled, it was a hard task to create a cohesive sentence. I remembered my thoughts being all over the place. I was a wreck; like a ship punctured by an iceberg, I began to sink.

With a faltering voice, I said, "N-No... don't—"

Unfortunately, before I could finish my frazzled thought, like lightning the nurses appeared behind me. With an iron grip, the taller man grabbed my forearm. With crushing strength, he yanked it away from Joseph's wrist, the sweat on my hand giving aid to his action. The nurse's grip was so tight that I actually felt my arm pulsate at a regular interval; the tightness mimicked the same sensation a blood pressure cuff gave, except his grasp might've been more intense.

I tried to push the man away with my free hand, yet, with one fell swoop he grabbed it, and held both my arms together with just one hand! Not ready to pull out the white flag, I thrashed and attempted to kick at the nurse with my good leg but he swiftly dealt with my rebellious behaviour by stepping onto my foot. It wasn't to a point where it hurt but the pressure was uncomfortable.

Quickly, as I was being restrained against my will, the other man pulled the buckles from the chair and strapped my midsection to the chair. Desperate, I threw my head to the side and tried to bite his arm, but the bigger nurse grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back before I could. Strands were pulled out and I screamed at the sharp pain.

Not wanting to risk anything, they also immobilized my arms and legs against the foot pedals and arm rests. This action caused me to become even more frantic, as I tried to move but couldn't.

Immediately, when the wheelchair began to move, I cried out, "No, no! Don't want to go. Want... want that man. Let go!" Looking at Joseph, I said, "Help me."

Don't let them take me!

Yet, the only thing he was capable of doing was stare into my eyes sorrowfully. The situation was out of his control. There was nothing he could do to stop what was happening. I was their property after all, so it wouldn't make sense for him to intervene.

They were separating us, but I didn't know why, and it broke me to pieces not knowing the reason. Wrinkling my reddened face, I threw my head back and sobbed. It was the only thing I could do.

I was just outside the door when Dr. Asad said, "Wait."

The nurses stopped, and looked at him. Still weeping, I turned my neck around to see what was going on inside.

He peered at Joseph, baffled. "Dear me, I can't believe I almost forgot! It's probably useless by now but what is the name you've chosen for Two-Sixty-Eight?" When the man's reply was an unsure look, he continued. "You have a name for him, don't you?"

Becoming uneasy, he gripped onto the tags around his neck. But then his eyes suddenly brightened, like an epiphany came to him. "Actually... I do," he said hesitantly.

Another name?

Sniffling, my brows knitted together in confusion because I thought I already had a name. Two-Sixty-Eight, isn't it? It was the number... I was born with. Curiosity compelled me to quiet down so as to hear what he was going to say next.

Parting his quivering lips, the man gazed straight at the Suited man then said, "It's... it's Caesar. That's what I've named him."

Caesar...?

As Dr. Asad wrote the name down, he spoke under his breath, "Too bad no-one else will even know him by that name." He didn't mean for anyone to hear what he said, but I heard him and buried his arrogant words deep into my heart and left it at that.

Solemnly, Joseph asked, "Any more questions for me before he goes?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Everything else I would've needed from you are in the papers you filled out. You may leave now and head back to your quarters. Also, you will be informed of the AH's prognosis either later today or early tomorrow morning, but in the meantime you are required to remain put in your dorm. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir. I under... I understand."

My vision became blurry as Joseph and I went our separate ways. But I did well to keep his words burned into my mind:

Be calm, don't cry... We will be with each other again soon, but it's only if you behave yourself.

Knowing that we would soon reunite kept me sane as I was forcibly taken away to who-knows-where. So, for the hope of our reunion, I bit my tongue and became docile as they took me down the hall. Little did I know, Joseph was only lying for my sake.

~§~§~§~

Joseph laid, face-down, on his bed defeated.

It was around the time lunch was about to end, and there was no-one else in the dorm yet. Sighing, he was relieved, knowing he still had a few minutes left to himself before the room would fill up with people and their never-ending chatter.

He couldn't believe what had taken place not even 10 minutes ago. The memory of Two-Sixty's pain-stricken face made his heart bleed with every tear he shed. The unmoving quiet in Joseph's dorm enhanced his thoughts and made Two-Sixty's cries seem even louder—almost deafening as if he were shouting right into his ears.

I hope he doesn't believe I abandoned him. What if he does? Will he die hating me?

Joseph wished he could've helped him, and the reality that he couldn't frustrated him. Balling his fists, he thought hard about punching the bunk above him at full force, a foolish attempt to release some hot air. Joseph was readying himself to do it, but he stopped as people began to make their way in the room.

When David and Michael made it inside, it didn't take them long to notice Joseph's morose demeanor. When they asked him what the issue was and why he wasn't in the cafeteria, Joseph sucked up what miniscule pride he had left and sat up on his bed.

He explained everything to them, not forgetting a single detail. 

______

Oh no! Two-Sixty was taken away😭😭 Don't hate me too much... Sorry, not sorry?😪

Hope you enjoyed and how many of u guessed his name would be Ceasar?