Machine Flower: The Unit 2 Incursion

[Loki]

Two's eyes opened to the darkness of his room as he always did, laying in bed waiting. One minute later the room filled with fluorescent lighting as the digital clock next to his bed read "7:00AM". He had become so accustomed to the daily schedule that his internal clock couldn't be more finely tuned to it. Sitting up wide awake and ready for the day, Two set about getting cleaned and dressed with the same purpose of a seasoned Marine. Twenty minutes later, his tasks were accomplished and set about doing his habitual morning calisthenics for the following ten minutes until the intercom will issue out the morning agenda before releasing them to breakfast.

"Good morning Subjects, I hope you are all well rested for another busy day. Following breakfast, Subjects 02 and 09 are to report to Simulation Room A for Crowd Conceal exercise. Subjects 06 and 07 to Observation Room C for competitive mental training. That is all."

Just as the intercom clicked off, Two exited his room and proceeded to the mess hall, eager to delve into another day of activities. Another day to prove my worth. Another step toward losing test subject status, replaced by a government operative title. As usual, he was the first of the subjects to enter the small cafeteria and made his way to the serving line. All the food had all the appeal of sterile hospital food that had all the flavor of MREs, a side effect to being tediously processed for exactly what the body needed without the filler elements such as flavor. Of course, that is what they had been served most of their lives and they didn't think twice about it.

Two left with a tray consisting of eggs, sausage, toast, and a tall glass of OJ with a side of pills that were dispensed specifically for each subject. The small capsules mostly contained the necessary vitamins and minerals to ensure their modified bodies stayed at their peak. Medications were also distributed amongst the small pile when necessary; since they lived their entire lives in what is basically a sanitary environment, their immune systems needed to be bolstered artificially. It is not entirely uncommon that mixed in among the pills are prototypes; drugs designed for the subject to test their effects on the body and mind. The Subjects never knew what they were taking and only on rare occasion were they told what to expect when a prototype was mixed in with the bunch.

Two slid into one of the end seats at the only rectangular table in the room. Even mealtimes were a test in its own right; a means of studying Subject interactions and social behaviors by being forced to eat at the same table regardless of whatever tension may be going on between them. Granted, the table was able to fit sixteen people, giving the handful of them some option in terms of personal space, but one couldn't help but be within earshot of a normal tone at all time. He nodded to any of the Successes who had entered the room as he ate while not even looking at the few Failures in their unit. Two wasn't much for conversation, but he would still respond when spoken to. As long as it wasn't a Failure who was doing the speaking that it.

[Guilty Carrion]

Ten stretched out in her bed with a yawn, sitting up slowly as she glanced at her alarm clock. 7:00 A.M. Same as yesterday. Same tomorrow. She occasionally hoped for the chance to sleep in, but it wasn’t like her day was going to be overly taxing. Rising from her bed with another stretch, Ten enjoy a hot quick shower, before settling in front of her modest armoire. Tugging her subject ‘uniform’ on, she set about examining her face quickly, before the intercom sounded.

"Good morning Subjects, I hope you are all well rested for another busy day. Following breakfast, Subjects 02 and 09 are to report to Simulation Room A for Crowd Conceal exercise. Subjects 06 and 07 to Observation Room C for competitive mental training. That is all."

Nothing for her, but that was the same as any other day. She brushed her ebony hair quickly, before pulling it in to a messy bun. It wouldn’t do for a subject to be late for a test, and if she had had one after breakfast, she was wasting far too much time on this. One last quick check of her hair (subjects should still be well groomed and presentable, after all) she was out the door, and on her way to the mess hall. By the time she entered, Two was already seated, and she quickly gathered herself a plate comprised mostly of eggs, and a slice of toast. A glass of apple juice in hand, she approached the table with a small skip in her step.

The others weren’t really there yet, so it meant more time to talk with Two, which she was thankful for. A brief respite from Six was a welcome blessing, and whenever Six and Seven were around each other for long it ended poorly. Setting her tray down beside Two, careful to keep a respectful distance from his side, but close enough that they could talk easily, she smiled happily.

“Good morning, Two!” She shifted in her seat a bit, before taking her rather meagre portion of pills with small swig of the apple juice. “Did you sleep well?” Starting conversations had never been her strong point, but with Two, she at least had the courage to try.

[Crazy Hobo]

Six's eyes snapped open mere moments before the artificial lights snapped to life. She didn't even bother to check the digital clock next to her head. It always read the same thing when she woke up, 7:00 AM, and Six highly doubted that it would be even a minute off any time soon. Six rose from her bed smoothly, refusing to even show an empty room that she was still a bit groggy. After a ten minute shower and twenty minutes spent dressing, applying makeup, and manipulating her hair into the perfect position, Six waited expectantly for the morning intercom. Perhaps there would be an interesting test today.

"Good morning Subjects, I hope you are all well rested for another busy day. Following breakfast, Subjects 02 and 09 are to report to Simulation Room A for Crowd Conceal exercise. Subjects 06 and 07 to Observation Room C for competitive mental training. That is all."

Six couldn't help but smile. Another competitive mental training test. Those were always the most interesting, especially because of the power struggle she and Seven had outside of the tests. Six very much enjoyed the challenge competing against Seven brought. So it would be an interesting day after all. Six then made her way to the mess hall, although she didn't go right for the food. Instead, upon noticing Ten sitting at the table, Six moved to sit next to her, putting on a fake smile.

"Hey, Ten, can you go get me my food?" Six nearly laughed inwardly as she asked the question. Ten usually didn't need any 'compelling' to do Six's bidding. She was far to easy to walk on like a doormat.

"S-sure, Six." Ten replied, fidgeting slightly before walking over to get Six a meal.

"Don't forget my pills." Six called absently as Ten walked away. As Ten returned, Six began to eat without even looking at Ten again. She had served her purpose for the meantime, and was no longer important. Six's mind was stuck on the test after breakfast. Six and Seven had competed in a lot of mental training tests, and the score seemed to be tied at the moment. Always exciting. Pushing it to the back of her mind for the meantime, Six began to focus on eating, barely even glancing at either of the two test subjects that sat near her. They didn't have a use at the moment.

[Mr.Blackwood]

Nine had been awake long before the clock turned 7am, long before the artifical lighting came on. She had been lying there in bed staring at the ceiling, as was typical most mornings now. A long drawn out sigh escaped past her lips as she rolled over and sat up, stretching a bit to loosen up her stiff body. Getting ready to head to breakfast didn't take long, she threw on clean clothes and gave her teeth a quick brush. She stared at the mirror for a moment, having forgot who she appeared like before she went to bed. A bit of concentration and she shifted to her "normal" look. A somewhat featureless figure, dull black hair and green eyes. She nodded approval and out the door she went. Right as the intercom came to life.

"Good morning Subjects, I hope you are all well rested for another busy day. Following breakfast, Subjects 02 and 09 are to report to Simulation Room A for Crowd Conceal exercise. Subjects 06 and 07 to Observation Room C for competitive mental training. That is all."

More test's, more shifting, more of hiding as someone else. Those thought's played on repeat in her mind as she wound her way through the halls to the Dining Area. Some of the other's were already seated by the time she arrived, she slipped by them without a word. Making her way to the food line, she grabbed a tray that had a simple meal of eggs, and toast, a glass of water and her daily medication dosage. Tray in hand Nine slid into her seat at the table across from Two, she always sat near the people of her Team. She didn't say hello, or good morning to anyone, she instead gave them each her weird little wave that from her ment hello. She even waved to the failure's, she wasn't as nearly picky about Successes and Failures like a lot of the others.

[Loki]

Seven gritted her teeth in aggravation after getting out of bed, the press of the combined thoughts on her mind bringing about a migraine. Although she was not close enough to anybody, the combined presence of a dozen people at the edges of her ability's range was enough to fill her senses with what has been referred to as white noise. Just a series of loud noises implanted directly in her mind that lacked order and harmony. She moved to her dresser and pulled off the lid to a metal chest of similar dimensions to a shoebox. Inside rested several syringes nestled in their own grooves filled with a clear liquid. She withdrew one and pressed its needle into her bicep before pressing down the plunger until the black stopper within traveled the distance between two pre-measured lines.

Within a few seconds, the noise in her mind faded as though somebody was turning down the volume on a TV blaring static until it was no longer audible while at the same time making her body feel lighter and less tense. With a breath of relief, she withdrew the needle and placed it in a protective hardcase before slipping it into her pocket. The dosage would only give her an hour of reprieve, which would be just enough time for her to finish breakfast and make it to her test.

After performing her morning ritual, Seven entered the cafeteria looking upon the other subjects with dismissive indifference before gathering her meal. She quirked an eyebrow when she watched Ten returning to the table with a tray of food, though an empty seat already had a plate. She scoffed and rolled her eyes knowing full well who that fresh tray was for. That manipulative bitch. It wasn't that she felt bad for Ten or felt that Six shouldn't treat the other subjects that way, it's that she genuinely hated her for the sole purpose of being competition to her own influence. Seven intercepted Ten's return halfway between the table and the service line by placing an arm around her shoulder and smoothly turning so the two of them had their backs to the table.

"You really shouldn't allow her to boss you around like that Ten, she won't stop unless you give her a reason to."

"B-but.. I can't. I haven't undergone a procedure yet and-"

"Take it from me of all people, these abilities aren't what they're hyped up to be. I do see where you're coming from though and I won't keep you, just wanted to let you know that I'm trying to look out for you."

Seven leaned her head down toward the tray, taking a deep whiff of the food upon it before removing her arm from Ten's shoulders. "I do enjoy the smell of breakfast in the morning." Although Ten wouldn't have been able to see the act, Seven added a nice mouthful of spit to Six's entree. She knew that Six's attention was only upon Ten long enough to issue orders. Whatever happened during or after would be entirely unnoticed. Once she retrieved her own breakfast, Seven dropped into one of the few remaining empty chairs that would allow her to face Six. She ate in casual silence, though on the inside she was laughing maliciously every time Six took a bite of her food. This will make for a fun twist to this morning's test.

[Loki]

"Hey, Ten." Two said casually in reply to his greeting. "I slept a lot better than the night before. Whatever meds they gave me for dinner last night were much more conducive to sleeping soundly than the day before. How about yourself?"

Before Ten had the chance to answer, Six had interrupted with a command that posed as an innocent request. Although Two didn't intervene, he made it a point to show her his lack of amusement with her actions. He returned Nine's wave with a silent nod before returning to his food. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, not paying attention to the few conversations that broke out amongst the others at the tables. Mostly because they were the failures talking, but also to begin strategizing for the morning's test.

Once finished, Two dropped off his empty tray and made his way to Simulation Room A. The room was large enough to fit a football field and a track around it, which was rather appropriate in this case since there was a large lined path lining the outer perimeter of the room in such a fashion. There were at least fifty people chatting idly, dressed in a myriad of attire ranging from casual to business formal. He only got a brief glance at the group before he was pulled aside into a smaller room within. Two would not be allowed to see Nine enter the crowd nor would he be allowed to see the form he assumes before the start of the test. Once it does, he has four quarter mile laps spent either walking or jogging around the track amongst the civilians to find his quarry. If Nine finishes the four laps without being found, Two loses the test and is one step further away from earning his freedom.

Something that would not be acceptable to him.

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