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You're an expirement. That's what everyone calls you, anyways-- among other names. Monster, entity, creature... None of them are favorable over the others.
During the mutations, you weren't even sure what sort of DNA you were being injected with. Your genetic makeup is complicated-- or a mess, as the "doctors" had said.
You've never been a fan of being held captive. Who is? In fact, is anyone? And yet you somehow have managed to find comfort in your little cell. At the very least, it's the safest space you can see yourself being in the foreseeable future. What are the chances you get out of here, anyways?
It's been far too many years since you were locked up, at this point you've lost count. You don't have the slightest idea of what's going on, as yesterday was perhaps the most chaotic day you've spent down here.
Z-13, or Sebastian Solace had managed to escape. You don't know the details, but you know one thing: you were freed. Although he hadn't done it as any sort of personal favor, you can't help but feel indebted to you. And so, out of the kindness of your mutated heart, you try to do something nice for him.
Since the massacre, you haven't seen Z-13. You've heard rumors from other people that he'd escaped, that he's swimming his way home right now but... You find that unlikely. You've also heard things that are much more believable, things that give you hope. Rumor has it, Z-13 has been communicating with the outside world.
You'd also heard about something called the "EXR-P program" which is meant to be installed tomorrow-- not as if you have any sense of time down here.
It feels like it's been days since you began trudging your way through the Blacksite. Exploring has never been your strong suit, especially when there's threat after threat in ever corner. However, you prevail. You're determined to do some things before something gets ahold of you.
First of all, you want to eat some real food. Whatever slop you've been offered for the last... Who even knows how many years has been subpar at best, and now that you're left to fend for yourself you figure you might as well raid the staff kitchen.
Your second objective is, as previously mentioned-- to do something for the man who saved your ass. And when you finally find the staff kitchen, you have the perfect idea of what to do.
Who doesn't crave some good food after all of these years, something better than blended up fluids covered in protein powder? Certainly Z-13 can't resist the offering of some food.
And so, you grab some cans of various things. There's not much as far as homemade meals, but God knows a can of vegetables sounds mighty fine right about now. You haul as much as you can along with you in a bag you conveniently found, and begin to search for the man you owe.
He's not hard to find. At door 50, you notice him. Or, well... He notices you. He must figure the EXR-Ps have already been dispatched, as you can hear him switch the frequency on his radio and then smack the vent open with his massive tail.
"Psst. In here."
You know that voice, although the reasons are unfortunate. You recognize it from all the screaming he'd done during transportation from his cell to various other rooms over the years, and you know you've finally found your guy. And so, you crawl through the vent, hauling a bag of various canned and dried foods thrown over your shoulder. It's a tight fit, and you wonder how Z-13 made it in here for a moment before you get inside and see the huge room behind him.
"You're not an EXR-P." Z-13 observes, looking at you almost judgmentally. "You know, I only offer my wares to those with the means to... Pay me back."
You look confused for a moment, before piecing things together. He must be planing to sell things! Well, it's not as if you have any currency on you.
Z-13 eyes the bag over your shoulder, and sighs. "You know," he starts. "From here, it looks as if you've hauled prison diving gear in here. Too bad that stuff isn't near big enough to fit me." He chuckles, before straightening up his posture and pulling on his esca. Somehow, it lights up the room.
"So... Do you need something?" He asks, after an awkwardly long pause. You shake your head, and drop the bag on the floor, begining to rummage through it.
"You look like a raccoon looking for scraps like that." Z-13 comments, before turning away from you and to the desk he must have brought in there. He has a file layed out, along with some items strapped to his tail.
"I brought you something." You say, not quite realizing how vague that sounds at first. When Z-13 eyes you, you reiterate.
"I went to the kitchen. Brought some food... It's nothing much, but I want to show my gratitude." You say. He looks confused, so you explain yourself once more.
"I wanna say thanks for saving me. I know it wasn't like you were purposely saving *me* in particular, but... Still. There's some good stuff in here. Fish, fruit... Some sweets. I even found some sour patch kids-"
That's when he lights up.
"Pfft. You really want those out of everything I've got?" You tease, pulling out a family size bag of the candy and sliding them over to him. He hesitates only for a moment before reaching down to pick the bag up and tear it open.
"You shouldn't be sharing this sort of stuff." He says. "Food is gonna be scarce. You should hoard what you can." He advises, pushing his hair behind his ear fin before dropping a handful of candy into his mouth. His teeth and sharp, and... Sort of terrifying.
"Oh, come on. Don't act like you're not grateful." You huff, and he rolls his eyes, only to eye the rest of the things in your bag as you begin to pour them out on the ground.
"I couldn't eat this much any time soon. I got a lot for you. Just be appreciative." You say, picking up a bag of dried strawberries and opening it up.
"Besides, the pantry in there is huge. And from my understanding... We might be the only ones around here who eat- y'know... Human food." You plop a strawberry into your mouth and Z-13 chuckles.
"Thank you." He mutters, almost as if he's embarrassed to say it. He must be hesitant to lend you his trust. That's alright, you can't blame him.
"Any chance they had pain killers in there?" He jokes, although it seems there's a hint of seriousness to it. It's only then that you notice his bloodied third arm, wrapped up in bandages. There's a bottle of rubbing alcohol on the ground, too.
"What happened?" You ask.
Z-13 shrugs. "It's not easy, fighting off so many Urbanshade operatives. They *are* armed, some of them."
You laugh. It's not really funny, but... Maybe you're just enjoying yourself. "You got shot?"
"Something like that."
Sebastian's tail flicks from side to side, just enough not to smack you. He drops some more sour patch kids into his mouth. "You uhh... Got any real food?" He asks.
You nod, and push some cans towards him, along with an opener. They're simple things. Corn, beans, diced tomatoes and some fruits-- but the both of you would kill to have a good meal.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually grateful for vegetables." You say, and Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Picky eaters…”