Chapter Text
Prologue
Smash!
The sound of glass shattering echoed through the halls, not the smartest idea on Ikea’s part, but it would do, at least she was in. Where, you ask? Only the Order Quarters most high security lab, home to some of the most classified research on Obamium.
Ikea had spent years planning this rescue mission, and up until now, she was doing great. She successfully infiltrated the facility, each move calculated prior to her arrival. That was, until she saw it. There was a sign plastered onto a door with too many locks and procedures to count. It read: Project Obamium, and all Ikea could think about was how stupid these people were. It’s like they wanted her to save Sony. Considering the lack of anonymity about something highly classified, Ikea determined it couldn’t possibly be that difficult to get in. She took a step back, observing the space around her. The wall next to her was beginning to deteriorate, chunks of mortar missing from between loose bricks, and if she could just manage to get one of them loose, then she could break the glass and get through to Sony quicker. Ikea debated with herself for a couple minutes.
She was already in a risky, high-security lab, and once they found out they’d been infiltrated, they’d be looking for her. Just stick to the plan she thought, hands itching to rip the brick from the wall, only for the impulse to ultimately win. She kicked at one of the lower bricks to loosen it up before grabbing with both hands and pulling like her life depended on it. When Ikea finally freed the brick, she threw it full-force at the window, the corner hitting the window just slightly off center, sending the shards flying out the other side. She carefully stepped through, using her folded-up jacket as a barrier against glass sticking out of the bottom of the window. Just as she reached the door to try and pick some locks, she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind. Before she could fight, a dingy beige cloth was placed firmly over her nose and mouth, the stranger’s other arm wrapping around her to keep her still. She tried so hard to scream, to cry out for Sony, but all she could do was struggle and kick. Her foot hit the door, the loud wham echoing through the hall louder than the glass had. Her muffled screams turned into strangled, quiet cries as her vision went blurry. She was tired now, but she gave the door one last kick, praying that by some miracle Sony would hear her on the other side and come get her.
There you go, try to relax, the stranger’s voice rang through her ears, that disgusting, mockingly sweet tone filling her with an exhausted kind of anger before the last of her consciousness slipped from her body.
***
Subject 08 - Sony Sales
The subject has exceeded all of the tests presented so far. Dr. Wu senses extremely high potential in this one, maybe even the one to harness the Obamium. She is an Obamidium Starseed after all…
***
Sony awoke to the sound of glass shattering with a start, gasping for air and blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the dark, dingy atmosphere of the dungeon she had been living in for… how long had it been? She couldn’t remember. She sat up on her cot, looking past the bars of her cell, wondering what had caused the sudden noise. A single thought ran through her mind: Ikea. But just as soon as it appeared, the thought was gone. Her cell mate, a wise old man, turned over to her.
“You alright?” he asked.
“Fine,” Sony mumbled, not feeling fine. She had just had another nightmare. It was always the same thing– the last time she saw her sister Ikea. They had a big fight. God, she didn’t even want to think about it. She missed her sister, and regretted that fight deeply. A loud voice from across Sony’s cell snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up, seeing a man in a lab coat. He had his back to her, instead facing toward the other cell, where a middle aged man and young girl around Sony’s age sat.
“Subject five, with me.”
“Hey– let go of me!” the girl in the cell said, tone laced with annoyance. Then a bodyguard opened the cell door and forcefully grabbed her, dragging her out into the thin hallway. Sony watched in horror. She had seen this kind of occurrence many times– even experienced it herself– but it never got less terrifying to watch.
“What do you think they want her for now?” the man across from Sony’s cell asked.
“More testing, obviously,” Sony replied, grabbing the bars of her cell in frustration. The man in the lab coat turned around. Sony scanned him quickly, making a note of the name tag that said “Dr. Wu” on his lab coat.
“Subject eight,” he began. “You too.”
Sony gulped. She was subject eight.