Chapter Text
Miss MC,
ACCEPTANCE OF THE OMEGA-26 CLINICAL TRIAL CONTRIBUTOR POSITION
We would like to formally offer you the position of Omega-26 Clinical Trial Contributor.
Your agreement to the following conditions is required for this offer to be finalized:
- The daily payment for your service is 96,000 Linkon Gold. Mileage will also be reimbursed at 9,600 Linkon Gold/km as per the standing Linkon City Treasury Directive;
- You must attend all assigned Omega-26 handling briefings and abide by all regulations governing the clinical trial;
- Your obligations include the signing of the Official Secrets Act Form, the Briefing Acknowledgement Form, and the Self-Declaration and Affidavit Form.
If you agree to these stated conditions, please respond via email to accept the offer. Your response must be received before or on December 8. Once you accept this offer, it becomes a binding agreement and cannot be refused. Impassivity by the deadline will cause the offer to be rescinded immediately.
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After 40 minutes of mishearing my navigation system’s road instructions and missing almost 5 stops, I finally arrived at the clinic. Luckily, I left my place 2 hours earlier than I was supposed to. The motorcycle was parked, a folder and a handbag were grabbed, the contents were checked for one last time. Cover letter, offer letter, medical records are all in place. Time to head in. I’m so fucking scared.
Stepping into the clinic, my gaze immediately landed on a man with purple hair deep in conversation with a familiar figure. The guy was wearing a black shirt with a Health Li Family Pharmacy lanyard around his neck. When he glanced over to myself, his look of surprise quickly melted into a warm smile.
That's when it hit me: the man with the lanyard is Zayne, my childhood friend that I have been texting on WeTube for the past 14 years. I have seen pictures of him growing up despite not meeting him once after he moved away to another country yet seeing him in real life feels so unreal. Last time I saw him, he was just four rambutans taller than me.
I was about to greet Zayne when his partner’s eyes found mine. The man gave me a cold glare so I decided to leave them to their conversation. My eyes found another focal point in the room: a man sleeping on a couch.
A book was laid open on his chest, and his phone buzzed with such a frenzy of messages, it sounded like it was about to explode at any moment now. Something about the man on the couch was familiar as well. He looks exactly like the WeTuber whose packing videos I’ve been hyperfixating on since I was a kid. That one dude who always handles odd customer orders with a very dry wit. Caleb used to say that dude was the reason I became a huge brat.
I scoffed, the thought of Caleb doesn’t hurt me that much anymore but I do get bothered seeing his face in my head.
Anyways, back to the WeTuber topic, let me recall his name. Xav… Postmanxav? How dare I forget his name, he was technically the highlight of my childhood. Wait… That means he technically should be a really old guy right now. Not that he ever mentioned his real age or birth year in his videos. Just some fans theorize he’s in his late twenties back in the day. Therefore, he should be in his forties by now.
Before I could observe the sleeping dude’s face more carefully, my attention was pulled away by the sudden appearance of a super muscular guy. He held out a business card, a hopeful smirk on his face that practically screamed for me to read it. When I saw the name Onychi Gym, I couldn't help but scoff once again. I knew that name. That was the gym my friends had told me to avoid. The place where the most arrogant, misogynistic omegas went to work out.
I took the card he offered and shoved it into his chest pocket. "Alphas like me are banned from going there."
His smirk never wavered as he looked me up and down. "May I ask who told you that?"
“It’s not what people say,” I countered. “It’s their actions that give it away.”
He let out a short, hollow laugh. “We've long since eliminated those people. Onychi Gym is open to everyone, regardless of their secondary gender.”
“Why would I trust your empty words?”
“As the new owner of Onychi Gym, I personally assure you toxic masculinity will never be tolerated in my space again. These words of mine are never empty.”
"Ah, the eager defense makes sense now," I stated, the sarcasm evident in my voice. "You're the owner." I shook my head slightly. "I'll have to decline. I prefer to stick with alphas-only spaces."
"Let me guess... are you a member of Teabody's? Or perhaps Barbellia? I'd even bet on Charmix." He spread his hands. "I know those places like the back of my hand. My gym offers the same experience but with a more inclusive environment and significantly better prices."
A small, dry sneer escaped me as I remembered my last gym visit, a full five years ago. "Thanks, but maybe next time," I said, the words are my gentle dismissal.
"I'll hold you to that, sweetie." His smirk widened, as if he'd just won.
That acquainted voice, dry and laced with sarcasm, cut into our standoff. “Very lively place this is, isn't it?”
I blinked, my mind struggling to process the sight before me. It was Caleb, my Caleb, who I grew up with and who ghosted me for almost 8 years until today, is standing right beside me with his hand wrapped around my hip. After years of silence, he acted as though no time had passed at all and nothing bad happened between us.
A casual "Hey, pipsqueak. Miss me?" pulled me from my shock. My immediate response was to elbow him hard in the stomach.
I leaned into his face, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I hate you, and I never want to see your face again."
Sylus smirked, a laugh threatening to break free. I met his gaze, my voice dropping to a more threatening tone, "You too. Don't ever come near me again."
Then, without looking back, I headed for the restroom to steady my breathing. The restroom's cool air did little to calm me. Overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, I thought only of Caleb and the years I had spent hurting because I couldn't reach him and he never reached back. I was ghosted and left with a ‘dont try to find me’ written on a sticky note which was passed to me by a colleague of his.
The door to the single-stall toilet swung open, and the sleeping dude from the couch stepped out. His face went instantly pale when his eyes landed on mine in the mirror.
"Um, are you lost, miss?" he asked, his eyes darting away from the mirror, left hand behind his neck.
"No," I replied, my voice sharp with firmness. "This is the women's restroom."
"I'm pretty sure this is the men's tho," he said with a straight face.
"Sir, this entire room is pink, it smells floral, and there's a cart full of rut nullifiers and scent suppressants," I replied, the frustration clear in my voice.
"Some men like pink," he said, a little defensively. "And prefer floral perfumes. Thank the stars for our technology, some alpha medicines are compatible with omegas and omegas also need scent suppressants."
I took a deep breath, my eyes narrowing slightly. "Yes," I said, my voice eerily calm. "I am aware. May I have your name please, kind sir?"
"Xavier."
“Mr. Xavier,” I stated evenly, “I believe a quick look at the sign on the door would clarify this issue for us both.”
He didn't move. “May I have your name first, miss?”
“It’s MC.” I replied.
“Then we shall, Miss MC,” Xavier said, offering a slight nod before he led the way out of the room.
We stepped out of the restroom together, and I gestured triumphantly toward the sign on the door. Xavier offered a quick, embarrassed apology before heading off. I ducked back into the restroom to touch up my makeup and refresh myself with a face mist. The momentary relief was quickly replaced by a sense of dread as I exited. The purple-haired man who'd glared at me earlier is there now, his arms crossed over his chest, blocking the way.
I forced a patient smile. “Excuse me, sir, can you please move aside?” I asked politely.
His face lit up with a flash of panic. “Oh, thank heavens. I need your help.”
“What kind of help?” I asked, my voice laced with suspicion.
His voice was a desperate whisper. “Can I use the women’s restroom? The men's room is disgusting.”
"I'm not a gatekeeper of this women's restroom," I said, a look of judgment on my face. "But a man going in there would be a problem."
"That's why I need your help," he insisted, his voice a low plea. "Please, just stand by the door and don't let anyone in."
With my hands on my hips, I gave him a stern look. “How long will you be in there?”
He seemed to shrink a little under my gaze. “Maybe… thirty minutes?”
“Make it five minutes,” I countered, not a hint of compromise in my voice.
He winced. “Twenty-five, please?” he tried again, a hopeful look in his eyes.
"There's nothing to negotiate, sir," I said. "You're blocking the restroom for other women."
"Fine! I'll be quick!" he pleaded. "Just stand guard!" He disappeared into the restroom before I could object.
He was true to his word, returning from the restroom in just under five minutes. He introduced himself as Rafayel, a WeTube content creator who is obsessed with histories of the legendary Lemuria, and proceeded to talk about it with an infectious enthusiasm. His endless chatter was the perfect antidote to my turbulent thoughts about Caleb.
When we rejoined the waiting room, we sat on the couch with Xavier, who also fell silent and became an attentive listener to the history lover. In that moment, I realized the man was a force of nature, and I finally understood why Zayne couldn't get a word in earlier.
I could see Zayne and Sylus talking to each other while Caleb sat alone in the corner of the room. He to and fro glaring at my way and Zayne’s. Probably reminiscing about our time as three kids spending time together at an orphanage. Zayne’s parents were active volunteers at the orphanage where Caleb and I grew up. That’s how we became close to each other until that one fight.
An hour slipped by before a spokesperson finally appeared, leading the six of us into a meeting room. I sat between Rafayel and Xavier, refusing to be near Sylus or Caleb. I already motioned Zayne to grab a chair next to me but he shook his head. He’s taking our ‘strangers act’ really seriously.
“Greetings, everyone. My name is Kim Taehyung and I am a representative of EVER LTD. Thank you for attending our first general meeting with every Omega-26 clinical trial contributor. First and foremost, I would like to record today’s attendance. Please respond if I call out your profile.” The representative began clicking quickly on his tablet.
“Male, omega, has a rabbit ANIMA, Xavier Shen?”
“At your service, Mr. Representative.”
“Male, omega, has a seal ANIMA, Zayne Li?”
“Present.”
“Male, omega, has a fish ANIMA, Rafayel Qi?”
“That would be me, one and only I’m afraid.”
“Male, omega, has a bird ANIMA, Sylus Qin?”
“Checked-in like a hotel guest, always a pleasure.” I rolled my eyes at this.
“Male, omega, has a puma ANIMA, Caleb Xia?”
“Lynx ANIMA.” I somehow knew this mistake would happen. “In the flesh.”
“Female, alpha, has a snake ANIMA, MC?”
“Alive, alert and ready to learn, Mr. Kim.” I could hear some snickers around me.
“Interesting personalities we have here…” Interesting indeed.
He began to show us a presentation slide which is currently displaying a pie chart highlighting the large gap between the number of existing men and women in Linkon City up to this day.
“As we all know, the birth rate in Linkon City has been declining for 10 years straight now and we have an influx of baby alphas right now. Linkon City cannot rely solely on alphas to hold the fort for blood line.”
“It needs more omegas.” Sylus interrupted.
“Precisely, Mr. Qin.” Mr. Kim agreed.
“We do have omegas, they just don’t want to get pregnant. Having a child is somehow misandry these days.” Fuck, that was supposed to stay inside my head.
“Gender wars aside, Miss MC, we still cannot force men to bear children. However, our company believes there is another solution.”
“Transmuting alphas into omegas?” Xavier added.
“That’s right, Mr. Shen. Not only that, we are also researching how to metamorphose omegas into alphas as well. With Omega-26, women will finally be able to get pregnant and men will be the seed provider instead of receiver.”
“Omega-26 should be available and effective to everyone, including those without ANIMA, yes?” Mr. Kim was about to reply when Zayne elaborated. “What is ANIMA? ANIMA is an ability to transform into an animal and wield its abilities. A child would view it as a superpower granted by the universe to the chosen ones. Contemporarily, the existence of people with ANIMA is no longer a secret nor a controversy.”
“Apologies for the long statement but my curiosity cannot be hindered. The main point here is why would you round up all and only 5 people with ANIMA for this clinical trial? Will there be complications that people without ANIMA cannot handle from the usage of Omega-26?” Zayne is asking the right questions, fitting his area of expertise.
“Unfortunately, that is correct, Mr. Li. We already informed all of you of its risks in the Self-Declaration Form.”
“But you didn’t specify the risks tho,” Caleb used his serious tone, “What kinds of risks? Obesity? Vision or hearing loss? Mental health problems?”
“We are still unable to disclose that information. Every single one of you is still allowed to opt out of this clinical trial one last time before we proceed to the next slide.”
Both Caleb and Zayne are staring into my soul right now, signalling that I should be the one to do so. Unfortunately, I don’t feel any cold feet or anything right now. I’m staying.
Nobody withdrew themselves, earning Mr. Kim’s smile. “Then we shall carry on.”
Two hours had passed by. Basically Mr. Kim gave us a lengthy lecture on Omega-26. Boring stuff. As if the situation wasn’t mind-numbing enough, Mr. Kim went on to announce that all five of us will be participating in a series of fun activities to foster intimacy. Intimacy will serve as the foundational controlled variable of this clinical trial. The irony was hard to swallow, but we had no room to protest. All of us had agreed to these terms when we signed up.
The message is very subtle but I think at this point, everyone knew I was made to be the main subject, the first alpha who would test Omega-26. The five men in the room were not just my fellow colleagues; they were the omega variables who would be helping me test out the medicine. In the most vulgar and laughable truth, I am supposed to have sex with five different men, all to test the functionality of a single pill.
As an underpaid tutor, this job will financially put me at ease. As a virgin and an unmated alpha, this job is going to fuck me up really, really bad. I do excel at being the worst alpha to ever live (plus never been interested in being a good one) and now, they’re expecting me to convert myself into an omega. My goodness…
Each person has their own responsibility in terms of committing to the intimacy of this pack. Zayne would be the doctor of the pack. Sylus, the arrogant gym owner, who obviously will keep us in shape. Caleb is in charge of our future ‘dorm’ (a place where all of us will live together for the sake of the clinical trial, for fucks sake). Rafayel is the pack’s chemistry coach whose job is to do chemistry readings (I don’t even know what that is) while Xavier and I will be tasked with creating a syllabus for the ‘becoming true alphas and omegas’ course. Honestly, the moment I locked eyes with Xavier after receiving this task, I knew he’s just the same as me, clueless about our second gender.
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It’s almost 2 am and I can’t even rest my eyes knowing Caleb is sitting outside in my front door like a dog getting timeout by its master. I’ve been giving him the longest silent treatment streak yet he doesn’t even budge. Like a stalker, he followed me home, asking me for a talk after 8 years of ghosting me like I’m a sort of situationship. We grew up together, we had each other’s backs, heck I even called him gege back then since I never had a real older brother to rely on but what did he do? He threw me away just like that. And now he’s back, acting like he still could fix this.
My phone on the bedside table buzzed. A WeTube message lightens up the screen.
@zaynelimd: Just closed the pharmacy. Heading back home now.
@mc_n_wheeze: Just when I thought your sleeping schedule will finally be fixed after you remove that 24 hour open sign from the pharmacy…
@zaynelimd: I thought the same too since you promised me you'll fix your sleeping schedule after you get this research job yet here you are.
@zaynelimd: He's still there?
@mc_n_wheeze: Can’t you make him go away, Dr. Zayne?
@zaynelimd: If Caleb doesn't listen to you then why should he listen to me? He never even listened to me when we’re still friends.
@mc_n_wheeze: So you’re just gonna let me suffer huh
@zaynelimd: Either talk to him or withdraw from the research pack. You can't run from him forever, MC. We have a mission and he’s a part of it now.
@mc_n_wheeze: You're blackmailing me again huh, Doc? I told you nothing is gonna make me chicken out of this mission.
@zaynelimd: I need you to start taking this mission seriously, MC.
@mc_n_wheeze: It's just a dumb research, Doc. 99% chances of failure we’re seeing here. What could possibly go wrong??
@zaynelimd: They are researching how to convert alphas to omegas. Everything could go wrong.
@mc_n_wheeze: None of us are leaving that damned lab pregnant if that's your tight spot!!
@zaynelimd: …Are you in rut already? Maybe that's why you're acting so reckless right now.
@mc_n_wheeze: Enjoy your peaceful night then.
@mc_n_wheeze: PS - silent treatment until 8am.
@zaynelimd: I’m also receiving the Caleb treatment from you… Fine, will wait for you until then. Sweet dreams.
@zaynelimd: PS - I’m sorry.
A knock on my window made me drop my phone. My eyes immediately darted to the sound that came from a… Large cat? No… It’s a lynx. Caleb is in his lynx form right now, giving me the big, round eyes and soft paws on the pane. I quickly jumped into the bed and wrapped my whole blanket around me, trying my best not to fall for that pity party trick he normally uses.
Did I win? Of course not. I forgot how shameless Caleb is.
Caleb the lynx screamed at the top of his lungs. At 2 o'clock in the morning. At the window pane of my bedroom. I quickly shifted into my snake form and rammed my face into the glass. The glass cracked. I proceeded to unlock the window and let that shameless lynx inside my bedroom.
Both of us refused to return to our human forms, staring at each other with our beastly eyes. Returning to human form means surrender. After all I have been through after Caleb’s disappearance, there’s no way I’m letting him go just like that. I quickly slithered behind my furniture, planning my attack moves. Caleb became more alert, scanning the area with his tufted ears.
Sadly, I knew this was a losing game. A Barbados Racer snake going up against a Canadian Lynx is just a worm trying to fight a cat. I have zero venom, zero strength. Sometimes I wonder if this power was just a cruel prank from God. There’s nothing I could do by being a string in a world full of strong predators.
I made an attempt to attack the lynx. Leaving bites all over his back. Caleb, the most dramatic lynx to ever live, howled like I pierced a dagger into his flesh. My snake bites can't even leave a single mark on his thick fur. That’s how weak I am.
“Okay, that’s all for today, pipsqueak,” Caleb finally reverted to his human form.
I hissed at him.
“Pipsqueak.”
Another hiss.
“I’m not going to leave you again. I’m staying here for good. I prom-”
I regressed to human form just to slap Caleb. My palm stings but the sound emitted after delivering that open-handed blow to his face felt so good. I could feel some alpha energy surging out of me.
“Pipsqueak…”
“Pipsqueak me one more time… Promise me one more time...”
Caleb pulled me into his embrace. Alpha energy dissipated the second I felt his warmth. An intense warmth without a heartbeat. Is this reality? Is this really Caleb? My Caleb? My chest hurts. There’s an ache inside me that I fear is both pleasuring and sickening me at the same time.
“I know you have so many questions but… not tonight. I missed you so bad, MC…” His embrace tightened.
Tears started bubbling in my eyes, “Caleb… Gege...”
“Gege is here now, pipsqueak. Gege will never leave you again. Gege promise.”