Work Text:
Anniversaries
First
The first birthday 007 could remember was, well, her first. It was almost the same as any other day in the lab. White walls, sounds of machines beeping, stopping, and blinking. The white coats hadn't come on time to pick her up today so she had extra time to draw.
She was also attempting to learn to walk like the white coats and her mama. It was harder than they made it seem. 007 kept falling and getting hurt. And when the white coats came to get her, the things that they put in her hurt way more.
They didn't like her crying. Said that it messed up the brain data. She didn't talk much anymore. Her tongue tangled up when she tried to say the words the white coats did. And they didn't like that.
The door opened. 007 didn't look up. If she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her right? She went to not seen land then. The white coat walked closer. Probably just to check where she was. But white coat wouldn't catch her today!
She felt soft, but firm hands grip her back. HUH?! She was supposed to be not seen! How did this happen?! Did white coat have powers?!
007 was lifted in the air. She squirmed, trying to get out of the white coat's arms. The white coat squeezed her tighter. 007 fell limp attempting to play dead. The white coat still didn't let her go.
The white coat kept walking. And walking. And walking. It felt like ages before they arrived at the Room. She didn’t like the room. It was where they put needles in her skin, wires in her brain. It was all for World Peace, they said. The suffering of few to save many. At least that’s what they said.
More white coats were in the room. They strapped her down to the white table. The metal restraints were cold on her skin. She was so cold. Where was Mama? She wanted her Mama.
The white coats were putting the needles in her again. Her lip quivered. They were taking the wires and machines out. 007 whispered to someone, anyone who could hear her. “Mama?” She wanted her mama. A white coat heard her.
“You will be able to see Subject 002 after this, 007.” The white coat's cold, detached voice rang out in the silence of the other white coats who were preparing for something.
007 lit up, excited for the prospect of seeing her Mama. She only had to make it through this.
The white coats attached the wires to her forehead. One of them detached from the group in order to get a knife. A very large knife. It was as long as her head, and as thick as one of her fingers!
It seemed cool, until she realized that the knife was going to be used on her. She whimpered, just a little. A tear fell down her cheek. Nobody noticed. Or did they? Did they notice and simply not care?
BZZZZZ! They activated the wires. 007’s body writhed underneath the electrical pulse. It hurt so much. Her brain felt fuzzy. The pain was unbearable and she screamed. Oh, how she screamed. It was shrill and desperate. Desperate to get out and away from these monsters masquerading as saviors.
She felt something cold and thin enter her skull. It poked around, paining her with each second longer it took. She heard something far away. Screams? She did not know. She existed in some other place now. Somewhere in between life and death. There was pain here, yes, but it did not feel as bad. She did not feel it as much.
She spent a long time in that state. Unable to talk, or move, or feel. Perhaps the last one was for the better. She was curious about the darkness, but was scared to check it out. It felt comforting. Soft. At least she could feel that from her current position. It called to her, offering her an end to all this. She almost accepted it. Did accept it. Then she was brought back.
007 gasped for breath, greedily drinking the air in. Her eyes shot open, darting around her. It was over. She relaxed her body, relieved. A second later, the voices hit. Did the surgery work- Is it dead? Ha- The boss will be frustrated if it didn’t-
So loud. It was so loud. She blocked her ears but it had no use. The voices kept coming from everywhere, she couldn’t think, she couldn’t breath it was too loud too loud TOO LOUD.
Blood trickled down her face.
She fainted.
When she woke up, it was the next day.
She never did get to see her mama.
Third
The scientists said that she had a test today. 007 hated tests. They gave her headaches. She had failed the last one quite terribly, they were definitely going to punish her. So when they had come to take her for another test, she was quite shocked.
Was it that she was a genius and they were stupid and had got the answers to that test wrong? No, they would never. Especially when it was for world peace. Or at least that’s what they said. 007 had started to suspect they were lying to her. In the first weeks of her gaining her new power, they had had no defense against it, no shield to protect them and their thoughts from her and her mind.
They kept thinking about money and how they would use their bonuses and increasing salary to buy this or that, things she did not recognize like what they called a yacht. Or they were thinking about buying a spot for their kid into Eden Academy, what she presumed to be something fancy, and expensive. After all, all those zeros behind the one meant a very big number. There must have been at least five of them!
007 looked around. She had never been in this area of the lab before. She was usually restrained to her room, her mama’s room, the cafeteria occasionally, and the experiment room. Never outside of that area. She tugged on the scientist’s arm. “Where are we?” She whispered.
The scientist ignored her, fixated on a clipboard she was holding in her other hand. She tugged again. The scientist ignored her once more. 007 gave up. She didn’t want to get punished even more. They kept walking, taking various twists and turns into different hallways and corridors. They arrived a few minutes later.
The scientist led her into the room, opening the door for her and shutting it behind her. Her eyes had to adjust to the brightness of the room. It was so bright, she could see the light with her eyes closed! Her eyes finally adjusted and she opened them slightly, peering around her.
She saw white lights (expected, as it was very bright), white walls (also expected) and her mama?! (VERY UNEXPECTED) She ran to her mama, arms extended for a hug. Only when she got a few feet away did she notice that her mama was strapped in on the chair. She couldn’t get out. She was trapped on that chair unable to hug her.
She stopped in her tracks. “M-Mama?” She whispered, voice quivering.
Her mama’s eyes opened at the sound of her voice. “Anya? Is that you?”
Anya practically leapt into her mama’s arms, tears falling down her face.
Her mama frantically whispered in her ear, scaring Anya. “Dove, you need to get out of here, it’s not safe-“
Clap. A man walked out from behind the lights, clapping slowly. “Such a touching reunion. Sorry I interrupted, truly I am. But there is a schedule ladies and we are late.” He drawled, seemingly not sorry at all. Anya gripped her mama tighter.
“It’s time for your test 007. Are you ready?” Anya whimpered and turned away from the man. “Don’t call her that! Her name is Anya and you know it!”
The man ignored her Mama and stared at her. He gave a slight nod and another person came out from behind the lights. The person was moving closer to them.
Yoink! The person pulled her away from her Mama. Anya screamed out for her Mama and she squirmed and kicked and bit, but nothing made the person let go of her. If anything, it only made the person grip her tighter. She was placed in front of the man and was restrained to her spot with mechanical ropes that came out of the ground.
Another person came out from behind the lights. He was holding a bundle of blankets, or at least that’s what Anya thought until she heard a coo coming from inside it. Her Mama’s head swiveled so fast Anya almost didn’t see it. Her mama began pushing against her restraints once more, so violently that the ropes actually began fraying. Suddenly she stopped, and slumped over in her seat.
The man spoke to Anya. “Are you ready for your test now?” Anya stayed silent, not wanting to speak to this man who had pulled her away from her Mama. Her Mama. Who was currently slumped over in her chair. Not moving. Not moving.
Anya was frozen with shock and fear and something else she didn't quite recognize. She didn’t move an inch, scared for what might happen to her and her Mama if she did. Something got placed in her arms. It was heavy and long. It was all cold and sharp edges, not like her Mama. Her Mama was always warm, and soft. She didn't like this thing that was placed in her arms.
No, she hated it. She loathed it. A hand grabbed her shoulder. Anya flinched. “Did you hear what I said? Of course you didn’t. Since I'm a patient man, I'll repeat myself. Anya tried to move away from the hand. It only gripped her tighter. “ I said to shoot your mama, or I'll have to kill your sister.”
Anya’s attention was caught by this. She slowly raised her gaze to meet the man. After a few seconds, she finally stuttered out “A-Anya has a sister?” The man smirked. “Not for long, if you don’t shoot your Mama.’
“You-You would’t!”
“You have ten seconds.”
Anya stared directly into the man's eyes.
“Ten.”
She searched them for any emotion.
“Nine.”
Any emotion at all.
“Eight.”
She searched for guilt.
“Seven.”
She searched for love.
“Six.”
She couldn't find anything.
“Five.”
She kept staring.
“Four.”
She kept searching.
“Three.”
Nothing.
“Two.”
How could one person be so souless? Not feeling any emotion-
“One.”
Or feeling at all? What monstrosities had happened to him that made him turn out so callous and numb?
He gave a nod to the person holding the baby. No, not the baby. Her sister. She turned around just in time to see a knife being stabbed in the bundle. The tiny coos stopping. The blood staining the blankets. A strange, alien sound came out of her mouth.
A sound of pain, of losing someone you don't know yet, but you somehow had known them since forever. A pain so deep that it dove down into her soul and tore away a piece she hadn’t even known she had or needed until it was wrenched away from her forcefully by something she might have been able to prevent.
An essential piece of her was missing, and she didn’t know if it would ever be back.
“Shoot your Mama or we will.” The man spoke again. He pushed the thing up, aiming one end of it at her Mama who was still slumped over in the chair. He adjusted her hands on the thing, arranging them to hold it differently. Probably correctly.
She let him. She felt too weak to do anything but just… exist. He put her fingers on something that moved if she pulled it. Her Mama looked up.
Anya didn’t notice. The man put his finger on top of hers. Her Mama was about to speak. The man pushed her finger back. BANG!
It shook her. She looked at her Mama. She was still slumped over. But- There was red. Red spreading through her clothes. Anya dropped the thing and ran to her. Red dripped down her Mama’s chest. Was that because of her?
“Mama?” She whispered. Her Mama raised her head weakly. “A-anya?”
“MAMA!” She was right in front of her mama now. She pressed her hand to the red hole blood was dripping from. It was red too. “Anya, listen.” Anya raised her head to her.
“You need to get out of here. It’s not safe and-”
“D-Did i do this to you?”
Her Mama paused.
“Yes, but it’s not your fault. Listen, Anya. It is not your fault.”
Anya started sobbing. Waves of tears streamed down her face.
“I-I don’t have much time left. I love you, Dove.” Her Mama’s voice was getting weaker and weaker. Her mama’s head slumped. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and empty.
“Mama?”
Anya shook her mamas shoulders.
“MAMA” She sobbed. She did this. She killed her mama. It was all her fault.