Subject Zero: CONFIDENTIAL (Short Stories)

SMILE: Through Broken Mirrors (1)

[ a/n: im sorry idek what the gif in the video is 😃 ]

December 12, 1965
The Mirror World

Third Person's POV
For the past few days, a boy had been walking around the Mirror World, seeming to be searching for someone. He kept calling for "Alexandria," like he is looking for her.

He was worryingly pale. He had black hair, some of which fell in front of his face. Both of his eyes were entirely black, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He seemed mentally exhausted. He wore a white button-down shirt with black pants and white hightop Converse shoes, which were covered in dirt. He looked to be sixteen-years-old.
Liam Smiles.

A few weeks ago, Joplin convinced him to turn him into a Shade. Liam agreed, because Shades have all kinds of "gifts", which he believed would help him find his friend Alexandria.

But he hasn't developed any of the gifts Joplin said he would receive. He's still the same, except he can feel every bit of the pain Alexandria used to feel, thanks to the doctors making her able to feel her siblings' and children's pain and suffering. Now that they're bringing in more subjects, he's only going to feel more pain.

But he's not just searching the Mirror World. He's been looking through the mirrors that show Norwood's National Laboratory, just in case Alexandria were to return to that place.

He was listening to one of the mirrors, while sitting on a large stone, just taking a breather (quick rest). He was listening to the doctors.

     "Yohan, are you really sure you want to adopt fourteen children? I mean, that's going to be quite a handful," said one of the doctors. "We already have Fourteen, Thirteen, Twelve, and Eleven. Isn't that enough?"

16-year-old Yohan then responds, "I was raised with Malina, Nixie, Lucas, Yuda, and don't even get me started on Lincoln and Mary. I can handle taking care of fourteen kids. I mean, the orphanage takes care of dozens of kids, so who's to say I can't? Besides, I don't want this cycle to go on any longer than it already has. This needs to be done has soon as possible." He thought for a moment. "It's just going to be a little difficult now that Dr. Saikou is who-knows-where, and Dr. Welch is retired. I'm going to need some help."

This caught Liam's attention more. I knew about Dr. Saikou, but Welch is retired? Finally... That asshole needed to leave this place. I don't understand why they hired such awful people.

Something came to mind.

     ...Dr. Welch was an awful person. He always threatened to get the Shades to kill Alexandria. She was afraid of him. He is the reason she wasn't allowed to tell any of the kids the truth about this lab. Three still managed to escape, thanks to Dr. Saikou, since he wasn't receiving any threats and wanted to help Ally.

     ...Dr. Welch... needs to be removed.

     He needs to get a taste of his own medicine.

     "Tell any of the kids, and I will get the Shades to kill them and then you. You will have to watch them die. You will have to watch them suffer."

     I wonder how he'll feel, being faced by the same thing he threatened Alexandria with.

8:30p.m.
Washing Well Laundromat
Human World

An old, sixty-year-old man was walking out of the laundromat, holding a small basket of clean laundry. No one was around. As far as he was aware of, he was the only person outside tonight. The smell of the flowers from the nearby garden were filling the air.

He was walking over to his car, and just as he reached in his pocket for the keys, they were no longer there, even though they were moments before.

He looked back at the laundromat, assuming someone must've stolen his keys. But he looked at the ground, and there they were. How come he didn't hear the clatter of the keys falling to the ground?

He sighed and put the laundry basket on top of the car, then walked over to get his keys, not paying attention to the silhouette behind him: Liam.

Liam was holding a garden hose he had taken from the nearby garden. He felt nervous for what was about to happen, but furious when looking at the man, Dr. Welch. He had a wrench with him in his pocket, in case things wouldn't go according to plan.

While the man wasn't looking, Liam quickly approached him, and before he could turn around, Liam put his arms over the man's head and pulled the garden hose around his neck, strangling him.

The man dropped his keys and instantly reached up to the garden hose, trying to part it from his neck as he struggled to breathe. He reached behind his head, trying to remove Liam's hands from the garden hose. As an instinct, he kicked Liam's shin, forcing him to let go, then he shoved him away.

As Dr. Welch gasped for air, he turned to see who had just tried to kill him, being faced by Liam Smiles. He was disturbed, seeing as the boy's once hazel eyes were now entirely black, almost as if he had no eyes at all.

     "...What in the damn hell?" mumbled Dr. Welch. "You damn psycho! What the hell did you do to yourself?!"

"I became the very thing you threatened Alexandria with," Liam calmly stated. "The very thing you're afraid of."

"...Jesus Christ! Why are you doing this...?! You think you can kill me just like that?!"

A smirk grew on Liam's face. "I know I can. ...You deserve everything that's coming to you."

Liam kicked him to the ground, which made the man hit his head on the pavement, knocking him out.

[ Next Day ]

News Report

"When heading to his car after doing laundry at the local laundromat, the doctor hung himself with a garden hose and a wrench.

There were no witnesses. There has been zero evidence that would lead the detectives to believe this was a homicide.

The police have filed this investigation as a suicide."

{ End of Part I }

"My future seemed... so bright."