Project 404 [DNF]

Chapter 6: Lab rat

Dream stappled out of the cell and cursed as every moved caused the stab wound to ache even more. He tore of the mask with his non injured hand an threw it on the ground.

It had been two days since the kidnapping and Dream was already a mess. George clearly didn't remember Dream's part in it all. What Schlatt needed the boy for was still a mystery. They had asked about George's parents but there was nothing that stuck out about them.

"You need to do something about that." Sapnap said with his eyes glued to the knife still stuck in Dream's arm. Dream glared at him.

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Dream jaw ached after Sapnap had done his best at trying to stitch the wound together. The knife had thankfully missed any bigger arteries, but it sure hurt.

They were currently staying in a two story house in the middle of nowhere. Sapnap and Dream each had a bedroom on the second floor with a shared bathroom. The house looked like any other house from the outside. No one would suspect what's going on beyond ground.

The pair walked down the stairs to the kitchen and living room area. Both stopped in their tracks when they saw that their kitchen table was occupied by Schlatt followed by two of Schlatt's bodyguards and a pink-haired guy. Seeing the pink-haired guy sent shivers down Dream's spine. The guy with pink hair, also known as Techno or the Blood God, was bad news. He lacked all form of empathy and was therefore Schlatt's favorite.

Speaking of Schlatt. A evil grin spread across the man's face as his eyes landed on Dream's injured arm. Their boss shook his head. "Dream, Dream, Dream. I expected more from you. You let a 5"7, fragile boy, stab you." Schlatt said mockingly. Techno glanced at Dream's arm after Schlatt's remark, but didn't say anything before returning to shuffling through a bunch of papers.

"The boy doesn't know anything." Sapnap said to break the tension. Schlatt huffed. "I would've been surprised if he had known anything." Dream's jaw dropped at the confession. So, they had tortured George for two days for nothing?

"Then what's the reason for keeping him locked up?" Sapnap asked, sounding just as confused as Dream felt.

"Richard Henry Davidson. Immigrated from France in his early twenties after being accused of preforming unethical science experiments. These experiments revolved around gene therapy and gene mutation." Techno said in a monotone voice.

Dream and Sapnap exchanged a glance. "Yeah, we know that George's dad is a former scientist but now works as a pharmacist." Sapnap answered.

Schlatt glanced between the two friends with an amused expression. "Have any of you idiots heard the theory that pharmaceutical companies runs the world?" Schlatt question. Their expressions must've spoiled the answer.

"Of course not. George's dad is way more influential than one might think. He's a person that you wouldn't want to mess with."

Dream felt like he was five years old, and his parents was trying to explain why you shouldn't eat candy every day. All of this information felt irrelevant. At least to why George had anything to do with it. Was he being used as leverage?

"Fine, George's dad is an important person. But what does it have to do with his son?" Dream finally dared to asked.

"Finally, a relevant question!" Schlatt erupted. "Mr. Davidson founded a project called "Project 404". What he managed to achieve would've landed him a Noble prize. However, the finding broke a lot of ethical rules and even more important, it would lessen the influence that pharmaceutical companies would have over people."

It wasn't until Schlatt stopped talking that Dream realized that he was holding his breath. So many questions swirled through his brain. Like why Schlatt suddenly had developed such an interest in the pharmaceutical industry.

"Okay, but if you already know about his finding and about this project, why do you need George?" Dream said in a defensive tone. Schlatt gave Techno a quick nod and the guy stood up and handed over the pile of paper.

The headline was "Project 404". A big stamp with the word 'Retracted' decorated the paper. At first glance it seemed to be just a normal scientific report, Though, as Dream looked closer, the paper started making less and less sense.

Project 404

Arorabobiesos-inonfofecoctotedodanonimomalolisosalolroreadodydodeadod.

Dream was convinced that he had gone mad. It didn't resemble any language he had ever encountered. "What language is this?" Sapnap asked carefully, seemingly just as confused.

Schlatt shrugged. " Most likely a nonexistent one."

Dream finally snapped. "Okay. Stop with this bullshit. What is this and how does it involve George?" Dream realized that his reaction was exactly the one that Schlatt had tried to provoke.

"Still don't get it? George is "Project 404"." Schlatt said and smirked at the effect his words had.

Dream's heart was pounding quickly. "What does that mean?"

"That little abomination is Mr. Richard Davidson's lab rat."

Both Dream and Sapnap were too stunned to speak. To believe that a father would experiment on his child was so far beyond what seemed reasonable.

"But wait! Two things: How do you know this? You said it yourself, the paper is unreadable. Second question, if George really was an experiment, shouldn't he be dead? The paper was retracted, doesn't that mean that the experiments didn't work out?"

Dream hated how every question he mentioned seemed to be the exact reaction that Schlatt tried to provoke.

"You really are a bright one, aren't you Dream?" Schlatt said mockingly. Dream felt his cheek heating from embarrassment.

"Sure, the paper was retracted and costed the man his license. However, that's not because it was a failure. My sources tells me that it actually might've been a little too successful. So successful in fact that it was seen as a threat to society."

Schlatt suddenly stood up and the amused expression fell as he did. "That boy has something I need. But his dad made sure to cover up his dirty business so no one would know about the immoral decisions he made." Schlatt shouted.

"But George has a brother, how can you be so sure that it's him and not his brother?" Dream countered. Techno's deep voice rang through the room. "Look at page 14." Dream quickly flipped through the pages. The language remained just as weird throughout the entire report. But as Dream found page 14, his heart dropped. It was a picture of a pair of familiar eyes. One was deep brown and the other bright blue.

Techno studied them with a bored expression. "There's your proof." Dream sighed. There was no way this would end well.

"Fine. You've proven your point. Although it still doesn't explain what good it would do to keep him in the basement. He seems clueless in the matter and refuses to talk." Sapnap questioned.

Schlatt nodded in Dream's direction. "He sure seemed fond of Clay over there." Dream threw his hands up in frustration.

"Once maybe. But it isn't like he'll talk to me now if I walk down there and pretended like everything's fine."

"Who said anything about walking?" Before Dream could react, he felt a stinging feeling in his shoulder and his mind quickly went cloudy.

"What the fu –" But his sentences was cut off as he fell to the ground and slowly drifted away. He heard Sapnap cursing and yelling, but then everything turned blank.