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Chapter 1

Dim lighting glowed from light fixtures in the ceiling, giving the blank, white room a darker atmosphere. Nate opened his eyes numbly, before sitting up and yawning quietly.

It happened like this every morning.

The same dimly lit white room, the same, rewashed everyday white clothes, the same doctor coming in to take him out for the next little project they had in mind that they needed him for.

It was exhausting. And utterly numbing.

As if on queue, his door made a beeping sound, along with a loud click. And as always, the same, short, stout female came in, a loose smile on her face.

"Good morning, Mr. Smith," she said in a smooth, unwavering voice. "Are you ready for today?" Nate nodded quietly.

He'd already figured out she would take him anyway, even if he said no, a long while ago.

Nate had lost track of time for how long he'd been at this facility, and he'd given up on asking for a proper date. He still remembered the moments before he was dragged to this white hell like they were yesterday, though.

He'd been at a con, finishing a signing. So many people had come to see him. And he needed to take a break and go relieve himself.

He didn't notice the person wearing a light blue lab coat follow him in, long sleeves hiding their hands. He didn't see them hiding in one of the stalls, then crawling up to him when he was washing his hands.

He only remembered the sharp feeling of a needle in his neck, and a quiet voice saying, "Congratulations, you've been randomly picked."

Then, Nate woke up in the room for the first time. His muscles aching, he'd called out to anyone, asking for answers. He'd silently pondered what was going on, and how everyone would react. He figured that someone would realize he was missing and tried tofigure out where he was and help him.

Now that all felt so long ago.

"Mr. Smith?" Nate looked up at the woman who was now standing in front of him. The same smile was plastered on her face, her eyes dull and blank. He stood up, saying nothing, and the woman nodded. "There you go." She grabbed Nate by the arm firmly, and guided him out of the room. Turning around for a second, she worked on closing the door, and Nate looked to the right of it, like he did every time he left.

-ROOM 402-
-NATHAN SMITH-
-AGE: 27-

It said those three simple things. Before, he would have looked at that plaque next to his door and felt sick to the stomach, but now he couldn't put a single emotion to what he saw.

The woman turned back around, the door clicking shut behind them, pulling Nate along with her as they walked off. As they walked, multiple people were being dragged through the halls, either in loud yells of protest or in silence, still under the effect of the drugs they used - no doubt one of the ones they've tested on him. It was a usual thing, it didn't phase him at all as he trudged alongside the woman.

Until he heard his name.

"N-Nate..? Nate?! Oh my God, Nate! Wait, wait, I know him! L-Let me go, I need to see-"

Nate blinked a couple times, and turned his head back to glance behind him. Two of the security guards, tall and muscular, had someone in their arms, obviously resisting. There was nothing unusual about that.

But... was that red hair he spotted?

No, no, it couldn't be.

He turned back around as he continued walking.

"NATE!" Nate turned around again to see someone wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt and red hair running towards him, one of the two guards chasing him, the other holding his crotch, on the ground where he had been standing before.

Nate stopped in his steps, despite the shoving and pulling of the woman next to him, eyes widening.

He hadn't talked in so long.

"M-Ma-rk..?" Nate asked, his voice quiet and cracking slightly. He was being dragged away by the woman, but Mark got to him, quickly shoved the woman off of him, and grabbed Nate's arm, dragging him away.

Meanwhile, while Mark was dragging the poor dazed man away, Nate had other issues going through his mind.

Why was Mark here? Why did they have to choose him? Nate's head was being rushed with thoughts, and he was feeling dizzy. Emotions threatened to overwhelm him suddenly, practically a brand new experience for the (former?) YouTuber who had been numb for so long.

"M-Mark.." Nate stammered out quietly, and Mark looked at him, breathing heavily from trying to run quickly, pulling along a dazed Nate weight through the maze of halls. "Y-You shouldn't-shouldn't be he-here," Nate said quietly, stopping.

"What the hell, Nate, why are we stopping??"

"J-Just go. Get o-out. You don't..." Emotions became too much for him, and Nate broke down into tears, begging for Mark to leave.

"Hey, I am leaving. I'm just also sure as hell not leaving you here." Mark almost grabbed Nate's arm again, before discovering that it was covered in bruises. Mark's eyes widened.

"Nate, what... have they been doing to you..?" Nate responded in tears, mumbling that Mark needed to leave, that he didn't want Mark to have to go through what he goes through every morning. Mark sighed before taking Nate's hand, the only part of Nate's arm that wasn't bruised from who knows what, and quickly pulling him along.

"It's been three months, Nate," Mark said quietly, glancing back at Nate as they dashed through the halls --well, more like Mark dashed, and Nate was being dragged along, sobbing with overwhelming emotions--,"everyone's been worried about you for three damn-" 

Mark was cut off by something lodging itself in his leg, stumbling and breathing in a sharp breath of air. When both he and Nate looked down at it, surprised and confused, Mark suddenly slumped over and Nate was barely able to catch him. He silenced his sobs as best he could, wiping away stray tears from behind his glasses, as he watched two new security guards come up and take Mark from him, much to Nate's refusal. Nate watched as they dragged him back down the halls they just ran through. The woman came back, the smile on her face gone. She took an even tighter grip on Nate's arm, making him wince in pain in the first time in a long time, as she dragged him off, too, in the other direction, and as much as Nate struggled, he couldn't go and save his friend.

There was nothing he could do. He couldn't save him from this numbing hell.

Mark was gone.

~~~~~

So uh, yeah, have what I think is gonna be a poorly updated longer fic with ACTUAL CHAPTERS!!! I wrote this at like 12:30/1:00 am last night lol, but I mean. Hope y'all like it, I'll probably remember to update it some day.

-Mod Mark