8B2

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

0001 -Present Day- 1212

The steady hum of the machinery around me and the flickering lights lulled me to sleep. I was leaning against the padded walls, heat rushing over me. My cell was comfortable enough but I'd never left so I wouldn't know anything different. I knew how to talk, I could read and write. I practiced math frequently and was kept clean by the machines. They didn't like to have me dressed in clothing, they always needed to see my body to monitor anything unusual. I didn't like it. But I was used to it. I had televisions and screens in my cell programmed with what they let me watch. I knew enough about the outside world although I'd never seen the sky, clouds, or the sun.

I wanted to see the glass skyscrapers and walls of screens and people. But I would never have a normal life. I wasn't real. I was the only thing on this planet born without parents. I stirred slowly, my legs pulled up to my chest. I was most comfortable sitting like this.

The lights in my cells powered off, like they always did at 21:00. I was still sitting by the glass that gave me a view into the lab. The lights in there were still on and my creator and Dr. Rhyligh were preparing for their new project. I watched them for entertainment, they were the only things that were real in my life, if I was even alive.

She moved through the lab with a sort of elegance, while he moved with trudging steps. I could tell by the way he looked at her that he liked her. When Dr. Rhyligh wasn't looking Dr. Iveki would glance at her back, then startle away when she looked back. Dr. Rhyligh was my only friend, if you could call her that. It seemed my counterpart and I had that in common.

She wasn't really either one of our friends, she was his partner and the only person who talked to me. She called me Adam. I liked that better than 0001. It made me sound like a person.

I watched them, Dr. Iveki religiously avoiding looking in my direction while Dr. Rhyligh flashed me sad brown eyes. They were sorting through papers and equipment like they had been for the past day since his arrival. I didn't know what they were working on this cycle, but I hoped they wouldn't create something like me, doomed to exist but not really live.

I couldn't hear what they were saying but by the look on his face, revulsion and arrogance, I knew the topic was about me. She pointed in my direction while I watched, gesturing with her hands. He shook his head angrily, his eyes pleading like he didn't want her to be angry at him. The conversation escalated quickly. She said something, stomping her foot. He waved his hands, glancing at me.

I met his eyes, startling him into looking away. She raised her voice, the sound carrying through the glass. "You can't just ignore him! You made him, now help him!"

She pushed past him, he grabbed her arm, face turning red. She said something, yanked her arm and disappeared through the door that led to the apartments. He stared after her for a few moments then slammed his hand into a stack of papers, sending them flying.

I watched as he crouched over the table, pressing his forehead against the metal and bracing his elbows on the table, his hands on the back of his neck. I watched him dully, knowing I was the cause of his outburst. Look at me.

He turned around and followed her, the light switch flipping off, ignoring me again. I leaned my head against the wall. I sighed, I was so sick of this. What would I do if I got out of here? Was there something about me that told people I wasn't normal? Was there a sign on my skin that said it grew in a lab rather than a womb?
I was falling asleep, dreaming about the world outside my stuffy box when I heard tapping on the glass. I opened my eyes and glanced at the glass to see Dr. Rhyligh. The papers were still scattered across the floor, but she knelt before the glass, a pair of clothing over her arm.