Rated M for Mature content. The One Who Stole It All He is the one with no name, created to be a weapon, but... ©June 2005 By 混乱 零 ： 夕暮れ Yuugure The thick cords of dull metallic grey and navy blue fell to the ground with loud splattering sounds. Liquid shot from their gaping tubes and sprayed about while thrashing, coating the floor with a layer of slick, odious droplets that ran like rivers. Transparent wings caked in blood and grime, were wrapped about a lifeless figure who'd been hanging in suspended animation for the last thirty-eight hours. Shivers wracked the pale form, shining sweat gliding down the ripples of naked muscle as fingers of metal tested themselves by clenching and unclenching slowly. The wires between each metal bone acted like joints and muscle, moving easily as he stepped from his cocoon. This magnificent machine had yet to raise his head, a mop of rich brown hair plastering to his wet face. "Rise your head to me..." a voice whispered. The machine man obeyed, and lifted his head, wires straining to support this new position. Half of the humanoid face was covered in pulsing wires of red and green. The wires were wrapped around an intricate series of lights and pieces of metal. Sparks shot off every so often as the one red eye blinked experimentally. The other, a dark true blue remained open, blinded by the new surroundings around it. The wings flickered as he moved until they finally faded away so much they were no longer there. A cracking sound came from his fingers as they tensed dangerously. This machine man was a very dangerous one indeed. A sudden flurry of movement erupted from the young body, tossing forward and lurching at the only other living being in the room. The woman smiled, easily stepping away from the uncertain new body and the uncoordinated movements. Her blonde hair bounced about her shoulders as she continued to take notes on her clipboard, light blue eyes focusing on the words she was writing as the machine man continued to attack her. A cut appeared on her cheek suddenly and she paused, stunned. This one was learning quicker than the others had. Maybe this was the one? No... She went on the attack, and pushed forward, catching the forehead of her attacker and her momentum and force slammed him into the ground. Too early for you now... 'Have patience' seemed too much of a cliché at the moment as she straightened, pushing an errant strand of hair from her eyes and turned her back on the dangerous one. He seemed to sense this and vaulted up, again attacking her. She stepped to the side quickly and whirled, bringing her leg up to catch him in the back of the neck, sending him sprawling forward. He gave a grunt of surprise and caught himself barely with his mechanical hand, springing back up to his feet. She turned as well, ready for him this time. He came at her again, relentless murderous thoughts echoing through his mind. She let him pass by dodging too easily and held out an electric device. Flipping it on, she pointed it at his back. He gasped in excruciating horror before collapsing boneless to the ground. "You'll learn, eventually... that is, if you survive." She said softly and the lights went out leaving him in complete darkness. Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 16. Published to an open online website. Prologue: Zero Twilight Promoting to open forum to gauge reactions and feedback . Leave comments or constructive criticism below.
Rated M for Mature content The One Who Stole it All ©June 2005 一 ： 命 Inochi It was painful, those tests. They always came after he did the intensive training. He did the intensive training every day. Mindless questions came to him every day, asking him the same thing in that irritating monotonous tone. 'Why am I here?' 'What is my purpose?' 'Will this all ever end?' 'Who am I?' 'Can this pain ever kill me?' The voice seemed to have a never-ending echo that repeated in his mind until he felt he'd go absolutely crazy, if he weren't already. He wasn't allowed to show weaknesses like that though, and couldn't curl up in a ball in the corner to cry or shake in fear. He had to keep an impassive face and a calm composure or he'd be punished severely. He knew that well from past experience. "Life is a precious thing, isn't it zero-zero-seven-five-nine-eight? (00-7598)" came the female voice he had grown to respect. It was a loathsome relationship with the blonde female though. He didn't want to respect her but she was obviously more powerful and better equipped than he and therefore she was his superior no matter how he looked at it. Even though his training had created his mind to block out all these thoughts, that tiny voice continued, reminding him of his mortal curiosity. The training had made him mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually more powerful than any human being should be able to become, and he was well taught in high classes of science, math and literature. His brain collected and stored each piece of information, keeping it in the right categorized space like the machine he was. Still, that weak human part of him questioned everything. That was what got him in trouble. "Life? … It seems to be such a fragile unnecessary thing. Perhaps all of you should just die and let the world continue on its own." The woman narrowed her eyes after recovering quickly from momentary surprise. "Oh? Then Zero -" that was his pet name she had given him, "Are you suggesting that I should die and that you should live?" The boy nodded. "That is correct. You are unnecessary." A sharp pain coursed through his veins and he collapsed to the floor in a daze. The woman, whose name was 'Maria', stepped towards him and nudged him with the toe of her high-heels. "You are wrong, Zero. You are the one that is unnecessary. Do not forget that." Zero most certainly did not forget that, and he didn't ever speak that way again. It wasn't just the shock she had decided to give him after all. He was dragged back to his cell and then left to himself for ten days before the torture began anew. It was worse than before, for the electronic chip wired in his neck had been tuned to receive agonizing shocks every single time he breathed. Not only that, but his training continued as normal, and he was crippled greatly by this new development of distraction. He was punished for that as well, because after all it was his fault. Needles were injecting poison into his fingertips making it impossible for him to touch things without excruciating pain shaking throughout his whole body. Though he felt no need to do so, he forced himself to apologize to Maria and after a few weeks, the needles stopped their insertion into his daily regimen. It wasn't until sixteen full years had passed when the black suits came to take him away. Maria said nothing as he was ripped from his cell and relocated. He didn't say anything either, because he knew he wasn't supposed to. Even if Maria had been the cruelest person to him, he felt the closest to her and he was surprised to feel hurt inside when she watched him leave without any emotion crossing her grim face. A sixteen year old, fully trained machine was now in the possession of a secret organization known as '流れ星', Nagareboshi. He only came into contact with three people now. 青, 緑, and 赤. All three of them, Blue, Green, and Red, were the closest things to a mute that could talk if he wanted, and only if he wanted. He knew only that their names were obviously in code within their group and what they looked like though it seemed vague. He knew that Blue was a tall man with graying hair and cold hazel eyes, Green was a young one, but tall as well with dark hair and blue eyes and Red was always dark to him, black hair and the same colored eyes. They rarely spoke to him, and when they did the words were always orders. He wished that Maria could be there, since though they were usually painful she did let conversations start. "Turn over." The rough voice of Blue said to him and he did so, without a word. Fingers roamed down his back, feeling for anything unusual from his last training session. Blue finally decided that nothing was wrong and departed to Red. Zero turned his head slightly and watched the two speak in hushed voices. Green had ventured over and was typing something into a computer near the table where he was. Zero inched forward tentatively, trying to see what the older boy was doing without him knowing he was trying to do so. Green's eyes flickered to him with a cold glare and Zero froze before collapsing on the table and remained in that position until Blue's voice told him to sit up. The whole affair seemed natural to him now as the three men began poking and prodding him with various objects, occasionally taking notes on certain things. Then, he was told to stand up. He was then placed on a treadmill and began to run. Three hours passed as he continued to run, maintaining the same pace as when he started. He was getting a little tired, but not because of running. He was getting sick of having to do all of these insane things every single day. He wouldn't complain though, even if somewhere deep in his subconscious voices were screaming it was unreasonable. He had heard them say it, and decided he accepted it... that little nickname of 'Superman'. He decided that it gave him something to work for in the future. "Okay, 00-7598. Step down." Red finally said. A whispered comment reached Zero's ears. "Our little innocent weapon, how absolutely amazing you are..." Weapons in hand, the three approached him and escorted him forcefully back to his cell. They needn't have used any weapons at all, and Zero felt that they knew that too. It was all a show. After all, you wouldn't gain much trust from your followers if you let a super machine wander around by himself. Again, locked behind a glass wall, he stared at his surroundings in dismay. A simple bed with bare sheets, a table with a single book sitting on it and a sheet of paper pinned to the wall. That was what made up his living quarters. Digitized numbers on a clock far above his reach clicked to 14:02. Zero sat down on his bed and stared into space as he often did, ridding his mind of everything but that room of darkness that he found he was escaping to more and more as of late. He stretched his mechanical fingers, one by one until each wire had been pulled taut. Then he relaxed them again, watching as his fingers slowly snapped back, each with such force had they been real they would have broken. His red eye rolled around a few times and then his blue one blinked. The world seemed to shake when he did this, and he found he liked that unsettling feeling. He lay back carefully, feeling as if he did it too fast he might somehow break something. Those questions came to him in a flood once more, and despite his best efforts to keep them out, they surfaced. 'What am I doing?' 'How come I'm like I am?' 'What's keeping me here?' 'What am I here for?' 'Is there a purpose?' 'Can I do something different, to change what is happening right now?' 'Can't anyone tell me what to do?' "Zero, snap out of it." a cheerful voice said. "You're going to be leaving soon anyway. It'll get all those antsy feelings out." Zero opened his eyes and saw the little girl with light hair tinged red and lilac eyes. He didn't feel an urge to smile like he probably should and glared instead. He didn't like anyone coming close to him, and he didn't want her to think she was an exception. Before he could protest her being there though, she disappeared in a shower of golden sparks and he gave a frustrated growl before deciding to give up. He knew he'd never win anyway. Damn psychics. The girl 07-9612, or Seven, hadn't lied. He was going outside for the first time he could remember. He wasn't free though. He had a mission. A 'mission', he had learned, was the polite word for assassination. In other words, he was leaving the dark underground laboratory to go up to the surface only to kill someone and then report straight back. He also learned the meaning of 'deadline', which he was told he'd most certainly have to obey. He was only going to have a day to do this. The person was no one important, just a random face out of a crowd. It wouldn't be hard therefore, especially for someone with his skill. If he failed to do this in a days' time, he'd be returning to Maria for a lethal injection. He knew that that was bad, and was determined not to fail. Even after training for five more days straight and then resting the final one, he wasn't prepared for the assault of light to his eyes. It wasn't like the light down below. It was a clear light, and it was absolutely beautiful. All around him was yellow grass. It came to his hips, and tickled the undersides of his arms. The sky was a pretty blue, filled with white clouds. It was a nice day, definitely, but Zero wasn't there to admire the scenery in the least. He had a job to do, a mission. He was to complete it as soon as possible. Even if he was a machine, he didn't want to die. Subject in sight. Short, overweight American male, in his mid-forties... balding slightly, wearing glasses, seems distraught over losing his keys. House keys maybe... from conversations, it seems to be likely. Marcus Whitmore, a father of two boys, ages nine and fourteen. Wife, Catherine, teaches piano and takes care of simple one story ranch house. Sons, George the younger and Thomas the elder, attend Anderson Elementary and Hobby Middle School respectively... The voice droned on in that monotone, but Zero tuned out. His metal fingers seemed to itch and burn in anticipation. Perhaps the motivation of the goal was praise from the three waiting for his return. He so wanted to be praised. Acknowledged. Accepted. Zero's eyes narrowed as he followed the oblivious man a few hours later, leaving the grocery store and walking to his car. Zero's arms stretched out before he was aware of exactly what he was doing and both cold and warm fingers, metal and living wrapped about the thick neck of Mr. Whitmore. A strangled gasping sound issued forth from the throat of the suffocating man. Zero loosened his hold just enough so he could hear the begging clearer before squeezing mercilessly, crushing the man's throat completely. I don't understand the human brain. He begs for his life, yet his words also include his children and his wife. Why would he think about such useless things when he is about to die? Why would he tell me about them? Does he think that I will feel sympathetic towards him suddenly and let him live so he may return to them, or does he want me to leave them alone and not kill them like I am to him? Someday I will have to try to understand further, these human emotions. Zero let go and the man slumped to the ground. A scream brought him from his thoughts and he dashed away as a woman came running over. He heard voices calling for him and a few minutes later, sirens rang in his ears. A sense of panic filled his mind and Zero briefly wondered about it before it faded to adrenaline. Zero still had plenty of time to get back to his superiors, but he wanted to look around just a little before then. He knew that in his mission state of mind this was unacceptable, but at the moment his excitement overrode everything else. He was going to explore for bit before returning. His impressive stamina and speed carried him far from the sirens in no time and he found himself wandering along a cracked sidewalk, with grass on one side and a small park on the other. He heard a repetitive squeaking noise and started violently, turning wildly about to find out where it had come from. His reactions were still tense when he finally located the source of the noise. Someone was sitting on a rusty swing in the park, slowly rocking back and forth. The black hair that fell to the person's shoulders made Zero assess that the figure was female, and approached with caution. When Zero came far past the point he knew he would have noticed someone, the person looked up, revealing very dark brown eyes and a face that though pretty was most definitely masculine. In contrast to Zero's form-fitting black clothing, the boy had on an oversized t-shirt of black and white and dark blue jeans. Zero silently thought that the boy's outfit must be much more comfortable than his own, though his hair was ridiculous. "Oh, hi!" the boy said with a generous smile. "... Hello." Zero replied, unsure of his self now. The sun was dying at the horizon and his attitude was getting edgy. "I don't think I know you, are you new around here? Well obviously, since you've got that fucking cool arm and that whole thing with your face." Zero had almost missed the question and running commentary but his exceptional hearing caught it and brought his mind back from the brink of worry. "You do not know me." "Well," the boy said, standing up, "Let's remedy that. I'm Kane, and you are?" "..." Again, Zero paused. He wasn't sure what his name was really. 'Zero' seemed insufficient to him now, and 00-7598 wasn't really appropriate. The only thing he could think of was to tell the truth as he saw it, and he did so. "I don't have a name." Kane looked shocked. "Oh, really? That's quite a shock. Well, everyone needs a name, so I'll give one to you." Zero stared in something akin to amusement as the boy stood with an expression of complete bewildering thoughtfulness. Zero was getting nervous though, for the sun was quickly sinking in the sky. If the boy –Kane- didn't hurry up soon, he'd have to leave and for some strange and unexplainable reason, he didn't want to quite yet. Emotions warred within him and he felt even worse and more confused. He was about to run away or kill the boy when he spoke at last. "I've got a good name for you then, 名無." Kane said. "What?" Zero responded, confused. "Nanashi. It means basically in Japanese, 'without a name' or 'name-less'." Kane explained. I'd go into it, but I don't think you feel like sticking around long anyway." "I can't." Zero 'Nanashi' said, feeling a tinge of regret spark up. He wasn't sure why he enjoyed Kane's subtle company, but he knew that he now definitely had to go. "I have to go." Kane pouted a little, but it was all in fun. His eyes laughed for him, and Zero felt a sense of relief wash over him. He didn't really know how to say goodbye or anything, so he just turned and began walking away. Kane's voice stopped him though. "Hey, you can't just leave without saying goodbye to me." Zero turned, a look of annoyance across his face. It must have been very scary and Zero was feeling somewhat pleased when Kane was taken aback. "Jesus, you don't have to look so angry." Kane whined. Zero let his emotions wipe clean and a blank look replaced the annoyed one. It apparently wasn't any better. "Oh god, now that one's even worse." Kane said with a laugh. "I guess I'll just say goodbye for the both of us." Zero decided that was acceptable and walked away. Kane didn't stop him and Zero refused to look back. He had already broken many of the rules he had given himself and he wasn't going to break any more. First of all, he wasn't supposed to have contact with anyone but the victim. He also wasn't supposed to let anyone see him and live. He definitely wasn't supposed to feel friendly with someone or get sidetracked and waste time with someone... especially someone like Kane, who didn't seem very reliable or sensible. He had made many mistakes already, and an important one was reporting back to Blue, Green and Red. He wouldn't be late, but he would have gone way past his best time. There was no doubt in him that the three would be very annoyed with him when he got back. Zero wasn't disappointed. He was locked away again, and had been alone for eight days now. The solitude that usually would be so comforting seemed so choking now. He paced restlessly, needing something to do. The book had been read over fifty times in completion now and the lights far above his head were flickering off. The digital numbers read 19:50. Zero continued his pacing until the lights went completely out. He made his way over to the bed and climbed in methodically, pulling the sheets over him. He didn't really care if the sheets were there or not, but it was a routine now, trained deep within him just as much as the everyday training and torture he went through. No matter how many times his machine side insisted that the punishment was logical, his human side couldn't help but hate it. A simple order from the men made his blood shiver now, and his human side seemed to completely shut down when they approached. Their evil injections and their electric shocks were painful. Their sharp fingernails and cold tools bit into his skin and his wrists, neck, stomach, thighs and ankles felt chafed from the tight leather bands that were wrapped about his pale flesh and metallic parts. His fingers were sore and throbbing from being twisted and snapped, jerked about. His neck felt cramped from the weird positions he was forced to hold it in. His blue eye was bloodshot, and if his other weren't machine he knew it would be too. The scrapes, cuts, bruises, and gashes they gave him always healed fast, and for some reason he hated that. Maybe if he could keep those marks they'd be gentler. They never pitied him. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to. Soft voices echoed over him in his state of semi-unconsciousness. His machine side never let him fully sleep and he loathed that. He loathed it even more that he couldn't feel completely exhausted even though he wanted to. The machine inside him made his human side hate a good many things about his world. His mind was completely exhausted, being constantly torn between the two dualities. If mercy finally gave him up to pleasure, it wouldn't be soon enough. For now, he had to be satisfied with the ability to sleep on his new wounds that never bled. It was strange for him to dream, since he rarely did. It wasn't that he dreamt and then forgot. His mind just never had the use for dreams. Even this one dream wasn't really a dream. It was more like a sequence of pictures, overlaying the events of his day. Fuzzy pictures of Blue, Green and Red popped up and faded just as quickly as they came. Then he saw his room briefly before that disappeared as well. He saw pictures that seemed so vivid he knew they were his thoughts. Meticulous planning and a ridiculous amount of scenarios ran by him. Then he saw a soothing picture of Mr. Whitmore before it phased into the dead body. He saw the screaming woman, heard the sirens faintly even. Finally, Kane appeared in his mind and a soft smile snuck to his lips before disappearing. "00-7598, time to get up." A voice said, reverberating around him. He knew then that it must be coming from the speakers in his room and was on his feet in seconds. He didn't know, but maybe he wasn't supposed to be able to get up that fast. Well, he was determined to do everything in his power to make his three guardians pleased with him today. He was fed up with torture and determined to make it stop. If that meant pushing himself to his unknown limits, then he would. They liked it when he got up fast, so he got up fast. They liked it when he was efficient and quick at getting ready, so he was. They liked it when he could complete their insane obstacle course in less than a minute and without making a sound. His human side strained painfully, but his machine side pressed on. It was 58.4 seconds when he completed the course. A visible wince went over his face. 46.9 seconds was his best. Green didn't say anything though as he led Zero away from the obstacle course and to the workout room. Without any time to rest, Zero began jogging on the treadmill. His initial pace was fast, and he knew he wasn't allowed to slow down in the slightest. Even though his lungs began to ache within their metal confines, he refused to slow. He didn't speed up either, they didn't like that... and since they didn't, he wouldn't. He then lifted weights with burning arms. His human side struggled hard to match his machine counterparts. Muscles bulged and veins popped out as he gritted his teeth and forced five hundred pounds over his sixteen year aged body. "00-7598, you seem very intense today." Green's dulcet voice said, pouring over him like waves of gentle massage. Zero continued to concentrate, his mind reeling in sheer pain. He was pretty sure any second he'd let out a huge huff of breath or pant and his wrists would snap, sending the weight straight down on his chest. When he looked at it, his skinny arms seemed like they were shaking an awful lot. They didn't look capable of picking up a twig, much less this huge amount of weight. Insanity! Relief washed over him as another machine grasped the bar and slowly lifted it above him. He resisted the urge to let his arms drop dead to his sides and stared at Green silently until a brief irritated motion allowed him the pleasure of sitting up and putting his arms down to his sides. "Do you feel any differently about Blue, Red, or me?" Green asked, looking at him seriously behind his wiry glasses. Time for the questions again. "No sir." Zero responded dully. "Does the training seem the same to you?" A quick run of scenarios flitted through his mind, and Zero chose the one he thought that would most please Green. A brief thought of asking them to put him through more intensity fell away at the thought that perhaps Green would believe he didn't like their choices and opinions. "No sir." Green said nothing. "Has any strange emotion crossed you lately?" Zero hesitated just a second before replying, "No sir." Green took note of the hesitation with a nasty snarl, but continued his interrogation of this straight-faced weapon. The questions remained neutral until he suddenly changed them to trickier ones. "Are you mad at me?" If Zero was shocked, he didn't show it. "No sir." was his reply, calm and stoic as always. Green felt another surge of anger and decided to throw even more confusing questions to the emotionless being before him. "Do you want to be free from us, Zero?" Still, that infuriating display of control remained, and Zero didn't flinch or look surprised. "If you wish me to be sir, I will." Green battled with his own emotions and continued a stream of confusing emotional questions, before switching finally to math and science questions. Each question was well past a genius-level, and they changed every single day so that Zero would not know or remember. Zero was expected to give a short explanation of his answer in less than thirty seconds, and he always did. He always knew the answer and chose the most efficient words for his explanation and answer, usually making it within twenty-seven seconds. Green wished that once Zero would make a mistake so he could hit him across that impassive face. Green checked off the last of the questions and turned to go. Red would be entering soon, ready to take the boy over another section of his daily training. It seemed completely insane to be doing all this work on a little boy, especially one so annoying as 00-7598. He grinded his teeth together, enjoying the uncomfortable shivers that went through his body at the noise and sensation. Blue passed him silently and the door closed behind Green. He waited a little before he heard the sound of electricity sparking through the air and walked away. Blue always did seem to get to do the fun stuff. Zero was taken through a course of elegance with Blue. Dancing, fine dining, conversation and the like... things he absolutely loathed. He never would have to use them other than for deceit. When he did a single thing wrong, he was punished with electricity. Hand-to-hand combat followed, Blue easily beating him in the special mechanized suit he wore. Zero never won, and each time he lost, he was electrocuted. The minor shocks finally gave his paralyzed body enough energy to stand. He was electrocuted again, until he finally stood up within three seconds of falling. After a while he went through various complex plans with Blue, pointing out the flaws and deciding what to change. He calculated the success percentage. It wasn't over yet though. He dreaded Blue's sessions because he had to go through severe torture. Every single part of his body was strained to the limit. The artificial weight he was expected to carry well exceeded a ton. The total weight was about 1040 kilograms. His fingers had to hold weight, his arms, shoulders, neck, waist, legs, ankles... even between his teeth. Artificial weight wasn't real physical weight. It was a projection of sorts, yet it truly did weigh as much as if it were really there. Zero forced his body to bear the pressure without making a face. It was expected of him after all. On top all of this, he was expected to complete an obstacle course. Zero did so, but not fast enough to please Blue. He knew he'd be punished for that, like he always was when he couldn't do what Blue wanted him to. He had to repeat the obstacle course. His body felt like crying as he endured the weight. He was stopped before completing the course and again he found he was restarting the course. "Faster." Blue snarled. "Faster!" Zero repeated the course until he was no longer brought back to the beginning. He couldn't help but collapse in exhaustion. Blue dragged him to his feet after the artificial weight was removed. Zero groaned softly and he was rewarded with a sharp smack to the face. He was stood on his feet and the cruel voice echoed over him, giving him no relief. "Good enough I suppose. Though, I expect you to do this even faster tomorrow 00-7598. I don't want to hear your whimpering about it either. Go to your room." Zero went. He wanted so badly to collapse, but he had to eat or he wouldn't get the chance to later. He forced the tasteless food down his throat before he was hurried from his room to meet with Red. Red was going to tell him what the rest of his day's agenda looked like. Whatever it was, it didn't look up. It wasn't a mission. The three didn't trust him since last time. Zero knew this was more of a punishment though. His body ached to see the sunlight again. The fluorescent lights were making his headaches worse. Red turned when he entered and smiled darkly. Zero hated that smile. "Tired?" Zero wanted to say yes, in fact his body screamed it but he couldn't. It was a trick… there would be severe punishment. "No, sir." A pleased smile came over the dark face of his trainer. "Good. We have a lot to do you know." Zero remained silent. He knew all about Red's tricks. They were rhetorical, hypothetical, and completely insane questions and the conversation was always full of traps that awarded harsh punishment. It was the best thing to keep completely silent and still, lest he accidentally set off the ticking bomb within Red. Every answer he gave would be two words. 'Yes sir' and 'No sir'. If he screamed or cried once... His machine side barely restrained the violent shivers that went throughout him at the thought. "Shall we begin?" "Yes sir." "I heard you were late returning from your last mission..." Zero remained silent. He knew that Red already well knew this and was there to greet him in fact. It was a trick conversation that he just could not afford to take the bait for. "It was most disappointing. I'm curious though, as to what you were doing." Zero also knew he had tried to explain before. However, 'A walk' was just not going to go over well with these people. He had already taken long-suffering punishment for his 'smart mouth' and thought he had paid well enough. He wasn't going to take a second shot at it. Dark eyes glittered at him, not even trying to hide their malicious intent. "My boy, sit down." Zero tentatively sat and was relieved when no punishment was given. This of course made him much more suspicious though, since he had never known Red to give something without a hidden motive behind it. "Comfy?" A rhetorical question... Zero remained silent, resisting that humane instinct to nod. "Do you want anything, Zero?" This was the question that was the most painful. Red always used his given nickname when he was ready to begin the excruciating pain. After all, this question was perfect for it. He wasn't allowed to say no, for that would mean he didn't want to obey Red. He wasn't supposed to say yes, because that implied that his words had meaning and he had an opinion that obviously would go against whatever Red was thinking. He also couldn't stay silent, because it would be deemed rude and therefore punishable. "Sir?" he asked, stalling. A nervous quiver overcame him and his feet planted firmer in the ground so he could abort the shaking. A triumphant smile crossed the dangerous face of Red, and electricity coursed through the chair and into his body. Zero bit his tongue in surprise and continued the painful pressure so he would not scream. It wasn't enough though, because the electricity just kept coming. Finally, he threw his head back and shrieked, blood spouting from his mouth and arching over the pristine white floor. It was a mindless, wordless primal scream of pain. Electricity bounced over his skin, shaking his every nerve until it seemed to break. Zero's human eye rolled to the back of his head as the electrocutions stopped at long last, his mouth hanging open and the blood from his tongue dripping slowly down his chin. "My, my..." Red chastised. "You were most certainly bad, Zero." Zero never fully lost consciousness, and when his human eye finally focused enough to see a blurred image of Red, it began again. Still reeling from the last dose, his mind wasn't quick enough to prevent the muffled whimper and the groans that followed. His body jerked and twitched, refusing to leave the chair, as he knew that would be completely unacceptable. After all, he had to take his punishment, first for answering incorrectly and then for screaming. "Tch. Even worse." Red said. The pain increased and Zero arched out of his seat, unable to stand it. He staggered across the floor, and the fury on Red's face was evident. This was most definitely not acceptable. Zero knew when he regained control of his spastic muscles that he would be seeing hell soon. Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 16. Published to an online open website. One Life Promoting to open forum to gauge reactions and feedback . Leave comments or constructive criticism below.
out of all my fiction I have under this pen name I pick a dark one from 6 years ago sorry to say I'm advance the following chapters stay pretty dark I should have posted a funnier one.
Rated M for Mature content The One Who Stole it All ©June 2005 二 ： 名無 Nanashi It wasn't that Zero liked to disobey. In fact, it was quite obvious he was petrified of doing so. A year had passed since his last electrocution. They didn't seem to work on him anymore. Of course it still caused immense pain, but his owners didn't find it pleasing since Zero had become far too used to it and could hold back his screams, whimpers and cries easily. Now they had found a fun new poison to play with. It caused minor hallucinations and made his body extremely sensitive to any touch. Even when they blew on his skin, it felt like someone was crushing him with a two-ton wrecking ball... with spikes. Despite this all, Zero still pulled away on missions to visit with Kane. Unlike the first time, he wouldn't stay more than a minute. It was enough for him to just see Kane and for them to acknowledge each other. It wasn't more than two complete strangers who walked the same route everyday. Zero secretly wished it were more. He longed for that first conversation he had had with the boy. It had been an odd and pleasant experience to communicate with a person whom he did not have to kill. There was no hidden motive behind his smooth words and pleasant façade. He was just 00-7598, Zero, 'Nanashi' with Kane, exchanging a small greeting and a few words before returning to his prison hell. His mind had long since stopped asking questions every morning. He was up and ready to go within a minute and ten seconds and flew through his training regularly. He no longer thought about Maria and what was happening with her. It wasn't necessary to think things like that. After all, he was just a machine, and machines don't need thoughts to cloud their performance. His every reflex was like lightning, and the three trainers had had to upgrade their own equipment to match his strength and speed. There was no need for instinct anymore, no need to strain. He never lied or changed his rules. Maybe he broke one of them, but he wasn't telling and no one had asked. It was a comfortable routine. Nothing was out of the ordinary except for the occasional change in his training. They had to continue and raise each task to a higher difficulty, since he was learning fast. Zero no longer cared about pleasing them to delay his torture. If he did something wrong, he was punished, and he did not complain. There was no point in doing so anyway. It appeared that his mind had completely shifted to that of a machine, and the human part had long since disappeared. At least, that's what they thought. Zero knew that Kane was keeping his humanity alive. "Test one, begin." The voice said. "Yes sir." Zero responded in a flat monotone. He raised the gun easily and shot three times. Target practice was good his machine mind assessed. He shot again, and felt the bitter recoil, letting his muscles take it with practiced ease. "Begin again." "Yes sir." Another shot, and then another one close after. Zero brought his arms down and heard soft scratching of pencil lead on paper. "And once more." Zero shot the last time and set the gun down carefully on the floor. He wasn't allowed to throw or drop it. Treating his weapons with respect was important. Listening and being on alert at all times, was crucial as well. After all, it wasn't rare for Blue to attack him while he was in a training session with the others. His schedule ran through his mind as he saw Red walk up to him. To his surprise, he learned there'd be a drastic change in that schedule. "You remember Maria, right?" the slow drawl asked. Zero's mind provided him sufficient images of the blonde woman. "Yes sir." he answered. "Good. She has made two gifts for you." "Gifts, sir?" "Yes, Zero." Red said with an exasperated sigh. Zero felt a slight tensing of his muscles and corrected the problem automatically. Red took his arm and led him to the side. Again Zero felt a tension run through him at the contact and quickly amended it before Red could notice. Red led him to a curtain-covered window. He pulled the curtains back with a sudden movement that made Zero clench his jaw. In a room far below them were two figures. Zero felt his eyes widen as he took in the faint glints of metal. They were like him... Red saw the surprise register briefly on Zero's face and smirked. He still gained pleasure from surprising the machine weapon. "Good, no?" "Yes sir." Zero said, feeling a tinge of sadness before it disappeared easily. "You'll be meeting them soon enough. They're going to fight you. They're better than you, Zero. They'll beat you easily..." Red teased. "They are your little siblings. Android, cyborg beings... what do you think of that?" Zero remained silent as he stared and Red frowned, snapping the curtains back over the window and bringing Zero out of his daze swiftly. "Sir?" Zero asked, knowing punishment was soon to come. However, Red did not reach inside his jacket to pull out the poison he knew that Zero dreaded. "Yes, well my toy, you'll see soon enough." The girl had short black hair, and glittering black eyes. The boy had blonde hair and his eyes were violet. Both were young. Younger than he had been when he was created. Their bodies were like children, but Zero knew they'd grow fast. He also saw the improvements that Maria had made since his creation. He could barely see any metal on their bodies. The girl only had some on her chest area and the boy had some on his wrists and neck. They were both stark naked, and staring at him with curious and dangerous eyes. The girl moved first, attacking immediately. Zero stepped back, avoiding her. She landed, her fist creating a large crack in the cement below her. Zero's eyes widened and he immediately felt panic. The boy attacked next, lunging forward and grabbing his left wrist. Crunching bone made him claw at the boy's grip with his metal fingers, and he managed to pull away. Still bewildered and off-balance, the girl tackled him, catching him on the chest. He fell onto his back and she sat upon him, her fingers grabbing at his throat. Laughter erupted over the speakers in the room. "Well, we can see what happens when we pit experience against evolution." came Blue's voice. Zero felt terrified at his situation and choked and spat. Hisses issued forth from his mouth as his training kicked in. He brought his legs up and with exceptional flexibility, they wrapped around the girls' neck, choking her as well. Zero saw inexperience shine through and the girl let go in a wild momentary panic from the loss of air. He took the chance to use his legs and strength to throw her off of him and roll to his stomach. He scrambled to his feet and saw that the boy was attacking again. Using his height as an advantage, he caught the boys' wrists and flung him to the side. He heard the surprised grunt as the boy hit the wall. The girl had recovered, and was looking for some sweet vengeance on him. She grabbed his legs and he felt the bones straining against her strength. He pulled at her hair desperately, feeling the pain surge through him. She refused to let go and the boy was running towards him, a knife in his hands. "So, zero-zero-seven-five-nine-eight, what are you going to do?" came the voice of Green, sneering. Zero ducked down, planting his arms firmly on the ground. He used the spiraling momentum to fling his lower half into the air so he was in a handstand. The girl shrieked in surprise but still hung on. Zero spun on his hands and then pushed off from the ground hard. The girl let go in an instinct of fear and Zero landed on his feet unsteadily. The boy slashed at him with the knife and Zero felt his pants rip at the knee. Droplets of blood fell to the ground and Zero collapsed in a crouch, staring a moment too long. The knife came to his neck and Zero shuddered before falling backwards onto his butt and scrabbling towards the wall blindly. He felt cold fingers wrap around his neck and knew the girl had him. Insane laughter came from the boy as he approached with the knife. Zero stared in fear before his instincts that long had been discarded came back. He screamed in terror and tried to abandon his training to run. It was ingrained far too deeply within him though and his lips quivered as they stuck together. Fear is an unnecessary thing, just like me. Zero closed his eyes and every movement of his body stopped, bar his beating heart. It was a shutdown mode for the defeated. To die like this... Pitiful. An obsolete machine does not need to fear death, for that is what he was destined for. Without warning, his arms twitched to life and grabbed onto the wrists of the boy before him. It was a bone-crushing grip and though the boy was stronger and struggled fiercely he could not pull free. Determination bound him helpless and the girl tightened her fingers warningly. It doesn't matter... complete the mission. Zero felt the bones splintering beneath his grip and felt his own being twisted dangerously. The knife fell from the boys' lifeless fingers, even as he continued to struggle. Zero felt no more air reaching him and it was a very painful thing. Still, he pulled the struggling boy closer until his machine hand was holding the broken wrists near his bruised side and the other hand had human fingers searching over the boys' heart area. A heart-wrenching scream erupted from the boy as his head thrashed back and forth on a metal neck. Zero's fingers pushed past the skin of the boy's chest and entered the moist cavern of the body. The girl was breaking his neck now, but Zero continued, feeling blackness darkening his mind. Complete the mission... complete the mission... I am going to die... I have failed. I don't want to die... Zero grasped onto the beating organ within its metal cage. A voice erupted in his ears. "00-7598, stop immediately!" It was Red, he thought. Consciousness slipped from him as his neck gave a final protest against the pressure... He was such a good boy. He hadn't disobeyed them. He didn't do anything wrong. He was just trying to take one of the enemies out before he died. Wasn't that what he was supposed to do? Why were they punishing him, and why were they looking at him like that? Everything he touched and every time he moved, his senses were assaulted with the poison's effects... pain, pure pain. It coursed through him and he collapsed again as he continued to crawl as he was told to do. Forward, forward, it felt like he was going to die. Burning fingers, even the ones that were metal. His mind was screaming to stop but he couldn't. He had to keep moving or they'd give him more poison. More poison to make the hurt even worse. No, as far as he knew this was the worst he could possibly feel. There was absolutely no way to feel more dead than this... I need to see Kane. I can't take this, please help me... Won't somebody hear my screams? Zero collapsed again and pain shot through his nerves. It felt like he was on fire, and was about to walk into the depths of hell. No, he was already in hell. A rough kick sent him crawling again, and he forced his human mind to shut down. His machine side would endure this. He could live through this. He didn't understand his teachers. His trainers. His guardians. His owners... He didn't know what they wanted from him, but he was a good boy. He'd do whatever they wanted. I need someone to help me... "Don't you dare stop again Zero," A cruel voice snapped at him when he paused. It was Red. He was the only one that would call him that name. He heard jeering laughter and knew it was Blue. Blue was the only one that would laugh at him like that. Green remained silent, but Zero knew that if he looked up he'd see a pleased expression on the man's young features. They were all insane, all evil and all cruel. Yet, Zero knew no other 'family' and he could not escape their grasp. The only things he could do was endure, obey and continue. It felt insane as he continued his long trek around the oval track on his hands and knees. The pain began to fade as his humanity slid into the dark recesses of his mind. That wasn't acceptable to his punishers though. They saw him relax and he was forced to stop. His thoughts wandered to the surface to question about what was going on, and they continued, the pain returning with his thoughts. At long last, the five hours of horrid torture ended. Back again Zero went to his room. The solitary confinement in that familiar place was absolutely horrible. The torture was even better than it. The silence, the stillness... He was sure he'd go insane. He had no idea when he would be allowed out again, if ever he would. After all, he was an obsolete toy that had done something bad. Perhaps he'd rot in that room until finally he had no more human left to go on. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to take that. Silence. Nothingness. It's like the whole world has stopped turning in here. The lights will turn off soon and I'll then be in darkness. I wish I didn't care about any of this. This strain is making me feel like I might cry. I have never cried. I have screamed and bled, but I have never cried. If I cry now, it seems that time will stop as well, and I will remain a frozen statue here for eternity. Two weeks passed. The poison in his food didn't bother him but the drugs in the water made him feel a little strange. Zero drifted in and out of his dreams, wondering if everything that had happened to him was all a strange dream. Thoughts like that always triggered the ones that confused him, like 'Am I really an existence?' 'Am I a figment of someone else's imagination?' 'Is there a God?' The last one was ridiculous and Zero finally sat up from his bed in self-disgust. Emotions to a machine were dangerous. He was to be the perfect weapon. But then again, maybe he was no longer needed. Thoughts and opinions like that were imperfect. They made him what he was, an obsolete prototype. A basic experiment that was replaced by another, better version... But why can't they just let me go then? He wanted to escape, but his training was not flawed and he could not even think like that for long. It was impossible. Even if he would not be needed any longer, he would have to remain by his masters. His human side argued this, but with a forceful grunt it was dismissed. Zero would be patient and wait. If he was going to be discarded, then so be it. His only purpose right now was to do as he was told. "Wake up, 00-7598." a voice said. Immediately Zero was on his feet and ready for his orders. A brief sense of disappointment issued from his human mind before it was gone and he was receiving orders. A no longer useful being... Trained to perfection and coming up short... That is what I am. My 'siblings' will take over now. Is this the human emotion called jealousy? It feels so incredibly unsatisfying. It's like a disgusting worm burrowing into my skin. To shut off that useless emotion, I will just never think about it again... Emotions were never an easy thing to begin with. Zero was finding that his were even harder and more persistent than ever. Returning from a successful mission was satisfying, and he supposed that maybe he shouldn't even feel like that. He walked aimlessly and found himself passing by the old park. A squeaking noise made him turn his head, but it wasn't Kane he saw. Zero felt an indescribable emotion and covered his face further with his mask. No one should see his face of wires and mechanical parts... it was not allowed. A sharp burst of laughter made him jump and he cursed his reaction, and then cursed his feelings to that reaction. It was a never-ending cycle and his machine counterpart took over to end it. Voices were calling names to each other, and he heard the sounds of children running around playing some inane game called 'tag'. Woman chatted on a park bench, talking about their lives and their husbands. Useless gossip. The sound of a banging made him look despite his attempt to quench that emotion called 'curiosity'. A boy was sitting near a chain-link fence hitting the post with a stick. Ridiculous... He sensed someone approaching him and saw a little girl curiously stop by his feet. "Aren't you hot mister? It's nice out, and you're wearing all black." Zero felt his blood boil and lashed out, grabbing the girl by the neck. Her scream caused the others to look up. He saw all of this in his minds' eye, yet he couldn't stop throttling the girl. Women and children rushed over and Zero knew a confrontation would begin. He dropped the girl, cursing her for getting so close to him and hurried away. He heard people following him and snarled softly. It wasn't a problem though, for his amazing speed pulled him away from them all quickly. He calculated the time he had taken with this huge distraction and picked up his pace. It was her fault... and my emotions' fault! What is going on with me? Something is most definitely wrong and I don't know what to do! I'm so confused. I'm so helpless. I'm so unwanted. I'm just so lonely... Zero ripped through the metal bars lying across the entrance to the old decrepit shed. He roared in fury, not aware of doing so, it all seemed so ridiculous. His head was aching from the amount of thinking he was doing. The outside was too dangerous for someone like him. He couldn't continue the missions... What would have happened if he had continued? He could have created a huge problem and Blue and Green and Red would have killed him... Why was he so afraid of dying? "AHH! I can't take this!" Zero finally screamed, and collapsed on the ground, his fingers twitching in the dirt. A shadow fell over his body and immediately Zero's eyes snapped open. His fingers moved ever so slightly into a position where he could launch his body up at the first sign of movement from the person. The person leaned down and Zero sprung to his feet, immediately falling into a defensive position. Brown eyes widened in surprise before soft laughter came to his ears. "Gee you surprised me there, Nanashi." Zero immediately knew who it was. "Kane." he said simply. "Glad to know you remember me." How could I forget? You are the only person that has spoken to me without an ulterior motive, fear or hatred. "Is something wrong?" Zero asked. Kane looked at him curiously, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? I wasn't the one sprawled on the ground, face-first like a dead man." Zero didn't speak and turned back to the shed. He saw deep gashes where his metal fingers had scraped against it in his forgotten fury. He wanted desperately to enter into it and go down the stairs to his solitary room again. This conversation was unlike the others he had had with Kane. He felt like he was being laughed at and it stirred up emotions like 'embarrassment' and 'outrage'. Kane seemed to notice the dismissal he was receiving and reached forward to put a hand on Zero's shoulder. Zero whirled around and while one hand held onto Kane's, he used his other to push hard on the surprised boy's shoulder. Kane found himself standing one second and with his face in the dirt the next. Zero's knee was embedded uncomfortably in his back and Kane tried to convey how this felt through furious mumbles. Zero jerked on Kane's arm and the boy gave a small scream of pain before falling silent. Zero blinked his human eye a few times and his machine one analyzed the situation. Both assessed that he had just done something incredibly stupid. He couldn't help the hissed words, "Don't touch me." from escaping his lips. Kane made a noise of agreement and Zero slowly stood up, his reflexes highly sensitive still. His metal hand twitched a little, his machine side wanting to wrap his fingers around Kane's fragile neck and snap it in two. Kane stayed where he was a few more seconds before slowly getting up, coughing as he did so. Zero knew that though Kane joked, "I hope you don't do that to all your friends," the boy was shaken. There really was no reason for further conversation, so Zero turned away again, knowing the boy would not touch him again. What confused him though, was that Kane did not leave. "Aren't you leaving now?" Zero finally asked. Kane smiled a little, "Without saying goodbye?" Zero felt his heart skip slightly and he remained silent. His machine side was the sensible one, and as he was obviously confused it would be a good thing to listen to what it said to do. Encouraging this ridiculous behavior and friendship was going to do nothing good in the long run. He stood absolutely still, hearing his heartbeat pounding in his ears. The silence was another form of torture and Zero felt guilty at his relief when he heard Kane walk away. The darkness of the shed cooled his skin, even though the heat didn't really bother him all that much. His eyes took no time at all to adjust and he kicked aside a panel revealing a staircase leading down into the earth. An involuntary shiver wracked his body as he thought of what his punishment would be for coming back so late. He knew that he was most definitely behind even his deadline. I shouldn't go down there. I've never failed before, and they will kill me. Aren't you listening? You'll die! The human voice was shoved aside and Zero calmly walked down the stairs, feeling trepidation surge through his blood. He knew that he was going to be punished severely or even killed, yet his training had not disappeared and he knew that he wouldn't be able to run away for long. He descended the final step and was blinded by fluorescent lights and the smell of wet metal. He hated that smell, it seemed to go directly to his taste buds and fill them with the taste of blood. "Well, 00-7598..." a deceptively calm voice greeted him. Zero did not think badly that it was Green that found him. Perhaps it was the worst situation, but his machine mind did not register it as that. Green was a mild threat, capable of causing horrible pain and horrible emotions to arise. That was all... He followed Green without a word into the room he knew he hated so much and let his human mind shut down behind walls of steel. The pain that followed registered in his machine mind, but yes, that was all... This is the teenage angst chapter Next chapter will have proper character development and progress a storyline Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 16. Published to an online open website. Two No-Name Promoting to open forum to gauge reactions and feedback . Leave comments or constructive criticism below.
I'm sorry. Under this penname I wrote many novels aimed at being book length. My longest one was a trilogy over 168 thousand words long. These were all published from when I was 13-17 years old. Each chapter I strived to hit 15-28k words per entry
Nope it's not finished It had two more completed chapters but I am going to edit them some for mature content. If you'd like and it makes it easier, I will shorten the chapters.