Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

Apollo.

Yesu frowned.

As usual, he didn’t look the least surprised to see her. He didn’t look anything.

Just...

Expressionless.

Between the big sized men around him, he appeared smaller. More like the kid he was.

And unlike the suited men, he was casually dressed.

His gaze flickered to her right cheek. A line of blood trailed down the cut on her skin.

His eyes lingered there for a moment before going back up.

Their gaze met. And stayed locked for a few seconds.

Yesu faced forward.

Apollo continued watching her.

Xenon, who stood next to him, glanced repeatedly between him and Yesu.

"Do you know her?" He asked finally.

Apollo didn’t look away.

"No."

Yesu’s frown deepened.

"Of course you don’t." She muttered lightly.

Everyone heard it.

A bodyguard snorted a laugh.

Apollo finally looked away from her and stared at the display instead.

Yesu felt something dripping down her face. She brought her hand to it and wiped.

Blood.

She stared at her palm.

Xenon noticed. He dipped a hand into his breast pocket, brought out a white handkerchief and stretched it forward.

"Here."

Yesu looked at the immaculate material then at the man offering.

She took it.

"Thanks."

Xenon nodded in reply.

Yesu wiped the blood off her hand and cheek. She stared at the stained white and turned back to Xenon.

"Sorry, I won’t be able to hand it back. It’s ruined."

Xenon nodded again. "That’s fine."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened.

The three bodyguards stepped out first, followed by Xenon.

Apollo was last.

The doors shut. Yesu glanced at the display.

Thirty-five.

***

Yesu stepped out of the elevator and walked down the quiet hallway toward the metallic door at the very end.

The two security guards stationed outside frowned the moment they saw her.

One of them had his right arm secured in a sling.

Yesu immediately recognised them.

Zone 25.

Her kidnappers.

She stopped in front of the door.

"Hello."

The guards exchanged brief glances before facing forward again.

Stone-faced.

Yesu didn’t seem discouraged.

"I know you two." She pointed between them. "We met back at the Facility, remember?"

No response.

"Then that Saturday when I came over."

Silence.

"And then on Tuesday, when you came to get me from Trials."

She shook her head.

"Very unpleasant, huh."

Another glance passed between the two guards.

Yesu put on the most apologetic expression she could manage.

"I’m sorry about what happened back at the trailer." She said sincerely. "I really had to get back to my squad."

Then she smiled.

"How about we start over?" She placed a hand against her chest. "My name’s Yesu."

Her eyes moved from one guard to the other.

"And you are?"

The two men looked at each other again, visibly bewildered.

Yesu waited patiently.

The first guard cleared his throat.

"Elias."

Yesu’s face brightened.

She immediately reached out, grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you, Elias." She turned to the other guard. "How about you?"

The second guard frowned.

"You broke my arm."

"And you stabbed me with three needles." Yesu replied with a perfectly straight face.

Elias lowered his head, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

The second guard looked thoroughly unimpressed. He stared toward the glass wall instead.

"Ron."

Yesu immediately took his good hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Ron."

Ron pulled his hand back almost as soon as she let go.

She didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she pressed the doorbell.

Nothing.

After waiting a minute, she pressed it again.

A soft beep answered from inside. The metallic door slid open.

Josephine stood in the doorway.

She was dressed as professionally as ever. But she looked nothing like she had during Yesu’s first visit.

Several strands of hair had escaped her ponytail. Her glasses sat slightly crooked, one lens sporting a small crack.

Dark circles rested beneath her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept properly in days.

Upon seeing Yesu, Josephine simply stepped aside.

Yesu walked in. The door slid shut behind her.

Silence lingered for a moment.

Then Elias snorted.

"You broke my arm." He mimicked in a pitiful voice.

Ron shot him a glare. "And you were a coward."

Elias scoffed. "Sure. Says the guy wearing the sling."

Ron looked down at his arm and sighed.

"What am I even doing here?" He muttered. "I’m supposed to be on leave."

Elias grinned.

"Not unless you want to go unpaid this month. You’ve taken two leaves already."

Ron groaned.

"I hate this job."

***

The door slid shut behind Yesu.

Josephine started walking. "I’ll go get the Doctor."

She disappeared toward the inner rooms.

Yesu was left alone. She looked around. Here she was once again. Top floor.

The morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling glass, illuminating the penthouse. Beyond it, the blue sky stretched endlessly, white clouds drifting lazily past the windows.

It would have been beautiful.

If the place weren’t as cluttered and noisier than ever. Machines hummed from every direction.

But it wasn’t the machines that caught Yesu’s attention.

It was the animal section.

Several of Doctor Heckman’s test animals had become unusually restless.

Some darted recklessly around their cages.

Others clawed furiously at the metal bars, the glass, themselves, or the unfortunate animals sharing their confinement.

A few cages had gone eerily quiet.

Yesu wandered over.

Some of the animals inside were already dead.

She stopped in front of a cage containing five white laboratory rats.

Only five.

Two lay motionless. Their bodies were bloody from countless scratches.

One had retreated into a corner, desperately clawing at the glass.

The remaining two were engaged in a vicious fight.

Neither one refused to let up.

Yesu leaned closer.

Their eyes were blue. Unnaturally blue.

She tilted her head.

She couldn’t remember ever seeing rats with blue eyes before.

Her district had been full of rats. The housing unit had practically been infested with them.

Perhaps these were simply a different breed. They certainly looked cleaner than the ugly black ones she was used to.

One of the fighting rats stumbled slightly. Its footing slipped.

The other lunged instantly.

Its teeth sank straight through the other’s neck.

The rat collapsed.

Even then, the victor didn’t stop.

It scratched.

And scratched.

Until the dead body looked no different from the other two.

Then it turned toward the last living rat. The one clawing frantically at the glass.

"Hey."

Yesu immediately knocked sharply on the cage.

The rat froze. Then rushed toward her side instead.

It scratched furiously at the glass. As though trying to reach her.

There was a small breathing hole near the top.

Yesu slowly raised a finger toward it.

The rat noticed immediately. It darted to the opening.

Teeth bared.

Yesu pressed the tip of her finger against the opening.

The rat struck.

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