Chapter 1 - Testing

The opening chapter to Project Xenome, giving a small glimpse of the origin to our heroes.

Chapter 1 - Testing

The Xenome Company was designed by Mr Sebastian Allegro, roughly ten years since the Dendai fires. Back then there was no facility, no research, no tests they simply manufactured pharmaceutical drugs and aids for hospitals across the globe. But Mr. Allegro since then, has changed, the Xenome Company changed along with him. No one knows why he changed, many believe the power got to his head, others say his need for money was a sin in its own. But, this couldn't be it, he was neither power hungry nor a lack of money, he ran a billion dollar world organisation, so money is never a problem.

The Xenome Company had developed into a front, the world knew it as this, but no one knew that behind closed doors the Xenome had a facility, hidden under the depth of an abandoned factory, rusted by time and rain.

"Subject Alpha is ready for testing," a scientist had announced to group of several lab coat wearers. The room was large, scaling high above the machines and the pods. There was a dank smell of disinfectant haunting the room, like the corridors of a cleansed hospital. Leo awoke in his chamber, no bigger than a cage to him, groggy and weary. He had no recollection of how he got here, just that he feared this room, he did not know why, but it was overwhelming. There were four other chambers, the one to the left of Leo, was a girl he knew, he recognized. Her name was Maxii; she learnt biology at the college Leo once was at, before he left to follow his artistic talents. Maxii was the youngest there, only 17, wearing a black tank top and grey skinny jeans, she hadn't awoken yet from the drug induced slumber. The two other chambers to Leo's right contained two guys around the same age. One a darker gentleman huddled in the corner of his cell, almost praying, holding onto a necklace with the cross on it. The final held a tall, thin man. He was roughly twenty years old but very tall in comparison to any other of his age; he was unkempt and untidy, but sinister. He had a sinister appearance about him, dark eyes, pale exterior but a grin on his face, like he was meant to be here.

Leo, noticed upon his cell door the carving of the symbol for Beta. He was subject Beta here, no one else would know him for his own name and he didn't think no one would know it again. He did not know how long he or any of the others had been here for and dare not ask as they were been watched by men and cameras alike. Though the difference separating them was little, both drones under the control of another neither moved but both had focus on the prisoners.

Two heavily built and well armed men went into the cell next to me and took hold of Maxii, and dragged her out of her cell, out the adjacent steel bolted, highly secured door. Leo wanted to scream and fight against the cage walls to help his friend, but it may have been the last thing he had done, where he was he was not safe and he decided the best way to stay alive, was to obey and be restraint until he saw an opportunity. Roughly five minutes after Maxii was taken away an announcement came on the speakers again, "Subject Beta is ready for testing." I guess that's me then, Leo said sharply to the guards. Without so much as a signal of response the guards had entered Leo's celled and withdrew him, there was no use in struggling; the guards were too heavily built to overcome them.

Being dragged through a large plain corridor, white walls, grey door, and few lights lit the corridor perched upon the walls. We continued through till the very end of the corridor, a pair of steel bolted double doors, which were throughout, blocked they path. They opened themselves and as dragged through, his eyes came upon a bright, blinding room; Leo's eyes winced and had to adjust before he could recognize this room was some sort of laboratory. He had never seen a place that had such pure light emitted from it, but felt an aura which such malice and fear content within the air, just been in the presence of this room brought shivers to his spine. Computers and technical equipment lined the walls, creating noises and showing data which seemed unreadable but constantly being updated. They were four large pods in the center of the room, all lined upon next to one another. One contained Maxii, her arms and legs put in place by metal restraints, she was groggy but still conscious.

Leo now raised and placed in the second pod, with the restraints in place, his arms stretch apart and his body upright so he could see everything that took place before him. Roughly ten minutes had passed before the other two had been put into place; the darker one came in struggling and angry, trying to defy the guards in a futile attempt. The other sinister one, was walked in, not restrained and placed himself upon the pod and put his limbs in place to be locked in place. Scientists gathered around various consoles and devices scattered around the room, and in the distance a dark figure with a black overcoat stood behind a pane of thick glass, examined the "specimens", and took place next to a microphone at one of the consoles.

“Welcome, good morning, rise and shine. Wakey Wakey Alpha,” he referred to Maxii. “No time for sleeping, there’s to much work to be done and you definitely don't want to miss any of it, trust me. You may all be wondering why your here, one of you already knows. It’s not often a volunteer comes forward Subject 11, or shall we have it Infinito. Between all of you, none has done anything wrong, you weren't our chosen "Prey", and you just weren’t simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

I believe in formality so let’s get to it. My name is Mr. Allegro and this is the Xenome facility. You’re all here for one very simple reason, your genetic cell structures. Your DNA, each one of you is unique, not by choice, not by reason, just coincidence, so you are all needed for testing. But none of this will matter in a few moments your recollection of this entire conversation will be nothing more than a dream or an idea. So let's see who we have here, Subject 23, Alpha. It's says here you study Biology at a college level, a bright young star looking to the future, never thought you'd be appreciated, well believe me, you don't understand how much we appreciate your presence here today.

Beta, you’re rather quiet. He talked directly towards Leo. Would've thought you would have something to say, especially with Alpha, clamped beside you, I thought you knew her, friends to say the least, or maybe you’re trying to be clever about this. Keep quiet and the bad man will go away, well trust me I’m not going anywhere. You’re a painter, shame your works really never been appreciated for what it is. Art, masterpieces, they say a picture says a thousand words, that phrase doesn't do you justice.

Subject 7, Gamma. Your 7, coincidentally, the same amount of times it took for us to catch you, it's hard to track someone with no home, someone without pattern. I'm afraid we wont be changing that, but that's not our responsibility.” "Your not going to get away with this, I when this is over, you'll die with my hands wrapped around your neck," screamed Gamma, the darker man who was in fury and tears over Allegros words. “Now, now Gamma, you don't want to get frustrated now, this is an opportunity. An opportunity to help your fellow man, to push forward the human genome anew, to heal the sick and repair the needy. You should feel privileged not angry.

Infinito. You know why your here, you wanted to be here. See, Subject 11 realizes the potential to be made here and what we could do for him and his species. He was only a drug addict with no drugs left it seems, desperate and fueled by addiction, you needed to repent your sins and this was your option, and you took it like any man should. So I thank you for your sacrifice, your sins are free.

Now that we all know each other, it's time for today’s proceedings to get under way, I'm afraid I can't stay, I'm a busy man but the men and women in lab coats around you will look after you appropriately, Dr Krio, the man who chose you is in charge and if anything is to go wrong, you will be terminated so try to behave now children, no one wants to know the dire consequences resulted in refusal. Commence testing protocol six.”

Mr. Allegro left the room and vanished from sight, and the scientists all begin pressing against their consoles and select patterns, operating buttons and switches to a correct format. An older scientist, a man, stood at the central platform which had several levers and controls, he was the man left in charge, Doctor Krio. He adjusted his black horn rimmed glasses on his face and pressed a prominent black button. A low toned siren echoed through the room and a pulsing from the pods began, the clear glass panels sealed the pods closed and prevented anything entering or leaving them. Leo was now struggling trying to escape, realizing he had missed any chance of escape. He could not hear anything outside the chamber but a humming noise came from within, a large sharp needle entered the spine of Leo and the other subject at the base of the neck, Leo screamed but nothing could be heard, for several seconds Leo writhed in fear and agony until he passed out, him along with the other three subject were unconscious and now infected.