Please tell me what you think in the feedback thread called Number 8 Comments. This is co-written with ROAPoptarts and Cheesemuffin. Title: Number 8 --Unknown Location— The room is dark, dim, visibility to a minimum. In one corner of the room is a small bed, in the other, a toilet, and, on the ceiling, a small metal speaker. On the bed, a figure lays still. Suddenly, the lights flash on, and the figure jolts up. It is a boy, perhaps 5 foot 11, dark brown hair, piercing green eyes. He glances around the room, obviously disoriented. Suddenly, his eyes focus on a sign on the far wall. He stands, and slowly paces over to it, and examines it. He mouths the words as he reads it. "Welcome, number 168. Please remain calm, all will be explained in due time. For now, you have to be content with this, you are one of the lucky, the chosen. You have been blessed with the honor of becoming one of the first of a new breed, a breed of ultimate soldiers You're Welcome.” The boy returns to his bed, and sits down, his head in his hands, visibly shaking. He doesn’t know where he is, who he is, or why he is here. Suddenly, the speaker on the ceiling comes to life, "Bzzzzzt, attention all new arrivals, momentarily your cell doors will open. You will exit your cells, and proceed down the halls where you will receive further instructions." A group of men and women stare back at them. The two groups merged, and each of the new arrivals is approached by his or her partner. The boy is approached by a tall man, at least 6 foot 5, his hair black as night, with a shock of brilliant white running through it. He smiles at the boy, and chuckles. "I am number 57, and I am gonna help you survive in this hellhole. What number are you?" The boy stammers, obviously nervous, "I am number 168...". "Well 168," 57 says with a broad smile, "welcome to The Facility."
--The Facility— --2 weeks later— “57… this lunch is crap,” 168 said, “I mean they want us to be super soldiers and protein and vitamins are important… but if I keep on eating this mush… I’m going to lose my taste buds.” “You’ll get used to it.” “They are doing a good job though, with training us.” In a mere 2 weeks 168 went from a complete novice in anything war related, to someone who could run for miles, kill an enemy from a mile away in 1 shot. But 168 was not great at powers. Every number gets the power of telekinesis, a side effect of the experiment, but his unique powers were not developing. He was getting worried that they would never develop, but he couldn’t focus on it now. “So you’re not listening to the **** their giving you in brainwashing 101?” “Of course not, you did tell me not to… but why don’t you want me to listen to them? What are you planning?” “Oh you’ll see,” he said chuckling to himself,” you’ll see.” --Later That Day— Everyone was in a line, facing a box with The Facilities logo, a huge man towering over regular citizens. One by one they would use telekinesis on it, making go through hoops in the air, and then making it land back on the platform. 57 was the best at this, he was easily the best at this, even being able to lift thing 5 to 6 times heavier than him. 168 on the other hand barely made it through the exercises, and couldn’t lift a 20 pound box without effort. “It’s just something you have to practice,” 57 would say,” imagine you’re carrying the box and walking with it in the air.” But it wasn’t that simple to 168, and every day he would get frustrated that he wasn’t as proficient at the other experiments. During recreation time 57 and 168 would just talk. 168 wanted to socialize with the other experiments, but everyone he talked to was too brutish or too brainwashed, and not someone he wanted to be friends with. At first they talked about what they could remember before the experiments, which was almost nothing. But now since there was nothing more to talk about, 57 usually helped 168 with his telekinesis. But today was different… “168… do you like it here, in the facility?” “Its fine, but I mean it’s all I know 57, why do you ask?” “There is another option… there’s an entire world outside of here, a world where we don’t have to deal with all this. You can make your own decisions, go where you want? Is that what you want? Let me warn you, doing this means your entire life will change, and you can’t change your decision. I can hook you up to someone on the outside, someone who escaped a year ago, he will help you.” 168 didn’t know if he wanted to go. In here everything was given to him, he didn’t need to work, did he want to have to do all that for himself? And, he didn’t complete his training, so he wasn’t the best soldier he could be. Yet, the excitement of doing anything he wanted was to tempting, “Yes.” “Alright, then here’s what you have to do…”
168 was in a crate, curled up in a ball, waiting. Waiting for the truck his crate was in to stop moving. Waiting for the doors of the truck to open. Waiting for freedom. Waiting for a freedom without his friend and mentor 57. A lonely freedom, with no one to guide him. With nothing to go on but a name, an address, and hope. Hope that number 3 would help him, that number 3 wouldn’t turn him away. --2 Hours Earlier-- The plan had gone smoothly at first. Break a few walls to attract the guards’ attention? Check Sneak into the supplies room while the guards were distracted? Check Meet up with 57 there to make their getaway? Not so check 57 did make it to the supply room. 57 told 168 about the seven who had broken out of the facility before them. 57 told 168 how he had connections with the third one who had done so, known as number 3, and where he could be found. 57 told 168 how they would hide in the crates in the supply room, and be shipped out with the rest of the crates. 57 was followed. 57 yelled, “Hide!”, and launched himself at the man who walked in the room. 168 did so, and listened to the struggle. After a moment, there was silence. Footsteps walked up to the crate where 168 was hidden, but it was not a stranger, but 57’s voice that 168 heard. “Are you ok?” 57 asked, “They know we’re here, you stay hidden, and escape. Find number 3, he’ll help you. I’ll hold them off outside. Good luck.” “No!” 168 exclaimed, “I’m not leaving without you-” He was cut off as 57 hit him in the head. 168 slipped into darkness. --Present— Through the hole in a crate 168 saw the huge castle loom up before him. “This is where 57 said he would be.” 168 muttered to himself. He only had the clothes that he had at The Facility, and some gold coins that 57 said could help him. He jumped off the truck, and stealthily ran to the entrance of the castle. It was open, and he went inside. He saw there was a party going on, where people were dancing with each other. It was a masquerade dance, and 168 worried that he would not be able to identify number 3. This was not a problem though, when 168 walked in he saw him from across the room. He was wearing a gold and black extravagant jester’s mask with a gold and black striped suit to match. When he reached him he said, “I have something to tell you … outside.”