Chapter Text
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Chapter 1
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"How's progress going with the MTs?" Ardyn asked as he lingered in Verstael's lab, looking through a microscope at a slide of cells the man had left there for some reason or another. It had been a slow couple weeks in Ardyn's own life, so he decided to pay his old friend a visit, curious to his progress with his sick, demented science experiment.
The man had gone full mad-scientist by this point, having produced countless clones of himself with the plan to use them as an army. The clones were growing, still children as they were developing in real time, at the rate any human would… They were maybe twelve by now, but Ardyn wasn't keeping count. Still small, not quite adult-sized yet, but realistically could still be used for what Verstael wanted them for given the proper brain-rewiring and armor and weapon combination… If they were mindless soldiers anyway, the fact that they weren't yet adults didn't seem so harsh.
"I've been making great strides as a matter of fact." Verstael answered with a slight nod, fiddling with something in front of him as he kept his back turned to Ardyn. "They're still small, quite young, but getting close to a workable size. I may have a group ready to send on a practice mission as early as next month."
"Is that so?" Ardyn's eyebrows rose. The man was honestly going to send out a child-clone army so soon? Sure, it was practice… but practice to Verstael probably didn't mean much… If the clones died in the process, he'd leave them where they lay out in the world or incinerate them back here. Ardyn had seen it done. The guy tossed any malfunctions into a literal incinerator. Most of the time they were already dead… but not always.
Verstael wasn't exactly good company to keep to anyone with any sort of moral compass… but he was interesting and Ardyn's own moral compass was skewed, so Ardyn found himself always wanting to check back in… if only out of sick, morbid curiosity. He couldn't honestly say he wasn't a little bothered the first time he saw one of the clones who was still alive being shoved into the furnace. He didn't care about them. He didn't really care about anyone… but seeing what looked like a ten year old child being pushed into the flames while fear and dread filled the boy's eyes and a panicked, hoarse scream tore from the small being's throat had been rough. It was hard to keep seeing them as mindless after that.
Most of the clones didn't know how to speak… didn't know much of anything. They were practically robots… but Ardyn could see discomfort and fear in their eyes at times. They reacted to pain... They were able to feel, able to be hurt, frightened... They had the capacity to be regular humans… just not the social interaction needed to understand the world. They didn't know what human children were supposed to be treated like. They didn't know anything was wrong until they were being hurt in some way, until their biological instincts kicked in and told them to be frightened, to run, to fight back...
"Had another small batch that failed me though." Verstael frowned, not looking up from the work he was doing at a lab table across the room. "A couple weeks back, several died while I was working on programming a certain action sequence - and reaction. I think the reaction is what did it. It seems certain ones for some reason can't handle the training. They go rouge, get scared, run… I've even had a few attack themselves - each other… Lowers my stock. I suppose it's for the best though. Weed out the weak early instead of having them fail and sabotage themselves during a crucial moment in battle." He shrugged.
Ardyn nodded carefully, looking around the lab, noticing a particular absence. "What happened to the one you were keeping around?" He frowned. "Your little assistant... Prompto, was it?" Verstael had for some reason kept one of the clones by his side for the past several years, sort of treating him as a mixture of a lab assistant, servant, son, and pet… It was odd that the boy was nowhere to be seen today. Usually he was right by Verstael's side - at least until he noticed Ardyn and tried to hide - either behind the scientist or in another room.
Prompto didn't lead a normal life - wasn't afforded the option to go to school, to make friends, to go out into the world. He didn't appear to have hobbies, opinions, goals, fears or much of a personality that Ardyn could see - he just followed his master around and did what he was told. The poor little boy had no idea other children his age were playing outside, eating ice cream with their friends, seeing movies, playing sports, going to school. He only knew the lab. He only knew Verstael and all the other little child clones locked in vats of liquid, lying there like corpses. Even the other clones couldn't be companions for him when they were dormant, waiting to be programmed to kill...
The child's life was tragic for sure, but he was quite clearly treated different than the others. Compared to them, he did seem to have it made, to be considered special, privileged... Ardyn couldn't decide if that meant he was more lucky than the others or entirely less lucky. Perhaps he'd have been better off blissfully unaware in a vat like the others. Allowing him this degree of awareness - just a mere taste of freedom without any actual freedom was perhaps more cruel than offering him nothing at all.
Ardyn had never seen any other clone in this lab allowed to freely walk around. The others were treated entirely like anonymous pawns... but at least they were perhaps unaware. At least they didn't understand what was happening... Did Prompto understand? Was being out and about enough to give him the awareness that the others were fortunate enough to miss out on?
And Verstael wasn't just making the little creature work. He wasn't a mindless lab assistant - wasn't functioning in a robotic way - not completely. Verstael was treating him almost like a person, like a protege or a son, talking to him, patting him reassuringly on the back, allowing him to wear clothing and help out in the lab like a little assistant. Of course, the boy was still not treated right - not treated how a twelve year old child should be... but compared to the others, he seemed lucky, in a way.
If Ardyn didn't know any better, he'd have wondered if Verstael was maybe even growing to care about that one in particular, to consider him family… Verstael clearly had strict rules for the young man to follow - Prompto followed him around like a puppy, never spoke, was always lingering near the man, ready to take orders, to help out however he could... but the cold-hearted scientist also showed signs that he might actually care about the child. Ardyn had witnessed the man speaking softly to him, reaching out and cupping the boy's cheek in his hand and staring into his eyes as he spoke. In fact he was always gentle with the boy - so far as Ardyn could see at least.
But the relationship was still bizarre - not what a father-son relationship should be. Verstael was gentle, yes, but the physical aspect of his relationship with the clone bordered on inappropriate. Prompto was so unaware of the cultural norms that he had not even a twinge of the knowledge he needed to keep himself safe, to know if his master crossed any lines - not that he could do anything about it even if he did know right from wrong.
It was genuinely creepy considering the clones were physically about eleven or twelve years old and Verstael had that particular one following him around like an obedient puppy, doing lab work for him, not even flinching when the man put his hands on him in some way or another, ordering him to sit on his lap a few times even with Ardyn there to witness it. Prompto obeyed without question, sitting on the man's leg and staring blankly at Ardyn while Verstael creepily rubbed the side of the boy's thigh and continued his conversation with Ardyn as though the child was more of a pet than a person. Ardyn seemed to be the only one in the room who felt awkward about it.
Prompto didn't know the gesture was creepy. He didn't know anything. He was bred in the lab and had never left it. No one ever taught him that his body was his, that no one was supposed to touch him without his consent. Quite the opposite really… He knew full well that he belonged to Verstael, that if Verstael asked him to do something, he was meant to do it. He didn't have the choice to think about it, to express an opinion, to suggest alternatives.
Verstael was basically the only human being the boy had ever met or interacted with. Prompto probably didn't know people other than the clones and Verstael even existed until Ardyn visited one day. The child had stared at him like he was a ghost upon their first meeting, and subsequent meetings were even more awkward. Prompto seemed terrified of him, refusing to speak, often refusing to even look at him. The boy flat-out hid from him most of the time.
And Ardyn had given up on trying to talk with him the first day he met him a couple years ago. He recalled seeing the boy's eyes grow huge as he hid behind Verstael, as if his creator wasn't an even bigger monster than Ardyn. When Ardyn spoke to him, joked about his demeanor, Prompto remained silent, staring back as though expecting Ardyn would swallow him whole if he got too close. It wasn't even clear if he knew how to speak - though he did take orders from Verstael pretty well, so he comprehended language at the very least…
It was unsettling to witness even the small bits that he did. Ardyn could see that the clone would do whatever Verstael asked - no questions, no complaints. If the man told Prompto to go throw himself into the incinerator, he probably would have. Ardyn couldn't tell if it was due to some rewiring of the boy's brain or if it was simply because the young man had never known anything else. No one had ever taught him to question authority, to build his own boundaries and opinions, to protect himself, to say no when the occasion called for it.
Ardyn didn't even want to know what the man did with the little clone behind closed doors… He was certain Prompto wouldn't object no matter what the man asked of him, even if it was something entirely inappropriate. Prompto didn't know any better. He didn't know he was being mistreated. If Verstael would have the clone sit on his lap in front of Ardyn, what would he do with him when they were alone? Ardyn didn't want to think about it.
"Prompto?" Verstael frowned, for the first time actually looking at Ardyn as he answered. "That's a disappointing topic, actually... After all the work I put into him... I taught him so much, got him to the point where he was capable of being useful... Things didn't work out with him, unfortunately."
His eyebrows raising, Ardyn stared back. "Is that so?" What the hell did that mean? Prompto had been right at the man's side for at least two years at this point. Verstael specifically chose to keep that one individual clone alongside him for that long and now it was over?
"Indeed." Verstael shrugged. "It was nice while it lasted."
"What happened to him?" Ardyn frowned. Not that it mattered to him. Verstael was the one attached to him. Ardyn wasn't.
Verstael exhaled, shaking his head. "It just didn't work out in the end. It was always a possibility. I knew that. Giving him the freedom I did, allowing him to witness certain things, to understand certain things... It's my own fault, really... But it was still disappointing. However, I've got plenty of others. Prompto ended up being a bit defective in the end. He's no longer going to be working with me, but realistically, I could replace him."
Ardyn nodded slightly, wondering if Verstael was going to elaborate. He supposed it didn't really matter. If that clone had to go back into the vats, then so be it. It wasn't Ardyn's problem. Verstael was the one who had bonded with him. Ardyn hadn't. It wouldn't make any difference to him if Verstael chose a different clone to follow him around. The way Ardyn saw it, they were all the same - and they were all doomed.
"He's turned very defiant since you last saw him." Verstael went on. "I know you've seen how well-behaved he typically is, but he's got a bit of a rebellious streak. Somehow the boy learned the word 'no,' thought he had a choice in the matters that go on in my lab. He's turned into quite the little rebel. I guess maybe he saw his reflection somewhere, realized the others looked just like him, started to worry about them…" He laughed.
Ardyn swallowed. "How terrifying that must have been to the naive little fellow." He frowned. It hadn't occurred to him before that Prompto didn't realize that the clones were identical to him. If the young boy didn't know his own appearance, how could he have known?
Verstael laughed again and shook his head. "He tried to free some of them." He noted. "Without asking - without knowing even the slightest bit how any of this works... The ignorant little vermin unplugged their oxygen supply and drowned them. Thirteen of them. Little brat was trying to save them and killed them instead."
Ardyn grimaced. He wondered if Prompto knew that he'd killed them instead of saving them, if he understood that his actions caused the exact opposite outcome as intended. Something told him Verstael probably went ahead and let him know, if only to ensure the boy felt as horrible as possible. Ardyn wondered if Prompto had that emotion in his repertoire. Did he feel guilt, remorse? Could he understand something like that?
"Anyway, there went another batch I'll have to burn." Verstael shook his head. "I'll have to be more careful the access I grant to them. I didn't know he had it in him."
"I wonder what made him start thinking so many free thoughts." Ardyn mused. It was strange that Prompto was so unlike the others… but maybe Verstael giving him the freedom to follow him around and see and hear what went on in the lab was enough to open his eyes. Perhaps any of the clones given that opportunity would start to develop a mind of their own.
"I've learned my lesson. More training before I choose another lab assistant." Verstael noted. "A lot more. Prompto did so well, but I made a mistake not training him first. I assumed he'd be a blank slate merely due to never having left the lab, but his little brain started developing further than I intended. He started to question things, even almost argued with me a few times. One night he ran from me and hid!"
Ardyn frowned. He wondered if Verstael was doing something cruel that night. Prompto always seemed entirely obedient. Why would he feel the need to run and hide from this man? Maybe Verstael was doing some sort of medical procedure - something that hurt. That would make sense. Even the most simple of creatures had an instinct to retreat from anything painful if they could.
"I should have known… He's my clone after all." Verstael smirked.
"Doomed to be an evil little shit like yourself, hm?" Ardyn raised his eyebrow.
"Well, no… Doomed to get burnt with all the ones he fucking killed. He knows how angry I am. I made sure he knows... And he's going to die for this." Verstael stared back. "I'll bet he's regretting everything right about now."
Ardyn grimaced. "You're going to euthanize him?" He surmised.
"Yes." Verstael laughed softly. "But not right away. This all happened a few days ago. He's been waiting for the end ever since. Probably wishes I'd just kill him to get it over with at this point... but I'm not ready to do that quite yet. He needs to suffer for his misdeeds."
Ardyn swallowed. "Is that really necessary?" He frowned. Prompto didn't know what he was doing. Obviously he didn't mean to kill the other clones. He was trying to do the opposite. Did he deserve to suffer and eventually die for that?
"It has to be done. He broke every rule I laid out for him... He does in fact need to feel pain, humiliation, terror... He deserves these consequences." Verstael frowned. "You know that, Ardyn. Don't try to claim he deserves any less."
"Well... He's a child... An ignorant little child..." Ardyn raised his eyebrows.
"And defiant, and rather destructive in his ignorance." Verstael added. "So I've dosed him up so he couldn't escape the medical waste room… I'm letting him lay among the corpses of his brothers for a bit to think about what he did. Then I'll dispose of him along with them." Verstael informed him, turning back toward his work on the lab table as though what he'd just said wasn't the most horrifying admission Ardyn had ever heard.
The boy - for all intents and purposes - was an innocent child… Painfully and tragically innocent. Verstael was punishing him in the harshest way for something he didn't mean to do - a desperate attempt to save his kin - by making him lie helplessly among their corpses for who knew how long… and then would seemingly burn him alive along with them. Even for Verstael that was disturbing, way over the line.
Prompto was a clone, a science experiment, a soldier in the making… but he was still a child, and a child who was even more naive and confused than a regular child would be. Did he deserve such a harsh response to meddling with Verstael's work? The boy had been trying to do something helpful, something heroic. He'd done his best to save his siblings from a cruel fate and only ended up ending their lives instead. Wasn't it already punishment enough just having him know he'd accidentally killed them?
"Verstael…" Ardyn stared. He kind of wanted to just leave at this point. He expected to have his sick curiosity quenched through this visit, but Verstael had outdone himself. Just when Ardyn didn't think the man could do worse, Verstael always proved otherwise.
It never ceased to amaze him that Verstael had the power to make him sick like this. Perhaps it was the man's apathy - the fact that he'd seemingly taken this one clone under his wing, bonded with him more than the others - only to toss him away like trash without a second thought. Ardyn didn't give a shit about anyone on the planet besides himself. He'd killed and hurt countless people… But Verstael's level of depravity was unmatched.
"Hm?" Verstael glanced over his shoulder again with a raised eyebrow.
"Weren't you attached to that one?" Ardyn frowned.
Verstael shrugged and laughed. "I've got countless others just like him. They're clones; they're all the same. That's the point. I'll replace him with a more obedient one. Serves me right thinking one that was more mentally present was a good idea to keep around. Should have euthanized him the second he seemed to comprehend the words I was speaking to him."
Ardyn shook his head. He'd heard enough. Perhaps this part of Verstael's work was better left behind the scenes. "I'll take my leave of you now." He stared. "I wish you good luck with your work."
Verstael smiled slightly and nodded. "Farewell. Until next time." He turned back toward whatever his current project was.
Ardyn exhaled a soft breath before turning toward the room's exit. He shouldn't have felt disturbed by Versatel at this point… but the man was so twisted. That was what kept Ardyn coming back though - the morbid curiosity, the urge to see just how far the man would go, just how horrific his crimes against humanity could be. Ardyn himself was capable of creating great pain and despair, but Verstael was a different sort of disturbing. Ardyn personally tried to keep children out of the pain and destruction he caused - or at least keep his distance so he wouldn't see children suffering as a result of his actions. Verstael seemed to almost enjoy the opposite. He not only was planning to throw Prompto away, but was making sure he suffered first. At this point it was flat out torture. He was torturing a child... and he seemed almost proud of it.
As Ardyn walked down the halls of the lab, Verstael's confessions lingered in his mind. The little clone Ardyn had met a few times - but with whom he'd never really talked, as Prompto seemed scared of him - was doomed to die. That was okay… Ardyn wasn't attached to the little fellow, and so many others just like him were being abused and killed within the walls of the lab too…
But Prompto was suffering right now. He was more aware of the others, and according to Verstael, he was currently drugged and lying in a pile of corpses… a pile of corpses who looked just like him… his brothers who he tried to rescue and killed instead. Ardyn wondered if the little boy was awake and aware enough to know what was happening. Was he lying drugged in the room full of bodies, fully present? Did he know what was happening? Did he know what was going to happen next? Was he forced to lay immobile and entirely vulnerable, thinking and worrying about his demise?
Swallowing, Ardyn looked up toward the door he'd just walked himself up to. It was the medical waste room, the room right next to the incinerator. Why had he come here? Morbid curiosity again? Did he need to see the tormented little creature before Verstael finally gave him the sweet release of death?
For a few moments, Ardyn simply stared at the closed door. He could smell the lingering odor of ash, of burnt flesh... But there was something more - a faint scent of decay. The medical waste room was sealed fairly tight - to prevent the sick smell from lingering in the halls, but it was still there - if only just barely. Prompto was in there... Still alive according to Verstael... Laying among the dead, waiting to die himself.
Ardyn ran his fingers over the plaque labeling the room. "MEDICAL WASTE" it read. Was that what Prompto was to Verstael now? The child he became almost a mentor to - the one he treated differently than the others, who followed him around and helped him in the lab for the past couple years... And now he was just going to be thrown away like garbage. A part of Ardyn needed to open the door, to see the child, to further satisfy his morbid curiosity... Another part of him almost wanted to just turn around and leave. This wasn't his business. He wasn't the one attached to Prompto. He didn't need to worry about the child's suffering and impending death. It had nothing to do with Ardyn.
But would he be able to get the thoughts out of his head? Would he feel some sort of misplaced guilt for allowing this? For knowing the child was in there suffering and just walking away? What else could he do? Save the boy somehow? What could he even do? If he released him from the room, Versael would just find him again, probably be even more angry and hurt him worse... Ardyn could speed up the process at least, kill the child himself - do it quickly... Put a swift, blunt end to his suffering once and for all.
Seeing the boy wouldn't bother him, right? Not much… not for long. Ardyn didn't care about the pain and struggles of other people, and he'd seen lots of these little clones being hurt or killed… Most of them didn't walk around and stare at Ardyn like he was a monster. Most didn't act like little people…
Licking his lips, Ardyn reached out for the door, pushing it open and bracing himself for what he'd encounter once inside...
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