Chapter Text
You never really liked the city, all the hustle and bustle of the streets and smells you really couldn't distinguish between the smell of smoke or something dying, but you really didn't have anything to say on the matter when you pursued medicine and research.
You graduated with top marks and was immediately sought out by medical research facilities. Soon enough, you were whisked away on a dream internship with a high-end but lucrative research facility in the city.
Everything about your internship was highly confidential with security patrolling everywhere, as you walked through the doors with armed guards on both sides.
You often wondered as to why the place was so heavily guarded but you chalk it up as one of the facilities concern for mutants that seemed to be rampant in the city as of late. You scan your ID card giving you access to the labs.
Honestly...the whole business was so hush-hush it was almost suspicious, but you never questioned it, the pay was good enough to help pay off your student loans, put a roof over your head, buy food with some to spare, so yeah, you kept your pretty mouth shut.
As soon as you entered the labs a portly balding man, that was your supervisor greets you with a large smile,
"Ah, just the person I wanted to see!"
"You needed something, Dr. Kingly?" In your bewilderment to see him smiling at you, you almost head back out the lab just to check and see if you entered the correct room, during your whole stay you've only seen him, frown and yell at you and grunt in acknowledgement when you did good.
"You see, I just received word from above commending you for your success on our last research, you remember that, yes?
It was a research on the various samples of 'enchancing goo' that would boost overall the human immune system (at least that's what they told you) and it's rapid effects on cells. Where they got the specimen they wouldn't tell you, painting it as a trade secret that you weren't qualified to know.
You nod, not quite seeing where this is going. He beams a large forced smile that almost doesn't seem to match his eyes, in fact you might actually say it's hurting him to pay you any cheer at all.
"Well my dear, you are about to take on bigger research, you've been successfully integrated on the main team!"
You frown, you were elated, but to be integrated so soon? The main team none the less? It almost seems like a prank, but knowing the older killjoy scientist was not one for jokes, much less being involved in pranks.
" Really? Wait- what does the main team exactly research on?"
He his smile falters as he almost looks annoyed, he opens his mouth to answer but doesn't get to when the lab doors open and another scientist in a mop of dark browns asks you to follow him, Dr. Kingly gives a look that says 'you'll see',
The other scientist leads you further into the facility, as you head in deeper you noticed there were more guards posted everywhere and doors that needed ID scans had become more frequent. You were becoming more uneasy.
You arrive in a large lab that seems to have every advanced scientific equipment you've ever known and even some you weren't quite familiar with, and a handful of scientists scurrying around, holding papers or glass apparatus filled with unknown chemicals, but what caught your attention more was the large glass containment tube filled to the brim with some kind of glowing green liquid almost similar to the goo you researched on, and a scientist stood in front, his hands in his lab coat, observing it.
"She's here doctor" The scientist that guided you, leaves you right after, you didn't even got in a word of thanks before he slips into the throng of other scientists.
The man turns around and you almost miss the manic look on his face as he schools it in a friendly smile holding his hand out to shake.
"Ah, hello! Nice to finally meet you, I am Dr. Baxter, your research has definitely helped us reach a breakthrough on our latest experiment, I'm happy to have you on our team"
You shake his offered hand, you were a little star struck, this man was popular among your field of expertise and he was complimenting you, inwardly gloating a little at the praise.
His face turns serious,
"Let's get down to some ground rules before I begin explaining what we do here, as you might as well know, everything here is highly confidential, meaning nothing goes out when it gets in, I hope you understand that, I'd hate to lose such a brilliant addition to the team so soon, because they couldn't keep trade secrets a ...secret." He says chuckling at some joke that you didn't seem to share.
There was something ominous in the way he said it, as you hesitantly nod a misplaced dread at the pit of your stomach, it made your skin crawl.
"Well now that's out of the way, please, take a look at our creation, the peak of a bio-chemical breakthrough!" His face warps into something borderline crazy as he gives you a grin, he steps aside to give you a clearer view of the large goo filled tube.
Your brows furrow as go a little closer, you try to make out the dark shape inside the tube.
You stiffen, your eyes widen in horror, inside the tube was a tiny child floating with an oxygen mask, he was bald and was only wearing shorts as far as you can see through the murk of the goo.
'They're experimenting on a child!' Your mind screams at you as you unknowingly stepped closer holding your hand out to the glass, as if sensing your touch the child opens his eyes and looks at you curiously. Your heart thuds loud inside your ribs as if it couldn't fit inside your chest anymore. Baxter mistakes your horror for fascination as he gives you a pat on the shoulder.
"W-what exactly do we do here as the main team again?" You curse yourself for stuttering.
"Why, we make super soldiers of course. There are plenty of influential people who pay big money for such... enhancements, though, we still couldn't make them obey fully to their commanders, we had some minor breaches... but it couldn't be helped all for the sake of science."
You felt sick, all those mutants that ran rampant in the city causing chaos and despair came from this lab, you look at Baxter, his greedy eyes never leaving the small child as he said it.
"And... him?" You watch the child, as he too, never took his eyes off you since he had opened them.
"wonderful isn't he? A biological weapon faster than any mutant you've ever seen, deadlier than any chemical grade poison, He will be the biggest success this company has ever made!" He pauses as if just remembering who he was talking to, he turns to you with a smile. "And it's thanks to you we've achieved this. Brilliant, really."
Gone was the gloating as guilt and shame washes over you, thinking you're the reason a child was put in a tube and experimented on, the reason for soon to be hundreds of deaths. You were smart enough to understand all of this wasn't legal and that exposing this would lead you to an early death, that goes the same for quitting the job. what have you gotten yourself into?
"Before I forget, your job is to maintain and check his vitals, make sure he's healthy and all, here is a list of your tasks, same shift as your usual, and here's your access card." as he tosses you a card, and looks you dead in the eye. "Remember, nothing goes out in this facility alive."
You give him a fake smile as you nod in understanding you couldn't help the cold sweat that ran down your spine despite the A/C on full blast.
The next few weeks was just you checking out his vitals and maintaining his health, to your surprise, he was let out of the tube for feeding and to dry off, and what you thought was just the haze of the goo, his skin was actually an almost dark shade of green with patterned scales and he had similar features of that of a snake.
He had taken an instant liking to you, wanting to be near you at every meeting and would even go as far as to obeying all your instructions. Taking care of a mutant child was definitely far off your list when you took this job but here you are.
He has grown attached to you, that was certain when your shift ended and you handed him to the next scientist, he refused to follow the other scientist's orders and was hostile to anyone else other than you. he also has poisonous fangs, you found that out when a fellow scientist got a little too close and got bit, she was immediately rushed to the clinic, they assured you she was recuperating but you never saw her again. He was definitely not let out as frequently as he used to, and it seems you were left in charge with his handling.
The lab called him Mugen, short for Mutagen, the alien chemical he was frequently soaked in. He would totter in all fours when you called him, he would churr at you not exactly saying words but more like baby babble. You knew he was sentient and intelligent, understanding what you were saying oftentimes, and saying you weren't attached would be a lie. Maybe it was the guilt or his innocent black eyes staring at you, but you wanted him out of the lab, not here to grow up and be experimented on. After all this was your fault.
You were almost content looking out for Mugen, it was basically babysitting without all the fuss as he had the intelligence far better than an average 6 year old, as you watch him play with a puzzle block. Jotting down notes, he totters to your direction handing you a block as he churrs, you smile accepting the block and giving him a pat on the head, as he happily goes back to his puzzle
"You seem awfully attached to him" You almost drop your clipboard along with the block, as Baxter had seemed to appear out of nowhere, observing you with keen beady eyes.
"He's my job after all, I always, pay attention to make excellent results. "You lie to him coolly, even though your heartrate was running a mile a minute.
He grins as he taps his chin in thought, "That you do, dear, but we need him, it's time for his first experiment " he says flippantly flicking a hand forward.
"Wha-" you start as guards you didn't notice behind him, surges forward and grabs Mugen, He hisses violently at the approaching guards, with a speed you didn't know he possessed, he jumps and bites the guard on the arm, it seems they came prepared as his fangs sank uselessly on the thickly padded armor, the guard didn't seemed fazed as they wrestle him into a muzzle.
He whines helplessly reaching for you, as they take him, you step forward to take him back in your arms and remove the muzzle, a sort of motherly instinct seems to surge from you, you seem to snap out of it when you felt someone grab your arm holding you back, Baxter shakes his head at you as his eyes dance between you and Mugen as something seems to click inside his twisted mind, "Where are you going?" He questions with almost a laughing tone.
"I-I... it seems that they may have injured the mutant, that would affect my results greatly in the process." you lie with gritted teeth.
" Hmm, no worries, that child has a very fast healing process, if you must know. You're dismissed for the day, see you tomorrow Y/n." He says with a chuckle playing along with your lie, as he walks out to the direction of where the guards took Mugen with you looking on, clutching the block until your knuckles turn white.
Fuck it, you were breaking this child out of this facility consequences be damned. You quickly scan the lab and immediately formed a plan. This could be your worst or best idea yet.
You decided to linger in the facility, when the other scientists weren't paying attention, you accessed your files deleting and messing up all your findings on purpose and slipping the original copy in your pocket and making sure you wouldn't leave traces, you have at least an hour before the whole lab is thrown into chaos with your misleading files.
You saw Baxter leave the room he just came from with a pleased hum, as you duck away from his view as he leaves for the day.
Feeling sick to the stomach, you push the feeling of anxiety to the side, on what you were about to do, you strode towards the room with a covered medical trolley like you had the authority of Baxter himself. The guards turn to look at you as you enter the room.
"What are you buffoons still doing here? The doctor dismissed you, he told me I was going to handle the mutant without any distractions! Out with you two!" Your tongue clicking in feigned annoyance as they bewilderingly look at each other hesitantly, they fortunately bought your lie as they nodded respectfully at you, it wasn't a secret that you were the one handling everything when it came to Mugen, perks of it you guess, as they file out the door shutting it behind them.
When you turned around, you let out an audible gasp as you see Mugen strapped and barely conscious on the examination table and a bunch of red stained tools on the medical tray and an empty syringe. You quickly try to untie him but as soon as you come closer he hisses blindly squinting through the harsh overhead lamp focused on his tiny frame, at your direction.
"Shhhhh, it's just me, I we're getting out of here, okay? I need you to be quiet, can you do that for me?"
At the sound of you voice, he stops hissing and whines for you, churring pitifully, seeing he recognized you you immediately free him from the straps and carefully pick him up, he limply nuzzles into you, staying quiet as you instructed, it wasn't hard though, he seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness
Using some towels and bottles you quickly get to work forming a make shift figure on the table and covering it with a blanket. Hopefully this plan would buy you enough time.
You exit the room pushing the trolley back out as you see the guards you dismissed waiting outside, as you were about to pass them he holds out a hand stopping you in you tracks.
"Sorry but we have to check your trolley"
"What? This is ridiculous! I'm a busy woman and you're wasting my time!" You grit your teeth as you tensely clutch the trolley.
The other guard peeks into the room, seeing a figure covered in a blanket on the table he nods at his partner.
" It's just standard procedure, Doctor."
He says monotonely as he peeks at the covered apparatus underneath, seemingly satisfied he let's you go on your way.
You quickly made your way away from the labs without seeming out of place, 'Holysh- I can't believe that worked' your shoes clicking loudly in the large empty halls, your palms sweating as you check your wristwatch, 10 minutes left, shit, you took too long inside the lab.
You make a sharp turn towards the locker room, almost frantic, you found a duffle bag sitting on a bench on your right, silently apologizing to whoever owns it, you immediately dump all it's contents on the side, as you take a peek underneath the trolley, there swaddled fully in cloth and had fallen unconscious was Mugen, you carefully put him inside the bag as you stuff your lab coat and other 'borrowed' things successfully covering him but not enough to suffocate him.
As you calmly walked towards the exit, bag in tow, your heart seems to be beating at your throat while the guard at the exit boredly looks at your bag, not bothering to poke around as he sends you off.
You gave him a stiff smile as you turn to leave.
"Wait!" You freeze, and you thought you've been caught as the guard goes near you.
"You dropped this" he hands you your ID card that in your haste you hadn't noticed you dropped, "Thank-" alarms immediately started blaring as windows start shutting with large metal grails and doors slowly start locking down, he looks at the other guard at the entrance.
Seeing that was your cue to leave, you bolt just in time, rolling underneath the large metal panel going down as it misses chopping you in half just by an inch.
As you ran through the busy streets dodging people and the onslaught of traffic hoping they didn't have time to chase after you since the door had slammed shut.
You look behind you to check... Bad idea, over the sea of people you see a man clad in black, point towards you as several others disappear.
Time to lose them in the cover of the darkening streets and crowd.
You curse under your breath when you noticed your pursuers were jumping from building to building. Your lungs and legs were burning and the bag only seemed to get heavier with every step, but you were determined to get away. You decided you couldn't keep running where they can see you, as you entered a small cafe, the woman in her late 30s on the counter looks startled at your winded and frantic state,
" P-please, you have to help me, I'm being chased do you have a back door exit?"
She looks at your scuffed up figure then the duffle bag and pieces something out, she gives you a worried look.
"Oh honey, you okay? do you want me to call the police for domestic abuse?" As she gently, leads you to the back door, away from prying eyes and ears.
You shake your head, "That's not- ... what? er no thanks, I just need to get away" she gives you a look of concern but nods. You thank her, feeling a little guilty not clearing anything up, but you didn't have the time or the care at the moment as you immediately rush out the back exit to an alleyway, you only made it a few turns when you see a figure clad in black, jump down swinging his sword in an arc to cut you down, you yelp as you turn around, clutching the duffle bag to your chest protectively.
Red splatters on the pavement.