LDF1Thirteen
The boy couldn't have been more than 10 years old, and already had the cold eyes of a veteran. A by-product of the Laran Project. The Core had long ago realized that it was in need of a new edge to keep hold of its precarious position in the Omicrons, and that to survive they would have to push the limits in ways that had never been pushed before.
Which is why a number of children, ranging from 3-6 had been rounded up, tested for agreeable traits, and made to have never existed. Given numbers as identifiers, and treated as objects, they were subjected to training that would have been more suitable for the Core's commando units. As a result, dozens were deemed failures, and more still were quietly assigned an unmarked grave, the stress too much for their young bodies.
However, despite the setbacks, control group One had shown promising results. Compared to the 75% failure and casualty rate of the other control groups, group One suffered only 25% under the same conditions. The differences intrigued the trainers and scientists, who began to test just how far they could push the kids before they too began to break.
When initial efforts were hamstrung by physical abilities and youth, the Core substituted cybernetics and stimulants to make up the difference. As the tests became more strenuous and the children began to suffer, the Core learnt how to hone the intensity of the program to the point where results would be generated without loss of progress. By the time they had reached this point however, they had depleted all but 3 members of the initial control groups.
Given numbers instead of names, Thirteen, Five and Two-Seven were the benchmark that the Laran Project would strive to attain. The youngest of the group was Thirteen, taken when he was only four for the training. The other two were twins, and nearly a full year and a half older. Of the original 150 children taken to become the foundation of the Laran Project, only these three survived before the Core's scientists and commanders were satisfied with the attainable results.
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Which is why is why Nova Hawken found herself locked in a staring match with thirteen, his cold eyes drilling into hers. As the project head of part two of the Laran Project, her responsibility was to make sure that the surviving subjects were turned into deadly, flexible, independent and most importantly, loyal weapons for the Core to use.
They'd already been taught discipline, forced to endure arbitrary punishments for the smallest misstep and supposedly stripped of any defiance in the face of Core authority. Which is why Thirteen had caught her off-guard when he questioned a direct order. Granted they were taught to adapt and adjust based on evolving circumstances, but they had also been taught to obey the orders of a superior without question.
Another few seconds passed. Nova could feel the eyes of Two-Seven and Five on her, evaluating, judging. She was being tested. By children without names. She had been warned that this would happen, but hadn't expected it so soon. The way to keep Two-Seven and Five in line were by targeting their twin, but Thirteen was harder to reign in. A sigh escaped her lips as she entered a command on her wrist-mounted pad, and Thirteen's shock implant on the back of his neck activated, leaving his body writhing on the floor.
"Allow me to give you a life lesson Thirteen" Nova uttered, before proceeding with another long press on the shock-collar button. She watched him writhe in pain for a little longer, savouring his screams. "There's a very important word you need to be aware of when serving me. It's R-R-R..." she trailed off, waiting for him to finish the word. But a dazed and slightly, literally, frazzled Thirteen could not force a sound out of his lips, only a groan. She tutted sarcastically, before delivering a quick kick to his ribs as he lay on the floor. "Disappointing... how disappointing...".
She averted her focus towards Two-Seven and Five. She pointed her finger on Thirteen's crumpled form. "This is a kindness. The Core will break you, The Core will beat you, but it's your enemies that will kill you. Not following orders will be the difference between that, and staying alive". She turned back to Thirteen. "Do I make myself clear, subject Thirteen?".
Two-Seven
Two-Seven was designed as a Seeker. She knew it, and they knew she was the best. Anything and anyone could be found if you knew how to look. Two-Seven knew how to look. She'd found things that weren't supposed to exist, things that even her handlers never wanted found. That's why they kept her on a short leash. Nothing worse than having ancient history accidentally exposed and a rise to power crushed by the words of an eleven year old.
They'd used Two-Seven to find other subjects, to chase them down and to pull them out of their secret places. It made her different, made her hated. Only Five, her twin brother, was on her side. Even Thirteen, defensive as he was of her, saw her as little more than a tool. Something to be used. She knew how he thought. He knows she knows, but Thirteen doesn't care what other people think. For him, the only thing that matters is the job.
At least 5 cares. If not for 5, there was no way she'd have the strength to endure the ministrations of Nova. And right now, watching Thirteen struggle for breath on the floor, she already knew that she would be seeking before the night was over. She could only hope that it would be a worthwhile hunt. She hated the easy ones.
Five
Unlike his sister Two-Seven, Five was, for lack of a better word, a fetcher. She did the finding, he did the recovering. Where Two-Seven was kept on a short leash, Five was left to fend for himself. It suited his personality, and besides, so long as Two-Seven was under Nova's thumb, Five would do whatever required of him.
At first it had been small things. Get this. Sneak that out. Retrieve the briefcase. Then it had been expanded on. Get these codes, fetch that thumb. Eventually it had grown to his real tasking. Recover the intel, extract the hostage. Two-Seven would find the target, Five would make sure the Core had it. At least that was the theory. What all their modifications were aimed at achieving.
So far all they'd proved is that both Two-Seven and Five were very good at what they did, but not quite good enough yet. They were tools being honed to the point of perfection, but were still a long way off from reaching it.
Thirteen
Where Five and Two-Seven offered valuable skillsets to the Core, Thirteen was designed as a weapon. Originally envisioned as a team of three, capable of finding, retrieving and extracting almost anything, Thirteen had been created as the contingency plan for if things went wrong.
What had not been anticipated was how cold Thirteen was towards his comrades. Where it had been expected that he would develop a view towards them similar to that of a protector, he instead formed one where he viewed them as little more than tools. They each had a role, and while Thirteens was lesser than both of theirs, the cold nature he displayed indicated a flaw within the training program for the guardians.
Instead of writing Thirteen off as a failure, the guardian program was scrapped and Thirteen was reallocated to the enforcer unit. One mistake to another. Already taught to protect, Thirteen was further molded as he was taught to kill. His demeanor suited the role of executioner, and he quickly took to his new role as a dedicated weapon.
Echo Unit
Thirteens head was pounding. The effects of Nova's reprimand had yet to wear off, and he could dimly hear Two-Seven being given instructions. His eyes slid closed, blackness engulfing him. Five watched Thirteen pass out, nodding to himself. The test today would be harder than usual, because they would be a man down, and the instructors were already upset that they'd needed Hawken to discipline one of the members of Echo Unit.
Nova's voice rang through the training yard, crisp and clear. Thirteen was unable to answer the question, but both Two-Seven and Five knew better than to leave it unanswered, their voices singing out in unison. "Crystal clear, Templar Hawken!"
A buzzer rings, and they turn out of habit, snapping to attention before moving to their designated spots for the start of the trial.
"The trial is simple" Nova spoke slowly as she walked back and forth between the children. "We have cornered off an area of Durban's biodome, and have let loose an Order POW within. We have fooled her into thinking she can escape, but she is more or less a guinea pig in our trial". She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of Libertonian Cigarettes, a popular brand from her homeland. "Your objective is this," She said, before taking a toke. "Two-Seven, you are to locate this Agent. Five, you are to grab her and bring her to a suitable place for interrogation. Thirteen, you are to extract information from them regarding Toledo. And then kill them".
Nova had another long draw from her cigarette. "Pull this off and you get extra rations. Don't let me down". She snubbed out her cigarette with her finger, before pressing a buzzer on the side of the wall that opened a secret doorway into the Biodome. "Go!"
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