Apex

Chapter 4

•Zoryne•

I walked through the aisles of cages that held a wide variety of YD-R3's mammals. Like the R3s themselves, the animals of this planet held similarities to the creatures of our Homeworld. However, each species played a key role on this planet in maintaining the ecological balance of YD-R3's various environments. The similarities never cease to work in our favor. Thus far, we've been able to successfully replace this planet's animals with our corresponding Homeworld ones. It's been a slow and tedious process, but it will be well worth it. After some years, we'll be able to fully eradicate this entire planets inhabitants (save for a few which may be kept in menageries for educational purposes) and make this planet completely ours.

In the midst of my search I heard a high-pitched whine. I stopped in my tracks. Retracing my steps, I returned to the aisle I had just passed. I sighed. A couple of R3s were making a racket.

I stepped into the aisle. The females were kept to my left and the males on my right. We couldn't risk them breeding without our knowledge.

The crying grew louder until it was right below me. I kneeled and peered into the enclosure near my boots.

The noises stopped.

Inside, an adult female was holding a female juvenile as it wept. It sat in its lap as the adult wrapped its arms around it. The juvenile's lips quivered as its chest rose and fell sporadically.

I rested my hand on my knee and leaned closer. They both shrunk back. The child let out a wail it had been holding in. It screamed and sobbed, turning away from me and burying its face into the other female's chest.

They were new, came in with some soldiers who scouted deep into the forests of the surrounding areas. Typically, R3s were eradicated on sight. But we needed to run more tests on them and our supply was running low. We also don't often have the liberty of observing females with their young. We're still planning the series of tests that will be run on these two. With their gaunt and malnourished bodies they may not last long.

As if reading my thoughts, the juvenile let out another sob. The female hushed and cooed, attempting to silence it while keeping its eyes on me the entire time. Something brewed beneath those eyes. The tightness of her brows and the scowl on her face conveyed its disdain for me. I ground my teeth. Lashing out would accomplish nothing. I stood. These creatures were beneath me. I shouldn't have bent down to their level even if just to look. Their place was at my feet. At all of our feet. I stomped away, each step causing the other R3s to shrink in fear. A grin slid across my face.

Yes, be afraid. Your time will come.

Then, an image flashed through my mind. It was of that female strapped to an examination table, those pitiful tears leaking from her eyes as she became covered in blood. Her body split open, organs bared to Vayne as he reached for them with tweezers.

I grew dizzy, leaning on a shelf as I blinked the image away. I took some deep breaths through my nose. My brows furrowed in confusion.

That stupid female. She was dead from the moment I plucked her out of her cage. This is her fate. It's what will happen to all the R3s housed in this facility. It is the way of this world now.

So why did the thought of her suffering make my chest ache? This is not a normal reaction. I should tell Jari about this. She's a few years my senior. Perhaps she'll help me end whatever nonsense this female has caused me to feel. Forgetting my assignment, I walked with purpose to the lift.

The lift made it most of the way up to the offices on the higher levels when a deafening boom sounded below me.

The elevator shook violently. I was tossed to the side, banging my head on the wall and falling with barely enough time to catch myself. I stayed on the on the floor, bent over awkwardly, hands covering the base of my neck as another blast erupted from below, making the building tremble. The lights flickered off, replaced by a red emergency light.