Incomplete

by Teku Senpai

2: Not-So-Cutie Mark

Rook stared down at the newly-acquired mattress for 404 as he followed the hatted stallion and the quivering scientist down a hall. Experiment 404 rested on the mattress with a white sheet draped over her. The white sterilized sheet had blood stains splotched all over it turning about half the white to red.

It was not for long before the small group of ponies made it to a specific door labeled Emergency. Rook had never been down here, but he knew it was not the type of emergency that a welcoming hospital would happily provide services for. When they pushed passed the door, multiple screens separated designated areas, all of which were empty except one.

Another pony who looked unrealistically similar to Experiment 404 lay awake in a bed with machines hooked up to her. Noticing Rook's unease from entering the room, the hatted stallion laughed deeply and declared, "I guess you would want insight on what this room is. This room is here to keep certain experiments alive."

Rook explored the room with his eyes alone and responded curiously, "Certain?"

"The experiments that we have hope for and refuse to let die."

Rook gulped silently. In each designated it appeared to be just another miniaturized hospital room, but separated by thin drapes rather than walls. Next to each white bed was an operating bench with a variety of tools at a "doctor's" disposal. At the far back of the room, large machines await use.

They probably are used for keeping the ponies alive if they're critical... whether they want to live or not...

Rook gulped down a newly-formed lump in his throat and turned his attention to Experiment 404. The white sheet that had been draped over her was wadded up and thrown in the corner and the younger meek stallion began hooking Experiment 404 up to machines that tell the vitals of the pony. Rook was never one to dabble in technology but almost felt bad for Experiment 404's situation. The hatted stallion is going to lengths to keep this pony alive.

--- ---

"Blood."

The hatted stallion stared down at the 404th experiment which was lying on the ground, having just been tackled by his modified bodyguard. He sniffed and cleared his throat.

Rook immediately returned to his hooves and backed away from the downed experiment, but did not take his eyes off it.

The hatted stallion looked around the burnt room and acknowledged the many piles of dust and melted components that lay around the room. He trotted over to a bench that had metal tools laid out prior to the outburst. All that lay on the half-destroyed bench were small puddles of metal that were already hardening once more.

The hatted stallion sighed and picked up one of the hardened puddles in his white magic. He brought it close to his face and spun it around to examine it. Finding nothing intriguing, the stallion tossed it aside, beckoning a resounding clank that echoed down the hall.

"Well?" The hatted stallion did not turn his attention back to the clearly more important situation just yet.

"... Well, what..? Sir?" The scientist looked up to meet the hatted stallion's gaze but did not get to meet eyes, which he was thankful for.

Rook snorted and looked between the two. The silence built up until a mare appeared at the door, donning the same clothes that the young scientist was wearing. Rook had never seen this particular mare before, but scanned her for possible threats just to be sure.

"Professor?" She referred to the hatted stallion and continued, "Do we have permission to move this experiment to the Emergency Room?" Her voice was soft, but it still had a stern and to-the-point aspect that nopony could ignore.

The hatted stallion looked up at the mare without meeting her gaze and grunted. He motioned for the young stallion scientist to load Experiment 404 and follow him. The mare at the door turned and scampered down the hall, removing herself from sight and mind. Rook stared at where she used to be for a few more seconds and turned his attention back to Experiment 404 who was thrown upon an intact mattress and wheeled out the room.

He muttered under his breath, "She doesn't work here..." and followed the scientist and hatted stallion through the doorway.

--- ---

Rook snapped out of his flashback and looked around the room again, an instinctual response to determine whether he had missed anything important or not. Evidently he had not missed much regarding Experiment 404. Rook thought back and tried to identify the mare that had referred to the professor. No scientist calls him the professor because it is only a name he calls himself when speaking to experiments.

Rook raised an eyebrow and looked over at the Experiment 404 look-alike resting in the area next to theirs. The pony lying there was awake, but she was staring off in the distance, fixed on a point millions of miles away. Rook squinted, but returned his gaze to Experiment 404. She was alive, but barely. His plot to escape would have to wait for a while if things were not looking up soon.

Ironically, Experiment 404's eyes shot open. The heart rate monitor began to go crazy as the beats per minute escalated exponentally. 404 did not show any signs of increased heart rate though. There was no physical symptoms that could assist in the new bpm. Experiment 404 still lay quietly on the mattress not attempting to move. She simply stared up at the ceiling.

"Uh oh..." The young scientist monitored multiple machines that Experiment 404 was hooked up to and looked at the specimen. "She... She's bleeding from her eyes again." The scientist unplugged all the machines off of her. They were clearly malfunctioning and would provide no assistance whatsoever.

Rook stepped a little closer to the bed and noticed that blood had stained the experiment's light orange coat around her eyes and was trickling down to the mattress. He noticed something peculiar though. The experiment's left eye twitched once and a a thick blood red began to overwhelm the cyan iris. In moments, Experiment 404 vanished leaving nothing but a deep red blood stain on the mattress.

--- ---

The hatted stallion had sent off the male scientist to inform any staff he happens upon and told them to keep a sharp eye before hobbling out the door himself. Rook would have followed him to wherever he had in mind, but had a myth that he himself needed to confirm. He looked back at the stained mattress, trotting over to it.

He heard a small giggle which turned into muffled maniacal laughter. Rook gulped and extended his hoof, prodding the spot where Experiment 404 had been and met resistance. All of a sudden the experiment reappeared on the bed, her left eye still blood red. She had an overly wide grin splayed across her face which revealed two intimidatingly long fangs.

Rook leapt back a safe distance and analyzed Experiment 404, she had undergone more physical changes involving sharper ears, her wings were larger and she had claws extending from her hooves. 404 sat up on the mattress and licked her fangs.

She whispered, "I want to play a game..." She dropped from the mattress and began sauntering towards Rook, who was slowly moving towards the doorway.

Experiment 404 stopped and lowered herself.

She's about to lunge. Rook steeled himself and prepared to defend himself.

404 leapt up at Rook, but before she could make contact, the young stallion scientist galloped back into the room just in time to have his neck shredded. His white coat stained red and the deep gashes in his neck gurgled as blood squirted from the open wounds.

The scientist immediately dropped to the tiled floor and screamed at the top of his lungs, kicking around from the pain. Experiment 404 quickly dropped down upon the male scientist and grabbed his face in her claws. "Hush." With the soft command, she flexed her claws and crushed the poor scientist's head. The legs stopped kicking and the shrill scream ceased immediately.

The white stallion quickly became engulfed in red as his blood trickled around the slightly uneven flooring to make a slightly distorted puddle of crimson and scarlet. Rook stared down at the gruesome and mangled sight, guilty for not doing anything to save him. He switched his gaze and stared at 404 again, who was looking at the corpse. She looked intrigued but still grinned. She let out a broken laugh, the splattered blood on her face assisting her with her manic look.

404 stared up at Rook and the two shared an intense stare-down before 404 retreated a bit and scraped the floor with her claws. The sound of hoofsteps fast approaching echoed into the room. 404's ears perked up and her left iris immediately reverted back to its original cyan color. For a second, she limped and appeared as lifeless as her victim. She fell to the ground immediately, out like a light.

Rook quickly made his way over to 404 and held her in his hooves, checking her vitals as reinforcements arrived. 404 was still alive, but something still seemed wrong. The hatted stallion entered the room after two other scientists. The mangled corpse next to the doorway immediately drew their attention first. While one of the scientists dedicated his attention to the bloody pile of flesh, the other analyzed Rook's situation, turning back to whisper a few words to the hatted stallion every few minutes.

Rook admitted, his position did seem suspicious in the eyes of a non-witness. The way it looks right now, with Rook holding 404 and a corpse laying on the ground, Rook may appear to be attempting to steal Experiment 404. It is plausible considering the fact that they have settled that she is one of the few Unknown in existence.

"Rook, I'll want to hear your side of the story after these two complete their tasks." The hatted stallion kept his chin low, but his daunting aura remained to intimidate Rook.

Rook gulped. He knew that he was not guilty, but would the rest of them believe it. It is not overheard of for an Unknown to possess destructive qualities, but Rook was still doubtful. The two "investigators" concluded their business promptly, whispered a few more words and moved themselves to the back of the room.

A new pony that appeared to be a sanitary officer entered the room and began cleaning up the bloody mess that dirtied the floor as Rook turned slowly and gently laid Experiment 404 upon the stained bed that she had originally vanished from.

The hatted pony took a step forward and cleared his throat. "Alright, Rook. Let's hear it. What have you uncovered?" The gruff voice lost all friendliness and warmth. Even if the warmth was used nothing for self-benefit, it was always reassuring for Rook. Rook's eyes darted from pony to pony before they landed on the hatted stallion once more. He considered and weighed his options. He let out a sigh and explained.

--- ---

The hatted stallion stared down intently at Rook, his own bodyguard. His modified bodyguard whose sole purpose here was to protect him from any unstable experiments that may overcome security precautions. He trusted Rook, but to an extent. As far as explanations and excuses came, Rook was not prioritized.

Rook fidgeted a little, a hoof behind his back. He flinched back a little and looked up at his employer. He began with, "I immediately realized that Experiment 404 did not teleport anywhere. Teleportation magic looks different. You hear a pop and you see the magic. Experiment 404 simply vanished, so I concluded that she went invisible. However, when she reappeared, she was dripping with blood, so the scientist who... is no longer with us... attacked her and I fended him off with a knife. I know how much you cared about this experiment, so I did everything in my power to protect her."

Rook revealed a knife in his hoof that he had kept behind is back until now. it was small, but there was blood on it - not a blood stain, but fresh blood from a recently sliced victim.

The hatted stallion shifted his stance and nodded lightly. He knew. That blood was too fresh and the wounds. The wounds on the scientist victim were too large. The gashes were simply too large to be caused by a mere blade. Of course, that particular scientist would have anything but violence in mind. The hatted stallion did not know what Rook's aim was, but he had one detail right. That experiment, lying unconscious on the stained bed behind Rook meant everything to the hatted stallion. The third Unknown ever.

The hatted stallion turned around and motioned for the two "investigators" to leave with him while the janitor stayed to finish cleaning up the gory mess. He looked back and, to no one really, said, "And erase her failure mark. We'll be changing it in due course."

Rook watched the hatted stallion exit the room before looking back down at this own Cutie Mark. It had been replaced a while back when he was first hired. His original castle chess piece in front of a bronze shield replaced with nothing more than a dark circle with a line piercing it vertically, the mark of a successful experiment.