Prologue
“Level 1?” a stallion asked, back turned to the other. He was standing with his chin up in a business-like way. He stared out a glass window, revealing a dome shaped room beneath. Below teenagers all the age of sixteen walked about, carrying on their day as usual. These were the Level 3s. Some looked quite strange. Most ponies were white, brown, or black, but these ones had other colors. Blue, green, purple, you name it.
“Negative,” the stallion behind the first replied.
“Level 2?” the first asked.
“Negative,” the second repeated.
“Level 3?” the stallion turned with a look like You have to be kidding me.
“Unsure, we have 990123 almost complete,” the second stallion told the first. The first cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh?” interest flashed through the first stallion’s green eyes. “Show me, I don’t think I’ve heard of 3-990123.”
“Of course, right this way sir,” the second stallion turned and the first followed close behind. The two stallions stepped into an elevator. The elevator shot off like a rocket, but being used to the speed of it, both stood there calmly, grounded easily.
When it stopped, they stepped out calmly. The second stallion took the lead once more, escorting the first through the laboratory level. All sorts of odds and ends lay spread out across the shelves, but it was orderly. There was a long hallway that sloped slightly downwards, traveling deeper into the ground. A large metal door stood in the way.
The second stallion pulled out a card and swiped it through a slot, quickly punched in a password then pressed his hoof to a scanner. There was a green light above the door and it slid open, revealing a large spacious room. Several scientists dressed up, sort of looking like doctors, rushed about. Some of them had newly created blood splattered on their white uniforms from working with the body in the center strapped to a table.
This one was a teen aged colt, upper half bare for completion. His lower half was dressed in a pair of pants, blood staining them. His mane was dirty blonde, fur a lighter sandy color, and his eyes were closed. On his flank was his “birthmark” barcode with his number written below in black. This Level 3 looked pony, some of the other 3s hardly resembled pony.
There were tubes hooked up to the colt, pumping fluids into his body. Several suction cups were placed against his head, giving a visual on a screen of what it looked like inside.
To the side a scientist quickly came over to the colt’s side. Part of the colt’s front leg was only bone. Gingerly, the scientist placed muscle over the bone and dabbed the part it connected to the rest of the leg with a green liquid. The muscle connected as a new one came over to complete the arm.
“How is the Experiment coming?” the first stallion asked the nearest scientist who was looking at a clipboard.
“Hmm?” the scientist hummed, not looking up, “Oh he’s going great, his mind is cooperating with us quite well.”
“Is he almost done?” the stallion wondered, watching the scientists scurry around.
“Yeah, we just have to complete his arm and we’ll be set to Radiate him,” the scientist replied. The stallion smiled.
“Wow, how long has this one taken?” the stallion wondered.
“Only three days,” the scientist finally looked up.
“Wow,” the stallion whistled, impressed. Most Experiments took up to a month to complete, the shortest they’ve ever been was a week.
“Yeah, he’s a very cooperative subject,” the scientist nodded.
“Well lets cross our fingers he has a power,” the stallion pursed his lips, looking at the boy.
“Exactly, sir, I really believe we’ve done it this time,” the scientist smiled.
The stallion just bobbed his head, watching the completion of the hoof on the colt. Then the scientists backed away to admire their creation.
“Sir do you wish for the Radiation?” the scientist he was talking to piped up.
“Yes, now,” the stallion nodded. Quickly the scientists pulled out the tubes hooked up to the colt. Some of them smiled with their success with the blood as blood trickled out of the dime sized holes. They pressed cotton balls to the holes to close them up to not ruin their creation with the radiation.
Swiftly the stallion and the scientists evacuated the room.
Back in the room, the colt’s body shuddered, the natural body’s reaction to the cold which the table was very much so. The shiver shook off a cotton ball. Then the Radiation began.
Once it was over, the scientists crept back in, wearing protective gear. They pulled away the cotton balls which were a mess now and bandaged up his chest. Then they studied the colt’s body for a little over an hour, the man watching patiently.
“Sir, would you like the Electrocution to take place today or would you like to wait?” a scientist asked the bystander.
“Yes,” the stallion replied immediately with no hesitation.
"But sir-"
"Now," the stallion cut off the scientist
Unsurely, they evacuated the room again.
In the room, metal clamps jumped around the colt’s wrists, ankles, and forehead as well as a thick one around his middle. The table whirred to life and panels under the colt’s front legs folded out. Under his hind legs it split and pulled him spread-eagle. An electrical current was sent coursing through his body which sprung his heart and brain into action.
Moments later the scientists filed back in.
They watched the colt with intent looks, each holding their breaths for a sign of life.
The colt sucked in a breath. A cheer broke out and the stallion smiled. The stallion walked over to the colt’s side.
“3-990123?” the stallion asked gently. The colt’s eyes opened in response. They were blank purple, no pupils. The stallion felt slightly disappointed, he was sure this experiment would look perfectly pony.
The colt looked up at the stallion.
The colt was quiet for a long, long moment, silence filled the room.
“It’s cold,” he stated. A couple of chuckles swept through the scientists, one of them muttering about how anti-climatic it was.
“Yes, yes of course,” the stallion blinked, slightly taken aback by the abruptness.
The colt looked down at himself and frowned.
“I’m strapped to a cold table and I’m bleeding.” the colt pointed out. A gasp of surprise rushed through the room. Most Experiments wouldn’t notice that right at first, most were a little on the blank-slave side of things.
“Intelligent, I like that,” the stallion mused.
The colt frowned up at him.
“Are you going to let me go?” the colt asked.
“Yes yes of course, I’ll see to it there is a room and warm clothing.” the stallion nodded. The bonds snapped away from the colt and he instantly sprung off the table. But instead of rubbing his cold limbs, he threw a punch to the stallion who skipped backwards out of the way.
“Oo, feisty are we?” the stallion asked calmly, dodging a kick. From behind a scientist jammed a needle into the colt’s flank and injected something. The colt’s eyes rolled back and he crumbled to the floor.
The stallion watched the scientists drag the boy away.
“That’s it,” the stallion mused softly to himself. “He’s so intelligent he realized that we weren’t up to any good. But how did he. . ?” The stallion trailed away, scanning the room. The bonds, the electricity. . . and blood. . . The stallion realized that the colt must have thought the blood was another’s. Surprised he blinked, but how did he know what blood was?
The stallion’s eyes narrowed, he knew he only had one option with the colt to get him to cooperate: brainwashing.