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"The sound of Hyde's slow footsteps was driving her insane. Each pitter and patter, the soles of his boots scraping against the concrete sent a chill down Harper's spine.

He tilted his blade, and the light that reflected off of it became visible. Harper pressed her lips together to force the quivering to stop. She was forcing herself to be strong.

Hyde stood directly in front of her. His left hand fiddled with the handle of his dagger. He was playing with it to intimidate her. And it was working.

Harper moved her eyes back to his scar. What happened to him? Why was it so dark in color? Bruises usually heal after a few weeks. Unless this wound was brand new, there was no way.

A wound this big would require much rest. Harper doubted he was recently inflicted. She reached to touch it without thinking.

Hyde raised his blade and she immediately came back to her senses. "You're intrigued." He narrowed his eyes. "Greed for knowledge must be a trait that all in your occupation must have been born with."

Harper shook her head.

The knife tilted away from her skin, just slightly. And then there was the sound of it plunging through hard material. Harper screamed before slapping her hands over her mouth when she realized that it didn't cut her.

Rather, the door she was standing against had a hole.

Hyde leaned close, and positioned his lips near her ear. "Go."

"M-monster..." Harper puffed softly.

"What?" He smirked. "What did you call me?"

"You're a Monster..." Harper repeated boldly. "Dr. Bomb will come for me. You better start counting your hours. You're dead."

Hyde's eyes lit up with amusement. He let out a soft laugh, surprising her.

Harper raised her leg. She knee'd him in the crotch, earning a low growl from him. He didn't budge. She tried it again, but he caught onto her leg and spun her around, flinging her body onto his cot.

"Where's Yanpu!?" She shouted. "Where is he?"

The door slammed open, and the man with the gray beard who ran after her stumbled in.

"Give me the anesthetic," Hyde demanded, motioning his fingers forward.

"Why don't you kill her already?" The man huffed.

Harper grabbed a fist full of Hyde's hair and yanked as hard as she could. He swore like a sailor.

"GET THE ANESTHETIC." Hyde roared at him. "Release me!"

"Tell me where Yanpu is!"

Hyde ripped her hand away and pinned them over her head. "Forget the medication... pass me that dagger. I'll take a leg from her. That'll shut her up."

Harper froze at his words. The glow in his eyes meant that he was serious about it. "No! Please!"

He took the knife by the handle and held it over her right knee. Harper began squirming around. "No! Hyde! I'm sorry! Don't!"

Harper could feel just the edge of the dagger graze against her. "I'm sorry!" She cried.

The man waited for Hyde to continue. But a look of shock spread across his face when he tossed the weapon aside. "Any wrong moves, you're done." Hyde spat. "Hear me?"

"I'm sorry!" Harper nodded frantically.

"Get up." Hyde pushed himself off of her. Harper did as she was told. "Head right back to that room. Stay inside until I say otherwise."

"Can I make one request before I go?"

"No."

"I'll starve, Hyde!"

"I don't care." Harper opened her mouth to rebuke, but he went to grab his weapon again. She bolted out of the door.

Hyde turned to face the man and scowled. "I told you to give her something to eat earlier."

"Scum like her don't deserve a decent meal."

"Even if so," Hyde aimed his dagger at him. "I need her alive. I never asked you to get her a four-course meal. I asked you to supply her with sustenance. I didn't think that a simple task was so freaking hard for you to accomplish."

Hyde swiped his blade, and a snippet of the man's beard fell.

"If she dies, you will die too."

"You can't kill me. You NEED me, Hyde."

"That woman controls the kid. And the kid is the very resource I need for my survival. Don't interfere with my plans. Understand, Arnest?"

Arnest looked down, and at the fallen patch of hair between his feet. The air grew cold around him the longer he stared at it. "I understand."

"Grains are enough to fill someone's stomach." Hyde placed his blade down and opened the drawer of a nightstand next to his cot. He pulled out three granola bars that also contained pieces of dry fruit mixed in.

"Give her that and water. It should hold her until tomorrow." He handed it to Arnest.

Arnest's hands trembled as he took the snacks. "And what about the boy? He's been refusing to eat for a few days."

"Inject him with Propofol. Feed him through a tube." Hyde sneered. "He's used to it."

"I'm not sure if his blood will react well with the—"

"Then keep trying until it works. Don't report to me with failed results." Hyde snapped.

He was about to walk by but stopped beside Arnest. "You're of no use to me if you make a mistake." He finished and walked out of the room.

~~~

The sound of a chair scraping against the concrete jolted Harper out of her nap. When her eyes snapped open, she saw Hyde sitting in front of her. His leg was crossed over the other and he was leaning back without a care in the world.

He was holding a tablet, dragging his fingers down the screen while he eyed the contents. Harper sat up quickly. However, she was faced with Hyde's dagger hovering over her lips.

"I suggest you make slow movements from now on." He voiced scornfully. After what he had been through the day before, he knew that the scientist was very unpredictable.

"I have to... u-use the bathroom."

Hyde stared at her for a moment. Her legs were pressed against each other and bounced slightly. Hyde sucked his teeth, and pulled out a plastic cup from his pocket.

Harper's eyes furrowed in disgust. "Y-you can't be serious?..."

Hyde tossed the cup at her. She caught it. Her scoff was so loud that it rocketed off the walls.

"Go."

"You can't expect me to actually go in this... this...?" Her eyes burned into the piece of plastic.

"Beggars can't be choosers."

"I'm a woman, Hyde!"

"I'm aware." Hyde sat up straight and uncrossed his legs. "Do I need to remind you of your place?"

"I can't go in this!"

"Then use your clothes. I don't care." He jeered and shifted his eyes back to the device.

Harper's face went red. She stood up, and walked over to the far right corner of the room. Hyde extended his hand and stopped her.

"Stand where I can see you."

"What?" Harper huffed.

"Over there." Hyde pointed across from the cot, almost directly in front of him.

"Are you going to watch me??"

"I'm not tolerating anymore of your stunts. I'll be keeping my eyes on you at all times."

"You revolting piece of sh—"

"Your time is limited." Hyde mocked her.

Harper bit her lip when she saw his fingers glide across his belt. The handles of his daggers were attached to his sides. She knew she had no other choice. She had to stay alive for Yanpu, no matter the cost.

Harper placed the cup on the floor. "Can you please look away?"

Hyde rolled his eyes and span around. Harper pulled up her skirt and squatted down before relieving herself. The sound of it slapping the sides of the cup was humiliating.

"Is there toilet paper?" Harper cringed.

"Nope."

"How am I supposed to wipe?"

"You have hands." Hyde remarked.

"You disgusting vile— Ah! Don't look!" Harper screeched when he turned to face her. She pulled down her skirt in a hurry.

Hyde stepped over to her. She stood up so quickly, almost knocking over the cup of waste at her feet.

Hyde grabbed onto her arm and clasped a small metallic band around her wrist. It began to glow, and a tingling sensation coursed up her hand. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable. She felt as if there was pressure on her wrist bone.

She clutched onto her hand, and glared at Hyde. "What is this?"

"A precaution to keep you in check." Hyde sat back down in the chair.

"To keep ME in check? I didn't do anything wrong! You're the crazy dastard who needs to be restrained."

Hyde sighed.

The uncomfortable feeling on Harper's arm intensified. "AGHHHHH!" Her knees hit the ground and she hunched over. The metal clasp tightened around her wrist.

Hyde pulled a small remote out of his pocket and waved it around her face, taunting her. "All of your troubles can disappear, just so long as you do what I say."

"Stop..."

"Aren't you tired of resisting?" Hyde brushed a strand of his loose hair behind his ear. Her body wriggled below him. "Do you enjoy it? Is it fun to be constantly reminded of your position?"

Harper sobbed. Her eyes remained on the floor. She refused to let him see her so vulnerable.

"Just do what I tell you for a while. It's no longer fun watching you suffer. I prefer for you to be dead. And you're pushing me to that point." Hyde crossed his arms. "Don't test me."

He pressed the small button on the remote, and the pain lessened. Harper held her wrist to her chest and huffed loudly. A drop of her sweat hit the ground.

"Give me access to the kid's data."

"Why?" Harper swallowed hard. What did he need from Yanpu's data? What was Hyde's motive?

"Nevermind why. Give me access."

"Is Yanpu... okay?"

"Do what I tell you."

"I need to know if he's okay!" Harper spat.

Hyde rolled his eyes. "He's alive. Now, give me access." He shoved the tablet at her. She hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should trust his words. Yanpu was what their country needed to survive. Without him, everything would go downhill.

Bomb entrusted her to protect him.

Hyde was very unstable. Without much effort, he could kill her. She decided to cooperate with him. Until she was in a better circumstance and could escape with Yanpu.

"I've already given you my access code."

"All of his records are locked."

Harper tapped on one of the folders and another window popped up, asking for a 6 digit pin. She typed in the last digits of her ID number, but it didn't go through.

Harper's lips pressed together and Hyde tilted his head at her. "What's the code?"

"I'm trying to think..."

"Tch... don't give me that shite."

"My pin isn't working. I think they cut off my access because I disappeared." Harper eyed him softly. "I think the Facility knows I'm with you."

"You'd better come up with ideas, vixen." Hyde scowled. "Tap into those files by tonight, or else, you're dead."

"I'll try my best." How could he expect for her to know another way to bypass the Facilities' online security? Westona's Science Facility was notorious for keeping its data secured in an underground digital mine.

"Don't try. Succeed."

And that's what she tried her best to do. She thought of many codes and pins. The only person who had access to Yanpu's records was her, originally. Of course, Hyde appeared and screwed things up. Bomb most likely requested for her access to be limited after she ran off with Yanpu.

They had to have known that Hyde took him. The facility's eyes were everywhere.

Maybe Bomb thought she was dead? She may as well be.

If Dr. Bomb changed the code, what on earth could it be? She already tried Yanpu's birthday. She tried Dr. Bomb's birthday too.

Dr. Bomb was a private person. He never participated in Office celebrations. But he was very much like a father to her. When she first started working there, he took her into his care and encouraged her.

But how come there wasn't a single thing that she knew about him?

Dr. Bomb spoke nothing about his family, friends, or his outside life. Everything was always science related. How come she had never noticed?

Harper thought harder. Dr. Bomb always expressed interest in their country. He always muttered controversial sayings about Westona. He always talked about Westona being the promised land of their planet.

He often went on and on about the rich resources that could be manipulated for man's greater good.

Puron. Dr. Bomb spoke highly of Puron. It was one of his favorite minerals to study.

The facility created a code to scientifically identify the mineral. And coincidentally, it was 6 digits long.

1ANP00

A large check mark appeared on the tablet and the folder opened.

As if on cue, Hyde entered the room again. Harper frowned when he snatched the device out of her grasp. She wondered why Hyde wanted to look through Yanpu's files.

Why did he come to the facility? And to take Yanpu, what was his reason for doing so? Who knows. The case of him going insane and vanishing was enough to answer those questions. Right?

Hyde was a murderer. Even before he lost his mind, he was still reported to have a high body count. He was rumored to be the greatest warrior. The head protector of Westona.

"Not bad." Hyde nodded at her. Harper didn't respond.

"I'm saying you're not completely useless... some call that a compliment."

"You expect me to believe that a cursed beast like you is capable of commending?"

"You're not wrong." Hyde snickered. "It was such a feeble task. A dog could type random keys and get the same result. You're no better than a mongrel."

"Is there anything else?"

"The code..." Hyde placed a hand on his hip. "What did you type in?"

"1ANP00."

"The old dastard never changes..." Hyde chuckled sinisterly.

Harper wondered if he was referring to Bomb. Who else? "I did what you asked... so... please let me see Yanpu."

Hyde ignored her. Rather than acknowledging her request, he left the room.

The door was left wide open, but she was too afraid of what he would do to her if she walked after him.

It felt like an eternity later, but Hyde walked back into the room with a stack of clothes.

"Here," He tossed the pile onto the cot next to her. "There's a bathroom over there. Take a shower and change."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Hyde clenched his jaw. "The door is transparent. Don't try anything."

Harper pouted.

"Get up. Go. You have 10 minutes."

Only ten minutes to shower and get ready? Harper snatched up the clothes aggressively. This guy was the lord of cruelty. Even lab rats were better taken care of than her.

Her shoulder brushed by his arm assertively as she walked by him.

It didn't help that the bathroom was brightly lit. There was no toilet. Only a shower faucet, some tile, and a rusty sink with a dead bug inside. Anyone could walk by and see everything.

Worse even, the water wasn't hot. She couldn't even use steam to help fog the glass to prevent the men from watching her. How humiliating.

She constantly thought of what she could've done to deserve this treatment. She always obeyed her parents.

She never bullied anyone. She never mistreated anyone. So why? Why were the overseers punishing her for the good she did?

Harper started with her face. She rinsed off all the crust of her dried tears and dirt from the black fog off her cheeks.

When she raised her shirt, she realized that her entire torso was wrapped in bandages.

Then she remembered what happened before she blacked out. Hyde threw her into a van. The glass shards must've slit her back.

There were dry blood spots on her sides. She decided against taking off the bandages, fearing to see what markings and wounds were inflicted on her body.

She rinsed her underarms and the dirt off her forearms before placing the black tank top over her head.

Then she cleaned the rest of herself up and dragged on the tight pants. The clothes weren't small, but they hugged her frame.

Her hips and chest were much more visible than before. Embarrassed, Harper slugged her way out of the room. She didn't care to fix her hair. It was all over the place, but there was no point in making it look nice.

She didn't have the right supplies to care for it anyway.

Maybe if she had some shampoo and deep conditioner, but she doubted that Hyde would ever supply her with those things.

"Yani!" Harper's heart almost stopped when she saw the boy in the center of the room, poking the ashtray around the table. She took a quick step in his direction, but it didn't get her far.

Someone grabbed her by her hair and yanked her into the wall. A loud grunt escaped her as a chubby hand pinned her arms above her head. "Let me go!"

It was the man from earlier. His eyes burned into hers, and with a bitter scowl, he shoved her away from Yanpu. Harper caught herself on a nearby wall.

"Come any closer, and the boy dies." The man held a hammer near Yanpu's face.

"Please don't!" Harper shook her head.

"Harper..." Yanpu whined.

"Don't hurt him!" Harper begged. "I'll stay back!"

That she did. She took several steps away. Hyde walked in and shifted his gaze to the man.

"Stand down, Arnest."

"Hyde? She's—"

"I told you..." Hyde hummed. "The boy is important to me..."

Yanpu is important to him? Harper narrowed her eyes but Hyde ignored her gaze. He muttered something in Arnest's ear, before grabbing onto Yanpu's shoulder. Harper kept her eyes on him.

"If you want to stay alive and want the boy to be within your presence, you're going to listen well, and do exactly what I order."