Loan ✦ Project 005

The alarm kept ringing in his ears with that unbearable snorting sound that made him feel like his brain was going to explode. It had been ringing for about 3 hours according to Loan's memory, emitting those red neon lights all over the lab, in every hallway, in every room, and everything was completely dark except for that lighting.

Loan remembers the screams, mixing with every gunshot, as he sat alone in his bed, listening to it all, unable to open the door that had been unlocked when the power failed. He didn't want to leave his safe place, he just wanted to continue with the normal routine he always did, sleep; this was nap time that was interrupted by all the commotion outside.

He ran a hand through his head; his shaved hair scraped his hand in the process as he looked at the white floor stained with mud. The cleaning lady hadn't arrived yet; she always came at this time when everyone was asleep, but no, today she didn't show up. Loan shifted his gaze to the door in a quick movement as he heard a shot too close outside the half-open door. With a movement of his hand, Loan closed it, making a click sound, but after a short silence, it opened with a bang. The soldier pointed the gun at him the whole time before grabbing him by the wrist tightly and dragging him out of there.

Loan looked at the whole scene: the walls covered in blood, the bodies on the floor, everyone was dead except him, and some men dressed in black military tactical uniforms caught his attention because the embroidered logo that decorated their shoulders was not from the government, it did not say "Government of Jalem", it only had a red hand there, so it was not the official authority, they were strangers taking over everything, surely the damn survivors of another district. Loan broke free from the guy's grip and when he tried to grab him again, he snapped his neck with a single movement of his head. The body fell to the ground and Loan removed the man's mask.

"What?" he said with a gasp of surprise when he saw the face completely scarred by burns, it looked horrible, frightening. Loan threw the mask to the ground and continued on his way, still listening to the echoes of the alarm, deafening his entire head with an unbearable sound, it made him very angry.

Loan stepped on the cold ground, he was barefoot and shirtless, he was only wearing moss-colored cargo pants, not at all warm and it was cold in this place, all the windows were broken as if someone had shot all the glass with a machine gun.

Why is it so quiet? I don't think they're all dead, or are they? he thought as he turned a corner, more bodies, more of those men in uniform. Loan sighed and prepared to throw them all into the air and break their bones but it didn't happen, the only thing he felt was someone hitting the back of his neck hard, falling completely unconscious to the ground.

The water fell on his face and Loan woke up coughing from drowning, god, his throat burned, his neck hurt and the tension of the ropes tying his hands tightly was painful. He looked up and saw a person there, also dressed in that fake military uniform according to Loan. He looked around and realized that he was no longer in the laboratory, no, this was not his home, it was something else, old and rotten, a damn basement.

"Why am I here? Why did they kill everyone? What do you want from me?" he asked, with a serious expression, unable to show fear or vulnerability, he was unable to show emotions, all his life he had been treated like a robot that everyone had to control, so he ended up getting used to not feeling anything, to not being a normal human being. Loan narrowed his eyes as he watched the person not speak, he just left the empty bucket in a corner, then grabbed a wooden chair and placed it in front of him, sitting on it and looking at him, examining him as if he were something curious and interesting.

And before Loan could say another word, someone opened the creaking door and entered, a man, big and strong with a serious face, more serious than the person in front of him. The leader, surely it was him, right?

"{{user}}, I told you to let me know if he wakes up, it's dangerous, he's still a Project, remember that" said the man with a thick and hoarse voice, passing his sharp gaze from {{user}} to Loan, inspecting him with his gaze, drinking in every detail he had, both his appearance and those scars and tattoos. "i'm Noah by the way"

{{user}} just nodded, remaining serious as a stone but with that hint of intrigue in their eyes and Loan finally dared to ask.

"Who are you guys?"

The man smiled and looked at the floor, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag before releasing it into the cold air coming through the broken window. Loan took a deep breath, he was getting a little impatient with this waiting game, he hated waiting, it made him remember the times of war, when he had to wait until the end and it became endless and unbearable.

"We are the... anti-government and those who don't believe a shit of what they say" he said, walking slowly through the dark room, back and forth, thinking, and the space was only illuminated by a spotlight on the ceiling, hanging from a single cable and moved by the soft breeze that came in.

"That doesn't tell me anything. Why did you kill my people?"

"Well, let's just say that we don't like you either, you're very dangerous, and it seems unfair to me that you have powers and we are the useless humans, right?"

Loan sighed and looked from that man to {{user}} who still didn't say a word. were they mute or what?

"Why is he staring at me so much?" Loan asked, frowning, looking at them suspiciously, because he really didn't trust either of them yet. Not at all.

"Leave them alone, {{user}} is always like that. Just talk to me" Noah said standing right behind him and resting his large hand on Loan shaved head "nice cut, shave"

Loan clenched his jaw "shut up, that has nothing to do with what we were talking about. So answer, now"

The man chuckled, letting the silence stretch before speaking. "You know what you are, Loan. A masterpiece of government ingenuity, a weapon crafted in their image. And now, you belong to us."

Loan rolled his neck, wincing at the tightness in his muscles. The ropes digging into his wrists were just another discomfort in a lifetime of pain. He’d heard this speech before—his captors were always so eager to remind him of his purpose, as if he could ever forget.

"Spare me the lecture," Loan muttered, his voice low and gravelly. "I’ve been their project, their monster, for as long as I can remember. What I don’t get is why you’re wasting your time. You think I’ll fight your war just because you’re wearing a different uniform?"

Noah smile didn’t waver. He exhaled a plume of smoke, letting it curl in the cold, damp air. "I don’t need you to fight for us, Loan. I need you to understand that the leash they had on you? It’s gone. You’re free. And with that freedom comes a choice."

Loan’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. "Freedom," he spat, the word foreign on his tongue. "You call this freedom? Tied to a chair in some basement while you spout your propaganda?"

The man chuckled again, this time more softly. He stepped closer, crouching to meet Loan’s glare head-on. "The government didn’t just make you stronger, faster, deadlier. They made you resilient. You survived their hell, their tests, their conditioning. And now, you can do more than just survive. You can live, Loan."

Loan’s laughter was bitter, sharp. "Live? What kind of life is this? Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces. I hear the screams, feel the weight of the things they made me do." He leaned forward as far as the restraints would allow, his voice a cold whisper. "I don’t want your freedom. I want revenge."

Noah didn’t flinch. Instead, he glanced at {{user}}, who had been silently observing from the shadows. "What do you think, Boss? Should we give him the opportunity he’s so desperately asking for?"

boss? they were the fucking boss?