“To Die in a Lullaby”

My grandfather would always tell me tales of a past world... full of natural life. He described to me realms abundant with organic lifeforms formed from the planet, rather than the corporate laboratories I was so familiar with. I wouldn’t have believed him if it wasn’t for the photographs he shared with me on that holotape so many years ago. What I would’ve done just for a chance to see it for myself.

I instinctively reached towards the heart-shaped locket around my neck to open the golden clasp. The old gift began to hum its familiar tune, causing me to drown in the memories of my grandfather. “.... Why were these memories coming back to me all of the sudden?”. “I shouldn’t be reminiscing on the past”, “Now’s the time to focus!”, I thought as I made my way through the crowded streets of the city’s center.

It was hard enough navigating Rayn City as it is, but the “Corporate District” was especially difficult due to all the buildings being colored in the same black chrome that was the modern standard. Even the workers wore all black uniforms, with the only distinction being the person’s hair color; which most dyed black as well. This meant my bright crimson hair stood out like an ember in a pile of ash. Hopefully that wouldn’t affect my impression on the staff at the biotech facility. People don’t tend to be that fond of differences anymore.

As all my thoughts kept racing each other around in my head, I stopped at the sudden darkness I unknowingly entered. I looked up at the tall looming tower in front of me. “Pandora Corporation: Biotechnology Research Facility”, read the sign which was casting the only light in the shadow of the gargantuan building. The small amount of confidence I had built up that morning all left my body in view of the place. It made me feel as I was nothing more than a soulless speck of dust in comparison. Was I really meant to spend the rest of my life here?...

It took me a moment to recompose myself. I held my locket tightly, as I walked towards the opposing black fortress. Though it felt as if I was having a nightmare, and was merely sleepwalking against my will. I eventually made it into the lobby. It looked no different than the outside, only shaded in black, with the occasional hint of silver tech. I made my way towards the front desk where I saw the receptionist clad in the same darkness as the building. “Yes ma’am, how may the “Pandora Corporation” assist you today?”, she asked as I approached. I couldn’t help but notice how hollow her eyes seemed, with an empty smile to match. It was as if she was looking right through me. “Ma’am?”, she questioned as I had stood there staring too long. “Sorry, I’m here for the job position with the Bio-Lab Department.”, I responded hoping I hadn’t already made a fool of myself. “Of course, you must be Cassandra Rouge! I’ll let Dr. Hinge know you’ve arrived.”, she said as she entered my information into the console on the desk. “Please make yourself comfortable in the waiting area.”

After the receptionist’s obviously scripted message, I found myself a seat in the lobby. “Was I going to have to speak like that if I got stationed here?”, I thought as my eyes wondered around the room. It wasn’t long before a man in a black synthetic lab coat approached me. Though he was older, he had hardly any wrinkles, and only a few grey hairs showing though the black dye. “You must be Miss Rouge, am I correct?”, the man asked while looking over his dark visor. “Um... yes sir, its a pleasure to met you”, I said while reaching out to shake his hand. He looked me up and down ignoring my introduction and said,”Follow me please.”.

I followed the mysterious man through the black hallways of the facility as fast as I could. He was clearly in a rush, and treated me was nothing, but a burden to his schedule. “You may call me Dr. Hinge, and nothing more. I am a very busy man, and do not have time to give you a proper tour, so you will have to keep up.”, he said in a strict tone as he sped-walked down the corridors. Eventually we stopped at what looked like a vault door. It was twice the size of all of the other office doors in the hall. Covered in black plated steel, with a security pad to the left of it. “If I remember correctly, you are applying for the lab assistant position?”, Dr. Hinge asked towering over me in front of the door. “....Yes sir..... that’s why I’m here....”, I explained with a weakness in my voice.

The doctor became to enter a number code into the keypad,”You will be keeping records of the specimen’s neural conditions. It is very important to me that you do.” Before Dr. Hinge entered the final number he turned around and look me in the eye. “Do you understand?”, he said in a surprisingly soft voice. The gentleness of his question caught me by surprise, but I quickly recovered. “Of course....”, I answered in a quiet tone awaiting his response.

Dr. Hinge took one last look at me, then turned to the keypad and finished the passcode. The large vault door began to shudder, and within a few seconds, all the dancing gears revealed the room behind it. It was a lab I could only imagine in my dreams! Though the interior was chrome black like the rest of the facility, it had all the equipment any researcher could dream of. The front of the lab was equipped with hundreds of beakers, and chemistry tables. Along with modern consoles ,and holodecks to keep tabs on your findings. Towards the back of the facility I could see a halo of blue light coming from what I believed were the specimen tanks. “Maybe this was my chance to see the creatures my grandfather told me stories about!”, I thought as my eyes raced around the lab for the next interesting thing it could find. “Come along, my research team is in the rear of the lab working on our newest project.”, Dr. Hinge said after he had grabbed some papers from the nearest workstation. I gripped my locket tight with excitement as I rushed to catch up with the doctor.

“If you don’t mind me asking doctor....”, I said after building up the confidence to talk to the man directly. “What exactly is your new research project?”. Dr. Hinge took a quick glance in my direction as we continued to walk toward the light. “You’ll find out soon enough.”, He said as we approached a crowd of people all wearing the same dark uniform as the doctor. They were all crowded in front of a large circular window with the mysterious soft blue light shining through. Though I desperately tried to peer around the crowd to see the specimen inside, I was not successful. “Welcome back Dr. Hinge.”, one of the researchers said acting as if I wasn’t even there. “How is it responding today?”, the doctor asked as he approached a console in front of the large window. “The same as usual.... no new expressions, no shifts in emotion, nothing....”, the researcher responded while looking at a chart in their hand. As the doctor reached the console, I thought it was finally my chance to take a peek at what the fuss was about. I made my way around Dr. Hinge’s tall figure, and was finally in view of their test subject.

“It.....It’s a girl.....?”, I asked without even realizing. Through the circular window in front of me as a girl no older than myself in a large empty black room. She had ebony skin matching that of the walls, and was wearing a contrasting white dress that resembled a straitjacket. Though the sleeves weren’t buckled, and went well past her hands. But her most striking feature was her hair. Her long braids reached the floor, and shined like a star on the darkest of nights. “....Wh...Why is she in there?”, I asked in a shaky voice taking a few steps back in disbelief. “This is our new creation!”, one of the researchers explained. “It’s the first successful human bioweapon in history.”, said Dr. Hinge with an almost predatory look in his eyes. “So.... she is human?”, I questioned almost in an angry tone. “Technically that’s correct, it’s made up of mostly human DNA.”, said another one of the scientist in the crowd. “But it’s an amalgamation of many other organisms as well, really nothing more than an empty husk at the moment.” I looked back at the girl in the sealed room. She hadn’t opened her eyes, or even moved since I’d first seen her. “Does she know were here?”, I asked looking at my reflection in the glass. Dr. Hinge’s eyes rose from the console, “We not quite sure yet, it’s never responded to us directly”, he said in a depressive tone. “Miss Rouge, I’d prefer you not to worry about our little friend here, and would much prefer you to finish up the paperwork from this mornings readings.” The doctor handed me a pile of papers and pointed me to a workstation in the front of the lab. I couldn’t help, but to look back at the girl one more time as I made my way to my desk.

It was nearing the evening hours as I finished all the reports the doctor had given me. I looked around, and noticed that I was the only one left in the facility. “It must be later than I thought.”, I said aloud as I leaned back in my chair. I couldn’t help but to think of the girl in the back of the lab. I reached for my heart-shaped locket, and released the comforting song within. “Am I doing the right thing grandfather?”, I asked the golden locket as if it could give me an answer. I closed the tune back into its cage, and began to gather my things for the day. That’s when I noticed the song never ended after I closed the necklace. I looked around trying to find the source of the music, when i realized it was coming from the rear of the lab.

I cautiously followed the melody towards the cell holding the girl. Once I stepped into the soft blue light the singing ceased. I peeked through the window to find the girl standing mere inches away from myself. She was staring at me with icy eyes through the white braids falling in her face.

I was in shock that I never heard her question towards me. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”, I asked looking into her cold eyes. “What was that sound you were making?”, the girl asked with no emotion in her voice. “Um.... it was a lullaby my grandfather use to sing me”, I answered. “It was a lovely sound”, “Are there more sounds like that out there?”, She asked in the same monotone voice as before. “Y...yes, there are.”, I quickly said. “Will you show me?...”, she asked pointing down towards the console. On the console was a large red button in the center. “I can.....”, I answered lost the the fog of her gaze, unknowingly reaching for the release. With a click of the button the glass chamber opened. The girl in white slowly stepped towards me grabbing my hands with an alluring look in her eyes. “I must be your song for you cannot scream.”, were the last words spoken to me as I lay in an ocean matching that of my hair. “For that is what it means to die in a lullaby...”