Experiment Zero Seven (My Second Chance Lore Story) (Patreon)

So, had this idea today, and I just had to write it while motivated to do so. I know the majority of you lovely people probably aren't that interested in the Grimalkin Saga at this point (because I know I haven't updated it much in recent times), but here's some back story to Amy (Blakes/Alex's Mom from My Second Chance) and her involvement with Elm and his research after the Fall of the Yibixus stories.

This story fits in perfectly with the My Second Chance Story

Amy - Alex's Mom from My Second Chance in the past

Ursula - Adien's Mom from Pale Pink Packet. (The captain of the royal guard and Green's lover in the past)

Greda - Once a teacher on Yibixus - a grimalkin who seeks to settle peacefully on earth rather than conquer it.

Elm - the old man scientist from several stories, most notably - Makeup CurseAnyways... enjoy some scifi writing from me

Experiment Zero Seven

Sitting alone, Amy stares through the glass and into the small room across from her workspace. Only her desk lamp lights the room as the rest of the researchers have already gone home, leaving the place quiet and almost eerie.

She can’t bring herself to leave. The guilt is just too much to bear.

In the other room, a girl called Adel lies on the floor, chained to it. She is the daughter of a long-dead warrior and has no place in the safe haven that Elm has created. Unable to afford or offer anything of value, Adel is cursed to live as an earth cat.

Although no longer Grimalkin in form, Amy isn’t oblivious to Adel’s pain and suffering. It keeps her up at night.

“What’s the matter, child….?” A voice says, appearing from the dark of the dimly lit room. “Shouldn’t you be taking it easy in your condition?”

Amy looks across, and Elm smiles back at her. “O-Oh, Elm…” she forces a smile back, before looking down at her stomach to place a hand on it. “Y-Yeah… I was just checking over my notes before tomorrow.”

“Hmm….” Elm says, standing in front of the class in the room that holds Adel captive. “Make sure you report to Greda before and after. We have much to learn about human pregnancy.” He taps on the class as he talks. “We’re all very curious about how your little one will come out, considering you’ve mated with a native.”

Amy says nothing. She knows silence is sometimes best when it comes to Elm.

“Tell me.” Elm turns and leans on the glass that separates the research space from the specimen room. “Do we know what gender the thing inside you is? A girl would be interesting and worth further tests, to see if our warrior spirit remains even when our genetics are mixed with these humans.”

Ursula has already warned Amy to keep the gender secret, but something about Elm stirs her survival instincts, and she wants only to protect the life growing inside her. “It’s a boy,” she replies with a lump in her throat.

Elm nods his head in approval before turning back to tap on the glass, trying to get Adel to look at him as she cowers in the corner.

“How many ‘gifts’ have you got left, Amy?” Elm asks, his tone low and to the point.

“This’ll be experiment seven for me. So, two left after tomorrow.”

Still staring through the glass, Elm shows no emotion, even though that means Amy is getting closer to the end of her life.

“Your usefulness has been appreciated,” he eventually acknowledges the toll it takes on her to use her power. He then starts to laugh as he walks away from the glass and towards the door through which he first came. “Very good. I look forward to tomorrow’s experiment being a total success!”

Amy watches him walking away. Her instincts are firing, telling her to strike him down to protect her baby, but she just grips the chair hard with both hands to calm herself.

“Oh…” Elm turns as he’s about to leave the room. “I don’t need to remind you that the success of these experiments might be the key to our survival. We need new warriors, Amy. As you well know, the remaining royal guard can barely keep us safe these days.”

“I-I… understand.” Amy turns her attention back to the small room where Adel remains chained to the floor. “I-I’ll see you in the morning, Elm.”

“Yes, well…” Elm coughs and clears his throat. “Until tomorrow, child.”

The next day…

“Morning, Amy.” Greda greets her as she’s about to enter the building's front entrance.

Amy smiles. “Morning, Greda.”

As she opens the door to go inside, Ursula steps in front of her, blocking the way. Greda moves in behind her, cutting off her escape.

“We need to talk to you.” Ursula's gaze is unwavering, and her presence is just as intimidating as ever.

“Don’t make a fuss, Amy,” Greda says quietly. “We don’t want to make a scene. Follow Ursula.”

“Is this about Zero Seven?”

Saying nothing yet conveying everything with a single look, Ursula turns and begins to lead the way as if everything is normal. Her short sword, gleaming and polished, rattles softly at her side as she walks.

Walking through the lower sections of the building, nicknamed ‘the slums’, all three of them are stared at by grimalkins stuck as earth felines, trying to get by anyway they can. Usually, Amy avoids this area because she feels guilty about using her own power to transform herself into a human, something a Formador is never meant to do.

“Crowded down here these days.” Ursula looks around as they walk and lets out a sigh.

“Word of sanctuary is getting out to those who are lost and frightened.” Greda rubs her tired eyes. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to be forced to walk on four legs—not to mention no longer being able to use tools.”

“Quiet,” Ursula snaps. “In this backroom now before Elm see’s us talking to you.”

All three crowd into a small room with no windows and a single dim light. Ursula enters first. She leans against one wall and stares vacantly at the floor while Greda shuts the door behind Amy.

Silence as the tension rises. Amy can feel her human heart thudding as she stares, frightened, at a motionless Ursula, the once-feared captain of the royal guard.

“Amy…” Greda is the first to speak, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder. “Adel is unstable and dangerous. Elm has no idea of the hate that poor girl carries in her heart.”

“H-He picked her himself,” Amy is quick to make clear. “W-Who takes part in these experiments has nothing to do with me.”

Ursula snaps a look in Amy’s direction. “Do you not remember what happened with Zero Six?”

Amy’s glance flitters in disbelief between the two of them in shock. “Of course I remember. S-She was almost the perfect blend of humanity and Grimalkin. An ideal specimen to rebuild on this planet.”

“Shit…” Greda bites her lip and looks away. “Elm didn’t tell her.”

“Tell me what?!”

“Not surprising,” Ursula replies with an angry tick.

“WHAT DIDN’T HE TELL ME!?” Amy shouts, thumping a fist against the wall to get their attention.

Silence as Greda and Ursula just watch Amy heave with frustration.

“Still got some fight in you, Amy?” Ursula says with a light laugh. “Seems mingling with that human male hasn’t dulled the fire in your grimalkin soul, huh?”

“I was a warrior just like you back on Yibixus….captain,” Amy replies with a hint of disdain.

The two stare each other down as the tension rises. However, Greda speaks softly. “Amy, please listen. Neither of us agrees with the idea of creating a hybrid between us and the humans. We should focus our efforts on my research, using what remains of the remnant to transform the rest of our kind so they can live peacefully along side the natives on this planet.”

A second later, Ursula pulls a necklace from beneath her clothes, and a small rock encased in silver illuminates the small room with bright, colourful flashes. However, the air around them turns cold, making them all shiver.

“P-Put it away…” Greda is the first to break, needing it to be out of sight.

Ursula quickly hides it, and the room becomes dark once again. All three of them have to shake it off as they all experience the same thoughts and feelings.

“My instincts go crazy every time I see that thing…” Greda speaks sourly. “I swear it’s getting worse. Almost like that thing is growing in power, or something is calling out to it.”

Amy lowers her head in shame. “You know I can’t stop these experiments. Elm is threatening to kill my baby.”

Immediately, Ursula and Greda look at each other with concern.

“Leave this place,” Ursula says without hesitation.

“I have to agree, Amy. You could live among the humans. I’m sure the male you’ve mated with will take you into his clowder.”

Amy considers it for a moment. She’s fallen for him. It’s a secret she keeps buried deep, but she wants nothing but to make a new life with him and raise their son together, away from what remains of the grimalkin species.

“I can’t….” she eventually and reluctantly replies, letting out a long breath. “How could I live with myself if these humans eventually found out about our people and exterminated us. W-With my help, Elm says we could at least have a fighting chance against their weaponry.”

Amy watches Greda’s and Ursula’s reactions as neither of them says anything.

“Zero Six murdered several lost grimalkins and then the humans trying to protect them, Amy,” Ursula explains. “She escaped this place with ease, dispatched the guards around her cell, and decided to take revenge on the first creatures she found.”

Eyes wide, Amy looks at Greda for confirmation.

“It’s true,” she admits with a heavy heart. “Almost exposed everything here to the humans, running around like a monster in the night. If it wasn’t for the quick actions of Ursula here, we might have had a massive issue.”

Ursula stands straight, hand on the hilt of her sword as she looks in Amy’s direction. Her expression is soft and worried. “Amy. Zero Six was just as fast and strong as my Green all those years ago. If it wasn’t for the power of the remnant, Zero Six would have torn me to shreds. These hybrids are beyond anyone's control, and there’s no way they would ever listen to Elm.

“I-I-I….” Amy shakes her head and stares at the floor. “I don’t understand. I remember how brilliant Green was. I followed him into battle so many times, back on Yibixus. He was the best of both our people, and yet every time I try, the results are bad!” Amy steels her resolve and clenches her fists. “I-I…I have to keep trying. Our people depend on this being a success.”

“Urusla…!” Amy looks her direct in the eyes. “You’ve got a child on this planet and don’t pretend you haven’t fallen in love. Don’t you want me to protect that so you don’t have to! Zero Seven might just work and—and….and we can rebuild, just like Elm says!”

“What did you just say!” Ursula says angrily, trying to show her fangs, but she has non. “I haven’t fallen in love with a native! How dare you!”

Amy’s reaction remains calm. She looks down at her own belly and softly pats it. “I know a pregnant human when I see one, Ursula. You’re showing all the signs, don’t try to deny it.”

Surprised, Greda glances at Ursula, looking her up and down. “S-Seriously? Ursula, are you?”

“This conversation is over,” She snaps at both Greda before pushing Amy aside to leave the room. She slams the door hard and with force as she storms out, leaving them both behind.

Greda is the first to speak as the dust settles. “Amy,” she says softly. “Ursula is a great warrior and by far a testament to the role of captain of the royal guard, but she can’t protect everyone. Eventually, she will tire, so our best bet of survival is to inter—”

“Stop,” Amy sharply interrupts. “That’s exactly why experiment Zero Seven is going to be a success.”

Moments before experiment Zero Seven…

Sitting at her desk, Amy glances over at Adel, who hasn’t moved all morning. She stands, clears her throat, and then looks down at her notes. Moments later, Elm enters the research room, followed by Ursula, who looks unusually nervous, already holding the hilt of her sword.

“Yes, yes….” Elm waves away Ursula’s protest as they approach Amy’s desk. “I understand you're worried, Ursula. However, we can just absorb Zero Seven’s soul with the shard of the remnant if things get out of hand.”

Ursula’s face scrunches with frustration, but she remains calm. “N-No… Elm. I can’t. Something about those touched by a Formador protects them from it. I-If this one gets aggressive, I’m going to struggle to contain it.”

“Tsk tsk, Captain,” Elm teases with a wag of his finger. “You defeated the pinnacle of hybrids in Green, yet you’re worried about this useless orphan child overpowering you.” Elm turns and gives her an unimpressed glance. “If you’ve lost your edge, Ursula, then this experiment is needed more than ever, wouldn’t you agree?”

Elm turns his attention to Amy. “Well, now that’s settled, shall we begin.

Reluctant, Amy glances at the notes she’s been looking over all morning. She brings them to Elm, who stands at the glass looking smugly at young Adel.

“Elm, I don’t think it’s a ratio issue,” Amy begins to explain with haste. “I-I…I think the personality has to be—”

“Enough,” Elm commands, his voice almost visceral, as if a demon is waiting patiently to emerge from within him. “Enough,” he says again, softer, as though trying to hide his first outburst.

Amy instantly recoils, her instincts sounding an imminent danger.

Elms calms himself with a long breath and a forced smile. “Now then,” he taps at the glass, getting a rather scared-looking Adel’s attention. “Shall we begin?”

Amy looks at Ursula, who stands to the side, expressionless. A moment later, Elm takes the notes from Amy’s hands and, passively aggressively, places them on a nearby table. “Amy, I will not ask nicely again. Get in there and change that useless, miserable thing.”

“R-Right…” Amy steps towards the door where Adel is being contained. She removes the locks, opening the door as Ursula caustiously draws her sword.

Amy steps inside, and Adel, in the corner of the room, looks up in terror. The fear on her face will haunt Amy for a long time.

“Adel,” she says gently, approaching her slowly. “I-It’s time!”

“N-N-No…” she backs away into a corner, her feline ears low and her fangs drawn. “P-Please just l-let me go. I-I’m sorry. Please!”

“Adel, you’ll be helping our people.”

“Please!” Adel squeaks out from her tiny body, pulling on her chains, trying to break free. “I’m scared! Please!” she breaks into tears, and her tiny feline body shakes. “Please! Please just let me leave!

“Elm and I need you to be brave, little one…” Amy steps closer.

“I hate him!” Adel hisses, baring her claws. “I HATE HIM!” She then swats at Amy as she gets close enough to touch. “I hate everyone! I hate you! I HATE YOU!”

Amy reaches down and touches Adel’s head. Expecting Adel to strike, she’s surprised when the young Grimalkin just cries in the corner, like she’s given up on life completely. Standing straight, Amy leaves the whimpering girl alone.

“It’s done.” Amy takes one last look before leaving the cell and closing the door behind her.

Once the door is locked, Elm claps with excitement; however, Amy feels the fatigue of having her soul drained for the seventh time. Her legs feel like jelly, and her head like it’s made of iron. She walks to her desk to sit down as the aftereffects take hold, feeling much stronger than before.

However, she doesn’t make it. She collapses right there and then, in front of an amused Elm. Ursula is quick on her feet, able to just catch Amy before her head slams into the solid, cold ground.

“Tsk…” Elm glances down at Ursula as she lays an unconscious Amy to the floor. “You’re too soft, Ursula. That’s why people are looking to me for the future.”

Ursula holds her tongue, making sure Amy’s head is resting on something soft, before she stands straight and directly behind Elm with one hand hovering around the hilt of her sword.

“You know as well as I do, Elm…” she spits with fury as Elm taps on the class to tease poor Adel. “It’s only a matter of time until it finds us. I can feel this rock around my neck calling out for it!”

“Lina and Green are dead, Ursula,” Elm replies with a dismissive tone. “How could the remnant find us here on a distant planet?”

“I’ve had several reports of—”

“ENOUGH, Ursula!” Elm grows, his voice again deep and demonic.

She grips her sword without thinking, her instincts telling her to strike quickly and with purpose.

They stare at each other for minutes that feel like hours, each waiting for the other to move. However, after a smile, Elm just laughs, taps on the window behind him once, and walks towards the exit.

“Look after Amy for me, Ursula,” Elm calls back, his voice full of amusement. “She’s important to me in more ways than one.” He stops, holding his hand on the door, but doesn’t look around. “Keep an eye on Adel, too, please. Amy’s a poor excuse for a Formador, and her gift takes such a long time to….act.”

He slams the door behind him, leaving Ursula shaken to her core. She kneels beside Amy, shivering with the same fear, as though she has just seen another shard of the remnant rear its ugly head.

Sometime later…

Slowly, Amy’s eyes open. She is sore all over and exhausted. Nausea churns in her stomach, as if her body tries to recover from the previous shock. As her vision clears, she realises she is sitting on the floor, pressed against a cold wall. The room is pitch black, lit only by the small lamp on her desk.

She shivers to the bone as she tries to stand, but cannot. She looks around for help, yet no one is there. Then, out of the corner of her eye, something moves.

“Elm…?” she coughs, then calls out again. “Elm!?”

She coughs several times, and blood splatters across her hands. She tries again to stand, but still can’t. Her body feels twice as heavy as usual, and her muscles scream out in pain.

Then, again, movement in the corner of the room, swift and sharp like a dart cutting through the air. Amy looks around, frightened, her instincts telling her she is in danger.

“U-Ursula!” she calls out, blood dribbling down her mouth. “Ursula!?”

Once again, she tries to get up. As she nearly reaches her feet, she notices that the door to Adel’s cell has been torn from its hinges and lies wide open.

“Ursula!?” She calls out again, panic setting in as she can barely stand, let alone walk.

“They…. aren’t…. here…..” a voice, familiar, yet menacing, says from the darkness. “It’s… just… me and you…”

Amy panics, falls forward, and just manages to catch herself on a nearby table, using it to support herself. She struggles to see, but a dark mass in the shape of a human stands in the corner of the room.

“A-Adel…?” Amy calls out to it. “Y-You’ll be experiencing s-some changes to your body, but it’s nothing to worry—”

Her words are cut short in the blink of an eye as a hand clamps down on her throat. She chokes, just about able to look up to see the burning fury in the eyes of the young Grimalkin, now a hybrid, glaring down at her.

“I HATE YOU!” Adel growls, lifting Amy by her neck clean into the air with ease. “I’m going to make you all suffer!” she continues, crushing Amy’s neck before laughing. “I’m GOING TO MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!!”

Amy’s thoughts turn to the man she loves, and her life as a human plays out before her eyes. As the moments pass and her life begins to fade, she feels her baby kick, as if urging her to fight and not give up.

However, it is already too late. Adel’s bloodlust is too strong, and her hand squeezes tighter and tighter, and the life in Amy’s eyes begins to fade away.

Flash!

Swoosh!

A metallic tang echoes off the walls, and the low humming of a portal fills the room. Amy falls to the floor, gasping for air on her hands and knees. As she coughs and wheezes, struggling to breathe after Adel’s attack, she feels a warm liquid pooling beneath her.

She can taste the iron on her tongue. It’s blood, and it’s all around her.

“Amy…” Ursula’s voice is a welcome sound as she stands over her, the portal she used to enter the room zipping closed.

Amy looks up to see Ursula’s panicked expression, her teeth clenched, and Adel’s lifeless body impaled on her sword straight through the heart. Blood oozes from Adel’s body.

“Amy…” Ursula says again, allowing Adel’s lifeless body to slide from her sword… “This is your chance to leave. For the sake of your unborn child, leave this place and never return!”

“I-I…” Amy gasps for air as she tries to speak. “I c-can’t leave everyone…”

“It’s useless…” Ursula admits, her emotions evident as tears run down her face. “The remnant has found us here, Amy. That thing destroyed our home world, and now it’s coming for us on this planet.”

“W-What?” Amy tries to stand, and Ursula assists, dropping her sword to the floor.

“The evil within that orb.” Ursula begins to shake with fear as she rests her hand on Amy’s stomach. “It’s coming for me. It’s coming for all of us. Y-You should run away and live your life while you can. Give your baby a chance to live happily and without worry.”

“B-But Elm….” Amy manages to stand, holding on to Ursula’s body as the two stand over a dead Adel, bleeding all around them.”

“I’ll tell him Adel killed you,” Ursula says straight and without hesitation. “But you must leave. You won’t get a second chance, Amy. Please. For you, baby.”

Ursula looks her deep in the eyes. “Please. Let me do some good for once. Please, let me pretend like I’ve saved you from this hell! Please, go. Go right now!”

“O-Okay…” Amy agrees without hesitation, having already considered running so many times before. “I won’t forget this, Ursula. Y-You’re a good person, really…”

“From one scared mother to another…” Ursula’s head drops. “Good luck.”

Ursula reaches down for her blood-soaked sword. With perfect movement, she draws a portal into the air big enough for Amy to step through. For a moment, the two women bask in its glow, allowing them to reminisce about Yibixus, its people, and happier times.

“Go. Go now. This portal will take you straight to your man, and I can’t hold them for long.”

Amy, now on her own two legs, hugs Ursula tightly, sharing a moment she never thought possible with such a hard and uncaring woman. Letting go, mouthing ‘thank you,’ Amy steps through the portal, instantly recognizing the place she has been transported to.

The two women watch each other through the window torn in space and time and softly smile at each other as the portal closes.

Ursula looks down, exhausted from having to put everything she had into that one attack. She has steady her from falling to her knees. She bares her teeth and clenches her fists.

“Elm!” she cries out as loud as possible, her voice cracking. “ELM…..! Zero Seven is a FAILURE! YOU'RE STUCK WITH ME!”