13 closed his eyes as the guards strapped him down to the cold metal table, thick leather restraints binding his wrists and ankles. He tried to steady his breathing, but his heart pounded against his ribs. This was it. After everything he had endured, all the tests and experiments, it would end here, in this sterile lab.
He thought of 11 and 12. At least they had each other. A pang of loneliness pierced his chest. He wished he could see them one last time.
The Doctor entered the room, his shoes clicking sharply against the tiled floor. He stopped at 13's side, peering down at him over his glasses with those icy blue eyes.
"I'm afraid your time here has come to an end," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "You've proven useless for the program. But perhaps your tissue will provide some final insights."
He turned and nodded to one of the technicians, who approached with a tray of medical instruments and a syringe filled with a dark liquid. 13's pulse roared in his ears. He yanked against the restraints, but they held fast.
The technician swabbed 13's arm with alcohol. Panic rising in his chest, 13 thrashed with all his strength. The bonds dug into his skin. The technician grabbed his flailing arm and stabbed the needle into his vein.
An icy rush flowed into 13's body. His vision swam. The fluorescent lights overhead blurred into a haze. His limbs grew heavy, like lead. His heart stuttered.
No. He couldn't die here. Not like this. Rage and desperation boiled inside him. With his last ounce of strength, he let loose a primal scream.
Suddenly, a vibration hummed through his cells. The leather restraints loosened around his wrists. He looked down to see his hands...fading, turning translucent. Without thinking, he ripped his arms free and sat up. The guards shouted in alarm. One grabbed for him, but his hands passed right through 13's shoulder.
13 stared at his own ghostly hands, then phased through the remaining restraints. He was...intangible. Weightless. Free.
The Doctor's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Fascinating," he murmured. "His resonance manifested at the precipice between life and death."
13 stood frozen for a moment, stunned by the sudden manifestation of his powers. The guards advanced toward him, hands outstretched to grab him. Acting on instinct, 13 focused his mind and felt his body dematerialize. The guards' hands passed harmlessly through him.
A rush of exhilaration surged through 13. He ducked under the swing of a guard's baton and swept his leg, knocking the man off his feet. As the guard fell, 13 grabbed his arm, concentrating on keeping it solid. The guard crashed to the floor and 13 wrested the baton from his grip.
The second guard charged, throwing a punch toward 13's head. 13 let his body go intangible and the blow sailed through empty air. With lightning reflexes, 13 swung the baton, cracking it against the side of the guard's helmet. The man staggered back with a grunt of pain.
13 pressed his advantage, raining down blows on the dazed guard. But even as he attacked, he felt his solidity flickering. His swings became wild and unfocused. The guard blocked the baton and kicked out hard, his boot connecting with 13's chest, knocking him back.
Winded, 13 stumbled, struggling to remain tangible. The first guard was back on his feet, circling toward 13's left. He had to get control. 13 took a deep breath and concentrated, willing his body to stabilize. He felt his solidity return.
The guards exchanged a look, then both rushed him at once. 13 dove and rolled between them. As he came up, he grabbed the second guard's arm and twisted hard. The guard screamed as his shoulder dislocated.
13 turned intangible as the first guard swung the baton toward his head. It whistled through empty air. Before he could react, 13 was behind him. He wrapped an arm around the guard's neck, forcing him into a chokehold. The man flailed desperately, face turning red, then went limp in 13's grip.
13 dropped the unconscious guard to the floor. He stood over the two prone forms, chest heaving, gripping the baton in one hand. The technicians and Doctor watched him warily.
For the first time since arriving at this awful place, 13 felt powerful. The Doctor raised his hands. "Now, let's not be rash," he said evenly. "This changes everything. With abilities like these, you could prove quite useful to us."
Useful? Like some lab rat? Rage boiled up in 13. "I'm done being your experiment," he growled.
13 glared at the Doctor, his rage simmering just below the surface. This man had put him through endless torment, treating him like a lab rat, an object to be prodded and tested. Now he dared suggest 13 should continue to be his plaything?
Something inside 13 snapped. He lunged at the Doctor, hands outstretched. Before the man could react, 13's fingers clamped around his throat. The Doctor's eyes bulged behind his glasses as 13 lifted him off the ground, his polished shoes dangling in the air.
"You don't control me anymore," 13 growled through clenched teeth. He slammed the Doctor against the wall. He repeated the action again and again. The man let out a choked gurgle, clawing weakly at 13's wrists. But his hands passed uselessly through the boy's spectral form.
13 pulled the Doctor forward, then smashed him back again. The man's head cracked against the wall. His glasses went askew, one lens cracking.
"Please..." he rasped. "Everything...I've done...was not without reason."
Not without reason? After everything he'd done? He was supposed to ignore all it all just because he harbored some mysterious reason? 13 threw the Doctor down. The man crumpled to the floor. 13 grabbed the baton once more. He held it in his hands, ready to end the Doctor's life for good just as he attempted to do to him.
The Doctor shrank back in fear. "No, don't!"
Just then alarms began to ring out. 13 hesitated, the baton trembling in his grip. As much as he wanted to beat this monster to a bloody pulp, he knew he had to find 11 and 12. The longer he stayed here, the greater the risk of being captured again.
The Doctor smirked at 13, "Looks like you're out of time." 13 eyes briefly darted between the door and The Doctor.
He couldn't waste any more time. With a snarl, 13 slammed the baton down the tip piercing The Doctor's right eye. The man screamed in agony before going silent.
Without another word 13 turned and ran for the lab doors as alarms continued to blare. He spared one last glance at the man who had made his life hell cursing the fact that he couldn't confirm the kill. He just hoped this was the last time he would see The Doctor who was lying still on the floor, blood leaking from his eye.
...
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