The Project

  How many days has it been? It doesn’t matter. I dont even remember life before this god forsaken place. The cold stone flooring, the this-should-be-called-poison food. Which is sad really, and almost funny, I don’t even remember my own name. Did I even have a name? Was I ever called something other than project 262-4B? If so, why give me a number? Am I really just an experiment to the white coats?


  I remember someone telling me that I should never forget my name, for it’s the last thing I’ll ever have for hope, because if you know your name, you know there’s some…...What was it? I can’t remember the rest of it. Something more? Something….to gain? To be found? What was it!


  How many weeks? How many months? How many years have I been in this place...waiting? Waiting for what? Waiting for…..someone? To save me? But who? I don’t care, as long as their not taking me to someplace worse than this, if even possible.



  Would that person even care about me? A freak? I’ll just have to keep them hidden then.


  A piece of my hair wilts, as I begin to sulk in my corner of the cage. I hadn't talked to anyone in years, not since…..not since Alexandria….. The pure girl was broken within a month,had it hadn’t been for me to keep her company she probably would have broken down the very day she got here.


  Why haven't I aged? Why does Alexandria look so….grown up now. Let’s see, she came here at the age of 6 and that has been…….12 years? Maybe? She should be around 18 then….my how time flies…..but why haven’t I aged?


  The creaky, old, iron door opens and a different person in a lab coat walks in. He had wild blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and the the biggest eyebrows I have ever seen. The small man looked down at the clipboard, as if scanning for a certain person. Weird, usually they just grab the first person they see. which is usually the person in the corner for some reason. He looked back up and said with a weird accent, “Alfred F. Jones?” Who? He seemed concerned and looked back at the clipboard with a gulp. He bit down on his lower lip and tried again,”e-experiment….262…..-4B?”


 I look up extensively at my “name” being called. Once he saw me he gasped, running over to me with tears in his eyes, completely forgetting about the clipboard, “ALFRED!!!” He pulled me up into a hug, which ended up choking me for the fact the i had an Iron collar around my neck with a small chain that connected to a large metal ball. I began to choke, and with a very unused and hoarse voice a choked out, “c-can’t….b-breathe!” He let go of me, realising his mistake, “sorry, are you okay Alfred?” I tried to rub my already raw neck in vain, “yea- I mean yes, but…..who’s- I mean who is Alfred?” The man's eyes widened in shock for a moment but this soft look replaced it, “oh…..you don’t remember…...I wouldn’t blame you, you have been here for almost 40 years after all, my name is Arthur, i’m a friend, and i’m breaking you out of here” He grabbed hold of the chain and easily pulled it in two, which caused many experiments to turn their broken, hazy eyes to us. I shifted under their gaze as I stood and began to look for Alexandria. The man noticed this and asked, “what’s wrong?” I turned to him with a cold stare, “if we’re-I mean we are really leaving, I’m not leaving Alexandria behind.” The man sighed and was about to say something when a guard came in with Alexandria in tow. I shouted as loud as my underused throat would allow, “ALEXANDRIA!!!” She looked up slowly, not expecting me of all people to shout, especially not in front of a white coat or guard, but today was different. Today we break free.


  I heard the man curse under his breath before he disappeared and reappeared behind the guard, knife handing him somewhere on the neck, effectively knocking him out. I whistled, some things you can never forget, one of those things is how to whistle,”nice, how’d- I mean how did you do that?” The man blinked, “maybe I’ll teach you someday”, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I didn’t care. All I knew at the moment was that me an- I mean, Alexandria and I are making the most contact we made in ages…...and we were free.


  We were somewhere in the halls D6 to G2 and frankly, I was worried that Arthur would get us lost. He could just ask us for help, we have been here for years and I know this place like the back of my hand.


  It has been about fifteen minutes since Arthur broke us out of that god forsaken cage. I was just about to ask if he was lost but was cut off when I noticed I did not feel Alexandria behind me.I turned around to see she was frozen in place with a faraway gaze, “wha-....what is wrong?” I had not noticed Arthur come up behind me, which scared me when I heard his voice right beside me, “what seems to be the hold up?” I motioned toward the frozen, and now in shock, Alexandria right as she blinked, “ we need…..we need to get him!” That was the first thing she had said in just about ten years. Arthur walked up to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “get who, love?” She looked at him, somewhat confused by the nickname, “T-Taylor….we need to get Taylor”, she yelled, now panicking, grabbing Arthur by the shoulders, “please….s-she is only….only a baby…..s-she is too young for……..for this, t-they will surely kill her!” This was all it took for Arthur to change course, “where?” Alexandria wiping away the tears rolling down her face, “r-room…..6D”



 It took us a long time but it was worth it when we were met with a metal door with a single window. Through the window we saw a metal table that was all too familiar to both Alexandria and I, around the table was 3 or 4 white coats, and what else was on that table but a small baby girl, around 5 months old tops. Arthur gritted his teeth in pure rage, “this is…..it’s intolerable, inexcusable”, he practically screamed.


  Not knowing what else to do, I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Mr. Arthur, sir?” He turned to me, “y-yes?” I continued with a comforting smile, a great feat on my part, “we won’t let any harm come to this child, right?” He stared at me with wide eyes, which was pretty uncomfortable for me, before nodding, “right.”


 He whispered to the both of us, “wait here”, before jumping up and wiggling into the vent. I looked through the window to see Arthur jump down quietly. He snuck up behind the first white coat, and took them out one by one, before gently taking the fragile, crying, child in his arms and jump back into the vent. Moments later was he right beside Alexandria, “here, hold her until I find something suitable to wra-.” He stopped mid sentence when he, finally, realized that we could not use our arms.


 We both had on straight jacket sleeves kept on by tight, leather straps. I was dressed in worn, old style, prison pants.. Alex was also wearing an old, ragged dress of cloth, an old rope tied around her waist..


Arthur looked at both of us pitifully before wrapping the child into Alexandria’s arms and wrapping her up with her sleeves,(I might draw that )”this will do for now, just be careful with her, if you don’t already know, at an infant stage children are extremely fragile.” I stood guard as Arthur set Alexandria up with Taylor, making sure that no white coats or guards come when something came to me, “it is too quiet…...I do not like this…..it is as if…..as if they WANT us to leave.” Arthur looked around once done then hummed to himself, “you're right, I think it’s best if we go ASAP, I have people coming to break in and break free the rest of them anyw-” I cut him off, “then why am I so special? So special that you have to go through with all of this knowing that it puts us at risk just to get me out of here, or better yet, go with you, someone I do not even know”, I was now in his face, “well?”


 Arthur looked into my eyes and breathed a sigh, “I know you more than probably know about yourself, I’ve known you ever since you were a small child, now if you’ll excuse me, I have people to break out of a god forsaken, nut case driven, illegal human experimental lab.” My breath caught in my throat. I stared at the small man longer before backing away with a sigh, “fi-....you are excused….” Arthur nodded before continuing on with Alexandria, Taylor, and I following close behind.


  Many twist and turns had past before we, somehow, ended up in the vents. I asked him the questions that had been eating away at my head as we went, “who are you really?”, was my first question. He replied, “as I said before, I am Arthur Kirkland, also known as England or the United Kingdom” Before I could answer another question I blurted out the first thought that came up, “you have more names then Alexandria does” Alexandria nodded in agreement. “Is that so”, Arthur mused, “and what would those names be?” “Experiment 368-5C, Alexandria, also known as Alexandra Faith Jones, SIR”, she answered tinsley. Arthur stared at her, it looked like he was at a cross of either sweat dropping and smiling empathetically, “o-of course, well’, he cleared his throat before continuing, “it shouldn’t be long before we reach the “exit” where we’ll meet…….”, he glanced at me before continuing, “some friends….of ours.”



 True to his word it didn’t take long until we reached the outside world. I streched out of the vent and breathed in the fresh air along with Alexandria. Arthur breathe a sigh, “I didn’t think I’d ever breathe the fresh air again.” I sigh in agreement, “me neither.” Arthur turned to me, then looked out at the small village, unaware of the wronging of this place, and sighed in relief as a large, blue box on wheels pulled over. I stood there with wide eyes and gaping mouth in awe as a person came out of the bow through a small, metal door, the word “car” came into mind. Was that what this metal box was called, did I ride one once? Or better yet, did I have one once?

  The man was slightly smaller than my own height, blonde hair slicked back with hair gel, serious, piercing blue eyes, and wore somewhat formal cream clothes, “I thought you were just to bring back America, who are they?” “He wouldn’t leave without them, the girl’s name is Alexandria, and the child is Taylor”, Arthur answered smoothly. The man nodded, “any complications with the mission?” Arthur seemed to hesitate, then nod, “as a matter of fact, there is a slight issue…..”, he began to talk to the man in private, soft whispers that Alfred couldn't hear. The man hummed, his hums coming out as slight rumbles that set Alfred on edge, “aright, he’ll stay with you until he is amble to run his country again”, the man stated. “Why me”, Arthur dejected. “You raised him, did you not”, the man seemed to tower over Arthur with a terrifying glare that set both Alfred and Alexandria on edge, and almost awoke Taylor in a crying mess. Arthur nodded solemnly, “fine….i’ll do it” The man nodded, “ok then”, he walked smoothly over to Alfred and stook out his hand to him, “Hello, Mr. Jones, my name is Ludwig Beilschmidt, also known as West Germany.” Alfred stared at the hand and asked hoarsely, “w-what?” Germany huffed with frustration, “this is a handshake”, he grabbed ahold of Alfred's right hand with his own right hand and shook it gently, “welcome back America, the world is waiting for you”