I can hear water droplets echo in the room. I always wake up to that sound. At first I always thought it was the most bothersome noise ever. But the longer I've been here...however long that has been at this point, it came to be more soothing than anything else. It calmed me down from enduring the days here, it was almost hypnotic for me at this point.

"AHHH! AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH!"

The screaming brought his attention out of his trance. They've selected another to be their guinea pig. From the sounds of it, he's not enduring the..enhancements..as well as some of the others here. Maybe it's luck or maybe actually is something with our DNA. The more and more I think about it, the ones who don't survive might be the lucky ones. The few that are surviving seem to be serving as pioneers for new ways of enhancements to be placed on us. Some add-ons not being so elegantly placed on us. Or in us.

With that thought escaping his mind, his door opened up revealing what everyone around here called "the angel of death". Without even having to say anything he stood in the door way drawing the attention of the man in the cell. With his arms still folded, Reaper motioned with his head for him to follow him.

Hesitant at first, though his scars did serve as lessons for obedience, he got up and followed him out of his cell. As he followed the shadowy figure, he noticed that more cells in the hall were empty. More lucky subjects aren't stuck in this hell. As the two walked down the narrow hall, two guards were carrying a body out walking by. He saw the lifeless stare in his eyes as the guards carried him to the furnace, where they discarded failed test subjects. He was led to the room he feared the most, that damn lab bed.

Reaper held the door for him as he entered. The door shut behind him startling him slightly as he closed his eyes to regain his composure.

"Lay down." The voice was like nails on a chalkboard for him. That damn doctor, the creator of all this agony. The one responsible for all of this suffering and pain. But the one thing that hurt the most out of anything. It was less painful to just listen and follow orders. Pain had pretty much been a constant at this point. The only difference would be if it would be unbearable or not. As his back hit the table the restraints held his legs and arms into place. His teeth grit for the sensations that would soon follow.

"You are looking to be a promising one. Only two others have made it this far. Let's see if you can keep up with them."

A series of injections filled his body with a familiar sensation. Being put in a trance that made him subdue to the pain, but aware enough to feel what was going on. He felt every incision, every inch of every scratch her scalpel made. He felt her digging into his insides. He hated every minute of it. Before he would scream and yell out in pain, but he suppressed it all now. He thought somehow she gets some kind of sick kick out of hearing the screaming. He closed his eyes and tried to use every bit of his strength not to yell out in agony. His fists were clenched tight his teeth grit. Then he felt the invasion stop. He let out a slight sigh of relief. But before he could open his eyes he felt a sting in his neck, followed by what could only be described as a burning feeling spreading through his veins and to every inch of his body.

"This is the final step in the prep faze. After this you will be working with Reaper to perfect your new found abilities, as well as your combat prowls." The doctor got up from her seat by the table and grabbed her notepad and jotted some notes down observing his reactions to the serum.

His breathing was becoming heavier as the burning sensation only seemed to intensify. He tried muffling his discomfort, to the doctor's surprise he was enduring this part quite well. She put the note pad down and lowered her glasses and walked up looking down and the squirming man. "The serum is changing your DNA and molecular structure. It should only take about ten more minutes or so." she turned and walked back to the door. "Pending you survive of course."

The burning sensation quickly turned to a stabbing pain. It was like he fell on a bunch of knives that were getting twisted into his skin. The pain was becoming too much, he let out a grunt thinking somehow distracting himself with an audible noise would ease the pain. To no success the pain only got worse. Just when he thought it would never stop, it suddenly started to subside. He felt like his body was being put in a cooler, but it felt like such a soothing sensation. He actually let out a sigh of relief.

"Good your not dead yet." Reaper said undoing his restraints and grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back down the hallway. He scanned the cells once more but this time saw one of the other prisoners being led into the same lab room. He knew what fate awaited him. He looked terrified, he probably wouldn't make it. Coming along this far you start to see a pattern of those who can make it, and those who will crumble.

Reaper tossed him back into his cell. "You're the first one to live through this part of the experiment. Guess you are the stronger one out of the bunch." Still he said nothing back trying to regain his strength to crawl back onto the mattress. When he finally made it back on, the screams of that poor bastard could be heard throughout the cells. He shook his head almost hating that he was right. Then he heard it again. That water drop. That soothing sound was back, and it was a welcoming noise to drown out the death he was hearing in this place.

"Seems we have a winner." Reaper scuffed propping himself up against the wall.

"For now. We shall see if his body can maintain it's integrity after trying his abilities for the first time. That is where you come in." Moira said looking back at him.

"If it worked on me I don't see why it shouldn't work on him."

"The variation is a bit different than yours. He can't travel like you can in your shroud from, but if all goes well he should be to teleport in an instant molecule by molecule. Allowing him to pass through walls. But it's only for a short distances at a time."

"Already looking for an upgrade from me aren't you?" Reaper dissipated into a cloud that traveled out of the room.

"You know me so well." Moira said under her breath continuing with her data entries.

Something's not right. Even after whatever that doctor does to me, I usually don't feel so..uneasy like I do now. I can't put my finger on it but it feels like my insides are..moving. At least that's the best way I can put it. Why won't this stop.

Reaper appeared in front to of the man's cell again and swung it open. It startled him to his feet. Already? I thought I was done for the day. The man looked back at Reaper as he he walked in to the cell and grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him to inches away from his mask. "You're mine until Moira says otherwise. Ready to have some fun?" His voice was raspy and loud but it did share a slight hint of amusement at what was coming. That can't be a good sign.

Reaper dragged him into to a large room and threw him on the ground. He staggered a bit looking around. The room was too dark to show where the walls were, only a dimly lit light shredded the darkness in the middle of the room.

"Now dodge."

The man looked around. His voice seemed to echo all around him. He couldn't tell where Reaper was. A fist sucker punched him across his face knocking him back.

"I said dodge." A barrage of punches came in knocking him around like a rag doll hitting him to the ground. He rolled over to his hands and knees before Reaper kicked him in the ribs and continued kicking him on the ground.

"You can stop this at any time just dodge." Now he was starting to get irritated. The kicks were coming in harder and faster.

"Wait" The man whimpered out hardly in what could be called a voice. The wind had been knocked out of him and he was gasping for air.

"Pleading? Let me get something through your skull here." He kicked him between every word he proceeded to say. "We. Do. Not. Beg. For. MERCY!" The last kick definitely broke something. He was gasping for air and coughing up blood.

*Click*

He held his breath slowly turning his meeting the gaze of the barrel of his shotgun.

"I suggest you learn quickly, I don't feel like cleaning up a mess." The moment Reaper pulled the trigger the flash lit up in his face. By pure instinct, he closed his eyes and tensed up everything. An odd sensation overcame his body like he was suddenly submerged in water. But only for a split second. He opened his eyes and had moved a few feet back from Reaper. He looked around and started patting himself down unsure what had just happened to him.

"There it is." His voice dragged out in a blissful satisfaction. "Do it again." He raised his gun and fired another blast. The sensation overcame his body again as time seemed to slow down for him. He saw his body slowly dissipate and the next moment he was a couple of feet to the side. He saw what happened to himself just now. Reaper started having a maniacal laugh as he started firing blast after blast. He was constantly disappearing and re-appearing avoiding each shell blast out of pure instinct. Each time he did he felt like a bit of his energy was being zapped away. He avoided one last blast before collapsing on to his hands and knees panting out of exhaustion.

"Wha- what's happening." He was so exhausted he couldn't even stand up or crawl. He just stayed there on all fours trying to regain his strength.

The two heard the door swing open and saw Moira approaching him. Without saying anything to him she examined him, ignoring the wounds. "How many times?" She asked Reaper.

"It took some..convincing." He said reloading his shotgun. "But I managed to scare him enough to coax two out of him."

"Good." Moira said pricking a finger to take a blood sample. She put the sample in her coat pocket and gave Reaper a nod before exiting the room.

Reaper grabbed the man and dragged him back to his cell and tossed him back inside. "You're gonna want to get better at that if you want to continue to breathe." Reaper slammed the door shut and walked out.

"How long do I have to look after your lab rat? I don't play nice with other people's toys." Reaper scowled as he entered her lab.

"Long enough until he can control his powers." She handed him a data pad of other upgrades she wanted to implement. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. When I'm through with him, he will be the perfect stealth assassin. Nobody will stand a chance against him."

"As long as he doesn't test my patience, I should be able to fight my urge to kill the little rat."

"Him and another are the only ones that didn't perish through the augmentations." Moira said

"What are you going to do with two of those freaks running around."

"We won't have two. We are only going to have one." Moira looked back at Reaper. Even with his mask on she could tell he was grinning a devious smile.

"Doc you certainly know what a man likes. I'll have it arranged tomorrow morning."

Moira's phone rang. She knew they were going to ask for updates, and for the first time since her project was approved, she was going to deliver.

"Yes?...Don't worry we have two subjects that survived...We have made arrangements for what to do with the two...of course...when we put him in the field he will be the best killer you could want...Yes even better than her...understood. Project Starkiller will be the best investment you will have ever made." She hung up her phone and took a sigh of relief. After saving her documents she closed her laptop and shut off the lab for the night. She was pleased with the success she had today. It was going to be the beginning of a new era for her and her creation.

The man was back in his cell still trying to figure out what had happened to him before. He was looking at himself through some broken glass examining himself. Everything looked normal, but what he just did to avoid being blasted was anything but normal. He tried focusing to recreate what he did before but to no success. He was becoming frustrated and clenched his fists out of frustration. Then that odd sensation filled his body again, and within a split second he was outside of his cell. He looked around shocked like a deer in the headlights, he didn't know what to do next.

"What do you think you're doing?" Reaper appeared out of thin air behind the man. Reaper was pressed up against him and forced him against the wall.

"I was just trying to figure out what happened..or what I did back there and I somehow ended up out here." The man was bracing himself to beaten again, like the last time he tried to flee.

Reaper started to chuckle in a low drawn out laugh. "Follow me." For once he was allowed to walk on his own free will, not being dragged around. Reaper led him into the same room where Reaper beat the living shit out of him. All the lights turned on revealing someone else on the other side of the room. He looked around examining his surroundings.

Reaper tossed two swords between them. The two picked up the swords the other man asking. "What are we suppose to do?"

"See which one of you is better."

"What does the winner get?"

Reaper leaned against the wall and chuckled. "To live."

The other man didn't hesitate at all lunging forward swinging his sword wildly trying so desperately fighting for his life. All I could do is block and parry some of his attacks, I didn't want to fight him. His attacks were relentless, I could see the desperation in his eyes.

"We don't have to fight man. Neither of us can lose if none of us win."

No use he kept attacking with all of his might yelling at every swing. I don't want to do this but I finally started fighting back. He was already tired from exerting all of his energy before. I knocked him off balance but I waited for him to regain his composure, it was a last ditch effort to show I didn't want to do this. He charged at me again this time a parried his charge and disarmed him casting his sword aside with relative ease. He stood there with his hands to his sides.

"Finish him." Reaper commanded from the sideline.

"No."

"I won't repeat myself kid."

"I won't do it"

"I said kill him now, he is weaker, the weaker enemies die on the battlefield."

"I SAID I WON'T DO IT!"

Reaper went into his shroud form and appeared right in behind him growling into his ear.

"He's not worthy you are, vanquish your foe and claim his life by your hand."

I really didn't want to but he was just so convincing. Maybe it was out of sheer fear, maybe I really didn't want to die. But with that I plunged my sword through him with the hilt of the sword going right to the chest. The kill wasn't instant, as I heard the breath slowly fade away from him. I drew my sword back watching the man before me struggle to keep his balance. His eyes went wide as he collapsed to his knees, he took one last glance at me before I saw the last of his life escape his body. The thud from the lifeless corpse was sickening, I shuddered at the sound it made. I was breathing heavy from the fight as I dropped the sword.

"Very good." Moira had been watching this entire time. "A little rough around the edges but we can definitely mold you."

Reaper scuffed as he turned to go drag the dead body away.

"You will Talon's greatest asset, Starkiller."