"Clearly you haven't been punished enough." The snap of the whip cracked loudly throughout the dim room. Blood splattered against the stone wall. "We've told you not to talk unless told to do so, yet you disobey us."

A shuddered breath escaped the small figure as another crack of the whip brought more pain to her back. She tried to remember when she had last spoken to another person. It seemed so long ago now, a different life even.

"Shouldn't you be trained by now 96?" The man snarled. "You've been with us for nine years! But no, always causing so much shit! We could be halfway done with your training already! I have other things to do you know!"

Like what? She wanted to growl out, knowing he had no life and spent all his time here at the facility. He wasn't even qualified to go out and search for more of her kind and therefore wasn't allowed out of the facility either. She didn't know why and couldn't care less. He took his anger and annoyance of being stuck here out on the projects. 96 being the easiest to punish because of her wild attitude. She was always doing something wrong and always smiling. Even if it was obviously fake it still grated on the nerves of almost all of the caretakers.

The whip lashed into the back of her legs and they gave way, if not for the chains holding her in place she would have fallen. The pain was so great anyone else would have begged and pleaded for it to end. Not 96, never her. She'd grit her teeth, her lips always twitching upward, and take it until the one hitting her gave up. If she were facing him she'd spit in his face and laugh.

"Didn't think we'd catch you talking to yourself, huh?" He snorted and struck her again, this time on the shoulders and with more effort. Blood flowed freely down her back and legs, pooling on the ground.

She laughed through her nose before flinching as the whip struck her again. So that was it? Figures. Talking to herself reminded her that she had a voice. That she was alive, still sane. She'd been doing it for years and they only just now caught her. Yeah, this little punishment wouldn't stop her from doing it again.

"Be glad Grid isn't here to play with you. Bastard got his ass chewed for the last time he touched you."

Her hazel eyes flashed and narrowed as she held her tongue, staring at the wall in front of her. The wall that held multiple devices for her punishments and training. A large square cage sat in the right corner shinning gloomily in the dim light. It was like a sturdy dog kennel, but the bottom was a thin sheet of metal and chains kept it securely against the stone wall.

She was glad Grid wasn't here now, he had almost... She cleared her mind of the incident. Net, the man hitting her, wasn't a pervert at least. It took all of her concentration to keep from crying out as the whip continued biting into her bare flesh.

Fucking bastard. She imagined how amazing it'd feel to rip his throat out. How she wished she could do just that as he continued talking, his nasally voice grating on her sensitive ears.

"You probably liked it, huh?" His voice held something dark that made her heart thump even louder in her chest and her blood to run cold. At least she thought he wasn't a pervert. She made no hint of even hearing him and he put more effort into trying to get some noise from her or at least to make that smile slip off her face.

"It's all the action you'll ever get little freak..." But his tone was suggestive and made her skin crawl.

She could handle any pain, take it and make no sounds at all. She was used that, but if they got physical in a sexual way she didn't know what she'd do. How much more could they take away from her before she had nothing left? She told herself she'd never break, but words only went so far and masks only hid so much.

Net didn't try anything though and finally, after what seemed like hours, but must have only been minutes, he grunted and put the whip in its spot on the wall. His back was to her as he looked over the equipment, debating. A string of beeps from his watch made him click his tongue in annoyance.

She studied his completely black track suit, the one every caretaker wore warily as if he'd take it off any second. Her eyes betrayed her nervousness at his odd words from earlier. The sleeves were secured under specially made rubber gloves and boots and didn't look easy to remove. With them they had no worries about being electrocuted, the volts coursing through the chains and metal so high it'd kill a normal person. At least when they were activated they would, the level they kept it at normally would only make them feel like they were being tased.

"Maybe Grid had the right idea after all." The man called Net turned to face her, looking her body up and down. She glared challengingly as he came closer, trying desperately to hide her fear. His dark eyes crinkled at the edges, his mouth turning up in a cruel smile. She thought he'd hit her when his gloved hand came up, but instead patted her lightly on the head like a dog. "Maybe another time."

She opened her mouth and spat in his face, laughing her fear away.

"Disgusting little bitch!" He yelled furiously, wiping the saliva on his right sleeve. "You've done it now you piece of shit!"

96 and her kind couldn't die of electrocution. Oh no. The pain made them wish for death as their bodies convulsed and formed rapidly into any and all the animal forms that that specific shapeshifter had. Then they would throw up and dry heave, blood dripping from their eyes, ears, and nose. Completely exhausted and unable to move they were easy to deal with.

Electricity flashed and surged through her body and she found herself almost regretting her action as she screamed uncontrollably. The screams turning to groans and choked gasps as she lost her voice and vomit clogged her throat. Her body fell unceremoniously to the ground as she formed into a cat, the shackles around her wrists to big for her now. Then a lion, snake, hawk, and an assortment of other creatures contorted her body before the convulsions stopped and she lay in a pool of blood and vomit.

"Fuck you..." She got out before more dry heaves racked her body.

"I'm sure you'd like that, but talking again? Even laughing?" He grabbed her by her left arm and dragged her to the metal cage, opening the door and throwing her in. The cold metal panel at the bottom made her body shiver and started another bout of dry heaves. "We're going to have some fun, but not with you covered in blood. Don't worry, I won't get caught like that dumbass Grid. I know how to work the cameras in here to my advantage~"

With that he walked to the metal door, took his right glove off with some effort, pricked his finger, and placed his palm on the panel that would activate and let him out. "Fortunately for you Grace wants your useless ass proficient in turning into another animal so we'll have to clean you up and play later. I'm already running late with your schedule."

It took a second before a female's robotic voice announced the opening of the door and gears whirled loudly inside it. A moment later and Net was gone, the sealing of the door a welcoming thing.

She let out a labored breath after a few minutes brought most of her strength back. 'I'm fine.' Her body betrayed her thoughts as the pain throbbed with each beat of her heart and doubt surged forward. Blood dripped from her chin as she pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned against the bars of the cage. The buzzing of the electricity always present as it crawled along her skin.

Pain, always so much pain. And blood. She spat a red glob and wiped her mouth off before fixing her smiling facade. The copper taste lingered in her mouth and the smell overpowered everything else.

She ignored it expertly and instead focused on her breathing and the worst of the wounds she could heal. A deep gash on her legs and about a dozen crisscrossing her back. 'Shouldn't be to hard' She thought skeptically as she imagined the blood stopping and the wounds closing themselves.

It took a few minutes and left her skull throbbing in agony, but her powers complied and soon the wounds sealed themselves. She didn't even bother with the other, less threatening, gashes and bruises that covered her from neck down. They'd heal on their own eventually. This pain was less than the previous and she welcomed it warmly. She'd have scars from them, but she stopped caring about scars long ago. She told herself it did not matter, that nothing they did mattered. Believing it was harder to do, but either way she had to many to count and they took to much effort to get rid of. All of the caretakers had seen her naked since they kept her so at all times anyways.

"After all," they'd always say, "animals don't need clothing."

Ten minutes passed and she found herself daydream, imagining the desert sky full of stars and the wind in her hair. The smell would be clean and fresh and full of life. Not this cell with dried blood and damp stone. Her twin brother would be there, his laughter mixing with hers as they talked and made up stupid jokes. She wondered what he would look like now, as an adult rather than the preteen she knew. In fact, she wondered what she looked like now. She hadn't seen herself in a mirror since she was taken.

She blinked and looked down at her wrists. They were so scarred from the years of being shackled that the cuffs no longer drew any blood. Just a small bright thing in her world of darkness.

She wondered how her brother and her would have spent these last nine years together. How her mother and father would have celebrated their graduation and then seen them off to college. Her to an art school and his smart ass to somewhere like Harvard. Maybe she'd already be done with school by now and earning money with her creations. Tears threatened to form and she quickly chastised herself for even thinking about crying. With a growl she focused on the present. It was no use thinking over impossible things.

Shivering slightly she looked around the familiar room, her eyes unusually good at seeing in the dim light. Another ability that came from being a shape shifter.

The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made out of stone like some dungeon in a castle. She had been dangling in the middle of the room by her wrists from chains hooked to the ceiling. In front of her was the metal door, the only entrance and exit, also buzzing with electricity. Only members of the inner circle of the facility, the caretakers, could open the door that was programmed to read their DNA and hand print.

On the wall to her left a single chain attached to a metal collar hung, waiting for her. It was what she wore when she was allowed to sleep, the chain only long enough for her to lean against the wall and doze off. She quickly learned to sleep sitting up without her head bobbing and cutting off her air. Her throat would be scarred as well, but the caretakers demanded she get rid of them just in case the scar tissue fucked with her breathing. Wouldn't want their little prodigy dying now would they?

Against the right wall a single chair sat behind a metal desk where one of the caretakers would sit when observing her and make little notes. It was unnerving to say the least, but by now she was used to it for the most part. Cameras watched her at all hours, she should be used to it.

Her hazel eyes unfocused as she stared unseeing at the door in front of her. She was just about to ignore the rules and doze off when it whooshed open and Net, along with another man, came in carrying a small cage. The other man was just security and therefore 96 had no idea who he was. She was hardly taken out of her cell nowadays. Not since the experiment was a success. Before then she made sure she studied everyone and everything she encountered, just in case one provided her with a means of escape.

They brought the cage within a foot of her and then dropped it unsparingly on the ground. A small yelp escaped the small animal inside before Net kicked the cage with a grunt. The security guy glanced at her and smiled, his face contorting into something like awe and appreciation.

96 bared her teeth at the man and growled lowly, her smile fading fast, knowing that look all to well and hating it with a burning passion. It was the same look one would give a wild animal at the circus, like she was just something entertaining to look at. Like she wasn't a person.

"Shut up 96. You too mutt." Net huffed when the animal started growling as well. He then made his way to the chair and desk. Once he sat down he turned to the man who was still staring at me. Net chuckled at his expression. "Dude, get the fuck out."

The man jumped and snapped his head towards Net. His face cleared of its previous emotion and he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot how pretty this one was." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and hurried out of the room, shutting the door as he went.

"True." Net mused lowly, his eyes scanning her body a little to closely. Smirking at the glare she gave him he laughed and looked down at the papers and stopwatch on the desk. "Okay. Next animal is the fennec fox."

He wrote something on the papers while 96 finally took notice of the small animal in the cage. It was about as big as a small cat and had huge pointed ears, which were angled towards Net. It's fur was the color of sand on the top and turned white on its stomach and legs, even the top of its little head and huge ears were sandy colored. His dark oval eyes stared directly at her with what looked like fear and confusion.

She reached out with her mind until she felt the animal's warm presence and latched on. This was something not all shapeshifters had, but came naturally to her. She could feel their emotions and send her emotions to them. Usually she did this to calm down an animal that was going crazy with fear. She refused to acknowledge the fact that she really did it to feel a connection to something that didn't outright hate her or want to hurt her.

"Alright," Net's annoying voice interrupted her connection and the fox flinched. "Hurry your ass up and don't fuck it up. Grace has the electricity set up to where you'll get shocked immediately if you don't get this one right the first time. Seems you pissed her off by delaying our schedule. Or maybe it's that stupid smile you refuse to get rid of. You know how much she just loves to see her little babies in agony."

Fear of getting shocked again ran down her spine, but she kept her features blank and her smile pasted on her face. Her eyes snapped shut and she focused everything she had into picturing the fox and becoming it, or at least her version of it. She never looked exactly the same as any of the animals she changed into and always kept certain aspects, like her eyes. The struggle of turning into something she wasn't used to with the added pain still lingering from earlier had her head feeling like it was being smashed against a wall. She felt the fox's presence reach out for her and was shocked it had done so.

It sent her strong waves of reinsurance and with its help she beat the pain and felt her body comply to her demand. Her connection to it was stronger than any she had ever had. Panting slightly she opened her eyes and looked at the fox in wonder. Somehow knowing that it was male and that he was still just a pup.

'What-'

'Listen.' She was stopped mid thought when a soft voice echoed in her head.

Hesitating just a moment she let herself tune into the real world again and immediately hissed in pain, flattening her giant ears against her head and body. Now she had amazing hearing in human form, but this was ridiculous. It improved by tenfold, so much so that the usual buzzing of the cage blocked out any other noise and shrilled painfully against her eardrums. She was just about to curl up into a ball and wait for her body to forcefully change her back when the soft voice came again.

'No!' It cried out hastily, 'listen hard! To the outside world!'

Looking into his eyes so full of desperation she did just that, letting her ears twitch towards the door. The buzzing receded as she concentrated, finding out she could hear different wavelengths of sound. She could hear footsteps, someone eating, their silverware clanking on their plate. A growl emanated from her stomach, not having been fed since breakfast, but she ignored it, listening harder until she could hear what he wanted her to. The surface.

'Was that what he was talking about?' Something she thought she recognized as rain and thunder vibrated in her ears. 'A storm?'

'Yes!' He barked loudly and his puffy tail wagged once. 'There is a huge storm coming! It will be upon us in seconds! I can feel it in my soul!'

Letting her ears drop again she glanced at Net who looked completely bored, the timer in his hand as he waited for her to turn back into a human. These tests were all about how fast she could change and how long she could stay that way. Surprisingly she was keeping this form longer than most that she wasn't naturally born with.

She looked back at the fox and tried to give him a questioning look. What relevance did some storm have with her? Yeah, she loved the rain and the smell it brought. Or she did, before the facility. Before she was trapped underground for five years.

'It will knock the power out, duh.' He growled in what sounded like exasperation, earning a shut up from Net. 'Do you understand?'

She shot to her paws, having been sitting this whole time, and her tail stood straight up. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and this time it wasn't from pain or fear. This time it was something... else? She couldn't place it, but whatever it was happened often and had her focused, her mind racing. This came on suddenly, but no way would she ever miss a chance like this.

'I understand.' She turned her whole body towards Net, her eyes gleaming dangerously. She was small enough to slip right through the bars, only the electricity keeping her from doing so. The fox followed her gaze and nervously flicked his right ear, the look in her eyes scaring him a little. 'I understand completely.'

The thing she was feeling?

It was COURAGE.

/

A/N: Hey you guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please give me some feedback!

Stay awesome my dragons!