I own nothing


Prologue:

(2118 AD: UN)

Abel rested his head on his knees as he waited for the next batch of guards to take him from his room. A shiver raced through his body and his hands shook, but whether it was from the cold, weakness or pain, Abel wouldn't give it too much thought. He was used to living in pain.

Everyday some UN bastard would do a number of tests on him. And everyday, Abel would come back to his room hungry, cold, and hurting. He was their favorite lab rat after all. That title was his, and his alone.

Abel felt a smile growing on his face so he ducked his head. There was a camera set in the corner of his room, and he didn't need the UN knowing he was happy. But still! The smile grew wider. It was 2118.

It was 2118, launch day, and that meant the test tube babies would be heading for Mars. They all dreamed of it, it was their purpose, the reason they were created to begin with. To lead the new colony at Mars.

But Abel wouldn't be going. You can't be trusted with the lives of the colony, is what the General said before he dragged Abel off, kicking and screaming to the next lab.

Abel was a failed creation. He never listened to what the UN general said. The UN said his purpose was to be the perfect little soldier. Hah! As if! Abel wasn't some droid, he was a person too! He had his own dreams and wishes, and the one thing he wanted the most, over everything else, was for his family to be safe.

It was hard at first. After all, how do you keep your family safe when they literally live with the enemy? But, he made it work. Abel found that if he was destructive enough, the UN would give him the most attention. The most negative attention.

Wincing, Abel lifted his head from it's bowed position to lean against the wall. His blue eyes flittered to the camera and glared. He hated the UN.

Still nothing could ruin this day! His family was free at last! Abel only wished that he could have seen the ship launch. Maybe even say good bye. His eyes burned, and Abel quickly rubbed it before tears could appear.

Just then the door to his small room slid open and Abel glared at it over his knees. If it was a damn scientist-

Seth, his darling sister, appeared within the door frame and skipped into his room followed by Lilith and Cain.

"Abel!" Seth said happily, but her voice was off. "You're face is going to get stuck if you keep scowling like that," she chided as she jumped onto his bed and latched onto his arm.

"Seth," Abel sighed, "you guys shouldn't be in here." He tried to keep his voice neutral even as happiness overwhelmed him, and forced himself not to flinch as pain zapped up his arm from her touch.

Cain rolled his eyes, "don't be silly, brother." His twin was smiling but had a look of irritation on his face as he looked at Abel. It wasn't meant for him though, that look was toward the UN.

"I'm sure Cain and I could ask-"

"No!" Abel shouted, making to leap off his bed and stand but pain in his abdomen had him wincing instead.

"You're hurt," Cain growled but his expression softened. "Lilith's right…"

"You can't," Abel grit his teeth, pushing the pain from the latest test away. "If you do, the general might not let any of you go. It's better this way." As he said this, he could feel Seth tighten her hold on his arm. "You guys should go."

He missed them. Wanted to savor this moment, but, his eyes darted to the camera, it wasn't safe. After all of his hard work, getting the UN to do their tests on him instead, it'd be plain stupid if their chances of freedom got taken away just because Abel wanted to be selfish and say good bye.

"We have time before launch," Lilith stated.

"If the general catches you-"

"Hush, he can't change the plans so suddenly," Lilith said, voice turning soft and caring. "Let me tend to your wounds."

"No," Abel grumbled and reached up to pull his coat closed.

He didn't want them to see the bandages. It didn't seem like the three of them caught onto that fact though. Seth winced and relaxed her grip on Abel's arm, Cain took on an uncharacteristic scowl, and Lilith… Lilith slapped him.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!" Abel growled.

"You!" Lilith shouted and tears streamed down her face. "You're such an idiot," she cried and raced out of the room.

'What? Lilith, I.." Abel groaned, watching her form disappear around a corner. Forcing himself to stand Abel made for the door but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Abel shot a questioning look at Cain. Great, today was the last day he'd see the three of them in three years, if even that, and he'd just gone and ruined it.

Cain pointed to the band around his wrist. "Can't leave the room remember?"

Oh yeah, he'd forgotten about that. Abel almost grinned, the band on his wrist was one of the 'gifts' he got after killing a number of UN scientists when they made to put his family through experiments. It was made to keep track of Abel and keep him in check so he didn't go on another rampage. Not that it mattered. If his family was in trouble, he'd destroy whoever hurt them. A little band couldn't stop him.

Looking away from the band, Abel moved back to his bed. "I'm such an idiot. What did I do this time?" he groaned, referring to making Lilith upset.

Seth chuckled, "being you. The best brother ever!" she ended in a cheer, her bright green eyes looked up to Abel with hope as she smiled at him. She paused a second then sniffed, "you're not going to die are you?" Her voice was much softer and eyes turned watery.

"No! Of course not!" Abel said, but it felt like a lie. He ruffled Seth's hair. "I'll see all three of you when you return in three years. I'll be the first to great you when you leave the space ship."

"Promise?"

Abel gulped, pausing for a second then nodded. "Promise."

Clearly, Seth noticed the pause because she glared at him. Sticking out her pinky finger she said, "pinky promise?"

"You have to promise not to do anything stupid too," Cain added, before Abel could respond. "And, you have to take care of yourself."

"Yeah, pinky promise." Abel locked pinkies with Seth and rolled his eyes at Cain. It was a lie, and he knew it.

In the UN's eyes he was a failure. He wasn't the obedient little creation they wanted him to be. They'd up the number of tests he'd have to go through and Abel wasn't sure how much more he could take. They'd either have to lay off for a bit, so Abel could heal… or they'd terminate him. Oh, who was he kidding. The UN wouldn't just let him heal, but they wouldn't straight up kill him either. If anything, Abel would just die during one of their tests. Then his body would be examined and -

Abel shivered, best not to think of that. What happens to him from here, didn't matter. All that mattered was Seth, Cain, and Lilith.

"Ok, I'm going to find Lilith and head to the ship! I'll miss you," Seth gave Abel a quick hug and left the room. Now it was just Cain and Abel left.

Cain was perfect in every way that Abel wasn't. He was exactly what the UN wanted. But Abel knew better. Behind that smile, his twin hated the UN just as much as he did.

Cain turned to leave. "I should go too," he said, voice flat.

"Wait!" Abel called and Cain stopped but didn't turn. "Take care of them."

"I will."

"Nightlord!" A guard appeared in the doorway. "You shouldn't be here."

"I was just leaving," Cain said. Even as his shoulders shook with rage, his voice was unnatural calm as he smiled at the man. "Though if I may, where are you taking Abel?"

"He has another lab today." The guard shifted uneasily and looked over Cain's shoulder to glance at Abel. The guard flinched when he met Abel's glare and Abel couldn't help but send the man an evil grin. Hey, gotta live up to his reputation as the UN's menace!

Abel could just make out Cain lipping, 'bastard,' before he nodded and left the room.

"You're expected in room- Gah!"

Abel stomped on the man's foot and rammed his head at the guards nose. "Tell whoever has me today that I'm not in the mood," Abel snarled. "If I'm to have a test today, I'll kill the next person who enters." Abel placed his hand on the panel on the wall and the door slid shut. Sometimes, Abel wished doors were still on hinges, that way he could slam it in people's faces.

Letting out a shaky breath, Abel collapsed onto his bed.

He wasn't sure how long it had been, when his door next slide open. This time, two guards entered his room, one with a taser and the other held cuffs. Abel eyed the items they held in slight irritation.

"I'm guessing, you guys aren't here to drop off food," Abel grumbled. "I thought I told the other lackey I'm not in the mood for tests."

The guards shared a glance, looking at each other in disbelief. "It's been two days, Nightlord," the taser guard said.

Ah, no wonder he was so hungry. "Right," Abel rolled his eyes and swung his legs over his bed. "Well, lets get this over with." He lifted his arms to be cuffed.

The men fidgeted, both sharing uneasy glances. Abel didn't blame them. In his thirty years of living, Abel had killed a number of guards, and put even more in hospital beds for the rest of their lives. It must have been shocking for the UN's lab rat to suddenly be so complacent.

"Well?" Abel huffed. "Hurry it up!" He motioned to his arms and glared at the guard with cuffs when they didn't move.

"R-right!"

Cuffs dude, reached over and clumsily locked the cuffs around Abel's arms. It was amusing watching the man flinch whenever Abel so much as breathed.

"Let's go," Taser dude said once his partner had secured the cuffs.

Abel stood, ignoring the weird looks the guards kept shooting at him, and the phantom pain that raced through his legs at each step. He didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. All that ever mattered was his family, and they were safe, so he didn't care. The UN could do whatever they wanted to him.

Before Abel knew it he was strapped down to a metal table. The room he was in, was the exact copy of the other three rooms on this side of the base. But this room was Abel's, and out of the four labs, it was the most used. The other labs were meant for his family, but they weren't here now and hopefully they wouldn't be forced into another room like this again.

Unlike the other labs, this one hadn't gathered dust. And if you looked at the corners of the room, along the edges where the wall met ground, you'd be able to see a bit of brown. The roof was also splattered with that brown color. Blood.

Abel drew his attention back to the scientist in the room. He found he wasn't scared as he watched the woman fill a syringe with clear liquid. He barely felt the prick of the needle on his arm. It barely even registered when his body felt like it was on fire on the inside, and he screamed his throat out, raw.

Nothing mattered anymore! All that ever mattered was Seth, his sweet, innocent sister. Cain, his twin who kept him sane. And Lilith with her motherly love. And they were free. That's all Abel wanted.

For a year that was his life. From day to day, the guards would fetch him from his room. Somedays he'd run through an obstacle course until his muscles cramped, other days he was strapped to a metal table and injected with who knows what. He never protested, never started a fight like he would have done before.

But one day it was different. There was a break in the routine.

As usual the guards cuffed and escorted him to the lab. But this time, there was no scientist in the lab. Instead it was the General.

Abel felt his blood boil at the sight of the man. For the first time in what felt like ages, Abel struggled against his binds. All he wanted was to crush this man. The stalky man barely stood to Abel's chest and always caused pain and suffering for his family. The General drew a hand through his hair as he gave Abel a crooked smile.

Abel growled, pulling against the straps restraining him.

"I'm going to kill you!" Abel snarled as he felt a spark of his old temper return.

"Ah, and here I thought, you'd changed," the General sneered. "Looks, like I'll have to teach you a lesson!"

He struck Abel in the gut, and Abel gasped as air escaped him.

"Bastard!" Abel spat. The spit landed right on the General's forehead and Abel allowed himself a bloody smile. "Careful, your head might explode," Abel said. Taking in how the General's features wrinkled until it looked like he was imitating a pug and his face turned red, nearly purple. The General snarled, landing a punch to Abel's temple then stomach. "Ugly bastard! Can't fight unless I'm tied down!"

Damn it! What Abel wouldn't give to kill this man.

"That's it!" The General walked to the metal card. "I've had enough of you Nightlord," he said as he picked up a surgical tool then placed it down and picked up a scalpel. "I thought, maybe we could send you to Mars." He continued, turning the blade over then placed it down and grabbed another.

"Lies!" Abel snarled, throwing himself at the man through the restraints, but they held strong.

"Perhaps," The General grinned as he whipped around and through the scalpel at Abel. It sank into the flesh of his abdomen and Abel screamed. "If you must know, I finally got permission to end your miserable life!"

The general walked back to Abel, and ripped the blade out of him only to plunge it into his chest.

"Go to hell," Abel gasped as he sagged against his restraints. Sorry Seth.

"The only one going to hell is you!"

Before the General could land the killing blow, the base shook. The man turned away and Abel forced himself to look up. The lights overhead flickered as the alarms went off. Even though the walls of the room was sound proof, Abel could clearly hear the gurgled scream of UN personnel.

Abel warily looked around the room. his eyes locked onto the tendril of green smoke seeping through the edges of the door. Some type of gas? Who was stupid enough to directly attack the central UN base? Abel let out a gurgling laugh. Who ever it was, he owed his thanks.

The gas crept along the floor and was soon licking at the General's feet. The man screamed like a girl and ran to the opposite side of the room.

"What? scared of a little smoke?" Abel coughed. He braced himself, as the cloud filled the entire room. He fully expected death when he took a breath of the tainted air, but it didn't come. He felt no pain, as the gas lapped at his skin and floated over to the General.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who's side you're on, the General wasn't as immune to the gas as Abel was. The General's scream followed those of the people in the hall, and the man clawed at his neck and eyes, drawing ugly lines over his face.

Abel was almost forced to look away at how gruesome it looked, but he took sick fascination as the man slumped against the wall and his breathing stilled.

The General was dead!

His family was safe!

It was the best year ever.

Abel worked to free himself of the restraints. It took a while, but once he finally had one hand free, the rest was easy. Shooting one last look at the dead General, Abel left the room. He expected armed men to great him with restraints, but instead the entire base was void of life. The bodies of so many of the UN lay around the halls.

Hah… Abel let a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he was finally free of the UN.