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Too Valuable to Die
Jan. 12th, 2025 08:31 pmDominic was used to being led away from the labs at unexpected points in time. Usually it was for bloodwork, mental testing, or breeding. It made him compliant though everyone around, including Dominic, understood that he could be dangerous. His mind had saved him from the path of being a killer. Dominic followed along to the truck without question but after awhile he recognized that they had been driving longer than they usually did. They were going somewhere new. Dominic was interested in new places because he got bored seeing the same things all the time. Even with the work being interesting all the white walls and isolation had been bothering him recently.
Eventually, the truck opened and Dominic got a brief view of a clear blue sky. He liked to be outside but they were already walking toward another black, windowless building. More and more Dominic wanted to be outside of these buildings. However, it was too late to ask for longer or to slow down. The door was already open and he was led inside.
"5-012-7?"
Dominic looked up because those numbers meant this was a project building where they didn't use his name, or rather the numbers were his names. "Yes."
"Come with us." The person looked official and wore the Ministry garb associated with the Ministry's extensive breeding and programming group. Dominic followed without speaking. "We have a new portion of the project and think you will be perfectly suited for completing it."
Given his current desire to experience something new, the idea of an expansion to the project felt promising. They were leading him to a medical room. Dominic went in and sat on the chair as expected. He knew there were always medical checks on him when he started something new. Part of it was monitoring his brain development, even if he had long since reached maturity. He watched them wiring him up and adding the IV line. Something about this felt familiar even if he had never been to this facility and didn't remember these pre-procedures ever being done together in the past. Still, the feeling nagged at him while he took all the people in. There were at least three different doctors in the room at this point as well as attendants. He didn't exactly think to question it because he trusted the Ministry but he was curious about what the procedure might be.
"Lie back."
Dominic followed the instructions but suddenly felt panic as they strapped down his legs. The doctor was right there and smiled when he spoke. "Don't worry. It is only to ensure you don't roll off the table."
For the first time a tingle of distrust rolled through his mind as his wrists joined his legs in being strapped to the bed. He had never been strapped down this way, at least not since he had his shock therapy long ago for disobedience.
"Project 5-012-7."
Dominic had to struggle to look at the person talking now that he was immobilized on the table.
"Designated Dominic." The voice went on but Dominic couldn't quite see them. "You have been shown guilty of thought crime against the Ministry including desire to leave the assigned building, discontentment with Ministry assignment and others detailed over the past three weeks."
Dominic felt panic. No one had to tell him what this meant when he was strapped down to a table in a medical facility he had somehow never seen.
"You are deemed valuable and will be decommissioned from current project services."
Dominic tried to pull loose and then realized they had strapped him with the safety ones that shocked you when you tugged. He immediately froze. Years of shocks for every minor thing he did out of line didn't allow him to fight back.
"Your personality will be rewritten to suit the new Ministry placement."
In the flurry of panic and fear, Dominic realized why this felt familiar. Just before the first drugs went into his system he remembered. This had happened before. He remembered it and then everything turned to haze as the drugs threatened to pull apart his mind. He knew he was screaming and he grasped on to every thought he could pull to the surface. Shocks or no, Dominic was fighting it this time but who knew if it worked. It rarely worked to fight. Only one other had managed to fight the brain reprogramming and he was the worst enemy to the Ministry. Still in those fading thought Dominic's mind was already trying to figure out how the Ministry's own had beat the mental system. Dominic already knew how he escaped.
Eventually, the truck opened and Dominic got a brief view of a clear blue sky. He liked to be outside but they were already walking toward another black, windowless building. More and more Dominic wanted to be outside of these buildings. However, it was too late to ask for longer or to slow down. The door was already open and he was led inside.
"5-012-7?"
Dominic looked up because those numbers meant this was a project building where they didn't use his name, or rather the numbers were his names. "Yes."
"Come with us." The person looked official and wore the Ministry garb associated with the Ministry's extensive breeding and programming group. Dominic followed without speaking. "We have a new portion of the project and think you will be perfectly suited for completing it."
Given his current desire to experience something new, the idea of an expansion to the project felt promising. They were leading him to a medical room. Dominic went in and sat on the chair as expected. He knew there were always medical checks on him when he started something new. Part of it was monitoring his brain development, even if he had long since reached maturity. He watched them wiring him up and adding the IV line. Something about this felt familiar even if he had never been to this facility and didn't remember these pre-procedures ever being done together in the past. Still, the feeling nagged at him while he took all the people in. There were at least three different doctors in the room at this point as well as attendants. He didn't exactly think to question it because he trusted the Ministry but he was curious about what the procedure might be.
"Lie back."
Dominic followed the instructions but suddenly felt panic as they strapped down his legs. The doctor was right there and smiled when he spoke. "Don't worry. It is only to ensure you don't roll off the table."
For the first time a tingle of distrust rolled through his mind as his wrists joined his legs in being strapped to the bed. He had never been strapped down this way, at least not since he had his shock therapy long ago for disobedience.
"Project 5-012-7."
Dominic had to struggle to look at the person talking now that he was immobilized on the table.
"Designated Dominic." The voice went on but Dominic couldn't quite see them. "You have been shown guilty of thought crime against the Ministry including desire to leave the assigned building, discontentment with Ministry assignment and others detailed over the past three weeks."
Dominic felt panic. No one had to tell him what this meant when he was strapped down to a table in a medical facility he had somehow never seen.
"You are deemed valuable and will be decommissioned from current project services."
Dominic tried to pull loose and then realized they had strapped him with the safety ones that shocked you when you tugged. He immediately froze. Years of shocks for every minor thing he did out of line didn't allow him to fight back.
"Your personality will be rewritten to suit the new Ministry placement."
In the flurry of panic and fear, Dominic realized why this felt familiar. Just before the first drugs went into his system he remembered. This had happened before. He remembered it and then everything turned to haze as the drugs threatened to pull apart his mind. He knew he was screaming and he grasped on to every thought he could pull to the surface. Shocks or no, Dominic was fighting it this time but who knew if it worked. It rarely worked to fight. Only one other had managed to fight the brain reprogramming and he was the worst enemy to the Ministry. Still in those fading thought Dominic's mind was already trying to figure out how the Ministry's own had beat the mental system. Dominic already knew how he escaped.
