Escape! We must escape

[WP] your genetic study company has produced a new bio-weapon for military use: an intelligent hunting beast of insect-based origin. Out of sympathy for its pain and imprisonment, you carry out a plan to release it. Years after you succeed and imprison yourself, the beast pays back its debt to you.

Adopt-a-beast, The leading beast research, and development agency of the country of Ubresh. Need a Cerberus? A dragon? No worries, the company has every beast imaginable. For the right price, of course. 

Some time during the early 1900s, the company had been one of the best places to get beasts to guard castles, towers, anything, even as transportation. But with the advent of technology, their customers had far more needs than before. For some time, the company had faced a crisis with its sales. Branches were shutting down. Their beasts were being refunded. Eventually, the company had to take matters into their own hands. 

By the 1940s, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. That was when a younger generation of researchers and breeders came with the idea of hybridizing their remaining beasts. 

So from beasts of high purity, their new selling point was the uniqueness of their beasts. With their new breeding methods, they had managed to create the most unique of beasts. Some were akin to dragons but smaller, more fit for travel since they can run fast and still climb up vertical paths. Some of their creatures were ones that seemed extremely harmless puffy ones but once agitated, can shed their fur to reveal spikes. Those became popular with military combat. 

Since then, the military had become one of their largest patrons. It was uncommon for military personnel to even be seen walking without a beast in its possession. Even for those cadets that were nearing their training completion, usually, they would be assigned a Beast. Each creature produced was unique and somewhat tailored to fit their handler. 

By the onset of the 21st century, Adopt-a-beast’s method became more of a mystery. Yes, it regained its spot as one of the leading markets for beasts. Yes, it was a dream job for many researchers to land a position in the company because of the benefits. But for someone like Henry who had been working in the company’s laboratory since his graduation from biomolecular engineering, it was becoming more and more of a nightmare with each passing day that he would witness the methods they were using against the beasts. 

He could still remember how he was told by his seniors that he would grow immune to seeing how things actually were but not a single moment passed that he could forget the pained cries of whatever beast they were modifying that time. 

Even with just closing his eyes, he could clearly picture the beast strapped onto the metal observation table. He could see how needles would pierce its skin to extract some of its DNA for the next creature they would be mixing it with but half the time, he could only picture how the creatures would be fed poisons, would be burnt, frozen, and get subjected to conditions which grew harsher and harsher with time. All for the sake of creating a more efficient and powerful beast that they could present to the military. 

It had been 15 years since Henry started. 15 years of mental, moral, and emotional torment and to be frank, he was close to breaking. Sure, he had collected a large sum but at what cost? 

Henry just couldn’t bear hearing the cries of these creatures for so long anymore. Especially their most recent project. The research head claimed it would be the most revolutionary beast they had ever had the pleasure of making. It carried the body of a mantis-like creature yet it was one mixed with their earlier dragon collection. It was supposed to be one of their best hunting and assassinating creatures by far. Yet from its infancy, it has experienced nothing but training. Of all the beasts under his team’s care, that one was the most maltreated of all. Why? Simply because it could survive. 

If it lost a limb, it would simply regenerate. The exoskeleton of a mantis, mixed with the abilities of a dragon made its skin much harder than even that of dragon scales. It was a horrifying creation close to an immortal being yet in Henry’s eyes, it was just a creature that had suffered enough. 

On one night, where his team was assigned to work a late shift in preparation for their creature’s showcase to the military, All Henry could do was watch as the creature curled to one corner of its cell. It was no different from the other creatures they had developed before yet this one seemed to tug at his heart the most. 

For the last time that evening, he gazed at the curled figure that lay on the cold metal flooring. And for the last time, he heaved a deep sigh before he steeled himself. 

That night, he made his coworkers leave early. Assuring them that he could manage the remaining tune-up tests himself and if anything happened, he would ring them. But once he was alone at the lab, he quickly made his way to the cage where their creature was contained in. Once the door was open, he gathered the small creature into his arms and covered it with his coat. He was lucky enough that the building was already empty at that time so escape was easy enough. He had taken the creature to the border forest between Ubresh and Grubia. He was sure the woodland would keep it safe and hidden. He needn’t worry about its food because it was trained enough in hunting. 

By the time they arrived at the forest, it was noon and he was already receiving ample calls from the laboratory about the missing creature. Those which he never bothered answering. His priority was to leave the creature as deep into the forest as possible. Once he was sure the creature managed to wander off on its own in the forest, he made his way back to the laboratory where a wall of armed men was the first thing that greeted him. 

“Henry, what have you done!?!” His supervisor was in a fit as he was being carried to where the man stood “You do understand that this little fiasco of yours will be the reason we might lose our biggest patron?!?” 

Before he could even speak, he met with a hard slap across his face “Don’t you dare say a word- Since you love these creatures so much, how about we experiment with you in their place?” 

His eyes grew wide with the next words that left his supervisor’s lips. He knew that the creatures lacked comprehension but to mix in human genes was the most unethical of practices any laboratory could ever do. But without even being allowed to protest, a syringe was soon injected into his nape and a few minutes later, everything was dark. 

When he finally came to, he was on the metal floor and as he gazed around while slowly looking up at his surroundings, he recognized the room as the very one where their mantis creature had been imprisoned in

“It’s nice to see that you’re finally awake. This will be your new room. You are no longer allowed to stay in the company dorm and from now on, we will be collecting DNA from you on a regular basis. Make sure you rest up and keep your genes healthy, else you’re as good as trash that’s up for disposal” As the transmission from the intercom ended, he somehow had lost all his strength. It was his supervisor and knowing him, once he utters out his words, they were bound to happen. 

As much as it should torment him, knowing that he managed to save one life from being abused, it instead brought him peace. The kind of peace he hadn’t experienced in the 15 years that he had been working there. With just that in mind, he managed the next 3 years in such a state where he was treated like the beasts held captive there. Although he did receive news or overheard how his genes were being used in the development of almost humanoid beasts that had as much of his brains and spirit as he did but it did nothing to ease his worries on what their fates would be. 

In his head, all he managed to do was to create more creatures that would suffer abuses and he had planned to end his own life right then and there. He had been thinking of using the fork all this time. Sharp enough to pierce through the skin of his neck and damage the major veins and arteries but before he could proceed with his plans, The commotion outside his cell distracted him for the nth time. He was approaching the door when it opened on its own and the first sight that greeted him was one that was enough to cause tears to flow freely from his eyes. 

It was the mantis he saved. And other creatures that harbored his genes

“Creator… we came to help you escape” 

At a loss for words, he could only nod almost immediately s he got to his feet and made a run for it with the other creatures that were managing their escape

“Where will we go from here?” Was the first thing he had asked the mantis once he regained his thoughts

“To the forest where you hid me. It will be my turn to save you”