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A secret facility took kids for their experiments between 2002 and 2009, the kids were all 7-9 years old. The facility started out in the mid 1990s as a research lab looking at diseases and cures for them, but it changed in the early 2000s when a routine check found some questionable practices taking place. This government funded lab was shut down and it lost all its funding because of it. But the workers were passionate and a few of them worked together to steal with them a bunch of their research and equipment. Together they built it up again at a different location with their own fundings.
In the last months of working at the lab (Sector M) the workers had stumbled upon a chemical that they named Chemical M99, or M99 for short. This chemical did weird things to one’s DNA and perception of the world, it messed with living organisms in a lot of different ways. Often its effect was impossible to predict and the results seemed random. It was the testing of this chemical that led to the lab getting shut down, and it was also one of the things the leaving workers felt was the most important that they managed to bring with them.
The testing they did went from plants and bacteria to animals and then to humans without any clearance. This testing was eventually continued at the new location, which the scientists (workers) had chosen to call SM.
This new location they built up wasn’t as remote as they’d liked it to be, but they made it work by creating a front. It wasn’t like they were in the middle of the city, but they were at the edge of a town. The front they created was named SM Studios and it was a place for younger people to come and learn how to dance, sing, and play music.
> 2001-2002 <
In 2001 SM Studios opened for business, with a proper set up and hired teachers that knew nothing of what would go down on the many floors of basement under the building. Most of the building above ground was open and accessible for the teachers and students, there were a few rooms in the back that were closed off for the scientists, so they could get down to the lab part of the facility. The studio didn’t rise super fast but they did manage to build a loyal group of kids that all followed their programs through the years. A lot of them ended up growing up in the studio and the community they built above ground.
In 2002 the first kids were brought into the lab, both of them kidnapped, picked up off the street. They were kept in the lower levels of the warehouse where SM Studios were located, and were pretty well taken care of. They were given three meals a day, had space to play around with each other, they were given topics to study and work with. They were free to roam the floor wherever they wanted, as long as they were careful and remembered their way back again. At night they were put into their room (one they shared) and had to turn their light out before eight, the next morning the alarm woke them up at six thirty.
What they didn’t know about (how could they, they were seven and eight years old respectively) was their exposure to M99. It was in the air they breathed and lived in everyday. 0201, the first child they got, reacted pretty quickly to M99, things around them were starting to move on their own or switch in colour depending on the subject’s mood. After just a few months of exposing the kids to just the chemical they switched their tactics, because of the signs they both showed. 0202, the second child, was also injected with DNA from an eagle to see what that would change. They took a little longer but eventually started to complain about headaches, which the scientists related to their eyes being tired. But when they looked closer, 0202’s eyes were perfectly healthy, and they realised that the subject had picked up on an eagle’s eyesight.
> 2003-2004 <
In 2003 another two kids were taken and exposed to M99 in combination with the DNA of different animals. 0301 was injected with DNA from a Siberian tiger, and 0302 was injected with the DNA of a lion. After many months of exposure both of them showed signs of immense physical strength and 0301 got especially good at fighting. 0302 also developed a great sense of smell, which appeared in them being hyper aware of what happened around them and where people went, even if the subject hadn’t been in the room when they passed through.
All four kids, other than the usual studying and playing, were taught how to fight, mostly through martial arts. Which is when the strength of the two subjects were found, as well as 0301’s talent in combat.
In 2004 SM found and added another three kids to their research. The first one, 0401, was injected with animal DNA (wolf) along with the exposure to M99, and started showing similar results as the earlier subjects. They got a greater sense of smell and learned quickly how to fight well.
Because of this the scientists decided to switch up their approach once again. They went from simply using DNA to alter M99’s effects to using environments, either on their own or in combination with DNA.
0402 was mostly kept in rooms with a lot of vegetation (most of which had grown exposed to M99 as well) and was given a strictly plant-based diet. It took a pretty long time for 0402 to show any signs but the scientists didn’t give up and eventually they started to slowly refuse to eat their food. The scientists realised it was because of a connection having formed between the subject and the plants.
0403 was injected with the DNA of armadillos, and their room had a few turtles roaming around the small space. Eventually the aggressive turtles’ bites stopped doing anything to 0403’s skin.
> 2005 <
In 2005 they got another two kids, making it a total of nine in the lab. They still got to play around with each other, but the earliest had started to get slightly shut off, simply because of their development. The experiments had been a huge success and the results were better and quicker than expected.
The first kids had gotten a step further and actually developed abilities, powers, that related to the changes they had shown. They were different in danger levels and in how useful they were, but these subjects were still separated from the rest, so the scientists could keep a better eye on them.
With 0402’s exposure being related to one of the four elements they decided to try another before they knew if it had really worked. They did so with 0501 and air, or wind if we want to be more specific. 0501’s room was pretty open and a lot of the furniture was placed a bit off the floor, so they’d have to climb up on other things to reach some of it. There were also a bunch of fans installed to simulate the wind. It took a pretty long time before 0501 showed any signs of it working, but they eventually did in the form of getting onto the bed using the breeze in their room instead of the furniture.
0502 was instead exposed to Chemical M99 in combination with stimulating one of the senses; hearing. Their room had a constant sound, either a buzz or a ticking from the many clocks in their bedroom. The subject was pretty quick to show signs to it taking effect through statements or feelings that almost always came true.
> 2006 <
In 2006 they got ahold of three children with whom the scientists applied new strategies, all as a test to see how far M99 could go. It started with 0601 and their exposure to the chemical along with multiple ant colonies that were kept in the subject’s room. The test was to see if the behaviour of the ants did something, and after a few months of nothing visible a wasp nest was added to the room. Eventually 0601 started complaining about hearing voices even if no one’s mouth moved.
With 0602 they tested what an abundance of vitamins, minerals and other necessary elements would do. 0602 was given extra minerals, vitamins, and iron along with protein heavy meals. It evolved into pure strength. At a later stage in their training a too heavy object was thrown to 0602 to carry, but it was bigger than the subject could hold. 0602 was crushed under the object.
0603 was given an intense schedule and a bunch of clocks that all ticked a little too slow. The hectic schedule and the weird telling of time together with M99 eventually changed the way 0603 interacts with time, they got extremely fast, both mentally and physically.
Most of the kids from the first three years have been separated from the rest of them, both with their room (if they had shared with someone) and at all other times as well. They had been removed, isolated, so the scientists could understand the development, and figure out if it was dangerous or not.
Because so many of the kids had developed powers and it was seen as highly likely the rest would as well, the subjects received code names relating to the power they got, or the animal it’s related to. But the scientists still mostly use the four-digit code they all have. The subjects themselves switched to using the new names.
> 2007 <
In 2007 another four children were added, one of them being the head scientist’s own child. 0701, the scientist’s child, had already been exposed to the chemical at home in the past and they hoped it meant they reacted faster than the other subjects. Their room was filled with different animals: snakes, frogs, ants and spiders, all walking around freely, and their exposure to M99 was accompanied with different toxins and venoms. 0701 eventually stopped showing any symptoms or reactions to the different deadly or paralysing agents they were given.
0702 arrived soon after the last two subjects exposed to one of the elements had started showing signs of it having taken effect, and was given the third element on the list; fire. Their bedroom was always hot and they were often burned in combination with M99. Eventually the flames stopped doing anything.
0703 got a similar treatment and was exposed to what is sometimes a variant to fire; electricity. This was done in a few steps, starting with the DNA of an electric eel, and adding to it electrocution — this was to try and control what part of the animal was picked up by the subject. 0703 adapted to the shocks and eventually they weren’t affected by it anymore.
Similarly to 0703, 0704 was also a way to try and control what part of the DNA was adapted. In this case they used lizard-DNA but instead of simply injecting it into the subject they applied it to their skin. The hope was to lock on to the regenerative ability of the lizard, and it worked. 0704 was eventually able to stitch their own skin together and it led to the assumption that they would be able to regrow whole limbs.
> 2008 <
In 2008 another four kids joined the group. 0801 ended up as a continuation of controlling what was adapted, and they were injected with bat-DNA and a constant high frequency sound was put in their bedroom. This was also eventually successful when one day 0801 started complaining about the beep in their room.
0802 was injected with spider-DNA and multiple arachnids were put in their room, all of them types that spin webs. This was a lot more uncertain as the scientists didn’t know if it would push the subject in a certain direction or not. It turned in a direction they hadn’t expected when 0802 showed signs of M99 taking its effect, people started doing what the subject wanted, even if it was weird or forbidden.
0803 and 0804 had very similar experiences, even though they were technically opposite. 0803’s room had window-like lights on all the walls that were constantly on, and the light in the rooms they were in had to be on. For 0804 it was the opposite, their room was void of light and anywhere they went the lights had to be turned off, or down. The two were barely ever allowed in the same area before they both started showing signs of M99 having done its job.
> 2009 <
In 2009 SM got another four children. The first one was simply injected with the DNA of a bear and kept in a less controlled environment (habitat). The scientists were trying to push them towards the hunter part of a bear, the big claws and thick skin. It was partly successful as the subject adopted the strength and grew strong, sharp nails.
After the successful result of 0703, 0902 got a similar exposure to the chemical and what accompanied it. They were injected with the DNA of an electric eel, but were more exposed to specifically static electricity. Their room was full of fluffy carpets and electronic devices. Eventually 0902 was able to interact with the electronic devices without being in direct contact with them.
0903 was placed in the same room as a cheetah that had been raised with M99, with the hope of the two connecting in some way, 0903 was also injected with a small shot of DNA from the same cheetah. It was eventually successful as 0903 was seen speaking and interacting with the animal. The cheetah did eventually grow agitated in the enclosed space and had to be put down for everyone's safety. The scientists were too late to realise just how close 0903 and the cheetah had gotten, how connected they were, and when the animal was put down the subject died with it.
Finishing off the four elements was 0904 with water. They were exposed to water a lot during the day, and it was the only liquid they were allowed to interact with. Additionally 0904 was often walking around with soaked clothes and was often submerged in a body of water. Eventually the subject could stay for inhuman periods of time under water. Unfortunately the scientists weren’t careful enough with the subject, and they misestimated how far along they were. 0904 drowned during a session and was never spoken of again, like all other failures.
> 2010-2015 <
The scientists decided to stop introducing new kids to the experiments to focus on the ones they already had. They also found a pattern in timing and M99; it took all the kids three or four years to have developed a power related to what they had been exposed to along with M99. The result was always connected to whatever elements the subject had been exposed to during the years as well, and it seemed to be reliant on consistency rather than quantity.
All the subjects were, and had been, split into three groups that were kept separate. These groups are based on their development: no signs, strong signs, and fully developed. As they developed further and M99 had deeper effects the subjects were moved from one group to the next.
In the first group the kids are allowed to interact with each other, they spend most of their days together through schoolwork, meals, and playing. A lot of them from the later years sleep in separate rooms because of the environment that is part of their exposure, but they aren’t separated.
In the second group everyone is separated, both from the other groups but also from each other. The subjects here have no idea who else is in the same group. They are kept under tight supervision and go through a lot of testing so the scientists can understand how they work and what they can do. How long you stay in this group varies but it’s generally the shortest of the three.
In the third group the subjects spend the rest of their time, and they’re allowed to interact, but they’re always supervised. They start spending meals, study-time, and free time together and they live two in every room. The testing continues but the scientists feel like they have an understanding and that the subjects have enough control to be given some freedom.
In the shift between 2012 and 2013 the last of the subjects were moved from the first to the second group. Majority of the 24 subjects had already reached the third group as well. At the end of 2013 everyone was in the third group.
There their training continued and their limits were tested through different mediums. Both combat and tasks more specific to their abilities were given along with testing physical, emotional, and mental limits with different tests. They were given school-work again as well, to work on their intelligence, added to it was a lot of social practices since they had all been stuck in this underground lab since they were all still really young.
Because of the situation the subjects grew really close to each other, if they wanted someone to talk to it’d have to be the others. They worked really well together and were eventually paired up, based on their powers, for training.
Other than each other, some of the subjects had a pet animal they could communicate with, to an extent. It was never the same as another human being, but it was someone. This connection they had with the animals were different from 0903’s connection to the cheetah, because they weren’t introduced until after M99 had already affected them (in group three). Among these were Eagle (an eagle), Lion (a lion), Tiger (a tiger), Wolf (a wolf), Hive (the queen of a bullet-ant colony), Cobra (a cobra), Puppeteer (a tarantula), Gecko (a gecko), and Siren (a bat).
The scientists realised at one point what they had built over the years, and decided to make something out of it. The plan was always to make some sort of soldier, bodyguard, or something similar out of the successful subjects, which is the reason for training them in combat. But they shifted to wanting to sell them as a team, not individually. They had a lot of successful subjects and they were all close and had grown up together, they understood each other extremely well. They felt bad splitting them up when they worked as such a tight unit despite being so many.
> 2016-2019 <
In 2016 the scientists came into contact with a group of people who were interested in buying the team of ‘super soldiers’. The negotiations lasted for a few months and the buyers came by a few times to look at some practises, to see what the subjects were capable of and that it was all true. They also met some of the subjects in person. Eventually a decision was made and both the buyers and the scientists agreed to the contract written up between the two parties. That week the subjects were transported in two buses to a different part of the country, and renamed ‘the assassins’.
It was the first time since they had been kidnapped as children that the assassins saw the outside world, having spent all those years underground. Flora was pretty quickly overwhelmed, so was Dawn, by the pure light and nature there. Hive had a pretty big reaction when they drove through the town they were at the edge of, and Web had wide eyes for a big part of the drive too.
In this new space they were given ten rooms to share, three in each room, on the same floor. They were put on a schedule which required them to train every day, and that put them on specific diets. Living in this base, because the buyers were a criminal organisation, also came with a bunch of rules they had to follow: they couldn’t leave without getting it approved, no snooping around so they had to stay in ‘their’ part of the base, and then the general, follow the rules, do as you’re told, respect the higher ranking members, and so on.
The assassins carried out missions and tasks for the organisation for multiple years before growing tired of being used. One of the first missions was to take down the scientists and destroy all their research, which they were actually pretty happy to do. On the floors they used to live they found the animals a lot of them had been close with still alive, they helped them out with a promise to be back when they could.
In 2019 the group of friends discussed what they wanted and they realised they didn’t want to have anything to do with this organisation, just like they didn’t want to have anything to do with the scientists. Together they planned a way to escape without the organisation being able to track them, and they ran away.
> 2020 <
At first they stayed in multiple abandoned buildings or warehouses that they found with the help of Web. With Sorcerer, Puppeteer, Sonic, and some random others they got ahold of all the materials and the food they needed. Despite the circumstances they built something for themselves, and as long as they had each other they were content with being on the run. At least for a while, the plan was always to get the organisation and take them down.
They worked on that plan as they made sure to hide their tracks when they moved from one spot to the next, avoiding being caught again. Eventually the plan ended in multiple anonymous tips to the authorities as well as infiltrating the base themselves.
It was all successful and the friends entered the base, their old home, the same day they knew the police would be there to follow their tip. Unfortunately they ran into some of the officers when there, Eagle introduced them as the ones who gave the anonymous tip and they were allowed to go.
But they soon realised that they were being followed by the cops after that. To solve it the friends confronted the police about it and were told to come in for questioning. They didn’t have a choice and so they agreed. A lot of them had been recognised as the children reported missing over a decade ago, which is the reasoning for the questioning — part of it at least. The officers had also seen some questionable behaviour from them at the base that had them curious.
Because the friends didn’t have anything to hide, except their powers, they were honest about being kidnapped and sold to the organisation. With the question about their behaviour (what the officers were curious about) they all fell silent and that there was something more became obvious. They only started talking after Hive told them that Psychic had a good feeling about it. As usual, Psychic was right. The officers didn’t believe them at first, but they proved it and while they were freaked out at first the friends weren’t hostile in any way. The friends were kept for observation for a while at the station before they were offered a job.
They had also been offered to be driven back to their families but they had all declined, simply because that wasn’t them anymore. Most of them couldn’t even remember the names or faces of their parents and had no interest in seeing them again.
The job offer they got was to work with the authorities, both locally and nationwide. It’s an offer that they say means that they will help with persecutions, court cases, tracking down fugitives, maybe going undercover, and so on.
It’s a pretty long back and forth between the friends and the authorities. The friends understandably don't want to be tricked into anything or used again, and the authorities have rules and processes to follow.
They accept.
They are given a house of their own, it has three stories and ten bedrooms so they all have to share — two or three per room — but they don’t mind. It’s modern and looks really nice, both inside and outside. There is also a basement and an attic that they rebuilt to be an area where they can practise and train.
Because the house isn’t that big and neither is the backyard they were unsure of bringing their animals back with them or if they should wait for a better situation. They decided to go get them in the end, and it worked fine. It’s not cramped but there isn’t much space for them to hang out in the backyard, because of the many animals roaming around. The smaller species are kept inside instead. The first time their supervisor came by after they had brought them all home, he was very surprised to see a cobra hanging out on the kitchen table.