The door slams open, and I jump out of bed in the next moment. Whipping around to face demons standing in the door, my eyes quickly adjusting to the flood of light and I desperately try not to wince from all my injuries hating my reactions.

"Report for duty subjects!" I growl quietly, partly because I can't ignore all my wounds feverishly stinging, but mostly at this demon. "It is time for you to serve our glorious leader."

I quickly glance at the others, Petra barring her fangs as Axel's arms tremble slightly with his entire fist white. Olivia is hissing under her breath too, although even I'm having a hard time hearing that.

Holding the sarcastic remark ready to launch at this man, I try to use my other senses. All practice is good practice right? Taking a big breath through the nose, I can make out at least seven different demons. There might be more though, their scents are just bitter and all the same and actually using my nose like this is throwing me off.

"Well?" My claws slid out at this demon, I would be able to rip that infuriating voice right out of him if I didn't want to get my friends in trouble. "Get moving subjects 812, 13, and 14. Subject 811, you'll be performing in your last test."

I gulp and scoot back a bit, no more beatings. No more torture. I can suck up, I am completely fine with sucking up, but not this. I don't want to be in supreme pain every time I'm forced out of this cell.

"If you don't get a move on, none of you will be fed no matter how well you perform on your tests!"

Olivia shambles forward first, undeniable fear all over her face. Axel immediately steps next to her, veins popping through wherever there's skin and he takes time to glare at the main demon. Petra staggers along next, eyes alight in rage as her muscles tremble in that fury.

The main demon scoffs at me, the one who's feet are so rooted into the ground I think it might take an axe to move me. But the others are moving forward, and they know what 'tests' they're walking into. I have to walk forward too, we're really going to need that food after our tests.

I whimper as I haul my feet forward, throbs all throughout my body, and I tell myself that if I don't then I'll die of starvation and so will the others. I can't do that, so out of the hallway I go.

They are all looking back at me as I exit, and I try to smile at them. Try to somehow say at least we'll be together soon. Olivia tries to return it too, but it looks so terrified. So terrified about what's going to happen but unable to do one damn thing about it.

"Get a move on subject." They spilt us up, definance and fear radiating from my friends as I'm forced to turn away form them.

My fear slowly gives birth to anger, and my stomach churns as I hold in any hisses or growls. What more could they even want from me? Do they really like having three foot long tails and need human ocelots to cut them off of? Are they all insane thinking that they're studying a new species or something?

There are only two demons with me, one in front and one in back. I'm pretty confident I could take on one, maybe two depending how well adrenaline takes care of my sore body. But even if I could, it would spell certain doom for all of us. I'm not chained, I'm pretty sure most of the sedative is out of me, they don't even have weapons drawn, yet I can't do one thing against them.

That just makes my blood boil.

But this is a learning opportunity! I'm not going to spoil it like I did the last ones. It's time to put to work, and get used to, these new ocelot ears and nose.

I lean forward slightly to get a better whiff of the demon standing in front of me. This hallway has much less distractions than in the cell, although the does air smell funky, and I figure out this demon much better than earlier.

They are definitely carrying the sedative on them, I'm very familiar with that one. There's a bit of that salty tang of sweat, which maybe means we're in a desert? Or that they're working out constantly.

My stomach moans softly when I detect lingering scents of meat and vegetables on him. They must've had breakfast not too long ago. And I'm assuming breakfast since that's when people generally start their duties, but it could be lunch or dinner for all I know.

I shift my focus onto my ears, before ditching that idea to get a better look at what they're wearing. The last time I really looked was when I was...

...when I was still human.

I stagger forward, everything feels really heavy suddenly. Really heavy and really pointless to carry, too sore to even have a use. And this numb prickly sensation, kinda weird, throwing me off. Is the sedative really out of me? I feel like I'm under it, tired and numb, but knowing I probably shouldn't be.

"For the dawn's sake, this one is hydrated right?" I whip around at hiss at the demon behind me. They were the ones who did this to me, to my friends, and they will pay. They will pay and they will know what they made us go through.

"I'm sorry." Fury barges out of my mouth as I snarl in disgust at him. "My last 'test' didn't leave me feeling so well. Perhaps if I was actually treated like a human then I wouldn't be so weak in the first place!"

Not the best threat I've ever done, but I was more focused on keeping my claws at my side. Not them tearing through this demon's throat. Not slashing at his eyes or anything else.

His face scrunches in distaste, as if he ate something mildly unpleasant. I quickly snap back around, I've probably screwed up for my friends but I just couldn't help it. They did this! They should blame themselves! They made us into subjects! It's just so wrong and it's so hard to do nothing about that!

"So you can talk, I was beginning to think the other guys were lying when they said you could. I thought the whole mighty Order of the Stone was mute."

My stomach jerks at that one, my whole body instantly primed to tear this demon apart and cast him back into the hell which he came from. How dare he say that about the Order! I would like to see him defeat Old Builders, a super computer, and a world eating Wither Storm!

Hissing, I shove all of that rage inside me. I keep it all contained inside my body. In my arms that shake violently, in my heart that pounds furiously, in my claws that are trying to cut myself with the huge amount of energy pouring into them, and in my tail that snaps feverishly. If only I could practice choking with my tail right about now.

The demon in front laughs, and I really think I may die if any more rage is pumped into me. If it wasn't for them threating my friends every stinkin' time I do something, they would be dead. I'm past the point of caring about their life. I'm past so many points that I never thought I could accept.

"You did it Randy, I didn't think this one would ever learn to be cooperative. Not when it had the spirit to break an arm." 'It'? 'IT'! I am no 'it'! When we break out of here I hope they slowly suffering.

"That's right," The vile demon behind me smacks the top of my head, my claws digging into my skin to attack him right then and there. "We're the bosses around here subject."

I center all my rage on glaring at the demon in front of me, studying as if I really could attack him right now. Definitely a leather based armor, but it doesn't have one mark on it. I'm going to say it's really strong then. However the joints are still vulnerable, and the neck is completely exposed.

The quiver of arrows seems to only be on them by a leather strap, and since that's where most of the sedative smell is coming from, that's also their prime weapon. One quick swipe at that strap and then I could use their arrows as weapons against them. See how they like chemicals forced into their bodies.

We turn into a room, and I recognize its format. It's the same accused type of room where they performed my 'diagnosis'. And now for the white demons, the insane scientists, who deserve to wither just like the others.

One of the scientists presses some button, and I snarl when a table raises up. Nothing good happens on tables, nothing at all. These stupid demons are going to put me through more torture! I am so going to give them a taste of their own medicine some day!

"Ahem, subject." My heart lurches at the HUGE impulse to slash that demon's smart mouth. "Lay down on the table."

Hissing uncontrollably, I drag my body onto the table. Forcing my tail to curl around me or else I don't think I could have resisted from moving it to choke that vile demon. Even if I could, we already have one Petra. I don't think the Order of the Stone can also handle me being sword happy.

Whimpering mewls drive themselves out as I settle down onto the table. The cold metal pressing up against me, injuries throbbing as if to protect themselves, and shivers running throughout my body. Shivers become shakes as my heart pounds uncontrollablely. No, I can't be here. I'll get hurt, there'll be pain. Another torture session where I'll struggle just to walk again. I can't be.

My breath hitches and staggers, instincts screaming at me to leap off of this table. Nothing's binding me! Get up! Get away! Run! I can still escape! Nothing's keeping me here so why am I still here?

And I have to keep thinking of my friends, to counter every lurch my heart makes to get me off this torturous table. I think of Olivia fainting, I listen to others' cries as they starve and waste away. I remember that glorious moment when we first got our chains off and actually hugged each other. How good it felt to be together, I have to endure this so we stay together.

But despite all that effort, once that accursed devil's scent slams into my nose I snap upright, a snarl bursting out as I glare at him. Rage bellows in veins as my muscle quiver with that energy, and it takes every onuce of friendship and morale to hold it back. My inner Petra is coming out, and boosted by the cat, I'm having a tough time keeping it in.

He nods over to one of the mad scientists. "Write that down."

"Already done sir."

"Then let's take precautions."

At once the demons come and bind my hands and legs to the table. They are unfortunately met with little resistance. As much as I would love to tear into these demons, I can't. My fury and revenge can step aside, my friends come first.

I do however test the bindings, I just can't help it. Now that I really am bound, I want nothing more to be free of them. It wouldn't change anything, but I yearn to be free. To move my limbs the way I dictate to, not that power ripped away from me and given to the hands of this devil.

They hold up an accursed needle, and panic takes firm hold. I screech and yowl, desperately thrashing away from the tip. What if it's another ocelot transformation thingy? No more, I can't take another dose. I won't be human at all, just an ocelot. I can't have that, I just can't.

And they grab hold of my arm, injecting it into me. I freeze, bracing myself for anything. Trembling as I just wait for something to happen. Some new demented experiment that's going to be inflicted onto me. A whimper comes out as the wait becomes its own agony. Phantom pain tingling throughout my body remembers what I've already gone through on this table.

"Okay Subject 811," I glare at the insane scientist, I don't want this to be more torturous. "We will be asking you a series of questions. Perform well and you along with 812, 813, and 814 will be feed after this session and an hour before your next session. Refuse to be cooperative and all of you will be held separately in isolation chambers."

Despite the hiss breaking free, I nod. At first they don't say anything, which does give me a bit of time to partly relax my muscles. Now that I'm probably not going to be in immediate pain, there is still a chance, my body needs to continue to heal. That's the best thing I can be doing right now.

I wonder if I could lie during these tests, see how smart they are instead of the other way around. Although what drug then did they pump into me? Some sort of truth serum or something?

Sighing, it clicks. They sedated me and are testing its effects on me. That makes sense, right? Especially since they've commented a few times about my resiliency against it. So, if I want my friends to eat, I'm going to let them know exactly how much I need to be sedated so I can't eavesdrop on them anymore.

Dang it.

Although they must not have put very much in me, I haven't felt anything yet. Perhaps they're going in slow doses then? I don't know, and honestly I shouldn't even care. It's not my job to figure out everything these demons are doing in their hell. It's my job to get me and my friends out of this hell.

Maybe now would be a good time to test how well my ears work when I really focus on them. I can definitely hear my heart, it's still in panicked mode. But if I really focus in I can hear the... excited breathing of the insane scientist closest to me.

Not wanting to think how terrible it is being held captive by people who enjoy the work of demons, I shift over to my nose. Just like the hallways it has a funky smell to it. Pristine, very sanitized and with circulated air. And now I'm yearning to smell fresh air once again, to be free with everyone under the trees.

"Tell a story involving fireworks, remember to perform well."

I instantly think about the firework machine that Jesse, Axel, and Olivia made. Sighing, I lick my lips and prepare to tell the story. I'm never going to be able to think of anything else now and it's good to keep them in mind.

"It's the day of Endercon, and me and my group have spent weeks planning on winning the Building Competition. The group that wins that competition gets to show off their build at Endercon, and this year the winners could also meet a great warrior everyone admired."

I squeeze my eyes shut, there's no stopping the memory now. "We were planning to build a rainbow beacon, use redstone to alternate different planes of stained glass. We went in very confident about winning.

"There was this other group though." My voice crackles, my stomach churning air as I continue. "They were, and still are, quite good. At the time, I only knew of them. I didn't have anything against them, despite my other teammates, I just wanted to focus on our build.

"We finish our build, at the same time I assumed they finished theirs. I was every bit confident in our rainbow beacon though, nothing really stood a chance against it. But the other group wasn't done yet."

My heart throbs, and I stop a moment before continuing. "They built a creeper in front of their build. A creeper! No one's ever done that before, and as I stood starring at it, they turned on their build.

"And the fireworks went off! It was incredible to look at, and I admitted to myself that they were going to win. There was no doubt. Even when my lousy teammate tried to sabotage them, they still won."

I stop there, I really can't continue. I should have just made up a story, but I need to perform well. I don't know their standards so hopefully that's good enough.

They scribble something down, even the devil does. My fists curl as they inject another dose into me, yet my mind still lingers on that day. That day, that day where everything went so terribly wrong. That day when we all first encountered a huge world eating beast created and controlled by a block of pure power itself.

Determination wraps around my heart, making it as hard as iron. If we could handle that, then we can handle this. We, Petra, Olivia, Axel, me, and Jesse, we are all getting out of here. We are going to have times like that again. Times where we can just mess around under the sun and not worry about anything.

And I can guarantee that we will do everything in our power so that these demons can't ever have times like that. There have been 810 subjects before us. All of their happy times were stolen and killed. Some of them, most of them, are dead with them. How can that be forgiven? It can't, I'll never let it.

Although I do need to figure out how to lie and act for these tests. I want them to give me less sedative than what I need to go under, not the actual amount. Which means I have to convince them, without performing badly and costing all of us food. Or worse, getting us separated.

Everything suddenly goes out of focus for a brief moment. I blink rapidly, my ears flickering as sounds waft through them again. I feel strange now, out of it. This is definitely a stronger dose of sedative. It's also quite a big leap. To not feeling it at all to this? What they are doing?

"You have ten seconds to answer each question." I hold back a groan, I don't really want to do anything except go back to my friends. I snap to greater attention though when I hear someone enter, a sharp scent of fear all over them.

"A girl kicks a ball four meters away from her and the ball comes back to her. How is this possible?"

"Sir," I come up with the answer, my focus on the whisperings. "Subject 666 is showing signs of waking."

I spit out the answer. "The girl kicked it into the air."

"Okay." They all scribble something down, my brain mostly focused on listening to the devil scurrying out of the room. "What is the product of the greatest negative number and forty-eight plus four divided by four?"

"Uhhh..." I quickly sum up the numbers up to fifty-two and divide it. Forty-eight is divided into twelve so that must mean fifty-two is divided into thirteen and timing that by negative one just makes it negative. "Negative thirteen."

More scribbles, and I'm pretty sure I got that under ten seconds. "What is the fifth color of a rainbow?"

I huff at that one. What kind of questions are these? The rainbow goes red, orange, yellow, green, and that makes blue our winner.

"Blue."

"What is the last digit of the eighth greatest prime number?"

My brain wrinkles on that one, or at least my face does. I want them to think I'm beginning to struggle now. But as for the answer... two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen, and nineteen.

"Uh..." I wait nine seconds before blurting. "Nine!"

The scientist hums that time when they scribble down more stuff.

"I am lighter than a grape, yet the strongest man cannot hold me for very long. What am I?"

Moaning slightly, my eyebrows as scrunched up together as close as they can be. This time I wait another nine seconds to say the answer. "Breath."

Breath that they may be taking from my friends during their 'tests'. My stomach coils around itself, hopefully the others aren't getting it as bad as I got it. I really really hope not.

They shove another dose into me, but the scientist still asks a question. "How many diamonds does it take to make a complete armor and tool set?"

This one I do actually have to think about. So it takes twenty four diamonds for an armor set, four for the sword and hoe, six for the pickaxe and axe, and one for the shovel. Twenty four plus six, thirty, plus four, thirty four, plus one, thirty-five.

"Thirty-five!" That one did come out rushed because I truly was panicking. That one took almost longer than ten seconds and I was starting to push it. They are sedating me, they can't expect me to get all of these right and under ten seconds after pumping so much into me.

The insane scientist doesn't ask any more questions, so now is the time for me to wait for a sedative to fog my brain until I am unable to answer anymore questions. Hopefully I performed well and me and my friends will get some food.

I wonder if that means also feeding Jesse? I'm assuming he's still alive, Jesse's lived through everything. Can't kill him, I'm sure he can get through this too. I know he's alone which makes it so much worse, but he'll have to fight through that since the devil probably won't be giving us joint rooms anytime soon.

Although why is that devil so concerned with Jesse simply waking up? My stomach clenches, my vision blurring as the gears in my brain creak and stagger. I take rushed forced breaths, trying to keep myself awake. It feels like I've been awake for hours, this stuff is rapidly getting stronger. I can't even really distinguish smells anymore.

Jesse... the Black Subject... Subject 666... what's with the weird names? Sure he killed two of their men, but they shouldn't be surprised that the Wither Slayer puts up one hell of a fight. What do they find so important about Jesse? Can I just not remember?

"Remember Subject 811, perform well or suffer the consequences."

I hold back a groan. It's getting so hard to think, it's like my head has been filled with mud. My thoughts trudging through with such difficultly at even simple topics. I want my friends and I to have food, to stay together, but if I fall asleep I'm simply unable to do that.

"Name all the biomes that strays live in."

I put a lot of effort into that one simple question, letting my eyes flutter shut to devote all my energy into it. Strays... I'm thinking of ice biomes, so I just need to start listing off all of the ice biomes.

"Tundra, the snow mountains, ummm, ice spikes, then there's frozen rivers and lakes and oceans and whatnot." I continue to try and dig through my memory, I have to make sure there isn't more.

"Time's up, what ingredient is needed to turn a night vision potion into an invisibility potion?"

A gasp of shock and horror staggers my lungs, I didn't know that was possible with potions! Where's Ivor when I need him? An ingredient that warps the original purpose? I only know that ferment spider eyes can do that.

"Fer-ferment spider eye." Gosh I hope that's right, I don't really know. I can't cost my friends food though!

"What is the highest level of enchantment a person can get with the enchantment Frost Walker?"

"Uhhh..." Enchanting is not my thing, I know only the rough basics. There's only levels one through five though, so maybe it's in the middle? I have no clue. "Th-three."

The scientist hums again, scribbling and scribbling away. "How long does someone have to stay awake for until they begin to attract phantoms?"

Phantoms? That's some kind of rare mob right? The Order has had the good grace of not encountering them, but I'm sure Petra was talking about it at some point. More than two days, can't be five though.

"Four." Surely the answer couldn't be three again? Maybe this scientist is trying to psych me out or something.

"If child A is five percent faster than child B-" I already hate this question. "-then how long will it take for child A to run a hundred meters when it takes child B twenty seconds to run them?"

Math, math don't fail me now. Hundred is a nice number... wait is it relevant? No, it isn't. I'm looking for time, so that means five percent of twenty. Which is, umm, how do I get that? Five percent is a twentieth of one hundred, and one twentieth of twenty is just one. I think.

"Tw-twenty one seconds."

More scribbling floats into my panting brain, and that's when I get yet another dose. How many of these things are they going to shove into me? These last questions were already a struggle, and this just might put me under. If they don't, I have no idea how I'm going to answer the next questions.

Now that my brain isn't being forced to answer those meaningless questions, it begins to nod off. Slowly sinking deeper and deeper into that glorious bliss of sleep where I don't really have any problems at all...

Grunting, I haul myself out of it when I think of the torture my friends are going through. I can't fall sleep, they need me more than I need sleep. They might be getting whipped, crushed, or forced to suffocate. I can fight off sleep for them. I have to...

But even then it's getting incredibly harder, every second another weight dragging my down in a sleeping oblivion. I've never had to fight the sedative for so long, it's either too strong to do anything against or weak enough where I don't have to worry about it.

I begin to bite my tongue, really hard. The very sharp tang of blood immediately follows along with jolt of pain. I stop there, that pain, already been swept away by the sedative, has forced my brain just a wee bit more alert.

"Subject 811, can you tell me what's the color of the sky?"

If my eyes were open, I would have rolled them. Blue, it's obviously blue. Yet my mouth is proving to be much more difficult to work with right now.

"Ru." I wish I could groan at that, or try and say something that actually sounds like blue instead of that moaning noise I let out.

"The names of your friends?"

Of course I know those! But when I try to say them, nothing really comes out. Not even groans or moans, just really kinda louder than normal breathing. I may have been kept my mind decently awake, but I guess that doesn't apply to my body. Sedative has turned everything almost completely numb.

"Check..." I try to move my jaw again, so I can bite my tongue. But if I couldn't speak then I can't do this either. My mind's fading but I have to stay awake! I can barely even hear anymore!

Distantly, bleeps of feeling waft into my brain. And I desperately try to hang onto them to stay awake. They must be doing something, something that I need to be aware of. Not falling back into this nice heavy oblivion.

I strain my ears, as hard as I can, focusing on something rather than the comforting fog surrounding my thoughts. "...creased healing... two times... av..."

And that's all I can do before I slip away back into that darkness.

****

Yep, the chapter's pretty late, sorry. But hopefully you were all having too much fun during Christmas to notice.

That being said, Merry Christmas! ...although it might be the next day by the time some of you read this, oh well.

Umm... well yeah, that's all. See you all in another five days where I'm hopefully a bit more one time!