"Hah, ha-"
That couldn't be right. That couldn't be right. He was sure he was miles and miles away from that place. But why.. why was that building here?
'Where does he think he's taking me?'
"Hello? Metal-rod kid?"
The odd-box boy waved a hand in front of his face.
072 stopped in his tracks, his legs trembling. He thought he had escaped.. but no… he ended up coming back anyway. Did that place have multiple sites? The thought sent a fresh wave of panic crashing over him. Were they everywhere? Were there more of those sterile, soul-crushing prisons lurking beneath the surface of this city, waiting to swallow him whole?
But he can't go back. He can't. He can't.
A strangled whimper escaped his throat.
"Metal..rod.. kid?" The odd-box boy called for the last time.
072 didn't hear him. His heart thumped desperately against his ribs.
No. Not again. Never again.
He had to get out.
"Hey! Where are you going? The station is right there!"
Before 072 could make a run for it, the odd-box boy launched himself forward, attempting to tackle him. But instead of the satisfying thud of a successful takedown, he met an unyielding force.
072 was like a wall.
"G.. Urhg!!"
Realizing he was going to be swept away at this rate, the odd-box-boy thwacked 072 desperately on the head with the music box.
"Stop it, stop it!"
THUMP! THUMP!
"Awuh!!"
"Ugh!"
"Nnh.." Shocked, 072 staggered. The two of them tumbled to the ground in a heap, the music box skittering away. The odd-box boy hit his head on the ground with a dull thud.
"....."
072 touched the side of his head and looked at his hand. Fresh, shiny red blood stained it.
"AGHHHHH!!"
072 sat up immediately. The odd-box boy had a wound on his head, too, but that wasn't what he was screaming about.
"You made me break the music box, you… you…" He couldn't even finish the sentence, the words lost in a wave of frustration and despair.
"AGHH, I wish I was old enough to say a bad word!! Why was I even trying to help you, huh?!"
He stood up and stamped his feet. 072 watched on the ground, dumbfounded.
"Why did you run so suddenly? I'm helping you, HELPING! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!"
Hearing those words, something pricked at the corner of 072's eyes. He blinked rapidly, confused. A strange pressure was starting to build in his chest. The feeling felt unfamiliar, but for some reason..
"Uuu.. WAAAAAAAAHHH!!"
..But for some reason, he knew exactly what to do.
All hell broke loose.
"Stop crying, stop crying, you dimwit!! I.. I... Uwahhh...!" The odd-box boy started to wail, his face crumpling, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"WAAAAHHH!!"
"I wanna go home..!!"
That day, they were both escorted into the police station in tears, two sobbing, bloodied messes.
"....."
A whole thirty minutes later, they sat awkwardly on high chairs in front of the Station's front desk. The odd-box boy was clutching his broken music box, sniffling; 072 was biting his nails, his eyes darting around for a chance to escape.
Before he knew it, they had been taken inside of the building and had their injuries treated. To his shock, the people in blue clothes had been oddly kind to them. 072 started to wonder if he was mistaken about them being a part of the laboratory after all.
Bite, bite…
He continued to bite at his fingernails.
Still, he had to be ready to bolt just in case…
Three officers approached. One of them, with a kindly-looking expression, knelt down in front of them, a gentle smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. 072 and the odd-box boy flinched.
"Alright, boys," said the wrinkly officer, "My name is Officer Raymond, but you can call me Mr. Ray. Can one of you tell me what happened?"
072 looked away, his jaw clenched. The odd-box boy glared at him before sniffling loudly and answering the officer's question.
"H-he-- hic-- broke my music b-box." 072, irritated, slapped his hands together, trying to subtly remind him of their original purpose for coming. The odd-box boy stuck his tongue out at him before continuing.
"H-he got scared, I guess. He just went 'hnn! Hnn!' and tried to run. I s-stopped him."
"Okay. Then what's with all those… wounds?" Officer Raymond gently wiped the odd-box boy's tears with a cloth, urging him to continue.
"Uh-uhm…" 072 shot the odd-box boy a furious glare. He was unable to speak coherently, so he couldn't refute anything he would say.
The odd-box boy sighed internally. "I.. . I got separated from papa… We were just buying t-toys… but I got lost and some people tried to attack me. They wanted to take my music box.. and I got saved by this kid."
"I see. That music box must've been quite expensive."
The odd-box boy nodded, a slight smile forming on his face. "Mhm. It's an… an entique."
"An antique? My, that's impressive. And how did you two escape those 'bad people'?"
"Well--"
Before the odd-box boy could answer, 072, in a sudden gesture, reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the metal rod. It was still stained in blood. The officers gasped.
"A Deviant's weapon…" Officer Raymond's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "Did you use it to take the man down?"
072 and the odd-box boy nodded. Officer Raymond raised his hand.
"How did you get your hands on this? You both are still children!"
"Gah!" As he reached out his hand to take it, 072 clutched the metal rod in his hands, defiant. The officer hesitated. The younger man beside him shook his head.
"It's his, let him keep it. We should focus on finding their parents."
"Oh, alright.."
Officer Raymond stood up. 072 unconsciously clutched at the odd-box boy's hand.
"Alright, boys," Officer Raymond said, his voice softening, "Before we continue, can you tell me your names? And your parents' name, too?"
"Oh, I'm--"
FLING.
Before either of them could answer, the doors of the police station burst open with a loud bang, the sound echoing through the room. All eyes turned towards the entrance as three men in dark black uniforms strode inside, each one of them wearing an emblem; a large, 3d letter 'D' enclosed in three rings.
They approached the front desk with calm demeanors. The one leading them, a sharp, handsome red-haired man with ear piercings and a glowing red dagger at his side, looked briefly at the two boys before narrowing his eyes. 072 avoided eye contact. For some odd reason, he had a feeling the man was looking at him specifically..
Officer Raymond gulped. It wasn't just him; the other Officers seemed tense, too. The man drummed his fingers against the table, snapping them back to their senses.
"Er.. Excuse us for a moment, boys," Officer Raymond said, his voice tight. "Please wait over there, by the water cooler." He gestured towards a corner of the room, away from the three approaching figures.
As they moved to the side, 072 felt a momentary chill crawl down his spine.
He could feel it. These people were dangerous.