Chapter Text
—Please... that’s all I’m asking. Jaiden might know something! If you ask her, she might tell you,she trusts you more than she trusts me!— Quackity exclaimed, desperate.
—I already told you! She doesn’t know anything. You should calm down; I’m sure it’s nothing. You know you guys are always up for different kinds of experiments, but nothing bad ever happens!— replied Roier, sounding annoyed by Quackity’s insistence.
Quackity didn’t usually get this nervous about the exams or experiments the Federation prepared for him and his twin, but this time something didn’t feel right. They hadn’t experienced any kind of pain for months, unlike the others. He could clearly remember how Katie would come back from her tests, covered in bruises and pale, or Ash’s vacant stare and how he’d refuse to speak to anyone for days. Neither Quackity nor Elquackity had experienced any kind of physical or psychological pain for several weeks, which was strange, and just that very day, they had both been told they would have a “special test” that night.
This meant that Quackity couldn’t find peace all day long, imagining every possible scenario for that “special test,” unlike his twin, who didn’t seem to take it as seriously as he did.
There was no one else left to ask; he tried Jaiden, Katie, and even Ash, but no one seemed to know anything, and they all just told him it was probably nothing very important, and that in the worst-case scenario, they’d have a few bruises and scrapes for a while.
At that moment, both boys heard the bell signaling that it was almost time for bed, so little by little, the room emptied until only the twins and Roier remained, who could only say goodbye and give Quackity an awkward smile before leaving as well.
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They must have walked down that hallway a thousand times, but even so, the nervousness and unease were the same as the first time. Quackity walked ahead of his brother, as always; he was already used to his presence for most of the day. Although he had managed to get used to it, he never liked the idea. They didn’t have as close a relationship as many thought, nor did they share any special affection or anything like that; they simply had to stay close, since that was what Cucurucho wanted.
For that very reason, they always did every experiment, every test or check-up together, as if they were useless apart; they had to be together always. Cucurucho had told them that one’s weaknesses were the other’s strengths. Unfortunately, though, instead of uniting them as brothers, these lessons simply kept them at arm’s length; they were two sides of the same coin, unable to understand one another fully or with genuine affection.
The path to the science lab was usually crowded with other children heading to their respective classrooms, but this time it was different; the lights were dimmer and the silence was almost deafening. Both children could hear every footstep and irregular breath with perfect clarity
Despite the silence and solitude of the place, Elquackity managed to make out a silhouette in the distance. It appeared to be a child his own age, which was strange—who would let a child walk around unsupervised during nap time?
That silhouette vanished almost immediately, sparking deep curiosity in Elquackity. Unfortunately, he had other concerns at that moment. Although he had tried not to look scared by that “special test,” deep down, the unknown still terrified him. He hated physical pain more than anything. As he grew up, he learned to be strong enough not to suffer for others, making psychological tests something simple to handle—but the physical ones?
Feeling his muscles burn, hot blood gushing from his body, that disgusting feeling of being vulnerable in front of others—being subdued and forced to obey was something he could barely bear
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Once in the room, they sat them both on the same stretcher. Quackity held his brother’s hand tightly, trying not to look too scared; Quackity always reminded him that it made him look weak. They were in a small room with two doors; they had entered through one, and the other had remained closed. The room was completely white and had a small window. There was a worker there, writing and reviewing a couple of papers, but what caught Elquackity’s attention most was seeing a boy standing next to him. He wasn’t one of the children they were experimenting on, since he was wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a lab coat—unlike all the other children Elquackity had seen so far, who wore only long lab coats and went barefoot almost all the time.
Quackity had also noticed the presence of that boy; they both knew that they never joined the children during experiments, and that they were the only exception
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The day was boring, as usual, but Multi wasn’t going to sit around doing nothing; he felt the need to be useful. So when he heard he might witness a procedure on the twins, he couldn’t help but get a little excited. From what he’d researched, they were a complicated species to handle, and not just anyone could fully understand how they worked. How could he turn down an offer like that?
Everything was proceeding normally; the assistants were drawing blood from both of them. Even though it was a standard procedure, he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable under the gaze of both twins.
At that moment, he and the worker supervising him came in to get closer and ask him a couple of questions. This was a way the Federation ensured the performance of its recruits, making sure they knew every procedure perfectly. Multi answered all of them without hesitation and with complete confidence; all were correct
He never said it out loud, but Multi considered himself the best of all the recruits. He had complete confidence in his knowledge and judgment, and perhaps that was why he had earned the privileges he had—he had much more freedom than the others to enter certain places, access information, and much more. But that was the least he deserved for being the best of them all, wasn’t it?
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—This time we’re going to separate the procedure—said the worker in charge.
At that moment, the other two assistants who were there moved, signaling to Quackity to head toward the door that had remained closed but was now ajar. Through the small opening, Quackity could see that in the other room there were various surgical instruments, straps, and other objects that made his skin crawl.
—No… no, no, NO!—Quackity muttered, refusing to walk.
Faced with Quackity’s refusal, the assistant simply held him tighter, almost dragging him into the room, so Quackity couldn’t help but start sobbing, begging them not to take him.
—What are they going to do?!— Elquackity asked angrily—Why are we being separated?!—
Faced with both children’s resistance, the assistants seemed somewhat uncomfortable, holding them both tightly to prevent a commotion, unlike the foreman, who seemed dissatisfied and displeased with the situation; little by little, he began to pull a metal device out of his pocket, ready to squeeze it
Multi knew exactly what it was; it was what activated the children’s electric collars, which could paralyze them in seconds, and in the worst-case scenario, render them unconscious
Elquackity kept angrily asking why they were being separated, struggling violently. Quackity, for his part, began to feel his eyes welling up with tears; his body trembled with fear, and he begged not to be taken there, resisting with what little strength he had left.
—Separating them could alter the results— Multi said in a soft voice, contrasting with the commotion that had erupted.
The room was now a complete mess; both workers seemed to hesitate over whether to stop or not, as they weren’t sure if they should follow that child’s words.
—The records indicate that both of their performance declines when they are isolated; Cucurucho registered them as a single test subject— he said, his voice now louder.
Multi’s words made the worker in charge think twice. At that moment, he began to glance at the papers he was holding, and finally sighed in annoyance—Fine, together then—
The attendants slowly stepped back, releasing their grip on both children. Quackity had heard the entire exchange clearly; upon being freed from the tight hold, he felt a comforting lightness. Quackity, who had already managed to calm down a bit and was now completely silent, couldn’t take his eyes off that boy for even a second.
After all that, both brothers remained intrigued by the boy who had helped them, though they weren’t sure if it was out of the goodness of his heart or for some other reason. Whatever the answer, they couldn’t help but feel grateful to him in some way.
The attendants left after a while; Multi had insisted on staying alone with the twins for a bit. He had Cucurucho’s permission to do so, so the other worker didn’t question it at all, leaving the room and leaving the boys alone.
The moment they were alone, Multi had approached Quackity to examine him. In response, he immediately spoke in a low voice. —Thank you— he said, in a soft voice.
—Why?— Multi replied, sounding confused and looking up.
—For helping us—
—I didn’t. I just did what made sense—he finally said, trying to get back to what he was doing.
—Who are you? And why aren’t you wearing that horrible mask like everyone else?—Quackity asked from the other end, breaking the silence.
—I’m Multi— he replied in a calm tone—I don’t like wearing masks, that’s why I don’t wear one—
—Why would you be the exception? Are you special or something?—he asked, forcing a sarcastic tone at the end
—I’ll ask you the same thing: why do you two never split up? It’s forbidden to put patients together; it can be dangerous—he said, stopping what he was doing to stare intently at the twins
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Elquackity had noticed that Multi was showing up more and more often; at every test, every experiment, Multi was there without fail. This, without meaning to, excited him, since of all the children he had met, Multi was the one who intrigued him the most. He wasn’t someone superior whom he had to respect, but he wasn’t just another kid either, and every time he had the chance to talk to him and challenge him, he did.
Recess was definitely the part of the day that bored the twins the most. Quackity would occasionally try to talk to the other kids to have some fun or do other things, but he always ended up going back to his brother. He liked the others, but for some strange reason, they didn’t seem to like him, and he hated that feeling—feeling as if he’d said something wrong and now the others despised him.
Cucurucho had insisted on maintaining these periods throughout the day, forcing them to interact freely with one another; some painted, others played. Katie used to draw with Ash; they could spend hours drawing anything, while Roier and Jaiden ran all over the place, laughing loudly the whole time.
Quackity was leaning against the wall in one of the corners of the large room, watching everyone else from a distance. Meanwhile, Elquackity was simply lying there reading next to him, without saying a single word. They had both gotten used to this; it wasn’t an awkward or annoying silence, just the two of them coexisting in total silence, which Quackity found extremely boring.
—You’re still doing that? You haven’t done anything this week—said a calm voice.
Quackity jumped immediately—no one ever approached them. Who would want to come near them?
When he looked up, he noticed Multi standing over him, leaning in slightly to see what he was doing.
—W-what?— asked Quackity, somewhat unsettled by Multi’s sudden presence.
—Nothing. Neither of you does anything during breaks—replied Multi, now moving over to Elquackity’s side.
—He likes to stay near the exit— Quackity mentioned
—It’s safer here. If anything happens, we’ll be the first to get out of here— Elquackity corrected, without taking his eyes off the pair of leaves he held in his hands
Most of the recruits barely dared to approach the windows; it wasn’t as if it were forbidden, but if they did something wrong, the consequences were unimaginable
Only a couple of recruits dared to look through the windows; one in particular, Tomate, used to come over every day to watch Katie, but after a couple of minutes he would always leave quickly
Unlike Multi, who over the last few days had started spending more time in that room, without any fear of going in and approaching the other kids
—Shouldn’t you be in training right now?—asked Elquackity, looking up.
—I finished early; I have plenty of time— he said, sitting down on the floor next to the twins.
—A prodigy!—remarked Quackity.
—The best!— said Elquackity, sighing and forcing a sarcastic tone.
This had become part of Multi’s daily routine, and he truly loved it—not just for Quackity’s compliments and kind words, but because he was genuinely learning new things alongside them. Everything about them was a mystery; they were clearly two distinct people—they acted differently, spoke differently, and were almost opposite versions of each other
But at the same time, there was something within them... that made them behave as if they were clones of each other