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[oakenshields13]

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Methods of Deduction (AU) (TW: dehumanization, torture, homophobia, ableism) (5/?)

[tawabids]

The first time that Henry really saw - really understood - that GRB-M-00001 was dangerous, was soon after their fly-winged mutant arrived at the facility. She was a difficult one, skittish and a biter, hard to catch if she got away from the handlers and even harder to restrain because Henry didn’t want her wings damaged. Since the only exit from the enclosure was through one of the wooden-barred doors, however, he figured she could be left to her own devices once she was placed inside.

NA-01’s main quarters, a converted dancing hall with top-notch climate control and large, fibreglass skylights, had half a dozen (exceedingly expensive) close-circuit cameras that watched the play area. Three were positioned above the dens, which were covered with clear Perspex so that the researchers could observe even the most intimate aspects of mutant life. The second day that USA-P-00108 had been in the facility, she flew up and smashed every damn camera. When Henry and several handlers rushed in, they found that one had even fallen down, and GRB-M-00001 and USA-P-00020 were prying it apart with some help from DEU-K-00009’s metal-bending abilities.

They chased the mutants away from the remains of the camera, put all seven in the holding room and took the broken cameras down. Henry decided that USA-P-00108 had merely been frightened by her new surroundings and no one should be punished for the vandalism.

During the three weeks it took to order new cameras, Henry was running routine calibrations on Searchlight when GRB-M-0001 did something uncharacteristic. He had been unusually cooperative that afternoon, and they’d finished the tests with plenty of time to get down to the pub. Everyone was packing up the equipment and GRB-M-00001 looked happy to be escorted back to the enclosure without fuss - except that he tried to take a blanket with him. They didn’t have any such blankets in the enclosure - that was part of the social control policy Henry had designed, and the technicians didn’t want to deal with laundry anyway. But it was chilly inside Searchlight and the mutant was usually covered up during the tests. GRB-M-00001 had never tried to steal anything before, but that day he wouldn’t let go of the blanket until the technician in charge made it clear his fellows would get a shock if he didn’t.

Henry thought it was odd, but he was parched for a beer and didn’t make a note of it. A fortnight later, the new cameras arrived and were quickly installed while the mutants waited in the holding room.

It took less than twenty minutes for USA-P-00108 to break every single one, irreparably, before the handlers even realized what was going on and could get to the switchboard that activated the C6-290 collars.

This time, Henry was mad. He hadn’t wanted any more mouths to feed and had taken in the winged mutant to keep her from being euthanized in a lab closure across the country. He had USA-P-00108 put in solitary for twenty-four hours, and when GRB-M-00001 tried to intervene he had the telepath shocked for good measure. Irrational though it was, he felt incensed by the animals’ lack of gratitude

The next day they were due for more work on Searchlight, and once again the M-type was diligent and well-behaved, until once again they reached the end of the tests and GRB-M-00001 tried to take the blanket. When Henry went up to him and put his face close to the mutant’s, firmly telling him “No,” he was struck by a clear, piercing thought projected from the telepath’s mind. It was an image of the broken video camera.

Henry had stared at GRB-M-00001 for some time. The threat was obvious.

“Let him have the blanket,” Henry said, fascinated by this turn of events. GRB-M-00001 bundled his prize up under his arm and then held out his hand. Henry nodded at the nearest postdoc, “Go get another.”