“We need to check your bone density again,” assistant X2LA2 said once he opened the door.

Kris sighed deep and long, stupid medical exams.

He stretched his long limbs, his hands hit against the headrest. Sitting up, he rubbed his face with his big hands as he yawned. Leisurely he got up off the honey colored bed, cutting short his midday nap. He looked around the ivory walls. The outline of a tree on the wall opposite always seemed to stand out, no matter how many times he’s looked at it. He waved off the impatient lab assistant waiting for him at his door and proceeded to enter the bathroom. His sole purpose was to pat down and try to comb his short black hair into a decent look. He smoothen the shave sides with his palms.

I would definitely let it grow longer, he thought as he combed his hair.

He furrowed his angled thick eyebrows as his brown eyes spotted dried saliva at the edge of his mouth. He wet his thumb before wiping off the drool next to his small lips. He tilted his head and noticed his jaw line stand out.

“Just my style,” he nodded as he grazed his jaw with his thumb.

“Hurry up already,” he heard the assistant say annoyed.

He followed the assistant to the exam room. Inside was another assistant preparing the examination bed and the medic in charge was taking notes on a tablet.

“A new day,” greeted Kris with a bow.

“Indeed it is,” greeted the medic. “You look rested. Good. I believe this will be one of the last exams, if not the last. Your progress is noticeable but falls short with our expectations.” Kris nodded silently, feeling guilty from the disappointment he’s caused. “Now follow assistant 3 to the X-ray room. I’ll wait for you here.”

Kris did as told. He lied still on the table as they took full body images. The Overhead X-ray Tube stopping at each section of his body as it snapped the images. Once they finished he went back to the exam room.

“That was quick,” the medic said. He headed towards the examination bed, while motioning Kris to sit. “Have you been taking your vitamins and calcium correctly?”

“Yes, every day the dosage you gave me,” Kris replied as he sat on the bed.

“Good, good,” he nodded. “And your eyesight? 20/4?”

“Of course,” Kris chuckled. “I can spot every pore of your face.”

“Don’t you dare,” he said dramatically as he covered his face. Kris suppressed his laughter at the childish man. “And in dimly lighted rooms?”

“I adjust well,” he answered honestly. “In the dark I feel like my sight falls 20/8 and then it progressively gets better.”

“Good, that’s to be expected.” The medic’s expression fell for a brief moment. “Kris the X-ray images can reveal only a small amount of information. It shows the bones morphology to an extent. We are going to need more this time.” He paused, giving the boy some seconds to process. “We’re going to schedule an open bone biopsy for later today.”

“How…,” he hesitated. “How does that-”

“Basically we put you under general anesthesia, cut through the skin and muscle to expose the bone. Then I’ll remove a small portion, just a slice, and then we close you up.”

Kris looked down and gulped hard. “Does it hurt?”

“Oh no, you’ll be medicated during the surgery and recovery process. You might experience discomfort, but nowhere near pain,” he said reassuringly. “The shin, the frontal-lower part of the leg, is where we’ll cut. The tibia is close to the skin and far from any vital organs.”

Kris nodded and was dismissed to his room to rest before the surgery.

Two hours passed and he hadn’t slept a bit. He felt anxious, he knew the surgery wasn’t dangerous or vital, but something felt wrong. He wasn’t sure how much progress the company expected of him, he knew they needed him to be able to fly, but his bones weren’t hollowed or dense enough, they said. It wasn’t like he could change his body out of whim, so he couldn’t understand what he could possibly do to make things work.

How could I meet impossible expectations? These people are crazy.

Before he could torture his mind with more questions, an assistant came to him to the OR. They gave him a gown to wear, nothing else. The room was clean and sterile, a bed stood at the middle with big lighting equipment above. Monitors and equipment tables surrounded the bed. The place felt foreign and intimidating. They ordered him to lie down. A nurse connected an IV line to his left hand while the anesthesiologist inserted a needle into his right inner forearm. He didn’t have an opinion in any of this. No one seemed to care about what he thought or felt. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose, he heard a woman ask him to count backwards from 10.

He felt his heart pace, he was nervous but he managed to focus on counting. When he reached 6 he was out.

He woke up in a different bed, in a different room with beeping monitors and a sterile smell. His vision was blurry as he tried to make sense of where he was. Kris tried to sit up but he felt a dull pain on his right leg. Confused, he pulled up the white bed sheets to check.

What’s that? There was a big bandage covering the middle of his shin. Oh, right. The surgery.

He tried to lean forward to touch his leg but he felt pressure in his head. He leaned back into the pillows, dizzy and tired. His eyelids felt very heavy. It’s probably the drugs.

“Kris, how are you feeling?” He heard a familiar voice say. He opened his eyes, confused because he couldn’t remember falling asleep.

“How’s your leg Kris?” the doctor asked again.

“It’s -it’s fine,” he answered, his throat felt dry. As if he noticed, the doctor handed him a glass of water. “Thanks.”

“The surgery went perfect. We’ll have the results in three days since there are many tests we want to study. You’ll be discharged tomorrow so you can rest in your room. I’ll prescribe you some meds for the pain and in two weeks we’ll schedule an appointment to remove the bandage. Alright?” Kris nodded in agreement. “Very well. Rest for now.” And the doctor left.

Four days had passed and he hadn’t heard news from the results. He was resting in his room, reading a book about bird’s eye sight. His bedroom door opened, without a knock, which only meant one person could’ve entered.

Kris closed his book and sat up, trying to fix his hair and look tidy.

“You look well,” she said as she moved the desk chair to sit next to his bed. “How’s your recovery going?” she asked as she extended her hand to hold his.

“It’s going smooth,” he smiled, “it’s nice of you to visit me, Mama.”

“Of course I would. What kind of mother wouldn’t visit?” she said slightly offended as she reached to fix his hair.

I thought I combed it well, he thought as he eyed her arm above his face.

“I’ve been too busy to come sooner, but I’m here now,” she smiled gently.

Kris felt happy to see her smile. He hadn’t seen her in a long time. She’s always busy working for the company. She’s basically the boss around this place. He had fond memories of her as a child, he remembered her as a loving and caring mother who was mostly present during his upbringing. But since the trials, she has been very busy and distant. Sometimes she would check on him during the important test, but it was rare for her to visit him.

He observed her with caution. He could tell from the expression of her dark eyes that something was wrong.

It’s probably about the last tests.

“I know I haven’t been able to maintain flight for more than four minutes. Or elevate further than 80cm from the ground. But I’m trying by best,” he blurted out. She lifted her hand to stop him from talking.

“Your results and progress aren’t good my dear,” she said with an insincere smile. “Your bones aren’t well formed. The density is off by 47%. They are hollowed but weak. In these conditions, if you fall from 4 meters, your bones will smash. It’s unacceptable,” her tone was dead serious.

His heart dropped. He looked at the hand he was holding and could only feel cold towards it. He felt as if she didn’t care about him and only cared about the company’s goals. Her tone was so distant that it made him feel hated, unwanted.

“We’re going to schedule you to another surgery. A different kind,” she said then stood up. “You’ll be quite different when you awake.”

“What?”

“I must go now, but I’ll see you again. Soon,” and then she left.

Kris lay back into the pillows feeling anxious and nauseated. What the hell did she mean by that? What the hell are they going to do to me?

An assistant entered and escorted him to the operating room. He was silent and wouldn’t answer to Kris’s questions. Kris felt terrified, I have to get out. I have to get the hell out.

Instead of turning to the next corridor as the assistant did, Kris ran back. He wanted to get back to his room, because it was the only place he knew he could feel safe. The lab assistant yelled when he noticed he was gone. Kris was nearing the main hall when an arm appeared to his side and hauled him backwards. Kris tried to shrug the guard off, but another one appeared and grabbed his other arm. The guards dragged him all the way to the operating room, ignoring his thrashing, his kicking and his screaming.

Once inside they strapped him onto the operating table.

“No! Please stop!” he cried out to the nurses and the doctors. “What are you going to do to me?”

A doctor with a syringe looked down at him.  Kris felt his stomach sink and his chest ache as his heart beat furiously.

“We need to get rid of you, so that a better version can take your place,” he said in a terrifyingly calm voice. Kris’ eyes went wide as he couldn’t believe the doctor’s words. “Evolution,” he said as he pricked the needle into his arm.

“No!” Kris yelled, wishing he could pull his arm away. “No, please don’t,” he said weaker as he felt he was about to cry. His breathing changed into long deep breaths as he felt his body grow tired. He tried to scream as he felt heat course his body, but it came out as a guttural moan as the drugs kicked and numbed his body and mind. Everything felt heavy and breathing was difficult. His eyes were involuntarily shutting as his head felt fuzzy.

“Now sleep.”

And he did.

A/N:

Hey guys, quick update today. I know the story might be moving a bit slow, but it's for the sake of, well, the story. haha

Well finally, as you can see, a new series starts now in the perpective of Kris.

I hope you enjoy it.

Annyeong!