Chapter 17: Test
'I felt an alarming cold, a shiver down my spine. When I had awoken, I tasted blood on my mouth and my body ached. I looked around and and I found myself in a small white room with a silver desk and large mirror across from me near the door. I felt something tug at my arms when I tried to move them. I looked to see that both my arms were handcuffed to the table.'
The door started to turn and Mio kept her head down to avoid the gaze of whoever came in the room. An older woman presumably in her 60s came walking in the room along with a man with long hair reaching his shoulders in a black suit with black gloves. The woman sat down in the chair while the man leaned against the large mirror behind the older lady that covered a portion of the wall next to the door.
Before the woman could speak Mio was panicking.
"Have I been arrested? I couldn't have? I haven't done anything wrong?" She put her head in her arms and started sobbing.
The woman tried to reassure her to calm her down, "Listen, we aren't going to do anything. We just want to ask you some questions before we let you go."
She gently put her hand on her head.
She was wiping her tears on her jacket which still had dark streaks from her previous fight. Mio didn't find it reassuring at all as her hands were handcuffed to the table. She reluctantly agreed anyways rubbing her face on her jacket sleeve , "Sure. Ask away."
She put a recorder in the middle of the desk beside her hancuffed arms. She pushed a button that had an audible clicking sound which signaled it recording the conversation.
"About a couple of months ago a mysterious group had broken into the International Museum and had stolen an artifact that was recently brought in for display the next day. We were able to disarm the suspect who eventually perished because of mysterious causes."
She put a photo of a man in his thirties with white hair and a disheveled face on the table for Mio to see. The older lady continued.
"Before the rest had escaped we were able to identify a distinguishable member of the group, a young blonde woman in her early twenties. She went to a University in the downtown core of the city, Dante University."
She placed another picture on the desk. It wasn't a clear shot but it was enough to tell that it was Charlotte. Mio was reminiscing the murder and how she killed Charlotte to save her own life.
"We weren't able to question the woman and retrieve the aritfact. Soon enough she mysteriously disappeared along with the artifact. Now you may be wondering where you might come in and why your hands are handcuffed on top of the desk."
Mio was starting to get frightened at what they had in store for her. She bit her lip to stop the trembling.
"This artifact is a supposed 'cursed' weapon known for its overwhelming power and destruction. The Chaos Blade as historians call it have said to have the wielder consumed by an overwhelming desire but, I know you know that all too well already."
Mio looked up at the lady and she was starting to put the pieces together.
"You-you're Professor Archette! Why are you here? What's going on?" She began tugging on her arms trying to break free.
Professor Archette placed a finger on her lips to stop her fidgeting. "Mio, when you walked into my office and showed me those marks on your body, you had no idea who you were showing those too."
Mio tried explaining herself. "I didn't know what to do, I was tired and hadn't slept during that time. I wanted to get rid of the blade, I didn't even want it. I just didn't want to die."
Archette smiled, "That's what we're here for."
"What do you mean?" Mio was confused.
"To answer your previous question, we are a specific branch of special forces funded by the government to deal with this type of fantasy type of problems. We are the Blood Moons. We, and I mean I, have figured out that the blade had sealed itself inside you. You are the sheath that holds this blade."
Mio was unimpressed, "That was underwhelming. You guys couldn't have come up with a better name?"
Archette was agitated by the remark, "I thought it was cool name, the director did too." She turned to the man behind her who nodded in agreement. "See, it fits."
"How are you gonna help me?"
"We are going to run some tests. Our other associate who brought you here ran some earlier combat tests so we'll go from there."
Archette called the man behind her, "Shen take her to the Testing Facility in Sector B."
He nodded and proceeded to take out a black cloth from his pocket. He walked over to Mio and wrapped it around her eyes. He then removed the handcuffs that were attached to the table and locked new ones so that her arms were behind her back. He escorted Mio out of the room while Archette followed behind.
"What do you think of the girl, Director?" A woman was looking at the empty room from the other side of what seems to be a two-way mirror.
A large man standing at around 6 feet with a muscular build wearing a black military uniform was staring off into the empty room. "I'll make my decision after the supposed testing is over. Return to your office, Allucard."
"Yes Director." Allucard saluted the director as she walked out of the room.
'Interesting. Archette let's see what this test is all about.' The director thought as he peered into the empty room staring at the handcuffs attached to the metal table.
The testing facility was a white room with a table with a blinding head lamp above the table. When Archette, Shen and Mio who was still blindfolded entered the facility they saw four employees who were dressed up in surgeon gowns and gear. Then a young woman then guided Shen and Mio to a dressing room where Mio got changed into a night gown. The nurse was helping Mio get changed while Shen guarded the door in front of the change room. Once she was done changing Shen took her by the arm and guided her to the Testing Room as Mio was still blindfolded.
The table was a stainless steel table in which you can see someone's reflection in it as you look directly at it. Shen guided Mio to the table and locked her arms and legs to the table with the help of the nurse lady. They hooked up her vitals to a machine which counted her heart rate and blood levels. They could all see Mio's visible seals around on her right arm with two of seven symbols showing a redish color on her arm.
Once she was safely secured Archette whispered to her, "Mio be strong." She removed the blindfold and placed her hand gently on her head.
Shen and Archette gave the ok to the employees and went to the viewing room. The door closed and made an audible machine sound. Archette had an intercom in the room which she used to start the operation.
"You may begin the Chaos Blade extraction."
The surgeons were using a laser for the test. One of them controlled the laser while the others monitored Mio as the operation preceeded. An audible whirring sound can be heard from the machine as it powered up. Then a small beam shot directly at Mio's chest area. Mio wasn't under any anesthesia or numbing agents to relieve any of the pain that this 'testing' would have caused.
One of the surgeon was a holding a remote which controlled the laser. "I'll set the laser for Level 1 and I'll gradually increase the force." The rest of the surgeons nodded in agreement.
Mio didn't show any signs of pain and was just laying there on the table. The monitor showed that all of her vitals were stable.
In the viewing room Archette and Shen were staring at Mio from above. Then Shen asked Archette a question, "What is this procedure for?"
Archette replied, "To test the limits of the Chaos Blade."
Shen was confused, "By killing her?"
She pointed at Mio and said, "Just watch."
Laser operator then turned the dial halfway. "Increasing laser intensity to Level 5."
The beam became a lot thicker and was emitting a fair amount of light. Mio was starting to let out groans of pain as the laser began penetrating her skin. The laser was pointed in Mio's chest area where there were black marks of the seal. The monitor deviated a little and two of the surgeons wrote that down on their clipboards that they carried.
The laser operator turned the dial to 9. "Increasing laser intensity to Level 9."
Mio was screaming from the pain and was squirming on the table. The laser made a cut around her heart. The monitor reacted to her pain as it began beeping uncontrollably.
'I can't bear this pain....It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts..' Mio thought as the laser pierced her chest.
'Get me out of this, get me out, get me out, get me out....' Mio was shaking her binds but it was useless, it did not budge.
One of the scientist documenting signaled the laser operator. "Switch to maximum level and hold for 10 seconds."
The laser operator turned the dial to its maximum level. "Laser intensity Level 10. Begin countdown now."
10
Mio was screaming louder, "Ahhhh!!!!"
The machines were fluctuating at a alarming rate. The nurse was concerned about Mio's safety and tried to approach Mio. Her superior grabbed her arm. "Wait! It's too dangerous, stay here."
She closed her eyes and waited.
5
'Child you know what comes next....'
4
'I can see you plunge further and further into darkness...'
From the viewing room Archette showed a little smile. "Shen look closely."
Shen gasped, "The markings on her arm are crawling up her neck and the symbols on her arm are glowing."
3
"AAAAAAAHH!!" Mio's piercing scream echoed in the room.
BOOM
A loud explosion caused the whole room to be covered in smoke. The staff braced themselves from the explosion as the smoke started to dissipate. They saw a figure with a long black polearm axe with hellish red eyes standing before them. The nurse lady looked at the rubble and saw that the laser machine had been cut in half. She covered her screams as she feared for her life.
Shen saw the view and immediately called for reinforcements. "Allucard emergency in Testing Facility Sector B, I repeat Allucard report to Testing Facility in Sector B!!"
Archette was chuckling, "I guess I went too far."
Shen was furious, "Are you FUCKIN Crazy? She gonna kill them."
One of the staff tried running to the exit and once he reached the door he was panicking to get the door open with his keycard. He was too slow and Mio sliced his body in half. His blood stained the door and she looked for her next victim.
The group huddled together fearing for their lives until Mio fell to her knees and began coughing up blood. The axe changed to a black sword and she then tried to pick herself back up. She approached the nurse and picked her up by the neck. She then proceeded to choke her, tightening her grip slowly.
"Number 001 - Steel SHotto"
A bullet came zipping through the door and shot Mio in her leg. Mio dropped the girl and immediately turned around.
"Darling you shouldn't be too reckless we have bystanders."
"But Mastah, Onee-san is powerful."
"We'll make this quick then...."
In an office in the facility. Archette and Allucard were standing in front of the Director's desk with Shen in the back beside the door. They were waiting in silence as the Director was sitting in his chair contemplating what to do.
He finally got up from his chair and looked at Archette. "In our medical report we have one casualty and one injured because of this little experiment. I thought you said you had this all under control?! He slammed his fist into the desk.
Archette saw the dissapointed look on the director's face. "We were able to test the limits of the blade. We got enough data to start somewhere."
The director sighed, "Regardless she is uncontrollable and I don't want anything else happening while she is under our care. We will dispose of the girl."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Bonzoko
Bonzoko This chapter is a hefty one. I had to cut the fight near end as it would probably go 3k words if I fleshed it out. Might consider writing the fight scene depending on how the arc pans out.
Anyways enjoy the chapter and new release schedule.
<3
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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