The Price Of A Sacrifice

Adrian tried to open his eyes, but his lids felt as heavy as lead. The flickering fluorescent light above sent pulses of pain behind his skull.

"Where... am I?" he whispered hoarsely. His throat felt as if he had just swallowed a handful of dry sand.

He tried to move his right hand. Something restricted his movement. A soft metallic clink echoed. Medical handcuffs. Adrian forced himself to sit up, ignoring the nausea churning in his stomach.

His eyes caught a blue folder on the silver nightstand beside the bed. With his free left hand, he reached for it. His fingers trembled violently as he opened the documents inside.

Durnevra Medical Corp – Confidential.

"Genetic Compatibility Report," Adrian read the title softly. His eyes widened when he saw the large label in the top right corner of the document.

Subject B-02: Organ Reservoir.

"Reservoir?" he muttered. His voice cracked. "What is this supposed to mean?"

He turned to the next page. A photo of his face was there, side by side with a photo of Julian, his older brother. Beneath their photos was an organ comparison chart. Kidneys, liver, even corneas. Everything was marked in bright green.

Compatibility Level: 99.8%.

"Subject B-02 scheduled for left kidney extraction on March 14," Adrian read the line, his breath beginning to hitch. "Primary Patient: Julian Durnevra. Reason: End-stage organ failure."

The room's steel door slid open. Elena Durnevra stepped inside. She wore an elegant cream-colored silk dress that contrasted sharply with the cold atmosphere of the medical room. There was no smile on her face. No spark of relief to see that her son was awake.

"Mom?" Adrian called out, his voice filled with an aching hope. "Mom, please explain this. Why am I handcuffed? What is this... Subject B-02?"

Elena didn’t answer immediately. She walked closer, pulled a medical penlight from the pocket of the lab coat she wore over her dress, and checked Adrian’s pupils.

"Pupil reaction normal," Elena said flatly, as if she were talking to herself.

"Mom! Answer me!" Adrian shouted, trying to wrench his hand from the handcuffs. "I read this document! Am I just... an organ source for Julian?"

Elena let out a long sigh, finally meeting Adrian’s eyes. Her gaze held none of a mother's warmth. It was the look of a collector inspecting the condition of an investment.

"Don't shout, Adrian. It will raise your blood pressure," Elena said softly. "We need you in prime condition for tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning? You’re going to take my kidney tomorrow morning?" Adrian felt tears begin to stream down his cheeks. "I'm your son, Mom! I'm Julian's brother! How could you plan this behind my back?"

"Julian is the Durnevra heir, Adrian," Elena replied while adjusting the IV drip beside the bed. "He has a great future ahead of him. The company, the power, the family name... it's all on his shoulders. Without your kidney, he will die."

"Then what about me? Don't I have a future?"

Elena stopped moving. "You do have a future, darling," Elena whispered. "Your future is living inside your brother's body. You are a part of his success. Isn't that an honor?"

"An honor?" Adrian laughed bitterly, a sound that was more like a sob. "You gave birth to me just to be spare parts? Did you ever even love me, Mom? Just once?"

"We gave you the best of everything since you were a child, Adrian. The best schools, the best food, the best clothes. All of it was an investment so that your organs would grow perfectly. Don't be ungrateful."

"Those things weren't love!" Adrian shouted again. "That’s how you treat livestock before the slaughter!"

"Enough!" Elena’s voice rose, sharp and cold. "Dimitri has already decided. The surgery will take place at six in the morning. Dr. Vane will lead the surgical team. You should be grateful we are using the most advanced medical equipment so you won't feel too much pain."

"I won't do it!" Adrian thrashed. The handcuffs cut into his wrists until they bled. "I’m getting out of here! I’ll report you!"

Elena pressed a button on the wall panel. "Nurse Mia, bring an additional sedative to room B-02. The subject is becoming unstable."

"Don't, Mom... please," Adrian pleaded. "I'll give you anything. I'll go far away, I won't ask for any of the family fortune. Just... let me live as a human being. Please."

A young nurse named Mia entered with a tray containing a syringe. Her eyes avoided Adrian’s. There was hesitation on her face, but she stepped forward anyway.

"Mom, look at me!" Adrian continued to beg. "I'm the son who made you birthday cards every year! I'm the son you hugged when I fell off my bike! Do those memories mean nothing?"

Elena stared at the tip of the needle Nurse Mia was preparing. "Those memories were just part of the adaptation process, Adrian. Now, rest. Tomorrow is a big day for Julian."

"You're monsters," Adrian hissed as Nurse Mia approached his IV line. "You're not my parents. You're just architects building a hell for me."

Elena turned, walking toward the door without looking back. "Make sure he sleeps soundly, Nurse. I don't want any disturbances in his heart rate when the anesthesia begins tomorrow."

"Yes, Ma'am," Mia answered with a trembling voice.

"Mom! Don't go! MOM!"

Adrian’s screams echoed in the sterile hallway before the door finally shut tight. Nurse Mia looked at Adrian with a look of useless pity.

"I'm sorry, Adrian," Mia whispered softly.

"Don't do this, Nurse," Adrian begged with the last of his strength. "Please let me go. You know this is wrong."

"I don't have a choice," Mia injected the clear liquid into the IV tube. "Your family... they own everything. If I help you, I’ll be the one ending up on that operating table."

Adrian felt a coldness spread from his arm toward his heart. His world began to spin. The ceiling of the room seemed to drift further away, and the lights above merged into a single fading point of light.

The pain in his heart was far greater than the pain in his handcuffed wrists. The hope he had harbored for his family's love was shattered into pieces, leaving behind a cold and hollow void.

Before his consciousness completely faded, a strange voice echoed in his head. It wasn’t his mother’s voice, nor was it Nurse Mia’s. It was a heavy, ancient voice, thick with the aura of death.

Do you want to give them all the retribution they deserve?

Adrian couldn't answer. His tongue was already too numb. However, in the deepest depths of his heart, a small fire began to burn. Not a fire of love, but a fire of pure hatred.

Sleep, Little Product, the voice echoed again. When you wake up, you will no longer be a spare for anyone.