Wendy smiled as she sipped from her teacup.

The taste was adult and very refined. It was also a little boiling.

Mr. Poofsy, a gift from Uncle Sam, was wearing his Sunday Best. A tie, and a party hat. It had polka dots on it.

Ms. Carrots, a gift from uncle Tom was snacking on a cookie. Her frilly pink dress was full of crumbs. Peeling band-aids lined her white, fuzzy arms.

“Would you like another cookie, Ms. Carrots?” Wendy asked as she slid another half-eaten cookie over.

Ms. Carrots would love another cookie.

“More tea, Mr. Poofsy?” Wendy smiled as she poured her friend another giant cup. The plastic teapot had seen better days. It had some dents, and a few of the plastic gems were missing.

“Why yes, today was a nice day. Uncle Tom took me outside. The doctors said I was a man funk-shin-ing again. A wor sideboard. Very adult,” Wendy chatted as she bit into her cookie.

“The test needs another needle today, see!” Wendy smiled as she showed off her newest band-aid. It was on her left forearm. Another band-aid was on Ms. Carrots in the exact same spot.

Wendy tried to smile as tears welled up in her eyes. She instead grabbed another cup. Different from the purple teacups she had.

Sweet iced tea filled her mouth as she took a big gulp. She needed to stay strong. Big girls were strong and did not cry.

Uncle Sam always said that. Though Uncle Tom said it was alright to cry when she was not with the other adults.

Since she was alone right now, she sniffled.

The tests hurt, and the doctors were mean. Especially Doctor Smidtt. He yelled a lot.

The door cracked open, and Wendy wiped at her eyes.

“Hello Wendy!” a cheerful voice greeted. Wendy looked up and smiled.

“Uncle Tom!” Wendy stood and ran over. Her simple dress fluttered as she gave him a hug.

Tom kneeled down and took her into his arms. He hugged her back.

With her face buried in his shoulder, she couldn’t see his serious face.

The hard, and emotionless face of agent 66. The handler of unit 266, Wendy.

When she pulled back, his bright smile greeted her.

“Would you like some tea and cookies? Mr. Poofsy, and Ms. Carrot can share!” Wendy babbled as she pulled at the hem of her dress.

She was nervous, but he understood why.

Wendy was only allowed short visits. Prolonged contact with others could cause mental bonding, which leads to other issues.

Thomas was a trained killer. He had nothing, as it was all erased. Only his codename was his. Unit 66. Like Wendy and her Unit 266.

“Not today,” Tom said and Wendy’s face fell. “We get to go outside for some ice cream!”

Wendy’s face lit up and she squeezed his offered hand with all her might. Her cyborg enhanced hand made his cyborg enhanced hand creak.

Tom smiled, which made Wendy’s smile grow. She skipped along.

No one was present on their walk out of the building.

A simple, worn down looking building. In the distance the soft cracks and pops of training children. From handguns to light machine guns. They would learn it all.

The pair made it into another building. There sat two bowls on a table.

Wendy dug into her bowl. Tom ate at a much slower pace.

Ice cream. The reward for all children who either performed well or needed comfort.

Wendy slurped up the last spoonful, and Tom chuckled.

He spooned over the untouched scoop in his bowl. They each had 3 round scoops. Vanilla.

Wendy’s eyes widened and she gave her handler a large smile. Her left canine was missing, causing a gap. It was cute to see.

Even with the loss of a full scoop, Tom still finished last.

Wendy hummed as she kicked her legs under chair. She was still short enough to let them swing free.

“Time to go back,” Tom said as he rose up. He dusted off the invisible lint as he waited for her to comply.

Wendy nodded and hopped back out of her chair. Tom held out my hand, and she took it with a bright smile.

The walk back was silent, but Tom took his time.

Wendy stared at the greenery around her. She wanted to run around, but then Uncle Sam would get mad. Then Doctor Smidtt would get mad.

As they walked into her room, Wendy stared at her two oldest friends and huffed. She didn’t want Uncle Tom to go.

“Don’t worry. Just keep doing your best. Soon, when you finish your medical exams, we can go see the world. Far, far outside of this room,” Tom promised.

It wasn’t a lie. They would travel around the country. Dealing with various issues that required… a scalpel over a hammer.

“Okay!” Wendy said as she hugged him again. A smear of ice cream appeared on his left pant leg.

Tom ignored the smear on his otherwise pristine clothes.

“Tomorrow?” she whispered out.

“Tomorrow,” Tom confirmed as he patted her head and turned to leave.

Wendy watched as her uncle left.

The door shut with a click. Yet it boomed in her ears.

She sat down on her seat and looked into eyes of her two friends. They stared at back her.

The ice cream was nice, but it would have been better if Uncle Tom had stayed.