We all sat at the big window and I pretended it was me observing unknown animals and taking notes. Very curious choice in hairstyle, female specimen. Trying a bit too hard for the co-worker, though the audaciousness was probably well warranted in this case. The oblivious man in question was entranced by me instead – which had some potential to be flattering in any other situation besides this. The lab ambiance didn’t let me fully appreciate the wide-eyed wonder in his eyes.
“Can I have some of that hair product, Miss Augusta?” I raked my overgrown fringes backwards. I was still all grimy, so there was very little sex appeal to find but old habits and all that.
Woman’s big eyes turned to glance at me to make sure I was still safely locked away, then narrowed into a contempt and her lips moved. Unlike her, I couldn’t hear it but I was sure she’d reminded me of her doctorate status. She seemed petty like that.
“What’s the harm? You could clearly use less of it, and I could use… well, anything at this point. Underwear, body paint, what have you.”
Lady doctor scowled something fierce and her companion quipped a line atop of mine with a grin, forcing an anger blush on woman’s face. From what I’d gathered thus far she wasn’t inclined to like me anyway, so antagonising only helped to work out the other angles. So far there were none, but it helped to pass the time anyhow.
I was locked up in an airtight room somewhere deep deep underground. A little more of a pickle than the last time. Flirt hard as I might, I really doubted anyone would be adventurous enough to take me out for a stroll. Not even the enthusiastic scientist, as his obsession lied in keeping me under a microscope. For whatever the damn reason. It’s been days but I was still treated like pestilence.
The moment pod slid into its place between all these other solid steel slabs, they demanded I undress and discard all my possessions and was essentially left alone to stew. I sorely regretted complying and playing a grateful fool. Days later that still got me nowhere. The clothes have been soaked through and muddy, but sleeping and sitting on metal was more than just unpleasant. The assholes even objected to me wrapping shirt around the wounds and threatened consequences. Never got around giving me bandages either. The blood has coagulated, mostly thanks to the thick glop than anything else, making it so that the monster inadvertently saved my worthless life yet again. I wasn’t grateful this time either.
Well, at least the assholes were happy.
“Can you play some music here? I could dance,” I asked in my most alluring tone, watching male mad scientist. Bold claim, as I could hardly stand. My left leg was swollen and barely mobile. Just one other thing to allude to the previous imprisonment. This situation wasn’t as bad yet, but neither had that been… until the guests showed.
Request has been sincere, in any case. The piercing silence made my ears ring, and then hear things which weren’t here. I might have screamed in the night just to hear something. That was after I figured out they weren’t going to let me out anyway, so it was a well calculated breakdown.
At times I felt faint vibration of the floor. Some other creature must have been thrashing nearby. Was all this effort to isolate sound even working on them? My monster probably would have been able hear everything they said floors away. My dead, dead monster with all his worthless promises.
Group of new people entered their side of laboratory. Posture of one signalled it was the boss lady from the field. She and the posse sat down at the back wall as if to observe some show.
“This is awkward. I was actually joking about the dance. You see, that requires at least some clothing for it to be fun,” I didn’t even bother getting up. The pain flared up merely thinking about it.
The people spoke behind the layers of glass and I had only vague idea as to the contents. It was enough to not be optimistic. A click signalled that microphone on their end was enabled.
“We know you are a mouth. Time to stop playing games,” the stern woman jumped right to business.
“And here all this time I was being so hard to get,” I muttered with a weak smirk.
“If you wanted to get caught, you have our full attention,” she both condescendingly implied something and dismissed it in same breath. It made me laugh. The absurdity of the situations I keep finding myself in. Unperturbed, she continued, “We have been eager to find entities we’d be able to reason with.”
Lies and pretend-cooperation could be my way out. Except that I had nothing to show for it. I put all my remaining faith into something rarely graced by my lips - the truth. “Ma’am, I look human, talk human, bleed like a human. I’d walk like human too, but you’ve shot me and the pain barely permits me to crawl. It’s hard to grasp, I know, but it’s all because I am a human.”
The authoritative figure quirked her eyebrow disapprovingly. “Bleed like a human you most certainly do not. Did you not think we’d run blood tests? Or do you not know what that is?”
I brushed the hair off my face, thinking. That must mean they’ve found something suspicious. Which was more than likely, because that bastard kept sticking his tentacles where they don’t belong. I couldn’t just say a monster has done something to me, because that would only prove their theory correct.
“Really, you’re surprised I ate some strange critters after days in the wilderness?” I suggested instead.
“Not at all. Please tell us more. We are all ears.”
Fuck. Of course she’d assume I took a bite straight out of alien beast’s side. “Well, in the field nearby there were frogs, then some seriously mutated mosquitoes. Perhaps you ought to death spray that place too.”
“Ah, yes. The invasive poisonous frogs,” she tapped her finger onto the clipboard impatiently.
Busted at the starting line. How unfortunate. I really shouldn’t spout things I knew nothing about. Nevertheless, I could only double down at this point, after all she could be bluffing too. “No, they aren’t,” I grinned confidently through my pain.
“They most certainly are. Cut this crap. Will you or will you not cooperate?” a man in pristine uniform barked out.
“At your service,” I bowed as much as my aches permitted. The general sent a smirk towards stern boss lady and she hid her irritation well. Today was not my day. Or week. Or a month. Come to think of it, all my problems have started at birth.
