Hi Everyone! Thanks for clicking my story. I've been working really hard on it, so the first thing I want to say is PLEASE REVIEW. I'll try to update every week, but that may not happen always. I'm already several chapters in though, so hopefully I'll be able to pull it off. Please enjoy and remember to REVIEW.
Chapter 1
Light. So much light. I'm blind, I can't see anything but the incredible whiteness of the light. I try to speak, but my throat is dry, and my mouth feels like it's full of cotton.
"Whu…where am I?"
A voice speaks, "Ah good! She is awake! Tell me, miss, what is your name?"
My name? What is my name? Suddenly I remember.
"Sarah…Dupree. My name is Sarah Dupree."
The voice again, it sounds German. "Very good Ms. Dupree, very good indeed."
"Tell me, Ms. Dupree, what is the last thing you remember?"
I frown. The last thing…?
"I remember working on the Weyland-Yutani loading docks, I was directing a shipment of terraforming supplies to some of the outer colonies…and then…um…"
I couldn't remember much after that.
"Doctor…?"
"Relax, all will be made clear in time."
Suddenly it sounds a lot less sweet, as it speaks to someone else. It sounds calculating, analytical, cold.
"Make a note doctor. Subject does not show any signs of amnesia."
I can see now. I'm in a white, laboratory setting. There is a table next to me with all sorts of medical supplies on it. There are three figures in the room with me. Two are dressed in white lab coats; I can't see their faces because of the bright light shining into my eyes. The other stands off to the side, in my clear field of vision. He is outfitted in armor and has a pistol holstered at his hip. He looks very gruff, and I can feel his anger. He unsettles me.
I try to sit up. The two men in lab coats hold me down. The German one speaks again.
"Now now, let's not be too hasty. How are you feeling?"
"I feel...a little woozy, but other than that, good. Doctor…" I hesitate slightly, "what's your name?"
"Oh, of course, how rude of me! I am Doctor Haussmann, and this is my assistant Doctor Khrushchev." Here he motioned to the other coat, who waved a hello and gave a smile.
There was something about these men and their smiles, they seemed fake. You see, I've always been really good at reading people. My parents always told me that I had a special gift for seeing people as they really are. I know when I am being lied to. And the only person who was expressing his true form was the soldier in the back. I decide to make a note of him.
"And who's that…?"
Dr. Haussmann pauses, and speaks between thin lips.
"That is Lt. Razchek…he is the Chief of Security here on Shangri La."
"Shangri La?" I ask.
"Yes, the deep space research station that you now reside on."
He finishes poking at my arm with some metal instrument.
"I would like you to sit up now, please."
Their white gloved hands are pressing against my back now, helping to push me into a sitting position. Now that the light is out of my eyes, I can clearly see their faces.
Dr. Haussmann is an older, Caucasian man. He has half moon spectacles and a white goatee. He reminds me more of a psychologist than a medical doctor. Dr. Khrushchev is a much younger, mousy looking man with brown hair.
"Please hold still for me, won't you Miss Dupree?"
I comply and the Doctor starts shining a light in my eyes.
"Normal pupil dilation, Dr. Khrushchev."
"Dr. Haussmann…" I begin, trying to sound as firm as I can, "what happened to me, and what's going on?"
He leaned back and sighed.
"Miss Dupree, I must insist that you wait until after we are done with your medical examination before asking any more questions."
"But I want to know what the hell is going on!"
I was starting to get angry. This slimy scientist and his evasiveness were getting on my nerves. I started to sweat heavily and shift uncomfortably.
The Doctor noticed this and gave that false smile. Now there was something sinister about it.
"Miss Dupree, I must insist that you relax…or I'll be forced to restrain you."
Now I started to freak out.
"What's going on? Why am I here?"
I made to move from the chair. Doctor Haussmann stepped away, and I noticed that his fake smile had been replaced by a cold glare. He looked at the soldier and snapped his fingers expectantly.
Nothing happened. I stepped off the chair.
The Doctor screamed, "Lt. Razchek, restrain the patient at once!"
The soldier spoke in a heavy, authoritive tone tinged with sarcasm.
"Oh, was that snap for me? Cause the last time I checked, I was a goddamn Marine, not some fricking hired thug."
I grabbed a scalpel off the table and crouched into a fighting stance. I was going to get some answers out of these scoundrels now.
The two scientists backed to the other side of the room, sweating heavily and looking nervous.
"Lt. Razchek, please…"
"Well, since you said `please'."
The big soldier moved in front of me. He didn't make a move for his pistol, instead reaching for a pair of hand cuffs hanging from his belt.
My earlier uncertainty had been replaced with righteous anger, and I wasn't afraid. I've done Krav Maga since I was a little girl, and was an expert in hand to hand combat. Taking the scalpel, I feinted stabbing him in the chest before jabbing for his throat.
He caught my hand just short of his trachea, and looked into my eyes with mild surprise.
"Hey! She knows that stabbing a person in the throat is a good way to hurt them. Good for you, sweetheart."
He twisted the blade away from his throat, but I came up with a hard punch from my left fist. I caught him on the cheek. He didn't flinch. I went to claw out his eye, but instead he twisted my arm behind my back and kicked my legs out from underneath me. Pinning me to the ground, he began to apply the cuffs to my wrists and spoke,
"Look, princess, there are a lot of stupid things that people do in the world. Some people walk into the street without looking both ways. Some people forget to pay their taxes. The stupid thing you just did? Try to punch a Colonial Marine in the face. Not a good idea."
He roughly pulled me to my feet, and my face burned with shame. I had never lost a fight before.
He noticed my embarrassment and snorted.
"This is unpleasant for everyone involved. Don't feel special. Whadaya want me to do with her, Doc?"
Haussmann adjusted his glasses, and looked perturbed at the way he was addressed.
"Take her to the holding cell we've prepared. And Lieutenant? Don't ever hesitate like that again, or I'll have you demoted and sent to guard real thugs on a lava planet."
The Marine snorted again.
"As you wish, Doctor."
He led me to the door of the lab, which opened with a whoosh.
We were in a medium sized corridor. Gun metal grey walls, cork bulletin boards with notices and hazard warnings on them, and lots and lots of the distinctive WY of the Company.
There were two more Marines standing on each side of the door. A short Hispanic male and a taller Black woman.
The Black woman eyed me suspiciously.
"What's the deal, LT?"
He grunted his response.
"Prisoner escort. We're to take this young lady to her new accommodations."
The two grunts looked at each other, apparently unimpressed with the task given to them.
I could care less. We began walking down the corridor, with the short Marine in front of me and the tall woman taking the rear. Razchek maintained a firm grip on my arm, shoving me along the walkway. I noticed a slight movement from him. He had used his free hand to reach into his armor, and he pulled out a flask. He took a sip from it and then returned it to his uniform. I smelled strong liquor.
"So I don't suppose you could tell me what's going on?"
He looked at me, and I could see the consideration on his face. Finally, he spoke.
"They don't tell us jarheads much, but the scuttlebutt is that you have something the company wants. Something very valuable. I don't really know, I don't really care. Ultimately its irrelevant to me, I'm only here because that's what command told me to do."
He went silent after that. Something the company wants? I wracked my brain. So far as I could tell, I didn't have anything. I was just an average company employee, a middle management nobody. I didn't have any industrial secrets, or secret government information, or a giant hidden fortune!
"This is some kind of mistake! I don't have anything like that! I swear!"
I stopped and pulled away from his arm. He jostled me and shoved me forward, hard.
"You missed the part where I said that I didn't care. And even if I did, I still don't believe you. The Company might be a bunch of greedy assholes, but they aren't stupid. They wouldn't kidnap someone unless they thought that there was something to be gained from it."
I frowned. Kidnapped? Suddenly it all came back to me.
I had returned to my apartment after a hard day's work handling that terraforming shipment. I unlocked my front door, and stepped inside. I tried flipping the switch, but the light wouldn't turn on. Infuriated and confused, I reached for the flashlight I kept next to the door. I turned it on, and realized I wasn't alone. There were dark figures huddled on the other side of the room. Suddenly, one of them pointed something at me and there was a gentle pop and a sharp prick in my neck.
Then I woke up to Doctor Haussmann, and then…here.
"You have to let me go! You have the wrong person!"
Razchek looked at me disdainfully, and then turned his attention to a door we had come to.
"What a surprise! We've arrived at your castle, princess. Get in."
"Why are you so mean?"
He laughed at my comment. This was a defensive laugh. There was some sadness and bitterness behind it, I could tell. This man didn't have the happiest past in the Galaxy.
The heavy, windowless door opened and he shoved me roughly inside. Then the door slammed shut with a heavy thump. I looked around the room.
Again, white walls. So exciting. There was a bunk bed on the side of the room, and a stall with a toilet on the other. Next to that were a sink and a mirror. One entire wall of the room was taken almost entirely up by a window, and there was an observation laboratory on the other side. I suddenly felt very violated. They were going to be watching me? This entire situation was so confusing!
I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. My long auburn hair was slightly disheveled, but still in good condition. My green eyes were red with exhaustion, and my cream colored skin was slick with sweat. I'm not a very tall girl, only 5'3", but I make up for it by having an athletic body. I take pride in exercising every day, and it shows in my slightly larger than average muscles. I also take pride in the fact that I maintain a good level of physical fitness without becoming grotesque.
I look down at my clothing and realize I'm wearing what looks like some kind of scrubs. I turn bright red at this. Someone had changed me into this clothing when I was unconscious.
Suddenly there is a bright flash of light. I look to my left and see that Dr. Haussmann and Khrushchev have entered into the observation room. Haussmann has his fake smile again. He leans forward to a microphone and hits a button. I can hear his voice through hidden speakers,
"Do you like your room? I know it's not decorated yet, but we will allow you to spice it up to your liking. We wouldn't want you to be too uncomfortable now, we aren't inhumane after all."
I ran up to the window and slammed it as hard as I could. The two men noticeably jumped.
"Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?" I screamed.
The doctor smiled at my distress, which pissed me off. I slammed the window again.
"Answer me!"
Haussmann visibly inhaled. Then he leaned forward and began speaking,
"As I'm sure you are aware, Ms. Dupree, the Company keeps extremely thorough records on all of its employees. However, I wonder if you know just how extremely thorough these records are."
He paused here and I felt apprehensive. What did Weyland know about me that I didn't?
"To be blunt, these records include very thorough psych evaluations, tests that were done under the table, so to speak. For example, do you recall that chemical spill that happened on your watch last October?"
I nodded here. One of the containers for a highly toxic herbicide had sprung a leak. I had to order everyone off of the loading dock and call a hazmat team.
"What about it?" I said.
He smiled, "Pool water."
"What?" I gasped in shock.
"Well, that's a bit of an oversimplification I suppose, there were other things in there than chlorine. Just enough to make it look real. We wanted to be able to fool you, after all. Of course you may say to yourself that such tests would be a waste of time, that they would cost the Company precious money. But the truth is that Weyland firmly believes being able to…utilize…its employees to their maximum use is worth such endeavors."
He stopped again to take a sip of water. I was trembling now. How much of my life had been a lie? A setup by the company, to test me? It was inconceivable. I was broken out of my thoughts when he continued speaking.
"The second reason Company files are so complete is that they contain advanced information regarding your DNA."
I gasped. My DNA? Suddenly I understood what was going on.
"There's something in my genes that you want."
Sorry, no Aliens or Preds this chapter, but they will appear in the next one! Ty and please Review!
