Aikia
Aikia
Chapter One
"Cat, wake up. It's time to start the routine." I opened my eyes and found them upon the same old scientist, Cross, his voice echoing in the cylinder of glass in which I was held, the bubbles in the liquid ever flowing upwards.
"I thought I told you to call the experiment Aikia, as we had all agreed we shouldn't give it a 'pet' name. It's a thing, an object to not get attached too." The other scientist, Gray, this one older and more stern than the other, scribbling down on some paper clipped tightly to a clipboard.
The first scientist operated the machine I was held in and the liquid drained from the vat, bubbling down into the dark grid on the floor of the vat, one last bubble forcing its way through, touching the open air then popping with a splatter. With a release in pressure and air hissing, the glass popped up and was lifted well above my head. I sat on the floor as usual and slid my feet to the ground, Cross wrapping a robe around my shoulders as he usually did. I grabbed at the edges of it and pulled it closer.
I walked next to the scientists as we made our way out of the room and down the hall to the right, the cameras up top continued their usual spinning as the red lights flashed periodically. Soon reaching the door the oldest scientist stepped up as a light blue light scanned his eyes.
"Professor Gray, access granted." The metal machine spoke. The next scientist stood in the same place as Gray once had and continued the ritual. "Professor Cross, access granted."
The door opened with a notifying 'click' and we all ushered into the well lit examination room. I walked towards the table and used the stepping stool to help hoist myself up on it, the paper crunching and slipping between the surfaces underneath. I sat and pulled my long, thick tail close and let it lay over my legs. The tip twitched and flicked with my mood. I stroked my hand along my thick fur, the white, black rings, and grey circular patches were brushed out in the corresponding direction, smoothing out and becoming more silk-like as my fur dried to the air.
"Finger." Cross held out a cuff for the tip of my finger, a machine in the other hand.
I pointed out my index finger and he slipped it on. The machine started to beep periodically. After a minute he nodded to himself and scribbled on paper that was contained in a folder. He followed up with checking my ears, nose, and mouth with lights and reflective objects. Soon after he checked the metal bands that were screwed into my wrist. He also examined the metal band around my neck that shocked me whenever I did something wrong, disobeyed orders, or got too excited. He pulled down a strange contraption from the ceiling.
"Look through the holes with the screens." I nodded and did as such, unfamiliar with this. A light flashed blindingly. I blinked and jolted back, startled. He laughed a little, "Sorry. I should have warned you." He looked towards a computer screen, an image had appeared. He studied it, "Seems your eyes are perfectly healthy." He went back to the paper and scratched down something.
Fully regaining my sight, I looked from Cross to Gray. Gray grabbed a syringe and beckoned for me to lift my arm. I tilted my head, this part was also new for the routine. I hesitantly reached out to him, unsure of what was to happen, insecure about what he had wanted. He grabbed for a rubber band and tied it to the top of my arm and tried to brush back the fur on my inner elbow. I watched curiously; within due time the needle approached and slipped into my body, red liquid pouring into the glass nearly immediately. I closed my eyes tightly, my head shifting away. I refused to let my arm move, not wanting to cause further damage, eyes watering, hands shaking, I did not want to see this strange sight, accompanied by mild pain.
The warmth and burn left my elbow as something was pressed against it, the rubber band removed. I breathed in heavily, not realizing that I had stopped. I panted, trying to regain my breath, while making each one deep so I would calm. I held my arm close and slowly took a look at it. A brown rectangle clung to my fur remarkably well. I sniffed it, my nose scrunching up from the foreign, foul smell. I shook my head then sneezed. I brushed my white hair back out of my face and studied the scientists. I was not sure what they were doing but it was not long before Gray turned, facing me, his eyes on Cross.
"Her DNA is stable now. She's also fully grown. I guess that treatment we administered went a long way." Gray's gazed fixed on my own, "Aikia, come to the scale now."
I carefully slid off the table, each step was wobbly as I made my way to the white and black scale. I stood in the middle as I usually did and watched the digits change. I looked to Gray when they stopped.
"Seventy-seven pounds…" He muttered and scribbled on his clip board. "Now over by the door for measurement." He shooed me with his hand. Obeying once more I stood where he asked, my feet flat, shoulders square, back straight. "Three feet in height…" He muttered as he glanced up only to let his gaze fall to his clip board once more, his hand still scribbling.
"She grew faster than we expected." Cross ran his fingers back through his brown hair causing it to stick up in silly ways. I bit my lip holding back a giggle.
"I suppose its time for the next step, isn't it?" Gray sighed.
"You don't mean… Like the others? Already? We haven't adjusted for her yet, we don't know if she's even capable. You know what happened to the others. We wont have any more funding, or a job if this doesn't go right. This is our last chance! She's not ready." Cross spit out, tension building in the air.
"Yes, I know, but her body is ready. We have to do this sooner rather than later. We are being pressed for time constantly from them. They could cut our funding at any moment regardless." He grumbled, his clip board falling to his side, his knuckles white. Silence overcome them.
I went over to Cross' side like a ghost went and tugged at his long, white lab coat. The tension started to break as a sheepish smile with soft eyes stared down at me. He petted my head as to say 'everything is alright' and went on his way to open the door.
"Just… give me a few hours for me to adjust the levels on the main machine. No need to anything too rash. Maybe administer the examination test for some idea as to what we are dealing with for her." Cross left, determined.
Gray sighed, "Getting attached was always your downfall Cross." He muttered to himself then motioned for me to follow him, "Come." He started to walk towards where Cross had went. I followed behind him, careful to not stray.
Gray once again stepped up towards a door, the same light as before scanned him, granting him access. I walked in behind him, the door closing after we had entered. He guided me over to a room with a large glass window and let me inside. Several wires hanged down in the middle of the room, metal clamps jutting out from the wall. I glanced around quickly, spying Cross at another machine, much different and larger than any other machine I had examined previously, including the one in which I just encountered.
"Stand here." Gray pointed to the middle of the mess of wires, where the metal sprung forth from the wall. I took my place, ever wishing to disobey, my stomach turning. He clamped the metal to my limbs and attached the wires to various areas of my body: head, chest, both arms and both legs, each finger, and both my soft, fluffy ears. "I'm going to run some tests. I'll be on the other side of that glass." He left the room, the door closed with an air-tight seal with the seven metal barriers that kept me from where both Gray and Cross were.
Metal and electronics suddenly buzzed and hummed, coming to life. A faint screen could barely be seen on the glass facing outwards towards Gray. I could not make out what it was, or what it was doing. A hidden sliding panel in the ceiling slid open, a syringe filled with green liquid moved down then towards my neck. It stuck into the only area in which it could get to and injected the liquid before making its escape back into the ceiling.
My vision started to get blurry and the seams of the room started to spew out black gunk. As if it were living it pooled into the middle of the room, forming, bubbling, and dripping into a form growing in height, gaining width, as shapes fashioned. Terrified, I struggled against the metal grasps. I looked to each arm, the metal started to turn black and organic, growing over my body. I screamed, panicking, my breath coming out in shallow breaths as the black gunk fully formed, mimicking a shape of myself. The same height, the same tail, but the colours were not the same. It still remained that putrid black, currents circled where my patches of black and grey fur were.
The living mass of metal consumed my body until it reached just under my jaw and all around my hairline, threatening to cover the rest of my face. Tears fell from my eyes, a red glow emanating from my red, right eye, reflecting in the tears. The shadow of a me stepped forward dauntingly, challenging, tormenting, its arm turning into a sharpened spike.
"Choose: life, death." The organic metal dared to reach up to my bottom lip. Crying out again, the very being of me begging to live, fighting to stay sane, something burst forth from within me; the figure and metal quivered, being thrown back away from me, and dissolved into nothing, leaving me to wonder if it really happened, or if it was all just an illusion.
Chapter Two
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