I like the joke in the chapter title here.

----------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2

Kids, don't play with deoxyribonucleic acid

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Ios woke with a jolt as the metal hissed away from the glass, sliding upwards into the top of the tube. The metal was on the outside of the tube, and there was not a single part of it in contact with the liquid within. From what he could see, the tube was completely sealed, not even a top like in most nanite tubes, and it felt like there was less pressure inside. He finally looked outside of the tube, seeing the two younger scientists working on their computers.

"So where's Isen?" The man asked, tapping on his keyboard at a lazy pace.

"He's overseeing the reevaluation of another subject, one of the failed ones. He thinks it might be salvageable, but I don't think so." Sarah stood up, looking up at the tube with clipboard in hand. "You know…I could swear it's looking right at me!"

"It's still blind by my sensors, it's not seeing anything but black." John muttered. "The subject is still perfectly stable; all is well in this area. Ready for the first test?"

"I think so; I'm monitoring brain functions now." Sarah sat down, and Ios saw that instead of notes on the clipboard she had been drawing a sketch of something, vaguely human in appearance, but almost skeletal as well. When Ios saw the tail and head he knew what it was…a Xenomorph. That was the one thing all men and women feared, the killer in the night, the shadow in the dark, the hunter of men. And…she had done a pretty good job of sketching it as well, as if she had seen one before. Many people who had…weren't around to draw them.

"Beginning first test, cycling in Xenomorph pheromones now."

Xenomorph pheromones? What the… Ios suddenly could smell and taste something in the liquid, an almost animal smell that made him cringe, it was quite terrible, but he soon became used to it.

"Response…none?" John turned to look at the tube. "The subject doesn't respond at all, nothing physically at least."

"Nothing over here." Sarah said. "Introduce the human pheromones…it should show aggression."

"I'm doing it…" John began tapping on his keyboard again, and the first smell vanished, being replaced by…nothing. "Subject does not respond to male human pheromones either…no aggression, no heartrate change, no increased salivation…nothing. Switching to female." A new scent entered the tube, and the only thing Ios could say about it was…wow.

"Whoa, that did it!' Sarah said, writing things down on her hand. "No aggression though…"

"You don't want to know about the physical change, and you probably shouldn't look." John said, holding in a chuckle.

"Why?' Sarah turned to look at the tube. "Oh…wow, that's…new…"

"What, haven't seen it before?"

"Hey, I'm only seventeen; I don't have the vast knowledge you do on that specific part."

"Hey, are you suggesting that I'm-"

"Shut up and work." Sarah said, turning to her PC. The scent vanished and nothing replaced it. "Back to normal now…"

"Have you finished that internship report?" John asked, looking over the woman's shoulder. "No, you've been drawing things instead."

"It's the subject, what do you think?" Sarah held up the sketch of the Xenomorph.

"You messed up the claws…they're longer than that." John looked at the tube that Ios was in. "Wait, no, you got it right. You should be doing work though…"

"Fine, I'll do it during breakfast…which is now." Sarah stood up, shoving the other towards the door. "Go on, you're buying."

"What about the subject?" John cried, but Sarah's answer was cut off as the hatch closed behind them.

Ios moved then, lowering himself to look at the sketch. It was a Xenomorph alright…but it was also the subject they were talking about. But, wasn't he the subject? A strange thought hit him, and he glanced at his hand…to see black carapace with long fingers ending in razor-sharp claws. He gasped, or tried to, as he had no air in his lungs; he was filtering oxygen directly from the liquid with no tubes connected to him. He reached around behind him, feeling something in his grasp…and feeling what that thing felt. He pulled forward the bladed tail of the Xenomorph…and it was his tail.

Holy mother fucker…Ios looked down at the sketch again. …what in hell have these morons done to me?

---------------------------------------------------

Thirty minutes later…

---------------------------------------------------

The hatch hissed open, the two scientists entering again, the woman with a smile on her face. Her smile vanished when she saw the tube. "John, that Xenomorph is looking right at us…I swear it can see us!"

"It can't…but it is moving, which means it has become immune to the paralyzing drug. Let's hope it doesn't try to get out like the last one did." John sat down, Sarah staring at Ios for a moment then sitting down as well. Ios tried to yell out to them, but he couldn't speak…he remembered that Xenomorphs had no tongue, but an inner set of jaws.

"Alright, should we start where we left off?" Sarah asked, shoving the clipboard to the side.

"Of course. Did you finish the report?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did." Sarah began typing something into her computer. "I'm introducing the Queen pheromones now…this should get a reaction." A new scent came to Ios, but he couldn't tell what it was from. It smelled fine to him, like a kind of food he had never smelled before, but nothing else. "No reaction…wow, this is a first. Is it…a failure?"

"No, this is great!" John cried. "It means the Queens can't hold sway over this drone, none at all. It is independent from the Hives!"

"Good…at least something is good so far." Sarah began typing again and the scent vanished. "How's the next one going?"

"I'm getting there…" John tapped the enter key on his computer and something else came in, and it felt as if Ios was sticking his tongue on a nine-volt battery, but all over his body. His vision lost some of its clarity as well. "Not much of a response…heartrate is up, and the EMP is interfering with its electromagnetic senses." The vision cleared and the tingling vanished. "Back to normal."

"Ugh, Isen has me set up to do some independent work with this later…that's not going to be pretty." Sarah said, typing in something else, but there was no change.

"That sounds fun; I hope you don't get scared of this one being alone like you did with the last one."

"Hey, I had a great reason to be scared of number four!"

"That you did…freaky little bug, wasn't it?" John shook his head.

"That he was…" Sarah yawned.

For the next several hours it was nothing but typing and talking about other people from the lab, all of whom seemed to have issues in one way or another. Eventually John left, saying good night to Sarah, who also stood and picked up her notes. Before she left, however…she looked up at Ios.

"I know you can see me Xeno…I know it…" She turned and walked away, her face nervous at being alone with him in that room. She was afraid…and for good reason.

What have these idiots done to me? Ios asked, but there was no answer.

Oh, scary. Is anyone going to show me some mercy and review? I might have to make them run painful tests on Ios if you don't review…

-Tyrammafar the Worldmaker