Chapter 2:
Against her better judgment, Dr. Harris boldly walked through the metallic door, the only one of its kind in this otherwise hospital-like facility. The bright light bounced off the spotless walls, creating a blinding spectacle, much like the rooms in an insane asylum. The only furniture was a small cot in the center of the room, with a sleeping figure under a thin, white sheet, its face turned towards the wall. Pausing for only a second, the woman continued to stride towards the figure, not wanting to show her fear to the scientist, who was still standing in the doorway.
She slowly rounded the cot, never taking her eyes off the seemingly dormant creature. Even though it was covered with a sheet, Dr. Harris could still tell how remarkably human like the subject truly was. Once she reached its head, she slowly kneeled down, and hesitantly looked up at Dr. Baum through her glasses. The male doctor slowly nodded, granting her permission to continue. Dr. Harris slowly pushed a strand of the creature's dark curly hair away from its face. Her breath caught in her throat, she thought she was going to have a heart attack right there. The face, young yet scarred, was too delicate...too perfect. Regaining her composure, she quickly rose to her feet. Trying not to raise her voice, she accused, "This is just a child. What kind of facility is this!"
His pale eyes blinking with fear, Dr. Baum quickly approached the angry woman, his hands signaling to lower her voice. "I-I can assure you, this is no child. You saw the samples," he whispered, and, even though his words were strong, his voice was slightly trembling.
Looking back down at the child's face, Dr. Harris boldly stated, "It's too perfect, completely human. No one can recreate a human being."
Stopping mid step, Dr. Baum's eyes grew wide with concern. "We didn't create it. We found it. D-Didn't you read the files sent to you?"
"Of course I did," Dr. Harris snapped, her hazel eyes glaring at the doctor through her glasses. "It just recited facts and charts; there was no background information involved."
Obviously disturbed, Dr. Baum nervously glanced around the room, whispering, "Oh, this is bad...I thought we had it all straightened out..."
Cautiously walking towards the scientist, she softly questioned, "What's wrong?"
Like a child who did something wrong, Dr. Baum humbly glanced up at the woman and asked, "Remember when I said you were hired to help the subject's mental stability?"
Blind to where the conversation was leading, she slowly answered, "...Yes."
Dr. Baum took a moment to look her over, as if to debate whether or not to continue. Seeing she had calmed down considerably, he stated, "There are only a handful of us who know you are a psychologist, the majority of the facility believes you're a scientist, just like the rest of us." Once he saw her questioning look, he quickly continued, "The creature is here for research purposes only, its mental state is of no concern to this facility. But, I can assure you, that is no human being in front of you," his last few words uncharacteristically bold. Dr. Harris was astounded by her colleague's ability to go from a nervous twit to knowledgeable scientist at a moment's notice. She quietly looked back at the sleeping subject in the small cot.
Taking Dr. Harris' silence as his cue, Dr. Baum turned and headed towards the door. Once he reached the exit he turned around declaring, "I'll be right outside, you have five minutes before the other scientists arrive."
Looking back at the door just as it closed, Dr. Harris stood in the stark white room speechless. She immediately turned her attention back towards the sleeping creature and kneeled in front of it once again. Her hazel eyes scanned the subject as her instinct and her logic were in a never ending battle. Her instinct told her it was merely a child trapped in a never ending hellhole, while her logic said it was indeed something extraterrestrial. Putting her quarreling mind to rest, she decided to compare it to the thing she knew best...humans.
Its high cheek bones protruded through its pale skin, showing severe malnourishment. Dark purple circles shadowed its eyes, revealing exhaustion. One long scar marred its left cheek, running from the bottom of its eye to its jaw...origin unknown. And its long black hair was slightly matted to its forehead, showing signs of distress even in its sleep. Of course all of these assumptions could easily be thrown out the window, since it was not a human, and comparing it to one was far too presumptuous.
She glanced back at its face, catching something she did not notice before. It was awake. She mentally slapped herself for being so oblivious. Many people would assume it was asleep just like she did, except she was trained to read facial expressions, and its was obvious: 'Please think I'm asleep...don't wake me up'. Whether it was a teenager who wanted to sleep in or a soldier who didn't want to face that day's battle, no one can truly fake sleep.
Realizing her appearance was far too professional, she took down her wavy brunette hair from its loose ponytail and placed her thin rimmed glasses in her pocket. If it opened its eyes she wanted to appear nurturing and caring, an approach she took with most of the patients she met for the first time.
"Hello," she softly said, barely above a whisper. No reaction. She gently placed her hand and its cheek, hoping the soothing touch would help. Even though he didn't flinch, like most people would, he did tense his jaw...a more subtle way to show surprise or discomfort. "Please wake up," she said as she removed her hand from its face.
At those words, its eyes snapped open. Dr. Harris felt shivers tremble down her spine as she looked at its lifeless green eyes. She always used her patients' eyes as a useful tool. Everyone's eyes revealed their emotions...their own personal story, yet its eyes told her nothing. They were a hollow shell revealing no emotion. Hiding her anxiety with a genuine smile, she said, "Hi, I'm Dr. Harris, but you can call me Cassie."
To Be Continued...