ROTPOTA – chapter 2

I woke up slowly the next morning. It must have been early because the bleaching lights hadn't been turned on yet. Instead there was just a little light coming from down the hall. Still quiet no beings making noise yet, they weren't here yet. But that meant breakfast wasn't here yet, so there wasn't really much point to get up yet. But once I opened my eyes there wasn't much chance of getting back to sleep anyway. Defeated I decided to pull myself up off the shelf, some of the strength had returned back into my arms so sitting up wasn't as much trouble. Moving my head however was a struggle, it ached and it didn't really help the way had slept. But not of it mattered as long the gash healed I would be fine. If I had counted right it had been three days since my last lesson so today I had one. The being who taught me was pleasant towards me, the one who looked through the glass and always scowled wasn't as nice however. Sometimes I was given a cookie if I was really good. That was something to look forward to.

Today was different. The humans hadn't come by at all. It had been about two hours since I had woken up and no-one had been past the glass looking at me or not. But the lights had already turned on, bleaching the world, blinding my eyes causing me to look away. What if they had all gone, there was just me in the building? Slowly wasting away as the humans forgot about me. There was never just me, always beings and those creatures I saw yesterday. The ones who looked like me but weren't the same, stronger than I was they must still be here. Nothing could escape these cages. Maybe if I tried calling one would come?

"Hello?" I hooted as loud as I could but that wasn't very loudly. It didn't sound like the beings talking more like a noise rattling past than a word. Nothing happed. It was deadly silent. I tried 3 more times, my voice growing hoarser and I ended up in a coughing fit, my body too weak to move afterwards. I hated being helpless like this. But there was nothing to do but to hope the beings would come back

So the beings hadn't left after all but they seemed to have little interest in me today. That was often a positive if they weren't interested. After a while one the beings who wore red shoes came by. The clicking on the floor echoed round until it stopped right outside my box. I knew who it was turning round to see them putting down the toy and leaving my blanket as well. Still crouched down nursing my cut arm she opened the hatch and out a plate on it. It smelt nice, even from here. Perching up on the ledge I leaned over and snatched the food pulling it close to me. Squares, again, more banana and grapes today. They were a big treat and they tasted amazing. I ate it all quickly, the being with red shoes didn't leave however she was staring at a box, it must have been important. Finishing off the grapes I put the plate back and they came and took it off me. But she didn't leave another being joined them, the one that scowled at me when I had lessons. Knowing they didn't like me I looked away and started stroking the toy for comfort. But they weren't going to leave me alone, the one with red shoes came and the door rattled and unlocked. Instead of dragging me out like they did yesterday they just opened the door and waited. Poking my head outside the door I knew what was coming, the other being stood with a pole that had rope coming out the bottom.

"Come on out no-ones gonna hurt you" she coaxed. This was wrong but I had a choice, either come out willingly and don't struggle or hide and possibly get hurt in the process. I went with the first option. Carefully I shuffled out to the door, leaving the bear hidden under my cloth, clinging to the door frame. With a harsh feeling of being snagged the rope was put around my neck tight and I limped along as the Being pulled me. The other one kept on saying good girl to me as went along, whilst I tried to stop struggling as it hurt my neck even more. We didn't go the same way as usual a longer way past more people, no-one noticed us as we went by they were all busy

"Ok subject 49. Lesson 214" the scowling being with long hair outside the glass room said. "The subject seems to remember all of the words signed to her in previous lessons."

*Well of course I did, I function perfectly well thank you* I said to myself. They always doubted how much I learned. I brought my focus back to the being in red shoes next to me as she tapped my shoulder, on skin not fur.

"Ok Dakota this is 35" she signed. I immediately signed back the next number. Numbers were easy to sign, I loved numbers. We managed to get up to 50, just and we went on to words again. I didn't mind this being they were nice to me and they used my name which was very rare. Continuing we had 12 new words and the Lucas tower as usual. But something was off about both beings they were distracted and the one outside the glass kept looking behind themselves, like they were anticipating something to happen. Then as if she was reading my questioning thoughts she picked up one of the smaller boxes they seemed to always carry around with them and started to talk quickly looking away from the room. The nicer being also seemed distracted by the talking outside not concentrating on what she was signing to me. I gently tapped her and signed *what is wrong?*

They signed back* nothing *, gave me a cookie (one of the best treats) and walked out the room leaving a book which I started reading. Not long after they walked out the room and started shouting at the other and ran off. The other left not long after them two shouting. They didn't come back not for a long while. Just I, Dakota in a room with a book the being's clipboard. The book had suddenly become of less interest and clipboard instead was much better. It was about me. My records and what I was. I took the clipboard in my hands and started skimming over the writing.

*subject 49 – Dakota.*

*Age – 5 years 2 months* *DNA mix – 41% chimpanzee 20% orangutan 39% human*

*learning ability – below a humans* *aging 1 human year = subject 49 aging*

*purpose – mutated experiment to collect immunities. Subject will be grown up to point of maturity and then continuously harvested via, insertions to create vaccinations*

I dropped the clipboard. That what I was, a mixed up experiment they would toy with and torture till the day I died. I broke down, crouching in on myself tears going my cheeks. By breathing became staggered aching my body with pain even more than I already felt from yesterday. I didn't know what to do. I could never escape this pain, this torture that I would have the rest of my life.

The door opening didn't even register in my mind nor did the cacophony of noise that followed. Hooting, the yelling and rattling, not even questioning where all of this noise was coming from or the being coming from behind me. The being grabbed me ripping new cuts into my skin and I started fighting them, I couldn't believe this I just thrashed crying wanting to get away from them. They hit me again harder than any time before. I stopped moving my stitches on my shoulder had broken my leg twisted funny. Pulling the rope around me and I was dragged against the floor harshly not fighting anymore with the pain. It was a different way again past the creatures I saw yesterday. I knew what they were now, they were chimpanzees or orangutans, and I was half of them. There were so many beings there all rushing by going past hitting me oblivious to it. But we stopped and the man went to get something and I saw s being shoot one of them another one being put on trolley. Would that happen to me? Were they going to kill me? I started struggling. I wanted to run away I started yelling help I was more afraid than ever before. Others came to me other chimpanzees were looking at me some afraid others were angry.

"Move her or I will sedate her!" one being shouted going and getting a needle. I didn't want to go asleep again never again. The being started dragging me again, bumping into others as I went by I just wanted to leave this chaos.

"Just put in here in there we'll sort her later "One yelled and I was shoved into another cage next to another cage with a chimpanzee in it. They were staring at me. Looking like they hated me. He had a horrible scar going down his eye, a white eye no black on it. His body was scarred just like mine. As I was staring he snarled at me looking like he could kill me and the door slammed shut behind me. I pulled myself up the shelves banging against the window, I couldn't yell anymore I stopped banging and noticed how much my arm was bleeding. It was a lot of blood in my fur and on my fingers. I lost my energy I couldn't believe what was happening by vision started to go fuzzy, my pink skin gone red with blood. I looked at my reflection and I saw a bloody and bruised mix of being and creature. More walked by and they easily ignored my signing for help. But eventually my weight became too much and I collapsed down, I would not sleep I just sat lay there watching and waiting for them to take me away.