Consciousness returned to Dr. Junkenstein slowly and in pieces at a time, almost as though he'd been sedated. Actually, the more he woke up, the more he was certain that was exactly what had happened. But who would have the nerve to drug him? Could it have been that old Egyptian alchemist that had helped to thwart his plans for revenge? She would certainly have some motivation for trying to take him out permanently, especially if she was still on the King's payroll. Although, on second thought, this sort of thing didn't seem like her style. She seemed a little more "noble" than that, whatever that was worth.
No, if the doctor had to pin this on anyone, it would have to be the Witch of the Wilds. She must have caught him snooping around her property and took him out with some potion or... something. He shouldn't have rushed over to that strange device so fast. Surely that carelessness had been what did him in.
Wait... There was that odd device, wasn't there? Yes, that's right! And then there was the strange disk-like object in the sky, and the bright light that came from it. He also distinctly remembered being lifted up into the air. The witch may have had some truly mystifying tricks up her sleeves, but strange devices and levitating disks didn't seem like the kinds of tricks she dealt in. So if not her, and not the King's lackeys, who else? He didn't recall pissing anyone else off. Well, not recently, at least.
Dr. Junkenstein's sight started coming back to him, and as soon as he opened his eyes he was forced to snap them shut once more. A bright white light hanging overhead threatened to blind him in an instant. He tried to move to shield his eyes with his mechanical right arm, but it refused to budge. Oh, of all the times for the damn thing to malfunction... He must have missed some kind of damage from the battle at the castle. Or so he thought, at first. Upon trying to move his other arm he discovered that he couldn't move anything at all, whether it be metal and wires or flesh and bone.
As more sensations returned to him, he managed to take in a bit more information. He could hear a vague chattering all around him, though the strange voices spoke in no language he understood. He could feel a slab of cold metal under his back, and his mind immediately deduced that it must be an examination table of some sort. Could these be rival scientists from a distant land? And here he'd thought the serious pursuit of science such as his was more or less limited to the Western world.
Once his eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to better see his surroundings, however, he discovered that reality was far stranger than even his mad mind could imagine. He found himself in a circular chamber of gleaming silver metal, control panels of crisp colorful lights blinking along the gently curving walls. What really stunned him were the little men that swarmed all around, diligently working at this and that.
Except he wasn't entirely sure they were men at all. They had the vague shape of a man, but their heads were bulbous, their eyes large and completely black, and their skin was a light grayish-green. Long, nimble fingers worked at strange devices, all the while their tiny mouths emitted a constant stream of inhuman chatter.
One of the creatures noticed Dr. Junkenstein stirring and promptly let out a new stream of chatter directed to one of the devices next to the examination table. In the next moment, he felt the table incline forward, lifting him to lay more vertically than horizontally. Despite not having any physical restraints holding him to it, he didn't slip off the table as it angled upward. He wondered at what strange sort of technology these creatures used to keep him in place and immobile.
He didn't get much chance to ponder on it. Almost as soon as he was completely vertical, another one of the strange creatures walked in. This one was distinctly different from all the others around him. Where the others were small - about the height of an eight year old child - this one was very tall, possibly even as tall as the doctor himself when he wasn't slouching. He was also dressed in tight-fitting robes of rich blues and golds, the material sparkling slightly as though woven from fine threads of a light-as-air metal. The smaller ones, by contrast, didn't seem to be wearing anything at all.
This tall one strode elegantly towards the trapped scientist, its hands folded neatly behind its back and its head held high. The smaller ones immediately moved out of the way as it approached, bowing their heads ever so slightly. It was quite clear that this one was in charge. It came to a stop just in front of Dr. Junkenstein and looked him up and down. It then let out what the doctor assumed was the equivalent of a sigh.
"Would you just look at this mess... By the Core, it's half copper alloys," the creature mumbled in a surprisingly human voice - and, most helpfully, in English. It then raised its voice slightly, seeming to address the rest of the creatures in the room. "Let this be a lesson to the lot of you: never agree to accept substitutions. I swear, this is the last scrap of exotic materials I give to a primitive lifeform if what they give me in return is a specimen with half of its body missing."
"O-oi... You tryin'... you tryin' ta start sumthin'..?" Dr. Junkenstein mumbled out groggily the instant he could will his vocal chords to work through the lingering sedation. "'Cause I'll drive these copper alloys up yer narrow arse if ya are."
The tall creature returned its attention to the doctor, a look of mock surprise on its face.
"Ah, the human speaks," it remarked almost boredly, giving the man another once over with its inky black eyes. The doctor didn't take to kindly to this things condescending attitude.
"Yer damn right I do! And that's Dr. Jamison Junkenstein to you!"
The look of mock surprise on the creatures face became slightly more genuine.
"A doctor, you say? That's very interesting," it began, though its tone suggested it was anything but amused. "Tell me, dear doctor... I don't suppose you've encountered a female of your species in possession of a glowing green crystal, by any chance?"
This sudden shift in conversation baffled Dr. Junkenstein. Yes, he sure as hell had encountered a woman like that. This creature had to be talking about the Witch of the Wilds. And the crystal could only be the spark of life. What did these things know about it?
"Yeah. Yeah, I know her," he replied, deciding a bit of honesty may get him further than lying. "She gave me that crystal for my experiments. I, uhh... Don't suppose you fellas are here to take it back, are ya?"
"No, no, not at all!" the creature replied, suddenly putting on a rather amicable air. "Such materials are relatively rare, but what I gave your friend was an insignificant fraction of our supply."
Well, this little encounter turned out better than he thought! Who'd have thought that, whilst out searching for more of the witch's elusive crystals, he would just happen to be abducted by her supplier! A lopsided grin spread across the doctor's face.
"Well, I tell ya what, mate," he replied, echoing the creatures amicable facade, "That's music to me ears. Now, since that one little crystal ain't much to you fine blokes, I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with another?"
The creature seemed to consider this for a moment, sizing up the doctor once more.
"An intriguing request..." it began hesitantly before seeming to make a decision. "I suppose we could arrange something... Though, there's still the matter of payment for the first crystal."
Dr. Junkenstein's grin faded at that. What was this about payment? He'd already agreed to do whatever the witch wanted when she gave him the spark of life. What more payment was required of him? The creature seemed able to read his mind and proceeded to explain.
"You see, doctor... When we gave that crystal to your friend, it was with the understanding that either herself or a specimen of her choosing would 'volunteer' for participation in an experiment of ours, and I'm afraid she may have left you holding the bag in this instance."
Ah, so that was the deal, eh? She gave him the crystal, but also all the baggage that came along with it. Well, that certainly explained her "generosity."
"So, uhhh... What kind of experiment are we talking here?" he inquired, naturally intrigued. This sort of thing was right up his alley, and if it wasn't too terribly bad he wouldn't rule out his own participation entirely. The creature gave him what appeared to be a smile.
"Oh, nothing that would cause you any harm, I assure you! Though, I can't promise that it won't cause you some... minor discomfort, but that will pass after it's all done. In fact, if your experiments involve the use of the crystals we discussed, then I think you'll find that our research is along the same lines as your own."
Dr. Junkenstein couldn't deny that was definitely interested, but this creature's lack of specificity left him slightly suspicious.
"Okay, so suppose I agree to do this experiment of yours... After it's all done, you'll give me another crystal?"
"If all goes well, then certainly! We love willing and reliable repeat customers! They're in woefully short supply, you understand."
Dr. Junkenstein thought it over for a long moment. It honestly didn't sound like a terrible deal. After all, what was a bit of discomfort when it ultimately allowed him to continue his grand plans? Besides, if what this creature said was true about the course of their research being similar to his own, perhaps he could learn something new from it all.
"Alright, mate, you got a deal." he agreed finally, much to the relief of the tall creature.
"Excellent! Now then, if that's all settled," it began, turning towards the short workers that had remained silent throughout the whole exchange, "Recline the table and prepare the specimen for the procedure. We've delayed long enough."
"W-wait, you're doing it already?! But you haven't even told me what you're going to do!" Dr. Junkenstein protested even as the table started lowering down once more. None of the creatures were paying attention, however, and the tall one turned to leave.
"Report to me once the surgery is complete. Oh, and if you value your jobs, you'll have a bottle of Romulan ale waiting for me in my quarters in the next five minutes. These primitives are always such an annoyance to deal with..."
There was a bit of chatter from one of the workers, causing the tall one to falter in his steps momentarily.
"Y-yes, of course I know my universal translator is still activated! What kind of idiot do you take me for?!" he barked back sharply, clearly trying to mask its embarrassment with bravado. As soon as the worker had returned to its duties, however, the tall one surreptitiously reached up to tap a small metallic pin on its chest, and its speech became a grumbling of the same otherworldly chatter the others used as he rushed out of the room.
"H-hey! Wait just a goddamn minute! What do you mean 'surgery?!' I didn't sign up for no surgery! Oi, you get yer damn hands offa me, ya creepy li'l drongo!" he shouted as the smaller creatures closed in around him. He tried to struggle, but whatever technology they had keeping him immobile was still active. Currently, all he could do was shout about it all. But even that came to an end soon enough. One of the creatures had a small cylinder in its hand and used it to spray something in his face. An instant later, he was out cold again.
Dr. Junkenstein wasn't sure how much time had passed since he passed out last, but he knew he wasn't in the same place anymore. He could feel something cold and wet stuck all over his face, and an earthy smell filled his nostrils. With an aching groan, he got his arms underneath him and lifted himself up off the ground. He soon discovered that he'd been left face down in the dirt in the same area of the Black Forest that he'd been before he was abducted.
As he attempted to shake the damp blades of grass off of his face, he started to wonder if the whole ordeal had been some sort of vivid dream. Perhaps he'd tripped and bumped his head on something? Yes, that had to be it. Something that crazy couldn't really happen, could it?
Unfortunately, that illusion was quickly shattered by two things. The first was the very distinct ache and significant tightness in his abdomen that was impossible to ignore. The second was the glowing green crystal cluster that had been left right in front of his face.