AN: dunno how long this things gunna be, we'll see.
-The Creature-
The Wait, the Cycle, the time when I relive my memories before I awake. The Calling has not awoken me for many memory cycles, I have grown bored of reliving my life up until this point. Oh, here we go again…
I slowly come to being suspended in a transparent gel like fluid, or a viscous liquid, it is not as thick as gel nor is it as thin as a viscous liquid. The first thing that catches my attention is the rapid movements that lie beyond, originating from two-legged, two armed, creatures that seem to have a blue rectangle with white scribbles rapidly scrolling by in front of them. My eyes are drawn to the two that seem to be arguing, one with short grayish fur on the top of the creature’s head and slight creases in its skin, presumably from age. The other looks to be a younger version with brown fur, slightly longer fur, and no wrinkles instead. The argument soon comes to an end with the exclamation from one of the other creatures, this one with longer hair and bulges on the front of its torso. All the other creatures turn to look at me, making me uncomeatable. So, like any animal will act when in a corner and outnumbered, I tried to hiss but, the tube down my throat prevents that. I start to thrash in panic, then slowly stop as an unnatural sleepiness seems to settle in.
A few rapid cycles of that memory on repeat pass before I next become aware. I am still in the tank but now there is all sorts of new information swimming in my head. Those creatures were humans, their profession: scientists, their experiment: me. Other information was present but not focused on like those three were. My first thought was: “I: Predator! They: Prey!” The anger, shame, hatred I felt, I feel. I stewed on those feelings for a while before inspecting my surroundings.
The room lacked humans, there was also a large lack of light but I could still see. Looking around, I noticed a few other tanks like mine that were empty. Drawing from injected knowledge the scientists plan to replicate me or the process that made me, the indignity, me being confined to this cage while these humans experimented on, and confined my soon-to-be brethren. The Hate grew, the Anger grew. But soon the darkness once more drew me in with its unnatural hands.
As the memory cycle continued, the Hate grew, the Anger grew. The next Awakening, I would let my captors, my jailors know… but how? I continued to ponder while the memory cycles went on. Eventually, I settled for observing them before acting out my Anger. With that thought my Hatred seemed to cool, it was still just as present but now had less of a focus on the ‘now’ and more of a focus on the ‘eventually’.
I slowly came too, my body felt different: larger, stronger, sturdier. It took a handful of heartbeats to get used to the new feeling of my body. As soon as I felt confidence in my motor skills, I went over the knowledge in my head. Most was on combat, survival, ‘battlefield medicine’, and warfare in general. I must thank these scientists for they have given me the tools to retaliate against them.
Looking around, the lab seems to have gotten larger. More tanks have been set up, by my count there are 20 tanks including mine. I see 9 others that are occupied, all have the same creature inside. It looks like what the knowledge implanted in me states as a ‘cross between a human, a lizard, and a crocodile.’ Whatever that means. Looking away from the creatures I see a few humans walking around with their blue rectangles in front of them. One is that brown haired human from earlier though he looks different, a bit more meat on him, slightly less fur on his head around the front, and a shiny band of metal on a finger. Trying not to make any large movements I observe what they are doing, other than walk around looking at the blue rectangle. Not much is happening other than the occasional time at which two of the humans stop neat each other and open their mouths in what the knowledge tells me is a conversation. After an unknown number of heartbeats before the brown-haired human opened his mouth and all the humans left. Not too many heart beats after that the lights suddenly left. The change startled me, making me jerk in my tank thought there is more resistance than in my memory. After nothing happened for a handful of heartbeats, I slowly started relaxing. Taking time to actually observe the insides of my tank, I am seemingly suspended in the fluid, though my arms and legs are restrained, most likely due to the events of the first Awakening. The restraints seem to be connected to the top and bottom of the tank, though there seems to be slack in the cables? Yes, cables, that allow me to have some freedom of movement.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
I am drawn out of my inspection by movement. Snapping my head in its direction to get a better look, I see on of the other creatures seems to be awakening. This one seems to be of a larger build, not bigger than myself I think, but big non the less. Not making any movements, I observe this creature, noting that it is just as restrained as I am. It looks around taking a measured glance at each of the occupied tanks. Now that I notice it, there seems to be a divide in the build of the creatures. Half are of a similar build of myself and the other Awakened one. The others are of a slimmer build with larger hips, thighs, and chests. Not sure why that is, but it is something of import to take note of. The other Awakened seems to focus on the other half for a long while before glancing at each of the ones with a similar build to himself. Though it’s gaze seems to stop at me, finally noticing me staring at it. There is a twitch of its tail, curling of its body, and the fire in its eye. Communicating to me that I am being challenged. I feel Hate again but it is soon drowned out by Anger. Flexing against my restraints to try to answer the call of challenge singing songs in my blood. The unnatural hands of the cycle are fought off by the song and I feel a slight slackening of the restraints binding my arms. Then there is a slight droning noise that slowly lowers and raises in tone, a red light illuminates the room, and there is pain. Horrendous pain. I notice not, the doors opening as I tear out of the restraints that were binding my arms with my convulsing spasms as the pain overwhelms me.
Curling up in the tank protectively to get the pain to stop doesn’t work. Lashing out to attempt to cause whatever is causing the pain harm, causes the glass to crack on my tank. The crack gives me an idea: that the pain will stop if I can get out. Before I can act on that idea, a cold liquid pours down the tube in my throat, and the unnatural hands of the cycle drag me away.
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-Marcus Richards-
I started this project years ago under my father, it was amazing. The concept behind it at least. Creating sentient life! Well at least until the military caught wind of it after our first successful subject. Little whippersnapper that one. Wonder why he came out with red tones while the others have green, we followed the same steps that we took when making him. Ah, whatever. Anyways, I need to write a report up for the emergency that happened not too long ago. I’ll have to review a copy of the footage for an in-detail report but I still can hardly believe it: Red, as I’ve nicknamed him just now, tore out the battleship grade synth-steel supports for his restraints. That stuff can withstand grenade impacts, laze beams, and plasma. Then the bugger withstood the debilitating pain that would make most men pass out instantly and managed to crack his tank. That’s the type of glass they use on spaceships to resist the force imposed upon it when ships jump into hyperdrive, HOW!?! Gah, that will be so many credits to replace! At least I don’t have to pay for replacing equipment anymore. Probably going to get a pay dock for it though. I was lucky enough to be on site to authorize the administration of the ‘night-night’ drug in a higher concentration because Red resisted the previous dose when his adrenaline spiked high enough. Welp, I’ll call it a night after this and I’m not going to tell anyone I was scared out of my mind, nope, not me. It’s totally unreasonable to be afraid of something that’s going to end up as a 8 foot tall mass of muscle, nope!