While Jack slept Sheryl stared at his listless frame. A mix of horror and curiosity colored her face as an inquisitive gaze intensely studied his body looking for any signs that didn't look human. After searching for an hour in all his various areas and regions she pulled up a chair and her laptop before starting to write a report.
[Today an incident occurred in the sick bay aboard USS Supermassive Exploratory vessel Neo. Patient John Doe (A.K.A. Jack) was brought in with several incidents of acute head trauma and hemorrhaging. The patient had also sustained 2 cracked ribs and some other minor internal bleeding. Full recovery time was estimated to be around 3 months while period of stabilization was estimated to be...]
As Sheryl was writing her report and evaluation on the Jack's terrifying transformation a conversation was taking place between the initially unassuming janitor known as Joey and the Ships Captain.
"Sir the new passenger we found in the first under-level just went through metamorphosis. His whole body exhibited unusual changes beyond the initial origin reading while he was unconscious. During the processes he exhibited an intense craving for electricity as if his life depended on it, along with shocking changes that I have yet to see in any of our other origin syphs. Our new medical team is currently in a state of shock, but are expected to shake from it soon. Requesting we schedule their debrief sooner than expected."
The Captain's eyes betrayed nothing but a cold and indeterminant gaze as he responded.
"Understood. Go ahead and take them to the debrief room on the bottom level of the ship, have the containment unit clear out the medical room and chain the newcomer. I want to have a conversation with our new friend personally."
"Sirrrr, Yesssss Sir!" Joey saluted lazily before turning around and making his way to the door.
"Oh, and Joey..."
"Yes Sir?"
"What was so different about this one that you said it was like nothing you've ever seen? Afterall we come across new mutation types quite often."
Joey turned around to look the captain in the eyes before saying.
"My aspects... they trembled for a second when his origin gate opened." Then he turned around quickly leaving with renewed vigor.
The Captain stared at the doorway the old man left through with a slightly fearful expression having not seen a look like that on his friends face since the expedition that ended 95% of the last Neo crew's lives 22 years ago.
***
When Jack came to 5 days had passed in his unconscious state.
I looked up at the ceiling blearily before trying to sit up. Trying because as soon as I started moving upwards I was yanked back down into the bed accompanied by sharp clinking of metal against metal.
I looked down noticing the chains around my wrists, waist, and ankles.
"Ugg what happened?"
"How do you feel?" A deep voice came from my right.
I looked over to find a man with his feet propped up on a service cart staring at me. He had a naval hat on his head and a dark jacket with a glass of some type of dark liquor in his hand.
"Who...are you?" I was about to let out profanities, but given my current situation I decided against it.
"The captain of this ship. However, I have to ask who are you Jack?"
Feeling extremally nervous I replied "Sir I swear I don't know where, how, why, or when I got here. T-the last thing I remember is being at my college dorm. Some psycho stalking me. Waking up on this ship thinking I was being human trafficked, weird shit happening to my body... and"
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"Kid let me just stop you right there. I already know that you have no idea what going on."
"Sir... can we skip the torture an-... wait what?"
He paused for a moment to study me and then grinned picking up a report next to him and started reading it while speaking to me.
"Oh is that so? I was sure you'd like our new electroshock machine we just installed for our intelligence division."
My body trembled as memories of what happened before I passed out went through my head.
I choke out "No *cough* no sir I would very much not like that."
"Interesting it says right here you told Sheryl and the other nurses to 'shock me. shock me good!' and then proceeded to..."
I cut in with a clanky wave of my hands "Sir-sir... sirrrr my brain was-" I immediately shut up as I caught sight of my hand.
The scar that had been on my hand since I was little was gone. I started looking at the rest of my body all the scars on my hands and arms were gone.
*deep inhale* "What..."
Something else caught my eye. My original chub was all gone. As if all the fat that was not needed in my body evaporated leaving only toned muscle. This might sound okay but it left me looking pretty underweight and unhealthy. And then a tuft of white caught my eye.
Forgetting what I was saying just a second ago I turn over to look at the Captain, my voice trembling slightly.
"What happened to me?"
He gave me an assessing gaze for a second before snapping his fingers and pointing.
"Over there in the corner. Go take a look yourself."
The chains fell to the side, but I barely even noticed as I got out of the cot and wobbled unsteadily to the mirror. I wobbled mainly because I was extremally off balance due to the difference in weight and strength I felt.
I slowed down in front of the mirror my eyes shooting wide and my mouth hanging open.
"What happened to me?"
My hair was pure snow white almost iridescently so, and my eyes... my eyes seemed shine slightly with a multitude of colors. The small scars from doing dumb things as a kid were gone from my face as well and I saw a black marking peeking out from behind my neck.
"What's that?"
I turn around to see it better and I was stunned.
"I have a fucking tattoo! Why do I have a fucking tattoo?"
I turn to the Captain.
"Did you mark me? Is this really a slave ship? Oh my God it is! I refuse to be used for sex and I'll die before I suck ano-"
The Captain suddenly spit out the liquor he was sipping and yelled out angrily "WHO'D WANT A USELESS LITTLE SHIT LIKE YOU AS A SLAVE? GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR SHIT PIT THAT'S YOUR SOUL MARK DUMBASS!"
Feeling an unnatural sense of intimidation I stopped talking.
A moment of silence passed between us until I felt that unnatural sense of intimidation fade replaced by a sense of irritation and confusion. "My what now?"
He let out a sigh before pinching his forehead.
"This was not how this was supposed to go. Guess I'm getting old. *sigh*"
He raised his head to stare at me in the eyes making me slightly uncomfortable with the intensity. That weird sense of intimidation was back except this time it passed faster, and for some reason I was feeling a rising sense of irritation I was all too familiar with. It was that feeling of irritation you get when you were getting bullied and you were finally getting tired of it.
In a cold tone he asked "Does the term origin syph ring a bell at all?"
My growing irritation got worse when he spoke, but I forcefully pushed it down. "What are you talking about? Is that like a gang? What the hell is going on!?"
Despite the clear agitation in my voice his face didn't change at all and he asked another question. "What about a muse?"
My irritation was washed away in a split second replaced by a cold sweat down my back. Memories of that man... no that thing pulled to the front of my brain, no they were being pushed to front. Him showing up beside me as I was smoking acting like everything was a joke, the way he suddenly vanished and reappeared, the weird accent he had, the milk white skin, him at the convenience store behind the register. As if in bold capital font one part of the memory seemed to stick out more than the others and hold a weird weight to it. It was when I asked him who he was. 'I am the natural response to people like you. In other words... a Muse!'
I put my hands on my head, a pain shooting through it with the memories. My hands still clutching my head as I look up to the man sitting before me, I mutter out. "What is happening to me? What was that thing, is it with you?"
He stayed silent for a long while just staring at me. Searching... for something. After a while he seemed to be satisfied with whatever he saw and stood up. He spoke in voice that seemed to carry something with it that was hard to describe, but felt gentle against the pain in my head.
"Okay, here is what is going to happen. You are going to hold your curiosity for now. You will be paired with Joey and can ask all the questions you want then. You will report to room 235 for a debrief on what's going to happen to you from now on."
He started to walk towards the door before pausing at the entrance. "Oh and Jack. Congratulations are in order. You have just been enlisted into the worlds most covert and powerful military organization. Welcome to the Syphatic Order."
He then walked out.
I stared stupidly at the open doorway for a second before muttering.
"Who the hell is Joey and where the fuck am I supposed to go again?"