Chapter 1 Subject 19

I gag, choking on an imperceptible liquid that's filling my lungs. As air returns, my eyes fly open only to be greated by light, precise and piercing, then shadows massive, and terrifying. The shadows lower massive instruments towards me and I blink repeatedly while trying to fend the monsters off, but it's no use. They forcibly hold me down, and continue to poke and prod at me. Dazed and frightened, I give up my useless struggle against the creatures studying me and submit to the inevitable examination.

As my eyes begin to adjust, I am slowly able to see the details of my captors more clearly. Immense creatures wearing bulbous blue masks move in and out of my range of vision. They check the huge instruments, then one rapidly reaches for my head. I flinch and instinctively begin to struggle again, but it's no use. The monster increases his grip, then quickly sticks something in my ear. An abrupt and uncomfortable sucking fills my ear canal. I realize that the sounds around me are no longer muffled, and that the monsters are talking to each other. The one holding my head turns back to talk to another individual behind him.

"Number 19 is stable, get the tag ready. Thank God this batch didn't go the way of the last." He turns back to me, and forcibly moves my head around with his fingers. The motion hurts a little, as he strains the muscles in my neck a little too hard. Then he moves on to my limbs, continuing with the same rough treatment of my joints. His eyes are hard and unfeeling as he studies me, a dark unwavering brown. I want to run.

He holds my wrist tightly, and begins to bend it backwards. He pushes to far, and I hiss in pain, yanking my hand back unexpectedly. His eyes narrow, he quickly grabs my wrist again and starts to repeat the procedure. This time he is entirely focused on my face. My chest constricts, and I begin breathing rapidly. I'm scared.

"For fuck sake Jackson, your going to brake the damn thing before we can even use it. Weren't you just saying you were glad this batch seemed stable?! These things aren't cheap to make." Another creature steps in, and brown eyes drops my arm.

"Beta, I don't know about this one. I think something's wrong with it. Its been fighting us since we woke it up, and the heart rate is all over the place." Brown eyes scrutinizes me once more, and I quickly look away. The second giant draws closer.

"Let me take a look, go check the vitals of the others." I prepare myself for more discomfort as the newcomer reaches for my left leg. This time I'm surprised to notice that he moves much slower than his partner. He gently places a finger under my leg and begins to lift. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I allow myself to look. His eyes are two colors, green around the outside but brown close to the pupil. A word comes immediately to mind, hazel. He has hazel eyes.

"Can you understand me?" My breath catches in my throat, as I realize he is talking to me. I nod rapidly, not wanting to anger someone who could so easily crush me.

"Good." He draws out the word as if he is contemplating something.

"I'm going to bend your ankle, I need you to tell me if and when it begins to hurt." I nod again, and he begins to bend my ankle. He pushes it further and further back until I begin to feel my foot reaching the limits of its flexibility. I respond reflexively.

"Ow!" He stops immediately, eyes wide in surprise, then suddenly they narrow. He stares for a moment, then lowers my leg and picks up what looks like a piece of glass. The glass lights up, and he pulls a pen from his shirt pocket. He begins to write as he walks away. My heart pounds in my chest.

For the first time, I have a clear view of the room I'm in. Its huge, white walls seem to stretch on incomprehensibly before connecting with more white walls or a white ceiling. Giant machines and instruments line the walls, and fill shelves that are protruding from the walls. Under the shelves are metal counters dotted with small metal tables. I follow the length of counters with my eyes, they span the perimeter of the room. My eyes stop as I notice there is another metal table not too far from mine, and on it lies a man.

He is different, his skin has a slightly gray tint to it, and his expression is blank. He is not a giant, in fact he is only slightly larger than me. He is also naked, I feel my cheeks fill with warmth as I glance down, and notice that I am also naked.

I cross my arms over my bare breasts in an attempt to cover myself. Then I glance at the man once more.

He hasn't even turned his head. His expression is blank, void of any emotion at all. I double check to make sure he is breathing. I watch as his chest rises and falls. He is alive, yet non responsive.

My focus is interrupted as hazel eyes passes by once more. I shrink in on myself as he takes a quick look at me. Again he seems puzzled. He walks over to brown eyes on the other side of the room and mutters something. Brown eyes looks at me now too, and shrugs.

"I told you she's broken. Maybe we can send her for reconditioning." I flinch, I'm not sure what he meant, but it doesn't sound good. Hazel eyes shakes his head slowly. He grabs a stack of cloths, and walks around to each table placing them on the other people that I hadn't realized were laying there.

He gets to me and places the cloth over me, leaving just my head exposed. I relax, not realizing just how cold I was until the warmth began to fill the blanket. I rub my arms under the blanket. Hazel eyes stares for a moment, and grabs his glass tablet. He begins writing again, and moves on.

A door opens, and two more giants enter the room, each carrying a fluid filled sack. One lays her sack down on the empty table next to me, and I watch with fascination as she pulls out a sharp metal instrument and begins to cut the sack open. A clear viscous liquid seeps from the sack, and the giant woman removes the top half to reveal another person diminutive in size next to her. The person on the table begins to wretch clear fluid from his lungs. I watch amazed, as hazel eyes shows up behind the woman and begins to hand her instruments. As they go about a very familiar process, realization dawns on me. I'm not human.