Chapter 5 Holly
HOLLY
Istepped out of my cell into a futuristic laboratory.
If I were being honest with myself, it was my dream laboratory, except I’d use all the equipment to study plant cells, not people.
Sleek metal and what looked like glass panels glowed with mysterious designs and panels.
I felt like a kid in a candy shop, even though I had no idea what most of the machines would even be used for.
Except for the narrow hospital-looking bed in the center. With metallic arcs at the arms, legs, and head area.
Restraints.
The circular laboratory was surrounded by large dark metallic panels. Other cells, maybe? Or just doorways to other areas of the ship. The fourth wall of my cell shimmered back to opaque, a light panel unlike the rest of the sturdy looking doors.
“So what do you notice first, Miss Price?” Snyder asked.
“There aren’t any people.”
“Exactly so. We take contamination very seriously. All technicians you’ll see here are constructs, like this body I’m using. We’ll ensure they have human features for your comfort.”
“Constructs…? Like androids?”
“For human understanding, that is the closest analogy. However, these bodies aren’t robotic with organic camouflage.
They’re made from a blend of liquid metals and Sirian cells with extensive programming that make them walking super computers.
Our forms are entirely moldable and changeable, and we can seamlessly interact with all of the ship’s systems by thought alone. ”
I couldn’t remember whether he’d been present in all the conversations with Natalie and the squad, but I had to assume he knew the truth about Sirian cells.
They’d been created—stolen—from Myrm cells.
DSC used the dyni squads to exterminate “wild” cells to control the technology.
“Why are you so concerned with mrion contamination if that’s really what Sirian cells are made from? ”
“Sirian cells are perfected and interface with everything. Rogue cells may contain inferior—or potentially dangerous—programming. Be glad I command this ship, Miss Price, and not DSC, because I guarantee the first thing they would’ve done was extract every single mrion from your body, regardless of any damage that might have caused you. ”
I had no idea how such an extraction might have been accomplished but it sounded painful and invasive. “So you’re worried about contamination from me.”
“It’s a calculated risk. I believe the contamination you carry is exactly why we’ll be successful where DSC failed.”
I wasn’t cold but I couldn’t suppress a shiver. I rubbed my arms briskly. “You mean where human women were eaten by a squad?”
“Exactly. You see, I believe the reason Kroktl saw Natalie as something other than food in the beginning was the presence of fractured Myrm particles in her body. You, my dear, have complete mrion cells. They’re already changing you, preparing you to mate a squad.”
My skin felt too tight. My hands trembled. “How am I changing? I don’t feel any different.”
“Let me show you.”
He led me over to one of the gleaming clear panels.
My image stared back at me like it was a mirror—but not his.
I didn’t see him touch anything on the panel but the image changed to an internal view.
Almost like a CT scan but fully in color and perfectly clear.
My heart thumped, blood flowing from one chamber to the next, in and out through arteries and veins, flowing through my lungs and organs.
It was live, not fake, because the heartbeat accelerated, matching the frantic thump of mine.
I lifted my arm, and the image did as well.
“At first glance, everything is normal. However…” The view shifted to skeletal images like an X-ray.
With a slim pointer, he indicated bright spots on my spine.
“These glowing areas are generated by a concentration of mrions. They’re lining your spine, reinforcing your bone structure and increasing bone density.
If we focus on the energy spikes, you can see where the cells are working. ”
The glow ran up into my skull. Affecting my brain.
“If we eliminate the energy…” The image went back to a normal looking scan. “With.”
Bright. All of my internal systems gleamed with energy.
My brain insisted it had to be a trap. Fake news. He’d programmed the images to confuse me and make me think I was changing.
“I don’t feel any different,” I repeated hoarsely.
“We can run you through some physical tests if you need validation. In fact, we can do some very simple tests that will quickly demonstrate your improved abilities. If you’re willing.”
“Nothing invasive. Nothing painful.”
He inclined his head. “Of course.”
Dr. Snyder knew my university background. My interests. So he knew exactly how to prove his point to me.
I sat in front of a monitor while pages of text flowed past in a steady stream too fast for anyone to actually read. The pages were from a scientific journal about diabetes with complicated medical and physiological terms. After a few minutes, he paused the screen and quizzed me.
I loved biology, yes—but not human biology.
I’d never studied anatomy. I didn’t have diabetes and knew next to nothing about the disease prior to reading the article.
But without needing to refer to the reference material, I knew an experimental drug had managed to bring down A1C to acceptable ranges in ninety-one percent of its test subjects in a sampling of one thousand females ranging in age forty to forty-nine.
I could rattle off the complications and side effects with perfect memory.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to backtrack how I’d been able to answer him without even thinking about it.
Words flowed through my mind, as if my brain had taken a screen recording of that article.
Even though the speed through which the pages had flowed was far too fast for my regular, human eyes to record.
“Now let’s test your physical changes. If you were to step on a treadmill back in the States, what’s the fastest miles per hour you would have been able to sustain for one minute?”
I couldn’t help but snort. “I never really exercised.”
A panel rose up out of the floor a few inches, its silver surface melting and shifting into a walking pad. I stepped on it gingerly, not sure I’d be able to keep my balance without any kind of handrails.
“Just walk comfortably. We’ll record the speed and then I’ll play it back for you.”
I walked, swinging my arms naturally. The silver pad beneath my feet wasn’t slippery and gave a little with each footstep, absorbing the impact beneath my bare feet. It felt like plush carpeting despite the metallic surface.
“Good. Now push yourself a little. Can you jog? How fast can you go?”
I increased my speed a little, testing how it felt in my body. My feet didn’t hurt despite not having proper shoes. I jogged, breathing a little deeper. Faster. I listened to my body, trying to feel any strain, pain, or exhaustion.
But it felt great. I moved easily. Lightly. Smoothly.
I ran, pushing myself to see how fast I could go. A light sweat broke out on my body, but I wasn’t gasping. I didn’t get a hitch in my side. My thighs didn’t feel heavy or tired.
“Good. Slow down now and we’ll play back your speeds.”
Breathing deeply but not winded, I slowed down my steps to a gentle walk. My heart thumped but it felt strong. I could have kept running for a while without feeling like I was going to puke. Energy pulsed through my muscles. I felt strong. Light. Fast.
Despite never being athletic in my life.
I stepped off the walking pad easily, but a cold knot settled in my stomach.
“Congratulations, Miss Price. You’re the first human female to run a mile in under four minutes.”
He could be lying. The numbers flashing on the panel could be completely made up, pre-programmed to mislead me.
But I could feel the difference in my body.
“You aren’t exactly human any longer. You’re something more, Miss Price. And those precious cells in your changing body are the reason our experiment is going to work.”
I knew but I had to ask. “What experiments? I want to know exactly what you’re planning to do.”
A shape moved up out of the floor, melding into what looked to be a rolling office chair. “Take a seat and I’ll walk you through the program.”
I wasn’t tired, so I wasn’t sure why I needed to sit down but it seemed silly to refuse. The chair shifted beneath me, providing perfect support for my lower back with a soft, cushiony seat. It turned to face a larger view screen as it slowly emerged from the floor.
“I tread a delicate razor wire of intrigue, danger, and opportunity. Officially, I still retain my DSC clearance and must abide by strict protocols. Unofficially, I’m using this ship to further my personal exploration of failed DSC experimentation.
With my current access levels, I’m able to review these past experiments, though let me caution you, Miss Price, these aren’t for the faint of heart. ”
A small silver room appeared on the view screen, similar to the holding room we’d been trapped in before Dr. Snyder was eaten. Inside, a young woman sat on the floor, pressed into the corner, crying softly. Naked. No bed or comfort items were in the sterile silver room.
A video began to play with male narration. “Test subject A99B47 procured from Earth, female of appropriate breeding age, average intelligence, and fitness. Genetics testing reveals no disease with baseline health indicators.”
My teeth started to chatter. I gripped my hands together in my lap. This was probably one of the alien abduction victims we’d noted, a young woman stolen from Guatemala or Mexico.
She’s here because of us. Because Natalie found her squad.
“Transporting test subject A99B47 to the controlled interaction chamber,” the male voice continued.