FEEDING DRAGONS
Catherine Rose
Smashwords Edition
Copywrite Catherine Rose 2014
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Authors Note: Material may contain words that some may consider taboo, blasphemous, racist, biased and in poor taste. In other words-it may be pretty damn nasty! The fact is that some people are deeply offended by a sneeze so that being said if you are one of those people that gets offended at every little thing and spend your day worrying about how to be politically correct; please go no further. Stop-now! If you read further it is at your discretion.
Access to minors is strictly forbidden! If you believe you might be offended by the material do not read it.
THE HALLWAY seemed endless. Heavy doors on either side lacked windows and delicate flowing black symbols printed just above the security locks allowed each room to keep its secrets since I couldn’t read Japanese.
The lab coats trailing behind Kobayashi ignored me completely yet the two security guards kept hitting me with loaded glances that had me feeling as if I had already done something for which I should be ashamed or arrested.
I knew this nuclear inspection was the first conducted this deep underground since the accident and I was going to do my best to ensure I followed every protocol. I would make no mistakes. Yet for all my internal cheerleading there was no way I could ignore the guards silently telling me they didn’t think I would measure up. When one leaned in to the other and spoke in a tone which dripped with contempt I felt my chest grow rigid with anxiety. Their disdain hummed through the air and tainted everything around me cranking up my anxiety level until my stomach felt sour.
Rocking to a stop I waited for the next step in the process. I watched as the three Japanese scientists stood silently while Kobayashi pressed his face forward into a retinal scanner. I heard a mechanical voice rattle off something from a hidden speaker box. Kobayashi answered back in a rapid burst of hurried words and did something I could not see with his hand. A loud click snapped through the air. I heard a whirring pattern of a noise followed by a series of deeply recessed sounds that thrummed down the cavernous space.
The door slid open and the scientists stepped through in single file. I followed mutely. I had taken maybe ten steps when I no longer felt the presence of the guards behind me. I glanced back seeing only the sealed door and realized they had remained back on the other side.
When I asked how much farther we had to go before we reached the inspection site Kobayashi bowed his neck slightly and said it was just a few more moments to walk and then I would start the cleansing process prior to being granted access to containment level four. I thought they were being overly cautious as I was here to check for radioactivity not air borne infectious vectors such as Ebola or the Lassa virus.
He motioned me to his side and gave me a calm measuring look as if he was unsure about something. Giving me a smile that did not reach his eyes he lifted his arm as if about to take my hand but a heartbreaking cry of fear seemed to ooze in from the very walls themselves. I froze. The weirdness factor just got cranked up to a whole new level. The freak show element of the sound radiated through my bones. My chest grew so tight it felt like a belt was squeezing the air from my lungs. I pushed it down into my gut and tried to pretend I hadn’t heard some poor animal in pain.
I feel like it violates my soul knowing that some experiments are conducted solely on the premise of ‘what if’ and for so-called consumer safety. I don’t think it takes a genius to realize one shouldn’t drink shampoo but every time something is altered they use animals to test it…add a new pretty fragrance? Bring out the bunnies and the beagles.
Kobayashi seemed immune to the sounds for he made no mention of them but gravely said, “We have high hopes of you so please remember that you were especially chosen for this task. Your first step will be to undergo decontamination to ensure no outside microbes are introduced to the area. We cannot afford cross-contamination.”
My heart ached for whatever poor beast had issued that mournful cry. I knew that without fail unspeakable inevitable horrors arise from irresponsible research. I wondered but did not ask what type of dark science was going on here as I knew there was nothing I could do. So I shut my ears and my heart and nodded at him with downcast eyes. What else could I say? Gee thanks for that vote of confidence but while I’m here could you stop torturing poor furry animals so as not to distract me from my job?
Then I began to wonder why they would go to such lengths suiting me up unless there was something else here. Something deadly that remained hundreds of feet below ground that they were keeping secret. Containment level four protocol required multiple stage showers at each level, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet room, a positive pressure suit with a segregated air supply and finally after all that I would be deep inside the facility subject to continuous negative pressure in case of a leak. Perhaps the only way to get to the inspection site was to pass through an area that may have been previously exposed by a virus of some sort? That made sense.
“You are to begin now.”
Nodding my head in understanding I waited until the panel to the right of the door cycled up; changing color until it hit green. I heard the door unlock and sketched a wave at them before stepping through the entrance.
Glancing around quickly I saw nothing but cold white tiles covering the walls and ceiling with grayish blue tiles on the floor that made me think of decomposing flesh. Wow-that was a happy thought….floor covering made of repurposed corpses…the latest in environmentally conscious up-cycling. Wishing once again I had some brain bleach to keep my mind from seeing everything through a twisted lens caused by years of watching horror movies I decided it was best to keep my opinions to myself. I was jerked out of my musing as the locks on the door behind me engaged with a sound no less final than the metal clang of a jail house door.
“A bench that you see before has sterile surgical scrubs in a variety of sizes please take the ones that you think will fit best but do not remove them from the sealed plastic. You are to enter the next room to begin the decontamination process and then if you please put on the garments when instructed and all will be well. You’ll be joined shortly thereafter and the test will begin.”
I nodded to the monitor mounted near the ceiling and walked to the table glancing at the cold steel on which lay square plastic bags each with a single label and at least these labels I understand. I grabbed the one marked XL given that I was quite tall. I was tense but without hesitation I walked to the far side door and waited just a moment for the locks to disengage allowing me to enter. I stepped over the threshold into the air lock. There was no going back now. One hour later I stepped through into the last room and as instructed by the voice on the intercom I ripped open the seal and removed the scrubs. I couldn’t wait to put them on. I was shivering from the cool air blowing over my skin. Once dressed in the thin cotton clothes I completed suiting up with the space-girl outfit that would keep a
ll airborne pathogens away from me. I had barely finished hooking up my respirator when the last remaining door opened. I stood quietly at the threshold looking around and saw what appeared to be a dentist chair of all things in the center of the room.
To say I was confused by my surroundings would be an understatement. I looked around; nothing else really to see here. The door I came through, the dentist chair, another door at the far end of the room and off to my right a large inner window with a deep blue tint; not a whole lot to look at. I heard another click and a voice came over the loudspeaker I had not noticed mounted in core of the room.
“If you were pleased by the garments you were issued we would appreciate it if you remove them when asked and re-use them when the test has been completed. Thank you the inspection will begin in five minutes.”
Re-use them? What the hell was up with that? Nowhere is it ever considered a good idea to re-use any item that may have been exposed. Growing alarmed with this whole set-up I strolled over to the loudspeaker and yelled up, “Hey! What is going on? I’ve never heard of any type of procedure in which the inspector remains barefoot! I’m not wearing booties inside this suit. There were none in the packet!” No response. I tried again, “Hello?”
I stood waiting with my hands on my hips looking up but received no reply. The speaker remained mute and the only sound I could hear was my own breathing rushing through the respirator. I got the insidiously creepy feeling I was being watched. Turning back the window was now becoming clear and I could see the scientists watching me; lined up in a row like small porcelain dolls. Their black beetle browed stares devoid of anything that made me feel like this would end well for me. For a second I remembered something not often mentioned in history classes today because American politicians helped cover it up afterwards and nobody wants to go down in history as an unredeemable bastard.
The Japanese had engaged in horrific human experimentation during World War II. Irrefutable evidence had come to light after they surrendered to the Americans of gruesome vivisection on prisoners of war without the benefit of painkillers or even the luxury of anesthesia. Unit 731 run by some of the most learned and distinguished medical doctors of Japan did such lovely things as put a Russian mother and her young daughter into a gas chamber then peer through the glass and watch as the mother desperately tried to shield her five year old from the gas all while the medicine men timed their convulsions as they died. They exposed a three day old Chinese baby to the cold to determine the length of time it took for hypothermia to set in; Joseph Mengle would have loved these guys especially given the fact that almost none of them were tried for war crimes but instead got a nice fat check from the U.S. government as stipend in return for their data. How fucked up is that? But I tried telling myself that was in the past. Nobody in their right mind would try and conduct experiments like that today. So while I was certainly freaked out I wasn’t in any real danger.
I walked up to the glass and slapped my fist on it. In a strident voice I demanded this bullshit stop at once. They did nothing. Silent as the grave they stood watching me without any indication they heard me. I pressed my face shield up against the glass and pounded with both fists, “I know can you hear me!” They ignored me. “Hey!” I slapped my gloved hands repeatedly on the reflective surface while yelling like a maniac.
Finally I saw one lean forward and the loudspeaker came to life. The voice sounded a little put out, “Please contain yourself. This test is being conducted for the benefit of all humanity we have no desire to see you injured in any way. You must calm yourself; acting the hysterical woman will not serve anyone well today” I had no time to tell him what I really thought for I heard something behind me.
My heart thudding in my ears I spun around not knowing what to expect. I was stunned when I saw a man standing only ten feet away quiet as death. The gentle smile on his face did nothing to ease my fear as icy fingers played along my spine.
He was tall perhaps six inches more than me which was extraordinary given the Asian cast of his face which oddly reminded me of that actor Russell Wong. He was handsome but there was no doubt given his features and size he was of mixed parentage. I felt a warm heat coiling in my doodah which was just pathetic. Here I was locked into a room for God knows what unholy purpose and my pussy reminds me I’ve not had sex in months and this guy just rings all my bells.
His hands which until now had remained hidden in his front pockets looked strong but normal as they dropped to his side; palms’ out showing me he had nothing in them. He bowed deeply at the waist eyes cast down. Snapping back up to his full height he said, “Please don’t be afraid of me I have no desire to hurt you but this may be the only way to save me.”
“From what?”
A bitter smile creased his face and in a deep voice tinged with sadness, he spoke just above a whisper, “Save me from myself; my DNA has been altered by exposure. I have not been allowed any human contact since my symptoms first became apparent. There’s a slim possibility that an offspring might be the answer.”
I thought perhaps I’d heard him wrong due to the slight noise from the air circulating in my suit. “What exactly are you talking about?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of how some people have deliberately begun a pregnancy in the hope that the stem cells from the placenta could be used to save one of the parents from a debilitating disease.”
“Not really. I mean I know it’s been done but I don’t know anything about how it works. Not my field.”
I couldn’t help myself. I had to know. Because I suffer from insatiable curiosity and I also harbor a wide streak of dumbass. “What’s wrong with you?” Then exhibiting a complete lack of common sense I walked closer to him until I was an arms’ length away. He stood there as if trying to decide just how much to tell me. I trusted in my suit to keep me safe even as he seemed to spew droplets of fear from every pore.
“Seriously-you look normal but you’re starting to sweat buckets. Do you need help?” He shook his head but I wasn’t sure if it was at me or he was clearing away some odd brain flutter.
Staring up into his golden brown eyes I began to assess his face. Searching his features and bone structure looking for some sign of a disease anything to give me a clue but he looked fine. Yet he was contained in a bio-level four zone so there had to be something to mark his genetic hiccup. I stared rudely but I saw nothing. He was a very handsome normal looking adult male. Of course there could be unseen horrors under his robe.
He was aware I staring at the areas which remained hidden and with a flip of his fingers he undid the belt of his bathrobe. A shoulder shrug dropped it to the floor. Holding his arms apart from his body he quietly turned so I could look all I wanted. I looked from the top of his head to the small hairs that dusted the tops of his the feet. I saw nothing out of place or abnormal in any way. He was well built and perfectly human. Whatever the hell was wrong with him couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.
“So what exactly is it that you need from me?” I asked calmly despite the fact the whole scenario had a freak factor that was just shy of way too much for me. But hell he looked normal so whatever he had must be at a cellular level. Then again I sounded calm and rational while the reality was my hair was tingling on my scalp and I was one step away from shrieking and running around with my arms over my head. So no doubt it would be prudent of me to remember that looks can be deceiving.
“They have not yet identified the defect and while I am sure there is a medical name for it all I ever hear,” he winced, “….is Dragon Syndrome.”
I breathed a heavy sigh of relief lightly fogging my face shield as I realized my suit was keeping me safe from whatever Mr. Hot Stuff had…..and then…..
HIS LEFT eye bulged. The pupil seemed to flex and elongate. A terrified squeak burst out of my mouth. I flinched in sheer pants pissing terror. My view frosted over and I fell back on my ass. Had I just seen a Kafkaesque shift or were my nerves so strained I was seeing things that were nothing
more than a product of exhaustion, the freaky situation and my own weird imagination?
I scooted back away from him even as I waited for my face shield to clear so I could see better. The fog quickly evaporated and I spied his bare feet; toes pulling back as he shifted his weight. I was afraid to look away. After all if I wasn’t suffering from some little mental malady then this insanity was real and I had no desire to die today which meant not looking away not matter how bad things got.
Too bad for me that clicking my heels and shouting ‘there’s no place like home’ wasn’t gonna get me out of this mess.
He watched me with unnerving intensity then a weak smile slid across his face. “Are you ok?”
“OK? OK? Do I look ok?!” I was shrieking nearly out of control, “What the hell is wrong with you? Why me? Huh? What the fuck is going here?” It was obvious my outburst made him uncomfortable because he glanced worriedly at the glass behind me and struggled to compose himself. It was a struggle.
“You might be my only hope,” he said slowly in a soft voice as if speaking to skittish stray dog. He took one step towards me and I wailed, “No. No you don’t! Stop right there and don’t you fucking touch me.” Like a child I flapped my arms and slapped my hands down against the floor in anger. My heart was bashing against my ribs and I couldn’t focus on a single coherent thought for more than a few seconds.
He stiffened and rocked his head twisting it on his neck causing nasty little crunching sounds that made my skin crawl. I could see the increased tension in his posture and the quickening of his breath as his chest rose and fell but I was too scared at this point to say a damn thing.
“There was an accident. I was the only survivor.”
I nodded my head but felt my eyes go wide as he became stranger still. He tensed. His throat fluttered as if he was chugging a beer. His neck cracked stretching towards me. Then he started sniffing the air as if to tease out the scents that oozed from my fear riddled body. Could he smell me? Did the suit keep out smells or was he just testing the air? Eager nervous curiosity lit his eyes from within. Cute or not this guy was in need of serious meds and a jacket that belted from behind.
Feeding Dragons Page 1