FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

--- 08:27:58 AM (hh/mm/ss) --- - [Haringale Facility of Biological Research & Genetic Modification / Subject R&R Ward] -

The Lead Researcher finished setting up the camera, testing the mic and pulling out valuble notes. She worked busily as the man calmly stood beside her desk, staring all over Garrin's body, focusing on random features of his skin and frame. The room was empty aside for the desk and computer that Fione was seated at, and Dr. James had left to tend to Melvin. The man tipped his glasses slightly, before clearing his throat, and motioning for Fione to speak.

"Alright, so as you can see Garrin, you'll be recorded both visually and verbally. I'll run through a fair few closed and open ended questions in order to test your mental functionality. Attending our consultation is Mr Haringale, Head of the Genetics department. It was this fine man who set up the Haringale Facility, although he has since retired from personally overseeing the Biological Function research in favor of full genetic interests.

I'll start with some basic questions. Just to get a feel of the tests. Camera goes on in... three two one, alright. Mr Fitch, please state your full name and profession before you joined with Haringale Facility of Research."

The spotlight fell on Garrin, making him feel suddenly nervous. The eye of the camera resting on the desk unnerved him a little, making him a bit self concious of the disgusting skin on his limbs. He spoke up for fear of dissapointing the Head of Genetics himself.

"Uuuh, Gurrin Feeetch. F-itch. I was uneemployee-ed. I'm sorry, I can't sp-eeeak well...."

"That's to be understandable Mr Fitch, you have only been awake for roughly four days. Now, what was your favourite colour, as according to your initial application to the Haringale Facility?"

"R-eed. Red."

"Alright, now I will show you three cards, and I want you to tell me what they are from left to right..."

The questions went on for a fair while, ranging from memory skills to basic mathematics, while touching upon general knowledge as well. When she was finished, a nurse arrived with a bunch of charts and they began testing his eyesight. Audio tests ensued, asking Garrin to say when he could hear a certain frequency or volume of sound.

Finally, it was concluded that he had suffered no damage to basic cognition or memory, although his general knowledge was a bit shabby. His eyesight was fine, although not really heightened at all, while his hearing had fallen in the range of high pitch noises. Overall, not bad. The nurse left around this time as Fione shuffled her notes, brown eyes skimming through her notes. Garrin sat anxiously, awaiting the Researcher to finish.

"So those are the 'closed' questions sorted. Now, to the important ones - your emotions and feelings. There's only a few, but we expect some well developed responses. When you are ready Garrin, tell me what your first memories are after you were woken up."

The head, Mr Haringale, watched intently for the answer. The lone dragon could only gulp and continue, explaining everything from when he thought his alarm went off to waking up again in a real ward bed. While describing his lack of vision, and apparent halucination, he wasn't sure if the researchers really understood what he was meaning. The lack of movement, the inability to reason what was happening, the surreal blur of vision. The speech barrier proved to be an immense obstacle to overcome.

When he was finished, the Head of Genetics merely nodded, making Garrin's heart sink. It was difficult to explain in any depth when he had to constantly clarify words that he messed up.

"Thanks for that Mr Fitch, it's interesting to know that you were awake for that period of time. Now, second question: You've been relearning how to walk, and how to speak lately. Could you describe what it is like being without voice or freedom for that period of time?"

".... I still am without voice or fre-eedom."

"Alright, then could you tell us about that?"

"It... annoys meee? To be... unable, to expre-eess what I have to say. It's surprising how much ee-nglish affeects things. Say, for eexample, what kind of woman would go out with someone who can't spee-.. SPEeeak?"

"Actually, that is the last question we have for now. How do you believe people, normal people, would react to you? How do you feel about that?"

That pushed Garrin back a bit, reminding him of the argument he had with his former roomate Larry. He gave himself a look over quickly, spotting the patches of yellow gruel which lay between cold scutes. Hell red scales all over his body, with what could be a ridge of horns forming all down his back, poking beneath his skin.

"... ... Theey would think I'm... Hideous. Somee sort of abomination... and I don't think I care too much. I've been alone for a while now.."

He couldn't stop thinking of Larry's words, how he predicted his reception with people to be. In fact, it reminded Garrin that he should try and contact him sometime, just to say that the Facility certainly changed his life - whether for better or worse. Fione began packing up her notes on him, tabbing through windows on the computer ocasionally.

"Thank you for your time Mr Fitch, I'll turn off the recording software now. Your voice will no doubt improve with time, so don't be concerned with that. I believe Mr Haringale wishes to speak with you now, but afterwards you are free to explore the subject ward as soon as your Doctor explains the layout fully. See you another time."

The Lead Researcher nodded, and left the room, leaving the dragon alone with the man. Garrin rested his head on the ground, his neck aching after holding it up for the camera so long. His upward gaze from the floor prompted a chuckle from the short man, who was seemed barely twice as high as his head.

"So, I trust my staff have been treating you well? In the decades this Facility has been operational, I had never believed to this day arrive, to have subjects like you! Do be honest, I pride myself in running a place where everyone is treated fairly."

"The b-ed is too small, and the food is tasteleEess. Just like home I guess."

They laughed a bit together, the man flinching slightly as Garrin's own chuckle rumbled throughout the room. He couldn't help but feel bad for Mr Haringale, being so tiny compared to him. It was only now he realised that his sheer size would give people the chills just being near them.

"I'm glad we can understand each other. There was nothing more I wanted to talk to you about today beyond meeting you- so how about we shake on it? A historical moment in my eye - This is technically the first intelligent interspecies conversation! I'm damned proud to have you here today, and it's a pleasure to meet you Mr Fitch."

The old man stuck out his hand like a politician, an almost boyish youth filling up his sparkling blue eyes. It was as if he had suddenly forgotten about all the hardships to be had ahead, and that the only moment that mattered was right now. Garrin gave his own draconic grin, before standing full off the ground, up on all fours. He towered right over the man, and he could tell a wave of goosebumps had almost washed right over him, but the arm stayed out.

The dragon delicately placed two right claws in the hand of Mr Haringale, who shook them well. Garrin felt a whole lot more honoured of his body all of a sudden, if this was the excitment that all people would greet him with.

--- 011:46:04 AM (hh/mm/ss) --- - [Haringale Facility of Biological Research & Genetic Modification / Subject R&R Ward] -

It must have been the first time Garrin realised, that he was in fact walking around naked. The Doctor had given him an A4-Sized map of the facility to scringe his eye's at, but it was now he noticed his lack of pockets, and thus the missing clothes as well. Having walked around the halls for maybe half an hour, it also dawned upon the dragon that he couldn't feel heat. He could feel air flow against him whenever he passed a ceiling air-conditioning unit, but he wasn't cold, even when walking around without clothes for thermal protection.

It felt natural walking without burden anyway.

But- it did bother him though, now that he had noticed the lack of heat. When the doctor let him free, the first thing Garrin did was wander to the subject washroom. The place had a higher ceiling than usual, and was just across from the 'Gym / Physical Experiments Room', which lay in the middle of the ward. That contained what was more or less a giant exercise room for both testing and recreation, and was linked by four doors on all sides to the surrounding hall.

The washroom was built for handling a number of large creatures, or a horde of infected staff. Either way, it had an open central shower, like the Cryostasis-Chamber had, and also a number of sinks and dragon sized 'facilities'. He ignored the large holes in the floor, designed to industrially handle even the biggest of messes, and tried to turn on one of the large sinks.

Luckily, the sink had different sensors to wave a paw over for either hot or cold water. Garrin didn't know what he would do faced with facets, his claws wouldn't be able to grasp around a knob like that easily.

-But just as he thought, it made no difference between hot or cold water. He felt it run over his hand, but it didn't burn or shiver his more scaled exterior or his older, jaundice skin. He could have sworn that this wasn't how it was before- it was vague, but sometime after waking up, he did remember feeling heat, or cold, or... something. Another mystery of his body to solve.

Deciding there was not much to do, he went to check out the subject cafetaria. It was on the same side he was already on, recalling his memory of the map. He left it on the floor somewhere, not caring enough to carry it between his claws, ripping it to shreds as he moved around. The cafetaria was more or less just a shutter on one side that would open during meals. That said, he couldn't smell cooking in the air. Probably because every subject was still being fed bags of tasteless fluids...

Entering the room, clicking claws on the sky blue linoleum, Garrin was surprised to spot a certain lime creature nestled in the corner of the room, hidden from the door. He was.... sucking on his tail, in thought, sitting upright with feet outspread. It was in that moment Tucker noticed the larger dragon enter the room, dropping the tip of his tail from his mouth with a thump.

"Hey Dude! You're free as well now right? Florbstatic! Isn't this place just.... just WICKED!? I got lost in that hall, was turning left for aaaagges man, before I realised - the world's a sphere! You know what I mean? It just - linked to itself! We're walkers of world man!"

He seemed exceptionally hyper at the moment, but Garrin had nothing better to do until lunch in a few hours. Crouching down beside the cackling lime nutjob, he prepared himself for an onslaught of ridiculous hilarity. Some time passed as the pair talked, about the facility, about the tests, about the past too.

"I, was the president of the royal fruit club once! Yup, I was 'King of green - Republican of unripe Banana's! Man, I wish I could have some fruit soon. Duude, my mumma always said to have your five a day, 'Or else your ears will fall off like uncle two-toe's mullet!'"

The pink head bobbed up and down, laughing into one of his clenched fists. Sitting upright allowed him to do whatever he wanted with his hands, something which Garrin missed a little from conversations. Tucker would fling his rather finely constructed digits around in gestures to joke and persuade, his paws very similar to a human hand, despite the obvious claws. That, and the scales on his hand were bright purple, like a pair of magician's gloves.

"AHhhh, you're a good pal, man. Bro! I wonder when that Chick is gonna calm down. She was nuts last I heard, I couldn't visit her at all."

"...shee was the one b-eing aggre-.. agreeEessive, right?"

"Yup. Poor Cassy-Cassy-Cassandra.. she's been quiet lately, but that must HURT - waking up and not able to spit out a word."

"Huhuh, yeah.... but I'm mostly fine, not being able to talk I meEan."

Tucker gave a condesending twaddle of his index claw, tutting at the surprised rouge dragon.

"Man, Talking is her LIFE, I mean, WOAH, didn't you hear her? 'Yabyabyab, blabblyblahblu, yarhg!', she was like the radio talk show host on a couch-day evening!"

"Couch-day?"

"Chick would be crying, like a real b-..baby. She's lost what she valued most.... but I'll say man, not as much as the sister's lost."

This raised eyebrows, before Garrin remembered. Bella had lost her sight. It also reminded him that he hadn't actually seen her yet, or any of the others besides Tucker in fact. Making a resolve, he decided to ask the Doctor next time he saw him to arrange a meeting with the other patients. Tucker and Garrin continued to talk for a while after, but it was half-hearted conversation. Before too long, the Dr. James found them both in the eating room, and decided just to give them lunch there anyway.

They both sucked onto the straws silently, the Doctor running off to prepare Mr Cougar for his speech training - he had been late trying to find the wayward pair of dragons. They remained in the empty room, content just to have the company of the other while they thought about what's happened in the past, and what the future might bring ahead.