Skyfall Chapter 10
Misha held my arm steady as he painted the black liquid onto my fur, inscribing the numbers "257" on my right shoulder. I grit my teeth against the stinging caused by the liquid. "Black suits you." Misha said with a smile, "I was considering giving you some color like orange or something crazy." He laughed, "But I decided to keep it simple." "Yeah." I said as the burning sensation faded, "I prefer black, anyway. Wouldn't want to draw attention to the fact that this place owns me." I mumbled as I examined the freshly painted numbers. The fur had been singed slightly and was shorter where he painted over it. I sighed. Misha sat down next to me on the examination table, "Aw, come on. You know it's not like that. It's just custom for employees to be marked somehow, think of it as an identification card. Certain positions have different methods. At least you don't have a microchip." Misha said, scratching my back. "I just hope this chemical works on fur like yours. Never tried it on fur before. Feathers and scales I've dyed plenty of times, but never fur strangely enough. I guess that's because most furred creatures have some sort of human form most of the time." I was staring into space. The stress of visiting Eldon was weighing heavily on my mind, and had caused me to lose sleep the past few nights...not to mention, Misha had stopped by my room and kept me up in different ways. He was beginning to get a little too comfortable with me, and it made me nervous. Most nights he ended up pleasuring me and then asking me to do the same for him in return. I was always somewhat fearful that my sharp teeth would hurt him, but he insisted on thrusting himself into me...luckily I was able to use my tongue as a nice cushion and he never got hurt. I was still quite uncomfortable with what he was doing, but I could never resist his smooth, warm touches, and he was always so happy afterwards. "Decipher?" Misha asked, running his hand down my side, nearing my crotch. I stood up before his hand could wander down farther. I was far too exhausted for that right now, and I felt sick. "Are we done here?" I asked Misha. Misha smiled and stood up, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "With official business, yes." He whispered into my ear, playing with the fur on my stomach. I spun around and swiftly grabbed his hands, pinning him up against the wall. He smiled and caressed my chest, "Trying something different today?" He asked with a smirk. I slammed my hand against the wall. "No, Misha." I shouted, "Stop this." Misha took his hands off me and gave me his usual scared, helpless expression. He always got this look when I did something sudden. I sighed and my expression softened again. "Not now, Misha. I'm going back to my room for a nap." I sighed heavily. "See you at lunch?" I asked. "Yeah, lunch sounds good, mid shift?" Misha said quietly. I could tell he was disappointed. I nodded and turned my back. I needed sleep, and I hoped Misha understood...the last thing I wanted to do was offend him. ......................................... "Are you crazy, Decipher?!" Kato shouted across the table, laughing as Caliber continued to explain. "Yeah. That's what I was thinking as I helped him get his naked ass out of the middle of the courtyard."
I sighed, "I know. It was stupid to climb into the valley." I said, completely defeated as I picked at my food. I gave up on looking around the room for Misha. Once again he had failed to show up. Caliber gave me a rough pat on the back, "Not at all. Taking risks is good for you!" He said, still laughing with Kato. "But we're still going to make fun of you for the consequences." "I'm just shocked you were able to successfully teleport!" Kato added, "That must be a good sign, perhaps your memory is returning." "Oh, that's right!" Caliber said, "Do you remember anything yet? Any memory of Eldon yet?" "No!" I snapped, throwing down my fork, silencing the group. I looked up at them slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed." I said, holding my forehead in my hands. "Is this about Misha?" Kato asked. "We leave in two days, you two had better get yourselves together before then...he has to link with you." "Yeah thanks for having me aboard, Kato." Caliber said, "I'm excited to get out on a field mission. First time in a while!" Kato sighed heavily, "Yeah, just remember that you're in charge of keeping Sheila from fucking things up without us." Caliber cringed, "Aw, come on, don't ruin my happy moment!" I glanced up to see Misha approaching us with a stack of papers and an apple. "Hey guys." He said with a smile as he sat down. "You're late." I commented. "Yeah, I have to take Decipher down for some training with Caliber. We decided it would be best to work on some team exercises, since we'll most likely be working together in the event that we are attacked." Kato said, glancing at the clock. "Sorry." Misha said, chewing on his apple, "I got sidetracked in the lab." Caliber had gone quiet and began avoiding eye contact. I glanced over to see that he was smirking. I elbowed him. He clearly knew something I didn't, and was trying to hide his amusement. Kato sat back in his chair, "Right. What are you going to do with all your experiments while you're gone?" "Taken care of." Misha said, flipping through his papers. "I just need to deliver these to their new caretakers for the week and I'll be set." "Come on guys." Kato said as he stood, "Misha, remember to meet us tomorrow at dawn with your supplies for final approval." "See you later." I mumbled as I followed Kato and Caliber out the doors of the dining hall. Misha waved at us on our way out. Once we were inside the arena, I turned to Caliber, "Tell me." I said flatly. "Tell you what?" Caliber said. "What do you know that I don't?" I demanded. Caliber laughed, "Oh you mean 'got sidetracked in the lab'?" "Enough." Kato said, glaring over his shoulder at us. "What did he mean?" I demanded, "I'm sick of all these stupid secrets." Caliber sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing...it's just..." "Don't you dare, Caliber." Kato yelled at us from across the room. "Decipher, have you been to the lab yet?" I shook my head as Kato typed a few commands into a computer on the wall, which caused the floor of the arena to shift and change around us. "No. Not really." I admitted, jumping to avoid a rock that was forming beneath my feet. Kato sighed and turned around. "I didn't think so." He paused, "You want the truth? Go check out Misha's lab right now and see what he's been up to." "Now?" I asked, "What about training?" "Please." Kato laughed, "Team work exercise? That was a bunch of bullshit to give you an excuse to get out of the room. Besides, Misha just left for a meeting with Hale." Kato said, "You'll have a few hours until he's done. Now is the perfect time for some snooping around." "Cool." Caliber smiled, "So can I leave?" "Not you." Kato said, pointing a knife at him, "I want to throw shit at someone. Come on, I need a target." "What?" Caliber moaned, "Totally uncalled for. Go throw shit at the trees in the range!" "Moving targets are more fun." Kato said, tossing Caliber a knife. "Come on, let's go practice. You need a tune up anyways." Kato pointed a knife at me, "And you, get going. Misha should be arriving in Hale's office right about now." I nodded as Caliber snatched the knife out of the air and continued to complain. I turned and dashed for the basement. My heart was racing and adrenaline was coursing through my veins. I tried to appear casual as I quickly walked down the stairs and towards the elevator that led to the dark basement floors. Kato really wants me to find the truth for myself...he didn't want to tell me. I thought to myself. That must mean there's something really bad down here. The elevator came to a stop at the lowest floor I had access to, B5. The doors opened to reveal a well-lit, white hallway. I had been down this hallway a few times with Misha, but I had never had the chance to enter his lab, which was through two double doors at the end of the hallway. I walked to the double doors and stood frozen, afraid of what I might find. After a few moments, I slowly opened the door. To my surprise, the doors weren't locked and swung right open. I walked through the doors and examined my surroundings carefully. The hallway contained doors on either side, some that led into small rooms, and others that opened up into large spaces. Some doors looked like they contained surgical equipment, combined with tables that had straps for arms and legs. Nervous, I felt like I was going to vomit. One room was labeled "Misha's Office". I peered inside to see stacks of paper and a few file cabinets at the desk. I wasn't really interested in reading his data today. The next door I passed had a smaller window with bars. There was a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard that hung off the door. It read, "3529. Condition: Serious and declining. Serum Used: RZ52 / Notes: This serum has worked in stopping the morph from completing itself. He can no longer become human; but his vital signs are fading. Disappointing results. It also seems that this genetic mutation is not what occurred in 257 like I had originally thought." Upon reading my number, I clutched my shoulder nervously. Was he trying to figure out how I became what I did? My fingers traced the numbers in my fur as I thought. The paper was dated a few days ago, and the thought of when I had first met Hale flashed in my mind. "Misha and two-fifty-seven here, sir." Misha had said upon our arrival...I shuddered. He had been referring to me by my number this entire time when it came to official business. Only experiments were referred to as numbers as far as I knew. I shook my head in attempt to clear my mind and calm down. I peered inside the door, and my heart stopped. There was a werewolf strapped to an examination table, with needles piercing the veins in his arms, and some sort of mask over his muzzle. I grabbed at the door handle weakly, realizing it was locked. I knelt down and brought my shaking hands up to the doors, focusing all of my energy on unlocking the door using the programming I had learned from my keycard. I heard the wolf cry out, a mournful howl as it feebly struggled against the bonds. The howl broke my concentration. I began to breathe heavily, and my hands shook even harder. After a few minutes of focusing, I heard the door click and unlock. Slowly, I turned the handle and walked inside. The werewolf's eyes shot wide open in panic when it saw me. It struggled and howled for a few moments, until it was too weak to move. "No! No calm down." I cried, rushing to the side of the beast. "I'm not going to hurt you I swear..." He looked up at me with glossy, amber eyes. He looked weak and sad. I removed the mask from his face and he whined. "Do you talk?" I said quietly. He let out a raspy growling noise that my mind translated to, "Not in human tongue. Not anymore." I stared at him in amazement; I hadn't even considered the idea that I could understand werewolf language... He whined again, "So the serum worked on you, huh?" "No...no they found me like this." I said, my voice quivering, "They didn't do this to me." "You're lucky." The wolf coughed. "You understand me...though..." He mused. "How did this happen to you?" I asked, thinking out loud. "They find us in the woods outside of the lab, drug us, and bring us in for their experiments. Some of us are warned to stay away, but sometimes the wolf does not listen, and we wander to close." His ears fell as he spoke with his wolf voice, as well as body language. "Horrible things." He mused, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. I was breathing heavily, I whimpered back at him, "I'm so sorry. I want to help you..." I said in wolf tongue. I surprised myself as my face neared his and I nuzzled the side of his head, breathing out to affirm that I felt bad. My wolf instincts took over, and I began to communicate as a werewolf would. I breathed in deeply, only to notice Misha's scent covering the werewolf's fur all over, as if Misha had been running his hands up and down him...my face wandered down near his crotch out of morbid curiosity. "Save yourself." He wheezed, closing his eyes. Startled, I jerked my face back away from his crotch. Misha's scent was indeed all over him. "I should have known this was coming. They promise you safety, a job, and then HE fools you into thinking he really cares...but what were the odds that he'd fall for one of his experiments?" The werewolf glared into my eyes, sending shivers down my spine, "How could I honestly believe it was a coincidence that most of us are gay?" Was he talking about Misha? He had promised me a job...he told me he cared...was it a trick? Was that what he had done to this werewolf? Did Misha use experiments that happened to be attracted to males to his advantage? My heart slammed against my ribcage, as if it were going to explode. I couldn't breathe. I began to shake again, and I nearly fell over. "It's all a fucking lie!" The werewolf growled angrily, "Get out! Leave me NOW!" He howled, thrashing around on the bed. I turned and ran. I knew I couldn't help him, not in the state I was in. Misha's poison was probably killing him, anyway. I couldn't stay there. Terrified, I dashed out towards the double doors. I continued to run. My legs burned and my lungs screamed for oxygen but I did not stop. I couldn't stop. I ran out to the courtyard and into the forest, up to the lookout point. Stopping dead once I reached the lookout point, I barely avoided falling off the edge. Part of me considered jumping off the edge out of pure fear of having to go back to that lab. The brief encounter with that poor "experiment" had launched me into a panic. I stood on the edge of the cliff and let out a howl. The howl echoed through the valley and sent every living thing around running. It was filled with fear and rage, and when it was over I sat panting. I fell to my knees and snarled, dry sobbing. If I were human, crying might have worked better...but as I wolf I sat with my face twisted into an agonized expression while my throat let out raspy growls. My entire body shook and I couldn't move. I had no idea what I was going to do. Focusing as hard as I could to calm myself, I tried to steady my breathing. So many regrets ran through my mind...trusting Misha, staying at the lab, and even coming to this damned planet! The realization of what Misha was doing hit me. He chose to work with males that were attracted to other males, gained their trust, used them, and the continued to do horrible things to them anyway. I begged myself to believe that it was different with me, but I was terrified. I had to wonder why he had chosen to target me, if this was what he was trying to do. I showed no outward attraction to him...I didn't even understand how human attraction worked until he introduced me to these new feelings. He had forced himself upon me and tried harder... This place was reminding me more and more of home...the experiments, the laboratory, the lies, the pain, the torture... I looked back towards the path that led to the lab...home. Perhaps my fear was causing me to overreact. Maybe this was normal here. I had been so sheltered when I first arrived; I had never seen the dark parts of this world. I swallowed hard. My emotions were out of control, and I needed to calm myself. I WAS overreacting. I needed to act like an adult. In a way, I felt immature and foolish for letting my emotions control my reactions this way... Everyone in the lab seemed to know about Misha. They did not care. This was normal. I must have been feeling hurt because Misha had potentially betrayed me. I would talk this out with him...and things will be fine. I tried to assure myself. I had gotten myself into this mess, and it was still better than home. Misha was treating me well, even if he was lying. I was being treated fine, and that was all that mattered. I inhaled deeply and was finally able to steady my breathing. I began to practice creating fire from the energy around me to take my mind off of it. Fire magic was always so calming. It had to be, otherwise you would light yourself on fire or cause an explosion. Watching the flames dance between my fingers soothed my mind. At least I could use magic here. I had always understood energy, but was never able to use it at home. I considered running away to Eldon, but I figured I might as well take a visit with the group before I made any decisions...worse things might happen in the village. I scratched at my downloaded information, but it was no help...as it cannot teach morals. I sighed, curling up on the branch that overlooked the valley. My body was drained from the adrenaline rush and the emotional outburst. Slowly, I dozed off in the warm sunlight. I would be okay; things would be okay...I just needed to put my emotions aside until I learned more about the morals of this planet.