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shadow_claw

1x1 with Pudding

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Earth drugs never worked on her. Not in the same way. 

 

Still, whatever had been stabbed into her system kept her dizzy enough from running. Even as she was hauled and lifted into a strange place, she was too disoriented. Too tired to change into something larger and fiercer to fight her way out. She kicked and wriggled, but it wasn't long until a bag went over her head. Classy. The world went dark, her restraints got tighter, and Namina had no choice but to lie still and wait. 

 

When the bag finally came off, she was in a blank white room. There was naught but a table (which she was strapped to) and a door. Great. She'd been minding her own business, eating lunch when she was grabbed. Now she was in some random ass building? Maybe this was that Area 51 all the Earth people joked about. A nervous looking person stood to the side of the table, their red hair swept back into a tight ponytail. They wore a lab coat and gloves, and flinched as Mina's glare reached them (him? she wasn't sure. Human "gender" was confusing and she didn't like it). She growled, straining against the straps pinning her down. Still too dizzy to change, unfortunately. 

 

As soon as the bag was removed, the stranger shuffled out of the room, the door locking behind them with a loud click. Good, she scared him off. Maybe it'd buy her some time to clear her head and get out of here.

 

---

 

"Miss Nano?" Orion wrung their hands, speaking softly into a comm unit stationed by the door. "The..."person" you wanted has arrived. She...seems to be fine, sustaining no injuries from transport. However, she's known to be volatile. Please be careful." 

 

 

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The communication unit crackled to life and her hand hesitated over the glass of whiskey she had been sipping to focus on to glance at the unit. The new subject had arrived safely, and without injury. She had already received the documents that indicated nobody had been harmed during the collection, but it was only now that the cocktail of drugs was wearing off that she finally had confirmation the subject had made it safely into the security of her stronghold without accidentally slipping into some kind of coma and dying. It wouldn’t be the first time such an error or oversight had been made, but when it came to dealing with extraterrestrials there simply wasn’t a good indication of how much or how little of the drugs they had to use. Too little and the aliens would scamper off, alerted to their presence and harder to unroot as a result. Too much and they didn’t have a living subject, but instead a deceased heap. There was still information to be found from the deceased, of course, but a living specimen was so much more fascinating.

 

Making a silent note to fix the crackling on the communication units-Honestly people they were scientists they could get some communication devices that weren’t distorted by static-Nano climbed to her feet. Nano, of course, was just a nickname based on the fact she was incredibly short, but while that nickname was just the remnants of her life before, it had still managed to stick around after all of this time. Not that she minded. Everyone in the labs tended to have some kind of nickname, so why not her as well? Besides, although she’d never admit it, it just sounded cool. Very scientific. 

 

“Wonderful,” She declared back to Orion through the communication device, picking up the glass of whiskey and downing the rest in one go with a shake of her head at the sharp burn. Barely managing to restrain a cough, she carefully slipped on her lab coat and exited her study, making her way through the laboratory towards where the subject was being held. “I’m on my way over. Make sure you record her vital signs so we can monitor her recovery as effectively as possible. Try to see if you can confirm if she can talk or not.” With that, she quickly tucked her communication device into the pocket of her lab coat and set off down the hall at a brisk walk, eager to come fact to face with their most recent 'visitor'.

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Orion listened in silence as their superior gave orders, teeth coming to gently bite their bottom lip. He didn't like this new subject. She was unpredictable at best. How Nano had even heard of this subject was a mystery. But the footage that had been captured in the city didn't lie. Multiple sights of her slipping in and out of forms effortlessly. It wasn't like how some of the subjects did it; her form rippled like water and settled like silk. Nano's creatures always writhed and shrieked and crunched. The worker was quickly jarred from their thoughts as Nano's voice crackled over the comms. 

 

"O-of course. Right away." An order to check her vitals. This...would not me fun. But, that's what the rubber gloves were for. Orion returned to the sterile room, this time with a small bag in tow. It wasn't much, really. It had a blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope, and a few...other things. They already had another dose of sedative prepped in the case she started getting...angry. Orion had very little to work off to get the dose right, and had gotten lucky. As soon as they entered the room, the woman's eyes snapped open. They tensed as the captive being strained against her restraints. Her skin rippled violently, olive skin flashing gray in patches. Nervously did they step closer, setting the little bag down and opening it up. 

 

As they retrieved the blood pressure cuff, Orion made the mistake of looking up. Six furious eyes bore into their very being. The woman blinked all six eyes at them, her lip curling back to reveal sharp, inhuman teeth. She spat and struggled as soft fur rippled over skin, nails sharpening into claws. Orion watched in horror as she seemed to double in size, only for her to falter and stop mid-transformation. The spell wore off quickly as exhaustion took over once more. Her form shimmered back into humanity, fur and fangs dissolving into her skin. All that remained of those haunting eyes were eye-like shapes to either side of her nose. Her two eyes looked cloudy and exhausted. 

 

Orion stepped forward once more, slipping the cuff around her arm and velcro-ing it in place. The captive hissed softly at the pressure on her arm, hands jerking in their leather cuffs. "125/90..." That was a little high, but could be accounted for by stress. Keeping the cuff secured, they slipped the stethoscope on and pressed it to the crook of her elbow. That, too, was pretty high. Unsurprisingly, she was very stressed about the situation. Satisfied, Orion removed both the stethoscope and the blood pressure cuff and set them back inside the bag. Nano should be here any minute now. "So...do you...have a name?"

 

The black haired woman scoffed, doing what she could to turn away. Even her forehead was secured, unfortunately. Like she was going to keep small talk with her jailor. She'd dealt with people like this...person. Even back on Oeshu, these sort of tests were routine for someone of her ilk. She skin prickled at the thought, rage boiling in her chest. They were all the same, these knowledge-seekers. Their motives were 'pure', but they only wanted soldiers. If she played weak and non-militant, perhaps she'd get out of this easier.

 

"You're stupid, trying to be friendly." Namina ran her tongue across her dry lips, scowling at the lack of teeth in her mouth. If she wasn't so damn tired, she would force her way out of here and rip this human apart. Crush its frail form under her claws, not even giving the human time to scream. But she couldn't. She was trapped here, in a painfully white room with a painfully boring attendant. She just needed to bide her time, and tear her way out of here. 

 

 

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Nano strode confidently down the halls, watching as the other scientists quickly moved out of her way, tending to their own research subjects. All sorts of things managed to make their way into the bounds of her city, and they all ended up here. This newest specimen was no exception, although she was particularly interested in this one. It wasn't often that she got an alien on her hands, especially one that was still alive. She was more excited than she had been for a while. Fortunately, the walk was short enough that it wasn't long before she was standing outside of the room. Picking up the file outside the door, she quickly pushed the heavy, metal door open and walked inside.

 

"Did you take the vitals?" She asked, ignoring the specimen for the moment to look at Orion. As excited as she was, making sure she was composed was more important, and it was easy to ignore the specimen in favor of getting the facts. Besides, she still needed to figure out what she wanted to do with this one. This opportunity just sort of fell into her lap, so she wasn't even sure what she wanted to do beyond getting a few samples for possible genetic testing, and then some potential chimera experiments. Holding the chart out to Orion so he could log the information, she finally turned to the subject and clasped her arms behind her back. Despite her stature, it was clear that she was in charge.

 

"Hello," She said, a smile forming on her lips that looked less like a genuine smile and more like the grin of a predator that had set its sights on prey. It was always impressive how she managed to put up such a charismatic front when talking to her employees. You didn't manage to take over a city without a bit of charm, though. Even if it did unnerve about half of the people she spoke to. "Welcome to my city. My name is Nano. You've been assigned the Subject Number of 15 during your stay with us here, although I have no doubt that my fellow scientists will come up with some kind of nickname for you in the first few days." She paused, glancing over the deceivingly human form the alien was taking in front of her. "Anyway, I have a few questions I'd love if you could answer for me. Are you able to speak?"

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Green eyes flicked the to the new person in the room as she entered. This woman...was very short. Compared to Namina's 6'3" form, it was almost laughable. With a slight grimace, she watched as the other, taller, person shuffled to write on a clipboard. This was just a minor inconvenience. If she stayed calm, she could think of an escape plan. 

 

Aaand there it was. Her name had no meaning here, not in a place of order and science. Shooting a glare at the red head, she sneered. 

 

At the mention of answering questions, Mina rolled her eyes and once again attempted to look away. She wasn't in the mood for this. She gets kidnapped, strapped to a table, and now they wanted to chat? Yeah, no. 

 

"Sh-she can talk. She chastised me for trying to be friendly." Orion piped up. They tapped their clipboard for emphasis. "She does seem to have um...attitude. You know the phrase, 'you can lead a horse to water'?" Indeed, with what show they'd witnessed before, Orion wasn't inclined to believe she would be eager to speak. 

 

"Miss Nano...I believe your theory is correct about her...abilties are correct. She, um..." They trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "Nearly adopted a new shape. I believe the sedatives are the only things stopping her." 

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"Fascinating," Nano replied, lifting her left hand to her lips and pressing the side of her index finger against her mouth in thought. She could talk, but she didn't seem to want to as Orion was the one to supply the information. Fortunately the drug cocktail had worked to keep her abilities to shape shift suppress. She sometimes questioned why the CEO made specific suggestions, but here she was thankful it had worked. Maybe he needed to make more suggestions, since the only other time he had sent her a notice was about the subject across the hall.

 

"She's due for another dose in an hour," She replied, pushing the thoughts of the shady CEO of Nano Labs out of her head. Not many people realized that she wasn't actually the real head of Nano Labs, only the head scientist. She was, after all, the figure the public was used to seeing since the CEO didn't actually make his appearance known to most people, her included.

 

He was probably just ugly.

 

"Come back in forty-five minutes to prepare the dose. In the mean time, go check on our friend across the hallway since he's due to be fed." The other living alien specimen they had collected, and the first one at that, had been with them for a few years at this point and had been extremely mellow from the start. No escape attempts, no injured scientists, nothing. The very model of a good test subject. If she had to guess he was probably very young since when they had pulled him out of his wrecked ship he had been crying in an incredibly human display, and hadn't stopped sniffling for weeks. Sometimes he cried during tests, and she had to keep relocating scientists who took one look at him bawling his eyes out and lost motivation to carry on with the experiments.

 

Turning back to the subject, shrugged. "If you don't want to talk, we can leave you be for a while. This isn't an interrogation, you know."

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There were several tense minutes of silence as Mina focused. She was so, so pissed. But she had to keep a grip on herself or god knows what awful form she'd get trapped in. Anger and drugs made for bad shifting. Flexing her fingers in and out of fists, she exhaled slowly. 

 

"Fine. Leave me alone." 

 

---

 

As soon as the room cleared did she immediately set to trying to bust out. Mina breathed carefully, focusing herself for a change. It was hard to keep her thoughts together. Being unable to focus on a form could be catastrophic. And, fairly ugly. She wouldn't get hurt, of course, but only partially managing a form was exhausting. The itch of a new form quickly overtook her as her skin rippled, sprouting soft, feather-like fur. She tensed as she felt leather strain against her growing form, readying herself. Okay, okay. This was going well-

 

A flash of white rooms and cold hands assaulted her memory. She remembered little about her upbringing, pushing all those awful thoughts down and into the darkness of her mind. Mina whined softly as she felt herself slip away from reality.

 

Warm, soft hands. A kind laugh. She loved being held by him. He bore many scars on his body, but his face was always so soft and caring. She loved him, loved his gentle words and soft embraces. It was as close as she would ever get to a father. 

 

---

 

Orion stepped into the room after about an hour with fresh gloves and several medications. "Sorry to bother you, it's time for-"

 

A creature hung hallway off the table, all limbs but one having broken the restraints. It sat there on the cold floor, curled up tightly. The massive thing was exactly like the creature they had witnessed before, all fur and claws and...sadness. It looked like whatever change she had attempted had failed halfway through, leaving a partially human look to her. Most notable was the dark hair that curtained over her face and fell down her shoulders. She was all hunched up, her free hand on her face. 

 

What small moment of weakness Orion barged in on dissolved instantly. Six eyes shot to the worker, their pupils shrinking to slits. The leather cuff holding her back snapped loudly, and in an instant, Orion was scrambling to avoid being killed. As the alien rose to her full height, a long tail swept behind her. She was huge, like this. Easily seven feet tall. Now that she was standing, her form rippled and completed to become even more fearsome. All gray, save for the eyes, she was truly a terror to behold. 

 

"Let me out." She snarled. She stalked forward slowly, teeth bared. Orion staggered backward with a yell, but they weren't fast enough. She was on them in an instant, a massive hand pinning them to the wall effortlessly. "Let me out, or I will stain this room red." 

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The resident across the hall had been with them for long enough that Nano had made his room much more comfortable for his particular needs. Generally speaking, his appearance was similar to an Earth axolotl, although several times larger, but clearly his species was at least somewhat aquatic. Putting him in a special cell with a sunken, concrete pool a few feet deep had absolutely improved his general health and well being. Which was good, because prior to a few hours ago, he was the only living extraterrestrial they managed to get their hands on. Over the years, he had absolutely mellowed out, making him a pretty reasonable test subject.

 

It even gave them the opportunity to teach him how to speak English, since for the first few years he had spent his whole time sobbing and babbling in some other language.

 

"Morning, Teddy," Nano called as she pushed open the door to the cell, carrying a plate of food. The surface of the water rippled as a pink, frilled head surfaced and stared at her with large, black eyes. "I brought you breakfast," She added, setting the plate down at the edge of the water. The alien quickly swam to the side of the tank and opened his mouth impossibly wide for a human before shoveling the food into his face and swallowing it all in one go.

 

Huh. Maybe they needed to increase how much they were feeding him.

 

"We brought in another extraterrestrial," Nano said as the tiny alien licked his lips. "After she settles in, I was thinking about bringing you in to talk to her. Help her calm down and get adjusted." Teddy nodded in response before pushing the plate back towards Nano to indicate he was done eating and retreating back into the small pool of water to paddle around in lazy circles. 

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After the incident where she had brutally murdered the staff member Orion, Mina had been put on lockdown. For a few days, at least. Nobody was allowed in the room, save for food and water being delivered through a slot in the door. And, Mina was bored. Given very little to do, she spent much of her time sleeping and pacing about her cell. Eventually, Orion appeared once more. 

 

The first look that appeared on her face was fear. True, unadulterated fear. She staggered back, pressing herself against the wall. Although Mina had resumed a human form, her four other eyes appeared in this burst of terror. Both hands flew up to her face, an animalistic shriek escaping her mouth. "You were dead! I-I..." She looked ready to faint from fear, her six eyes wide. She'd killed them. Tore their frail body and half and sprayed the room with blood. And now... "Y-you're...you're dead! A ghost! I killed you..." 

 

Orion smoothed out their lab coat, offering an apologetic smile. "Life and death...does not work the same way here." They replied carefully. "But I am very real. That much I promise." She was so peculiar, this alien. Although she could change forms with ease, she'd only shown them two. There was her human form, and likely her origin form. She could become a large, bipedal beast with gray fur and six eyes. Her ears and tail were long and frilled with soft, feather-like fibers. If not for the massive claws on her hands and feet and the serrated teeth, Orion could believe that her people were, in fact, rather peaceful. They'd taken her for X-Rays earlier, cataloging her bone structure and teeth. Her species was definitely omnivorous, with sharp teeth in the front of her mouth, and flat grinding teeth in the back. And judging by their running ability and stealth capabilities, they likely operated as ambush predators. 

 

It was all incredibly interesting to think about how their society operated. If they could relocate to Earth, they had to be advanced. But were they inherently social like humans? Did they operate in small familial groups like wolves, or have sprawling cities? Or were they loners, who only interacted to mate and share knowledge? There was no way to know, as Subject 15 had been wholly uncooperative in talking about her people. She herself was fascinating. She defied the very laws of conservation of mass, and remained wholly unharmed from taking larger or smaller forms! It was incredible. Her kind must tap into some energy source-something that allowed them to breach the laws of science itself! 

 

Orion cleared their throat, shaking themselves from their thoughts. They stared up at the alien, their gaze soft. She'd morphed from a partial alien shape to that of a full beast. sitting back on her haunches, her tail was swept across her feet uncertainly. "Nano would like you to meet another extraterrestrial." They explained carefully. "If you would extend your hands, please." 

 

Namina hesitated, her gaze unsure. They hadn't done anything to outright hurt her, but they had been taking a lot of blood. And running a lot of tests.  this display of immortality was...terrifying. What else were they hiding from her? They had been able to hold her back. Not even Oeshu could do that... 

 

"You aren't being forced." Orion reminded her carefully. "But, uh, it is time to draw another sample. Going to visit would delay that. She shuddered at the thought of more needles, her hackles rising. With this in mind, she shoved her massive hands forward. 

 

"Fine. Fine! Here." As soon as her hands were brought forward, a device flung from Orion's coat pockets and secured around her wrists. Two cuffs, all black save from the edges, glowed softly. Blinking down at Orion in confusion, they merely shrugged. "Nano wanted me to try them. Come on, I'm sure she's waiting." 

 

It must have been quite the sight, leading a behemoth down the halls of a building constructed for humans. She had to slouch quite heavily, her claws brushing the floor in such an effort. Even still, the soft white frills of her ears scraped against the ceiling. 

 

Orion opened the holding chamber carefully, hefting the solid metal door with surprising ease. While they entered the room with no problem, it took a lot of struggling to get Mina through. She had to shuffle in on all fours, and one inside, still had to be on her haunches. Her six eyes swept the room, each set focusing on a different person. The top set lay on Nano, the bottom on Orion, and the middle settled on the creature in the water. Immediately recognizing the form, the other four eyes snapped to him as well. Her fur stood up on end, claws flexing. She knew this creature. He was a price of a rival nation. And although she had long since abandoned her programming, the urge to kill was uncontrollable. 

 

With a roar, Mina lunged forward. She tore through the pool, thrashing and snarling. Her pupils had dilated to dark pools, face unnervingly blank as she tore after her quarry. Something awful had overtaken her. Something she herself could not understand. 

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Nano was standing quietly in the corner, a recorder carefully positioned in the pocket of her lap coat to document everything that was said in the room, while her hands were occupied with a paper and pencil, ready to document any other notes on the interaction. Teddy had agreed a few days earlier to the meeting, although it wasn't really like she had given him much of a choice about it. It was just another experiment and he had grown used to them over time. Fortunately, just meeting another extraterrestrial being would be easy. If he was lucky, maybe it was even Krykkian like him. His ship had lost contact with the empire before crash landing on Earth, so it was entirely possible that his people believed he was dead. Given that he hadn't seen any kind of rescue attempts, that was incredibly likely. But maybe this new arrival would be able to contact the empire. Maybe, after all of this time, he could finally go home.

 

Teddy surfaced in the tiny pool, poking his head just barely out of the water and glancing towards the front of the cell as the door swung open. At the sight of Orion entering, he lifted his head up a little more, craning his neck to see past him. He couldn't really made out the features of the alien trying to make it's way through the door, but based on what he could see, it clearly wasn't a Krykkian.

 

While he was incredibly small, Krykkians did grow much larger with age. In fact, they never actually stopped growing until they died, but grew so incredibly slowly it was hard to tell. Since they had been at war for so long, almost all of their eldest were dead, meaning the population was mostly comprised of shorter folks, although these were still around five feet tall. This creature was far too large, and was covered in fur of all things. But it wasn't until the creature fully slipped into the room and he finally made out it's face that his breath caught in his throat.

 

An Oeshian.

 

The creature caught sight of him and suddenly lunged forward, it's massive claws tearing towards him. His large mouth immediately opened and he sucked in a massive breath before screeching at the top of his lungs, producing an incredible amount of noise considering his small size, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Nano drop her pen and paper and cover her ears at the deafening sound. Scampering out of the opposite side of the pool, never once stopping his shrieking, he darted over to the wall before promptly climbing straight up the vertical surface, trying to get out of the way of those massive claws the Oeshian was swinging about. It was absolutely huge! Clearly, the stories were all true! It was going to tear him apart and eat his eyes and wear his frills like some kind of barbaric necklace! Screeching without pausing to draw a breath, he quickly scampered across the wall towards Orion, trying to find a hiding place and security behind him.

 

Grinding her teeth against the deafening noise produced by the small alien, Nano pried her hands away from her ears and slapped a button on her watch to activate the cuffs Subject 15 was wearing, hoping that Teddy would stop producing that head-splitting noise if Subject 15 was restrained.

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Orion move to act immediately, a hand reaching into their pockets and retrieving a device. A soon as the button was pressed, the cuffs around the Oeshian's wrists lit up with blue light. Mina, in question, didn't even seem to be phased by the screaming. She spun about wildly, mouth agape in a blank, predatory expression. A soon as those cuts went off, however, she jolted. A powerful shock, likely enough to kill. a man, landed her flat on her ass. She fell into the water with a splash, jerking and spamming as the last of the electricity faded. 

 

Oh, she didn't feel well. Namina sat up with a small groan, one hand on her head. Whatever spell had overcome her faded with the introduction of water. The scent had faded. That need in her veins ebbed with it. She sighed loudly, rubbing her face with both hands this time. 

 

"What...happened?"

 

"What happened? You lost it is what happened!"  Orion snapped. It was rare to see them upset, but the show had clearly frightened everyone, and Orion reacted with anger. Mina's large ears swiveled backwards, a cold realization creeping onto her face. The scientist wrapped a hand around Teddy, their face skewered into a scowl. Tail swishing idly in the water, Mina hunched over unhappily. 

 

"I just got...carried away." She mumbled, all six eyes coming to rest on her clawed feet. That hadn't been her wanting to murder that little pink thing. It had been Father. All his wishes, his agenda. Hardwired in her senses. Clearly unhappy with herself, her green eyes shot to the small child-like being hiding behind Orion. "You didn't tell me you had Nobility."

 

The scientist blinked, surprised. Nobility? While Teddy spoke of things like that...it all sounded made up. Like childish blabbering. Not that Teddy wasn't smart, he was just...a child. To hear it from another source was incredibly interesting. "Nobility? What do you know about Teddy?"

 

Mina stiffened, her upset expression going slack. At once, all the information she knew about the small alien came out of her mouth. She spewed information like vomit, unable to keep her mouth shut. 

 

"Xrykotsu the 2nd, Crown prince of Ardiak, Heir to the Krykkian Empire. Status: imminent threat. To be eliminated." Immediately after speaking did she clap both hands over her mouth. Both fear and confusion glimmered in her eyes as she stared at Teddy. Her tail lashed faster, splashing up small waves in her anxiety. She hunched over once more, burying her face in her chest fur. "I want to leave. I don't like this boy and I don't want to be around him." If she hid, maybe she'd just disappear. Running was the only thing she knew how to do, and she couldn't even do that here. All she had the ability to do was hide and hope it would all go away. 

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As soon as the beast went down, Teddy's shrill screaming cut short and he took large, rapid breaths in an attempt to fill his lungs again. His large, black eyes were still fixed on the creature that occupied his pool, his body tensed in worry that it may suddenly launch itself at him again. Orion wrapped a hand defensively around him and Teddy quietly grabbed ahold of the base of his lab coat, taking the security of hiding behind a larger being readily. He wasn't used to seeing an Oeshian up close like this, and it was terrifying having one only a few feet away from him. 

 

"Really?" Nano asked from nearby, having picked up her pen and paper at some point and was quickly jotting down a note. This was a good way to get Subject 15 talking, apparently, even if it did seem to make her upset to see Teddy so close. She wasn't about to let Teddy get hurt since he too was a valuable subject, but maybe this would be a good way to get them both to reveal a bit more. After all, if Teddy was a prince Subject 15 shouldn't be trying to kill him unless they were enemies. Teddy's response seemed to enforce that idea, since she had never heard him make such a noise before. "Do you know who she is, Teddy?" Maybe Teddy knew something about their newest subject, since she didn't seem to keen on saying anything herself.

 

"That's an Oeshian," Teddy said in response, sniffling loudly as he held Orion's lab coat tighter. "They're huge and they can shape shift and take down an empire without you ever knowing." He seemed to be closer and closer to actually crying as his face scrunched up slightly, his lips quivering as he tried to continue. "They capture Krykkians alive so they can eat their eyeballs and hang up our insides around their houses for their festivals and...and..." He couldn't speak anymore, instead tilting his head back and crying loudly. For some reason, the noise seemed to pierce even deeper than his earlier shrieks of terror, and Nano stiffened slightly before the clipboard fell from her hands.

 

"Hey, hey," She said, quickly said, suddenly fixed with the need to make him stop crying at any cost. "It's okay, Teddy. You're alright." Her words didn't seem to help since he just sobbed louder and, finding herself desperate now to stop the crying, she looked at Orion. "Do something!"

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Orion stiffened, turning and crouching beside Teddy. Both aliens were incredibly upset, though it seemed like Teddy was much more vocal about his distress. There was no doubt Subject 15 was upset. She seemed to be curling in on herself just had she had before...

 

Before they died. 

 

They shuddered, pushing away the thought. At Nano's command, they stood to face the large alien sulking in the water. 

 

"Subject 15, is this true?" 

 

"Namina." She was mumbling, her whole body fluffed up defensively. "My name is Namina." Rising out of the water, she climbed back up onto dry land and shook herself thoroughly. The alien settled in a corner, farthest away from Teddy. All six eyes settled on the group. Her tail moved to curl tightly around her body.

 

"Krykkians are manipulators. Liars. They use their voices and scents to control you. They warp your thoughts, your very mind...They killed an entire species by diving them to wipe out their own ships." Although it didn't seem possible, she bristled even more as she spoke. Her facial and ear frills made her out to look much larger than she truly was. She sucked in a shaky breath. "They killers. Genocidal." 

 

"I'm...Not a good reference for my species. Too...too big." She stood much taller than her ilk, a good few feet taller. She was larger in bulk as well. In general, Oeshians were built much like humans in size and stature. They might even be frailer than humans.

 

"They-Oeshians...they're Not normally strong. I am, because they needed me to be. Because of the Krykkians."  Namina curled inwards on herself further, her face almost entirely obscured by the fur of her neck and chest. 

 

Orion looked between Teddy and Mina, genuine concern creasing on their face. They both seemed terribly distressed to be in one another's presence. But how much of what they were saying was true, and how much was warmongering propaganda? Their previous death had been gruesome, yes, but swift. Namina hadn't relished in their suffering, and certainly hadn't gouged out their eyes. 

 

Looking at the frightened Oeshian, it was hard to believe she was capable of such violence. Orion knew first-hand how strong she was but this? This was different. She didn't look like a monster. She looked like...

 

She looked like a frightened child. 

 

"Namina...how old are you? What are you considered age wise among your people?" 

 

She hesitated, her ears raising slightly. It was a hard question to answer, because truthfully, she didn't know. When she escaped, she was considered a young adolescent. That had been almost fifty human years, however. "I...don't know. Late-stage adolescence. Maybe early adulthood. Time works...differently here." Mina spoke in barely a whimper, her green gaze wary and exhausted.

 

They'd been drawing blood often, and it showed on her face. That, combined with the sedatives and the heavy dose of electricity seemed to sap all of her energy. Alarmed, Orion spun around to face Nano. 

 

"They're kids, They're both just freaking kids!" Two children, both inheriting wars. Terrified of one another. It was heartbreaking to see. Orion ran fingers through their ponytail, nervous. How could this situation defuse?  "I think...I think they need a break from one another. They can come back and talk when they have level heads." 

Edited by shadow_claw

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"Don't yell at me!" Nano said, quickly raising her hands in defense. This entire thing was a mess. Of course, she had known Teddy as just a kid from the second they dragged him in. On top of being really small and having generally babyish features like large eyes and disproportionate limbs, he was very simple and blabbered on easily about things that others probably would have kept secret after she had taught him English. He was also incredibly trusting, and the second that he had woken up after his ship crashed into the Earth he had latched onto and clung to her like some kind of baby monkey. It was easy to look at him and just think of him as a human kid, but pinker and more amphibious. 

 

Namina, on the other hand, didn't look like a kid. She looked like a giant mole crossed with a bear with six eyes. But hearing her admit she wasn't even an adult yet by her species standards was weird. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time Nano Labs had experimented in less than legal ways, but now that Teddy was bawling his eyes out in the corner, she really did have to stop and reflect on it. "Look," She finally said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The CEO the one who ordered the specific expeditions that brought them both in, and the one who suggested they meet. If you're going to yell at anyone, do it at him." Except, that was impossible since the elusive CEO didn't even speak with her face to face. He only ever sent out formal, hand-written messages that were passed through the woodworks until they arrived at her desk. And he only accepted letters placed into a small mailbox outside of a door that never opened that served as his office. 

 

"But giving them time apart sounds like a good idea," She added. "Take Teddy and get him a glass of water. I don't think he's going to let go of your coat any time soon." She glanced pointedly at the small alien, who was still sobbing loudly as his fingers coiled tightly around Orion's lab coat, refusing to let go and generally holding a death grip on it. 

 

"T-that wasn't us!" He managed to say in between sobs, although the words were now accented by hiccups as well since he seemed to have cried himself into a hiccuping fit. "You were the o-ones who destroyed the Veh'ishue and now you're using their C-chimera technology to try to wipe us out too!" The mention of the third alien species didn't go unnoticed by Nano, but she elected not to say anything as Teddy buried his face into Orion's coat, his sobs now muffled just slightly by the fabric.

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"Okay, okay..." Orion relented, crouching and taking Teddy in their arms. He was hefted like a child, rested at their hip as Orion moved to leave. "Just...keep an eye on her, alright? We may have overdrawn..." If their intent was to keep her alive, they may very well be failing at that aspect. It was hard to judge her pallor beneath all that fur, but she had to be wrestled with to eat and keep her sugars up. That alone was worrisome. They squeezed out of the exit, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind them. As they walked, the taler scientist eventually settled Teddy in the only other secure lab. Unfortunately, it's was Subject 15's cell. They settled atop the bed with a sigh, pulling Teddy onto their lab. 

 

"I'm sorry, Teddy. I didn't know she would be so nasty to you." They rested a hand on Teddy's head, frowning. Something wasn't adding up. "Are these Oeshians...are they all like her?" Mina herself claimed to be abnormally large for her kind, but why? Were the Krykkians as dangerous as she claimed? Surely not!

 

---

 

Mina shifted her weight slightly as she was left (mostly) alone, her green eyes narrowing. Krykkians were liars. Of course they would tell their prince to lie about their war crimes. Perking her ears up, she glared at Nano. "He's been manipulating you." She hissed. She smoothed her fur down with her hands, wringing the water from her face. "They use pheromones to make you do what they want. I bet you don't even like him." All Krykkians were lairs. This one was no different. 

 

"I smelled it when he cried. You're just a sucker like the rest of them." 

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Teddy clung to Orion as he was lifted into the air, and quickly resumed burying his face into the fabric of their clothing. As they made their way down the hallway, he managed to gain control of himself enough to stop crying by the time they reached a new cell, and when Orion sat down on the bed all that remained was a glossy tint to his black eyes and somewhat irregular breathing. Wiping any remnants of tears away on the back of his hands, Teddy glanced up at Orion before quickly looking back down to his own lap, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

 

"Not all of them," He replied with a frown. "They...a long time ago there was another species called the Veh'ishue. After the Oeshians completely eradicated them from the star maps, they stole their technology and began experimenting on their own bodies so it would be easier to destroy their other enemies. Any that were born before the Veh'ishue were wiped out are still big, but not nearly that big!" Of course, he'd never seen them alive and still moving except for on video feeds. All the others he had been allowed to see in person were already dead. But this one was huge in comparison. His small hands squeezed into fists as he tried not to think about the massive creature just a few doors down the hallway. "They want to kill us all too, just like the Veh'ishue. You have to keep her away from me!"

 

----

 

"Pheromones when they cry?" Nano asked. Mina refused to say anything about her own species, but it seemed like she was entirely willing to talk about Teddy's kind. Ironic, since Teddy had been incredibly tight lipped. Even though he was a child, he apparently had been taught enough to keep his tongue tied when talking about his own kind. Anything else he was willing to blabber on about, but aside for saying they needed a lot of water to survive, he had kept his lips sealed about what he was. Even the name, Krykkian, was new information. "That does sound dangerous." She paused, thinking for a few minutes before tilting her head to the side.

 

"Can all of the... Krykkians do that? That hardly sounds like a natural ability." Maybe with a few good pokes, she could get Mina to talk more about this apparent war their two species were in, and reveal a bit more about whatever it was Teddy had said before Orion escorted him out the door. Whatever it was, it sounded more like a sneeze than a word. And, more importantly, whatever this 'Chimera' technology was. 

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Mina snorted, leaning forward. As her fur began to flatten, a look of disgust spread across her face. "Of course it's natural. They have glands-in their skin and eyes." Their mouths, probably, too. "Their skin is soft and easy to tear, but is so thick with mind-altering hormones that they MUST be handled while in sterile clothing." She cast Nano a distasteful look, all eyes raking over the clean, yet clearly unsuitable clothing she wore. They'd likely been exposed for so long, Teddy could but say a word and they'd race to finish the command first. The Oeshian stepped closer, sniffing the air cautiously. The scent was no longer overbearing, and she could keep her head clear. 

 

She curled her lips back, flashing massive canines as her thoughts drifted to her home. Yes, she hated the Krykkians, but she hated her own species just as much. But if she was to speak of them...the woman before her were surely search for Mina's ship, and try to contact them. And that was out of the question. "If that Prince knew anything about his own biology, he would know their flesh is incredibly toxic." Not in the usual sense, of course. But all those chemicals they produced caused massive complications to the Oeshian endocrine system. "No Oeshian would eat, let alone approach a Krykkian without a ventilator and proper protective equipment."  

 

"They're evil, lying, drugging megalomaniacs!" Just like that, she was bristling again. "They killed all of the Veh'ishue! Made them kill themselves!" Her voice raised to a hiss, fear and anger blazing in her eyes. The Veh'ishue were by no means peaceful beings, but her people had been attempting a negotiation. That all flew out the window after the Chimera project was revealed. At that point, genetic experimentation on intelligent beings had been considered a crime. After the first wave of the project's results came onto the battlefield, however... 

 

She was proof that morality was a loose construct in times of war. 

 

---

 

So that proved that. Subject 15 was absurdly large for her species. And a...Chimera project? Subject 15 herself mentioned that her species needed her to be that large. "Are you saying..." Orion frowned, a hand coming to cup their chin. "She is a soldier, then." Or some sort of test subject. NO wonder she responded with such animosity towards needles and the like. Hell, they were torn in half when they first presented a syringe-based sedative to her.  "And these... Veh-eesew? They were at war as well?" Subject 15 had reacted quite angrily as the accusation of wiping this third nation out. What was this war even over? "I'm sorry, Teddy. If I had known what her species meant to you, I wouldn't have put you two in the same room." 

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"So the Krykkians killed off this other race-the Veh'ishue-and then came after you?" It certainly sounded like a horrible kind of species, but only minutes before Teddy had been sobbing hysterically into Orion's coat and Mina had torn through the room in a rampage. Still, Teddy was apparently a prince. Maybe it was worth it to her kind to try to eliminate such an outstanding enemy at the cost of one of their own. Still, the alien seemed adamant that Teddy's species could control people just with these pheromones. Considering Teddy had been bawling his eyes out, it might be worth it to get a change of clothes. 

 

After she got as much information as she could, of course.

 

"How long were you all at war? A few years?" Modern Earth wars tended to last a few years to maybe a decade or so before fizzling out, but that didn't mean that tensions weren't constant. If war was hosted on an intergalactic scale, it easily could go on for longer, right?

 

----

 

Teddy nodded quickly, a frown quickly forming on his face. "The Veh'ishue...weren't very nice. The war with them started long before I was born, but suddenly the Oeshians took their form and used it to sneak on board all of their ships and made them explode. They even destroyed their home planet. We sent our ships out to look for survivors, but there weren't even any dead to recover. Everything was gone in an instant." He shook his head with a sigh. He had been young when the once terrifying Empire had been lain low by a surprise attack, but it was clear who was at fault. Even if the Veh'ishue were terrifying, it didn't justify killing them all. Surely not the children. But meeting the Oeshian face to face clearly reinforced they were willing to do anything, even attack someone as young as him.

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The Oeshian nodded, sweeping her tail in a wide arc. "They single-handedly destroyed the largest empire in the galaxy..." From what she had been told, Oeshian search and rescue found no survivors. There was hardly even debris to pick through. Just...destruction. 

 

"I didn't mean to attack him." Mina blurted out. It had been weighing heavily on her thoughts, the way she lost control. His scent forced herself into a small corner of her mind, and her body had moved on auto pilot. "They're terrible, awful things, the Kyrkkians...but I-I..." She sucked in a heavy breath, smoothing her own bristling fur down. Now was not the time to get emotional. "I'm a weapon." The uncertainty, the fear in her own voice was disgusting. Mina was tired and sore and overwhelmed; she wanted Nano to leave her alone so she could sleep. She sighed loudly at her own conflicted feelings. The alien growled to herself, curling inwards once more. 

 

"There. I've told you what you want. Leave me alone." 

 

---

 

Total devastation...of a whole species? Mass extinction like that...it was unthinkable. Sure, it happened on Earth years millions of years ago, but one that was man(alien) made? It was horrible to think about. Orion's frown deepened as they puzzled this over. What they needed to do was keep Subject 15 from going on a rampage well before they found the bottom of his contradicting tale. Hopefully Nano...They couldn't stand the thought of having to clean up another body. Especially one of their...friend? No, not a friend. They didn't engage socially and only interacted when it came to research. But Nano was small, and that alien was massive and powerful. She had left score marks in the concrete from where Orion had been killed.  

 

"I know you're tired, Teddy. Thank you for talking to me about this. If you'd like, I can leave you be for now."

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Teddy sniffed slightly but crawled off of Orion's lap to lay down on the bed. It wasn't his normal pool of water, but he was tired and he did want to sleep after that scare. He didn't feel safe knowing an Oeshian was in here with him, but what could he do? At the end of the day he was still stuck here with his entire homeland likely thinking he was still dead. Even if Orion was nice to him, he was still a prisoner. At least he could likely rely on the fact that they probably wouldn't want him dead, and would do their best to keep that Oeshian away from him. Still, he didn't actually think they would be able to keep her restrained for long. There was a reason that Krykkians didn't have any Oeshian prisoners. Trying to keep something contained that could shape shift was beyond them.

 

"You can go," He replied, closing his eyes and looking away from Orion. "But you aren't safe as long as it's here."

 

----

 

"Very well," Nano replied, slipping out of the room and closing the door behind her, before quickly making a bee-line down the hallway, adding a few notes to her report before tearing the page off her notepad and folding it up neatly. Slipping it into an envelope, she signed her name before sliding the note into a small box attached to the wall. After hours, someone would come around and deliver the note to the CEO. Or, at least, that's what she assumed happened. Probably. Maybe the CEO himself actually went around and checked the little boxes, or maybe there was a mail system that delivered them directly to him. Either way, he ended up getting anything put inside the box, so he would receive her report about the incident between the two aliens.

 

But at least they were making some interesting discoveries. Even if the CEO hadn't ordered them to actually find out information about the two species, uncovering this kind of information was fascinating. The CEO just seemed concerned with actual experimentation, although he had been incredibly satisfied with the results of the cloning project when they had introduced it a few years back. He was pushing for more projects now though, which was a bit annoying but still manageable.

 

Sniffing her lab coat, she reflected on Mina's words before deciding it was better safe than sorry, and went to go find a change for both herself and Orion.

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Someone was at the front office. 

 

That wasn't unusual, as that was how most staff entered the building and punched in their hours. However, this person was incredibly unusual. It was no face anyone recognized, which was troubling. After all, the city folk were too frightened or too apathetic of NanoLabs to actually enter the research facility. So, this stranger was an outsider. This usually wasn't a problem, except they proved to be knowledgable. Dangerously knowledgable. 

 

A young adult, presumed to be not more than twenty, stood before the main desk. They looked (and dressed) incredibly androgynous, and had wild, dark green hair. Moreover, their outfit was just...strange. They wore massive goggle-like glasses, heavy gloves and boots, and what looked like...a government uniform. Moreover, the stranger bore markedly similar eyespots beneath their eyes. Clearly frustrated, they slapped a briefcase on the desk with a sigh. 

 

"I know it's against protocol to let me in! But I-" They paused, snapping open the case to reveal a signed warrant. From the FBI. This stranger was trouble in every sense of the word. "I have a warrant from the Federal Bureau of Investigation! I believe you may be harboring a fugitive and I must be allowed in!" 

Edited by shadow_claw

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"I heard you the first time," Nano snapped as she made her way down the hallway at a brisk pace, several concerned employees trailing nervously after her like worker bees buzzing about their queen. And, for all intensive purposes, she was queen. The CEO was little more than a mysterious donor who those who even knew he existed, and more simply assumed Nano herself owned the entirety of NanoLabs based on name alone, as well as the fact she was much more public about her appearances. Hell, she was literally the face and name of NanoLabs. The only people who really knew she wasn't the true head of NanoLabs was extremely restricted, and even then they didn't actually know his name.

 

That was a secret only Nano knew, and held close to her chest considering that had been the terms of going into business with him. A strange request, sure, but in the face of a large some of money needed to kickstart her laboratory, she was more than willing to accept. 

 

Of course, that had been many years ago now, and look how far they had come. NanoLabs was thriving and she had the entire city under her thumb. The police worked for her, the mayor had been elected by her, and all of the citizens were pleased enough with the new tech NanoLabs provided them to ignore whatever happened inside the secretive organization. And to the few that did try t snoop...well, the city streets weren't safe at night. Accidents did happen to those who didn't learn to stay in their own lanes. 

 

"Good morning," Nano said as she strode into the main entrance to NanoLabs that usually went unused except by employees on their way to work, quickly noting the one person who obviously didn't belong. She didn't extend a hand to him, but rather shooed away the employees that were chattering nervously behind her, waving them each back to their stations. "I am Nano, head scientist of NanoLabs. Can I help you?" Of course, she already knew exactly what was going on here, but it wouldn't be the first time some government had tried to come after them. They wouldn't find anything in the building, though. Or, at least, nothing listed officially on any blueprints. All of NanoLabs more....sensitive content was safely filed away were only those authorized to do so would be able to find it. All they'd find on a tour would be the daily, front business of the company, which was almost entirely tech-based. Cell phones, computers and the occasional humorous stab at a shrink ray.

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The stranger turned immediately as Nano entered the room, bright green eyes focusing on her. Snatching a clipboard from their briefcase, they moved forward immediately and extended to warrant to her. "Likewise. Unfortunately, I am not here for formalities." They had to stoop somewhat, being a decent head taller than Nano. "That is a warrant of information. I require your entire list of staff, as well as a copy of the last month's inventory." Now that they had seemingly gotten what they wanted, the stranger had resumed a calm and fairly businesslike demeanor. For their apparent age, it was shocking to see such a change in composure. 

 

"As well as an official tour of the building, if you wouldn't mind."  They only needed a quick look inside the labs. Not to actually prove they were committing crimes or anything like that. What were they, a cop? No way. They had a very specific mission, far beyond that of this planet's. They just needed a hair, a scent, anything to prove they were on the right track. And this lab would certainly do that. 

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Nano frowned slightly as the clipboard was thrust at her, but took her time in scanning the document while never actually taking the clipboard. "Oh dear," She replied after a second before looking up at the stranger, clearly not intimidated by the clear size difference between the two of them. She'd faced down taller and more intimidating than this fellow and their outrageously colored hair. NanoLabs didn't wipe out the local and global markets by having a weak-willed head. Setting a hand on her hip, she tutted softly, bringing a hand up to her cheek as if she was observing a terrible tragedy and not something that she was clearly pleased about.

 

"Unfortunately, NanoLabs is not actually private business," She replied, tilting her head to the side. "While we did start off as a private organization, we've since begun a partnership with the city of Evenard, meaning that any kind of need to collect the sensitive information our company handles would have to start with the city's local government. Preferably the Sheriff's office, although the Mayor may just be willing to lend an ear. It'll all trickle up to them eventually, no matter where you start." She paused for a moment, shifting her hands to clasp them behind her back. "I'm sure Steven would be more than willing to give you the Sheriff's, or the Mayor's number," She added, gesturing to the receptionist sitting behind the desk. "Unless, of course, you realize that there's simply no way a company that focuses on technological advancements could possibly be harboring a fugitive that you haven't yet specified. In fact, as far as I'm aware, no fugitives have been seen in the area surrounding Evenard for some time now, aside from petty thieves that the Sheriff's office has taken care of. Nothing that would involve the FBI." Once more, Nano returned to shaking her head like she wasn't actually dealing with a representative of the FBI who was much taller than her, but rather a child who she had caught trying to pilfer a cookie from the cookie jar. 

 

"So what'll it be? NanoLabs doesn't offer public tours for obvious safety concerns of both you and our staff, but I wouldn't mind showing you to the Sheriff's office to help you get started on acquiring the proper clearances. If they decide there is probable cause, of course." Which they wouldn't, considering that NanoLabs had elected all of the officials currently serving, and they had been the ones to put the new Sheriff into place as well as all of their staff. There wasn't a person in Evenard that would take some outsider's side over theirs. She ran this city, and no one was getting inside her fortress.

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That was a flat-out lie. The stranger lived in a world of politics and legal jargon; this Nano woman was very politely telling them they had no chance in hell to get what they wanted. The young adult retracted the paper, inhaling deeply to assuage their frustration. They froze as a familiar smell registered, eyes wide. It clung to the woman's clothes thinly, but it was enough.

 

That was...That was Namina! Their sibling reeked of fear, hurt, distrust. But she was here. And she was alive. 

 

That was it! YES! Their suspicions had been correct! In that moment, it took a lot of willpower not to shout with joy. Oh, they had to Father! The green-haired stranger tossed the rest of their belongings into their briefcase, snapping it shut loudly. 

 

"Yes...I apologize for the inconvenience." They took the case into both hands, doing their best not to scramble out the door. Father would be thrilled to know Namina was alive! 

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