Subject #5: part 1
#1 of Subject #5
Subject #5
The Beginning
January 1, 2000 0100 Hours, Head Scientist of Area 51
My Proposal Approved
My proposal was finally approved! I have found a parent that is willing to give up her child in the following weeks. It will be one of five children to be taken in. These children will be the best the military can offer, from genetic modification to extensive training in hand to hand combat, and survival training. They will be the best of the best. We are also planning to make sure they can never truly get away. Subject # 1 is a male bear. He will be probably the worst one of them all because he would be the primary test subject. We will see all ramifications it causes to his physical body.
January 31, 2002 1200 Hours, Head Scientist
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Subject 1&2
Subject 1 is doing just fine. He seems to be responding better than we originally thought. We have now received subject 2 we paid another million dollars to the mother who allowed us to take her child and to keep her mouth shut. If she talks there is an immediate response team to take her out. After the Watergate incident the president decided to make sure nothing was leaked to the press.
January 15 2006 0000 Hours Head Scientist of Area 51
Separation and isolation
Subjects 1 and 2 are getting too close to each other. We have decided to make them cold hard, indiscriminate killers. They need to not trust anything or anyone. We have decided it best to build separate faculties for each one and teach them to be ready. Also they have now started becoming more adventurous so we have put anklets on their legs to follow their movement inside and outside the base.
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January 16, 2021 1359 Hours, Head Scientist of Facility 27
Subject 5
This subject has not been an easy one to handle. She constantly is rebelling. She never follows orders and she keeps talking about freedom. She is also the best trained of them all she could probably kill subject 1 or as the soldiers have come to call him # 1. That's all they are to the soldiers, number this and number that. I think my detachment is because of how I've destroyed their lives. Anyway, she is loose inside the facility without her tracker so she could be anywhere. She could kill any of us easily. She however shows restraint, something the others have never shown. She put three into critical condition but it is almost assured they will live.
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Subject #5
I woke up today remembering that I wanted to break loose, I've thought about it for weeks, I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life. So I ripped off the anklet, which I have equated to a trap in this damned place. I ripped it off it wasn't that hard I just had to have determination. I then opened the air duct and started crawling in the direction I hoped was up which just means I had to climb up seventeen floors. Thank god they made me wear bells for all of those years. I took those with me by the way, I always liked them.
I have only seen one of my species besides myself. They are not rare by any means it's just they tend to stay in Africa. I am a Caracal, meaning black ears. I am only 5'7" and that's with my genetic modifications, I weigh about 220 pounds and I have a foot and a half long tail. I hate this place I need to get out of here. First of all I need to stop on the fifth floor and get a taser. It's going to hurt like hell but I need to do this.
I looked through the vent in the armory and made sure there no guards or cameras inside. I then removed the vent grating and climbed down. I found the locker I was looking for and ripped the lock of it off. I cut my paw just a bit, not enough to stop me. I grabbed a functional taser, held it to my neck and pressed the button. A few minutes later I pulled the taser away from my neck; That had hurt more than I thought it would. I decided to use the elevator this time.
I moved quickly down the hallway. I decided to put more emphasis on the speed then stealth. They wouldn't be allowed to kill me, I know that much. I chose this elevator because it led out into the forest. I also know there is a camera inside it. I looked in to the camera and gave a rude finger gesture and said "I hope you go to hell."
Lark
It's hot
That's the only thing going through Larks 1 year old mind. The apartment she lives in is on fire and her parents died in their sleep. The firemen save her and the blanket she's wrapped in. Carrying her down the ladder they go to hand her off to the paramedics but the fireman carrying her is told to put her on the back of the truck, they've got a problem, so he does. But she knows how to walk, she knows how to crawl and climb too, she's a lizard climbing is easy for her and that's she what she does, she climbs off the fire truck and walks away with the blanket that's wrapped around her not hindering her much because her parents never wrapped her feet since she kicked a lot and got them tied up too much. The fireman that rescued her died after he got called away from a beam falling on him and splitting his head open, she was never reported missing because she was presumed dead, her name is Lark.
12 years later
Sitting against a wall I wanted something to eat so badly, the last homeless shelter I had been at was demolished for a parking lot 2 weeks ago. I had been kicked out of the last orphanage I lived in for pretending I was a boy like my coloration and figure suggested.
Watching as someone walked by I saw they had a McDonald's bag and said "Can I please have some food?"
Looking over the woman said "Honey, look at him, he's so young, give him a burger."
Waving his hand the man said "Burger, I'm gonna give him a shower, come on, kid." He said while offering his hand.
Taking it I said "My name is Lark, I'm a girl."
That was the day I met Lori, I didn't stay with them much, even though they offered, I took them up on it every once in a while when I needed to help their daughter, they didn't push but they tried to have me around more often then I came by. Thanks to them I started going to the same school as Lori.
5 years later
Taking the chance to look in a mirror for once I cleaned up some of my scales. I loved my burgundy gold scales but they tended to draw the wrong idea considering my body shape. My name is Lark and I'm an Oriental garden lizard whose coloration is like that of a male's instead of a female's, and even though I'm already 18 I still have no curves to speak of.
"Hey Lark, hurry up, I know you don't get to see yourself often but come on, you said you were going to help me with my English paper, a paper you already finished I might add." That's my friend Lori, she's an average student who asks me for help in English and whose place I stay at when her parents let me. Getting to shower is rather nice, at least I don't have to find a way to pay for food since I'm still in high school.
Turning I said "Sorry, just that was my first shower in a few weeks, I was starting to shed too."
Shivering she said "That's gross."
Looking her up and down I said "You're going to be molting in a few weeks, maybe a couple months."
Shivering she said "Don't remind me!"
I just laughed and sat down next to her and told her what she needed to change with what she had down.
5 weeks later
I'm so happy to be here! That's all I can think about.
"I'm proud to present our students who have earned full scholarships."
He said several names but I didn't really notice them because I heard my name. I had earned a scholarship! There wasn't anyone in the crowd for me to wave at like the others so I kind of just waved at everyone. Walking up I stood next to the others and received the certificate that said I had earned a scholarship. After that we sat down again and waited through a couple other announcements.
"These are our students who attended this school without a home, they had to study from school and some of them only ate when they attended our school. We are proud to present them with a year's lunches from a nearby public cafeteria."
Once again I didn't pay much attention to who else there was but he said my name again and I walked up and took the card from him, it even had my picture so only I could use it!
"And finally we are proud to present our top 5% of students."
I didn't expect to hear my name this time, but he said it, he said my name. Walking up there I was thinking about how I could have sworn that I had failed math.
8 weeks later
The collage I'm going to in a few weeks wants me to have a physical done because I was a street kid who had never gotten one before. If I didn't have anything dangerous they were giving me free room and board and I was going to get a part time job in the café to earn some money and pay for my books.
Sitting on the table I heard the door open and looked at the young Lioness who walked in with one of my eyes before turning to face her.
"Hello," she said while reading my physical description on her clipboard. "You're 4'9" with a 7' tail, you weigh 98 pounds, a little light, you have orange eyes, red gold scales, no spines on your back but some on the end of your tail, unusual, you have no sac on the bottom of your jaw, you have clear lower eyelids, not common in your species, I see here that you are indeed a female despite your coloration and figure, androgynous, if you could please remove your clothes."
Having been raised on the streets my first response to that question is to run, but I know she's a doctor so I master that urge and take off my shirt and pants that Lori's parents had bought me as a graduation present. I remove my sports bra and panties as well and she looks at me with clinical precision and checkmarks another box before saying "You are certainly female, your species has external organs for males, you do appear underdeveloped but that's to be expected with the combination of your race and being homeless, you were never given the proper nutrients you needed to develop. Now if you'll sit back up there and lay back with your legs spread."
Hesitating I did as she said. Grabbing a metal tool of some sort she walked towards me and bent over the end of the table. Coming up to me she used the tool to part my slit. Peering inside she got back and said "Turn over" while getting a glove.
It lasted for hours, her telling me what to do endlessly and my obeying until she finally was satisfied and told me to put my clothes back on. "You're undernourished and slightly underdeveloped, but other than that you're a perfect bill of health." Holding out her hand she said "I'm your tutor, the school assigned me to help you learn about your body, you missed a lot of the physical education crap that you were supposed to learn, oh, and I'm the school nurse, my name is Lauren." I shook her hand and smiled back.
2 weeks later
Grabbing the last of my stuff out their car I said thanks to Lori and her family and adjusted my backpack and walked up to the door. Hopping out of people's way was easier outside, especially now that I had the experience from high school. Getting to the doors they both opened and a crowd of people began to flow out. Reacting I grabbed the top of the door near me and used my tail to pull myself up with the light above me, not strong enough to hold the luggage with me I put it on the bars between the doors.
"Having fun?" I heard someone ask.
"Not really, haven't had to do this since I ran from child services 6 years ago."
"Sounds like a story, mind telling it some time?" same voice, it sounded familiar.
Looking up, from my point of view, I saw Lauren looking up with an amused look on her face. "You're enjoying this aren't you, but you're right, it's quite a story."
Getting down with the people below me gone I grabbed my bag and she said "You're fairly lucky I'd say, your species doesn't have detachable tails so you can pull stunts like that."
Turning around I tossed my bag to her, "You want to hear the story, carry the bag."
Shrugging she pushed down the handle since she didn't care if she used the wheels. "This bag weighs about as much as you do." She said while opening the door for me.
"Which is why I couldn't hold it, I can only carry about 110 pounds, now then, I was running from them because I was on the streets. They wanted to bring me in and put me with a family, I really didn't want that, I'm a very self reliant person, I mugged a few people to stay alive, but to tell the truth, I was happier on the street, I had a family of sorts, and they offered to adopt me, and I lived with them for a while but I was happier living on the street, it was hard, but it made me work to live, and I know it probably doesn't make sense, but I want things to do."
"So child services were trying to get me off the streets, I was 13 and 14 while they were chasing me, sometimes it was amusing, because they tried to follow me by scent and they found dumpsters, they found other people living on the street before they found me, it ended up being pointless, I didn't take showers that year because the only time I did they nearly caught me, I hate not showering. I shed 16 times that year, it sucked, when you don't shower you shed more, I didn't notice it when I was younger because I didn't really shed much."
"You don't start really shedding until about 11 or 12. I mean you..."
"I know, I read everything about my species that I could find in the school library, they're fairly well stocked on most species. And yes I know there's a law, at any rate. Child services did catch me at one point, at that is when I realized I want to be a social worker, maybe a psychiatrist, I love kids, and I have a different perspective than most of those idiots, I've done drugs, I've been lucky enough to be a person who doesn't get addicted to things, I drained a bottle of vodka that someone had thrown away because it was winter and even if I wasn't actually warm I felt warm."
"Your body is amazing then, because you don't have any signs of having done drugs, or alcohol, well, maybe your liver does, but you're young, your liver can heal."
Stopping I looked at her and said "How old are you?"
Smiling she said "You noticed, I'm 24, I completed medical school 4 years ago, I graduated high school at 14, I finished medical school in 6 years. Sorry, kind of a genius."
"You're certainly down to earth, is this why they assigned you to me, because you're close to my age?"
Shrugging she said "That, and I'm one of the only women doctors in this city who would take the offer."
Scowling I said "How much are they paying you to be my tutor?"
Thinking for a second she said "2 dollars, it would probably be more for someone who didn't already work for them."
1 year 6 weeks later
"I'd love to be an assistant in your office!" I said enthusiastically to my psychology professor.
Grinning he said "You won't be paid, and you probably won't get a case for a couple months, but you'll learn what goes on in the office, and perhaps we'll hire you when you graduate, you're an assistant social worker, congratulations."
4 weeks later I met her, and she changed my life.
Subject 5
After a few minutes I heard some talking so I climbed up the nearest tree. The lowest branch was about 8 to 9 feet up, and there I perched myself in wait. The patrolling guard walked right under me I gripped the branch and swung from behind him and kicked him right between the shoulder blades. He fell over but I hit him as hard in the ribs as I could while he was falling, I heard crunching and hit him with a knockout punch just to make sure he wasn't getting up. I left the assault rifle, I'd stand out like hell with that. I did however take his 60 pound pack, dart pistol, and a combat knife. I like the way his hat looked so I took it and it actually fit me, that never happens, it never did when I stole other hats. It must be my lucky day.
I then started running the distance from here to civilization. When I heard guards approaching I took cover behind something, anything to hide me. I then found a road leading to town so I started following the main road. Then I finally arrived at the town and kept going till it looked like the places had been through a war and were hardly in good shape. I am sure this place looks worse in the daytime. I found a dark ally and decided to hide there for the night.
I grabbed out one of the rations and poured some water into the pouch. I then mixed it around with the plastic fork. It was the military substitution for spaghetti it tasted better than the chicken ration. I then took my hat off and decided to try and get some sleep. I used the backpack as a crude pillow and slowly drifted off to sleep in this alien world, because even here it was better than that place.
Morning came and went, when 5 awoke she was roused by a light shake on the shoulder. She immediately thought someone was trying to take her back. She jumped near ten feet in the air and pulled the dart pistol which she had discarded the darts for anyway, anyone they sent now wouldn't be taken down so easily. I then pointed it at the only thing in sight.
"If you want to shoot me then go ahead but I want to help you somehow, you can live on your own if you want, I did, but I don't think you really want to shoot me, even if you have killed before, I've done nothing to hurt you, only offered to help, if you don't want me to go ahead and keep pointing that gun at me, I'll just walk away, Lark said in a calm tone.
"You're one of them aren't you," I demanded half scared and threatened.
"My name is Lark, no last name, I never joined a gang, I never became one of 'them', whoever they are," Lark replied smoothly.
"Don't give me that. You sound like one of them ," I said.
Shaking her head she said "Sar, fergot what it was te not need to talk smoothley, fel betta now?"
"I don't want to go back there," I said.
Crouching down she held out a card in her long tail and said, "Here, take a card, if yeh want help I'll answar tha." dropping the card she stood up and walked away.
"Wait, don't go, I don't know how to use a phone," I yelled to her.
Turning back she says "Do you trust me enough to let me help you?"
"I guess I have no choice, but if you turn me into them, the next time I get out I'll kill you," I said to this strange reptile with the coloring of a male but a female voice and scent.
Offering her hand she says "We'll go back to my dorm room, my roommate won't mind, isn't the first time I've done this, my professor can help."
Dropping the unloaded dart pistol and accepting the hand in a firm grip, "Just don't mess me over," I said and hoped that this will lead somewhere good...