Recoil: Chapter 4, Aftermath
I couldn't breath. Everything was blurred white and the sound of rushing steam was overwhelming. I tried moving, but with no avail, as if my muscles were not obeying my brain. What is going on!? I yelled in my head, not having the vocal ability to speak.
"Get him out, there's no use putting him back in sedation." I heard a faint voice over the steam and pressure. My arm started to get feeling back, I lifted it into my view to see I was still the panther I thought I was. Fuck, I don't know. I don't know where I am or what's happening...
A large pane of glass slid away in front of me, causing me to fall out of this pod. Hitting the ground was like getting hit by a car, my mis-used nerves fired for the first time in who knows long. I squeezed my eyes from the pain. I lay sprawled on the white, almost glass-like floor, trying to pull my mind and body together. I growled a bit, and then rolled over my chest, pushing up only to vomit a mixture of blood and some purple substance. Once my gagging and choking faded, I tried once more to speak. "Where am I!? Who's there!?" I released in a raspy voice. Two men in black spec ops gear came into my now-clearing field of vision. One kicked me hard in my side, sending me sliding on my back, Arggh! The other grabbed my arms and slapped a plastic-nylon cuff on my wrists, then heaved me upright. "Move" He spoke, pushing me towered an open door. My hind legs still had not fully recovered from lack of use, so I fell back to the floor in a painful heap. Once again, the man pulled me back up and shoved me through the doorway, into a hallway that looked almost like the room I was just in. I tripped over my paws, catching myself on a wall. I steadied myself, "What's going on-"was all I could get out before I felt the prongs of a Taser being jammed into me chest, sending thousands of painful volts into my body. I roared out in pain, slammed my side on the floor once more. "Don't fuck with me animal!" The Russian accented man barked at me. I decided to keep my mouth shut. My head was pounding with blood rushes, questions, thoughts, pain. So much pain.
Every few feet I couldn't get myself together long, before I was hammered in my back with the butt of an automatic rifle, kicked in the legs, or punched in my head or neck. I'm fairly sure I could physically take this much abuse, but every time it started hurting a little bit more. I began to notice small drops of blood fall from my maw and body, tainting the perfect angelic floor with my crimson.
Finally, we made it to into a cozy looking office room, with two large crystal windows surrounding a gas fireplace, a massive wooden desk neatly stocked with papers and various computer instruments was placed a few feet from it. I was grabbed one final time, and thrust into a soft leather couch, which after my walk of shame, felt like haven. I was breathing heaving, my throbbing chest muscles tending and releasing tension to fuel my burning lungs. I just let my head and snout drop, to rest on the the sides of the couch, one eye weakly looking at the young looking man, dressed finely in pinstripe black business clothes, who sat behind the desk. "My name is Jacob Windsnarle. CEO of the Windsnarle genetics and biotechnology research facility." I just looked at him; my mind was out of control. Nothing but a muffled grunt left my jaw after his introduction. "I'm terribly sorry if my men have harmed you in the process of transporting you to my office, they were told you were extremely dangerous and should be dealt with as nectary to keep you tame." He took a breath, combing back his jet black hair with his fingers. "I was informed you were capable of speech, was I misinformed?" I chuckled, I had been quiet since my beating, "I have a thousand questions I could ask, But the one I can keep the bluntest would be, "What happened to me?" he smiled a bit, "Absolutely fascinating..." He spoke softly as he stood, "It's been two weeks, since you were captured by authorities-"Two weeks?" I interrupted. "How, I was... I feels like months since-" Mr. Windsnarle returned the favor by interrupting my stuttering session. "You have been in cryogenic stasis over the course of these two weeks" I walked to the right window in his office, looking out over the city, one hundred stories below, "In this state, it is like you are asleep, you dream like you would, but with modern drugs and pharmaceutical techniques," He turned to face me, "We were able to keep your mind in a stable dream state, simulating an entire month of your life in the course of 2 weeks. While you stayed in stasis, your mind showed you want you wanted to see, the people you wanted to meet," a sharp pain went through me at the thought of Rifew, "and the places you wanted to go to." It all made sense, everything was too perfect to be real, meeting Rifew, avoiding the police, the Cops that just let me go after seeing my form. Brilliant. But, as brilliant as it was, I was dumbstruck, they were able to play my mind like a harp. "So why, why am I here?" I muttered. My wounds already starting to heal. I he looked at his black shoes for a moment before looking back to me, "After your 'display' at that high school, I became notified by a reliable source that it was no normal human that slaughtered a sundry of school children." A low blow, so that part was real.... "So I dispatched a small team to capture you." I sat upright, almost fully healed, "But that doesn't answer my question, why? Why capture me?"
"Because if my information is correct, you, or your genes rather, are the final piece to my current project." I sighed a little, go figure...I. I didn't have to think long about my reaction to that. "Well find another.... Another, creature like me, because I respectfully decline." I finished as I rose to my full height, turning to the door. "Hold on now, I didn't finish..." He returned to his desk, "There's something in it for you as well." I perked my ears a bit at that, even if it was some shitty sweet-talking, I liked surprises. "And what's that?" folding his sun tanned hands together, he spoke in an almost happy tone, "Right now, you are wanted for 8 accounts of murder, and I, for a small piece on your end, can whip your slate clean. You'll be a free.... Panther." That was a massive favor... but at what price? For all I know, I could agree, only to have my heart ripped out and sold for a price. "What exactly do I do, for your project?"
Mr. Windsnarle smiled, clapping his hands and standing up "All you would have to do is let us take some blood, run some tests, And you're done." That seemed too easy... "What's the catch?" I said, glaring at him, my yellow slit eyes trying to find his hidden lies. Jacob seemed to lose a bit of his composer when I did that, made me feel a bit more in control. "There is no catch, that's all you would need to do." I didn't believe it, not after all this trouble they had caused me. "Why do you want my DNA? What's it to you?" I snapped, pressing on. He sighed, sliding his hands along his coat, "I'm refining a drug to make the perfect super solider, and once that plane is fulfilled, I will release it to the public, creating a human revolution. Imagine, a solider gets shot with no medic around, he can trust his body will heal fully and function well enough to eliminate an entire platoon by himself." He strode toward me, "a few minutes, and we would all win," He put a hand on my shoulder, reaching up a few feet to match my height, "You go free, and I create a benchmark in human medical history." I thought about it, maybe it was that easy. But still, the thought of the force the henchmen used convinced me otherwise. But, on the other hand, I could go along with it, and if things start looking bad, I just bail. After a minute of thinking I finally answered, "Ok, I don't really have a choice... When do I start?" It came out almost like a sigh, I loathe having to conform to others.
"Great!" He exclaimed, "Follow me, if you would kindly..."