(no subject)
Title: In Thade We Trust - Chapter 3
Author: veiledndarkness
Warning: The usual disclaimer, not my property, just playing with the characters. Takes place shortly after the end of Planet of the Apes (2001).
Summary: In the darkest parts of the human mind lies the ability to be needlessly cruel and inhuman, a baser nature that separates us from the animals.
In Thade We Trust - Chapter 1
In Thade We Trust - Chapter 2
*
Dr. Naira tapped the side of the table with one long finger as he waited for the human to slip into a deep sleep. He stared at the eyes that twitched beneath the eyelids. He really did feel badly about having to put the human under each time he had to do more tests.
Naira frowned as he scanned over his messages. More pointless arguments for the restraint of humans in testing, the usual debate over the ethics involved. Naira rolled his eyes as he tossed the papers back down. A new group of humans had been found on the outskirts of the city limits. More than half had died en route to the facility. Naira snorted. He knew there was a good chance that those humans hadn’t died of natural causes.
After glancing at his watch, Naira slipped on a pair of gloves. He switched on his recorder and began speaking in his monotone voice, giving the date and time. He threw a quick look at the door to make sure it was closed before he began to line up a series of needles on the tray beside him.
He expertly injected each needle in various pulse points on the human’s body, ignoring the slightly sick feeling that he always got when doing some of the more painful experiments. The cloudy mist in each of the needles trickled out, Naira’s eye closely watching for any sudden movements from the human. He counted the seconds out loud.
*
Leo felt like he was swimming through a sea of ink. ‘Water...was it water...the liquid’ he decided as he floated along was so thick, his eyes blind to seeing what was moving in front of him. He choked as he sucked back mouthfuls of the black water, his brain going into a panic as he thrashed desperately towards the surface.
A flash of light stung his eyes as he began twisting violently in his restraints, coughing and gasping as vile, yellowish water seeped out of his mouth. He began to shout, hoarse cries as his stomach lining rebelled against the invading liquid.
He felt his body flipped over and he violently threw up bits of the banana that he had so carefully eaten. He was flipped back over again, this time on another metal table. He winced as the cold metal made him shiver. He opened his eyes to narrow slits.
Dr. Naira loomed over him, his face carefully blank. He passed a small bowl of water to Leo after helping him to sit up slightly. Leo took the water, his hands trembling as he tried to bring the bowl to his mouth. He snarled in frustration as most of the water spilled over the edges. Dr. Naira took the bowl from his shaky hands and guided it to Leo’s mouth.
Leo opened his mouth reluctantly. He closed his eyes as the cool water slid down his throat. He gulped it greedily, wanting more. Dr. Naira pulled back, the bowl going with him. Leo made a sound like a pained groan.
“Too much water will just upset you more Boy. Lie back now,” Naira said.
Leo laid back, his stiff muscles protesting about the cold air. He shivered a few times as he watched Naira clean up his vomit. The doctor looked over at him to make sure that he didn’t try to bolt off the table. He pulled one of his rolling chairs close by the table and sat down on it. It was then that he noticed how badly Leo was shivering.
“Are you cold then?” he asked. Leo shrugged as he looked around the room, taking in the medical equipment and comparing it to what he could recall seeing in the space station.
Naira sighed deeply. “Being stubborn with me will not get you far, Boy,” he said as he walked over to one of the small cabinets along the wall. He pulled out a large grey blanket and brought it over to Leo.
He wrapped it around Leo before sitting back down and waiting.
Leo pulled the blanket tightly around him, feeling the warmth almost immediately. He discretely sniffed the blanket and found the scent oddly calming. He looked over at the doctor and tried for a smile.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
The doctor nodded. He studied the way the human moved and how he wrapped the blanket around his body, covering as much skin as possible. He scratched his head idly while arranging his thoughts.
“I must apologize. I had forgotten that humans have far less hair on their bodies. I hope that blanket helps.”
Leo tried to shrug again. “It’s alright.”
Naira and Leo locked eyes again, both unsure of what to say. Finally Naira leaned forward and propped his chin on his hands. He watched Leo watching him.
“I’m sorry that things had to be this way. I would like to get to know you, to make things easier, perhaps for the both of us,” he said softly.
Leo grunted. “Like I have a choice?”
Naira shook his head. “Trust me Boy; you are much safer here with me than with some of the other doctors. As I said, being difficult will result in much pain and suffering for you. I would strongly advise that you behave yourself with me. I would not like to see you suffer.”
“Suffer more than I already have you mean?” he snapped.
Dr. Naira sat back on his chair, blinking slowly. “You must know that there’s little I can do for you aside from providing some small comforts. I’ll not sugarcoat this Boy; I must do the tests on you. We so rarely get the chance to do tests on a human as evolved as you. Most are far below your capabilities, and for that we must experiment. If you fight me, you’ll only be making your situation worse.”
“Some of those who work with me would love nothing more than to have another human corpse to prod. They are masochists and do not care much for your feelings. You are not an equal. You are just a lab animal to them.”
Leo dropped his head to his knees as the doctor’s words began to sink in. He blinked back a few angry tears before peering at the doctor from the side.
“Let me go then,” he whispered. “Please, help me.”
Dr. Naira heaved a sigh, louder than before. “You know I can’t.”
Leo eyed the doctor fully this time and felt queasy at the conflicting emotions on the chimp’s face. He saw the guilt and the curiosity. He made to jump off the table and run for the door. He only made it halfway before an electric volt passed through his body. He shook and shuddered as Naira pulled him back from the door.
A loud scream burst from his lips as he was placed back inside his cage. He shook the bars angrily, yelling hoarsely as the doctor locked the door. He yelled again as the doctor came towards him, a sad frown on his face.
Leo stopped shouting for a second as he watched the doctor come closer. Dr. Naira placed several bowls in the cage through the metal slot, before slipping Leo’s forgotten blanket through the bars.
“I am sorry Boy. In time you’ll understand,” Dr. Naira said.
Leo grabbed the blanket from the doctor roughly. He wrapped it around himself hurriedly, not wanting to be naked in front of the Naira again. He gave the doctor a dirty look as he curled up further from the cage door.
The doctor sat down on the chair by the desk and began filling out the blood paperwork forms.
“My name is Leo.” Dr. Naira heard the quiet rasp from the human. He nodded and returned to his paperwork.
*
Leo played with the bars for awhile, pushing his fingers back and forth as the time ticked by. He sighed softly. His eyes wandered over to the bowls that Naira had left behind. He pulled one of them closer. It was filled with a bizarre mash of food that somewhat resembled porridge with bits of fruit in it. A further search told him that the other bowl held more cold water and the third was empty. It was larger than the others with a lid attached to it. He stared blankly at it until understanding dawned on him. It was to be his toilet.
Leo winced at the thought of having to use the bowl for a toilet. He supposed that he should have been more outraged. Instead all he felt was a numbing thankfulness that Naira had thought of him at all. He flexed his shoulders experimentally, again thankful that Naira had not chained him back up. Leo pulled the bowl with the food in it closer to him.
He scooped up a bit with his hand and sniffed it. It even smelled a bit like porridge. Leo cautiously brought the handful to his tongue and tasted it. He smiled a bit. It tasted faintly of honey. He ate slowly, afraid to eat too quickly. After eating half the amount, he sipped from the water bowl. Feeling somewhat more content, he re-wrapped his blanket closer around him and curled up in the corner of the cage again. He closed his eyes and slept lightly.
*
When Leo awoke next, he saw Dr. Naira speaking with several of the larger gorillas. Leo flinched back instinctively in his cage when one of the gorillas took a step towards him.
Leo watched fearfully as Naira spoke with just two of them now. The other two were heading over to him. One gorilla stared down at him before reaching down and poking one hand through the top cage bars. He smiled faintly as he looked at Leo. He turned to the other gorilla.
“He looks scared,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you be?” the other gorilla shrugged carelessly.
“Maybe he’s just lonely?” the first one insisted. He lifted the latch to the cage, one eye on the doctor and the other on Leo.
“C’mere little guy,” he crooned as he stuck a finger back in the cage close to Leo’s hair.
Leo scowled up at him. He contemplated biting the bastard’s finger and then decided against it. The doctor’s words floated in his mind. He feared what the others might do to him. Instead, he just made a snorting sound and ducked back from the meaty finger that moved back and forth above his head.
The first gorilla pulled the door further and reached inside. He yanked on the blanket that covered Leo and grinned. He elbowed the second gorilla beside him and laughed softly, so as not to draw the attention of the doctor.
“Look! He’s bare! Why do you suppose he’s got none?” he giggled. The second gorilla sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Close the damn door already!” he whispered fiercely.
At that moment, Leo saw the hairy arm moving closer to him. He panicked and started making a loud groaning sound. Dr. Naira wheeled around to see what was happening.
Within seconds, the cage door was slammed shut and the gorilla who had been trying to reach him was being lectured. He was dismissed a moment later. Dr. Naira sent him to the detention center with a note for the head guard there.
Naira stood by his cage and frowned. Leo stared up at him defiantly. “What?” he snapped.
“I apologize for what just happened. I’ll not let something like that happen again.”
Dr. Naira turned and went back to the small cabinet by the wall. He pulled out a second, large grey blanket and passed it through the bars to Leo.
Leo took it and laid it down on the hard metal of the cage. He wrapped the second one as tight as possible around himself before he curled up again. Dr. Naira crouched down by the side of the cage and reached through the bars. Leo flinched a second time, expecting to be slapped. The doctor ran his fingers over the short hair on Leo’s head. He made a ‘hmm’ sound as he felt the hairs.
He then stood and left the room, dimming the lights slightly. Leo watched the door for a long time before he felt comfortable enough to relax into his nest of blankets.
*
Author: veiledndarkness
Warning: The usual disclaimer, not my property, just playing with the characters. Takes place shortly after the end of Planet of the Apes (2001).
Summary: In the darkest parts of the human mind lies the ability to be needlessly cruel and inhuman, a baser nature that separates us from the animals.
In Thade We Trust - Chapter 1
In Thade We Trust - Chapter 2
*
Dr. Naira tapped the side of the table with one long finger as he waited for the human to slip into a deep sleep. He stared at the eyes that twitched beneath the eyelids. He really did feel badly about having to put the human under each time he had to do more tests.
Naira frowned as he scanned over his messages. More pointless arguments for the restraint of humans in testing, the usual debate over the ethics involved. Naira rolled his eyes as he tossed the papers back down. A new group of humans had been found on the outskirts of the city limits. More than half had died en route to the facility. Naira snorted. He knew there was a good chance that those humans hadn’t died of natural causes.
After glancing at his watch, Naira slipped on a pair of gloves. He switched on his recorder and began speaking in his monotone voice, giving the date and time. He threw a quick look at the door to make sure it was closed before he began to line up a series of needles on the tray beside him.
He expertly injected each needle in various pulse points on the human’s body, ignoring the slightly sick feeling that he always got when doing some of the more painful experiments. The cloudy mist in each of the needles trickled out, Naira’s eye closely watching for any sudden movements from the human. He counted the seconds out loud.
*
Leo felt like he was swimming through a sea of ink. ‘Water...was it water...the liquid’ he decided as he floated along was so thick, his eyes blind to seeing what was moving in front of him. He choked as he sucked back mouthfuls of the black water, his brain going into a panic as he thrashed desperately towards the surface.
A flash of light stung his eyes as he began twisting violently in his restraints, coughing and gasping as vile, yellowish water seeped out of his mouth. He began to shout, hoarse cries as his stomach lining rebelled against the invading liquid.
He felt his body flipped over and he violently threw up bits of the banana that he had so carefully eaten. He was flipped back over again, this time on another metal table. He winced as the cold metal made him shiver. He opened his eyes to narrow slits.
Dr. Naira loomed over him, his face carefully blank. He passed a small bowl of water to Leo after helping him to sit up slightly. Leo took the water, his hands trembling as he tried to bring the bowl to his mouth. He snarled in frustration as most of the water spilled over the edges. Dr. Naira took the bowl from his shaky hands and guided it to Leo’s mouth.
Leo opened his mouth reluctantly. He closed his eyes as the cool water slid down his throat. He gulped it greedily, wanting more. Dr. Naira pulled back, the bowl going with him. Leo made a sound like a pained groan.
“Too much water will just upset you more Boy. Lie back now,” Naira said.
Leo laid back, his stiff muscles protesting about the cold air. He shivered a few times as he watched Naira clean up his vomit. The doctor looked over at him to make sure that he didn’t try to bolt off the table. He pulled one of his rolling chairs close by the table and sat down on it. It was then that he noticed how badly Leo was shivering.
“Are you cold then?” he asked. Leo shrugged as he looked around the room, taking in the medical equipment and comparing it to what he could recall seeing in the space station.
Naira sighed deeply. “Being stubborn with me will not get you far, Boy,” he said as he walked over to one of the small cabinets along the wall. He pulled out a large grey blanket and brought it over to Leo.
He wrapped it around Leo before sitting back down and waiting.
Leo pulled the blanket tightly around him, feeling the warmth almost immediately. He discretely sniffed the blanket and found the scent oddly calming. He looked over at the doctor and tried for a smile.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
The doctor nodded. He studied the way the human moved and how he wrapped the blanket around his body, covering as much skin as possible. He scratched his head idly while arranging his thoughts.
“I must apologize. I had forgotten that humans have far less hair on their bodies. I hope that blanket helps.”
Leo tried to shrug again. “It’s alright.”
Naira and Leo locked eyes again, both unsure of what to say. Finally Naira leaned forward and propped his chin on his hands. He watched Leo watching him.
“I’m sorry that things had to be this way. I would like to get to know you, to make things easier, perhaps for the both of us,” he said softly.
Leo grunted. “Like I have a choice?”
Naira shook his head. “Trust me Boy; you are much safer here with me than with some of the other doctors. As I said, being difficult will result in much pain and suffering for you. I would strongly advise that you behave yourself with me. I would not like to see you suffer.”
“Suffer more than I already have you mean?” he snapped.
Dr. Naira sat back on his chair, blinking slowly. “You must know that there’s little I can do for you aside from providing some small comforts. I’ll not sugarcoat this Boy; I must do the tests on you. We so rarely get the chance to do tests on a human as evolved as you. Most are far below your capabilities, and for that we must experiment. If you fight me, you’ll only be making your situation worse.”
“Some of those who work with me would love nothing more than to have another human corpse to prod. They are masochists and do not care much for your feelings. You are not an equal. You are just a lab animal to them.”
Leo dropped his head to his knees as the doctor’s words began to sink in. He blinked back a few angry tears before peering at the doctor from the side.
“Let me go then,” he whispered. “Please, help me.”
Dr. Naira heaved a sigh, louder than before. “You know I can’t.”
Leo eyed the doctor fully this time and felt queasy at the conflicting emotions on the chimp’s face. He saw the guilt and the curiosity. He made to jump off the table and run for the door. He only made it halfway before an electric volt passed through his body. He shook and shuddered as Naira pulled him back from the door.
A loud scream burst from his lips as he was placed back inside his cage. He shook the bars angrily, yelling hoarsely as the doctor locked the door. He yelled again as the doctor came towards him, a sad frown on his face.
Leo stopped shouting for a second as he watched the doctor come closer. Dr. Naira placed several bowls in the cage through the metal slot, before slipping Leo’s forgotten blanket through the bars.
“I am sorry Boy. In time you’ll understand,” Dr. Naira said.
Leo grabbed the blanket from the doctor roughly. He wrapped it around himself hurriedly, not wanting to be naked in front of the Naira again. He gave the doctor a dirty look as he curled up further from the cage door.
The doctor sat down on the chair by the desk and began filling out the blood paperwork forms.
“My name is Leo.” Dr. Naira heard the quiet rasp from the human. He nodded and returned to his paperwork.
*
Leo played with the bars for awhile, pushing his fingers back and forth as the time ticked by. He sighed softly. His eyes wandered over to the bowls that Naira had left behind. He pulled one of them closer. It was filled with a bizarre mash of food that somewhat resembled porridge with bits of fruit in it. A further search told him that the other bowl held more cold water and the third was empty. It was larger than the others with a lid attached to it. He stared blankly at it until understanding dawned on him. It was to be his toilet.
Leo winced at the thought of having to use the bowl for a toilet. He supposed that he should have been more outraged. Instead all he felt was a numbing thankfulness that Naira had thought of him at all. He flexed his shoulders experimentally, again thankful that Naira had not chained him back up. Leo pulled the bowl with the food in it closer to him.
He scooped up a bit with his hand and sniffed it. It even smelled a bit like porridge. Leo cautiously brought the handful to his tongue and tasted it. He smiled a bit. It tasted faintly of honey. He ate slowly, afraid to eat too quickly. After eating half the amount, he sipped from the water bowl. Feeling somewhat more content, he re-wrapped his blanket closer around him and curled up in the corner of the cage again. He closed his eyes and slept lightly.
*
When Leo awoke next, he saw Dr. Naira speaking with several of the larger gorillas. Leo flinched back instinctively in his cage when one of the gorillas took a step towards him.
Leo watched fearfully as Naira spoke with just two of them now. The other two were heading over to him. One gorilla stared down at him before reaching down and poking one hand through the top cage bars. He smiled faintly as he looked at Leo. He turned to the other gorilla.
“He looks scared,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you be?” the other gorilla shrugged carelessly.
“Maybe he’s just lonely?” the first one insisted. He lifted the latch to the cage, one eye on the doctor and the other on Leo.
“C’mere little guy,” he crooned as he stuck a finger back in the cage close to Leo’s hair.
Leo scowled up at him. He contemplated biting the bastard’s finger and then decided against it. The doctor’s words floated in his mind. He feared what the others might do to him. Instead, he just made a snorting sound and ducked back from the meaty finger that moved back and forth above his head.
The first gorilla pulled the door further and reached inside. He yanked on the blanket that covered Leo and grinned. He elbowed the second gorilla beside him and laughed softly, so as not to draw the attention of the doctor.
“Look! He’s bare! Why do you suppose he’s got none?” he giggled. The second gorilla sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Close the damn door already!” he whispered fiercely.
At that moment, Leo saw the hairy arm moving closer to him. He panicked and started making a loud groaning sound. Dr. Naira wheeled around to see what was happening.
Within seconds, the cage door was slammed shut and the gorilla who had been trying to reach him was being lectured. He was dismissed a moment later. Dr. Naira sent him to the detention center with a note for the head guard there.
Naira stood by his cage and frowned. Leo stared up at him defiantly. “What?” he snapped.
“I apologize for what just happened. I’ll not let something like that happen again.”
Dr. Naira turned and went back to the small cabinet by the wall. He pulled out a second, large grey blanket and passed it through the bars to Leo.
Leo took it and laid it down on the hard metal of the cage. He wrapped the second one as tight as possible around himself before he curled up again. Dr. Naira crouched down by the side of the cage and reached through the bars. Leo flinched a second time, expecting to be slapped. The doctor ran his fingers over the short hair on Leo’s head. He made a ‘hmm’ sound as he felt the hairs.
He then stood and left the room, dimming the lights slightly. Leo watched the door for a long time before he felt comfortable enough to relax into his nest of blankets.
*