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Necessary Research (Hahvoc Requiem & Mr. Master)

M

Mr Master

Pulsar
Joined
Jan 26, 2009
Location
Right behind you... you smell nice, by the way...
The two men crouched in a hunting blind in the jungle, surrounded by incongruously high-tech equipment. Most hunters tried to take themselves back to the primitive experience as much as possible, but these two were definitely not most hunters. With their sounds and scents masked by technology, they spoke freely.

"I didn't hire you for your ecological insights, Jackson!" the older man hissed. "You were desperate for the money, desperate for a way back into your career, and it's only now you raise an objection?" If there was a movie ever made of these events, not that there would be, due to their top secret nature, but if there were, the elder scientist could be played by Jeffrey Combs in full-on Herbert West mode, even down to the horn-rimmed glasses.

"But Dr. Felidae, you're talking about an endangered species!" The younger man could be played by Jesse Spencer with an American accent. "If you're wrong, you could..."

"I'm not intending to harm the beast; if it's not what I know it is, then there's no damage done. However, if my theories are correct, we could be looking at a revolution in human life on this planet!"

"But Doctor!"

The elder scientist held up a hand, his eye on the sensor monitor. "Look! Here comes a possible subject! Time to earn your pay, Mr. Jackson! Get up there and bag me a big cat! Or you'll be right back where you started come dawn."

The younger man looked at the scientist, frustrated and hurt, but could only silently grab the high-powered tranquilizer rifle and climb through the roof hatch of the high-tech blind, to the gunnery platform where he would have a perfect view of the jungle watering hole. Below him, the scientist switched on a monitor and a video camera.

"I'm right," he muttered to himself. "The drug will knock it out and trigger the change. We will have proof of a lycantrhopic alteration, and who knows what else we can discover? I'm right. I know I'm right..."
 
Serai trekked through the jungle, stalking like the cat that she was. She was large and deadly beautiful with her black fur and gray-black stripes. Her silver-violet eyes scanned the ground and surrounding area as she searched for her prey. She was silent, her paws hitting the ground quietly as she moved slowly and languidly. She could smell a few smaller animals that would sate her hunger and so she followed their scent trails. She stalked slowly as she came upon a small monkey, fishing around for fruits on the jungle floor. She hid behind some high grass and crouched low, tail swishing back and forth as she waited for the right opportunity. It came when the monkey dropped a piece of fruit and it rolled to stop right before her. The monkey was too young and stupid to realize she was there until it was too late. She pinned it with her paws and tore out its neck with one well-place bite. She devoured the little creature soon enough, blood and flesh sating her. She soon left the mostly destroyed carcass as she moved to the watering hole to clean her fur and fulfill her thirsty desires.

It took her sometime to get to the watering hole, unknowingly stepping in front of the camera and monitor that the scientists had placed. She looked about for prey or other predators before she crouched on her front paws and lapped at the water with her sandpaper tongue. Once she was done being thirsty, she sat on her haunches and began grooming herself, starting with her face to clean herself of blood. She then moved onto her paws, tail swishing in a lazy rhythm. Her ears constantly turned asshe listened to the forest, completely unaware that it would be her last time in the jungle.​
 
Jackson sighted her through the night scope, and sighed. A magnificent beast, with unusual coloration that made her all the more rare. It wasn't that he doubted Dr. F's genius or that he wanted to sink back into the horrible mess of his life before he'd managed to latch on to this last chance; no, as cracked at Dr. F might have been, he was at least respected in scientific and military circles, and connection with him could make Jackson's career.

But there was something basic and primal to these great cats, and Jackson, on a very human level, didn't want to risk losing that for a crazy-sounding notion. Dr. F was certain of his findings, and even if he was wrong, he was certain that his concoction wouldn't hurt a wrong target. Jackson's own toxicology and veterinary medicine was a little bit weak, so he had to trust the older scientist in this. And now he was under orders to bring down the lovely creature in his sights. He sighed, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

The rifle's noise was tiny, little more than a sneeze, even within the protected confines of the gunnery platform. The sting of the needle, when it hit he cat's skin, was also fairly minor, only slightly more painful than a horsefly's bite, and the crystallized drug that made up the needle dissolved almost instantly in the bloodstream, allowing the leaf-colored fletching to fall to the jungle floor, unnoticeable in the loam there.

However, the drug's effects, a powerful sedative combined with several other special active chemicals, were immediate and incredible.
 
Serai had been focused on her own thoughts, enjoying the constant sounds of the jungle. It had been the reason why she had decided to live here. There was enough prey to go around, and scuffles with other predators made her stronger and able to adapt. She hunted mostly at night, the darkness that was her fur able to hide her better than during the day. But she wasn't simply a cat and so she moved about all the time and slept whenever tired. Most cats stayed away from her due to her unusual scent, but there were always the curious types whom she allowed to sniff her but never more than that. She had made bonds with other shifting cats who roamed the jungle at about this time, though few and far between. She was just the unlucky one who had stepped into the trap without knowing a thing and her own crime being what she was.

Serai's ears twitched as she heard a sound that was separate from the jungle sounds. But she didn't have time to move fast enough before she was hit with something and yowled lightly at the sudden sting. She looked down at her flank and didn't see a thing, but she felt her body acting funny almost immediately. She shook her head, stood, tried walking but soon she wobbled and hit the dirt and leaves, immobilized. As she felt herself on the verge of passing out, mere seconds after the drug had entered her blood stream, her body began to change into its human counterpart, but in an odd mixture of feline features. Her body soon grew arms and legs, breasts, and a flat stomach as the fur on her body vanished. Human hair replaced the fur on her head as she gained a human face. Her hair was long and black, with streaks of deep gray. Her skin was a tanned color from being out in the sun. Stripes appeared on her skin, much like that of a tiger, appearing on her sides, thighs; from her upper arms to her collar bones, wrists and ankles. Two stripes appeared on each cheek, all a deep gray, almost black. Her ears were pointed, much like the way elves might look to humans. Over all, she was rather gorgeous in human form, but not as magnificent in cat form. She was dead still on the ground, her chest heaving from the drug-induced sleep.​
 
Jackson blinked, shocked. From below, Dr. F whooped and shouted in victory. "That's it! That's proof! Oh, and I got it all on video!" The hatch banged open and the doctor poked his head onto the roof. "What are you doing still gawking! That drug won't last long; come and help me bring up the truck."

Time passed in a flurry of activity.

The actual laboratory was a windowless stone-walled chamber, underground and old, with ultra-modern equipment rather crudely retrofitted into it. Modern cables were bolted to the ancient walls, bright lights hung from antique wooden beam rafters, and high tech equipment bleeped on the earthen floor, where the plastic work-space flooring had not been installed.

Amidst the research equipment stood one article that seemed to be part of the original furnishings: a massive, heavy-barred iron cage, a rectangle about seven feet long and four feet square, with a heavy padlock securing the door at one end. It was floored with a grating, over a drainage trench. It was here within this cage that Serai finally awoke, feeling woozy and fundamentally odd. There was something wrong with her ability to change herself, she would find, and so she was trapped in her current form.
 
Serai awoke slowly, but she did not open her eyes and look where she was first. She used all her other senses first in case of an attack. She smelled metal, wood, chemicals that lightly singed her nose. She heard beeps that were definitely odd to her ears. She wasn't uneducated when it came to equipment, but it had been quite a long time since she had spent the last period of her life with humans. There was a certain charge in the air as she listened for movement, footsteps. She examined where she was without moving, feeling metal beneath her nude body. She felt herself swallow praying what she felt wasn't the floor of a cage. Slowly, her eyes opened, pupils slitted like a cat's, irises the same color as they had been in her cat form. Her heart sank as she noticed the bars, made of some heavy metal. Even with her added strength as a shifter, she could never pry the bars apart to get out. She turned her eyes to the door, to the padlock and felt herself getting worked into a frenzy of anger, rage, fear, and despair. She could not stay here. She wouldn't stay here.

Even as she thought this conviction, her mind-process was still sluggish like the rest of her body that didn't cooperate completely with what she wanted. She sat up slowly, feeling stinging pain from the lights whenever they hit her eyes. She blinked a few times until the pain went away a little. She tried to call on her ability to shift, felt the tingling in her limbs that usually started at the beginning of her change, but then it went away. Nothing happened. Her eyes opened and looked down at her human hands, her nude human body. She wasn't disgusted with her human form, it was a piece of what she was, but she wasn't as strong this way, not defenseless, but close. She made herself stand up slowly, pushing against the floor until she was to her knees and then up on her feet-well, she would have made it to her feet if she didn't smack her head against the ceiling of the cage. She hissed and rubbed the aching pain that added to her sluggish thoughts. Her lips curled back, revealing her sharp and deadly canines that were longer than the average human's and could cut much deeper. But the sneer was due to what she knew herself to be in. She was in a lab. How could she have been so stupid? Okay, she wasn't stupid, these men or women, or whatever, had been planning this for awhile and had been waiting for someone like her to wander into their trap.

She sighed internally as she uncurled her lip. Without being able to change forms, she would be at their mercy unless she could find an opportunity out of this place, wherever it was. That was another thing. She had no idea if they were still in the jungle until she noticed the dirt floor. It smelled earthy and had that jungle scent to it. She hoped she wasn't far from her den, or at least would be able to navigate back to it. She pressed her forehead against the bars a moment as she tried to think of a way out. She pulled at the bars, but as soon as she did, she gave up. Her body was still not up to what she wanted and she was her arms were already tired from the sudden effort. She moved back a moment and closed her eyes, just breathing for a moment. She had to think, even if her mind was still a little slow. The more she breathed, the more she calmed, but whatever was in her system needed to be removed. She only hoped it would leave soon.​
 
Eventually, the heavy steel door creaked as it was unlocked, and the two humans came in. Doctor F was already talking a mile a minute.

"Just think of it! Homo Felidae! It'll be all over the news, I'll be famous! And your star will rise with mine, Jackson! But first we have to examine our subject fully, determine precisely what we're dealing with here. Jackson! I want another blood sample, now that the subject is awake!"

Jackson had been staring at the woman. "But Doctor, she's... awake."

"I know, that's the point!"

"But... she's looking at me."

Doctor F stared, exasperated. "How did you ever work with animals before? Of course she's staring at you! You're mobile, you're warm-blooded... she probably thinks you're prey. Happens in zoos all the time; you think the lion looks out at the crowd out of boredom? Sizing up meals. But you're perfectly safe, Jackson! Get over there and take a sample. Here..." the older man pressed a long metal tube into Jackson's hand. "Take the taser prod. If she gives you trouble, just zap her until she can't move, and then you'll be able to do as you will. Go!" The elder man turned to his banks of monitoring equipment.

Jackson approached the cage cautiously. "Um... heh... hello." he murmured nervously, too softly for Dr. F to hear.
 
Her pupils narrowed to slits as extra light streamed in and she felt her anger boiling up inside her. An animal?! Was that all she was?! And a test subject at that. She curled her lip again, a low growl forming in her throat. That one, the older man, he was the reason why she was in here in the first place, not that the other wasn't just as responsible. She could smell his fear and hesitation and it made her predatory instincts kick in. She wanted to rip them both apart, piece by piece while voicing her dominance over their corpses. But those thoughts soon went away as she looked, actually looked at the younger man. He was...attractive. For a human, she supposed. Jungle shifters only saw the animal, never the human, and since it had been so long since she'd actually witnessed the human face of a male that actually had her attention, she felt weird sensations in her body. But she squashed them all down into the back of her mind. She had better things to worry about than mating. And why the hell would she want to anyways? He had helped put her here in this place! This cage suited for actual beasts, not creatures like herself.

Her eyes focused on the elder man and she grinned at him, showing the tips of her deadly canines as her ears twitched in the slightest. If he thought her a dumb lion, he was sorely, sorely mistaken and would pay for it later. With his life. Her expression changed to curiosity as she sniffed and watched the exchange between the two of them. Sample? What was he...Her thoughts finally clicked as the drug diluted further in her system. He was taking blood samples from her! The narcissistic little twit! He wasn't allowed to take anything from her without permission. She stifled a growl as she realized he could do whatever he wanted. She was a hostage. Her brilliant eyes focused on the younger male with a predator's stare, noting how nervous he was in scent and speech. Unintentionally, she cooled her expression, trying to look almost harmless. Which wasn't hard in this state. However, she moved away from the front of the cage until she bumped into the back, her eyes never wavering. She didn't bother to speak, just flared her nostrils as she took in his scent, which pleased her the more she took it in. She didn't like that and so she curled her lip, showing off the sharp, deadly teeth she had been graced with.​
 
Jackson came over to the oblong cage, long but not high, and crouched down next to it, outside of each reach. He had the sample syringe in one hand, and the shock prod in the other. He glanced over his shoulder at the doctor, who was still busy with his monitors, then put the items down on the floor. He was a little fearful, yes, as this... woman? This creature was a shapeshifter, not technically human, but even beyond the fear of the unknown, he felt... guilty. In fact, it would have been better if she were still in her animal state, at least then he wouldn't be feeling he was dealing with a caged woman.

"Look, Dr. F thinks you're just some kind of animal, not worth talking to, but just in case... look, I'm not your enemy. If it were up to me... but it's not." He sighed, and glanced over his shoulder again.

"Okay, look. I have to take a sample. Just a little one, just enough to analyze. We have to find out how you do what you do. I don't want to hurt you, this is only going to sting a little bit, and I'll try and get you something nice if you'll cooperate. I don't know what I can do, but I'll try." He picked up the syringe. "Now, I'm going to come over there, very slowly. Please?"
 
Serai watched his movements very carefully, as if waiting for him to screw up somehow. Even if it was just false hope, it was better than mewling in despair. She tipped her head slightly, her long hair falling over her shoulder to cover her breast. She was without modesty, as her human form was necessary just as much as nudity was. She listened to the sound of the objects being put down, the way he moved with fear, the way his scent tasted on her tongue. She smelled something tangy, almost like...guilt? He was guilty? Hell yeah, he better feel guilty, she was in a cage like an animal and he was just gawking at her like she was part of a freak show. She kept herself from snarling when he spoke. But it was much harder to do when he said that the other man thought she was just some animal. Her eyes blinked once, twice, and her ears twitched as she caught his next few words. Not her enemy? She let out a huff of air through her nose, obviously signaling she believed his words were crap. But he wasn't lying, she would have smelled it.

She tipped her head a little, curiosity getting to her again. This boy seemed so against what was doing on here, but he would do whatever it took to further his research. What a tool. Just like in the jungle, the weaker tried to make themselves useful to the powerful. But this wasn't the jungle, not the way she saw it. It was a human box and she was stuck with them whether she wanted to be or not. And she wanted out. She looked at the syringe after he finished talking about the sample she wasn't going to give him unless he begged like the little slave that he was. She, however, said nothing still. She wasn't going to speak with him. Let them think she wasn't smart enough, even if her eyes betrayed far more intelligence than any animal would ever hope to possess. The whole showing of the teeth didn't seem to be working much on him, and so she had stopped doing it, despite her anger. When he got close enough though...that was a different story.

She desperately wanted to shift, to maul him where he stood, even if he said he wasn't her enemy. Just because he wasn't her enemy, didn't mean he was her friend. He was worthless other than that. But maybe...maybe she could use him somehow to get her out of here. She thought about it, tucking her legs underneath her mermaid style as she leaned back against one side of the cage, as far as she could get from him. He had said please, but she wasn't inclined to do anything for him. Asking him to please let her go was like asking the killer in a horror flick to not chop her into little pieces. Just plain stupid and not going to work. She sighed lightly as she looked away from him, giving him the cold shoulder and silent treatment all in one movement.​
 
Doctor F is wrong, Jackson thought, watching the subject. This girl is smart. I swear she understands everything I'm saying, and she's not happy. I mean, who would be? His brain instantly fed him some recollections from chatrooms and porn, but he shook his head to get those images out of his brain. He didn't need that kind of unprofessionalism.

He eased around the back of the cage, where she was pressing herself, and tried to get closer. From this angle, she wouldn't be able to reach out at him, and if she turned to snap or claw at him, he would have time to pull back. He didn't think he was fooling her for a second, and that wasn't his goal. She didn't want to cooperate, that was fine, he didn't want to force her. But Dr. F had a hold on him that was stronger than his guilt or misgivings right now, so he had to try and do his job. All she needed to do was not flee and not lash out...

He got behind her and edged in closer, leading with the needle, the collection tube already mounted...

(realized they wouldn't use a syringe, they'd use the same kind of thing they use at the doctor's)
 
[Ahh, I know what you're talking about.]

She knew enough about males that he was thinking something he shouldn't and it caused her to lightly curve her lips in a tiny grin. They were all the same, humans. They didn't care a damn about other creatures, just wanted what they could have. Sure, not all humans were like that, and some were just too dumb to live with all their crack-pot ideas about the environment and how to 'save the animals.' They needed to save themselves, the animals were just fine. She watched him move, eyes following him as she kept the growl in her throat at bay for the time being. She needed the right opportunity to scare him and hopefully stick himself. She made sure to keep him in her sights. She was a predator and he, was prey, even with her in the cage. He moved behind her, she could feel him, smell him. He wasn't even trying to hide himself, it seemed. Not that it mattered, his scent was in her nose and she had him registered. She wouldn't forget his scent. Period.

When he got close enough, she let out a fierce low growl, deep and fierce, much like that of a tiger's. It told him to back off before she bit his arm off. She then turned about, making sure he couldn't stick the needle in her arm or back as she crawled back and out of his reach. She wasn't stupid, which he well knew, so he shouldn't have even tried. Unless he sedated her, she wasn't giving him a drop of blood. She tried to shift, feeling her fingers and toes start tingling before the rest of her did, but then, it faded away again, just beyond her reach. She growled again but this time in frustration as she slammed a hand against the wall of her cage, denting the bars a tiny bit, but that was all. She had put practically all her strength into it and she knew she wouldn't be able to budge the bars any further. Her growling got lower and quieter as she glared at the male and then hissed. But that wasn't all she did.

"What have you done to me?!"

She said low and in a menacing tone. She only said it loud enough for him to hear, her voice hoarse from lack of use. Growling and purring and such of that nature didn't necessarily use all of the vocal cords like speech, and it had been quite some time since she had had to use her human body to begin with. She glared at him, eyes seeming to spark with her fury. He had a lot to answer for.​
 
The scuff of a shoe behind her was all the warning she got. She'd been so focused on the younger male, the older one had stepped up to arm's reach and just tapped her with the business end of a shock prod right against her naked back. The electricity jolted through her, painfully, making her muscles jerk uncontrollably and whiting out her vision. The prod had been turned up to maximum, a jolt that ought to have knocked her entirely unconscious if she had been a human. As it was, she was paralyzed, merely jerking spasmodically as the energy still worked its way through her system.

"There," Doctor Felidae sneered. "Next time, do it yourself. Now, get me that sample!" He turned and stalked away.

Jackson knelt by her side on the other side of the bars. "I'm sorry," he murmured. He jabbed her expertly with the needle, and the sample vial filled quickly. He pulled the needle, put a cotton pad over the injury to apply direct pressure, and fished a band-aid out of his pocket to fix the swab down. "You can take that off whenever you want."

He got up and carried the sample back to the doctor, leaving Serai to recover on her own.

After several hours of work, where phrases like "revolutionize the world of medicine" and "cures for every disease known to man" were bandied about freely (by the doctor; Jackson stayed mostly quiet), they left together. There was some quiet time, an hour or two. Then the door opened again, and Jackson returned with a little cart.

"Um, hello," he said quietly. "It's, ah, it's what they call 'maintenance' time. First thing, I've got some water here..." he took a large bowl and a pitcher down from the cart and placed them in front of the door, where there was a little slot just above floor level, basically a gap in the lower frame, that the bowl would just fit under. "The bowl is... well, expected of normal subjects, but considering..." He reached in his pocket and fished out a rigid plastic tumbler glass, placing it down beside the bowl. "I'll happily fill whichever one you feel most comfortable with. As for food," he continued, going back to the cart, "the standard procedure is another bowl and some of this... I dunno... looks like dry dog food. I'm sure it'll work, but I thought..." He reached into his other pocket, and took out two items wrapped in wax paper. "I filched these hamburger patties from the kitchen upstairs; one of them is cooked, both of them are cold. Best I could do on short notice. Do you have a preference?"
 
She screamed, one of those wretched sounds that cats made when they were suddenly injured, it was high pitched and filled with pain as her body was electrocuted. She felt her body suddenly spasm, her vision going completely white as the energy moved through her body, leaving her nothing more than a tired, abused mass on the floor of her cage. She couldn't feel her arms or legs, just saw the random jerking of her limbs as the energy continued to pass through her randomly. Her breathing was harsh and labored, like she had been running until she couldn't even bother to keep going. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the wretched old man, but she couldn't even hiss at him, her body numb and yet aching. She felt the stab of the needle, and yet she didn't. It was like she was separated from her body but somehow still attached. One of the weirdest feelings in the world. Serai felt the press of the bandage but she didn't move, feeling like if she did, her body would spasm out again. And then, just like that, he left her.

She listened to them shuffle around, their gasps of shock and delight. The words of the elder man, the silence of his assistant. All of it blended together after an hour or two, in which her eyelids grew heavy and she passed out in regular sleep. The pair left after awhle and she soon awoke, just laying on her side with her legs draw up to her chest, arms cradling her head. The smell of metal bothered her nose. She wanted to be home, in the grass, sniffing through damp leaves and foliage. But more than that, she just wanted to run. She heard the squeak of wheels and the voice of the younger male. She watched him in silence, her eyes screaming that he had lied. She smelled the water and watched him put the bowl in front of her cage, though it was empty. Like a bloody house cat. She saw the glass and didn't bother to move, her head just barely lifted as she watched him. The food, dog food, as he called it, smelled awful and it wasn't like she would have eaten it any ways. She'd rather starve. However, her nose went to sniffing as she smelled the meat, even if it was cold. The meat scent made her mouth water but she stubbornly turned her head away and put it back on her arms.​
 
He sighed. "All right, I can't blame you." He set both of the patties down by the cage, then took the pitcher and poured a glass full, and also put some in the bowl. "I don't expect you to drink from the bowl, but you might... if you wanna wash your hands or whatever..." He sighed and set the pitcher down, moving back to lean against the cart. The bag of kibble was in his way, so he just picked it up and held it in his lap while he looked at her.

"See, we call your kind 'lycanthropes', basically half animal, half human. Nothing you don't already know, I'm sure. But Dr. Felidae is convinced you really fall on the animal side, whereas I'm pretty sure you are closer to human. Not that you'd actually want to BE human, of course." He sighed again. "If I hadn't been human, I wouldn't have fallen so low that I'd need someone like Dr. F to give me a hand up. But now I'm obligated to him." His eyes flickered up to the woman-creature in the cage. "Small comfort to you, I'm sure. You'd just rather I let you go. Or you'd rather tear my throat out. And I don't blame you; in your position, I'm sure I'd be feeling the same way." He looked away, troubled by her position of hopelessness, not realizing that he was kind of mirroring it. For lack of anything better, he began to read the ingredient list of the tiger kibble as he let the silence stretch...
 
"Beasts are incapable of conscious, rational thought and human speech."

She said softly, loud enough for him to hear. Her stomach growled lightly, her metabolism very fast because she shifted so often, and the constant stay in one form or another called for massive amounts of energy. With her being hungry and whatever drug was in her system, she would never be able to shift. She glanced up, eying the cold burgers and the water and deciding she needed to keep herself fed so she would keep her strength up. She moved, shifting her position so she crawled towards her food. She reached out and grabbed the two patties and the glass of water. She sniffed the patties, smelling for anything funny about them and then the water. Nothing seemed out of the usual and so she ate the patties carefully, even if she just wanted to devour them. They were rather gross cold, but it was better than that nasty smelling dog food. She drank down the water until it was empty, licking her lips and hands, her tongue long, but smooth in texture. She used the bowl to clean her hands and face, even if it was cold. She shook her hands out and wiped off her face.

"You humans are more animal than I will ever be."

She looked at him, face completely devoid of emotion besides the heat of anger that resided there. She went to laying down, the cage floor uncomfortable without her fur, but at least she could focus on something. She needed to get out of here. She moved her eyes around the room, trying to figure out where she could escape from. There weren't any windows, just the one door. She needed to figure out a way to get out of the cage and through the door. If she had a tail in this form too, it would have been thumping against the floor angrily. She could feel the energy seeping back into her system, but it was meager energy. She needed more food than that, but she wasn't going to eat that nasty stuff unless she absolutely had to. The situation seemed hopeless, but Mr. Cry-Me-A-River over there seemed susceptible to guilt and all those other emotions humans decided to label. She glanced up at him, her hair slipping over her shoulder to rest against the cage floor. But she said nothing. ​
 
Jackson unrolled the top of the tiger kibble, and took out a handful. It did indeed look like dog food. But according to the ingredient list, it was better for you than McDonald's. He experimentally popped one of the nuggets into his mouth, and crunched it down before he tried to answer.

"I happen to agree, actually. I don't have a high opinion of my own species. Generally, myself included, but that's only because I'm a realist." He popped another nugget. They weren't bad, he thought.

"To be honest, I didn't think you were real. And even if you were, I didn't think your genetics would be so... revolutionary." He cocks his head at her. "It worries me, actually."

He suddenly jerked up. "Oh, right!" He scrambled to his feet, the tiger-chow spilling on the floor, and he ran for the door. He screeched to a stop, reversed, ran back to the cage and made sure the pitcher of water was easily within reach, then turned and ran for the door again. He actually got it open before he came back for the cart and left rolling it out at high speed.

It took twenty minutes before he came rolling back, the rich smell of warm meat wafting from the cart. "We had some steaks in the fridge. I hit them up in the microwave for a few minutes to warm them up; won't be completely body temperature, but they'll be close. The Doc will scream at me, but if he wants a healthy specimen, he's going to have to cope." Jackson paused, looking at her. "That's assuming you're still hungry."
 
She shrugged lightly. It wasn't her fault she was around. It was a genetic mutation that branched off from the the rest of humanity. Evolution at its best. The only difference between the humans and the shifters was that shifters didn't bother human beings except with their genetics. She, on the other hand, could have cared less if humans were even around. She'd been born this way, just like a human was born a human. There was no need to test the shifters. If they were nicer about it, shifters would probably aid in the research, but no, they had to selfish pricks and kidnap people. She was getting angry again, and so she toned it down, frustration gnawing at her insides like hunger. She drove her fingers through her long hair and felt them get snagged on a few knots. She carefully undid the knots and then began to braid the bottom of hair.

She stopped, however, when he yelled out and scrambled to his feet, spilling the kibble and then making a whole lot of noise. She watched him run to the door until he suddenly backpedaled and moved the pitcher closer. Then he ran and went out the door, then came back, then left again. She blinked in confusion before she grabbed the pitcher and filled her glass again. She drank the water slowly, enjoying the cool taste. He was gone for awhile, but she knew when he was coming back when his scent and then the warm smell of meat wafted in. She felt her mouth water as he came back, though she schooled her features. She eyed him like a hawk until he paused and questions whether she was hungry or not. She moved towards him for once and looked up at him.

"Yes...I'm still hungry."
​
 
He lifted down a platter from the cart, which was heaped with 3 thick steaks, still bloody, not hot but warmed up. He put it on the ground and slid it over to her, edging under the cage door. "Here you go. Eat up." He saw the water pitcher was low, and poured the rest of it into her tumbler before leaving once again to re-fill it, leaving her to eat in peace for a few minutes.

He returned and put the pitcher back in its place near her. He then picked up the bag of tiger-chow and began slowly snacking on it as he sat back on the floor. He waited until she was done eating, and then asked quietly. "There are those who think lycanthropy is a disease, but...I saw the bloodwork. No elevated T-cells, no evidence of RNA recoding... well, to put it simply, no evidence that you've been majorly infected. You weren't made this way; you've been like this since you were born, haven't you?"

"Have... you lived in the human world? You learned English, which isn't so uncommon here in India, but did you spend any time being with the people? Or just enough to know you didn't want any of it?"
 
She waited until he left before she tore into the steaks, the tenderness of the meat and the juices hitting her tongue wonderfully. She had devoured one of the steaks by the time he came back with the water pitcher. She was half way down with the water in her glass when he reappeared. She thought it was ironic how even though she was in the cage, she was eating steaks while he ate kitty kibble. She ate the rest of her meal more slowly and less animalistic. But she polished off the other two steaks easily enough. She was on her third glass of water when he started with the questions. She nodded at his question of being born this way. But the next few questions weren't simple 'yes' or 'no' and so she spoke, even if she found it rather unnecessary.

"I was born in Ireland, believe it or not. And from your blood work, you'll be able to tell that I had a human parent, my mother. she came to India, like you, to do research and encountered my very human looking father. They fell in love, she grew pregnant and he told her what he was. She actually accepted it."

She sighed a moment as she leaned back, tucking her legs underneath her body. It had been so long since she had spoken about her past, her human memories and experiences. It was a little daunting and much of it was fuzzy. She looked up at the ceiling before she looked back at him.

"My mother's parents were living in Ireland on retirement and she went over there to tell them the news. I was born premature, for humans, but normal and human-looking. At least they thought so. My father had stayed here, he wasn't born in India either, but he had family here. He died because of hunters. My mother didn't find out what had happened to him for several months. She didn't know what to do with me. She loved me, but it was too much for her to handle. She found others like me, who lived in Canada and that's where I learned my English. I wasn't fully accepted by them, they were mostly lynx and bobcat types. But at least I had some place to go home to after school. I don't hate humans, not even my mother for giving me up, but you people are so destructive it's disgusting. I've been living in India for roughly...twenty years? Could be longer, could be shorter, I do not know."​
 
He listened quietly. A whole subculture of shapeshifters, living right alongside humans! Clearly, they weren't enemies of the species; they were close enough, genetically, that they could interbreed. They -were- humans, then, albeit with special abilities based on special genetics. And he and Dr. F had hunted this one down like nothing more than an animal. He listened carefully while part of his mind raced with the ramifications and possibilities, and what it meant to his own life and actions. And he tried to figure out what he needed to do.

After a bit of silence when she finished, he nodded. "You probably already heard, I'm Jackson. That's actually both my names. Jackson Jackson. My father thought it was funny, and my mother was indulgent, apparently." He paused. "I'd be honored if you'd tell me what I should call you."
 
"What an odd father you had."

She said with a soft shrug. She put down her glass as she twined her fingers in her hair and started making mini braids in it. She wasn't sure how much information she should give him. But he had been forthcoming with his name, despite her having heard it. Her speech apparently had set the gears turning in his head, because she had noticed that when he started to think about something, Jackson's eyes would shift back and forth a few times until he hit upon something. Rather cute, she thought with another shrug. She sighed lightly as she leaned her head back slightly, she couldn't see through the ceiling of the cage or the sky above. She wasn't sure if it was night or day, but seemed like it was probably early morning, maybe afternoon. She couldn't be sure and it was rather annoying.

"You may call me Serai if you tell me what time it is."

She looked at him with a smirking expression before she looked away.​
 
Jackson kind of half-smiled at the mention of his father, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "He was an odd one at that," he murmured. Then he shook his head, and glanced at his watch. "It is currently... 7:37 PM, Mumbai time." He glanced at the closed door. "Dr. F has at least 2 more hours of analysis and fevered ranting at the computer screen before he starts bellowing about his food." Jackson chuckled to himself. "I'm not going to be able to replace those steaks around here, that's for sure, but with luck, he'll forget that we even brought them along."

He glanced back at her. "I'll see what more I can pick up for you tomorrow, Serai." He smiled slightly. "That's a beautiful name." He lost himself in thought for a half-second, then shook himself out of it. "Is there anything in particular you would like? The least I can do is get you something you'll enjoy." He punctuated his offer by munching on another nugget of tiger-chow.

He wanted to do what he could for her, within the limited range he was allowed. He was still too desperate to reclaim his old life, and so Doctor Felidae had a firm grip on him. But that didn't mean he couldn't act according to his conscience in other ways.
 
She blinked, her timing was off by a good amount of time. She continued to braid her hair and snorted lightly at the mention of the Doctor. It was easy to see that she hated him and wished all kinds of awful on him. She listened to him chuckle and she grinned at the mention of the lost steaks. She was glad. If she could thwart the cretin, even if only a little bit, it was worth it. She sighed as she closed her eyes. She tried to call on her shifting, felt the same familiar tingle and she swore it was starting to work but then it was like she rammed against a brick wall and she hissed at the feeling faded and she cursed under her breath. Serai looked back at Jackson when he said he her name and she blushed in the slightest before she looked away with a shrug when he said it was beautiful. Her ears twitched at the mention of getting her something she liked and she looked back at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Water and meat is fine...and maybe some bread and butter?"

She tilted her head a little, her hair falling over her shoulders to cover her breasts. She looked rather curious as to why and how he would help her, but she didn't utter a word. She sniffed at the tiger kibble that he seemed the enjoy munching on and she wrinkled her nose. It didn't smell too terrible, but she wouldn't eat it. She supposed that since he was human and couldn't smell as well as her that the food was more appealing. She shrugged. She didn't understand human nature all that well, even with being half-human.​
 
Jackson shrugged. "I can get you that right now. Western-style, or naan, or an onion kulcha from the bakery down the way. Whatever you want." He mentally reviewed the shopping budget, figuring out what he could afford to work in. He was not only the lab tech and the junior researcher, he was also the cook and housekeeper. It was not an easy position, working for Dr. F, but he had his reasons.

He glanced at Serai again. The more he got to know her, the more it broke his heart to see her in the cage. And... seeing her naked in the cage did other things, which prompted him to get up, holding the bag of kibble in front of him. "Look, let me look in the kitchen some more. It's the least I can do..." He grinned at her as he moved to the doorway. "The service isn't great, but the food is excellent, says the guidebook..."
 
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