He’s a Orange mock, Begonia grow in the halls,
I hand you an Oleander, be good my pet.
We’re all pretty bizarre.
Some are just better at hiding it.
The ceiling buzzed; the lights bracketed with a metallic bar cage humming its soft song to the silent room. Daniel’s chest rose and fell softly, his top set of limbs folded underneath his head from where he was curled up in his nest.
It was peaceful, despite the silent thrum of anxiety under his skin, the knowledge that any second now, he’ll be due his check-up.
He was nervous, to be honest, and it was a fair case- He didn’t know what his owner, Doc, had in store for him, didn’t know if Doc would be in a good mood or not, Titans, he didn’t even know how he should enter the room!
Sucking in a quick breath, Daniel tucked up his long, white splattered tail up to his chest, pressing his face into the cool scales.
The light’s flickered, the cage that surrounded it casting a grid shadow across the tiled white walls and rough grey cement floor. His little room was rather plain, with nothing but a toilet and his large domed nest. The tattered fabric in it was actually really soft, and he gained a lot of comfort from the thought that only one of the three cameras could see him in his little nest.
He ran his fingers along his long, scaled tail, tracing the creatives and dips and lines were each scale carefully slotted into place. Doc loved Daniel’s scales, often talking about how pretty Daniel would be if set on display, with his rich swampy brown tones with the clashing black-lined gold spots, dark green-grey stripes and stark white patterns. Daniels lips pressed into a fine line, repressing a whimper.
He'd been on display, once.
He could recall every second of it, how his skin and scales buzzed from adrenaline and the over-whelming sensation the ‘medicine’ Doc had gave him. He could recall how Doc had murmured before his guest had arrived to not speak, or that Doc would ensure that he never spoke again.
The lights had been too bright, and the sound of Beings to loud; Daniel had been to dizzy to even tell how many Beings were even in the room with him. Doc had strung him up in a metallic mimic of what Daniel believed to be a tree, his coils draped over the branches, and within reach of all whom came near.
And they would touch him.
Daniel sucked in another sharper breath, and swallowed, trying to remain calm. He brain had started to become static, and he began to silently count the tiles he could see that made up his barren room’s walls. 1, 2, 3, 4-
He could remember hands, that gripped and grabbed and pulled, moving him like he was an animate doll, a mere toy to their wishes to play. Too weak to fight back, too scared to speak against the actions. It still made him feel sick, even now, remembering it.
It could have been worst, he knew. He could have been left, weak and dizzy, with the Beings- Doc could have let them do more than just play with him.
7, 8, 9,
18, 19, 20-
But he didn’t. Because Daniel’s owner was not the kindest, sure, but he wasn’t cruel.
25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31-
The speaker above the sliding door buzzed, and a giddy static voice filled Daniel’s room, startling the poor Speckled Naga. “Ohhhhhhhhh, 165!!!”
Daniel quickly sat up, his coils sliding over each other with a soft hiss. “O-oh, good morning, Glory.” He quickly said, voice soft, shaky.
“Its actually afternoon!” Giggled Glory from over the speaker. “But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”
Daniel opened his mouth, and then closed it, curling into his coils, ducking his head away into his arms.
There was a long pause.
Daniel thought that maybe Glory had gotten bored of him already.
“No snip back? No sarcasm? Have you panicked resonantly 165?” came a coy call from the speaker. Glory sounded amused, their voice dripping with something dangerous. Daniel closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
A low rumble of laughter filled the room, and Daniel felt all his muscles tighten in stress. “Oh WHOA! Its bad today isn’t it, little snake? Whatcha thinking about??? Your check up? Your time on display?? The scars? Or Titan’s forbid- Your arms????”
“SSSSSHUT UP!” Daniel snapped without thinking, baring his fangs at the camera across the room.
“Someone’s FEISTY!” cackled Glory, followed by a loud thumping of them hitting the desk they probably sat at. Daniel pursed his lips so he didn’t bare his teeth again, immediately curling up, tucking his chin to his chest.
Daniel was an experiment. Number 165.
His gaze was fixed to a single tattered piece of fabric, tilting his head gave him the display to his chest, the start of his scales, and of course, not two, not four, but six arms. The second pair was folded across his chest, whist the bottom pair was tucked behind his back, and Daniel had held them there for so long he’d nearly forgotten them.
165.
He was the sixteenth experiment of Watch group five: Limb adaptations.
He was never born with six arms. He was forced to grow them.
The screams and howls of pain still rung in his mind, even after so long, how he’d spluttered in red hot agony, blood caking the rough, grey floors. Bones have spongey insides, and when they snap it’s a wet sound that rang in his mind.
“What do you want from me?” Daniel asked, his voice dead and hollow.
“Poo, you’re so boring with that dead voice,” Complained Glory, before letting out a dramatic sigh. “I’m, for one, bored. Dear Doc-y won’t let me out to cause any chaos, and I swear I’m becoming more insane by the minute!”
“What. Do. You. What.” Daniel hissed, his tail contracting in on itself, as if to imagine Glory’s rifling body being crushed by the coils. Daniel flinched at the thought, horrified at himself, and tucked his tail closer, untrusting.
“Doc wants ya early. He really likes the Naga’s today; you should have seen the things he did with Pet!”
Daniel felt the little blood he had drain from his face, his hands starting to shake.
He wanted him now? What did it mean? Was he in trouble??? Was it a new test?? Daniel shakily inhaled, blinked at the tiled wall across from him. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-
“Helloooooo? 165??? Are you listening?? He wants you now!”
Daniel flinched at the loud booming voice, and then again at the scraping of the door sliding open. He swallowed softly, tongue flickering out to taste the air, before carefully pulling himself out of his nest.
“Have fuuuun~!” cooed Glory, before they cackled again. Daniel gritted his teeth, slivering through the halls. He considered it and then flashed the rude finger at the camera above his door.
He quickly zipped down the hall so if Glory’s voice came back, Daniel couldn’t hear them.
His quick slivering slowed over time, following the only hall as it winded and twisted.
Daniel’s owner was Doc, a male Being in his late 50’s. Doc for sure was a curious character, with light brown hair he never cut, often in a bun, and sunken in pale blue glassy eyes ringed with darkened bags. His pale, cold, clammy skin that opened and closed in areas like gills on a fish never failed to make Daniel shiver. Doc was a man powered by curiosity, whom never coward away from the strange and unknown. He snapped at Beings, like Daniel easily, often lashing out at times with extreme aggressiveness. But he was kind to, of course! He taught Daniel himself to read, and allowed him to pick out a name without punishment, not that Doc ever used his name.
He gave Daniel a bed, food and water, provided him shelter form the outside world that he’d never seen.
Again, he was mean, but he wasn’t cruel.
Daniel swallowed as he made it to the doorway that entered Doc’s laboratory. Hopefully, it’ll just be a check-up.
Everything, will be fine.
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