Piratesangel!

You had wriggled free of Victor and stumbled and slipped your way to the bathroom doors. He let you slip away and run off with a laugh and began to follow with the confidence that can only come from being an apex predator.

"Where do you think you're going little one? Even if you manage against all odds to get away you would be fleeing into cities with hundreds of thousands of evolved! There is no refuge for you anywhere! Just scampering from one fire and into a bigger one!"

His voice was changing as he laughed, becoming more monstrous and when you looked back you felt faint. He had curved claws like meat hooks now, tipping elongated fingers that resembled a lizard's digits. His lower jaw had split in half showing off more rows of razor sharp teeth. His face had protruding forward, his legs were giving him another half a yard of height now, and his feet were digitigrade with the same claws. His neck had gotten several more vertebrae. Did he have a tail now too??

"You are a such fool! Living in a world of gods and yet you still believe you have a chance! Shall I escort you to Rhodes Hill? Set aside a room for you there? The lower levels are lovely! You can be my new project!"

You shove the doors open and sprint like a rabbit. You had spare clothes and shoes at your cabin, you were smaller and faster and could get just enough time- then you noticed with sickening horror that Victor was crawling after you but not on the floor. He was scuttling upside down on the ceiling so much more swiftly than you had thought possible. He drops down in front of you, blocking your exit from his office.

"Or, I could slowly butcher you bit by bit, day by day. I will admit it has been nice to have a human pet around...I almost don't want to do this you know. If you just stop being a hysterical creature we can go back to how things were!"

All you can do is collapse onto the floor and curl up. You wanted to cry but were dehydrated and too afraid to make any noise. Hiding your face, you lay there shaking. Whatever fate befell you was nothing compared to the emptiness in this moment. You were truly and utterly alone. Only other human you had managed to create a small connection with, was dead. Because of you.

Victor smelled the sheer despair, self loathing, and hopelessness and he hesitated for a long moment; spindly fingers hovering over you. He swallowed back some saliva. He had been there long ago, in the same headspace. When he had been human, very young, and weak with little to offer the world. He had been about to devour you right there but now he felt this annoying and odd connection with you. It deeply irked him and he wanted to get rid of it. You were nothing but cattle or a fresh test subject. Lesser in every way. And here he was sparing you. Feh, sparing was a generous term. Prolonging the chase and toying with you was much more fitting.

"You're dehydrated." His voice is normal now and quiet. A gentle observation. Your shoulder hurt and was still bleeding and you couldn't look at him. A hand touched you and it was not the mutated horror now. Rough, cool skin ran over your arm. Victor picks you up and carries you to the hospital room and leaves you there. He returns with some water and food, and a fresh set of clothes for you.

"My apology would ring hollow. I understand why you keep trying and fighting...it is that abominable human spirit that keeps a lot of you locked into a state of rebelliousness and twisted hope. The same spirit that helped me once. I remember what it was like and how it kept me alive, ushering me into the superior existence I now enjoy. Perhaps I should be more gentle with you for it."

Your wounds were cleaned and patched, the opening he had made stitched up. You look at him without a word and in that moment Victor decides a good way to handle feeling connected to a creature you had no business being connected with, was if that creature become something more. Something wonderful, strong, and superior to its current state. Victor smiles at this thought as he exits the room to let you rest and give you space. He would not need to consult with anyone for this. He was high ranking enough to where evolving a human was one of the privileges he savored. All he would have to do was nudge you in the right mental and emotional direction first. Give you a chance to see the light and reason.

Time was lost to you for days. You ate, slept, and paced about your room. Victor had not locked you in and the space felt like a refuge. He did not intrude upon it and did not pester you with one word. Another game to be sure but this time for some reason he was giving off a different vibe. The hellish terror that had pursued you and promised agony and death was gone. The lounging arrogant predator had taken a back seat too. What was he even doing?

"Would you like to sit in the gardens?"

You stand up and glare at him, nails cutting into your palms.

"Just kill me and be done with it. I know what you're going to do, you were making promises to me just a few days ago. Put me in Rhodes Hill, in the deepest pit imaginable. Or eat me like you did with Beth."

There was a coldness in his face at the mention of Beth and he scowled.

"I am not going to do any such thing with you. And Beth was not the person you thought she was. I'll spare you the details of her former life before my master's vision was fully realized, but know this. She was aware that tampering with a tracker would notify me, dear heart. Beth knew exactly what she was doing."

There was no honeyed tone this time. Victor only took on such a growl was he was being deadly serious about something. He could very well be lying through his gold capped teeth but then again...you really did know nothing about Beth beyond the normal conversations you had shared with her. For all you knew she had been a con artist or a even serial killer. You stop glaring at Victor and your shoulders slump.

"Then, I would very much like to sit in the gardens."

Victor remained in the hallway as you went to him. Those few nights ago had been a blur and you did not quite believe what you had witnessed. Being able to change one's body like that so drastically and then to return to your normal state...Victor truly was a god. It was disgusting and the stuff old fairy tales were made of. But here he was a living, breathing thing. And he wanted you to sit with him in the gardens.

Victor had a slow and powerful heart beat and you had your ear against his chest listening as he lightly snored. You wondered how much stamina he had and how you would fair over a long distance chase. Thoughts just trying to distract yourself from the fate that had likely befallen Beth. It disturbed you and there was this pit of sadness but you did not feel as much about it as you thought you should. This world had changed you, numbing you to horror and danger and you hated yourself for it. But it was toughen up or not survive. You hoped her brother was somewhere safe.

Here you were with the demon that had probably done away with her like he had many others. If against all odds you managed to impress Victor enough and were given the opportunity to evolve, you would be manifesting the monster within. Hours pass and you trace Victor's scar lightly, going from his chin and down his neck and chest. You were starting to go down the jagged line on his stomach when he chuckles in his stupor and pushes your hand away.

"That tickles! I am trying to get my rest, human. You are to warm me and not pester."

Some patches of his scales were splitting on his side and belly. It was not a wound but looked remarkably like he was starting to shed.

"You look like you could use a good soak and a bucket of moisturizer. Does this itch?"

Victor huffs and cracks open an eye to stare at the creature upon him.

"It wasn't bothering me but since you insisted on mentioning it now it does. If you wouldn't mind attending to it."

You scratch and he rumbles at you with frustration.

"Use more strength! I am not some thin skinned human!"

Scratching vigorously now, you feel Victor melt from relief.

"Much better! I suppose I could indeed use a soak and some moisturizer too. I can sometimes forget to attend to my own needs. I am in and out of the shower usually within minutes." He moves his arm under his head and glances at the clock.

"5am? Well, then there is time for- did I tell you to stop?"

You had ceased your scratching and he moves your hand back. Loose scales had come off along with a patch of skin from your efforts. It was morbidly fascinating to see such a blend of traits at work in just one person.

"To the left, higher up on my chest now...no, my left. Aahhhh...thank you." You spend 10 more minutes aiding your boss and he ends the session by rising and picking you up.

"You'll change the sheets after my soak." Victor brings you into the marble floored bathroom. The ceiling was a good 5 meters high and the walk in shower could have fit a car. Next to it was a heated pool the size of a living room. He sets you down.

"Kindly adjust the pool temperature to 90." You obediently do so and turn around with a slight gasp. He had disrobed completely and you blushed to see he was well endowed like you had suspected. He tilts his head with a knowing smile. You could not hide what you were really feeling.

"Let me see all of you."

Heart racing you quietly undress and feel some shame. You carried some extra weight and the stretch marks you had- Then Victor had his arms around you.

"Why do you worry yourself so? I think you're fine the way you are."

You both go into the pool and Victor pulls you to him with a splash. The water was so pleasant and calming and then you feel his erection against you.

"I'll be slow and gentle."

And he was at first. Then the thrusts began to intensify as he became more excited. You were reaching back and pulling at his silvery hair and digging your human nails into his skin. You even tried biting him for the marks he had given you that first night, but your blunt teeth and weak bite force had little effect. Victor laughed and nuzzled into your neck, right against the side he had yet to claim.

"Let me show you how it is done!" He bites in with more gusto than the first time but still exercises caution, using his skills and acute medical knowledge to avoid piercing an artery. He leans back on the edge of the pool with you confined in his arms. Victor appreciated how needy and reckless humans could be. Allowing something so superior and dangerous to be this intimate with them, to coil around and have them entirely at his mercy. His evolution was desiring some extra nourishment, and the taste of you from the bite and his current state of arousal, enticed Victor further. A nice mouthful of flesh from the shoulder perhaps.

You notice his growl was sounding more aggressive, and he was leaning down again towards your shoulder and something told you this was going to be bad.

"Dr. Gideon?? Please don't!"

"Hhmmm? Don't what? Bite?" His laugh is dark and greedy. "Sweet thing I have already bitten you multiple times! I am graciously allowing you the privilege of this moment. To be intimate with a god and at my mercy....sshhhhhh it's alright I am not going to kill you and I will patch you up afterwards. You'll be fine. Need I remind you of your unfortunate blunder from yesterday? How you violated my trust? Consider this payment for that." Victor roughly kissed the area.

"How do you think this is going to work out for you? I am honest to god curious." The question came from another servant, an older woman named Beth. She had been working for Dr. Gideon for years and had cornered you in the storage room. You hadn't much in common with her but had been polite and spoken in passing often.

"What are you talking about?" You were blocked and took a step back from her glare.

Beth laughed and it was sharp and knowing. Guess there was no hiding it then.

"Do you really think that one of them, and Victor Gideon at that, actually gives a shit about you?"

"He is giving me a place to live, food, and medical care!" You snap back and stop retreating. But Beth did not back off.

"Oh does he now? Guess what! That is what people do for CATTLE! You think you're special and exempt? What if Victor gets bored of you?"

She did not give you time to retort or even gather your thoughts. Beth looked at you with pity now and reaches for the back of your neck.

"I wager that's not even a spider bite. Let me take a look at it in the bathroom. Please."

You want to shove her away, to tell her she's just being paranoid. But something stops you and you end up silently following her into the bathroom. She did not lecture you further at least. Maybe if she sees the spot she'll finally leave you alone.

Once seated on a bench against the wall you feel her peel away the bandage.

"I have been bitten by a wolf spider before and this is not that. There's a tiny incision. This may hurt a bit..." There is some pressure and she becomes dead quiet for a long moment.

"There's something metallic here hang on." Beth got some tweezers from her first aid box and plucked out the object, setting it into a plastic container. It was bigger than a grain of rice and you bring it up to your face just to check despite knowing what it likely was. Beth placed a new bandage on after cleaning the wound. She did not mock you nor was she angry anymore.

"See? Never forget what you are to them. You are not a complete person to Victor, you will always be a lesser being meant for him and the others to do whatever they want with."

"What do I do then? Leave?" the thought of fleeing into the night and hoping to find refuge at a safe house made your stomach turn. You would be throwing away any remote chance at a better life and angering Victor in the process. The last part made you truly frightened. You had never seen him reach such a state but you were keenly aware of how powerful he was and how calculated he could be with his strength. What would happen if he didn't hold back?

"Not now at least not today. Lure him into a false sense of security with you. Make him think you believe his bullshit. Keep that tracker in your pocket until you're ready to go." You nod and hug Beth. It was the first real human contact you had had in a while.

"We could leave together!" But Beth shuts this down immediately.

"I have a brother, I can't. Even doing this was a risk. I'm sorry but for now you're on your own."

--------

Victor was holding you again and winding down his day with a cigar. Music was playing and it struck you how this was a piece done by humans and how even some of the paintings in his office were too. Art and music enjoyed by a monster that thought himself a god, who devoured the lives of those who created these things. Something you had formed an attachment with. You still had that unshakable feeling of excitement and it brought shame but not to the point you had hoped.

"That's a different bandage." Scaled fingers slide over your skin and the surface of the covering.

His voice was not harsh in any way but you focused on keeping control of your heart rate and adrenaline. Easier said than done but you were proud how it didn't race.

"It got itchy so I cleaned the wound and changed it."

"Mmm, next time tell me and I'll change it for you." His grip did not intensify but you could hear his tongue flicking out to taste the air.

"You smell faintly of Beth, I assume she assisted you with it. Tough to see what you're doing given the location of the bite and all."

You maintain slow breaths and draw your energy into having unease at a minimum.

"Yes, that would be the case."

"You seem rather distant tonight." Victor pulls you close to his chest. "I hope your day did not cause distress." He kisses the bandage and goes down to your shoulder to inspect the other from his bite. Though you fight it you cannot help but enjoy the familiar thrill and tender way he went about going over you.

"Remember, I can make things better for you...or worse." The tips of his teeth graze you and you feel a dribble of saliva fall upon your arm. "As long as you obey and mind your place there is nothing to fear." His hand goes down your side and rests on the zipped up pocket that held the tracker.

"You are an intelligent being, for a human. Commendable work ethic, resourceful, kind..." Victor's hand does not travel from its position.

"...and a liar." He plucks the tracker from its hiding place and you feel nauseous.

"Beth's removal of this was not precise enough, and I am afraid she broke a piece off. Useful devices that normally keep tabs on our BOWs and some human employs. Designed to notify us if there has been tampering." He rumbles with irritation and you can feel it along with the grip that becomes tighter.

"You disappoint. I do so much for you and you cannot bring yourself to just trust me. This tracker was for your own good! What if something happened and I needed to find you? Natural disasters are still a part of life." Victor's voice had lost all softness.

"I can just go back to my room and-"

He hisses in your ear and you take horrifying note of how his nails have sharpened. Victor took meticulous care of them and you were dead certain they had been very smooth and blunt before this. They've even drawn blood, and he is running one over the front of your throat as his hand stayed clasped on your neck. It was not enough to cut but you knew better than to struggle.

"No. You will be staying put and that hospital room will serve as your new quarters. You are to not leave this office unless I give direct permission. Understand?" He is not satisfied with your nod and pulls your head back forcing you to see his eyes which are glowing demonically.

"I understand Dr. Gideon!" You keep the reply short and he smiles, showing so many of his gold capped teeth that could easily puncture and tear. It is absent any and all friendliness. It was a promise.

"My personal chambers can be accessed through here so I will be able to keep good tabs on you at night. Now, please remain on this couch I am going to have a little talk with Beth and I will return." Victor left and you hear the door remain unlocked. The music still played and you try to not break down.

It had all fallen apart there was really no way to get the upper hand on him. You had been such a complete and utter idiot, you should have just told Beth to fuck off and leave well enough alone. The music echoed and you stared at the far wall until the tracks eventually ended and you were forced to endure silence. How long had it been? As if to answer your question, Victor entered. He did not storm into the room but casually approached you. The feral anger was gone and his nails had returned to being normal and blunt.

"I was too angry with you my dear, so unnecessarily harsh. Forgiveness will take time though, I am not keen to trust you for a while. Beth and I had our chat. She won't be doing anything so foolish again. And don't fret she is fine."

He strokes your hair and sits down with you. This was another lie, a trick. At any moment he would lash out...

"I am in need of your warmth, but this couch will not suffice. Come to my personal chambers." Victor picks you up as if you had no mass above a small duffle bag and carries you across the room. He activates a hidden door built into bookshelves and it reveals a luxurious master suite and a staircase leading up to another door. He tastes the spike in adrenaline and you smell something unusual on his breath like blood and raw meat. Victor took care of his teeth so this surprised you. There was a pleasant smell in the air now though and your rising panic subsided. He had a small canister of sorts in hand.

"To help me sleep when work gets demanding, which is often. Do not worry we don't have to take things too far tonight and I understand if you're concerned. I ask nothing of you except warmth for these old bones." He gently sets you down on the custom bed and removes your shoes before taking off his own along with his shirt.

Victor's rough and scaly skin and the long scar down his torso were a tapestry of his pursuit of ambition, but you had to admire him all the same. He knew what he wanted and that was power and evolution. There was muscle but also softness to his massive frame. A middle aged apex predator that could fully relax in his environment.

The rest of that night had been a blur. Victor had brought you to the couch to sit with you in his arms almost like a pet. He was so cool to the touch and now appeared to be drawing your warmth for himself. You hadn't known what had come over you when you had hugged him like that but you were beyond grateful he had responded as well as he did. The sharp kiss on the shoulder had been a jolt of surprise as had the hands that had held you in place for it. You had heard an almost feral noise when he had bitten into you but then the apology came.

And what could you expect? He was lethally strong and literally not a human being. Your flesh was more prone to damage and he had a predator's teeth. You did wonder just how bad a genuine bite from him could be, and were worried about infection. Evolved people did not have the ability to 'infect' with bodily fluids but you had several little open wounds from where the points of his teeth had driven in. You reached to your shoulder to touch them and found them to be bleeding more.

"My saliva carries anticoagulant properties so that is normal. I can clean the wound for you when I feel sufficiently warm." He was lightly rubbing the area next to the marks.

"If I may ask why do you have a lower body temperature when compared to other evolved?"

"Oh, that is because I am more than they are! I have the same virus but my situation was modified further with the addition of Hunter and modified Nemesis. My own personal selections and they grant me a longer life span than even your average superior. I am truly the embodiment of my Master's vision!"

You can feel his smugness and ego radiating like the sun and you quell the urge to roll your eyes.

"What was it like when you were given the virus back in your Arklay days? Did it hurt?" you had a moment of brief panic when he paused. Had you overstepped? Here you were just blabbing questions. Victor did not mind though.

"At first it was like my very blood was in fire. I will admit, I was frightened. My heart raced, I had a fever, and my muscles and bones ached like you couldn't imagine. I remember Spencer was administering the virus and he stayed to monitor me himself. He had taken it already so he could guide me through what was happening." Victor looked at the portrait.

"He told me the agony was good and that my human self was becoming something great. After some time the pain vanished and I felt the best I had ever felt in my entire life! A true gift!" He looked down at you and he genuinely believed everything was indeed, a gift. A man who had willingly departed with his humanity with gusto. There was something else on the tip of your tongue.

"When did you first feel the side effect? Everything has a cost and the cost was that hunger for-for..." This inquiry had Victor offer up an unsettling smile that made you want to flee from him.

"Yes, the hunger. A minor price to pay for such power! Why do you think we allow you humans to keep existing? It isn't just mercy and removing ourselves from labor and menial tasks." Victor lights up a cigar and runs his fingers through your hair, enjoying how you simultaneously wanted to run but hadn't noticed something. That his hands were no longer holding you in place.

"And it was almost immediate once the virus had fully integrated. Spencer was present to help prevent an attack on a human employee. We do not crave going for their own." He exhaled to the side of you to avoid blasting your face with smoke. You keep watching those eyes of his that draw you in.

He reaches out and takes your chin into his hand and rubs his thumb along your jaw line. Victor studies you with quiet intensity and keeps a small smile. You were still choosing to remain put and it was delicious. No chains required on his part, you were creating them entirely on your own.

"Evolution is a privilege, and perhaps one day you will earn it." He leans forward and kisses you on the lips, leaving the tang of your blood and the acrid edge of the cigar lingering in your mouth. He nips at your lower lip with a surgeon's precision, grazing it just enough. Your skin blooms with heat and despite everything he has said, everything he is, you do not want to leave now.

"I should attend to your wound." He proceeds to pick you up and set you to the side of the couch. "I will return shortly." he departs and you feel the unspoken rules in the very air. You were to not wander off or become too nosy around the office. What he had said earlier had you hooked in and mind occupied.

Was there a real possibility of you joining them? If you played your cards right and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt you deserved it...then you would be free from the lingering threats of ending up on the gurney or the dinner table. You would be able to safely walk the streets of Wrenwood, Raccoon City, or anywhere else. Could you even become a researcher like Victor? Be by his side? Have a real, honest to god life?

He came back with a metal case of medical supplies. Isopropyl wipes, antibiotic ointment, and bandages. You leaned into his touch and he efficiently patched you up. His hands were getting cold again and you glanced at the fireplace.

"Ah, I should get that fixed before fall. Care to help an old man in the meantime?" Victor had already shut the case and pulled you onto him. He grabbed the throw blanket and draped it over you to trap the warmth. Conversation drifted to anything and everything and you found yourself to be really tired, too exhausted to stay awake. Victor flicks his attention to the glass of water he had graciously offered during the talk. The added sedative would make you relaxed enough to sleep. A further weakening of your defenses. If you felt relaxed enough to lower your guard like this around him, half of his work was already done.

"