Small Creator with a Big Heart

[H-0135 Entry 2.1 - Researcher: Dr. Kate]

This. This creature will be a joy to study. I have been advised not to release all the information I have about our beautiful subject and its creation, but I can say that it is and will be quite interesting. 

For one, it can speak. Not like a parrot looping words it happened upon, however. 0135 is capable of full, intelligent speech. To my knowledge, it is the first of that sort! Besides that, it is biomechanical, a fairly new field of science here, but seeing 0135’s apparent consciousness, it will be a successful one.

Well… only as long as 0135 stays compliant. With its height and talons, a security breach would be… devastating. 

. . .

“Of course it-t-t was you.” Dr. Kate had just closed the door behind her when the tall, black creature spoke. The cell that contained him stood parallel to the entrance. She sighed and approached the glass.

“Who else would it be? Glad to see you’re awake.” Her voice was smooth and calm, as though she were speaking with an old friend. “How are you feeling?” Her words carried a mock politeness that made H-0135’s tail lash.

“Alive. V-v-very much alive.” Visibly forcing his tail still, he lifted his head a little. The white eye, glowing against the black features, glared down at her. “You?”

Kate flicked her hand, avoiding his gaze. “So-so. Thinking up things to do with you, and what not.” She studied him from the corner of her eye. “You’ve changed, Michael, and not for the better.” 

H-0135 flexed his claws. “N-N-Not!?” A shudder coursed up through his lanky form, and he shifted his stance. “Not! You’re jealous! I-I see the distance you place bet-t-tween you and me.” He tilted his head with a predatory gaze. Kate denied herself the slight stab of anxiety it induced. “You wish you w-were smart enough t-t-to mimic a fraction of these results.”

“No, I do not,” she stated. H-0135’s eye narrowed. “You’ve become a beast enslaved to your own arrogance. Even I would not stoop to that level of insecurity.” 

*Clk CRK*

H-0135 slammed his clawed hand against the glass. She jumped. He lowered his head and stared at Kate with understated malice. “You t-t-trapped me out of fear. T-t-tame the beast before it bec-c-comes dangerous, I assume.” He held his voice just above a snarl. “Sssssmart. But even you c-c-couldn’t get away with something as… vicious as thissss.”

Dr. Kate straightened her lab coat. A shadow of a smile hovered over her lips. “Perhaps. But then, you never left an alibi.” H-0135’s wire antennae flicked. He tensed as she continued. “As far as anyone here knows, you’re missing or dead. No one would have believed you then, and no one will now. Look at yourself!”

H-0135 dropped his hand and straightened to his full height. “*Crrk*  I do not c-care what others think-k-k of me. But you? I-I-I want you to know: I will find a way t-t-to escape your t-talons. And when I d-d-do? Your death will be n-n-n-nothing short of hhhhell.”

. . .

[H-0135 Entry 2.1 - Researcher: Dr. Kate Parnell]

I’ve had the thing for a good three days now and have not learned a single scrap of new information. It critiques me and does it well (I hate to admit). Do not request any further information; I have been instructed to share its origins with no one. Just note that 0135 is not the feral creature any of us are used to.

. . .

Dr. Kate clicked her pen repeatedly. She stared at the blank sheets on her clipboard. The subject himself slouched against the wall of his cell, studying his talons. 

“Are you going t-t-to… do something?” He ventured.

“Shut it,” she retorted, but looked up and met his gaze. “So—”

“No.”

“You can’t just—”

“No.” He tossed his head back. Something of a smirk flickered around the sharp edges of his eye. Kate ran her hand along the bridge of her nose.

“H-0135, I’m trying—”

H-0135’s tail smacked the wall once, cutting her off. “Oh, we’re resort-t-ting to tags now! Fun.”

“STOP IT!” She straightened her posture. “How do you even see anything with that screen?” Tilting his head, he pointed to his face with a single claw.

“Eye.”

“You are absolutely exasperating today. That is not what I MEANT!”

“I know what you meant!”

The silence between them stretched for a few moments until Kate opened her mouth to speak. H-0135 spoke first. “But I’m n-n-not going to answer—”

“FINE! DON’T! Just tell me how far you can see.” Try as she might, Kate could not keep the hint of a plea out of her voice. H-0135’s wire antennas rose; he noticed.

His voice sank to a whisper. “I see y-y-your insecurities.” Then an odd clicking sound escaped his throat, and he resumed his uninterested lean against the wall. “Have you r-really never had a speak-k-king experiment before?”

She eyed the tall cabinet left of the cell. “That… that’s not relevant.” He huffed.

“Por supuesto que es relevante; r-r-refleja tu experiencia. Eres paranoic-ca.”

“Since when do you speak Spanish?!”

“Since… always.” His antennae flicked with mild disinterest. “I swear; if you go sk-k-kulking about, hunting for my inform-mation, I’ll—” He paused and narrowed his eye, meeting her face to face with a dip of his head. “Why the heck-ck do you want-t-t to know how far I c-can see?”

“I don’t skulk!” She hissed. H-0135 blinked, unconvinced. “And I have all of your information. I’m trying to get some baseline info about you now, but you are making it increasingly difficult.” He cackled in what Dr. Kate could only assume was a laugh.

“Maybe,” he muttered, turning his body to face her fully, “instead-d-d of asking your subject blatant questions, t-t-try testing it without its knowing.” He paused for a moment. Dramatic effect, she assumed. “You could hav-v-ve made me look at you from the other side of the r-room, t-t-to which I would have responded exact-tly the same.”

The light flickered overhead; Kate sighed. “None of that is useful information.” “A-and?” “FINE! We’ll do it your way!” She barked before backing up to the door across from the glass. “I assume you can see me?”

H-0135 tilted his head. “Yeah,” he replied.

Kate clicked her pen, finally ready to write something in her notes. “So you can see at least twenty feet?” He eyed the distance between them.

“The room’s fift-t-teen,” he stated. Annoyed, Kate adjusted her glasses and muttered a curse under her breath. “Alright—wait,” she paused and looked up at the beast, narrowing her eyes slightly. “How do you know that?”

He tipped his screen back. “Well, y-you took fourteen st-t-teps back, and assuming your feet are smaller than a f-f-full foot, that would make the d-d-distance between this glass—” A sharp talon clicked off the clear wall. “and the d–d-door roughly equivalent to fifteen feet-t. Also, d-d-don’t we use SI measurements h-h-here?” His tail flicked in clear delight at her exasperated groan.

But she ignored his pointed arguments. “So you can see roughly four and a half meters?” “I said-d I could see you.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Why are you pr-r-ressing so hard?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said dryly, scribbling the information down on her clipboard. 

*Shrck*

H-0135 readjusted his body, his lanky arms crossed over his chest. “Y-you are so concern-n-ned with how far I c-c-can see! I mean—” He flexed one of the talons he had settled on his forearm, almost as a warning. “Are there n-n-not more pressing questions?” “Keep those down! I thought it would be nice to start simple.” H-0135’s wires clinked softly together. “Here’s a question for you: how do those antennas work? I know they’re not just for show.”

“These?!” A quick flick of the wires betrayed his excitement. “Ah, th-th-these are nothing,” he said, tilting aside his screen in mock humility.

“False,” Kate stated without a single drop of patience.

“Ah, ahah, no. IF they ser-r-rved a purpose I w-w-wouldn’t just t-tell you! Quizás podr-r-ría. Puedo capt-tar frecuencias c-c-con ellos. ¡Lo oigo t-todo!” He snickered.

Kate lost it. “THAT IS NOT HELPFUL!” H-0135 laughed as he watched her storm out into the hall, slamming the door behind her.

. . .

[H-0135 Entry 2.2 - Researcher: Dr. Kate Parnell]

I’m done with this creature. It has given me nothing of value to record, and what information it does give me, I cannot share (for reasons beyond my own). I’m done with it. If I am to keep the thing alive, it might as well be on my terms…

You know, I don’t care if it’s controversial, I’m doing it. For science.

—

She paused for a moment, leaning back in her chair. I can’t write that in here. They mustn’t know of… H-0135’s intelligence. Would raise too many questions, especially regarding… if they connected the dots… It was minimal, but this would suffice. Yes. I didn’t spend all that time covering him for nothing.

. . .

It had been no longer than an hour since her last visit when the door clicked open again. H-0135 lashed his tail. That last “test,” as she had called her mental probing, must have irked her more than he had thought. What could she possibly want from me? “Back-k-k already?” He hissed, narrowing his gaze as Dr. Kate approached the glass. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before stepping over to the cabinet. “You are insufferable, 0135. Speak again and I’ll shoot you.” The dart gun she removed prevented any further comment he might have made. Carefully, she placed it on the counter running along the left wall and opened a cupboard overhead. H-0135 eyed the gun in tense silence. He knew what those were for. She wouldn’t… Would she? “You,” Kate started while inspecting its contents, “should be grateful you’re still living.” One black vial was set next to the gun. H-0135’s antennas twitched. “And I’ll let you continue to live… assuming you will cooperate.” Finally, she turned her gaze to the cell. “Have anything to say to that, 0135?” The subject remained silent. “Good.” Kate pulled a small notebook and a pen from her coat. “Then let’s start with something small. Place your talons on the glass; I want to see them clearly.” With a pointed *click click… click,* H-0135 obeyed, positioning his claws at her eye-level. Tense rage glowed behind his white eye. “I c-c-could spear y-you through with these,” he growled under his breath. Kate rolled her eyes and added a few notes to her paper. “Thanks for that mental image,” she muttered in reply, “but are you strong enough?” The subject’s eye narrowed. “Even claws sharp as knives are only as powerful as the bearer.” Kate let herself smile when he started lashing his tail—exactly as she’d expected. His antennae clicked together once before he spoke. “Again, do you ask-k-k a tiger how long it-ts fangs are? Or do you g-g-give it a toy and measure the punct-t-tures? Really, Kate. Y-y-you’re twice my age, yet-t-t somehow half as smart-t. Interesting.” A pointed click signaled H-0135’s disappointment in her response, but he obeyed. “I trust you less than a rabid bear; don’t push your already straining boundaries. Comply, and perhaps you can lessen the strain. So, will you or will you not?” He responded only with a low growl while avoiding her eyes and letting his hand drop to his side. “Fine. I suppose I’ll just have to test it.” H-0135’s eye followed her movements as she set her claw measurements on the counter next to the dart gun and pulled a clipboard with a blank sheet from a drawer below it. “First…” She planted herself in front of his cell. “How much do you still… know? Our previous data has not been all that useful or precise.”

“I r-r-remember everything, Kate.” He leaned back, eye narrowed to a near slit. “If y-y-you must know, I c-can name every single ex-x-xperiment you’ve e-ever tort-t-tured and broken. From 07 t-to me… what… 135? You’ve had-d-d over a hundred specimens a-a-and still lack a b-b-basic method? How pathetic. Y-Y-You can’t just break n-n-nature for fun, you n-n-need a reason, a p-p-purpose, something t-to learn or study… which m-m-makes me wonder, wh-what are y-y-you hoping t-to learn fr-fr-from me?” “From you? Or through you.” He twitched. “Michael, you are in no position to teach anyone anything. You never were, for that matter, and you certainly can’t be now. Yet… how clever you were… you built a monster and became it perfectly. And what did you hope to learn?” She said with a sly smile. “I—nnnghh-snk.” The dark screen flickered white for a second. “P-P-Proper and efficient d-d-defense, ag-gility, mastery ov-v-ver nature itself…” H-0135’s tail jerked before he calmed and stared at her straight in the eye.. “Oh, the t-t-talons and tail a-a-are just a d-delightful side effect. Something to use ag-g-gainst those who g-get in my way. For ex-example—” Kate cut him off. “I don’t care, beast. I’ve read through your smug little self-documentation.” She marked something off her sheet before exchanging it for the black bottle. With suspicion, H-0135 watched her scan the label. “I spent m-months of p-p-pain on that…” his voice trailed when he saw her take a syringe from a drawer and pull some of the liquid into it. “You wouldn’t.” She slipped something into the gun with a sharp click. “It’s evident that your current… state will hinder any further research from you.” His eye widened with the realization of what she was about to do. She slid back the little door in the glass and leveled the point to his shoulder. “All you need to do now,” TIck “is hold still.”

A click. H-0135 screamed. A wordless sound of pain, not physical, mental. Each moment, each memory—leaves, sunlight, wind ruffling his dark hair—bled from his mind in a stream. He threw himself to the ground, writhing.

“YOU’RE A C-COWARD!” Kate stood watching with disinterest. “A DOWN-RIGHT COWARD!” He broke off into another shriek. Kate winced at the noise. “*AAASHHHZZK* YOU FEARED ME ENOUGH TO k-k-KILL ME!” He froze. His eye blinked, confused. “T-t-to kill me?! AAAAIIIII—” Sudden blackout. H-0135 collapsed and went still, screen blank. Dr. Kate stared at the pathetic black shape that had once been her rival. Then she turned and began packing her things away.

He watched Scritch running in circles, leaping at times to try and catch the glowing bugs in his paws. Seloh tilted his head. This creature, this... anomaly, born out of pain and panic... loved. It loved with such innocence. No one could ever know of its terrible past by simply watching.

Seloh took a step forward. Scritch looked up, his black eyes wide with the wonder of the night. He chirped a sound of meaningless happiness, and Seloh smiled.

"I-i-is that a challenge?" He crouched down beside the little otter. Scritch flopped on his side, letting Seloh pet his belly.

Slowly, Seloh tipped his screen to the sky. He tracked the flashing insects for a second before raising a hand slowly. Quick as lightning, his talons clasped around one of the bugs. Scritch churred happily as Seloh settled himself in the grass. Scritch wiggled upright and pressed his damp nose to Seloh's closed hand.

"R-ready?" Carefully, he opened his talon. The firefly sat there for a moment on his dark palm before taking flight and rejoining the buzz of insects above them. Scritch lifted his little front paws in excitement. Seloh chuckled. "You lik-k-ke that?"

It wasn’t until the sun began to rise that Seloh carried the sleeping Scritch back to his room. He placed the otter gently at the head of his own bed, then took out the sketches he’d made that night: Scritch leaping after fireflies, the forest fading to a dark nothing beyond the stone walls, a map of all the constellations he could name since before… Seloh let his antennae fall.