Secret Experiments - DAY 4

Posted on Thu Apr 7th, 2022 @ 6:00am by Captain Ivan Petrov & Callie Marshall

Mission: S1 Episode 2: Caretaker, Part II
Location: Caretaker Array
Timeline: Mission Day 4 at 1130
1227 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

{ON}

Callie awoke from her enforced slumber to find herself alone, wherever she was she wasn't in the grassy field anymore. She frowned as she raised her arm to find herself attached to some sort of old fashioned drip, she appeared to be in some sort of medical establishment or laboratory which rang alarm bells to start with.

Pulling out the drip she moved to sit up, before suddenly realizing that her stomach had taken on a much more rounded appearance. "A screen to the side of her showing an image of her son but his growth was much further advanced from where it had been, and it seemed her son was still growing. "What in the hell??" she gently moved to swing her legs off the bed, she had to find a way out.

The sound of a door opening came unexpectedly. A short and rather pudgy man came in, a device in one hand and a purple fruit in the other. Seeing Cali sitting up in bed, he paused for a moment, and then took a bite of the strange fruit.

"Oh, you're awake." he said, moving toward the table next to her bed, his green lab coat flapping in the wind of his rapidly paced walk. "You'll have to forgive us. One never knows how anesthesia will function on aliens, especially pregnant aliens not in our database."

Callie looked at the man. "Where am I? Where are my shipmates? and What in the hell have you done to us!?"

"All perfectly good questions." the portly man said, taking another bite of his fruit and sitting on a stool. He spoke through a full mouth. "You must be famished. Would you like a bite of ulan fruit?"

Callie had to admit she was feeling very hungry, not surprising given the sudden advanced state of her pregnancy. She nodded politely. "Yes, please. Now please tell me what's going on!? How ..." she motioned to her rounded stomach. "What have you done to my son?"

"You know, you're the one who supposed to be providing us with answers." the man said, handing the fruit to her. He looked human except that his ears were ribbed in a subtle way. "You're still aboard the array where you and your crew are being held. But not for long, I'm afraid. We have a unique opportunity with you that we don't want to miss out on."

Callie looked around hoping to find some means of escape. "What ... opportunity would that be, exactly"

"Nothing less than the wonders and beauties of modern science, my dear." he said, sighing. "That creature growing rapidly within you is a veritable goldmine of needed genetic information. Sure, we had to speed up your pregnancy, but we have little time to waste."

Callie tucked into the fruit she’d been offered. “My Son is not a creature!” She gave the scientist a disapproving look. “If you’ve done anything that will harm him ...” she carried on eating right now she needed the energy. “So what happens to us now?”

"In a scientific sense, we are all creatures." he said. "But I did not mean to offend. For now, you rest. Then, after that, you and any other suitable specimens from your crew will be transferred to our homeworld for further examination.

“I am not a specimen” Callie hung her head. “I just want to get out of here. If you needed something that badly, why not ask us? You’ve made a big mistake taking an Empire starship!” She clutched at her stomach as the growth phase of her son increased again, making her cry out in pain. “You ... you can’t keep ... accelerating my son’s growth! You don’t know what you’re doing!!”

Dull to her cries and dramatics, the doctor rolled his eyes. "Why don't you answer some of my questions now. Starting with your name and...what exact 'empire' you come from. We aren't familiar with your species, or any that we are sent."

Callie waited for the pain to pass before nodding. “I am Lieutenant Callie Vali, of the Terran Empire. My species is half Terran, half Betazoid. I fail to see how, as scientists you can conduct accurate research if you don’t know what species you’re dealing with!”

“The Caretaker sends us people from all over the galaxy to study,” he said, using language she would be unfamiliar with, “he gives us biological markers and indications for our research, but who you are and where you’re from hardly matters to us. I simply asked to satisfy a…personal curiosity.”

He looked at her squarely, dispassionately, like a man who had thousands of patients in this same situation. “Speaking of those curiosities, where is your Empire located? How far has he brought you, I wonder.”

“I am not at liberty to divulge that information” Callie gave the scientist just as dispassionate a look. “Return me to my ship!”

“Oh, don’t clam up on me now, girl.” The Doctor responded. “Tell me where you’re from and I’ll tell you who we are.”

Callie gave the man a look before nodding. “We’re a very long way away, years in-fact. More years than most of us have to live. Approximately 70,000 light years from home. Now your turn, who are you?”

“I am Doctor Janis, a minor medical researcher with the Ocampan Science Directorate. The Ocampa Empire makes use of an alien entity who serves our needs whom we call the Caretaker. He brought you from across the galaxy to help us with a project of ours.” He said with a rather disturbing smile. “Now, you have passed our preliminary research stage and will seen be transported to Ocampa for further study, as I said.”

“A project, we’re a project to you?” Callie rested her hand on her grown stomach. “What kind of further study? What are you going to do us?”

“Medical trials are a normal part of the learning of every species.” He asserted. “This is no different. Species like yours have the fortune of living 100 years or more. We, on the other hand are unlimited to nine. Can you imagine what that’s like, to see your life flash before you like a dream? Our research seeks to solve that issue.”

Callie gazed at the man before her curiously. “So exactly how do you go about solving the issue of extending your mere existence?” She was trying to gain as much information as she could get.

“Physical tests, genetic sampling, and observation.” He said simply. “Now, enough questions. It’s time for you to go back to sleep.”

Callie didn’t have much choice but to obey, right now she was alone with no way to easily escape especially in her current condition. She slowly lay back on the bed she’d woken upon. “Just don’t hurt my baby ...”

As she laid down on the bed, he came over and injected something into her drip that would put her to sleep.

"Not to worry. We have no intention of hurting your son. But our research needs unfortunately come before those concerns. I will do my best to ensure his safety, but I can promise nothing."

Callie nodded as her eyes started to get heavy, it wasn’t long until she was asleep again.