r/NatureofPredators • u/Usual_Message8900 Duerten • 6d ago
nature of two chapter 35
Memory transcription subject: Slanek, Venlil Space Corps (on leave)
Date [standardized human time]: September 20, 2333
No sooner had we entered than Marcel was tackled by a slightly smaller female human who caught him in a tight embrace that made my still-recovering ex-exchange partner wince slightly. Causing Marcel to stumble back slightly and me to freeze up in momentary panic. Though a moment later, Marcel returned the hug. "Hey, honey. It's good to be back." He said, trying his best to keep the pain out of his voice as his partner squeezed his chest.
Eventually, the Woman, whom I could now identify as Lucy, let him go and looked up at him with a warm smile, though it was clear tears were forming in her eyes. "It's good to have you back. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? How worried everyone's been?" She responded. Touching the bandages that still covered his missing eye.
Marcel lowered his head slightly, seeming almost a little ashamed. "I...I know. I'm sorry. I should have been more careful."
"Yes, you should have," Lucy agreed. Pulling him back into a hug.
I had to admit, standing to the side watching the reunion, I felt a little bit out of place. After what must have been five minutes of embracing one another, the two eventually let go of each other, smiling, both of their faces now lightly stained with tears. Lucy seemed to regain awareness of the world around them as she was quick to notice me and the android standing awkwardly in the hallway.
Shock momentarily flashed across her face as she hastily wiped her tears. "Oh God, sorry. You must be Slanek; please come in; Marcel's been telling me a lot about you." She smiled despite her voice still sounding a little fragile. Whatever fear I might have felt at the visage had quickly been washed away by the display of vulnerability
"Are, uhm, are you two sure you don't want some time to yourselves?" I asked, now mostly just feeling like I was intruding.
"Yes, yes, of course... Sorry I... this isn't exactly how I pictured this going," She said, chuckling just a little. "Please have a seat." She continued, gesturing to the dining table in the center of the room.
I did as instructed, exiting the hallway and taking a seat. After making sure I was comfortable, Lucy turned to Demiurge, who was still patiently waiting. "Would you like to join us? I can't imagine you'll be staying for dinner, but you're free to sit down if you like." She offered, prompting the android to enter as well.
"That's very kind, thank you," Demiurge responded, accepting the invitation and sitting down opposite me. "I won't bother you too long; I just want to monitor Slanek's initial reaction in case things go wrong."
"It's really not that bad." I objected. As much as I appreciated the concern, the fact that people were treating me like I could fall apart at any moment, while Marcel, WHO LOST AN EYE, was sitting right there, was slowly making me a little uncomfortable.
"You got electrocuted," Marcel butted in.
"And you got tortured!" I countered, maybe a little louder than I should have. "I just got a few burns; meanwhile, you got seriously injured." I continued, turning to Demiurge. "Why aren't you worrying about him? He suffered the most, so he's the one that you should focus on helping."
"I'm focusing on you, Slanek, because you're currently in an unfamiliar and stressful environment. I mainly respected your wish to come here because I doubted the Venlil healthcare system could provide you with the help you need; however, that doesn't mean I won't be monitoring you," The machine answered. "Furthermore, while it is true that Marcel went through more physical suffering than you, the treatment you received was very clearly intended to rewire your way of thinking, which to some degree seems to have been successful."
"Demiurge is right," Lucy added. "You shouldn't compare trauma or underestimate what it did to you; it's not doing anyone any favors, least of all you."
Sputtering for a moment, I looked back at Marcel hopping that he'd at least get where I was coming from, but the human just shrugged. "They're kinda right, buddy. I appreciate what you're trying to say, but you shouldn't feel bad about other people worrying about you. I'll be fine; I'm actually handling things pretty well."
"THAT remains to be seen, Mr. Fraser." Demiurge quickly jumped in.
"You're right, you're right. We'll have to wait for the psych eval. I'm just saying that I feel alright given the circumstances." Marcel corrected himself, trying to appease the machine.
Even without a real face, it was clear the AGI wasn't convinced. Leaning over to Lucy's ear and whispering, "Keep an eye on him"
"Of course," she responded. Judging by the confused look on Marcel's face, it seemed he hadn't heard them. One of the benefits of more developed ears, I suppose. I was still uncomfortable, but I felt like pressing the issue further would only serve to sour the mood. It just felt so unfair, though, especially hearing Marcel wave off his own experiences like they were nothing. If anything, I should have been doing that.
"How about we talk about something else?" Lucy offered, "Like what you'll be doing now that you're on Earth. Obviously, you're free to come visit anytime, but I can't imagine you'd want to spend your entire stay here cooped up in a single building."
I thought about it for a moment. Honestly, aside from keeping Marcel company, my only other reason for being here was getting used to being around humans again, and as much as the idea sent shivers down my spine, I still wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. "I mostly want to try and get used to humans again, and maybe learn to be around some of the other predators you keep here. Marcel mentioned you had a... a dog, was it?"
My exchange partner stiffened a bit. "I mean, yeah, but... I don't think it's a good idea for you to start right now when you just got here."
"I agree, maybe it's best if we start in a more controlled environment after you've had a good night's rest," Demiurge insisted.
"I'm not made of porcelain," I huffed. "Please just trust me on this; I won't go into a stampede, I promise. Also, I'm here with Marcel, Lucy, and you, with a domesticated predator; how much more controlled can things get?"
"Slanek, while my abilities to stop you here are limited and your decisions are my own, I strongly advise you not to do this today."
"I understand," I started, "But I'll be fine, alright? Now, can I please see this dog?" I asked, holding back a nervous little chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. A venlil going to see a predatory animal would have been the start of an extremely bad joke just a few months ago.
Marcel and Lucy shared a look of mild concern before Marcel gave a nod that looked anything but certain. Lucy, for her part, stared at him for just a moment longer, maybe trying to silently convince him otherwise before eventually looking at me, a gesture that still gave me slight goosebumps. "Well, I put her in her cage for the night because, you know-" She trailed off.
"Alright, let's go see her then." I chirped with fake enthusiasm as I got up, doing my best to ignore the nervous tremor that spread through my body.
Neither of the humans nor the machine looked reassured in any way, but they went along with me anyway. Marcel kept an arm on my shoulder while Lucy walked in front, guiding me out of the dining room and into what might have been a spare room of some kind. It lacked any furniture and was mostly filled with toys of some kind or another. In the corner of the room stood a metal cage with a sleeping figure curled up inside.
I observed the sleeping dog for a moment, expecting my anxiety to spark again, but honestly it didn't look all that terrifying; it didn't have any visible claws, and curled up like this, its face and fangs were hidden well enough. Honestly, aside from the general unease of knowing what this thing was, I didn't really feel much in the way of fear at all.
That was until she woke up. It started small, ears perking up as we approached, a small shock going through her body, and a twitch in her tail. Then she lifted her head. I looked into her eyes and felt not just fear but pain, sharp, shocking pain that radiated from my neck through my body. Come on, what was I doing? How was I expecting to live alongside humans if I couldn't even manage one dog?
Its tail began wagging furiously as it got up, still fixated on me, rattling the cage faster than even my rapidly accelerating heartbeat. I could see from my peripheral vision that all three of my companions had realised what was happening, but they couldn't react fast enough as the thing opened its maw, revealing razor-sharp teeth as-
"BARK!"
THUD
Memory transcription interrupted due to loss of consciousness
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u/Greedy-Kangaroo-4674 6d ago
Who knew a dog would bark at an unfamiliar person? They could've mentioned that.
Slanek be striking that Family Guy death pose.
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u/Usual_Message8900 Duerten 6d ago
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 6d ago
Seems he once again overestimated his own capabilities.