Experiment: The Ravager Code

Creation and Destruction

The stars engraved into the wall.

She didn't know who put those there. Didn't remember.

Beside them, and with them sketched through it, was a name, only four letters and so strange to her...

Tessa

She didn't know who that was.

Her name was 42S-98.

The only sounds as she laid there on the cold floor were the faint drips somewhere inside the metal structure—of course, she could hear things not many could, pick up on even dull and tiny sounds—the muffled voices somewhere inside. The clink and whirs of machinery.

She forced her eyes over toward the rusted tray in the corner, its contents only pale clumps that smelled and tasted of chemicals. She knew she should eat, her instinct told her she needed to, but there was no way she was making it to that tray, and no way she was keeping down its less-than-appetizing meal either.

She shivered a few times, pulling her limbs close despite the way her body screamed in protest with the movement, just trying to force her eyes to shut, make herself sleep. Aware enough that oblivion was better. That it took the pain away so that it was more of a dull throb than a constant icy burning. But every stitch, every scar and incision seemed to ache when she tried to just fall back into the blackness of unconsciousness.

Maybe wishing she wouldn't wake up.

She wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep, or how long she had stayed that way if she had, but a deep rumble made her eyes snap back open, the whole structure seemed to shake.

She flinched at the sound, listening, waiting, her blood flowing cold, her limbs seeming to stiffen.

Thumping. Muffled sounds of shouting, blasting, more shaking.

She was shaking.

Voices. Unfamiliar. New ones. Deep and male and most rasping.

She forced herself up, gritting her teeth and sucking down a moan, pushing herself towards the corner as the sounds continued... getting louder. And louder. Shattering glass and more blaster shots.

A thump outside her cell.

Her heart stopped.

Her creator was not here... he had left for his 'more important matters' with his assistants. There was no way he was already back and her experimentation was to resume—

An electric pulse grazed her ears and the heavy doors slid open, revealing two burly males standing in it, posessing scrappy leathers and unkept faces. They stared at her for a moment, sneers on their faces.

"Hey, look at this one." one called behind him, his voice so harsh.

She wanted to sob in fear, but her voice was so raw, so dry. She tried desperately to get to the corner, to press herself into it—

A thinner man walked through the doorway next, about as tall as the both of them, but in every other way so... different.

His dark red clothes were marked with blacks and navy, his light brown hair moving upward on his head. He looked like maybe he could be the same species as her in some ways...

She froze her pawing at the ground, trying to get into the corner, and his cloudy-blue eyes considered her for a few moments, going from confused, to dazed, to what may have been concerned. He shook his head suddenly, his eyes clearing of their sheen.

"Hey, uh, Cap'n? Might wanna come check this out..." he called behind him, and jerked his head for the other two to leave, then took a few steps towards her.