Laminax Laboratories 🔬(UNDERGOING REWRITE)

(Rewrite) Chapter 8: A Senior Scientist is Always Right

We sit in silence as he continued to look at his wound. I ponder whether or not I should keep the ear situation to myself and Dr. L, or tell Kai. 'If he knows it's real..what will he think of me? I will most likely become a subject, just like the rest...' I ponder for a moment, before Kai starts to talk. "You look like you're thinking hard. Whatcha thinking about?" Kai asks. "..oh..uh..n-nothing..." I reply. "Nothing? You're thinking about somethin." Kai says.

"I-I don't want to talk about it. Especially not here, right now.." I say. "Oh. Alright." Kai replies. We sit in silence once again, as Harry walks past me, giving me a weird glare. I think nothing of it. "I'm going to take it that it's something you want to talk about...in private." Kai says. "..mhmm." I reply.

Dr. L suddenly walks towards us, glancing at me for a second. Dr. L then puts a finger up and touches my right ear. 'The hell..' I think to myself. As soon as Dr. L touches my right ear, it flinches. "Yes, yes! My prototype robot manic ears work perfectly!" Dr. L says with a smug look. I glare up at him and he just has that same smug look, as he stares into my eyes.

"Spare me the embarrassment." I say with a groan. "Pffft! You know how I am with trainees! First I help them, and then I prank them when they least expect it! And you just so happen to be one of my victims!" Dr. L says with glee. I roll my eyes. "Give the man a break Dr. L...it's already bad enough it's a Blackout." Kai says. "Mmm..okay!" Dr. L says, walking off with glee.

Me and Kai sit in silence once again. Suddenly, the intercom turns on.

"Main power grid is coming back online. Thank you for your cooperation, LAMINAX staff."

"Oh thank god.." Kai says. The cafeteria suddenly erupts into cheers and happiness, as the lights suddenly turn on in the room, blinding me for a few seconds. I cover my eyes and blink a few times before opening them once again. I've been in the dark so long that I'm not used to the normal state the lights are in.

I watch Dr. L as he walks towards me once again. "Alright Jake, come with me!" Dr. L says. I get up from sitting up, and follow Dr. L. Kai waves goodbye to me as I walk to the barricaded cafeteria entrance with Dr. L. People are hastily and excitedly taking the barriers away from the door. As soon as the barriers are removed, Dr. L grabs my hand and basically begins dragging me through the halls to the reception room.

We surprisingly encounter no gootraxians on the way. Dr. L suddenly lets go of my hand once we get to the elevator. "Aaand...long elevator ride, here I come..." Dr. L says quietly. He then presses the 'hotel' button, as I watch the elevator doors close, and feel us going upwards. "..sooooo...what's it like..having gootraxian ears?" Dr. L asks. "..my worst nightmare come true, that's what it is." I reply. "C'mon! I'm being serious.." Dr. L says. "What do you want me to say? It feels...alien? I don't know? Everything's louder though, that's for sure.." I say.

Dr. L takes out a notepad and begins writing. "..Interesting..." Dr. L says, replying late. "..why are you..writing that down?" I ask. "For science of course! I have to have an interview with someone undergoing infection! Or at least, talk with them about what it's like!" Dr. L replies. "Uhm...okayyy.." I say.

The elevator comes to a stop, as the doors open shortly after. Dr. L walks out of the elevator, and I follow suite. "Where is my room...where is...AHA!" Dr. L says, approaching a door with the label '102' on it. He takes out his ID card, and scans it on a card reader. The door clicks open as him and I walk into the room. His room is very messy, with old coffee, microscopes, several different variants of shades, and vials strewn around.

"Haha, don't mind the messy room! I've been..REALLY busy lately...anyways!" Dr. L says with glee, rummaging through his drawers. He suddenly takes out an empty syringe and happily walks over to me. "Alright, I'm just going to take a blood sample. Hold still." Dr. L says. I lift up my lab coat arm, and close my eyes as I feel something poke my skin. The poking suddenly stops. "All done! Now I've just gotta run this..but that's for later!" Dr. L says. I open my eyes, and see him holding a syringe with my blood in it.

I lower my lab coat arm, as I watch Dr. L set the syringe full of my blood on a desk. He reaches into another drawer, and pulls out a syringe with a gray liquid inside of it. "..uh..what's..in there..?" I ask. "This syringe? It's a liquid full of white blood cells, of course!" Dr. L replies. "And..what's it for?" I ask. Dr. L hands the syringe to me. "It's ahem a tool I use, for slowing down the whole infection process! That way, you have more time to relish your human body before it's all replaced with goo!" Dr. L says, with excitement present in his voice.

"I..don't really like the tone of voice you used there..you're acting like you're happy I'm..transforming into a manic." I say. "C'mon, remember the positive work environment rule! Oh yeah, I also am kinda excited that this is happening!" Dr. L says. "..why?" I ask. "Well...you see, this whole..infection process..it only takes 8.5 seconds for your body to be completely transformed!" Dr. L replies. I stand in silence. "So, your case..is special. It might've been that while that one manic kidnapped you, that they dropped a TINYYY bit of goo onto your body by accident. Orrr...on purpose." Dr. L says.

"..what about when I eventually get a tail..? Or- What will happen to my brain? Will I get these random impulses, or be taken over completely?!" I exclaim. "Yes to the impulses. Your brain should be fine for now though. You might get occasional headaches or pains around your body though. If you do experience a burning pain, use that syringe." Dr. L says, pointing to the syringe filled with gray liquid. I look down at the syringe I'm holding. "Well..I'm hoping it does work." I say. "It's completely new too! You're kind of my first testing subject for it since I haven't met anyone in the same situation you're in yet!" Dr. L says with glee.

"..this..this has never been tested..?" I ask, with a hint of worry in my voice. "Yepper!" Dr. L replies. I stand in silence once again. 'I am hoping this damn thing works, or it's all over for me.' I think to myself. "Anyways, I've got work to get to. If you're paranoid about other gootraxians getting you, don't even worry. The guards are already starting to get things under control. I think..anyways, cya!" Dr. L says. I wave goodbye to him before leaving the room, and heading back to the elevator.

I press the 'lab' button as the doors close, and I feel the elevator moving downwards.

A few minutes pass by and the elevator stops, as the doors open. I watch as a guard pulls a knocked out jammer with a lot of cuts and bruises over to the area behind the garden. Suddenly, a burning sensation engulfs my left arm. I almost fall to the floor in pain, when I remembered what Dr. L said.

I fumble around for the syringe, not remembering which pocket it was in. I suddenly feel a sharp needle touch my finger. I grimace in pain, grabbing the syringe out of the pocket, swiftly injecting it into my left arm. Suddenly, everything fades to black.