ARK

A. R. K.

“Animalistic Reformation of Karyotypes.” Sal’s voice came to me from the inky darkness as the room came back into focus slowly. “Ark for short. I’m sorry that you had to find out this way, but you did sign up for it legally speaking.”

“Wha?” My tongue felt like cotton in my mouth, the fluorescent lights overhead blinking sporadically as I tried to lift my hand and failed. I was strapped to a gurney with metal cuffs, a small jingle the only indication I could get that I had actually moved.

“The advancement of the human species as a whole… Well, the select few deemed worthy.” Doctor Jessi came into view then with Doctor Daniel, a team of other scientists surrounding them. “Congratulations are in order Doctor Todd Marshal; you filled our tenth spot for the trial phase. This is a promotion after all.” She ran a finger from my pec down to my washboard abs. “A welcome addition to the team indeed.”

“It’s all thanks to you really.” Doctor Daniel was directing the other scientists around the room now, machines coming to life as tubes were brought out and needles shoved under my skin. “If you hadn’t have found the cure to Parvo three days ago, we wouldn’t have found the perfect carrier to distribute the serum we’d been working on.”

“Plus you gave us something we hadn’t even considered into the mix; rapid regeneration without the concern for cancer forming.” Doctor Jessi sounded giddy now as a gag was forced against my mouth, stopping me from even screaming as hot liquid began to flood my system. “With the right tweaking, we’re pretty sure we can extend the life of an individual for a few hundred years now! Isn’t that great?!”

“Doctor; which dose will we be giving him?” One of the other scientists held up a tray of syringes, the needles being fourteen gauges and intimidating under the light. I tried to move, to fight back, but the gag in my mouth and the locks around each limb made it impossible.

Doctor Jessi smiled as she picked up one with a symbol on it, bringing it to my face and smiling when I read through tears what it said. “ARK A-2 Variant Canis Lupus.” She said out loud making sure that I could understand what I was seeing.

Doctor Daniel giving her a quizzical look. “That one hasn’t even been put through any trial phases; sure the genome sequence is correct, but do you really want to waste the only current model we have?” He asked.

She went over to the wall and flicked the needle twice, making sure the liquid was without air bubbles. She grinned maniacally as she flicked something next to her and a screen raised from a glass window there showing another room. There was Chad; my rival and my own personal bully, writhing on a table as fur sprouted along his body and a sick crunching noise could be heard just barely through the glass along with his screams as more people worked on him as well. “Positive. If it works for ARK A-1 Canis Latrans; what’s to stop it from working with him?” She walked quickly over and instantly jabbed the needle into my forearm, going deep through skin and tissue and hitting the plunger down as more of that burning fire flared up from where she injected it. “Give him twenty four hours, and if it doesn’t take- do it again.” She instructed as she and Doctor Daniel headed to the door. “I also want rehabilitation on him; wash him and make him loyal to the cause, we can’t have a “hero” trying to screw things up.” She waived dismissively as she left out the door.

I began to fade again with the pain, my own screams mixing with those of Chad as his gag slipped off and his mouth elongated before me in a grotesque dreamlike quality. He immediately bit the arm of one of his attending, shaking the doctor like a rabid animal and sending him against the glass with a sickening crunch as it splintered under contact. An alarm blared as lights flashed and Chad let out one final ear splitting yell- his body convulsing as limbs twisted and reformed.

Just as my eyes began to close, a larger than life coyote was where Chad had been moments before.

*****

“Keep him sedated! We can’t have another accident like last night.” A voice cut through the fog as my eyes fluttered open, the gurney I had been strapped to now moving down a different hall. “We’re putting him with the others as the shift takes hold; so be sure that he isn’t put next to the gorilla nor the alligator.”

“Yes Doctor.” The gurney had a squeaky wheel as we made a turn, the slight catch causing the metal to hit the corner of the wall as we continued on.

“Be careful! Don’t damage the product.”

“Sorry Doctor.” I was beginning to recognize Doctor Jessi’s voice, the high pitch to it now making my ears ring. I would have felt sorry for the person pushing me, but an all consuming rage was starting to form in the pit of my stomach.

Why are they doing this to me! I read the fine print of the contract! This isn’t right… I tried to focus enough to remember the day I was contacted by the company called Neptune, the papers they handed to me right after graduation from Stanford. I had graduated the top of my class and had debt up to my ears that scholarships did not cover. They seemed like a godsend at the time, saying that my research for viral diseases and the potential cure for Parvo I had written my thesis on compelling and worthy of research.

Trying to remember the fine print of everything I had read, something clicked.

“In case of breakthroughs in research during the trial period of three years, induction into the company and the continued use of your person will be mandatory to further potential advancements for the cause.”

They didn’t mean my time… the sinking dread and pain began to become unbearable again as the gurney stopped in a large warehouse type room, a metal cage with four inch thick bars now surrounding me as they hooked up more machines and then left me to be on my own, a cacophony of screams, whispers, preyers, and crying now keeping me company. They meant my actual body.

I tuned my head slightly to look around as cool liquid began to seep back into me, a whooshing from a monitor telling me that the sedative was being administered. Next to my cage was a woman in a state of distress as she lifted her head to me where she sat in a corner. Her hair parted as her face was that of a predatory bird, her eyes refocusing on me and taking me in. “Welcome to Hell.” She whispered through beak-like lips.