The cost of Infinity

Chap 3: We were never alone

I woke up in this bone-chilling, rigid chair that was reclined slightly, with straps across my chest, wrists, thighs, and ankles. There is a tube down my throat and various other needles and wires all over my naked body. I'm a high-grade Christmas tree right now, and I'm assuming all this was to monitor me so someone can rush in to save me if I panic and give myself a heart attack, Which I am.

My breathing is erratic, and I'm starting to feel lightheaded when a strange warbling sound starts coming from speakers I can't see. Three men rush in, yelling in a language I've never heard before. Still, I can tell by their body language and sense of urgency that my health is declining rapidly. They check the machines I'm attached to, and one takes out a syringe. Now I'm not afraid of needles in the slightest, but this needle was glowing bright blue, and the guy was coming straight at me with it. That was all I needed to see before shock took over and I passed out.

The next time I woke up, the breathing tube was removed, but I was still hooked up to the machines. Most of the straps remained to hold me in place, but my arms were free. I'm covered in this feather-soft, shiny silver blanket. It feels like rubbing a million baby duckies Hehehe. Oh shit, I think I'm high! That's what the blue stuff was! Hmm, Smurf juice, that's what I'm calling it from now on. Smurf juice is lovely.

I'm so hyper-focused on my duckie blanket that I don't notice the man enter the room. He walks over to me and covers my ears in a paste with a mucus consistency akin to a horrible upper respiratory infection. Still, it dried up faster than rubbing alcohol. He starts speaking to me, but because of the effects of the smurf juice and my lack of knowledge of his language, it's like a zookeeper talking to a baby animal.

Have you ever seen a video of a baby rhino interacting with zookeepers? They have wobbly legs but attitudes like they are fully grown. That was me talking to this man, a wobbly baby rhino, playing with my keeper. As time goes on, I can feel the effects of the smurf juice start to wear off, but I remain oddly calm. The man continues to communicate with me, but I'm not speaking English right now, and neither is he, so it's a futile attempt.

I do notice subtle changes in his dialect, though. He seems to be testing different languages to see what works, and I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed. Also, he isn't entirely ugly. Yes, I still know an attractive man when I see one. Geez, don't judge me. Overall it's been a pretty pleasant experience which only adds to my anxiety. I've watched enough movies to know if they start off being nice to you, you end up missing one or more body parts by the end.

"Can you understand me?" he askes. I'm sure he can tell by my expression that he has found the correct language because my mouth drops to the floor. Yuh yes, I stutter back. I've never had a stutter before, but I guess there is a first time for everything, right? "Good, I am scientist 9335, and you are Infinity Sage Alexander, correct?" he askes. Just call me Infinity, I reply. Wait, why am I talking to this guy so casually!?! he has me strapped down to a chair, for Pete's sake!

Hey, mildly attractive doctor dude, um, who are you, where is here, why am I here, and your manager? I want to speak to them right now, please, and thank you. I try to sound as confident as possible, considering. And yes, I just went full Karen on this man. But He's going to chop off a body part for sure, so this is no time to play coy.

"As I have said, I am scientist 9335. You are on a ship called the Nautilus. Why you are here will be explained over time, and the head scientist is busy now. But I can assure you I am perfectly capable of handling my experiments." his response has a subtle tone of annoyance. But I still have blinking sensors, wires, and needles stuck in so many places I would put the city of lights to shame, so I could care less about him being annoyed with me right now.

It just dawned on me that this man called me an experiment. "Excuse me! What experiment am I a part of exactly? And is this much equipment and the straps holding me down necessary? Also, where is this ship going? And finally, are you going to kill me?" Hindsight being 20/20, maybe that last question should have been my first. This damn smurf juice has me worried about all the wrong things.

"You, Infinity Sage Alexander, are a part of an experiment that will change the future of my species if successful. Those wires, tubes, and needles attached to you feed information on the equipment we need to monitor you. It is all vital, I assure you. I will explain its purpose to you later. If it is uncomfortable, I can make adjustments. This ship is a floating lab, we travel the galaxy looking for the perfect test subjects, and no, we have no plans to kill you. If necessary, we will wipe your memory and deposit you back on earth to the exact moment we took you. It will be as if none of this happened"

My head is reeling, and I start having tunnel vision. I feel my heart beating as if trying to escape my chest, and I start feeling lightheaded again. 9335 starts coming towards me with a fresh syringe of smurf juice, but I recall what he just said, and I realize one thing before I blackout.

They have been searching for only God knows how long, which means we were never alone in the universe.