The cost of Infinity

Chap 4: Not like them

I feel like I've been run over by a freight train. No, I don't actually know what that feels like, but this would be it if I had to guess. Water, I need water, I whisper out to no one. I close my eyes and try to swallow my spit, but I don't have enough to give me any relief. Suddenly the door opens, and 9335 walks in with his co-worker following behind him. I make a mental note of the way he walks with a gentle elegance that 9335 clearly lacks. Water, I whisper again, but my throat is so dry I start coughing before I can finish speaking. This time 9335.2 hears me and gives me a pouch of liquid. I start to suck down the contents as fast as possible, "You will make yourself sick if I don't slow down." 9335.2 warns me. I pause and let the liquid settle in my stomach before taking another sip. The taste reminds me of a mix of fruit punch Gatorade and watermelon jolly ranchers. Add the fact that it's ice-cold, and id confidently say it's the most refreshing drink on the planet.

Suddenly it dawns on me, I'm not on my planet anymore. I remember the earlier conversation with 9335. He must notice that my mind is reeling because he approaches me with what looks like a giant turd shaped into a block. "Eat," he demands. "Listen, my guy, unless that's a smurf juice laced brownie, I'm not putting your turd block in my mouth. Sorry, not sorry." I reply.

"Smurf juice?" 9335 and 9335.2 exchange a look of mutual confusion. "you know, the glowing blue goo you keep forcing into my veins," I reply. "ah!" they say simultaneously. "are you guys brothers or something?" I say as I look back and forth between the two of them. 9335.2 steps closer to me. "I am scientist 9782, and no, we are not brothers. These forms are not our original physical makeup. We have adopted them to make you feel more at ease in our presence, and that blue goo, as you put it, is a chemical compound that has a very long name, and I will not bore you with the details of it". So if this isn't what you really look like, what is your proper form, and why do you look like people of earth? I don't know why I care about this, but it's genuinely interesting to me, so I figured there is no harm in asking.

"I will not answer any more questions until you eat," 9782 says while holding the bar out to me. "Fine," I roll my eyes. "cut that thing in half and ill eat your shit stick, but I'm not eating the entire thing." 9782 cuts the bar in half and hands it to me. As I take my first bite, he starts telling me about his people. Surprisingly the bar has a fruity taste. It's not as solid as it looks, and it has this pleasant caramel-buttery after-taste.

So wait, let me get this straight, you guys are born without a form. Just glowing sacks of light and you take the physical appearance of the people on the planets you visit to fit in." I hold out my hand towards 9335, and he hands me the second half of the bar. "This is wild, but keep going. I'm invested now. How many forms have you changed to? Do they all feel different? Do you have a favorite?." As I wait for his response, I find myself bracing to be disappointed by him saying he doesn't like being human, but why do I care?

"Correct, we can stop transitioning and keep the final form we took if and when we choose. For now, our forms must be the forms of the test subjects we acquire, so we change to make it easier for them. I have had 35 different forms, everyone feels different from the previous ones, but this form by far has been the most enjoyable in my opinion." 9782 answers. 9335 sucks his teeth and rolls his eyes as his way of expressing his displeasure with 9782s response, but I feel slightly relieved knowing that 9782 likes being one of my people. I try my best, but I can't hold back my smile.

"Why are you telling me this? wouldn't it make more sense to keep this from me?" I ask. "you appear to relax more with every answer we give you. So we will continue to be honest with you until your state of mind changes. Some subjects do better not knowing. You are not like them, however. Which is a good sign for our experiment so far," 9782 replies.