Revenant 18+

> 3 <

...

The colonel watched you quietly, his arms crossed over his chest as he meticulously inspected the damage done to your body.

You were lying on your side, completely unconscious and dead to the world, your breaths even beneath the slightly foggy mask.

After your display in the control room, it didn't take a genius to understand that getting you to lie still long enough for an X-ray would've been impossible, your skittish nature would've flooded panic to every nerve at the sight of a mysterious machine hovering above you.

Slipping you into your unconscious state was the only viable option and he had little to no other choice in the matter.

Deep down, he also knew he wasn't fooling himself - this was simply a chance to study your body without those bright, glaring eyes and hissing face tracking his every move.

You were a stark contrast to him - your skin a lighter, more aquatic hue and your tail much thicker and more powerful in comparison to his leaner one.

White stripes and spots adorned your whole body and he traced them carefully with his gaze, intrigued by the differences.

The colonel was aware that these variations meant you had different strengths, though it seemed combat was not one of them. Although he was sure that was more down to you, not your species - he smirked silently at the thought.

His curiosity burned, relentless and sharp.

What mysteries lurked beneath the surface of your biology? What made you tick? He knew he'd never get answers from you to the questions swirling in his mind so, for now, he opted to observe, catalog and analyse your body and its uniqueness.

His eyes roamed your form like clockwork as the marine biologists around him gestured to various features, their voices clinical and precise as they shared their findings. Each word fed his sickly fascination, drawing him deeper into the enigma that was you and your kind.

'They're a lot lighter, making them better suited to camouflage in the water,' one of the scientists noted.

'Their arms provide balance and strength, almost like fins,' another added.

'Their tails also give them incredible power and speed so they're able to move a lot quicker in the water." chimed a third.

The more he learned, the more he yearned to see you in your natural habitat, demonstrating all your little tricks and abilities.

It stirred something primal within him and he gritted his teeth at himself for thinking so hard on it, tracing his fangs with the tip of his tongue. You had attempted to kill him multiple times, a fact that was not lost on him.

Yet, despite that, his relentless curiosity refused to be extinguished.

'We'll need to strap her to the table,' The lead scientist said, his tone brooking no argument.

'Snapping it back will definitely wake her up and I'm not authorised to give her any sort of pain relief.' The colonel nodded in silent agreement as all three doctors moved to secure each of your limbs.

Once you were properly restrained, face down on the table, the Colonel took his position near your head - ready to bark at you if you became too unruly. The lead scientist then gently took hold of your tail in both of his gloved hands, running his thumbs over the bent as he prepared for the adjustment.

Before the colonel could even blink, a loud, sickening snap! echoed throughout the room and he grimaced, ears flattening as his own tail twitched behind him.