10 Minute Tales

Jan 18 - Fresh Summons

The first she knew of her existence was the feel of a breeze in her feathers. She blinked as freshly created eyes started to take in the light.
"Huh? What's...?" She squinted a little, moving her wings so they covered her face. It was bright! Too much light at once!
"Subject displays aversion to light." A voice commented, followed by the sound of scribbling. "Typical of new creations, so result is expected. Plumage appears healthy, an interesting green and yellow pattern..."
"Hello?" The harpy asked, looking around under the shelter of one wing. "Who are you?"
"Subject demonstrates impressive understanding of language, though appears to hold no memories of the summoning pact." More scribbles. The harpy sat up, eyes starting to adjust. She seemed to be in some sort of tiled room, the walls a brilliant white and the floor only slightly darker. Strange grey boxes occupied every upper corner, with a fine dark mesh over them. The voice seemed to belong within, going by where she was hearing it from. "Stability is looking promising, subject has yet to disperse. No signs of energy anomalies..."
"Hell-oooooh? Can you hear me?" She asked, shuffling around. She was lying on a sort of table, but now she hopped off. She could now see that one of the walls was instead a sort of mirror, letting her get a better look at herself. "Ooh..." she hopped closer to the window, head tilted slightly.
"Heterochromia detected, pale blue in left eye and yellow in right. Not a previously observed side effect..."
"Hey, uh, can I come out?" The harpy asked, ruffling her feathers briefly. "It's cold in here."
"... subject appears to lack full insulation, suggesting tendency towards biological laws. Summon appears to be complete."
"Sir, may I introduce myself?" A new voice asked, followed by a moment of silence. The harpy looked around, curious again.
"I believe I misheard you. Did you say you wished to..."
"Introduce myself, yes, sir. The summon appears to have been a total success, given that she is still here."
"... very well. Think of a name for her before you enter." An odd sound, a sort of metallic creak, echoed faintly through the boxes before stopping with a click-thud. "Subject harpy, are you sapient?"

     "Harpy?" The harpy blinked, looking around. "Is... is that me?"
"Indeed." More hasty scribbling. "You have been summoned under the observations of Sentech. You are currently in an observation cell, to verify if your body is stable."
"... body is harpy. What's a stable?" The boxes chuckled quietly.