Evolution

Evolution: Chapter 29

"This looks old."

"It's not that old."

"It has buttons." I frowned, turning the device over in my hands, and I looked up at him, "And you have to put a tape in it?"

Lots of different stickers covered the light pink surface of it, around the size of my hand. It was a clunky thing too, attached to thick headphones that went over my ears. I didn't even know things like these existed.

Ripper was reclined back on his awful sofa, with his feet kicked up onto the antique table. He looked like the image of rebellious, but we both knew if he heard Gwen, his feet would hit the ground.

"Call it authentic," Ripper murmured, poking a tape in the cassette. He held it out to me, "It sounds better than what they done to music."

The cassette clipped onto the side of the shorts I wore. They were an awful bright shade of blue with an orange stripe down the side. Unfortunately, they were the only pair I could find in Delia's drawers.

"What's on the tape?" I questioned, not that it mattered. I only knew of a handful of musicians because of the praise shared in the Chimera's society, "It's not the classical stuff you listen to, is it?"

Ripper made a face at the note in my tone, "Don't question me when you're dressed like that." He drawled, a mocking note bright in his tone, "And don't even think about stopping running until it's finished."

"I'll out run this." I quipped back confidently, my energy had been growing recently. Running and moving around became less painful, I could do it for longer, "If the music sucks, I'm taking out the tape."

Slowly, I'd been regaining the strength I'd had before. Or maybe there was more of it now, it felt like I had been put into a new body. Everything I knew about myself, I had to relearn. Certain things were less uncomfortable than they had been before.

Some things hurt less than they ever did.

"Just remember to keep this on, you ungrateful swine." Ripper drawled, taking something out of a case. My eyes followed the slip of silver until he slid it over my wrist, fitting it perfectly, "It's going to keep track of your vitals. You throw away this, you're throwing away a lot of money."

The metal warmed against my skin, and a small vibrate run around the band. It's smoot surface lit up with numbers that changed, going back and forth. It didn't take long to figure out what symbols meant what.

Ripper cocked his head at what was being displayed before nodding in satisfaction. No one had ever kept such a close eye on me before, not even back at the facility. I guess he was still questioning about what the last cycle would do to me.

"What are you so afraid of happening to me?" I questioned, tugging at the cord that connected the headphones to the cassette, "You're obviously watching for something, what is it?"

His lips curved into that knowing smile, "I'm keeping an eye on any tell signs for a chemical imbalance." Ripper informed me, which made my brows rise slightly, "I need to make sure that doesn't happen, or you will likely turn feral."

"Any signs, yet?"

"You're in the all clear."

Hm. Why did it look like he was hiding something? Ripper looked completely at ease, and the man was never not doing anything. Which probably mean he was back to doing the secret work he thought I didn't notice.

"Right. Good to know," My eyes swept across his composure for a moment, "You're going to the lab for your private time, right?"

Ripper smirked a little at me, "I gotta keep this world moving, which means I must keep working." He shrugged, undoing the top buttons of his shirt. His tone was whimsical, but I could see the stress in his eyes, "One day, you'll understand what I'm doing and why."