Behind The Mask

Chapter 2: Reconstruction

It felt like a repeat of what I was going through before. Trapped and confused in an unfamiliar place. And I had just gotten used to my old prison. Only this time, I couldn't see. It wasn't that I couldn't open my eyes, nor was it that I was too tired. Rather, it felt as if I didn't have any at all. So all I could do was hear.

Some drills sounded uncomfortably close to me. What was happening? Some sort of surgery, I guess. Maybe this is part of their experiment, making me a chimera as they called it.

Suddenly, pain shot through my right arm. It felt as if it was being hacked off. Then the pain abruptly stopped. I didn't have an arm anymore. I wanted to yell out in pain. But I couldn't. It wasn't just the anaesthetics I had been given that stopped me from screaming in agony, it felt like I couldn't open my mouth at all.

Was all of this really necessary? Next, I could feel my back being sliced open, and something was inserted in there. It felt cold, yet oddly light. Not uncomfortable at all.

Finally, my eye. I felt something being placed over it and the strangest thing – whatever it was attached itself to my eye.

So much pain. I just wanted to end. I just wanted to sleep. And my wish was granted.

It felt like I was falling in a void of darkness. Strange... it felt as peaceful as it was scary.

And then, I woke up.

The first thing I noticed was something I haven't felt for some time. No pain. I felt perfectly fine. Well, I felt fine physically but of course I still had many questions. For once, it seemed as if I might get them. There was a man standing there, old yet clearly wise beyond his years. I don't know how but suddenly I knew so much about him. I could see information.

'Name: Dr Andonuts'

'Age: 57'

'Family: 1 known son - Name: Jeff Andonuts'

'Director of Chimera Laboratory. Currently working on Human Chimera Project.'

So this man is responsible for the project I have heard so much about. The one who is responsible for experimenting on me.

"Well, you've finally awoken! I must admit, you had us all worried there!"

This man's voice... for some reason, it soothes me. It sounds familiar in a way. Like... like the voice of a father. I was furious at him for experimenting on me, murderous intents filled my mind, yet his voice seemed to extinguish that fire within me. I decide to hear what he has to say.

"Dr Andonuts?" I ask.

"Good, it seems like that new eye is working. I had my reservations about it but I suppose..."

My eye? I put my left hand up to my left eye. It doesn't feel like an eye at all. It feels like... metal?

"Careful! You don't want to break it!" he says.

"Why is my eye like this? How do I know who you are? Why am I here? Who are those pigs?"

"One thing at a time now. Your eye was damaged, so we had to use cybernetics to repair it. The eye has some special features – infrared radiation, a temperature sensor, map data, zooming abilities and the ability to analyse a target and give you information on them from our databanks."

Wow. That's a lot of things – and he says it says it's special like nothing.

"You said my eye was damaged. How?"