“Dr. Hsu, it sounds like you’re making excuses and like you’re unwilling to accept responsibility for your clothing. I understand working in an office with men it can be nice to get male attention for your perky breasts and your young tight bottom.”
“Dr. Trout, I’d like to change the subject. I know I’m late but can we get to work? I’ll show up in something more appropriate tomorrow.”
“Dr. Hsu, I’m your supervisor. You won’t be able to get away with this insolence for long. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Dr. Trout.”
She sounded meek and sheepish, but I could tell that was only to shut him up for the time being. She was frightened. I attempted to move my arm again, but it was futile.
“I’m going to prep the MRI. Prepare the subject for the soldiers,” Dr. Trout ordered.
He exited the room and left alone with me, Minerva rushed to my side and touched my arm, stifling a sob.
“Vidar,” she whispered, “Why won’t you wake up? What’s wrong with you? I need you right now. I’m scared. Dr. Trout… I think he’s taking advantage of the fact that I can’t tell anyone about this research. Please, if you can hear me, wake up. Please…help me. I don’t want to be alone in a room with that guy for an hour.”
She kissed my cheek and as much as I wanted to wake up and pull her on top of me, hold her in my arms and promise that I’d do everything to protect her, I was powerless.
The soldiers grabbed me and lay me on a large table. I could hear the hum of the magnet as they strapped me to another bed and slid my rigid sleeping body another primitive machine. I’d seen ancient machines like this one on Pollux. I only wished I could catch a glimpse of it. My ocular implant could only share the basics of the machine — it worked by magnetic resonance and used more power than most of the machines in the lab.
Minerva and her boss re-entered and they stripped me down to only my briefs before pushing a button and thrusting me beneath the large domed magnet. Thankfully my implant was biological in nature and not metal like the primitive implants on my planet from centuries ago.
I heard them walking into the other room.
“Are you ready to do the scans?”
“Yes, Dr. Trout.”
“Good. Now Minerva…”
He lowered his voice and then I heard her scream.
“Dr. Trout!”
“I warned you, your clothing is too much of a temptation!”
“That doesn’t give you a right to grab my ass!”
“Grab your ass? I have three PhDs from Yale, Cornell, and Harvard, yet you think I grabbed your ass?!”
“You did! You touched my ass and I swear if you do it again, you’ll regret it,” Minerva yelled.
“Are you threatening me you insolent little… you little…”
“Say it!” She challenged, “Say it and let me report you!”
“You insolent little whore!”
“Now the cat’s out of the bag, isn’t it?” Minerva hissed.
“You think you can walk around with your perky breasts and your ass and get away with anything! We would have never allowed a woman like you onto the premises if it weren’t for your father.”
“Right, because I suppose my father got my PhD from UVA and mysecondPhD from Columbia?”
“You don’t deserve to be in this office if you refuse to learn your place,” Dr. Trout grasped.
“If my place is getting my ass groped by a creepy old man like you, then I’ll be content to never know my place.”
“Why you little…”
