“Because I can learn more about you that way.”
“You’re here to learn about us?”
Vidar nodded.
“I don’t have much time. Dr. Trout will be in here soon wondering why I haven’t cleaned up,” I urged, hoping that he’d back away. As he drew closer, something strange started happening. The more I noticed Vidar, the less I could get these bizarre thoughts out of my head.
“Dr. Trout is on the fourth floor having a meeting with your superiors. I don’t think you have to worry about him for at least an hour.”
“How can you know that?”
He tapped his right eye.
“My implant attaches to my brain and enables me to hear over vast distances.”
“The room’s soundproof.”
Vidar smiled, exposing his teeth again.
“I know that it’s soundproof…to you…”
Vidar stepped closer to me and his intense masculine scent became suddenly apparent. I hadn’t noticed it before. He smelled exactly like… whiskey… and bourbon… and cinnamon… intense manly smells that I hadn’t noticed while we were studying him.
He looked down at me, the tiny human he could easily pick up and toss against a wall if he needed me out of the way. I stared back up into his big fluorescent green eyes, wide and luminescent, with thin irises like a snake’s.
“Stare as much as you want. I’m sure we both want to know plenty about each other.”
“Of course, but I work for the government. I’m supposed to report all my findings. Do you work for someone?”
“In a sense, yes. But we’ll talk about that later. I have some questions for you regarding human behavior.”
“We aren’t cruel,” I blurted out defensively, eyeing the stitches on his torso that I’d sewn up myself.
Vidar chuckled.
“You’re quick to say that after you’ve poked and prodded me with knives and needles for the past couple of weeks.”
“We thought you couldn’t understand…”
“Did that make it better?”
“I was only following orders.”
“You’ve mentioned,” he muttered, unimpressed with my half-assed attempts at justifying the ethics of experimenting on a sentient life form.
Vidar stuck his arm out and pressed it against the wall above my head. I realized that he had me trapped there between his arm, his body and the wall. I could duck and slip away from him if I wanted, but based on how quickly he could move, I figured that he would only catch me again and have me right back where he wanted me.
If I wanted Vidar to back away, I’d have to convince him that backing off was his own idea.
“What do you want?” I asked, hoping I could find some way to placate him since apparently destruction and a violent attack weren’t on his mind at all.
“I want to experience humanity in its truest form and I need the help of someone who isn’t afraid.”
“What do you mean, ‘experience humanity’?”
My heart fluttered in my chest and my mouth was dry as I looked into his eyes, a nearly hypnotic color, really. His arm was so close to me I couldn’t help but imagine it holding me there, pushing me against the wall properly. He could do that if he wanted. Then I’d be powerless…
“I was sent to study all aspects of human behavior. I understand how you conceive of pain but what about pleasure?” He murmured.
