“I know what…” I don’t know why I bother asking. There’s no need to repeat myself.
“Bring her through to the exam room,” he says. “You can all come in. Might be a tight squeeze, but something tells me you’re used to that.”
I don’t know what he means by that, unless it’s filthy and he’s saying they all bang me at the same time. He wouldn’t say that though, would he? Not very professional.
My mates take me into a room with an examination table slash bed that looks too small compared to them, but just right to me. Kronos picks me up and puts me on it.
“Stay,” he says. “If you start squirming, there will be trouble.”
“I’m sure she won’t be any trouble,” the vet says. “She seems like a very good girl.”
“Are the humans that get bred to be pets more stupid than the ones from the wild?” I ask the question in general, to whoever wants to answer.
“Why do you ask?” The vet takes the bait. My mates know better than to get involved in this conversational gambit.
“No reason,” I say. No reason other than the fact that this vet is talking to me like I am an idiot.
“Her head is bandaged,” the vet says.
“Yeah, because there’s a big hole in my skull from where it got cut open to take out a chip they put in,” I answer. “They stuck it back together, but if I bang my head too hard, my brain might fall out. Want to see?”
“No,” he says quickly. “At least, not yet. We will get to that portion of the examination later.”
“The part where my brain falls out?”
“Yes,” he says. “The part where your brain falls out.”
He’s indulging me. I’m being indulged.
Boss is leaning up against the door, I notice. His back is against it, and his arms are folded over his chest. He’s looking at me with a fairly mild expression, but I know his choice of placement was in no way random. He’s making sure I don’t get out of the room until they say so.
Something about that pisses me off. It’s one thing to be kept here, but it’s something else to be blocked in. I start wriggling off the table, which of course is not allowed. Sharp and Kronos grab for me immediately, pinning me in place.
“Careful with that head,” the vet says. “She’s not going anywhere in here.”
My mates let me go a little, at his bidding, and I immediately jump into the nearby sink, which is big and deep enough for me to sort of hide in it.
“See?” the vet says, reaching for me quite calmly, his hand clasping the back of my neck very firmly, the other arm wrapping around my waist and snugging me up and out of the sink and back onto the table.
“Now you stay,” he says. “This won’t hurt at all, I promise.”
I wasn’t worried about it hurting before, but I sort of am now.
“If it hurts, I’ll make you hurt,” I promise.
“Alright. I’m going to check her mental state, and give her a few scans,” he says. “If the room feels overcrowded, you can leave us to it.”
That makes me immediately freak out. He wants them to leave so he can check my mental state and scan me? Hell, no. He could be doing anything. He could sedate me and steal me away, and I could end up in some kind of breeding pit being impregnated by Lyle or Steve.
“Don’t leave me with him. I’ll bite him.”
“Does she need a muzzle?” the vet asks Sharp. He seems inclined to talk to the scaled owner among my collection of alien owners. Boss isn’t even trying to interact. Kronos is just being embarrassed by my behavior.
“Muzzle me, and I’ll murder you and everyone you know.”
I’m being a little dramatic, but I like to get the point across so I don’t have to keep making it. I’m going to be respected. They might see humans as pets, but I see myself the equal of any alien.
“Feisty,” the vet says. “Do you gentlemen need any training leaflets for dealing with this sort of human?”
