The Nature of Predators - Farsul Abductee (5/8)

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Memory approximation subject: Danny Palmer, Human Law Enforcement

Date [standardized human time]: E̶͉̖̺̣͇̽̔̓̃͑̂̍̍͝Ŗ̸͈̙̭̼̝͛̃̍̃̆Ṛ̶͖̙̩͐̆͝Ȍ̷̡̱̞̳̹̩͙̩̼͚͛R̵̝̽̈͑̌̑̐́̊̍͝!

My life on Earth became little more than a distant memory, as the months spent here had no doubt passed the year-long timeframe. More than likely, it had been two years; the ever-gossipy Juliana had overheard the Farsul commenting on passing that marker. It felt like the Danny who had gotten up and clocked into work every morning, a cog in the machine, was a different person. Veiq and I ate lunch together and chatted daily. It was part of what kept me going, despite the growing realization that I’d never venture outside of these walls.

We talked about everything and anything, including the fact that this top-secret base was buried on the ocean floor. Even if Joel did try to pull off a grand escape, he’d have to find his way through the sprawling complex outside our corridor…and pilot a submarine rather than a spaceship. Apparently, the hundreds of races the Farsul knew all kept Archive chambers here. Volunteers who were aware of clandestine stability measures (which the archivist refused to elaborate on) were recruited from each planet, to work like we did. Veiq commented that she’d love to introduce to me to the other species, but that my appearance would incite panic.

When we first chatted, Veiq commented she’d only seen binocular eyes on a screen. Is it really that uncommon, and terrifying, of a trait?

At this point, I could predict the words the Farsul was going to say. We knew each other’s opinions on everything from music, to philosophy, to how often you should clip your toenails. When I first woke up in what seemed like a cell, Veiq had looked like a strange creature; my heart had been about to jump out of my chest. Somehow, my brain had adjusted to working alongside aliens and the odd happenings that surrounded my abduction. This budding friendship wasn’t one I anticipated.

Sensing how long it had been, I estimated that Greg and I’s time was running out; while I’d felt perfectly healthy for the duration of my stay here, my energy was beginning to feel a bit drained. Perhaps it was mere homesickness, but it could also be a negative sign of things to come. When I mentioned it to my brother, his eyes had darkened. He must be experiencing the same symptoms.

I leaned forward on the bed in my quarters. “What do you miss most about Earth, Greg?”

“Weed,” he said dryly.

“Of course you do. I miss Mom and Dad. I never got to make them proud…”

“Don’t be a bunny. You know you were their pride and joy. The difference between how they talked about you, and how they talked about me—they bragged on you all the time. You’re out to lunch if you don’t see that.”

“I just think about what life would’ve been, if this hadn’t happened. Maybe I would’ve gotten married. Maybe you would’ve grown up one day.”

“Up your nose with a rubber hose!”

A chuckle reverberated through my chest, and I cast an empty smile at the door. Every person had nightmares about how they would handle news of a terminal illness. The years to my impending doom had breezed by, like they’d happened in the single turn of a page. When was it time to say good-bye to Veiq? It had to be before I lost my mind, though I was still in working order now.

As if on cue, the Farsul crept into my quarters, wielding a bottle of liquor. She mimicked the shush gesture, which we’d taught her; I watched as she poured hearty portions into disposable cups. It’d been a long time since either of us had a drink, and after what we’d been through, I thought we’d earned it. If Veiq was caught sneaking booze to the “predators”, she’d be in a world of trouble.

—

After finishing most of the bottle between the three of us, I was impressed with Farsul liquor. It had some of the sweet notes of whiskey, while also possessing a charred undercurrent. Veiq remarked that it was considered a hallmark of civilization, and that humanity’s brewing practices reflected well on us. Having listened to her explanations for years, I spotted a pattern in the data. My species was being compared to another predator race…someone who did eat them, and didn’t have the qualities she marveled that humans displayed.

I figure that’s why the biases exist and why they’re so afraid of us. It’s just hard to believe that’s the only other instance of binocular-eyed creatures. Or, did someone wipe out other people like us?

Greg had retired to his room, oddly unable to attain his old partying highs. That left the Farsul and I to our own devices; Veiq leaned her head on my shoulder, and sipped a little more of her drink. My eyes landed on the vinyl player that she’d acquired for me. The aliens only had a handful of artifacts from Earth, though I was happy to give the records some use instead of sitting in storage.

“Care to dance?” I whispered. “I don’t think you’ve seen how humans do that.”

The Farsul scrunched her ears. “I…sure, Danny. I’d always like to learn more about your culture.”

I passed along basic instructions, before setting up a record to a slow tune. Wrapping one arm around her hip, and interlocking our grips with the other limb, we swayed from side-to-side. The buzz of the alcohol enhanced the music, while the inebriated Veiq pressed her ear over my heart. Tears welled in my eyes, alongside the memories that came back from Earth. I could remember high school dances, and listening to records on Christmas Eve with my family. Suggesting something so simple shouldn’t bring a rush of nostalgia.

“Danny?” the Farsul murmured. “I’ve never told anyone this, but sometimes, I wonder if we’re doing the right thing here.”

I startled with surprise. “What? Helping us?”

“No. I wonder if we’re helping you at all. I feel like we’re killing you.”

I released my grip on her waist, switching off the record to divert my full attention. Veiq looked pitiful, with her own eyes watering as she stared at me. It was pity that stemmed from knowing my time was running out. While giving into self-woe and bitterness would be easy, I didn’t want the archivist thinking this was her fault. They’d tried to uncover a cure; it wasn’t the Farsul who damned me.

“Why do you say that?” I asked gently. “I recognize how much you care about us, but the blame doesn’t fall on you.”

The Farsul blinked away tears. “But I know you can live the life of genuine sapients, and I also know what’s going to happen! I just wish we could find the missing link. I don’t want to lose you, Danny.”

“I know. Listen Veiq, I don’t want to hurt you or Greg. If anything happens…I’m sorry. It’s okay to let go; do what must be done.”

The archivist swallowed, before bawling hysterically. She wrapped her paws around my waist, and I massaged her neck with careful fingers. The grim realization that my decline was expected to accelerate in the near future was chilling; Veiq wouldn’t be so upset if that weren’t true. Fear of losing myself and hurting the people I cared about played at my mind. At that point, would I even still be alive?

Now more than ever, it was essential to make the most of my final days of awareness.

—

The decline snowballed faster than anticipated, and I wasn’t able to put my dwindling time to much use.

Exhaustion weighed on me more with each passing day, to where it became an effort to get out of bed. Walking to the cafeteria would leave me winded, and it felt like my brain was swimming in cement. I tried not to show it to Veiq, but she noticed I wasn’t my usual self. Greg wasn’t as peppy or funny either, often seeming confused in his Archives entries. Joel became irritable, getting locked up after taking a sluggish swing at a staffer. Aya was having trouble reading, and Juliana threw up in front of everyone.

I spent my passing moments of lucidity reflecting on my life. My mood was in the toilets, to where I didn’t have the heart to fake it with Veiq. What was the point of going on with a doomed existence? It wasn’t like the Farsul had mandated my attendance for their shallow project. Feeling hollow and demotivated, I stopped heading to our working locale in the Archives at all. My fatigued body was sleeping away most of every day, sometimes for 14-hour periods.

Greg? Is this happening to Greg? I…can’t be bothered to check on him. I’m irritated just thinking about him.

The sound of a creaking door disrupted my slumber, bringing me back unwillingly to wakefulness. I rolled over onto my side, ensuring that my back was to the door. The focus required for talking felt like a high requisite; I’d lost the will to go on. The longer I was locked in this mental state, the more I wished my demise would speed along. There was no positive emotion to cling to, and nothing to look forward to. Everything I enjoyed had lost its allure, blending into meaningless pursuits that all looked alike. The end would be merciful.

“Danny? What’s wrong?” Veiq tugged at my shoulder, but I ignored her with an annoyed groan. “You have to get up. I’ll help you. We…we can fight this.”

“Go away,” I croaked, feeling the squeezing sensation in my brain intensify.

“I have to keep bringing you food and water. Promise you’ll eat a little?”

“Keep bringing?” Her words didn’t connect right. They didn’t fit.

“I was here yesterday. You don’t remember?”

I tried to recall anything recent, but my thoughts wallowed and looped into themselves. “I don’t know…leave me alone.”

The Farsul lingered for a few minutes, before heeding my instructions. Her sadness permeated the air, compounding the existing depression in my soul. Sniffling sounds hit my ears, causing me to slightly lift my head. That small motion took a colossal effort, and I dropped back to the comfort of my pillow a moment later. All I wanted was to die in peace, preferably in my sleep.

—

[Curator’s note: The remaining portions of this transcription were inconclusive, and thus, the following segments are subject to errors in continuity. Best estimates are offered below, with AI-generated revisions to the original stream of consciousness for clarity. Subject awareness level is below Terra Technologies’ documentation threshold.]

There wasn’t much I did remember; even thinking of my name was at the edge of my reach. Delirium played with my senses, as extreme tiredness brought unhinged sentiments to my mind. Whispers spoke into my ears at all hours of the day, which kept me away from the sleep my entire body craved. I could almost make out what they were saying. Maybe if I listened, they would stop. Why wouldn’t it stop?!

Veiq entered the room; her speaking voice sounded like a million decibels, through my blinding migraine. I couldn’t register what the translator was feeding into my mind. It sounded like noises, like part of the whispers; this must be some kind of demonic possession. I turned my entire focus onto the internal voices, trying to block out the Farsul’s painful cadence.

They’re going to kill you, Danny!

The Farsul are after you. Veiq wants you to suffer. We must stop her.

“GAH! STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” I shrieked.

Veiq rushed over, pressing a wet towel to my sweat-soaked forehead. “It’s me, Danny. I’m right here. You’re safe. You’re okay.”

They replaced your blood with wires. Wires on your brain, round and round…dig it out. Dig it out.

“DIG IT OUT! CUT OPEN! INSIDE…WANT OUT!” I shrieked.

The Farsul looked terrified. “You need to keep your voice down, Danny. Come back to me. It’s all gone too fast. I miss you so much…you said this wasn’t you! You’re not an animal.”

“It hurts…I want Mom…she’d stop you. She'll make you stop hurting me!”

Tears streamed down the Farsul’s cheeks, as I flailed around at her touch. While gasping sobs into the back of her paw, she rushed out of the room. Relieved that the stimuli had stopped, I returned my focus to the voices. My hands pressed tightly over my ears, and I tried to drown them out by shouting over them. It only seemed to make the demons more agitated.

[Stream of consciousness lost. Reacquiring…]

[…]

[Time elapsed: indeterminate. Lowering resolution.]

Vague impulses to put myself out of my misery popped up on occasion, alongside fear of every shadow and whisper. I couldn’t remember what happened from day-to-day; there were small flashes of wandering the halls, and Veiq redirecting me to my own quarters. That Farsul often seemed familiar, but the name was unable to reach my tongue. I failed to balance when walking one day, which led to me fracturing my hip.

An archivist sedated me and locked me back in my room, as I wailed like a banshee. The voices reached their peak crescendo, and I sobbed on my bed. My skin burned without cause, and hung gauntly over my bones; the energy to eat had eluded me. Tugging the blanket over my head, I waited to wither away. The sliver left of Danny Palmer missed his old life and his family—everything back on Earth was stolen from me.

That makes me angry. I want them to hurt like I hurt. I want to not hurt anymore.

When Veiq showed up with my daily meal, I had a fleeting impulse to throw the food on the floor. However, voluntary coordination proved difficult; my arm flopped on the mattress. It wasn’t worth concentrating to frustrate her. The voices whispered that this was the Farsul’s fault, and struggled to rein in the darkest compulsions. Some part of me resisted physical violence…or maybe I couldn’t find the energy, even through my short temper.

“Danny.“ Veiq leaned over my prone form, though my brain hardly registered her light touch. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Away,” I pleaded.

“It’s about Greg! He didn’t remember what we were or where he was, and he wouldn’t listen. He attacked a staffer, so they locked him up. I…I can’t do anything to get him out. I think they’re gonna put him down. You have to get up and act normal, or they’ll send you off like him!”

My eyes blinked open, as that jarred something deep within my core. Even if I couldn’t process the words in depth, some part of me understood; my brother was going to be killed. The ache in my heart made me want to double over, at the thought that he was going to die like this too. I gazed into Veiq’s pupils, and with all the willpower I had left, I pushed myself back to the forefront. Everything I had left needed to be directed to saving Greg.

He’s my brother. It’s my job to protect him, and I let him rot.

The Farsul flung her arms around me. “I knew you were still in there, Danny. Get up. You have to help me.”

“…Veiq? Why…you let that happen?” I grunted. “You…were nice to me. Should’ve let go.”

“No. No, I don’t accept that! You’re strong, and caring, and I thought you could beat this. Watching you die and lose your mind…”

“Sorry. Help Greg.”

“Yes, help Greg! Let’s go. If anyone finds out what I’m doing, they’ll kill us both.”

Veiq propped me up with an arm around my waist, and with her assistance, I hobbled down the hallway on unsteady legs. My free arm pressed against the wall for support; every step felt like running a mile. My breathing became laborious, as I struggled to make out where we were. The Farsul was taking me somewhere separate from the human living areas, and this new area was sealed off by a card scanner. We didn’t have access to this door, did we?

My ailing mind mused that this must be where Greg was taken; I was in no condition to fight or break him out, unless I caused a serious distraction. Stringing words together to plead for his release seemed near impossible. The whispers in my ears threatened to drown out my own impulses, and I saw terrifying shapes in every shadow. Shaking my head furiously, I grounded myself by digging my fingers into Veiq’s fur.

The door clicked open. Horror flooded through my veins, seeing dozens of humans slumbering within icy glass covers. What had the Farsul done to Greg? I turned to Veiq, looking for answers, but the archivist herded me past the collection in a hurry. She steered me into a back compartment with spare containers; these pods were empty and tucked away. The alien was straining against my weight, as I slumped lifelessly over her shoulders.

“Easy!” The alien panted, discarding me into a pod. I arched an eyebrow at her, watching her retrieve a metal instrument. “Good job, Danny. You did great.”

My head snapped back onto cool metal. “Where…Greg?”

Moving as quickly as lightning, Veiq jabbed a shot into my shoulder. What was the Farsul doing? Was she “putting me down” before I hurt anyone, or knocking me out for unknown purposes? My initial expression was one of betrayal, but I noticed her wiping away tears. She was scrambling to ready equipment and wires; I didn’t have the energy to resist whatever she was planning.

“Greg’s not here,” Veiq murmured. “I’m sorry.”

I contorted my facial features. “Liar. You…lie to me?”

“Yes, Danny, I had to get you to come here. What I said about Greg was true; he was taken away. I can’t watch you die to the Hunger, or see you caged like an animal. We’ll find something that cures it, and hopefully, they won’t discover you hidden here until then.”

Greg, the brother whose indulgent lifestyle had once driven me mad, will never do so again; the Farsul told me that he was as good as dead.

“What hunger? Greg…gone?” My head pounded, resisting the formulation of words. “Not okay. Don’t do this…stop.”

“You might not be woken up for a long time, but this gives you a chance! There’s no point in all this suffering. You told me to let go, and do what has to be done. That’s what I’m doing,” Veiq spat.

My fate was to maybe wake up at some indefinite point in the future, if they ever discovered a cure?

I could feel the sedative kicking in, eerily similar to the dart all those years ago. “Why? Why?”

“Because I love you, Danny.”

My brain struggled to process the implications, one word at a time, as consciousness ebbed away.

“I

love

you,

Danny.”

[Stream lost. Raw sensory data follows.]

The Farsul stood watch over my pod, and gently placed a paw atop my wrist. Uncertainty and dread were my final emotions, as I was given no choice over waking in an unknowable future.

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A/N - The fated part 5 is here! Danny declines rapidly, as Veiq desperately tries to stop the effects, but the severe symptoms result in Greg being locked up and on the road to death. The Farsul tricks Danny into snapping out of it by mentioning his brother's predicament, but instead lures him into a cryopod to refreeze him...and confesses her love for him. What do you think of Veiq's actions? How will Danny react when he wakes up, after possibly discovering the truth and reframing his interactions with Veiq?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!