water.
He clenched his teeth and was delighted at the sense of freedom that simple movement brought! Excited beyond measure, he quickly verified the existence of four of the five senses – only sound was still untested. Bracing himself mentally, he tried to speak.
“Unnh.” The word ‘hello’ came out as a grunt, but it validated his ability to both make and hear sounds and he was thrilled. He had all five senses…
He was alive!
* * *
The movement was so slow Tane did not notice. Or his eyes refused to acknowledge what they were seeing. However, all of the scientists heard the sudden grunt that came from the nature cage, and Tane watched in stunned silence as the man’s head tilted slowly, undeniably forward.
* * *
Grant blinked and looked again to be sure he had not imagined the arms and legs attached to his body. He quickly verified the truth of his initial inspection.
What’s happened to me?
The sense of completeness, after being held in a shapeless void for so long, made him feel like running around in circles and laughing. Except that he could barely move. It was like waking up in a thick soup of heavy molasses. The desire to move quickly was there, but not the ability.
Still, he tried.
* * *
The scientists cried out as a group as the man toppled headfirst onto the packed soil of the nature-cage. The sound of his face striking the unplowed ground ripped through the crowd like a slap of thunder.
Without pausing to consider his actions, Tane Rolan rushed to the door of the cage, deactivated the locking mechanism and rushed to the fallen man.
CHAPTER FOUR
Someone gripped his arm and rolled him onto his back. Grant found himself looking into a bright light. A face swam into the light and Grant blinked it into focus. A young man, with brown hair and bluish gray eyes looked down. Suddenly, the gray eyes were shrouded by a cloudy shutter of skin as the man blinked. Startled by the apparition, Grant tried to pull away.
“What the fuck?” his tortured throat rasped. The bizarre eyes above him widened. The face and the hand holding his arm retreated.
“Quick, bring the sedative,” the soldier heard the man with the eyes calmly state. So, there was more than one, he thought. He commanded his muscles to move and they obeyed, but with agonizing slowness. He fought his way to a sitting position before being pushed back to the ground by the man with the strange eyes. Grant felt like a baby. His uncooperative body was unable to resist being forced back down and that pissed him off.
“What the hell is your problem, asshole?” His voice was returning and the words held some of the force and authority he had always commanded.
“Be quiet,” the man shoving him down whispered. His calm voice carried a bit more urgency and Grant thought he heard a hint of fear as well. “They will hear your violence!”
“Violence?” Grant considered the idea. A little violence sounded like just the right thing until he could sort out his surroundings, but his body was in no condition to cooperate. He allowed himself to be pushed back to the prone position. “I don’t get you, buddy. Who are you? And where the hell am I?”
“I am Senior Scientist Tane Rolan,” the man whispered. “And your other questions will be answered soon. But for now, you must lie still and say nothing.”
The language was English, but old English, like how the uppity ups in Britain spoke – usually over tea and crumpets. What the hell is a crumpet, anyway? Grant wondered.
Grant watched the man steal a quick glance over his shoulder and saw worry in the clouded eyes of the senior scientist.
“Do you understand?”
“Yeah, sure… whatever you say, buddy,” Grant nodded. Unable to do otherwise, Grant lay back without further resistance. He closed his eyes and reveled at the coolness of the ground as it seeped through the clothes someone had placed on his body. With as little movement as possible, he began a slow, deliberate
He clenched his teeth and was delighted at the sense of freedom that simple movement brought! Excited beyond measure, he quickly verified the existence of four of the five senses – only sound was still untested. Bracing himself mentally, he tried to speak.
“Unnh.” The word ‘hello’ came out as a grunt, but it validated his ability to both make and hear sounds and he was thrilled. He had all five senses…
He was alive!
* * *
The movement was so slow Tane did not notice. Or his eyes refused to acknowledge what they were seeing. However, all of the scientists heard the sudden grunt that came from the nature cage, and Tane watched in stunned silence as the man’s head tilted slowly, undeniably forward.
* * *
Grant blinked and looked again to be sure he had not imagined the arms and legs attached to his body. He quickly verified the truth of his initial inspection.
What’s happened to me?
The sense of completeness, after being held in a shapeless void for so long, made him feel like running around in circles and laughing. Except that he could barely move. It was like waking up in a thick soup of heavy molasses. The desire to move quickly was there, but not the ability.
Still, he tried.
* * *
The scientists cried out as a group as the man toppled headfirst onto the packed soil of the nature-cage. The sound of his face striking the unplowed ground ripped through the crowd like a slap of thunder.
Without pausing to consider his actions, Tane Rolan rushed to the door of the cage, deactivated the locking mechanism and rushed to the fallen man.
CHAPTER FOUR
Someone gripped his arm and rolled him onto his back. Grant found himself looking into a bright light. A face swam into the light and Grant blinked it into focus. A young man, with brown hair and bluish gray eyes looked down. Suddenly, the gray eyes were shrouded by a cloudy shutter of skin as the man blinked. Startled by the apparition, Grant tried to pull away.
“What the fuck?” his tortured throat rasped. The bizarre eyes above him widened. The face and the hand holding his arm retreated.
“Quick, bring the sedative,” the soldier heard the man with the eyes calmly state. So, there was more than one, he thought. He commanded his muscles to move and they obeyed, but with agonizing slowness. He fought his way to a sitting position before being pushed back to the ground by the man with the strange eyes. Grant felt like a baby. His uncooperative body was unable to resist being forced back down and that pissed him off.
“What the hell is your problem, asshole?” His voice was returning and the words held some of the force and authority he had always commanded.
“Be quiet,” the man shoving him down whispered. His calm voice carried a bit more urgency and Grant thought he heard a hint of fear as well. “They will hear your violence!”
“Violence?” Grant considered the idea. A little violence sounded like just the right thing until he could sort out his surroundings, but his body was in no condition to cooperate. He allowed himself to be pushed back to the prone position. “I don’t get you, buddy. Who are you? And where the hell am I?”
“I am Senior Scientist Tane Rolan,” the man whispered. “And your other questions will be answered soon. But for now, you must lie still and say nothing.”
The language was English, but old English, like how the uppity ups in Britain spoke – usually over tea and crumpets. What the hell is a crumpet, anyway? Grant wondered.
Grant watched the man steal a quick glance over his shoulder and saw worry in the clouded eyes of the senior scientist.
“Do you understand?”
“Yeah, sure… whatever you say, buddy,” Grant nodded. Unable to do otherwise, Grant lay back without further resistance. He closed his eyes and reveled at the coolness of the ground as it seeped through the clothes someone had placed on his body. With as little movement as possible, he began a slow, deliberate
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