Chapter Text
I hadn’t even realized I fell asleep until the loud blaring of my phone alarm jerked me back to the land of consciousness. Groggily, I searched for my phone, finding it on the floor beside me halfway shoved under the couch. I swiped it off, but not before reading the time as 5:30 AM. Groaning, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, my sluggish movements proof enough that I hadn’t slept for long or very comfortably as multiple bones cracked with my stretches. I had fallen asleep over the coffee table again, not for the first or even second time while skimming the mountain of thesis drafts and research proposals. If I were being honest, the literary side of my career path was the least exciting bit for me. I’d be much more content spending my days working in the lab rather than being concerned about publication or progress, but unfortunately, that was non-negotiable if I planned on receiving financial help in order to be in the lab at all.
Yawning, I tidied the table in front of me the best I could before picking myself up off the floor in search of coffee and a fresh change of clothes. Absentmindedly, I turned on the news, ignoring the morning greetings and traffic segments while waiting on the day’s weather report. The sky outside my windows was still dark, the black only barely beginning to bleed into a navy blue as the sun attempted to rise above the horizon. Normally, I would take the time to appreciate the sight a bit more, sunrise was one of my favorite times of day, but I was terribly exhausted after only managing a couple of hours of sleep in and the only way I would be able to keep myself from diving under the covers for another hour of sleep was to start my day now.
My bare feet didn’t make a sound padding towards the kitchen. I rummaged through my cabinets, finding one last mini cup of grounds to pop into my machine. With a soft sigh, I tapped brew and grabbed my phone to add coffee to my shopping list before I could forget. The red dot above my messages stopped me short, indicating I had one unread message. Clicking on it, I almost wished I hadn’t when I saw who it was from.
Ian: Come straight to my office when you get in.
A strange sense of restlessness settled deep within my gut. Ian almost never sent text messages. As a boss, he prided herself on professionalism and while he had everyone’s phone numbers, he usually opted to send emails instead, believing that texting should be reserved for personal schedules outside of work or extenuating circumstances. By the nature of his message, I would classify this instance to fall into the latter. Attempting to mentally prepare myself for what may be in store for me today, I locked my phone and headed for the shower.
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“Good morning Dr. L/N.” Lindy greeted me brightly as I passed the front desk.
“Hey Lindy. Have you seen Ian yet?”
“Maybe an hour ago? He was with a group of people from LSR.”
That piqued my interest if only slightly. LSR didn’t usually associate with researchers, but that didn’t mean it never happened. Although you had to have extensive knowledge in a given field for them to reach out to you to begin with. As if on que, one of their techs rounded the corner, badge proudly labeled Live Specimen Resources on display. His head nodded towards me in greeting, my own returning it out of habit even though I had no clue who he was or what he wanted.
“Dr. L/N?”
“Yes?”
“The head of our department and your Lab Coordinator are waiting for you upstairs.”
“Okay, thank you.”
A quick bow and he turned on his heel, feet carrying him back the way he came. Confused, I turned an inquisitive gaze towards Lindy who looked just as lost as I felt.
“Any ideas?”
“Maybe you’re getting a promotion?” She shrugged unsurely, offering me an unsettled smile. “Fill me in later? Over lunch maybe?”
“Sure. You’re picking.”
She groaned, reluctantly reaching for a stack of to-go menus she kept at her desk for times like these.
“I better start looking then.”
Fighting back a smile, I hid it with my coffee, taking a ginger sip while making my way to the elevators. If it weren’t for the ominous text from Ian and knowing that it also had something to do with LSR, it would feel like any other morning arriving for work. While I was made to stew in the uncertainty of what I was about to walk in on, everyone else carried on with their duties like they always did. Taking some small comfort in that, because it at least meant whatever was going on wasn’t a department wide issue, I stepped off the lift. My heels clicked obnoxiously on the linoleum, my feet already begging for me to swap them for the tennis shoes I used while working in the lab. Unfortunately, they would have to hold out until this impromptu meeting was over with.
I passed a couple of straggling researchers on my way to the Lab Coordinators office. Most of them looking like they could use a few more hours of sleep like myself. Hoping I at least looked a bit more presentable than the zombies wandering the halls, I stopped in front of Ian’s office, hardly giving myself time to chicken out as I knocked. The voice bidding me entry was familiar, but upon entering, the first face I saw was anything but. He stood quickly, bowing in greeting before holding his hand out for me to shake. Glancing quickly at Ian, his expression was unusually stiff, his own form rising slowly to his feet upon my arrival. Finding my courage slowly deflating I took the offered hand.
“Good morning! You must be Dr. L/N, it’s nice to meet you. My name is James Watkins, head of the LSR department.”
“Mr. Watkins, a pleasure.” I replied stiffly, attempting to retract my hand that he still held tightly.
“Please, call me James. Mr. Reich was just telling me about your achievements in clinical practice. I’m rather impressed.”
“Ah, I appreciate that, but Ian has a reputation for flattery.” I said politely, finally extricating my hand from his sweaty palm, trying to fight the urge to wipe my hands on my skirt.
“I doubt that.” He beamed, not deterred in the slightest. “Forgive me, but I looked into your background myself. You have a lot to be proud of. Not only for your work as a prior clinician but as a researcher too. It’s a large part of why I insisted you be on our team for this next project.”
“As a researcher?” I spluttered, my eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes and no. While we may appreciate your help in the lab, I’m more interested in your clinical skills.”
Unconsciously, my gaze turned to Ian, his brows furrowed in confusion and lips pinched together. Briefly, his eyes met mine and I could tell that although he was asked to be a part of this meeting, he was just as much in the dark as I was currently.
“Mr. W- James…” I corrected myself, ignoring his widening smile. “I’m thankful for your offer, but I’m afraid my clinical skills may be lacking for your area of expertise. I’m no veterinarian.”
He chuckled, as if my worries were amusing, one hand waving between us like he were physically brushing them aside.
“It is true that we normally work with animal specimens, but for this particular project, I believe your knowledge of human medicine will prove more beneficial. However, we can talk about the particulars at a later time, this specific undertaking is rather private. I actually came here to speak with you and Mr. Reich about allowing you leave from your current studies to work with us for the foreseeable future.”
“You’ll want her transferred?” Ian asked, surprised.
“Temporarily. Unfortunately, I can’t authorize her working on anything else while she’s on this team. Confidentiality and non-competes and the like, you understand. If you require someone to fill her shoes until she returns, my department is willing to fit the expenses for a new hire.”
“How long exactly are we talking?” Ian interrupted albeit as politely as possible.
“Hard to say.” James shrugged, taking his seat once more and reclining in it comfortably. “Six or seven months? Maybe longer. It really isn’t up to me exactly. My higher ups determine the time and money they want put into it.”
“And the people?”
Both pair of eyes landed on me. Ian’s filled with a flicker of concern while James’s lit up as if I were the present under the hypothetical tree come Christmas morning.
“They ultimately have the final say, you’re correct, but I, personally, requested you. Rest assured.”
Luckily his attention turned back to Ian before he noticed my expression twist into one of distaste. Rest assured? As if I’d be clinging to him as my safety blanket during this unusual situation. Or maybe he expects a thank you for him thinking of me in the first place. Either way, he would be sorely disappointed.
“You’d be fairly compensated in taking this job. You’ll be paid double what you make now and your position with Mr. Reich won’t be compromised in your absence. After the team is disassembled, you may return to your work here.”
“And my role would be, what exactly?”
“General health observations mostly. Lab work should we need assistance with that as well. We can give you specifics when you sign the agreements.”
“Agreements?”
“One will be a non-compete, like I said, we can’t allow you to work on other projects in the meantime, even within the same institution. Second is an NDA of sorts, just stating that you won’t disclose any information you receive to do with our team and study with anyone not specifically involved with it. It’s all very basic.”
“Do you usually require contracts?”
“When working with specific entities, yes.” James nodded. “Plus a few mandatory safety and handling protocol seminars.”
Those, I wouldn’t be new to. I’ve sat through my fair share of debriefings when it came to research ethics. Everyone had to. It was the only thing James had said in our time in this office that remotely made any sense to me. James leaned into the space between us, hand reaching inside the bag sitting there and pulling out a stack of papers before giving them to me.
“These explain what we’ve already gone over in a bit more detail. Look it over and let me know.”
I accepted them, mumbling a thank you. James stood, bidding Ian and I goodbye although I didn’t notice, my eyes glued to the letterhead over the papers I was given.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I couldn’t entirely disregard the offer. Admittedly, I was intrigued by the project though it didn’t seem I would be used as a researcher. Even then, the idea wasn’t totally undesirable. And the money… I dropped the stack of papers on my coffee table, sighing loudly as I leaned back into the couch. It had been a few days since meeting with James. Shortly after he had left, Ian asked me what I thought about the offer. At the time, I genuinely didn’t know, but the longer I ruminated on it, the more I found myself wanting to accept. Ian was kind enough to tell me my place with his team would be waiting for me if I did decide to do it.
The only thing that was super off-putting was the degree of secrecy surrounding it. Sure, I’d been a part of projects that asked for confidentiality, but none to the point James had taken it. At least those past endeavors told me exactly what I would be doing. Here, I could only assume. They wanted me as a doctor, that much was obvious, but why? General health observations? Were they testing a new drug and are taking it to human trials? Whatever it was, I wouldn’t know unless I signed. Pushing myself up, I snagged a pen on the far side of the table, flipping the chunk of papers I’d been thumbing through the last three days to the back page and bringing the pen to it before I could talk myself out of it again. My hand signed my name easily, the motion a habit after spending so many years signing off on patient medical files.
Somehow, the weight of this signature felt heavier than usual…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To say James was ecstatic to hear that I’d agreed to assist with the project would be an understatement. The minute I’d stepped through the doors of the new research institute he was there to greet me.
“Dr. L/N! It’s so nice to see you again! How was the drive over? Hopefully security didn’t give you too much trouble.”
Unless he counted trouble as them having to verify my identity using two different types of identification and having to call to make sure I was on the guest list, then I guess not. If their team was anything, it was thorough. The thing that surprised me the most though was how many people were here. The front lobby we currently stood in was bustling with activity. Bodies in and out of elevators, front desk beginning to form a line, and a lounge area on the far side of the room was full. The large ceiling to ground windows allowed enough natural light that the overhead fluorescents probably weren’t even necessary. James pulled my attention back to him, hand held out. Not wanting to be rude, but not necessarily wanting a repeat of last time, I gave him a polite nod instead, gesturing to the coffee and contract in either hand.
“The drive was fine, thank you, and your security team take their job very seriously.”
“Ah, well, it won’t always be like that. Once we have you in the system and you’re given your badge, they’ll lighten up. For now, though, let me show you to the conference room and get your paperwork in order.”
I tried my best to tune James out while following him and paid more attention to where we were going. This place was massive. Easily five to seven times bigger than the lab I worked in with Ian. It didn’t take long for me to start forgetting my way around. Though, I blamed that on James’s excessive drive for conversation rather than my poor sense of direction.
“This is Bryce. She’ll go through all the paperwork with you and bring you to the downstairs lab when you’re finished so you can meet the rest of the team.”
A middle-aged woman stood upon our entry, giving me a stiff smile and offering her hand to shake.
“Dr. L/N, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve been looking forward to it since James told me he had recruited you.”
“Oh? You know who I am?”
“I do. I’ve read several of your papers. Your work in blood disorders has been particularly fascinating.”
Finding myself a bit embarrassed, I thanked her, taking the seat she offered right across from her.
“I’ll leave you to it.” James grinned, giving the two of us a nod before slipping back out the door.
Bryce wasted no time, in debriefing me. She sorted through a host of folders next to her, sliding the first my way.
“We’ll start with the NDA and non-compete. It’s exactly how it sounds. We ask that you keep any information gathered for the duration of this project between the team and the team only. You won’t be allowed to participate in other research while part of this project. This one goes into a bit more detail about what we expect from you. To be frank, you’ll be working directly with our patients performing general observations about their condition and maintaining their health while in our custody. There’s a total of eight of them, you’ll be deemed their primary care doctor for as long as we need you.”
“Then they’re undergoing a new treatment of some kind?”
“Not exactly. Our information regarding them is limited. We’re not entirely sure what is considered within normal medical limits when it comes to their kind and, as far as I know, none of them have communicated with anyone other than each other.”
“Wait…” Her wording gave me pause as I stopped looking over the documents in front of me to meet her eyes. “You said “their kind”? What does that mean?”
“They’re something we’ve never encountered before.”
“Like a new previously undiscovered species?”
Bryce slowly nodded. “Yes, but ones not found on our planet.”
My brows nearly hit my hairline. I stared at her, waiting for her to crack a smile or otherwise tell me she was just joking with me. That this was some kind of prank they pulled on every new hire, but none of that happened. Sensing my disbelief, Bryce nodded again, gaze never wavering from my own and echoing with more sincerity than I could have imagined from someone who’s lips uttered her next words.
“They’re extraterrestrials.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m quite understanding. You’re telling me that you’re wanting me as a doctor for… aliens?” The last bit was a whisper, too afraid for someone nearby to overhear.
The word sounded absurd coming from me, but Bryce didn’t even miss a step as she continued leading me through the building. The rest of my paperwork was a haze of sloppy signatures and genuine bewilderment. The extraterrestrial bomb she had dropped on me hadn’t fazed her in slightest, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it. They had a group of aliens here? As test subjects? Had I unknowingly walked right into some sci-fi movie? I couldn’t help but think back to my assumptions over what James could have possibly been hinting at when asking me to be part of this project and could have laughed in my own face now. I thought I would be working with people. I was a human doctor. How the hell was I supposed to play doctor for eight beings that no one even knew what they were?
“That’s correct.” Bryce affirmed, gesturing for me to board an elevator before entering behind me and selecting one of the bottom floors.
“I’m not sure I’d be much help in your case. I’ve spent my life studying human medicine. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” I relayed my concerns, already feeling stressed at the thought of performing basic medical procedures on something I’d be essentially working from ground zero on.
Bryce shot me a tight-lipped smile. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that although they’re not human, they’re remarkably humanoid.”
Still not convinced, I hesitantly shook my head, mouth opening to express my worries once more before she cut me off.
“Oh, one more thing. For the sake of privacy and for your safety, we’ve developed an alias for you to go by while you’re working with them. Everyone on the team has one in the event they’re working in close conjunction with patients. They’ll know you as Aurora.”
“Aurora?”
“Please use it when introducing yourself or communicating with them. We’ve explained to them who you are and what you’ll be doing. Aurora is who they know you as.”
“They’re familiar with our language?”
The elevator dinged with our arrival, opening into a spacious hallway that looked like something straight out of a movie. Paneled metal walls, bright white fluorescents overhead, no windows or people to be seen as Bryce exited with hardly a motion for me to follow.
“At least one of them that we know of can understand us. None of them speak except to each other, but it’s not in a language we recognize. We’re not sure how much they understand, but so far they have seemed familiar with the concept of what a doctor is.”
“You said they’re humanoid. How humanoid are we talking?”
She stopped to tap her card over a keypad, entering a quick five-digit pin right after before answering.
“Apart from a few odd nuances here and there that you wouldn’t see in people, nearly identical. At least on the outside. We’re hoping you’ll be able to provide some more clarification on how their bodies work. Our lab will be at your disposal. Any test you need, you can request for it and our technicians will have it done. You can think of this place as your personal hospital. It’ll work much like what you were used to when in practice.”
The lab was much larger than I expected it to be. Multiple desk spaces and bays sectioning the large room from one end to the other. I recognized several pieces of equipment like extraction hoods and centrifuges, but others I didn’t and though I was curious, I figured it would probably be devices I wasn’t allowed to operate without having been trained on them. As packed full of equipment and inventory it was, there was a glaringly obvious lack of people to run a lab of this size.
“Dr. Park?” Bryce called out.
Her voice carried throughout the room, a quiet clatter drawing our attention to one of the bays located on the far end as a body stumbled into the main aisle.
“There he is.” Bryce’s face split with what I would consider the first genuine smile I’ve seen from her since our meeting upon setting eyes on the man. “Dr. L/N, this is Dr. Park Jimin. He’s our head of biomedical science research here. He’ll be spearheading the project with you. Dr. Park, this is Dr. Y/N L/N.”
Unlike Bryce, Dr. Park’s smile came off a lot more natural as he quickly stripped himself of his nitrile gloves before offering me his hand.
“Dr. L/N, it’s a pleasure. I was hoping James would be able to convince you to join this project.”
His brown bangs looked as if he had attempted to brush them back, but at some point during the day they had fallen forward again, several strands covering his forehead while the rest framed the sides of his face. His features were small, but profound, almost angelic. Brown eyes nearly disappearing entirely as his smile widened. He was cute. Easily the prettiest man I’d ever seen.
“Dr. Park is the one who introduced me to your work initially.” Bryce supplied.
“I’ve read everything you’ve ever published and co-authored.”
I found myself turning a bit shy under his blatant admittance. His own cheeks coloring a cherry red when he realized how his statement sounded.
“I-I mean, your work has been so interesting.”
“Thank you Dr. Park. I’m flattered.”
“Please call me Jimin. Dr. Park makes me feel like I’m older than I actually am.”
“Feel free to call me Y/N in that case.”
I could practically feel the tension rolling off Bryce. The way she shifted uncomfortably before clearing her throat and moving to make sure my attention turned to her instead of Jimin made me curious as to whether there was more between the two of them than simply work colleagues.
“Dr. Park will be in charge of running the lab primarily although he’s been temporarily performing your duties until you got here. Your patients know him as Siren, so please refer to him as such when in their company.”
“You’ve worked with them already?” I asked, surprised and eager to know more.
“Doing what little I could. I’m no doctor, so my clinical expertise is rather limited. My observations are rather bare I’m afraid, but if you would like some help with them, I’m more than happy to.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to take you away from your staff here.”
“I’ll be spending most of my time in here anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to get out every once in a while.” He chuckled.
The click and whir of the door behind me had all of us turning to see who was entering. He was intimidating, dark green military uniform stretched over a tall frame and broad shoulders as he ducked into the room. His expression was void of any semblance of kindness even as he took notice of me and headed in our direction.
“Excellent timing General Baek.” Bryce’s tight smile was back as she gestured between me and the newcomer. “This is Dr. L/N, the one James requested specifically.”
“I’ve been informed.” He gave a curt nod before shaking my hand. “Dr. L/N, I am General Jiho Baek. I’ll be in charge of your safety and overseeing the progress of this endeavor.”
“General.” I nodded politely.
A familiar face rounded the impressive form of General Baek, his overly enthusiastic demeanor not dampened in the slightest in the face of the rather stoic General.
“I thought it would be as good a time as any to take Dr. L/N to see who she’ll be working with.” James grinned, taking in the faces around him. “I’ve put in a request for your badge and card access. Hopefully they’ll have it by the end of the day. In the meantime, General Baek and I will show you the rest of the facility.”
My curiosity was dying to be alleviated and though I tried to keep my composure, it didn’t escape my notice that my nod of agreement probably came off more excited than I intended it to. I was ready to see exactly what I would be getting myself into as doctor for eight extraterrestrials. General Baek turned to exit first, feet carrying himself back the way he came without another look behind him. James motioned for me to go first, allowing me to take the lead while he remained a step or two behind me until we entered the hall, and he could fall into step with me.
“How are you feeling? Did Bryce explain to you what we expect?”
“The best she could without actually showing me I suppose.”
“And? I’m all ears for questions or concerns. It means a lot to me that you find yourself comfortable while you’re here.”
Ignoring the last bit, I cast a nervous glance towards General Baek. He gave no indication that he was listening, his eyes were trained forward, and his back was like a wall between me and whatever he was leading me to.
“Is it safe? Working with them I mean?”
James’s mouth opened to answer, but he was cut off by the man I thought wasn’t paying us any mind.
“Your security is important to us Dr. L/N. As long as you follow our instructions, your safety won’t be something you’ll need to be concerned about.”
James nodded as a second to his words. “He’s right. General Baek and his team are the best soldiers we could ask for to help us with this. They’re efficient and careful.”
I hummed, opting to believe it when I see it. Or, I guess, see them for myself. I tried to count the number of doors and corridors we traveled through, but once again, I found myself losing track of my way around. James, looking rather amused, tried his best to point out what was where for me.
“It’s rather confusing trying to find your way around. I’ll have a layout printed for you to keep with you until you feel comfortable navigating the halls yourself.”
“I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“I noticed you met Dr. Park. Charming, isn’t he?”
I made a noncommittal noise, eyeing the two soldiers stationed outside a set of doors we were approaching.
“He’s a force to be reckoned with in his field. Everyone a part of this team is.”
“Is there anyone else here I should know?”
The two men saluted their superior, moving aside to allow him access to the door as James flashed his badge for one of them to look over.
“You’ve met the main players. Dr. Park will be manning the lab, you’ll be handling patient affairs, Bryce handles all legalities associated with projects involving live specimens, I’ll be making sure everything runs smoothly and acting as a direct line of communication between you and those in charge of this project, and General Baek is committed to keeping you and the other members of the team safe. Anyone else you’ll come across will most likely be under Dr. Park or General Baek. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure we involve the least amount of people possible while maintaining policy requirements.”
James placed a hand at the small of my back, urging me through the first entry point right behind General Baek. There were two locked doors to go through it seemed. Both requiring card access and a pin number.
“I’ll make sure you have access to this hall. Apart from General Baek and you, Dr. Park also had access. We’ve limited the number of people allowed inside for security and privacy reasons. If at some point you’ll need someone who doesn’t have access to accompany you, you’ll need to file an order for it otherwise they won’t be allowed entry.”
“You and Bryce don’t have access?”
“Our job doesn’t require us to work with them directly, so our presence here won’t be required as often as it would be beneficial to be given access. If we need to, we’ll put in a request.”
The second set of doors buzzed loudly, announcing our arrival.
“Please refrain from using actual names from this point forward.” General Baek reminded me, pushing the heavy doors inward.
Almost immediately, the single hall split into three different directions. Two on opposite sides and one continuing straight. Both opposite halls were blocked by another door with two more guards each stationed outside of them.
“There’s a total of eight patients. Four in each hall.” General Baek explained, turning to the right and nodding for one of the guards to open the door. “You’ll find two rooms on either side, four in total each containing one specimen.”
I felt my heart beginning to pound harder as the doors slowly slid open. My nerves getting the better of me as my fingers started trembling and my palms felt hot. General Baek stepped in first without hesitation, only turning to look at me when I stalled in the doorway. James waited patiently behind me, his hand finding placement on my back again. The touch forced me forward, finding it a bit odd that he kept finding some way to keep in contact with me. Although the movement dispelled some of my fear as I walked over to meet General Baek in front of the first window.
“These windows are one-way. You’ll be able to walk the hall and observe without them seeing you. Some of them have shown an inclination of hearing you though, even through the glass and walls, so please know that they’ll more than likely be aware that you are here anyway.”
As if to prove his point, the patient inside tilted his head toward us. The fiery red hair was a bit unexpected, but that was probably no more shocking than how utterly human it looked. He stood from his perch on the bed, eyes roaming the glass in front of him as if he stared hard enough, the people speaking would manifest behind it. A lock of his hair caught on the piercing in his left eyebrow when he tilted it again, a little further this time. A flash of annoyance appeared to flare in his dark brown eyes before he quickly lost interest and moved back to his bed.
“Numbers 6438, 2641, 9485, and 9038 are in this hall. 1941, 9573, 1431, and 7753 are in the other.” General Baek explained, not fazed by my amazement at all.
He kept walking further down the hall and while I wanted to stay to continue my observation of the first alien I’d ever set eyes on, I figured my job would allow me ample time to do exactly that later. Reluctantly, I followed, eagerly glancing through the other windows as he stopped in front of another.
“Numbers?” I asked, eyes following his movements as he pointed at number plaques on the walls beside each glass pane.
“Identification numbers. Use them to keep track of your records respective of each specimen.”
“They don’t have names?” I inquired, easily finding the next patient within this room.
He was already standing right next to the window. He was incredibly tall, head almost brushing the ceiling above him until he bent over to see the glass better. Or rather, so I could see him better I supposed since he couldn’t see us.
“We haven’t asked. If they do, the chances of us being able to call them by their given names isn’t likely if their language isn’t one we’re familiar with. Besides, none of them speak. It’s easier and more convenient if you’ll just refer to them with the last four digits of their ID when speaking. Use the entire number for your records.”
“Understood.” I muttered, watching as the creature in front of me matched the head tilt of the first one we saw.
His two-toned brown hair looked incredibly soft. It fell into his big, brown, doe eyes gracefully. His eyes kept flickering from one end of the mirror to the other, straining to see who was there.
“Well then,” James chirped, clapping his hands together. “Dr. Aurora, I’ll show you where your office is and the medical bay where you’ll be conducting your health checkups.”
I nearly didn’t catch the use of my alias. My eyes were glued to the being in front of me as a flash of recognition lit his dark irises. Slowly, my gaze dropped to his lips as the perfectly plump red flesh moved to form the name for himself.
Aurora.
“Doctor?”
I blinked, yanking myself from whatever snare I had fallen into to look over my shoulder at James.
“Yes.” I nodded, bringing my thoughts back. “Let’s continue.”