Lab Rat

As light filled her eyes, she began to panic. She didn't know where she was. Last she'd known, she was in a park being chased by a group of angry men with guns, but now she found herself trapped in some kind of strange laboratory. She was surrounded by strange machines, each making its own strange noises and a few had pictures of her on display. A pair of hulking figures looked down upon her, but the light streaming into her eyes kept her from making out any of their features.

"It's regaining consciousness," the figure on her left noted.

"That is of no consequences," the right figured replied. "All the restraints are in place and we've tested them hundreds of times. Let her watch."

The left figure nodded and returned to his console, checking data as it streamed by and occasionally making a noise of approval. "Rather advanced for humans."

"Rather advanced for many things," the right figure agreed. "Almost up to our own standards."

The two continued to work and ignored her. She struggled against her bonds, but as promised they refused to budge.

"It makes me nervous," the fearful figure pressed. "What if it can break free?"

"Then we call in the guards and they squash it like a meatbag," the more-confident figure retorted. "But if it vexes you so much, I will demonstrate its helplessness."

The two returned to looking down upon the table, blocking the light enough for her to make out some of their features: cold, emotionless, and alien. Their voices were like grinding rust. They discussed a machine and gestured towards her, one of them pulling out a strange gun and pointing it at her.

"Now that you're set," the confident one said. "Allow me to demonstrate."

He pulled a lever and suddenly her body was racked with immense pain. Electric shocks ran up and down her body, making her keenly aware of how sensitive her body was. She strained against her restraints, screaming as she struggled to vain to break free of the table. After an eternal five seconds, the pain ceased and her vision became blurry.

"As you can see, she is perfectly secure," the torturer concluded. "We tested all of these devices on Baffle and if he couldn't break free, a little Earther couldn't either."

The fearful assistant relaxed and stowed his weapon. "I am very reassured. We may want to do that again though; we got some excellent data from that and Lord Quick Fix will be greatly pleased by this development."

"Ah, no, it's losing focus and passing out again. We'll put in a request for the next time it's aware though."

As promised, her senses were slowly shutting down, giving her a welcome respite from the pain that had been her existence as long as she could remember.