The Exception, The Guardian, and The Monster

Momo

----
About an hour passes for the toxin to clear. Once it's gone, A small uncanny woman helps bring Jack back into the compound. She has a large scar over her right shoulder and dark hair pulled back into a braid. Her body has scattered scales as well as large claws to replace her hands. Once inside the compound, she sets Jack down. "... I am not allowed in the basement. She wants to see you. How do you feel?"

Astroray

Jack wakes slowly upon hearing her voice, but jolts in a panic, looking for the large knochen that took him out. His frail body quakes hearing the woman speak, he fears what his mother has to say. His performance was lack luster, a total failure. "...terrible."

Momo

"Don't worry, kid. She managed to scare off the big guy." She stretches her limbs out, which are a tad big longer than a regular human's. If Jack recalls, this is experiment 342. She was a former hunter found wounded in the forest from her last encounter before Thiessen picked her up. She has a bit of an attitude, a little rebellious, but she follows orders as well as the next person. "Head downstairs. Get some rest. I'm taking over your patrol duties."

Astroray

Jack is silent for a moment before getting up and inspecting his surroundings. "...Thanks." With that, he makes his way down to the basement, his every nerve on fire with embarrassment and shame.

Momo

The door to the office is open, and inside, Thiessen has taken off her lab coat, airing it out. She glances over from her desk and spots Jack. "Ah, so she brought you back. Good. She's becoming more obedient by the day."

Astroray

"Mmm." Jack isn't sure if he should be grateful or not "I'm sorry Mama, I couldn't stop him. I thought I could." His slight body shakes with fear, anticipating the worst.

Momo

"Wha... Jack, of course you couldn't have fought him." She stands up and starts to walk over to him. "You're much too small and far too weak for knochen like that. I've taught you better."

Astroray

His head hangs in shame, he is unable to even look her in the eye. "You did, I didn't listen, I'm sorry....I'm sorry..."

Momo

She raises her hand up. Usually, he'd be greeted with a slap. Instead, it's another gentle head rub. "... I'm glad you're okay, Jack. You did a very very good job warning me."

Astroray

His body went horribly tense, anticipating the blow. But when Thiessen begins to pet him, Jack's eyes well up with thick tears in a wave of relief.

Momo

She notices the tears and gently wipes his eyes with a handkerchief. "Stop that. You did the right thing. Besides, I did get to toy with him a little bit." She smirks. "Found out he is a good friend of our dearest Annalise, and he is bound to come back." She starts to grin. "I'm already making some plans to take down him and whatever crew he's going to bring. You've helped me bring up a rare opportunity. You should be proud."

Astroray

"Oh! That's right! I mimicked her scream and he went running right towards it. But....are we really gonna wait for them?"  His shakes stop and he looks at her with bright eyes, edged with worry.

Momo

"We have to. Annalise is in a delicate stage, I can't move her just yet." She chuckles a bit and stands up. "... How about we go check on her?"

Astroray

"Oh yeah! You know when I scarred her last night, little scales popped up on her cheeks like freckles. I got her pretty good." He's.....a bit too optimistic about this...

Momo

"Mmm yes. It's started to become more frequent when she's emotional. I keep having to put her to sleep before the effects consume her." She starts walking down the hall. "Now Jack-" Her warm tone drops and her voice grows cold. "In the room, you will not speak unless spoken to, only by me. Are we clear?"

Astroray

Jack raises his hands to his grill and pinches and invisible zipper, drawing it across and then tossing it away.

Momo

"Good." She opens the door.
Inside, Alise lays face down on an operating table with her head hanging over the edge. She's completely strapped down, her hands and feet facing upward so they can't burn any surface. There's a large bandage over the bottom of her back. She just barely glances up as the two walk in, it seems she's on some sort of drug.
"Well well,  Annalise." Thiessen's cold voice returns to something warm and pleasant. "You're lucky your scaled knight got away for now. If he had come any closer, mmmm, I would have had fun reuniting the two of you personally." It's usually rare for Jack to see Thiessen use her sweet voice. She's only ever really used it to compliment him. Every other experiment often got her standard cold tone after the first day.

Astroray

Jack's ears swivel up on their points, listening and watching intently. While he isn't permitted to speak, he does enjoy listening to human speech; the way human inflect and their tone. It helps him learn how to inflect better himself.

Momo

Alise attempts to speak up. Her voice is weak, and raspy, but she manages to muster a "fuck you" towards Thiessen.
Thiessen simply grins. "So much fire... when you're done recovering, it's gonna be so much fun training you." She starts to pat the back of Alise's head. The pat turns into a fist as she grips her hair. "I can't wait to turn that interfering friend of yours into an experiment too. Or perhaps I should just kill him and use his body for scraps. Would you like something of his? I'll let you pick."
Alise groans and clenches her teeth. "Y... You won't-"
"I will." Thiessen lets go of her head and lets it drop. "He seems strong. And very concerned for you. Perhaps you'll have good compatibility."

Astroray

Jack's ears perk up again and his breath turns a bit heavy. Thinking about he other knochen coming back makes him horribly anxious, but Mama has a plan this time..........

His attention snaps back once Thiessen fists up Alise's hair. The concept of seeing that large knochen, grounded and pained, brings him a spark of hope. They can pull it off....

Momo

"Who knows. Perhaps I'll send Jack after your roommate as well." Thiessen smirks.
Alise attempts to move, getting more upset. "L-Leave him... be...."
"Since he refuses to work with me, perhaps I'll just do to him what I'm doing to you. Hopefully, he'll live. Those chances are low though."
Jack can see Alise's body start to get covered in scales again in certain areas. She attempts to look back up and he can see the emotion in her eyes as what Thiessen says starts to overwhelm her.

Astroray

Jack watches her body as it is slowly overcome by the creeping scales. He croutches down and approaches slowly, cocking his head to the side to get a better look at Alise's face. Once he's seen enough of her face, Jack looks up to Thiessen and tugs at her sleeve gently.

Momo

Thiessen glares at him for a moment, almost livid that he interrupted her. He didn't speak though, so she takes a deep breath and nods. "Yes, Jack? Speak...."

Astroray

He recoils, seeing the rage in her eyes, but speaks softly once he is permitted to. "I know where he went...I saw him leave and know his destination. It would be easy."

Momo

Alise's eyes widen a bit more and she struggles again.
Thiessen notices this reaction and smiles to Jack. "... good boy." She gives another gentle pat. "We'll make plans once we've gotten the red knochen and his friends. For now, for this plan to work, I'd prefer if you stayed down here and looked after Annalise. That knochen won't fall for your vocal tricks again, I'm sure of it."

Astroray

Jack welcomes the pat and his body loosens a bit. Once Thiessen finishes, his head then swivels down and he watches Alise's reaction with wide eyes. "Yes, Mama..... I'm sure we'll get along just fine." He then crawls back a bit to observe.

Momo

Her eyes are still full of emotion. She seems like she's about to say something, but Thiessen comes around with a small needle. "I think it's time for you to get some more rest, sleeping beauty."
"No... no- please- I don't want to-" She gets cut off as she's injected again. Her eyes start to roll back and her head goes limp. Thiessen chuckles and pats Annalise's shoulder.
"She's so cute when she sleeps..."

Astroray

Jack smiles a very proud grin. "You're so cool, Mama..."

Momo

"Thank you, Jack." She replies, looking down at him. "... you will protect her with everything you have, right? Annalise is key to everything Mama has been doing." She continues to rub Alise's back.
There is one thing that Jack notices. With every experiment Thiessen has, she gives them a number. 114, 208, 305, 342, 410, etc. Jack is the only one who's ever been called by name except for one person. Alise is the exception.

Astroray

In a way, Jack is a bit jealous of this.....but he knows Mama loves him. "I will." He pauses, considering all that will be happening in the next few days. "What are you going to do about the red knochen?"

Momo

"Capture him of course. Or kill him. He knows where we are, I can't let him get away." She smiles. "I'll be making preparations in my office, so don't disturb me."

Astroray

"Yes, Mama. I'll stay right here." Jack plants himself in front of Alise's door. "I'm excited to see what you make."

Momo

A few hours pass since Thiessen went back to her office to work. Jack notices Alise starting to stir again. Her eyes flicker open, her fingers and toes wiggle a bit, the only true movement she has beside her head.

Astroray

Jack has been watching her breathing for quite some time and notices her stir. He crawls forward cautiously and stop just a couple of feet short of her head.

Momo

She glances around before her eyes land on Jack, following an exasperated sigh. "Lil shit..."

Astroray

He doesn't respond to her insult, but continues to look her over. "....I think I can see why Mama thinks you're pretty."

Momo

"... that's not your mother..." She mumbles.

Astroray

"I know she isn't my real mother, but she is to me." Once he responds, he gets up and walks around her a bit. Jack peers over the table and looks at Alise's back.

Momo

He can see the old scar that she gained when Thiessen first experimented on her. This time around, she was more precise with her procedure, so only the base of Alise's lower back was operated on. "... how... bad is it...?"

Astroray

Jack finds it odd that she's addressing him like a person. "....She did good. Just your lower back this time. Nothing that wasn't already scarred."

Momo

"... anything new growing out...? Limbs... a tail- gods, I hope I don't have a tail...."

Astroray

He snorts, still finding her tone perplexing. "No, you're fine."

Momo

"I'm not..." She replies. "... I can feel it... I can feel something. Agh-" She twitches a bit. Her body has a small flare up of scales but it dies down as quickly as it comes. "... it's hard to keep down..."

Astroray

Jack's hand reaches out for a moment, but he stops himself from touching the scales. He's sure Thiessen wouldn't like him touching her favorite experiment. "Why don't you let it out? Are you scared?"

Momo

"I need to focus..." She replies. "This is the clearest my mind has been since I got here... and that's not saying much." She closes her eyes. ".... under... underground..... ... it's too cold in this room, and I can't hear any birds or wind. I think I imagined an earthquake a while back... what day is it?"

Astroray

"It's only been about a day. Mama works fast." Jack pauses and looks back down at her head. "What does it feel like."

Momo

".... imagine a sharp pain going through the base of your spine. ... then it just spreads out."

Astroray

He moves towards the front of her and lays down on his back, looking up at her with his large, glassy eyes. "I bet you'll be really strong....Do you think it'll stop hurting if you let go?"

Momo

"I think if I let go, I won't be myself anymore." She replies. "I'll turn into another one of those monsters..."

Astroray

"Hm.....Do you think I'm a monster?"

Momo

"Debatable. You've kidnapped me and fucked with me psychologically. That's not really a great thing. At the same time, you've answered all of my questions without hesitance... you're honest."

Astroray

"No use now, I've got you." He raises his palms and clasps them together as if he had a bug inside. "Besides, I don't get to talk with many people outside of the compound and monsters don't make good small talk."

Momo

She chuckles weakly. "So you agree with me...." She glances up at him. "... how old are you?"

Astroray

He looks a bit sad for a moment. "Your friend asked me the same thing. Is it that noticeable?"

Momo

"... you're young... a little too young to be doing stuff like this. She's manipulated you quite well."

Astroray

"Hmph. And what about you?" He tries to replicate Esredes, but it sounds a bit rough, he hasn't heard his voice enough times to get it down all the way. "Did you snag him with manipulation? That's how humans catch knochen, right?"

Momo

"Don't use his voice." She replies, her scales momentarily flaring up. "I didn't snag him... it's more of an equal partnership. You wouldn't know what that's like."

Astroray

"Your freckles betray you." Jack points to her cheeks, his claw mere centimeters from her face.

Momo

She takes a few deep breaths to relax. "... he's a friend. You wouldn't want any of your friends to be in danger, would you? Or do you just have your mother?"

Astroray

"I already told you, monsters don't make good small talk and your friend tried to snap my neck."

Momo

"Wouldn't you snap the neck of someone if they took your mama?"

Astroray

He smiles slightly, dreaming a bit...."That's some partnership."

"Isn't it funny though, from what I know, its the knochen that keeps the princess in the tower. I don't think I've ever heard of a story where the knight is a knochen."

Momo

"..." She seems to be at a slight loss for words. "... I can't let her... do to him what she did to me..."

Astroray

"What will you do? You're strapped to a table with a little beastie keeping guard." He grins slightly.

Momo

"... you're right. There's only really one option." She glances up to Jack. "... thank you for talking to me."

Astroray

"Mama wouldn't let me before, but now I have you all to myself. How could I resist?" He pauses and sits up, looking to Alise once more. "What is your option?"

Momo

"... let go." She replies. She lets out a large exhale and the scales start to flare up again. Her eyes starts to roll to the back of her head as the scales spread, starting to transform her hands into claws. Slight feathers form along her arms and her body trembles as if it was experiencing a seizure.

Astroray

Jack watches the scales take over her skin, but once she starts trembling violently, he bolts up. He searches the counters, looking for the small syringe Thiessen used on her earlier.

Momo

Before he manages to grab the syringe, her arms break out of the bindings. Once those are out, she starts to thrash about. A long tail sprouts out and smacks the walls of the room with feathers and scales flying off. It's difficult to get close and try to sedate her.

Astroray

Watching the tail trash, he notes most of the movement is from side to side, smashing the walls. Jack grabs the syringe and climbs up onto the ceiling, aiming to jump onto her back.

Momo

As he's about to jump, her tail swings around and gives him a good thwack to the side of the room. Her legs finally break free of her bindings and she lets out a large yell, her voice changing into more of a screech than a yell.

Astroray

He manages to catch himself on the ground, but the thwack from her tail did some damage. At this point Jack knows his best bet is the syringe, so he tries to jump on her back again.

Momo

He lands on her back well enough and gets a clear shot to inject her. She starts to buck however, so he needs to inject her soon.

Astroray

Jack's gecko-like fingers allow him to adhere better to her newly formed scales. He hastily moves a scale up and sticks the syringe into the base of her neck, gripping to her back with his legs and tail.

Momo

She thrashes more, but the syringe starts to take into effect. Very slowly, her scales and feathers start to retreat, as well as the long tail she grew. Her head tilts back to look back at him, seemingly conscious for a moment as she recognizes him.

Astroray

Jack locks eyes with her, a wave of pity washes over him quickly succeeded by anger and then shame. He gets off her, hot tears pricking at the sides of his eyes again. For a moment he stands up straight until he is overcome with frustration, throwing the syringe to the wall.

Momo

Alise slowly lays back down, sleep starting to take over her. "...s...Rey... le.... v..." She makes a small attempt to stand up, but the attempt is short lived as she passes out again.

Seconds afterwards, Thiessen runs into the room, looking frantic. "What happen-" her eyes widen at the scene before her. "What happened here?!"

Astroray

Jack's head whips over to seea frantic Thiessen. He pants heavily a few times before speaking up. "She-she woke up and....and she changed. I saw her shift into a knochen, Mama, look." He reaches down and picks up a few discarded feathers and scales. "She tried to escape."

Momo

Thiessen looked around. "She showed... uncanny features? Ah..." she lets out a small sigh in relief. "Thank you for putting her back to sleep, Jack."

Astroray

"No! Mama, she turned all the way, like the red one!" He pushes the feathers and scales out to her.

Momo

Thiessen kneels down and looks them over. ".... impossible...." She looks back over to Alise and starts to bind her down to the table again.

Astroray

He looks her over with a sadness in his eyes, his fingers crushing the scales and feathers. "C-could you at least get me more sedative for her? I'm worried she may try it again when she wakes."

Momo

"Of course.... don't even give her the chance next time to wake up. Understand? She's too unstable."

Astroray

"Yes, Mama." He gives her a curt nod.

Momo

"Good... I'll need to focus on her tomorrow. I need to get rest. Jack, I trust you to look after her. Do not disappoint me."

Astroray

Jack swallows dryly. "Yes, ma'am."

Momo

"Good. Goodnight, Jack. Your dinner is in my office." She starts to head out, leaving behind two syringes for him.

Astroray

"Thank you, goodnight." He waits until Thiessen leaves the room to make his way to her office.

He slips into her office, checking her desk to see what dinner awaits him.

Momo

There's a small meal waiting for him. It's not as big as the meal last night, but it's probably all Thiessen could muster as she was busy with Alise that day. It's some cooked meat and a few vegetables.

Astroray

With how he is feeling, this meal looks like a banquette. Jack picks up the meat and slices thin portions of it off with his sharp teeth to savor the flavor. However, he knows he shouldn't take long...he had a princess to watch.

Momo

Hours pass. Alise is out longer than before. She only starts to wake up during the early hours of the morning, groaning and shifting a bit. Her whole body ached, her muscles burned, and her eyesight was foggy.

Astroray

For most of the night, Jack was curled up by the door, his legs tucked into his chest, and his eyes were drooping as the night dragged on, but the noise startled him into an alert state.

He gets up, moving towards the counter and grabs a syringe.

Momo

"No... please..." she mumbles. "Don't..."

Astroray

"I have orders. I should do it right now."

Momo

"Please... I don't want to sleep... please." She groans. "Ugh... letting go hurts.... that was awful..."

Astroray

He keeps the syringe close to him, clutching it in a long palm and then he sits next to the table again. "Do you remember what happened?"

Momo

"... everything became hazy... my mind was filled with awful thoughts and... nice ones too..."

Astroray

"You changed. You turned into a knochen. Mama doesn't believe me." He grips his legs with his free arm.

Momo

"That's... no... I just went uncanny, right?"

Astroray

"Uncanny don't change back."

Momo

"Wh.... nnn-" She shuts her eyes. "Everything aches.... this sucks... what time is it?"

Astroray

"Early morning, keep quiet. Like I said, I have orders to put you out as soon as you wake up."

Momo

"I see..." Her head drops. "Can you get me some water before you knock me out again? My mouth is dry..."

Astroray

"Do not trick me. I'll get you water, but do not." He gives Alise a strange look before going to the faucet. Jack scrounges around in the cupboards and manages to find a small metal cup. He fills it and brings it to her. "Lift your head."

Momo

Alise keeps her word and doesn't try to escape. She slowly lifts her head. He can see that she's completely exhausted. Whatever she did to transform really wiped her out.

Astroray

Jack sighs and puts a clammy hand underneath her chin to support her and he lifts the cup to her lips, tilting it slowly.

Momo

She drinks it down rather quickly, gasping in between drinks. "Ahh- I haven't gotten anything all day..."

Astroray

"No food?" His hand retreats from her jaw.

Momo

"To be honest, I probably won't be able to hold anything down..." She looks up at him then looks around. ".... it's so quiet..."

Astroray

"Lets keep it quiet." He places the cup back in the cupboard and sits down next to her. Jack is silent for the next few minutes, inspecting the syringe, when he speaks up. " So you don't remember any of the uh...claws or tail or nothing? Just gone?"

Momo

"I had a tail?" Her eyes widen a bit. She snickers slightly. "That... sucks. Dammit, I knew it."

Astroray

"Like a ghost limb..."

Momo

"That's terrifying to know... I'm sorry you had to see it."

Astroray

"Mmm I'd rather not have gotten smacked by it." He muses softly.

Momo

"Really? Damn..." She attempts to move, but she's strapped down tighter than ever. "Dammit... nnn..." Scales flare up again, but she quickly calms it down by breathing slowly.

Astroray

Jack sighs again. "What was your mother like."

Momo

"My mother...?" Alise thinks for a moment. ".... warm... and nervous. She never wanted me to become a soldier. She was always worried I'd get hurt. ... whenever I'd go home, she made sure I ate a warm meal and took a bath."

Astroray

His ear flicks. "Right....you were a fighter."

Momo

"Yeah, you know, before this..." Her scales flare up a bit, but it seems to be more like feathers instead of scales. "Hh..."

Astroray

"Your body probably isn't used to the stress of changing form so fast. Probably why it hurts. That's how it was when I was first learning."

"That's how it is with a lot of the uncanny that come out of here, too. They change too fast, but they never go back."

Momo

".... I don't want to say it... but thanks for stopping me. Even though I wanted it to happen, it was scary."

Astroray

"Mmm I shouldn't have pushed. Mama would be furious if she knew I made you do that."

Momo

"You didn't make me... but you technically gave me the idea."

Astroray

"Exactly." He gets up slowly moving to her side, syringe at the ready. "You should get some more rest now."

Momo

"... I can't... not when I know she's going to do something to them..."

Astroray

The needle glides into her shoulder easily as Jack guides it in, being much more gentle than he was last time.

Momo

She stifles a groan and tries to shake it. "N-no- please. Please- They're all I have-"

Astroray

He sniffles a bit before finishing the dose and sliding the needle out. "Just- go back to sleep, please."

Momo

Alise's eyes start to roll back, but she doesn't fall asleep as fast as before. Her body starts to look warm as she starts sweating, more noticeably around her face. "I... won't... nnn.."

Astroray

"You're hurting yourself. Stop it." Jack expression reads concerned as he puts the back of his hand to her forehead.

Momo

It feels like she's got some sort of fever. "Y... Y'know... back in the army I had a captain... he saw potential in all of his recruits... said I had a strong... w-will.... I wonder if we can put it... to the test..."

Astroray

"I..Mama hasn't taught me much about medicine. If you keep this up, I'll have to wake her, make it easier on yourself, please."  He's rooting about in the cupboards again, looking for rags to soak with water.

Momo at 8:52 PM

The feathers and scales start sprouting again. Alise's eyes start to roll back but she fights it off. "Jack... right... that's your name...? Do me a favor... please. I'm not a fan of hurting kids."

Astroray

Jack absolutely hates the idea of waking up Thiessen, but...maybe if she saw, she might believe him. He scowls a bit and works at the straps, making sure not to damage them much.

Momo

As he works at the straps, Alise manages to free one of her hands. Her eyes light up as she slaps her arm against Jack, hoping to knock him against the wall.

Astroray

The smack sends him right into the wall with such force, his head hits it with a good amount of force as well. His vision goes in and out for a moment and the wind is knocked out of him entirely.

Momo

Alise takes the time to break herself out of the bindings. It takes a little longer this time since she's trying to be as quiet as possible.
Once she finishes, she stands up and cracks her arms and neck. Slowly, she glances over at the unconscious Jack. "... you're not... too bad. Don't turn... into a monster." She struggles through her words as her body continues to transform. Carefully, she limps out of the room and shuts the door behind her. Now that she's been closed off from him, she ain't afraid to let go once more at everything else.