Arthur Arden (dr_arden) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-07-06 23:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | dr arthur arden |
Who: Dr Arthur Arden
What: Experimenting on a husk
When: July 5
Where: Arden's basement
Rating: PG-13, some violence
Status: Complete
Dr Arden descended the stairs down into the basement of his house. The door to the stairs was simple but sturdy, with several locks, but the real security measure was the door leading to the basement itself.
110mm frame depth, reinforced locking area, internal hinge chassis system, t-section silicone based seal, anti-pry frame…an expensive investment, but nothing compared to the room behind it. Money was no object, after all.
Arden entered an enormous room representing a cross between a research lab and a white-washed slaughterhouse. It was utterly pristine and covered the entire base of the house, extending below the garden (there was a secret emergency entrance in the greenhouse). The walls were lined with metal cabinets and state-of-the-art scientific equipment. Something of a step down from his government work, but Arden was proud nonetheless. He designed the place himself and used immigrants to build it. There was no paper trail. And there were no migrant workers anymore.
This room was his sanctuary, his true home, his natural environment. He was a scientist, after all, a visionary: did the government really expect him to just stop? To stop his work meant to stop his very life…yet at times…he wished that wasn’t so.
Oh, he loved his work, no mistake about that. There was just…a certain emptiness to carrying on in secret. The silence that surrounded his dinners was beginning to edge out his own thoughts. Perhaps he needed something more, maybe he needed someone to share his vision with. It was a lonely path.
Arden switched the recorder on and approached a gurney.
“Dr Arthur Arden, recording 5 July 2013,” he said. “Updating notes on the creature that has been labelled by the general public as, ‘husk’…”
Arden swept the white sheet off the creature strapped down. “Hello again,” he smiled, and the monster shrieked and struggled. “Extremely aggressive, as already noted…although I’d be angry too, if I were in its situation.” Arthur began to walk around the gurney. “Although there is clear connection between humans and husks, there has been such extensive change that all biological resemblance to humans is only superficial. If this creature was ever human, it is no longer. Organs, water content, skin, blood…all gone and replaced with synthetic material…the exoskeleton is thicker than human skin, but not enough to stop a real assault. The entire construct appears to be held together by a mixture of synthetics and strong electrical charge. Interestingly, the charge appears to be stronger with others of its own kind, meaning for these creatures there truly is strength in numbers.”
Arden pushed a scalpel through the hand of the husk, prying the ‘flesh’ open. “It is highly resistant to pain. No visible nerve endings,” said Arden. He tapped a syringe and began to extract fluid from the open wound. “Extracting liquid product. Colour is a blue with a light greenish tint, and there’s a potent smell. Like burning batteries.”
He turned away, but before he could take another step, there was a sudden heat in his hand. Arden cried out in shock, dropping the syringe which smashed on the floor and smashing open. It was steaming. He stared down at it. “Liquid is…not corrosive but grows to extreme temperatures outside of the body,” he said, dejected. Arden stopped the recorder, and suddenly turned back. The husk was still struggling.
Dr Arthur Arden took the pistol from his belt, aimed briefly and fired a round into the monster’s head.