The Voidbreak Crisis

12. Liebchen

Siren woke up in a small bed, inside what seemed to be a prison cell about eight feet cubed. Her heart began racing as she backed up against the wall, her ears picking up a wide variety of strange sounds. She couldn't feel Pulse or Prism anywhere near her. She felt others, but no one familiar. No Pulse, no Prism, no Moondust, nobody. She was alone. She curled up into a fetal position and began crying against the wall. She heard noises on the other side of the door and backed up against the wall farthest from it. The door clicked menacingly, and a short, round man in white robes walked in.
"Guten Morgen, liebchen." He said, smiling at her through his dense white mustache. He had no hair on his head, save for a few wild strands that dangled down behind his ears. He had thick glasses and deep blue eyes. His mouth was entirely concealed by his mustache, and it seemed that any hair he once had on his head, had migrated to his arms. He was carrying a tray of silver metal, holding various fruits and other snacks. He set the tray down and slowly shut the door behind him.
"Ich bin Doktor Manhattan." He said kindly, sitting down by the door and picking an apple of the tray.
"W-" Siren stopped and stared at him for a while. One of his bushy white eyebrows arched as he looked at her, offering her the apple.
"What are you saying?" She whispered.
"Oh, English, I see. Obviously." He said, smiling.
"My name is Doctor Manhattan, and I am a xenologist for NASA. Or, rather, I was, until I was hired to work here. But I digress. Are you hungry?" He asked, still holding out the apple. Siren was hesitant, but she was, actually, very hungry.
"Yeah." She said softly.
"Here, then. Come get it. I won't bite." The Doctor said, his wide mustache curling up as he smiled.

Siren's instincts told her this man was trustworthy. His left hand holding the apple out to her, his right hand resting on his leg, both legs crossed in front of him, his keen blue eyes watching her intently, but calmly. He seemed to trust her. She figured it would be rude to not return the favor. He said he wouldn't bite. She didn't know why he needed to specify that, but she felt she could trust him. She slowly stood up, sliding up the wall, watching his every move. His muscles were relaxed, and the door was shut firmly. Her ears pivoted on her head, picking up every sound. She concentrated, and could hear his heart pounding in his chest, and could hear other men and women outside the door holding their breath anxiously.
"Why is your heart pounding?" She asked, her own heart fluttering as she readied her claws.
"Honestly?" He said, in a thick accent.
"Yes." She demanded.
"I'm excited." He said, holding apple in both hands and rubbing a spot off it.
"I have been a part of our planet's search for extraterrestrial life for decades now, looking to the stars for any sign of other life out there. When all of a sudden," He paused and looked up at her, offering her the apple again.
"You just land, plumpsen, in our laps. You know, not literally in our laps, rather in a basement near Fresno under a motel. But I digress. Hungry?" He said kindly.
"Who are they?" Siren said softly, nodding towards the door.
"My colleagues and friends, you can meet them if you want, or not, if you want." The Doctor said.
"Why are they afraid?" Siren asked.
"We're all human, see, and we don't have many creatures like you around here." He said softly.
"Uh huh." Siren said, sitting on the bed.
"You don't need to be afraid, liebchen. Here." He said, holding the apple out to her. Siren sheathed her claws slowly, and gingerly took the apple from his hand. She heard his heart skip a beat when her fingers touched the apple, and heard the men and women outside sigh in relief. She sniffed the apple, and didn't smell any poison or trace alchemical notes. She kept her eyes on the Doctor, and took a bite from the apple slowly.
"I think we could be friends." Doctor Manhattan said softly, scooting the tray over to her. Siren allowed herself a small grin.
"I'd like that." She said softly.

The next couple of years flew by for Siren and Dr. Manhattan, as they both learned more about each other's species and cultures. The first few weeks were spent inside Siren's room, talking and doing various tests. Siren met other wilderfolk, all lost like her. Some were lucid, talkative and curious, like her. Lost on a strange planet, and confused at first. The others, however, spoke in a strange accent that made Siren's fur stand on end. They seemed endlessly confused and scared. They all asked about their father, and some of them called him their god-king, but none of them were able to answer any of Dr. Manhattan's more pointed questions. Months into her stay, Siren was a favorite of all the facility staff, to the point where she was let to wander freely, anywhere she wanted to go. Few other wilderfolk were granted this privilege, and some of them were jealous. Occasionally, Siren would notice some of their rooms become vacant in a seemingly random order. The more confused and prone to outbursts they were, the faster they were shipped out.
"Where do they go?" Siren had asked, staring into an empty cell.
"They get moved to a more advanced facility, where the doctors there can help with their psychosis, maybe help them calm down." Dr. Manhattan had said, locking the door. Siren didn't trust all of the staff, but she trusted the doctor. He had been nothing but truthful with her, and she could hear when someone lied to her. The other doctors would preform 'tests' on her that were not what they said they were. Dr. Manhattan was always upfront about his tests.