same world, different life

Chapter 10. Gathering evidence

Machiavelli was informed that I was taken away from him due to ethics violations, but we weren't done there. These people haven't dealt with murder for decades while my kind dealt with it daily before we got here. As a result, we were on our own in investigating this matter and we would likely have to look for an entire team to rebuild an American court system. yet he was informed overnight and I wasn't aware until...

"Nathan, wake up I've got good news," I heard her say to me.

"What good news?" I asked her.

"You're no longer Machiavelli's, you're mine, now you can take my form," she replied.

"For my freedom from his control, it's a small price to pay. I'll come willingly too just drop me into that tank and you have your 5th kid," I told her.

She hugged me in response and said: "let's go then, let's go and make you one of mine."

I followed her to where they changed human bodies into forms like the one I have. "Well Clair you got another kid and I see it's the one I've heard about on the news," the creature said to her.

"Yup, you know what I want to be done, same as last time," she replied. "Go on Nathan step up."

I stepped up onto the trapdoor and said to myself: "freedom is not free," before it dropped from under me and I let myself pass out.

I was out for a few hours before I woke up to Clair holding me close. "I could have just swallowed you and you'd be in a membrane bag but that would be too painful. Can you hear my mind?" She asked me without moving her mouth.

"Yes, yes I can and it's one of the best feelings I've had thus far," I replied.

"Good," she told me as she held my now snake scaled hand. "This is what I like to see out of my children; a warm heart inside of a cold-blooded body. You're one of my kind now Nathan and my kind are your people now. Embrace that form and don't look back."

"What!" I shouted at her as I turned to my human form. "I am human and you can't take that from me."

"I'm the one raising you because of this, you're mine now," she replied.

"You're an alien creature to my kind fostering me. You may be able to take away my human form; you may be able to take my liberty, but you can't take something that my kind values dearly in just about every culture, their humanity," I replied with a stern look.

She then tapped something on a tablet on the table and turned me to my serpent form causing me to fall over. "Listen here, Nathan that implant was for controlling behavior and if you do keep this up you'll tell the committee overwise about you. We haven't got enough to prove what else Machiavelli did. I bet it's withdrawal, head into that sandpit room where we first met and calm down," she told me. "Man, I'm so glad I got another one of those."

"Ok then, but after I'm done in there I'm teaching you my kind's values," I told her.

"Three hours Nathan, that's how long I want you in there, and make sure you're under the sand a bit ok," she said to me before I went into the room.

I got under the sand only to feel something different. A sensation that wanted me to give in to my fate. I then felt that same kid hug me and say: "You need to focus on one thing at a time. If you want justice for your family you'll have to be willing to give something up."

"Kid, you may be right about that. Just do this for me if I can not. Fight valiantly for your kind's freedom and remember me for who I was and not for who I'm going to be. Because I might never be the same again," I replied before falling asleep.