Scream For Me

-1-

"Oh, shut up," (Friend's Name) said teasingly, shoving (Y/n)'s shoulder. "You have such an attitude towards (Boss's Name)."

"Yeah, but he's a real buzzkill sometimes," (Y/n) said.

"You talk a lot. And a lot of it is trash talk." The friends shook their heads, sharing a laugh. "Anyway. So, about this new project. Get together tomorrow?"

"Yeah. That is unless (B/n) says otherwise. He likes to make us go to work on weekends."

"Like he has anything better to do!" (Y/n) snorted, covering her mouth.

"I'll get the blueprints laid out tonight and send them to you," she said. She sucked in an excited breath. "Ooh, ice cream! Want in?"

"Duh." They walked into the ice cream shop, quickly ordering as the lines were short and sat down to enjoy it.

"Boyfriend status," (F/n) demanded. (Y/n) blinked.

"Oh, uh, I broke up with that punk," she said, shuffling her ice cream around. "He's already with someone else, can you believe it?"

"Jerk." (Y/n) smirked and they finished, standing up and tossing their cups in the trash on the way out.

"Okay, see you later," she said, waving to (F/n) as they split ways.

"Hasta luego!"

"I don't speak Spanish!"

"You should!" (Y/n) shook her head, smiling to herself as she walked causally down the street to her house. She pulled her phone out when it vibrated.

(F/n): Ya estoy aburrida.

(Y/n): Oh my gosh, stop.

(F/n): Por que?

(Y/n): Because I don't know what you're saying.

(F/n): Only one way to learn, lol.

(Y/n): You know I don't like it when you use 'lol'.

(F/n): lol.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes and tucked her phone away, pulling out her keys and stepping into her house. She walked into her office and sat down at the computer, pulling up her work files to begin working on her blueprints.

She perked up when there was a sort of warping sound behind her. She spun around in her chair, blinking at the portal in front of her. Then a platypus looking thing stepped through wearing some sort of lab suit and glasses.

"Ah, yes," it said in a masculine tone. "Earth. The calibration connected to the Warp Topaz worked."

"What are you?" (Y/n) asked, grabbing a random device off her desk - a screwdriver - and holding it in front of her. "And believe me, if you're here to threaten me, I've beaten someone to the hospital with a screwdriver before. Got suspended for that." She scrunched her face up at the memory. "Anyway. Questions. What the heck are you?"

"My name is Dr. Starline," the platypus said, bowing with a flourish. "I've been experimenting with space travel. My latest experiment has been working, hence why I am here. I've also been gathering samples. I will be very grateful for your assistance."

"What do you mean by assistance?"

"To help with further experiments. You are an engineer by the looks of things here?" He gestured at her house.

"No dip, Sherlock. How would I be helping you? I kind of run a tight schedule here, so I'm limited on free time."

"It wasn't a question. You wouldn't be...helping me in that way." The platypus stepped aside and two robots stepped from the portal and seized (Y/n)'s arms, dragging her through the portal.

"Hey!" she shouted. Starline stepped through the portal and it closed a moment later. They were in a lab of some sort with tubes pumping all sorts of liquids and molten metals.

"Set her down there," Starline said, pointing at a metal table.

"I'm not your lab rat!" (Y/n) yelled, jerking one of her arms free and grabbing the robot's face, shoving it down. She locked her hand around its neck cables and pulled, causing it to spark and collapse on the ground. The other robot grabbed her free arm and jerked her up, slamming her on the table and knocking the breath out of her.

"Any more stunts you want to pull?" Starline asked, clasping his hands calmly.

"Just a few," she spat, wrenching her arm away again and rolling backwards on the table, kicking the robot back. She landed on the ground, grabbing the robot's arm and throwing it at the platypus. Starline yelped and dove out of the way, the robot crashing on the ground. It recovered and stood up, a weapon on its shoulder charging.

"What next?" Starline hissed, the hair or whatever on his head ruffled. (Y/n) froze, eyeing the gun. Starline then leaped at her, knocking her back into the table. He slammed her head onto the metal surface, stars exploding in her vision. She gasped and went limp, the robot stomping over to her and pinning her to the table. Starline huffed, brushing his coat off and marching over to a tool table.

"Let us begin," he said, his tone composed as if nothing had happened. (Y/n) pulled in deep breaths through her nose, shifting her head back and forth on the table. "Open wide."

The platypus pried open the human's mouth and poured a clear liquid into her mouth. "Now, this will revert you to a Mobian form. If it works, of course. If not, then you may end up even uglier."

(Y/n) turned her head to look at him, some of the liquid dripping down her cheek. He wiped some of it off, rubbing his gloved fingers together. "And while that takes place," Starline added, smirking, "scream for me."

(Y/n) sucked in a breath and started screaming suddenly, thrashing on the table. Starline pressed something to her mouth, popping something in his ears and suddenly the pitch of her screams changed.

Then she fell limp and he withdrew the object. All the glass in the room had shattered; luckily none of the tubes were constructed of glass, more of a reinforced plastic.

"Very good," Starline said. "How do you feel." (Y/n) let out a sob, flexing her fingers. "That's what I thought. However, you have been a major help. Both experiments worked. Just to be sure you can do it on your own, scream one more time." (Y/n) only gave a strangled pant. "Very well."

He nodded to the robot and its servo switched to a blade that it dug into her thigh. She screamed.

Visible sound waves spread out and she saw Starline leering over her with a wicked expression. He appeared unaffected by the waves and shrill screech, which must have been a product of whatever he'd put in his ears.

"That's enough," he said, flicking her head. She broke off, gasping for air. "For safe keeping, move her in there." He nodded at an empty tube and the robot complied, picking her up with considerably more ease than before, as if she was shorter and less hefty.

It deposited her in the tube and she collapsed on the floor, silently sobbing, not daring to make any noise. I'll never speak again.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the doctor said, placing a hand on the tube with a clipboard under his other arm. "You have been a major help, as I said before. Now, rest up. I've got a few more things in store for you."