ALLEN'S POINT [Editing]

[ 00:08:00 ]

-XII-

-00:08:00-

Marvin woke up. His head stung painfully. He almost carved a smile of relief on his face but it was quickly clouded and replaced by a grim realization. He felt the sting on his neck while he tried to feel his numb arms. He opened his eyes and the bright light greeted him. In a few seconds, he realized that he was lying on a cold, bare, and pentagonal metal bed. His arms were stretched out just like his legs. Both were fastened with a cold and thick metal cuff on each corner of the pentagon bed. He tried to move his head but he realized that his neck was also fastened on the bed. The neck cuff was thicker than the ones on his legs and wrists making his head movements impossible. But that did not stop his mind from sensing the cold and realizing that he was not wearing anything except his boxer shorts.

When his eyes have adjusted to the light just above him. He moved his head with great effort as it felt burning with the neck cuff. A man on the opposite pentagonal metal bed was lying with a bunch of black tubes attached to his head which made him look like a patient in an ICU. But of course, it wasn't a hospital.

Where am I? he impulsively thought.

You are in a Time-Condensing Chamber, his own dreamy and cold voice replied.

Have you fed the Xrevus? A man in white came. Marvin was sure it was what it said despite its disoriented sound. He thought that his mind had probably malfunctioned due to the perplexity and surrealism of the things that were happening. But whatever was going on inside his brain they seemed to rationalize the things that the men in white have said. They remind Marvin about the doctors who tried to revive his father.

Aye! Aye! Captain. But it not juz Dokie! It ith Quackie Dockie! Charlie's soothing voice said.

Marvin can hear what the Quackie Dockie was thinking. But they knew—the creatures knew—as much as he knew.

The Xrevus had been fed to stop it from destroying everything, the other man—other Dockie 1—replied. Marvin heard—mentally hearing—what their grunts and growls meant. The Dockie 1 turned at him and continued, This one is tough. He must be special.

Dockie 2 turned towards him with its pair of gleaming, pitch-black, eyeballs. It is. Look how he listens to our conversations. But it's not just the one. There's another.

Marvin wasn't sure if Quackie Dockies were delighted about him being able to understand them in a telepathic way or otherwise.

Anyway, let's get going. Shall we? The first Dockie inquired as he pulled a small rectangular plate resembling a remote control. Marvin tried to move but he realized that his lower extremities were numb. The two Dockies went close to him. Dockie 1 clicked the remote control then instantly a large, shiny, black tube that looked like an eel came squirming from behind him. Marvin looked closely at it and realized—with bulging eyes—that the tube looked exactly like a large electronic eel with a large needle as its mouth instead of its tongue. Dockie 2 snatched the eel syringe and squeezed it the way how a nurse ejects air bubbles inside a syringe.

Remember, they have this sensitive tube inside them which they call the Femoral artery. The first Dockie reminded the second one as he pulled a cutting tool that looked like a hack-saw with a miniature chainsaw on the other end.

I know, the second one replied.

Marvin felt extremely nervous. He felt his heart as if it was close to bursting. He tried hard to jerk free but he was just tightly fastened on the large pentagonal metal bed. Then his position reminded him about the Vitruvian man. A Vitruvian man on a dissecting pan, he bet Charlie would find it a funnie ruhymie. He almost chuckled about the idea. But he then realized that it was how people lost their minds. Because that's how mad people react to the danger. Because when the heart is ill-stricken by unbearable pain and the mind is overworked about the perplexity of things, the thin line that separates sanity from insanity would snap. And everything would then be a piece of scrambled shite.

And so, you're crazy.