12. Liebchen

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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.

"So this is a what?" Siren asked, adjusting her headgear.
"It's a reflex test. We've noticed some of your people have inborn combat capability." The doctor said, looking at his laptop.
"We've got what?" Siren asked. Suddenly, the small gun attached to the machine beside the doctor fired a ball towards Siren at high speed. She moved her head just in time and it hit the wall behind her with a splat.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, liebchen! Are you okay?" Dr. Manhattan said, setting the laptop down and rushing over to her.
"I'm good. It was pretty slow." Siren said, adjusting her helmet again.
"Oh? You think you could do some more tests like this?" He asked.
"Yeah, I think I could." Siren said, grinning and popping her neck. Over the next year, they practiced for six days a week, Siren getting faster with each passing day, until not even the best of their security could stand their own against her. Dr Manhattan taught her to disarm her opponents as fast as possible, and if that failed, to end the fight before it had a chance to start. Siren was naturally curious, and explored the depths of her abilities as far as she could with Dr Manhattan's help. Soon she was able to hear anyone throughout the facility, regardless of where they were. This led to some amazing discoveries for Siren, and some suspicion amongst the other scientists. She was able to emit photons from anywhere on her body, and if she focused, she could create laser beams powerful enough to cut steel. Albeit, not for long. Her power was frightening some of the scientists, and one night, as she was laying in bed, she heard a hushed conversation far beneath her.

"It's a what?" Dr Manhattan asked.
"We're calling it the Anthropomizer." Someone else said, grinning.
"No we're not." Someone else interjected suddenly.
"It's a directed energy cannon, capable of blasting whatever it hits into molecules." She said.
"And what is it for?" Dr Manhattan asked, calmly. No one else spoke for a few seconds.
"I should kill all of you right now." Dr Manhattan said, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Doctor you know how powerful she is. If she turns a-"
"Halt deine Fresse." The doctor said suddenly.
"Have you learned nothing from her? She is trusting, she is sweet. She is Innocent. She doesn't have an evil bone in her body. And you created a weapon to kill her." Dr Manhattan said. Siren could hear his teeth grating even from her room.
"You're all fired. I will be reporting this directly to the Director." Dr Manhattan said.
"He's the one who gave us the go ahead to make it, doctor." Someone said.
"What?" The doctor said, dumbfounded.
"He's seen your reports, and when I approached him with concerns, he gave us an assignment to create a weapon to... Contain her, if worst should come." She said.
"And you couldn't have made something less lethal? Don't come to me with your lies, you arrogant whore. You don't trust her, you don't like her. She is still a child, you Stück Scheiße. You are all fired. I will expect you to be gone by tomorrow. If you are not, I will have Siren escort you out. Personally." The doctor said, slamming a door behind him. Siren understood their fears. If she was honest, she scared herself sometimes.

Months later, Siren could tell something was different about the doctor. He seemed sad, but afraid, as well. She didn't want to ask in case it was something personal, but she felt she knew what it was.

"Report #2496. Doctor Jacob Manhattan, lower xenology lab, Irkutsk. Siren is doing well today, as every day." The Doctor began, writing down some notes in his book as Siren laid on his table behind him, headphones in, browsing through her phone.
"I have said this in the past several reports, but it never ceases to amaze me how little she actually ages, comparatively." He said.
"I age, Doc. Albeit slowly." Siren said, popping an earphone out.
"What are you listening to today liebchen?" The doctor said, grinning and coughing.
"Spag Heddy." She said, grinning and pausing her music.
"Spaghetti? And what is it composed of? Wet, rhythmic slaps?" The doctor said.
"Nah, that'd be a porno." Siren said, smiling and waving at the camera.
"I concede, it may have been a small mistake to give her a phone." The doctor said, smiling.
"Who even watches these logs?" Siren asked, sitting up on the table.
"The director, if he wants, but recently, no one." The doctor said, coughing under his breath.

His coughing quickly got more violent, until he was hunched over in his chair.
"You good?" Siren asked, walking over and rubbing his back as he cleared his throat and coughed again.
"I'm fine, liebchen." He managed to say, clearing his throat again.
"Sie konnen mich nicht alugen, doktor." Siren said softly.
"I'm fine, Siren. Really." Dr Manhattan said, breaking into a coughing fit again.
"Liar." Siren said, pouring him a glass of water. Her ears laid flat against her head, and her tail twitched anxiously as he managed to take the glass from her and drink from it.
"I can smell the iron on your breath, doctor. I can hear your heart beating harder. You're sick. How long do you have?" She asked. The doctor looked up at her with sad eyes, wiping the water out of his thinning mustache.
"Not long liebchen." He said softly.
"How long." Siren said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"A month. Maybe two. I didn't want to worry you, little one." The doctor said.
"And your other friends can't help you?" She said sadly.
"No. It's too late to do anything, liebchen." The doctor said.
"I'm sorry." Siren said, hugging him and crying.

"Don't be, liebchen. Everybody goes eventually. I'm the one who should be sorry." He said, patting her head gently.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get you home." He said, coughing gently.
"But someone else can." He said softly.

Siren pulled back as her eyes opened wide, and her ears flattened down against her head. She felt something. Something wicked, and it was getting closer. Her tail twitched nervously as she focused, she heard footsteps of the scientists and doctors outside, and heard doctor Manhattan saying something to her, but she was missing something here. There was another noise. Something soft, almost imperceptible. The soft crinkle of someone's bare foot pressing against the tile floor of the lab, far at the end of the building. She listened intently, and heard the nearly imperceptible click of their claws against the tile floor, and heard their heart beating softly, their pulse steady and their breathing low. They were waiting, patiently.
"And he can help you get home. Take this." Doctor Manhattan said softly, pressing his keycard into her palm.
"Doctor we have to get out of here." Siren whispered, too scared to move.
"What?"

The mechanical room door exploded outwards with a barrage of dark tendrils. A figure burst through the door and began tearing through men and women in the halls, leaving a spray of blood and bile behind her. The scientists, doctors, and security were reduced to shreds as she tore through the halls. She tore the doors off the lab rooms and destroyed every living thing inside. She tore the computers into pieces, ripping the wires out of the floors and walls as she tore through the facility. Alarms were going off everywhere, but they were drowned out by the terrified screaming of the lab's inhabitants. She rampaged through their halls with no resistance. Bullets and blows bouncing off as she cartwheeled through, tendrils of dark energy slicing every living thing near her into shreds. The guards had just enough time to scream in horror before she was upon them, bullets bouncing off of her skin, grenades only fueling the massacre. A doctor slammed his keycard against a door as his assistant ran through. The assistant fell to her knees and managed to run back to him, just as the door slammed shut between them.
"RUN!" He commanded.
"NO!" She sobbed, frantically tapping her keycard against the scanner, to no avail. She saw a vast, wicked shadow approach him from behind, and felt a deep, eldritch terror grab ahold of her soul. She turned and ran, as fast as she could.

The doctor turned around to face his death, and saw the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life instead. She was six feet tall, lithe and slender, her eyes were deep pools of obsidian black, and her teeth were perfectly white and straight, she grinned at him coyly as she walked closer, each step making her hips sway from side to side. She giggled as she pressed him against the door, and whispered in his ear.
"I don't suppose you'd open this for me, would you?" She whispered, almost inaudibly, her voice like a goddess', and it made his heart flutter and his breath quicken.
"It's an emergency failsafe. I can't open it. I'm really sorry." He said, smiling sheepishly at her. Suddenly, her beauty became a horrid, evil storm of black death, tendrils of shadowy smoke exploded from her body, slamming him against the door and tearing his legs completely off. She slammed him against the ceiling, breaking his spine, and into the floor, breaking his neck and killing him. Her shadowy tendrils stabbed into the door, piercing through to the other side as she roared.

The sickening wail echoed through the facility, bringing a blind, primal rage to life in the wilderfolk kept there. They flew into a frenzied rage, slaughtering everything in their path with tooth and claw, leaving paths of blood behind them.

She strained as the five foot thick steel door began to crack, and with one final pull, she tore it in half, the bullet proof glass in it's center shattering outwards like a shotgun blast. She grabbed one of the halves of the door and hurtled it down the hallway like a meteor with a violent roar. She shot forwards and continued her rampage through the facility, undeterred. She slaughtered every living thing she encountered, human or wilderfolk, until she reached the top most floor.

She saw a single little girl, a wilderfolk, panting and terrified, covered in blood from head to toe, but standing her ground. She had blood covering her knuckles, and was covered in deep gouges where the claws of horde had dug in. The air smelled like lightning, and there were deep burns covering the walls. The ceiling and floor tiles had been blown into the walls, and the exposed wiring was arcing electricity through the air randomly. There were bodies of wilderfolk all around her, some of them having been cut in half with something impossibly hot. The little cat wilderfolk, one eye blue, one eye brown, with random fur patterns that didn't connect, stood her ground still, staring at Matilda with terror in her eyes.

"Was..." Matilda stopped to look around as she walked forwards.
"Was this your doing?" She asked, looking over at the girl with curious eyes.
"I- I didn't have a ch-choice." Siren managed to choke out through her sobs.
"They were gonna kill me!" She said, sobs wracking her little frame.
"I believe you. Impressive." Matilda said.
"No it's not!! It's fucking horrible!" Siren shouted at her indignantly, her eyes filled with fury.
"Someone taught you well, little kitty." Matilda said, walking towards her.
"Don't come any closer!" Siren screamed, her hands glowing softly as a deep hum filled the room.
"And why not?" Matilda said, still walking forwards.
"Everything has a noise." Siren said plainly, managing to take a deep, steady breath.
"Excuse me?" Matilda said, stopping.
"Ever heard the sound of someone's brain cells exploding?" Siren asked, her voice shaking, but she managed to smirk.

Matilda opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly a horrible noise filled the room which made her vision spin, as a foul nausea filled her gut. She dropped to her hands and knees and vomited as the noise increased in volume. She'd felt this before, but the sound was so powerful she couldn't bare to move. She felt blood pour out of her nose and ears as her vision clouded over. Suddenly the noise stopped and her vision cleared. She looked up to see Siren hit the floor, falling sideways, blood pouring from her eyes and nose. She landed with a thwap, and passed out.
"Idiot." Matilda managed to mutter, coughing out blood as she struggled to her feet.
"We're both wilderfolk." She said, straightening up and wiping her nose.
"If my brain cells explode, so do yours." She said, managing a laugh and creating a short blade of solid shadow as she walked over towards Siren. Siren woke up to see Matilda standing over her with malice in her eyes.
"I can't have you running amok like that." Matilda said, raising the dagger.

But she couldn't bring herself to bring it down. She looked down at Siren, and all she could see was her daughter's face, staring up at her. She pulled herself together, telling herself her daughter was far from here, and pulled the dagger down. But she stopped before she had gone even an inch. Matilda felt a deep, strange magic wash over her, and felt a deep terror take root in her cold, dead heart. Her muscles froze as she stared down at Siren, her eyes glowing a dull, almost imperceptible red. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she was paralyzed in fear, unable to move, unable to look away as Siren slowly struggled to her feet, backing away from her slowly. Siren kept her eyes locked to Matilda's, taking small, steady steps back. Matilda heard a faint click noise behind her, and felt someone's eyes on her back. In any normal situation, she would've killed them by now. But she couldn't look away from Siren's gaze, her breathing rapid and her heart pounding in her chest, her legs shaking and tears filling her eyes. She was terrified. Who was this child? How was she doing this?

"Who are you?" Matilda managed to squeak, her voice breaking.
"I'm your worst goddamn nightmare." Siren said, her voice like a million whispers that filled the air with a horrid aura that made Matilda's blood run ice cold, and every inch of her fur stood on end. She felt powerful surge of energy from behind her, and all at once, Siren released her hold on her,

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