…

Annoyed.

“Who’s the cutest wdidle murder ball of daeth around? You are! Yes you are!”

When came out of stasis, was no longer in home. Now in tinier version of home, in new place. Not bigger home, not usual home.

Shake.

Recognize.

Interferers cut off parts of body here.

Interferers move around main body, looking at it. Develop more eyes to watch.

Strange.

Interferers walk on hindlegs, but not forelegs. Different from prey, and from main body. Did not notice before brain.

Superior design? Maybe give main body hindleg for structure?

And then strange interferer started communicating with main body.

“Hey doc, I think the bugger heard me! It wants to hug!”

Annoyed. Attempts to constrict interferer stopped by same walls as home.

Know interferer is not prey. But still want to kill. Strange.

“Carl, please stop terorrizing X1 and resume your tests.”

“Fine.”

Strange interferer leaves, moves to use front movement structures in different place.

Satisfaction.

…

The Creator, Doc, approaches.

“Alright X1, we’re going to start easy. Stay still.”

Comply.

Doctor holds cutting instrument.

Home opens.

Free?

But no. Will be cut and poked if try.

Push out tentacle. Doc severs PAIN tentacle, and home closes.

Watch as Creator brings tentacle to strange device, and studies it.

Then Doc brings another device to its communication structure, and communicates with it.

“Facsinating. X1’s muscle density has increased by nearly 40%. And the cells have begun to dteriorate nearly… 13% slower when separated from its central body. These changes seem unproportional with changes to the size of X1’s main body. During X1’s last physical examination, X1 weighed 6.1 kilograms, and it’s central body had a radius of 9.3 centimeters. X1 now weighs 23.2 kilograms, with a radius of 14.56 centimeters. X1’s previous mean tentacle length was approximately 25.2 centimeters. X1’s current mean tentacle length is 43.8 centimeters. Size of central body and tentacles fluctuates depending on what structures X1 has maintained. The previous measurements were collected when X1 has no other structures maintained.”

Pleasant. Doc noticed superior designs.

A new interferer enters! Don’t recognize! Rare!

“Greetings, Doctor.”

“Ah, hello… Roes? I’ve been told that you were to be transfrered to my team from lab three. If you don’t mind me asking, why were you, well, demtoed in such a way?”

“Not a fucking clue. Ah, apologies for the language.”

“... Doc, I think I know why.”

“Such comments are rude, Mr. Standesh. Well, anyways, weclome to the team. Go ahead and get to work. I assume you know how to perform Rift particle collision tests on a specimen?”

“I do, yes sir.”

“Excellent, you’re already at a higher baseline than Mr. Standesh.”

“... Doc, such comments are rude.”

Smug. Finally. Mr. Standesh is attacked.

…

Bored.

There is pain, and more pain, and pain after.

But bored.

Stasis

…

PAIN!

INTERFERERS ARE CUTTING MAIN BODY!

WILL FIND BRAIN!

INTERFERERS REMOVED PARTIAL BRAIN DEVELOPED EARLIER IN LIFE CYCLE.

Fast. Must remove brain fast, before interferers remove simple brain and make main body unable to develop.

CUTTING INSTRUMENT GETS CLOSE.

ALMOST FOUND!

Relief.

Brain gone.

“Hmm… Cral, wuold yuo mnid shoiwng me teh X-rya reuslts agian?”

“Srue thnig Dveon, have ‘em rgiht… here.”

“... odd. The cahrt shwos taht there shuold be a mass rgiht aobut here, next to the Core, but… nhtoing.”

“Myabe the bguger was shfiting its Core aruond? Haerd form some bolke in lab three when spceimens do that it can rgiht mess with its raidopacity.”

“Prehaps. I was wroried it had strated growing a brain agian.”

“Nah, Doc remvoed that fucntion. Mnoster shuold be toatlly brainless, for now and alawys.”

…

Hate Mr. Stnadeseh.

Cut tool gone.

Communicating interferers.

Wait.

No more cut.

Wait.

Heal cut.

Wait.

Grow brain.

Relief. Processing speed increased again.

“Doctor, I have the Rift particle collision results.”

“Ah, excellent work, thank you Roe-Rose.”

“You’re goddamn welcome. Apologies for my language.”

“...perhaps lab two would be a better fit for you?”

“Please don’t.”

Stasis.

...