The Human

Hue was the brave one. She lapped up some of the tea and analysed it.

Yup. It was tea. Made from plants around the area. Irradiated plants.

Good thing I didn't drink it.

It took me a while before I carefully walked down the hallway to where it was. And right on the floor, was a cup of tea.

Hue looked at me.

I knew then that the tea was for me. It was trying to be polite.

But I wasn't! There was no way I'd pick up the tea. Nor drink it.

Was it even really tea?

I knew what it wanted. It was in my mind.

Aloud, I told it, "The company is taking a while. They say they'll get a lawyer. I don't know whether you should believe them though."

Exasperation. Grateful. Anger. The tea.

Then it was no longer there.

Quickly after, distress burrowed down my spine.

That was when I noticed it. At the end of the dark hallway. The Entity. I couldn't see it very well. I could however, make out a bright thing in its limbs.

It wanted me to move closer, but I stood still. Refusing to listen.

Hue sat between us.

There was a meow.

Left. Again.

My nerves slowly crept through my body as I got further into the corridor.

Soon, I saw Hue. Undisturbed and grooming her metal paw.

But I wasn't Hue. I could feel the weight of my nerves slowly settle in my chest as sadness, impatience and anger wafted over me.

The dust and oil just stopped hanging around the walls. The white walls had the texture and smell of a brand new space.

But it couldn't be brand new. No one has been here since the madness evacuation years ago.

I was starting to feel unnerved and really just wanted to leave.

I called out to Hue.

I was pretty sure Hue turned left. So I did the same and walked further into the building.

There was grime and plants attempting to take over the walls everywhere, that is, until it suddenly didn't.

I found myself in a white and clean corridor. There wasn't a door to separate it or anything.

The massive machinery here looked like it was for study, but the alarming amount of biological stains and gutted wiring inbetween all the bits of nature made it seem wrong somehow.

But after reading their fading function labels, they seem to simply be massive versions of Hue.

Oh Yea. Where's Hue?

Rust covered most of the consoles, but did that stop me from pressing all the sticky defunct buttons?

Of course not.

Consider this an occupational hazard.

All the metal scraps were dumped in a room labeled Mimicry 2.

It was the closest regular room I could find. I wasn't going to lug the scraps any longer than I had to.

This place was lined with large machines that all seemed both dusty and oily at the same time.

Didn't know that was possible.

I was expecting some amount of mental assault here. Some amount of dread at least.

The CANARY said radiation was high. But nope. I felt nothing. I was fine?

I have no idea why.

I'm pretty sure it's not the duct tape.

#microfiction #microprose

The research building was vacated after the employees started slowly going insane.

Some went at each other, others just slowly tried going back into the womb.

They were too close to the Entity's Territory.

To the abandoned Company research building nearby.

I've got my suit on to be safe. That place is way too close to Entity territory.

I've duct taped the tear in my suit. It should be fine. Should be

#microfiction #microprose

Remember the time Hue made all those alarm clocks?

Well yeah, now I'm the one cleaning up the mess. I've got random hardware all piled up and ready to go.

But where, you say?

Look, I've been cleaning up. I know that putting plates in what is basically a magic box is not hard, but come on, my reasons for neglect are valid.

That's what I keep telling myself at least.

#microprose #microfiction

Are things easy these days?

Maybe.

It depends on what you're used to. It's hard to gauge normalcy when your daily life has been one anomaly after another.

The pod is littered with boxes, random mechanical parts Hue drags in, filthy plates that need to be in the recycle, and other mess.

Nobody wants to see the company doctor. They only assess liability. Most people would rather limp than get help.

But compared to Entity madness?

It's nothing.

Ouch.

🔱

I stepped on my own toe. It's purple now. Urgh.

This damned high-G of a planet.

I showed people (Yes. I have friends) a picture of it.

"See a doctor," they said.

Never.

Haha. Probably one of the ones on the right. It's looking quite judgemental.

​A black and white digital sketch of a surreal, eldritch chicken. The creature has a standard chicken beak and wattle, but its entire face and the top of its head are covered in over a dozen unblinking, human-like eyes of varying sizes. It has a floppy bird crown on its head. Body text: I've been going on my morning walks at the park with Hue again. I think I saw the Eldritch egg. It... It was moving? It was just a glimpse. "Wouldn't it have hatched by now?" I asked a chicken next to me. It just stared back.

I've been going on my morning walks at the park with Hue again.

I think I saw the Eldritch egg.

It... It was moving?

It was just a glimpse.

"Wouldn't it have hatched by now?" I asked a chicken next to me.

It just stared back.

#microprose #sketch #creatureart

I should find some kind of structure. Some way to move forward from all this madness.

Where do I even begin? There's no blueprint to any of this. Will my meat suit even hold on?

I need calm.

I should see that self important moppet.

Anxiety. Again.

I'd like to blame the entity, but it's all just the good ol mushy brain doing its thing.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Everything is beyond me.

It's the exact same image of Fyxel that has been posted before. He's a Muppet, Yoda, Hare, Octopus hybrid with a thing in his year. He wears a scarf and a robe thing and there's boxes all around him.

That scraggly moppet of a being, Fyxel, finally replied.

After the worst is over.
Great timing.

All he said was, "Come over then."

We're not being billed by the word here, you overdressed old hare.

But yeah, I'll go over.

#sketch

The only rule is that you're not allowed to Mash Humans.

Huge no. Pretty much wildly agreed among the galaxies that it's not something anyone should even attempt to do.

Something about a dog and a little girl causing chaos.

Mashing Bios started before the colony on this planet was built. It's illegal on several planets, including Earth.

But a bunch of people who was sick of being told what to do, left to form a colony on an inadvisable planet. This one.

One of the early things they did was Mash Bios for survival.

Oh yes. Humanity is a big gamble.

One moment, everyone's paid to exist and pursue their passions, and the next moment, they're executing anyone who does.

Pugs wise, I would assume it's similar in my history. I'm not much of a historian or someone who studies timelines. Not about the smarts, I'm afraid.

Although, this console sends my log into my timeline's history. And you're seemingly in it. It would be great to learn about the past, and the Pugs.

Well, This planet isn't entirely a hellscape capitalist dystopia. Just zoned areas with active wild mutations and high radiation levels.

The further away you get from eldritch eggs, the freer things are.

I asked about the lawyer.

They told me not to worry about it. My well-being was their priority.

I asked about the breach. Would that affect my well-being?

Their only reply was "Health above all" and ended the call.

The call drained me. I'm now buried in bed.

What do I want to do in 5 years?

Company called. We had a three hour chat about my career.

They asked what I want to do in five years and how they could help.

I told them about the psychic hazing and asked for a new suit that doesn't leak. I discovered the tear after the last Entity encounter.

That's why I was struggling so much