For science

It's been forty-five minutes since Willow and I have left the house. Neither of us has said a word and I'm sure Willow isn't interested in talking unless she wants to on her own accord.

It has to be close by now, I think to myself as Willow makes a turn down another paved road.

The shining moonlight is like a dimly lit LED light when it's rays touch the flat grassland outside the window. It reminds me of a murder mystery show. Someone has a hostage or a body in the back and wants to get rid of it without a soul knowing of it's ware about.

Willow opens her mouth, ending the long silence. "What gave Samantha the idea that you wanted to be tested on and what made you so willing do so?" It seemed like the question was just thrown out for no one to answer, but I answer it anyway.

"It's going to sound cheesy, but love," I say in all honesty.

Willow hums as the car slows to a stop at a long fence that seems to be endless. A small hatch opens up from the side of the road and a pad is raised from the ground. Willow rolls down her window and sticks her hand out. A thin line of orange light rolls up and down the hand, scanning it.  A beep of approval later and the gates open.

It feels like another long drive before driving up to a building. It's white and odd-shaped with bright light glowing through the windows. A small garage door ups to a downward slanting road. A voice comes on over the comms, welcoming Willow to the lab.

The amount of technology I've already seen is surprising, but then again I shouldn't be because it's a lab and probably harbors people smarted than Einstein or Nikka Tesla.

Willow parks her car next to a few others and gets out. When the door shuts an echo bounces around the large spaced room. This place feels like a ghost town.

An elevator opens when Willow approaches. She steps in and pushes a button. The elevator closes and begins its descent. I watch as the number drops lower and lower. The elevator dings and the doors open to a long white hall with several doors.

Willow walks past them all and takes a left down another hall. The white seems to be endless until a heavy metal door with a danger sign on it breaks the pure color. A keypad is on the wall next to it. With a sequence of keys pressed, Willow pushes open the door.

People on the other side are gathered on the opposite side of the room, looking through a glass window. Except for say the few people that are messing around with weird-looking chemicals.

In school, science was my least favorite subject and I could never understand it. So seeing all of this weird science shit makes my head hurt. Not to mention all the people around the lab, it's scaring me.

A tall, thin man with bright red hair, spots Willow from across the room. "Ah! Doctor Gains! Nice of you to join us!"

When he walks out of the crowd to greet the woman, I sink back into the little pocket, now feeling the nervousness hit me. Gods, I don't need another panic attack.

From my angle, I can see Willow is not too thrilled to be here. I bet she'd much rather at home in bed or working from her office than a lab.

Willow holds up a hand to stop the man from coming any farther. "No time for formalities, Ryze. Show me the test subject."

The red-haired man grins brightly and leads Willow to his exciting discovery while I watch from the hanging breast pocket. I could face the results of the new discovery, but then again I've already seen more than enough pain and death in my lifetime.

"Of course, right this way!" Ryze says with much excitement. He's very happy about this thing like it's his baby child or something.

Several scientists make way for Willow as she and Ryze walk up to the glass. What's inside that glass is shocking.

Willow's eyes grow wide at the sight. She simply marvels at the large rodent. "Incredible," She utters with a breath of bafflement. "It seemed impossible to do a few months ago, now it's become realistic."

My curiosity gets the best of me and I poke my head out to see what the head scientist is amazed about. What I find is definitely something that will make your jaw drop twenty stories down.

A mouse the size of a dog nibbles on several large carrots. It seems though the poor thing has been calmed by the food after its growth spurt. It's an abnormal shaped though. With an overgrown foot, an ear half the size of the other, an eye ready to pop out of the poor guys head and a missing tail, there's clearly some setbacks.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Ryze squeals like a teenage girl stalk the man of her dreams.

Willow has no words to describe the thing, but I do.

"What the hell!?"

The small group of scientists turns to Willow. All with the look of curiosity in their eyes as they try to find the one person who spoke out of turn.

Willow literally frowns down on me and stuffs me back in the pocket. She apologizes to the group of scientists and asks Ryze to continue his explanation on the mouse.

All of the big science words Ryze spits out literally bores me close to sleep until the pocket rocks around as Willow walks away. Ryze follows after her. I can tell by hearing the exciting tip-tap of his shoes as he follows close behind the woman.

"Ryze, bring your findings to my private office while I attend to," Willow pauses to find the right words. "Other business."

I don't like the hesitation or the sound of that. I didn't mean to piss Willow off, but that seems to be the case. Oh, why can't I just catch a break from all the arguing and lectures? One day is all I ask for.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Willow exits the room and turns down another blank hallway.

"Did... did I do something wrong?" I ask like a child asks their mother.

"No," Willow responds quickly. "But you did make yourself known which is something I hadn't planned on tonight."

In simple terms it means yes, I did do something wrong, but Willow doesn't want to say that because that would hurt my feelings.

"Jade will be thrilled to meet you," Willow says. "Don't worry, she isn't a mad scientist... but she does have a few screws loose in her head."

Upon approaching another metal door that is similar to the first except for the 'bring food in order to enter!' And several weird stickers that you see on a teenage girl's door to her bedroom. Now I see why Willow said she had a few screws loose.

Willow pushes some more buttons and the door unlocks. She pushes the metal beast open with ease. The first thing we are met with is silence. One man is standing in the lonely room.

This lab has the same layout as the other room, but it's a few feet smaller than the other and not many chemicals are laying around. Instead, tools and metal piece are scattered around the tables.

Willow raises a curious brow. "Where is Jade?"

Just as the man opens his mouth to answer, but a crazed scream of excitement and a burst of light flashes through the window of the testing room cuts him off.

That must be Jade.

The man's shoulders sag as he lets out a heavy sigh before walking away, seemingly to go find a fire extinguisher.

Willow waits patiently for the man to come back. Instead, the door to the testing room flies open and a flaming human begins to waltzes out like they aren't up in a blaze of fire while Willow and I look on.

My eyes blink a few times out of surprise seeing the flaming ball walk around. There's something you don't see every day.

The woman then notices us standing by. "Oh, doctor Gains! It's wonderful to see you again!" She comes rushing up to the doctor with her hand sticking out.

Before she can reach Willow a white power covers her body and puts out the fire covering her.

Willow smiles and shakes her now none flaming hand. "It's good to see you back here with your pyrotechnic ways, Jade."

She shake off the foam leaving a shiny metal exterior behind in the shape of a human being. Two glass windows peering outward lay where the eyes should and a thin slit of opened metal is where the mouth sits. This isn't some robot, this is an AI.

"She's a-a..." my poor little brain can't comprehend how the thing standing in front of us is... well, standing in front of us.

"She's not a robot, Caesar. She's inside the suit." Willow explains.

"Oh...! Yeah, that still hurts my head." I tell the woman.

Willow smiles. "No worries. You won't be doing any of the heavy lifting."

The suit hisses as if it was releasing pressure from the inside. Steam rolls out as the faceplate opens like it's some kind of grand entrance. I expected the woman standing inside to make a grand entrance too, but that's not the case.

A slew of pannels, blinking buttons, and switches litter the inside of the faceplate. Wires hang down from the top of the "skull" connecting to a... woman? In a grey spandex suit? Wait a minute. Can I call a time out? This is making my brain have an aneurysm.

"It's nice to see you Doc!" The woman in the suit, Jade, exclaims. Jade pulls off her helmet and a mess of dark chocolate, brown curls fall out. The woman's dark, smooth skin makes her red lips pop out. "What brings you into my lab?"

"I'm here to ask a favor," Willow says. She reaches into her pocket and pulls me out like a magician pulls out a rabbit from their hat. Willow gently places me on her open palm.

Jade squeals and claps with excitement. "Oh, how wonderful!" Jade quickly unplugs herself and rushes to the edge of the platform.

Willow brings me closer to the woman. Without a second thought, jade hops over the railing onto Willow's hand and begin to examine me. Pulling my jaw open, peeking in my ears, and poking my body in different places. Some getting a little too close to certain areas.

"She's healthy for someone of her age." Jade says with a smile. She then jabs my stomach repeatedly before yanking the shirt up. "And well built."

I pull my shirt down immediately, flustered and feeling awkward since Willow, my girlfriend's own mother, is standing by watching.

"She'll do well in testing."

Yeah, about that.

"Jade, Caesar will not be completing or doing any testing for us at the moment. I need a simple room for her until we need her." Willow says sternly.

Jade, who has been examining my left arm's movement, drops it and looks at Willow, baffles that the head scientist would say such a thing.

"No crazy experiments on her? But she's the perfect build for my-"

"I will not be putting Caesar in any type of danger until we know for a clear fact the size altering works without any major set backs," Willow declares. "She is not your guinea pig, understand?"

The pyrotechnic maniac grumbles and groans like a child before agreeing with Willow.

"I understand. No blowing up little miss pretty." Jade grumbles. She cups her hands around her mouth and shouts. "Mikel!!"

The man with the fire extinguishers from before walks up to us. A tall man with black hair, pale skin, and simple features. "Yes,"

"Will you take us to the living quarters please? I'd love to show our new guest around." Jade smiles widely.

My brain finally catches up to me when jade says living quarters. "Wait, how long is this..." I gesture everything. "This whole thing to take? How long am I going to be away from Samantha?"

Jade winces in the fakest manner I've ever seen. "Ooooh, can't dodge a bullet there."

"We've barely figured how to alternate the size of a rat, Caesar. A human is much more complex and there will be several tests before the final one, you." Willow explains, but it does not answer my question.

"How long will this take?"

Willow sighs seeing my struggle to comprehend what is going on. "This could take months or years maybe."

My heart squeezes. "That's too long!"

"You did ask for this," Willow responds without any remorse.

She's right. I did ask for this. I promised myself that I'd do what every it takes to make Samantha happy. Even if that meant going to the extreme to do it. I didn't plan on being away for so long though and I didn't get to say goodbye.

"Is... is there anyway I can talk to Samantha?" I ask.

Willow is silent for a second, thinking about what to say next. "We'll discus everything that is needed to be discussed. For now, try to pull out as much sleep as you can before the morning." Willow then leaves me with these strangers. The door clicks loudly behind the woman as she leaves.

Jade tsks, "tough break. Come on love, Mikel will take us to your prison cell."

I stare with a worrying look in my eyes.

Jade then laughs. "Don't look so down, it was only a joke."

"Oh,"

I cross my fingers and say a prayer to whatever god is listening to me from above. Please let this work!