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We've done similar things before, but this has been the first time I've wanted to write something about it. It's... Strange. Even by my standards. Please tell me if there's anything that could be improved, or if you have any interest in reading more. This is just a test story upload for the moment.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "This was inspired by something a friend and I did.  We've done similar things before, but this has been the first time I've wanted to write something about it.  It's... Strange.  Even by my standards.  Please tell me if there's anything that could be improved, or if you have any interest in reading more.  This is just a test story upload for the moment.", "writing": "\tI was 28 when they brought me in as a test subject. Well, not so much a test subject in order to study what the military types had found in an asteroid. More like a guinea pig. I guess they’re regretting that now, if there’s anything left. But I get ahead of myself.\n\tThe reason I was picked is that there was nothing really tying me down. No house, car was paid off, just lost my job... The ad said it paid well, and I figured I could use the cash, since I was down to making ramen. Again, come to think of it.\n\tSo, blood test, eye test, physical... eh, so I was overweight... I was trimmer at 210 than I had been most of my life. Apparently it was good enough for them, and I was led down a corridor with several steel doors, keypads, armed guards, the works. I would have been amused if the guards didn’t have the look of ‘one wrong twitch and we shoot on sight’ about them. No matter, now, I suppose.\n\tI had a clipboard and pencil put into my hands, and was pushed through the last door alone, into an empty room, save a canister cooling in a tub of liquid nitrogen, and a claw above, coming down out of the plexiglass dome top to pluck it out and open it up.\n\tA pink goo spilled out and remained unmoving. I frowned, but took notes. ‘Pink mass, nothing significant - 9:58 a.m.’\n\tIt twitched. I blinked. Another twitch, and I took a step forward. “Be careful, we don’t know what it is, or if it’s infectious!” came a shout over the loudspeaker. Both the goo and I cringed. I took another step regardless, and it shifted, up, out... and it took on rather... lapine features. Ones I recoginized. I took another note, smiling. ‘Mass is psycho-reactive? seems to be familiar... perhaps to know me? - 10:03 a.m.’\n\tThe mass still shifted, growing longer, thinner, limbs sprouting... Finally, it was complete... Or maybe I should say ‘shi’, considering the ample chest and package. I smiled. Shi smiled back.\n\t“Hey suggah” shi said, that Southern drawl unmistakable as shi colored hirself in, so to speak. Pink goo turned to a ruddy red fur, with cream belly and inner ears, eyes turning amber.\n\t“Hello, dearest” I whispered, and shi giggled, hugging me tight. Immediately, doors were open and guns were cocking. I flung up a hand and my goo bunny had the presence of mind to cover hir ears. “HOLD YOUR FIRE!” I roared.\n\t“Mr. Perkins!” answered the military man over the intercom.\n\t“Non-infectious, no hostile intent, if you open fire, I’m going to be very upset and you’re going to scare hir into never co-operating. Ever” I explained icily.\n\t“You will explain exactly what’s going on” he harrumphed. I glanced at my bunny, and shi was whimpering a bit... I patted a paw and hir eyes cracked open. I smiled, and winked. Shi grinned.\n\t“There is material in this galaxy that’s psycho-reactive, to an extent. Sometimes it latches on and does bad things. Other times, it latches on over the distance of light years... Like my beautiful goo-bunny here. Shi’s harmless, if putting every man and woman here to shame in the impressiveness department” I said patiently, to a few strangled snickers, “If you want accurate data, you’ll leave me be for a while. A few of your soldiers here look like they could use a piece of pie, a shave and 8 hours sleep, not necessarily in that order. Worst case scenario, you get some nifty inter-galactic data from me, and a new alien friend out of the deal.”\n\tThe military type was clearly fighting not to rage. “Fine. You have 72 hours, Mr. Perkins.”\n\t“I’m going to need at least a week, sir. At least” I insisted.\n\t“... Fine, a week. Lunch is in one hour. There’s a slot below your door, and you’ll be given a bedroll as well. See you tomorrow” and the intercom clicked off. Bunny and I both sighed a bit, and we hugged again as the soldiers left, one of them looking sympathetic and digging in his pockets, coming up with an apple and a wrapped hunk of cheese.\n\t“Here, this ought to tide you over” he said with a smile, “I didn’t get breakfast either, but I get a bigger meal than you will.”\n\tI caught both, and smiled gratefully, biting into the apple as I offered Bunny the cheese after unwrapping it. Shi took a bite and swallowed. I marveled as it slid down hir translucent throat and just... dissolved. I took a bite afterwards, catching hir eye as I deliberately bit into the portion shi’d ‘slimed’. Shi giggled, knowing exactly what I was up to.\n\tI picked up the clipboard, and glanced at Bunny. “Need a location, dear...” I started, and shi smiled.\n\t“3.8 light-years beyond Alpha Centauri” shi replied. I nodded, and noted ‘Goo mass is sentient, from 3.8 light years beyond Alpha Centauri. Friendly. Not infectious, at least in a deliberate sense. - 10:27 a.m.’\n\t“Reason for coming here?” I asked clinically. Shi frowned a bit at my tone, and I shrugged apologetically.\n\t“First contact” shi snipped curtly. I cringed, but noted mechanically. Shi was glaring at me... I didn’t like that look one bit.\n\t“Any hostile intent meant?”\n\t“None, though I’m sure some of humanity would love to either try to vivsect me while I was still alive, or see if they could use me against what they percieved as enemies. I love you, dear, and our others... but humanity at large I’m concerned for. We wouldn’t take military action, don’t get us wrong. You’re doing a fine job of obliterating yourselves over centuries-old grudges...” shi hissed, and faltered to a stop. I looked up, not having added anything beyond hir perception bit... and shi was crying, or at least as close as shi could get to it. I put down the clipboard and hugged hir gently. Shi sniffled, and nuzzled my neck.\n\t“Bunny... you know I’m different from the rest of humanity” I whispered to hir big ears. A slight nod, and I rubbed hir back. Shi churred softly. “We’ll get everything sorted out, I promise you. Even if it’s just you and me, we’ll get it sorted” I murmured.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "\tI was 28 when they brought me in as a test subject.  Well, not so much a test subject in order to study what the military types had found in an asteroid.  More like a guinea pig.  I guess they’re regretting that now, if there’s anything left.  But I get ahead of myself.
\tThe reason I was picked is that there was nothing really tying me down.  No house, car was paid off, just lost my job... The ad said it paid well, and I figured I could use the cash, since I was down to making ramen.  Again, come to think of it.
\tSo, blood test, eye test, physical... eh, so I was overweight... I was trimmer at 210 than I had been most of my life.  Apparently it was good enough for them, and I was led down a corridor with several steel doors, keypads, armed guards, the works.  I would have been amused if the guards didn’t have the look of ‘one wrong twitch and we shoot on sight’ about them.  No matter, now, I suppose.
\tI had a clipboard and pencil put into my hands, and was pushed through the last door alone, into an empty room, save a canister cooling in a tub of liquid nitrogen, and a claw above, coming down out of the plexiglass dome top to pluck it out and open it up.
\tA pink goo spilled out and remained unmoving.  I frowned, but took notes.  ‘Pink mass, nothing significant - 9:58 a.m.’
\tIt twitched.  I blinked.  Another twitch, and I took a step forward.  “Be careful, we don’t know what it is, or if it’s infectious!” came a shout over the loudspeaker.  Both the goo and I cringed.  I took another step regardless, and it shifted, up, out... and it took on rather... lapine features.  Ones I recoginized.  I took another note, smiling.  ‘Mass is psycho-reactive? seems to be familiar... perhaps to know me? - 10:03 a.m.’
\tThe mass still shifted, growing longer, thinner, limbs sprouting... Finally, it was complete... Or maybe I should say ‘shi’, considering the ample chest and package.  I smiled.  Shi smiled back.
\t“Hey suggah” shi said, that Southern drawl unmistakable as shi colored hirself in, so to speak.  Pink goo turned to a ruddy red fur, with cream belly and inner ears, eyes turning amber.
\t“Hello, dearest” I whispered, and shi giggled, hugging me tight.  Immediately, doors were open and guns were cocking.  I flung up a hand and my goo bunny had the presence of mind to cover hir ears.  “HOLD YOUR FIRE!” I roared.
\t“Mr. Perkins!” answered the military man over the intercom.
\t“Non-infectious, no hostile intent, if you open fire, I’m going to be very upset and you’re going to scare hir into never co-operating.  Ever” I explained icily.
\t“You will explain exactly what’s going on” he harrumphed.  I glanced at my bunny, and shi was whimpering a bit... I patted a paw and hir eyes cracked open.  I smiled, and winked.  Shi grinned.
\t“There is material in this galaxy that’s psycho-reactive, to an extent.  Sometimes it latches on and does bad things.  Other times, it latches on over the distance of light years... Like my beautiful goo-bunny here.  Shi’s harmless, if putting every man and woman here to shame in the impressiveness department” I said patiently, to a few strangled snickers, “If you want accurate data, you’ll leave me be for a while.  A few of your soldiers here look like they could use a piece of pie, a shave and 8 hours sleep, not necessarily in that order.  Worst case scenario, you get some nifty inter-galactic data from me, and a new alien friend out of the deal.”
\tThe military type was clearly fighting not to rage.  “Fine.  You have 72 hours, Mr. Perkins.”
\t“I’m going to need at least a week, sir.  At least” I insisted.
\t“... Fine, a week.  Lunch is in one hour.  There’s a slot below your door, and you’ll be given a bedroll as well.  See you tomorrow” and the intercom clicked off.  Bunny and I both sighed a bit, and we hugged again as the soldiers left, one of them looking sympathetic and digging in his pockets, coming up with an apple and a wrapped hunk of cheese.
\t“Here, this ought to tide you over” he said with a smile, “I didn’t get breakfast either, but I get a bigger meal than you will.”
\tI caught both, and smiled gratefully, biting into the apple as I offered Bunny the cheese after unwrapping it.  Shi took a bite and swallowed.  I marveled as it slid down hir translucent throat and just... dissolved.  I took a bite afterwards, catching hir eye as I deliberately bit into the portion shi’d ‘slimed’.  Shi giggled, knowing exactly what I was up to.
\tI picked up the clipboard, and glanced at Bunny.  “Need a location, dear...” I started, and shi smiled.
\t“3.8 light-years beyond Alpha Centauri” shi replied.  I nodded, and noted ‘Goo mass is sentient, from 3.8 light years beyond Alpha Centauri.  Friendly.  Not infectious, at least in a deliberate sense. - 10:27 a.m.’
\t“Reason for coming here?” I asked clinically.  Shi frowned a bit at my tone, and I shrugged apologetically.
\t“First contact” shi snipped curtly.  I cringed, but noted mechanically.  Shi was glaring at me... I didn’t like that look one bit.
\t“Any hostile intent meant?”
\t“None, though I’m sure some of humanity would love to either try to vivsect me while I was still alive, or see if they could use me against what they percieved as enemies.  I love you, dear, and our others... but humanity at large I’m concerned for.  We wouldn’t take military action, don’t get us wrong.  You’re doing a fine job of obliterating yourselves over centuries-old grudges...” shi hissed, and faltered to a stop.  I looked up, not having added anything beyond hir perception bit... and shi was crying, or at least as close as shi could get to it.  I put down the clipboard and hugged hir gently.  Shi sniffled, and nuzzled my neck.
\t“Bunny... you know I’m different from the rest of humanity” I whispered to hir big ears.  A slight nod, and I rubbed hir back.  Shi churred softly.  “We’ll get everything sorted out, I promise you.  Even if it’s just you and me, we’ll get it sorted” I murmured.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Infection, Chapter 1", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "text/rtf", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" }, { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "11", "views": "613" }