Dimensions

Demi:

“Are you drunk?” I asked as I followed him out. I had learned to be somewhat complacent when I was working with him, but only because it made things go quicker, and he was more willing to answer question. But I wondered how this would go for me if he was intoxicated.

"Drunk? No. Working on it though. Questions things while you run." I waved expressively at the treadmill while I picked up and began juggling four balls. "I'm trying to figure out if you have extra mechanical and motor functions and if that helps push you towards doing what you can do. Plus this seems entertaining."

Demi:

I eyed the balls the was juggling then cocked a hip with one hand on it. "You're going to throw that at me?" I demanded. I went along with his requests as long as they didn't cause me much pain or harm, but I didn't like the idea of him throwing things at me. "Are you a sadist or something?"

"I'm testing your reflexes. Besides haven't you ever played dodgeball? Isn't that supposed to be fun?" Searching her face I sighed expressively and caught the balls one at a time. "Fine. What if I underhand them?"

Demi:

“Fine, be gentle. And…” I thought for a second. “I want a bed time snack. Simon usually leaves me with snacks before he leaves, but he was running late today and I think he forgot. So I want you to get me something for putting up with this,” I said and waved a hand at him.

I narrowed my eyes at her for several seconds before nodding. "Fine. You tell me after we do the test and I'll get you whatever you damn well please."

Demi:

I dragged my feet over to the treadmill and started walking on it. My stamina was greater than a normal human’s in my same condition, but not as great as my mother’s. She could fly for hours while I only managed it for half an hour before tiring. I knocked the first few balls out of the air with ease. “If you really wanted to test my endurance and reflexes, you would have me fly. I’m sure you’d get great results,” I said. It would show my weakness more than anything.

"Last time someone in this room flew they got slapped out of the sky." I retrieved the balls and bounced one on the back of my hand. "Confident though aren't we. Maybe I should go harder. Make this more difficult." Reaching for the controls I turned up the speed and gave it an incline before I resumed testing her reflexes.

Demi:

The jogging wasn’t difficult, it was the balls flying at me that were the problem. I started catching them and throwing them back at him but it was hard to run and throw and he was better at catching than I was. The ones I missed than smacked into my body began to sour my mood.

I used my powers to pull the balls back to me, never moving from my spot as I kept throwing them overhand this time. I wasn't trying to hurt her, but this was fun for me. A smile growing on my face was evidence enough.

Demi:

It was irritating. I could see on his face the pleasure he got from this. The speed again went up and my cheeks started to turn pink with the exertion. I had it finally when he threw a ball and it bounced off of me and landed on the treadmill causing me to trip. My wings went out at the feeling of falling even as I caught myself on the rails and smacked the button to stop the machine.

When she fell it put a damped on my fun. Just like that it was all over and after gathering up all the balls with my alchemy I set them aside and moved over to her. "Well. I suppose that works. What did you want as a snack?"

Demi:

Before this task I would have been satisfied with anything. Now I wanted to be pampered. “Chocolate chip cookies,” I said. Part of me hopped that he didn’t have them and that he would be forced to make a special trip out to get them for me.

"Alright. I've got the stuff to make them upstairs." Thrusting my hands into my lab coats pockets I slowly meandered my way out of the lab, pausing only by the door to the stairwell and elevator to pat myself all over in search of my keycard.

Demi:

I was surprised by his decision to make the cookies rather than get them. That was something even my mom wouldn’t do. I glanced down at the counter where he had left his key card. I grabbed it up and went after him. “I think you’ll be needing this,” I said before it even occurred to me to keep it and use it to escape.

"Oh. Right. Thanks." I took the keycard from her. Frowned at it, then looked at her for a moment. "If you try and escape then not only will you get no cookies but things will go so much worse for all involved. You would lose out on so much. So keep that in mind alright?" I slid the key through the reader and palmed the scanner before opening the door and leaving it open behind me.

Demi:

Yet another surprise from the drunk doctor. I followed after him quickly before he could change his mind. “What are you drinking?” I asked. Either it was powerful, or he had a lot of it. Surely he wouldn’t let me out of the dungeon with a clear mind.

"Whisky. Nice bottle. Not worth the price but tastes well enough. Don't drink." I rattled off the words as I took the steps two at a time, keeping my hands in my pockets the whole way. At the top of the stairs I again made my threats to her and opened that door with card and scanners. Outside the door was a hallway about thirty feet long and ended in steel doors. A checkpoint to progress further. There were no windows or places to hide along its length and as I strolled along I whistled softly, the sound bouncing around a bit.

At the checkpoint I again went through the process of scanning and swiping my card before the doors slid into the walls. On the otherside was another twenty feet of hallway but this had some more doors. One door we passed was open and contained beds, another was a tiny library full of research material as well as computers to type up reports. But it was by the third door along the way that I stopped, gesturing her to follow me before I went in. It was a dining room with several round tables with chairs, and large kitchen with everything one could need to cook with. Along with it however was a window that spanned the length of one wall showing the night sky and a taste of freedom.

"Chocolate chip cookies right?"

Demi:

My head turned to see the library as we passed. Perhaps I could convince him in his drunken state to let me in there for a while? But when we reached the kitchen my mind was no longer on books. I walked slowly to the window, lips parted as I stared outside. My throat tightened. The sky was not my sky yet I longed to be in it. I hugged myself.

“Yeah,” I said, my reply delayed, “chocolate chip cookies.” I couldn’t take my eyes away from the window. I wished it were day time and I could see the sunlight again.

I paused to look at her and felt a momentary spike of guilt. She hadn't seen the outside world in so long. And not only that but I could assume that she enjoyed flying. "I'll get started then. But helpers get to have some of the dough too." I began to gather the things I would need, glad that Simone was good at making sure everything in the kitchen was stocked and ready.

Demi:

It would be months possibly years before I would be outside again. That broke my heart. The longer I stood there staring, the worse I felt. “Okay,” I said, voice cracking. I turned my back on the window finally and faced him. “what do I do?” I asked, going over to look in the bowl he was adding dry ingredients to.

I walked her through the steps of making cookies, keeping what I instructed simple while between instructions I went on to describe the science involved with making the best chocolate chip cookies. It had been a study I'd actually done years ago. One of the nights after Veronica had left me. I got drunk and got hungry and decided I wanted cookies. Spent hundreds of dollars worth of groceries on making the best cookies possible. Had been an enlightening experience. I did ask her some questions along the way to find out just what her favorite type was going to be. Was she a heathen who liked things hard as a rock and salty? Or was she correct in believing that soft and gooey was the way to go.

Demi:

I was subdued when he asked me questions but I answered honestly. I didn’t really mind how my cookies were, I just liked chocolate chip cookies. When he pulled another bottle out of a cabinet, I eyed it. “Can I have some?” I asked, nodding to the bottle. I had never had hard alcohol before. Once my friend Jessica had snuck a couple of hard lemonades from her fridge, but that was my only time trying it. My mother was strict about such things. She and my dad hardly ever drank.

I eyed her for a long moment then nodded. "Fine. Drink sparingly it is strong stuff and no idea how well it will work with your avian dna." I kept a close watch on her after my agreement, slowing my cookie making progress to a crawl.

Demi:

I grabbed the bottle and smelled it first before taking a not so small sip. It burned in my mouth and down my throat. I didn’t like the taste, but it made me feel warm and somehow better than before. I took another sip then shivered involuntarily.