Lost in the Lab Part 2
Date Posted: October 16, 2025
This chapter was written by Scylla.
With a sigh, she slid down the wall hoping to be out of danger long enough to think about her next move. However, the place she found herself did not bring much comfort. She looked up at the familiar Allagan lettering on the silver nameplate next to the entryway.
SYRCUS CENTRAL LABORATORY /
ADVANCED PROGRAMS AND STUDIES
It was those letters that she last remembered focusing on with her eyes - her real eyes - more than a thousand years ago, before Amon had mutilated her form. He had led her through the door, reassuring her that all would be well. As a member of the royal family, it was only natural that she would be part of the immortality procedure he had developed.
Instead, she found herself party to the company of six void-tainted wolves spliced to her form. Not just wolves. Intelligent, voidsent creatures that wanted nothing more than to feed on her torture and the resulting insanity.
Scylla broke out in a cold sweat, unconsciously hugging herself as she climbed over laboratory tables, scattering papers and stepping on scorched tomepads. She wanted to leave as this place just brought unwanted memories. But she could hear the angry shuffling outside of the laboratory, with the severed, bloodied claw ratcheted in the door. A part of her would still face that rather than the feelings brought back from this place.
The mage climbed across the debris of a collapsed ceiling, tracking towards the glow of an emergency panel. Rows of specimen jars lay scattered about over lifeless robots and damaged nodes.
There was glass everywhere and puddles laden with long-wild biopellet moss— lit by the blue highlight of glowing outer crystal light that filtered through the seized ventilation fans in the high ceilings. Robotic assemblies with multi-tooled arms hovered over the surgical beds stained with old blood and rubble from collapsed portions of the tower.
Scylla was rewarded with the bright glow of a still functioning emergency panel.
“Okay… I can work with this.”
The words were muddied in her mind – her Allagan language skills had not come back, but she knew to put her palm on the flat glowing surface.
The area lit up around her in response, with several sparks and flashes raining down from the wiring. However, a polite voice sounded from the panel.
“Welcome to the Syrcus Emergency Communication Network! Note that responses may be slowed due to out-of-cycle upgrades and unplanned network outages resulting from catastrophic losses of the Imperial Power Matrix!”
A more automated voice followed, partially distorted as if the voice circuits had been corrupted.
“Wait time is…1451.495 days.”
“Nooo!” Scylla cried softly as she pounded her fist in frustration at the panel.
A soft pleasant jingle startled her as she turned from the wall. In the distance, she could see a lined spherical glow.
The wall interface spoke as her back was pressed in fear and the orb spun in front of her.
“Help is on the way! Thank you for using the Syrcus Communication Network. How did we do? A survey will be forthcoming on your Allagnet account!”
A medical node, marked with Amon’s symbol of ownership, came out of the shadows. A slightly mechanical, but still melodic voice projected around the room, almost with a hint of glee and hate.
“My, my, bad doggy! How have you escaped your cage?”
Several nodes came out of the darkness, blocking Scylla’s escape. Before she could even raise her hands, restraint cabling roped her arms, leaving her hopelessly squirming on the ground.
The lead node came forward, with an almost Amon-like chiding tone to its voice, giving another spin before coming up to her bound up form.
“We are going to have to remedy this fault immediately, or the master will be most displeased.” The node turned to the others gathered behind it as they all lit up. “Nodes, prepare for surgery mode. The Master will want Scylla returned to her proper state.”
Buried far deep into the Tower halls, there was no one to hear her scream.