Gerald and Carlos quickly left their security station and entered the lab’s oddly large kitchen. They weren’t sure why a secluded lab staffed by less than a dozen people needed a kitchen that would make a gourmet chef proud, but they weren’t complaining - the food was too good.
Standing at the counter, mixing a bowl of cookie dough was their boss, Mrs. Wu.
“Afternoon boys,” the curvy woman smiled cheerfully. “I’m baking cookies and could use some extra hands. Care to join in?”
The guards smiled at their boss. She was hardly the type one would normally associate with a laboratory like this; dressed in a pair of low green heeels and homely skirt with a light green blouse, she kept herself clean with a pretty red apron with festive white trim, and her long hair was pulled up into a ponytail.
Of course, if the guards had noticed, they would have realized that this secluded lab's kitchen wasn't always so large or elaborate. An hour ago, it was small, simple, and utilitarian, with just enough space to accommodate the basic needs.
As the boss turned away, the guards smiled dumbly and crossed the threshold as their high heels tapped the tiled floor. It was nice to have a break from all of that boring guard duty, for once.
****
After Jingle left, Reynold turned to the test subject in the cage. Before her acquisition as a sample, she had been a mousy young lady by the name of Viola. Though now she was simply referred to by her subject code PPR-M17, or nicknamed "Pepper." She was a small lady; under five and a half feet, easily dwarfed by Reynold's 6'8" mass of athleticism.
Reynold was not a man of scruples. For the sort of research he was involved with, having a strong moral compass was considered a weakness. Yet, as he made eye-contact with the subject and saw the pleading, sad look in her eyes, he felt, for the first time in many years, a pang of regret. "You want to come out of there, I mean for a little bit?"
PPR-M17 nodded. The sturdy gag in her mouth prevented her from speaking. Reynold reached for the key in his pink lab coat (Darn that Jingle!) and then inserted it into the lock. "No running away this time...please?" His authoritarian voice gave way to a weak request at the end, but the test subject simply nodded again.
With the door open, Reynold helped the subject out and too her feet. Reynold had to admit that she must have been cramped in there; she was nearly 5'6", and it would have been a tight fight for his 6'1" height. "OK, you're free to walk around in here," he said. He disabled the lock on PPR-M17's gag and watched as she tested her sore jaw. He then hastily added, "But just for a little bit...OK?"
****
"Ooh, like, I love your lipstick!" Candace complimented Snowy on the deep red that painted her lips. "It totally goes with your hair!"
Snowy licked her plump, pouting lips. "Like, thanks!" She took note of the pink highlights in Candace's platinum hair. "And I, like, totally love the coloring you've done! Like, I bet if you braided it, it'd totally look like a candy cane or something!" She giggled.
****
Jim stopped to catch his breath. He should have known that swinging a big ax around in cold weather would be tiring. Particularly considering he had never even used one before.
"Jim!" A familiar melodic voice sang nearby. He turned and saw Jingle standing in the snow, completely unfazed by the cold chill.
Sat Dec 14 17:32:42 2013
3 comments Last updated: Sat Dec 14 18:13:01 2013