Chapter 3

Mike awoke again and at once bolted upwards hoping that he had just woke from a horrible nightmare. But the walls were still there and his ass hurt like hell again too. He was thirsty again and needed to pee once more so got up and did just that. Retrieving his speedos that were left folded in the same place that they had been the previous day he put them on and glared at the camera.

"All right lady I'm up!"

The booming voice immediately returned.

"THAT'S GREAT! NOW I'M GOING TO NEED YOU TO ASK YOU TO SIT UPON THE MATTRESS THAT I'VE PROVIDED FOR YOU SO THAT YOU ARE NOT STANDING.. I'VE FOUND THAT IT IS ALWAYS BEST IF PEOPLE ARE SEATED AT THIS JUNCTURE OF YOUR ACCLIMATION. BUT DO PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYES ON MY SHOE AS IT WONT BE THERE VERY LONG, HA, HA."

Michael shook his head and tried to shake the sleep out of it. He'd might as well humor the lady by sitting down on the lousy mattress too if he's going to gain an edge by playing along some. So doing that he sat and tried to focus ahead.. He was sure that all that he was going to see was some very detailed Hollywood King Kong prop or a hologram that at best. A hologram that would not interact with anything and just wave around in an effort to convince him once more.

The shoe prop was very convincing he had to admit. But this is where he'd expose her for the charlatan that she was. Perhaps she didn't even realize that she'd painted herself into a corner at this point he smiled to himself.

And then it happened.

A massive hand came down from beyond his vantage point and rested upon the shoe! And did he hear the shoe creak or see the straps bend to weight? No, he couldn't have. He had to admit immediately that it looked better than any special effect that he'd ever seen before too. The skin had little thin hairs on it wavering through small wrinkles. The nails had purple polish painted upon them with very small pieces that has flaked off. He could even see the pore of her skin as well. And to top it all off the skin reflected a little bit of the overhead lighting that came from outside of his cell!

This was just too far out to be true he gasped! That's some hologram!

But then like some twisted fate like creature mocking him at every turn the fingers clamped around the shoe and simply lifted it up and away. He had tried to lift that shoe some yesterday before she had gassed him again just to see if it were made of cardboard or something and he couldn't even budge it in the slightest!

That hand had just lifted it away as if it weighed nothing!

"TA DA! HOW'D YOU LIKE THAT MR. JOHNSON? DO YOU THINK I HAVE PRETTY HANDS? I'VE NOTICED THAT YOU HAVEN'T EVEN TOUCHED THAT ORGANIC GERBIL PELLET THAT I LEFT FOR YOU ON THE FLOOR BY THE WATER BOTTLE SO I'LL MAKE YOU A DEAL. IF YOU'RE FEELING AS BRAVE AS YOU MIGHT BE HUNGRY RIGHT NOW, I'LL GIVE YOU A PIECE OF MY LUNCH TO EAT TODAY BUT YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT OF MY FINGERS IN ORDER TO HAVE IT. I'LL BREAK OFF A LITTLE CHUNK OF SAUSAGE AND BRING IT CLOSE TO THE BARS OF YOUR LIVING HABITAT. THAT OUGHTA TASTE WONDERFUL TO YOU RIGHT ABOUT NOW. WHAT DO YOU SAY?"

Michael shook his head out of the trance that he had been in as he was trying desperately to convince himself that what he had saw just couldn't be real. But it had lifted something tangible and took it away.. And he was indeed hungry as all hell now to boot. Perhaps if he could touch her skin he'd feel that plastic and metal that the hand had to be made of.. Because if it wasn't a movie prop and it wasn't a hologram then it must have been a mechanical device of some type. But the only way to find out would be to touch that fake skin he reasoned.

"Yeah sure, bring me over some of that meat as I'm hungry as all hell."

"OH AREN'T YOU JUST THE BRAVE LITTLE FIRE CRACKER! MOST PEOPLE REALLY GO INTO DENIAL AT THIS POINT BUT NOT YOU. YOU'RE HUNGRY SO HERE I COME WITH DINNER HUN!

Mike stood up and waited with eager anticipation. This would be the final moment when he'd prove her a fake. It would all be in the texture of that skin he knew. So sure enough, the monstrous hand returned but only this time it had a chunk of meat about the size of Mike's fist pinched in between her pointing finger and her thumb and it moved quickly to the bars as well. It only stopped when the meat was pressed between them. He'd definitely have to physically grab that meat in order to get it as she did make sure of that he acknowledged.

So, Mike slowly started to move towards the hand. One small step at a time. In moments he was within inches of the bars with the greasy piece of meat. He could see the warm grease glistening while reflecting the outside light. But rather than just grabbing the meat he he quickly stuck out his hand and felt her finger tip. It was warm and pliant as skin should be. Putting his other hand under the pad he could feel something that made him want to die as the sobering reality began to sink in... He could feel a heart pulse.

Mike at once dropped his hands and walked backwards and then spun on his heels in order to go to the back of the cell to the darkest corner and shiver.. That hand was real!

Then as if some God from above was dictating to him some commandments or laws the booming voice returned.

"OH MR. JOHNSON YOU WERE SO CLOSE. BUT YOU DID SOMETHING VERY UNEXPECTED AND INGENUITIVE! YOU ATTEMPTED TO VERIFY MY REALNESS BY USING THE SENSE OF TOUCH. AND NOW I SEE THAT IT'S ALL STARTING TO FINALLY SINK IN FOR YOU. THAT'S GREAT! YOU'RE DOING SO WELL NOW. IN FACT, I'M GOING TO REWARD YOUR CLEVERNESS BY LEAVING THE SAUSAGE ON THE FLOOR FOR YOU TO EAT AT YOUR LEISURE. WELL, YOU'VE GOT ABOUT AN HOUR OR TWO BEFORE I GET BACK FROM THE STORE AND HAVE TO PUT YOU TO SLEEP AGAIN. I DO HAVE TO GROCERY SHOP JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES, HE, HE.

BON APPETITE MR. JOHNSON. TOMORROW I'LL BE TURNING YOUR LIVING HABITAT AROUND TO SEE MY LAB AND FINALLY ALL OF ME SO YOUR GOING TO HAVE A BIG DAY TOMORROW LITERALLY, HA, HA.!

SEE YOU SOON DEAR."

With that Michael heard the slaps of her sling backs again followed by a loud boom that resembled a door shutting. This was in turn followed by the shifting of a key hole in order to lock that door. Then some thumping as she appeared to be going up some steps. And finally silence to be left with his thoughts to how screwed he truly was at this point.