John was startled when he opened the door to Lab Room 3B. It was very late and he didn't expect anyone to be here when he cleaned the room.
"Um, sorry, Doc. I can come back later if you want," said John.
"No, go ahead. I am going to be fired tomorrow anyway, " said the frustrated woman in a white lab coat. "It might as well look nice for the person that replaces me."
John nervously entered the room. He had seen a lot of strange things in the Research Institute, but this room bothered him the most. The walls were dazzlingly white with long tables lining along the room. Strange chemicals sat in bottles in a wide variety of colors and shapes on the shelves above the tables. The scientist was in the center of the room, looking down into a small pen housing the thing that made him so uneasy. The creature was like something out of a nightmare, a freakish animal that did not belong in this world. It was an abomination, created not by nature but by mankind in a failed attempt to play God.
"Come on... you can do it, " said the Doctor as she poked and prodded the creature.
It appeared that she was trying to get it to complete some simple task. But the creature ignored her commands, staring dully around the room. It barely looked alive, much less conscious. Apparently whatever process had created this monster failed to imbue it with even rudimentary intelligence. It made John feel a little better, but he still kept his distance from the thing as he emptied the trash cans.
John was paid very well to perform the night janitorial duties at the Research Institute (and to keep his mouth shut about what he saw there). But things like this made him question his choice of profession. He thought that maybe he would have been better off with that job at the nuclear power plant.
The Doctor threw something across the room in frustration. John couldn't help but look in her direction. She was older, well into her forties, but she looked pretty good for age, with a lean, thin body and bright red, wavy hair. John retrieved the object and returned it to her.
"Here you go, Doc. What is this? Some kind of pen?" asked John.
"It's a training tool, actually. I have been trying to teach my little friend here to use it for months. And if I can't show any progress by tomorrow, I will be out on my ass," said the Doctor.
John shrugged and pushed the button at the tip of the metal rod. A bright red laser light shot out. A bell dinged, startling the creature from its daze. It briefly looked around the room in a panic, then just as quickly returned to its almost catatonic state.
"Seems simple enough, " said John as he handed the penlight to the Doctor.
The scientist shrugged.
"Yes, but even the most simple task is too complex for this dumb brute. Too bad it doesn't have your brain, " said the Doctor wistfully.
John silently returned to his work. The scientist watched him complete his assigned tasks dutifully. Suddenly her eyes went wide as she got an idea.
"Hey, can you come here for a minute?" asked the Doctor.
"Sure, anything you say, Doc, " said John.
A wide smile slowly formed on the Doctor's face.
Anything I say. I like the sound of that, thought the Doctor. This might actually work out better than I thought.
"Would you mind having a look at these?" asked the Doctor, showing John the other puzzles that had been left out for use in training. He picked through them, careful to stay out of the strange creature's range. It may have acted docile, but John still didn't trust it. The puzzles were simple enough - they were like toys designed for a toddler. The scientist watched him with rising excitement.
"How would you like to supplement your income? A small bonus for a little extra work?" asked the scientist.