My job was simple. All I had to do was stand guard outside the research facility. No special training was needed. I literally just had to stand in one spot all day. Of course, the harsh cold of the Scottish highlands made the task almost unbearable. Still, at least the view was spectacular, at least, when the thick fog isn’t covering it up. A huge lake would sparkle in the winter sun, and the mountains far behind it would stand proudly over the land. I wish I could stand as patiently as them.
My friend, and fellow guard, Alex, is usually the one who makes the tea. He’d bring a large flask full of it with two plastic cups, and a small sachet of sugar. His tea would always keep me warm, and his company would always keep me entertained. We were pretty much inseparable. If you couldn’t find us working together, you’d catch us in our barracks playing poker, or completely destroying everyone at football in the recreation area.
He looked pretty good too. I ain’t gay, but even I had to admit he was a looker. We were the same height, but Alex was considerably wider. Even in his uniform I could make out his strong shoulders. He’d easily pass for a professional rugby player. He looks like he’s packing too, and I’d kill for an ass like his. Pretty much the only thing we didn’t do together was work out. I prefer jogging, whereas he prefers weightlifting. I’d often feel a little inferior to him.
Anyway, every morning we would watch as a truck load of men in long white coats enter the facility. I knew a most of them from orienteering. They’d try to avoid my gaze when I say hello to them in the cafeteria. Archie, who prefers to be called Dr Andrews, is an old school buddy of mine. We’ve evidently drifted apart. He was always a small guy, and the white coat certainly didn’t help. They all looked pretty scrawny in fact. However, I did notice a new face among the bunch. He was taller than the rest, just shy of my height at 6’1”. With jet black hair, and a thin layer of stubble on his face, he looked more like a solider than a scientist. When the large iron doors closed behind him and the others, I felt Alex nudge me in the arm.
“What d’you reckon they’re doing in there?”
The facility itself was gigantic, and I heard more of it was underground. No one in my squad really knows what’s inside. I just shrugged, taking a small sip of my tea.
“I dunno. My wages don’t depend on me knowing anyway so who cares?”
“You think anyone in 1st Platoon’ll tell us?”
“Not if they value their jobs.”
“Or their lives.”
“Ha!”
“Doug thinks it’s genetic experimentation.”
“Well of course Doug would say that. He still thinks he’s related to Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
We both laughed as I finished my plastic cup of tea, pouring more from the flask. I could feel the drink warm my body up. A thick wave of fog steadily crept towards us, shrouding the lake and the mountains from view. Alex seemed quite content standing for hours on end, just gazing out into nothingness. I couldn’t; I get bored easily. I’d usually be the ones starting our conversations. They’d be about anything, I didn’t care. I just needed something to keep my mind busy..
“So how’s Emily?”
“We broke up.”
“What? Dude, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright bro. Living out here for months on end would end any relationship. I’m fine, I kinda wanted out anyway.”
“Well, here’s to the single life.”
“Cheers.”
We hit our mostly empty cups together. However, before I could finish, a deafeningly loud siren echoed all around us. The sudden blaring caused us to drop our drinks, and frantically reach for our guns. We’ve never had any intruders before. The lights on the roof of the facility began to flash bright yellow. Still on edge, I breathed a small sigh of relief. Red is for intruders. Yellow is for accidents. Alex and I marched towards the iron doors, only to see it burst open. Two soldiers dressed mostly in black were carrying Archie around their shoulders, who was crying out in pain. As they made their way towards a nearby truck, I noticed something weird.
Archie had suddenly sprouted a beard, and looked way more muscular than before. His voice was a lot lower. When they threw him into the truck, his lab coat tore off, revealing his huge biceps and broad shoulders. My eyes widened when I saw a small glass vial fly out of one of the pockets, and land on the gravel floor. Just as the truck sped off, I watched as Archie tore the rest of his clothes off, writhing about in agony. The last thing I saw was his cock. Jesus, it was huge! He wrapped his hands around it and began jerking off as it grew. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Archie looked even bigger than Alex, who was too busy speaking with our Lieutenant via the walkie-talkie to notice the man’s sudden growth. I must’ve been the only one to witness it. When the coast was clear, I rushed to grab the small vial. Inside it was a purple liquid, with a label that was mostly torn off. I could barely make out what it said, nor did I have the time to. I heard Alex’s voice call my name, prompting me to hurriedly stuff the vial into my pocket.
“Liam. Lieutenant says we should stay by our post. Let the 1st guys sort everything out.”
“Got it.”
“You alright?”
“Yeah.”
I doubt he’d believe me if I told him. We both walked back to the gate, where Alex continued to stare out into the fog. Feeling the vial press against my leg in my pocket, my head was so filled with images of Archie’s grown body, I no longer needed a conversation to keep my mind busy. I was eager to take a closer look at that vial.