[secretsparrow]

There was a large round area with holding cells for the men. Each morning the doors to the cell would open and the men trapped within the ship would be allowed into a common room to mingle. Each night they would be put back into their cells. The door would close until morning. Sometimes they were taken by the scientist. When this happened they would be impregnated by an alien, something foreign to a human body. In addition, these pregnancy normally were shorter spaning between 4-7 days instead of nine months. They would be given a short rest after the birth and then the process would be repeated.

This had become Gear's new life. He didn't know how long he had been on the ship, but he knew it had been awhile. To long. This place was almost starting to feel familiar and he hated it. Gear stood six feet tall and was dressed in a large black T-shirt and sweatpants. He was in good shape for the most part. He seemed strong, although his belly had some weight to it pushing out only just starting to be noticeable. Gear knew that by tomorrow that was likely to change. He tried not to let it bother him, but he knew people had died here. Sometimes the guys couldn't take it. The aliens couldn't be delivered. What if that happened to him? What if this next time was it? No. Gear refused to die here. He wouldn't go down without some sort of fight.

As his cell door slid open Gear made his way into the common room. Others did as well hanging out and talking to one another. A few others were further along than he was. He could tell they were anxious. He watched some of them pace but something else caught his gaze. Someone new, a stranger looking possibly frightened by the scene before them. For a moment Gear didn't move. He simply watched studying them for a few moments.

[thoughtless]

Eren stumbled from his cell, barely keeping his balance as he entered the common room. His head pounded so hard his eyes were blurred and he could barely see the floor in front of his feet. His body reverberated--a remnant of whatever they had used to bring him here...wherever here was. He could make out the shadow of other figured moving around the space but their voices were no more than am indistinguishable hum in his mixed up mind. He felt weak. He felt drained. He swallowed hard, hoping it would do something to ease him, but his throat was try. His eyes widened in panic.
"By the light in the sky, this was how he was going to die."

He took one more step but his feet failed him. Eren began to fall. He reached out, touching the smooth metallic wall, but could not stop himself from lurching backward. His world spun as his back hit the cold surface of the ground. He could hear a scream ringing in his ears, unsure of whether or not the sound came from his own lips.

[secretsparrow]

Despite the scream, the others ignored him. It wasn't that they were heartless, but rather they did not want to deal with it. Or perhaps they couldn't In truth they were all afraid but they had learned to deal with this place. Eren was new, he didn't know anything yet.

"Easy." A hand was placed on the boy's shoulder Gear had taken to his side and was now smiling lightly at him. "Calm down or you'll hurt yourself. The drug is pretty strong but It'll wear off soon and you'll feel better. Who are you?" Gear didn't know what had pushed him to approach this stranger, maybe it was because the many reminded him of himself when he had first gotten here. Scared, alone, faced with a place he didn't understand. A place, he still didn't understand.

[thoughtless]

In the midst of his panic, Eren felt a hand touch his shoulder. A hand. A human hand. It was such a simple gesture, but the familiarity of it began to cut through the confusion. It was something to fight towards. Focus on. He slowed his breathing and relaxed his body as the man's voice filtered into his ears.
"Calm..." Eren mumbled. "Calm..."
Slowly, he opened his eyes to find a tall, strong, man looking down at him with a worried smile. For a moment, Eren looked past him. Through his bleary eyes he could see half a dozen men milling around. A shiver ran up Eren's spine when he realized the belly's of each one of them was swollen and round, like they were in various states of pregnancy. He looked back at the kind man. He too sported a small bump underneath his shirt. He swallowed.
"W...what is this place?"

[secretsparrow]

Gear went quiet for a moment and instead just offered his hand. "Don't worry about that just yet ok? Let's get you some water. No one here will hurt you- None of us anyway." He wouldn't lie to the boy or give him false hope of safety. If Eren got up with him he would help the boy over to a table of not he would bring a glass of water to him. Holding it out to him Gear tried to reassure him. "I'm sorry you've ended up here. It's a pretty crappy place but we make do where we can. They... run tests on us." Gear would sit down next to him. "Now, what's your name? I'm Gear."

[thoughtless]

"Eren," he answered, letting Gear lead him over to a table. He gingerly say down and rubbed his eyes. He eagerly took the cup of water from Gear and gulped it down. The cold felt good coating his dry throat. He coughed, shaking his head. "I don't understand. Last thing I remember was logging some data into our ship's main computer. Everything went black, I felt a buzzing and after that..." He wiped his mouth. "It doesn't make any sense."

[secretsparrow]

"I know. I don't have a lot of memories either. I wasn't even on a ship when I was taken. Look, this isn't a good place I won't lie to you but sometimes it's not so bad." He was trying to help. Anything to keep the kids spirits up. It might have worked except a scream from behind him interrupted Gear's next words. One of the men had doubled over clutching his belly tightly. Gear glanced over and then at the door as two guards entered ready to take him to a place he could deliver. That was not an uncommon occurrence here. Although, he wished it was.

[thoughtless]

"I know. I don't have a lot of memories either. I wasn't even on a ship when I was taken. Look, this isn't a good place I won't lie to you but sometimes it's not so bad." He was trying to help. Anything to keep the kids spirits up.  It might have worked except a scream from behind him interrupted Gear's next words.  One of the men had doubled over clutching his belly tightly. Gear glanced over and then at the door as two guards entered ready to take him to a place he could deliver. That was not an uncommon occurrence here. Although, he wished it was.

Eren wrenched his neck around in the direction of the scream. The man's belly was too large and too tight. He could see something beneath the skin squirm as the guards dragged him away.
"I'm guessing there's something you're not telling me, eh Gear?"

[secretsparrow]

Gear let out a sigh. "I said they do experiments on us, didn't I? I guess better to be told then to just find out." He was silent for a moment picking his words carefully. " They force us to carry alien creatures and study the effects. They want to see how our bodies adapt to the process and how well we handle the delivery. They'll probably take you tomorrow."

[thoughtless]

Eren couldn't say anything. He just stared slack-jawed at Gear, hoping this was all some kind of mistake. Part of him wanted to believe this was all just a dream--that he was still sitting in his tiny bunk on the lower deck of Discovery Charter 10L6, nodding off while his roommate nattered on about time displacement and eon discrepancies.

Eren flinched as another screamed echoed against the walls from a room out of view, followed by the buzz of tools and footsteps. Three guards barged into the common room, each carrying a piece of equipment that Eren didn't recognize.

"Random sample test!" bellowed the largest of them.
Eren couldn't help but stare as they began circling the room. He looked to Gear for answers but only then noticed that the rest of the prisoner had become still. None of them moved and every one of them avoided eye contact with their captors. Shaken, Eren was about to follow suit when he was ripped from his chair and thrown to the ground.

"The new one will do."

[secretsparrow]

Gear tensed he watched, silently at first. "leave him alone." The words left his lips before he even knew what he was saying. Why was he risking himself for this stranger he didn't even know. "Come on, he's only been here a few hours, The drugs could still be in his system take someone else." Gear's jaw clenched tightly, he hadn't stood up but it looked like he wanted to his feet planted firmly on the ground ready to spring to action, except he wouldn't, and he couldn't. This is as far as gear would go to risk himself for Eren. He didn't know the boy well enough yet and he wasn't willing to get a punishment. He knew what happened when you caused trouble here.

[thoughtless]

The guard's eyes narrowed on Gear. He pointed a slender finger at his belly and sneered. "We will remember."
He turned back to Eren and pulled out a syringe from his belt.

"P...please..." Eren begged and the large creature straddled him, but the it did no good. His captor leaned in, sliding the sharp point against his throat as the other two held him down. Hands pressed against is face and fingers kneaded his skin. With a swift, sharp jab, the leader plunged the needle deep. Out of the corner of his eye, Eren could see his own blood filling the syringe. He wanted to scream or fight but he was frozen. He did nothing until the guards were satisfied and secured the sample in a carrying pouch.
"W...what will happen to me now?"
The biggest one laughed. "Only a test little man. Have to be certain results are not affect by our subject collection methods." It nods at a large man sitting in the corner. "Take him."
To Eren's surprise, the man stood when the aliens confronted him, following them out without a word. The leader looked back at Eren.
"You will know when we decide to use you. Gain your strength little human. You will need it for what we have planned for you." He eyed Gear. "And your friend."

[secretsparrow]

Gear's shuddered as they pointed at him although he tried to hide his fear. What was he going to do against them? He had tried to fight back, he would make it worse for himself and so he ignored Eren's screams. When the guards left he knelt at Eren's side. "I'm sorry." He looked almost saddened. "I wish there was a way to help you, protect you but no one gets protected here. They'll take you soon If they like your blood. I'm sorry. I can't be of more help." His words were quite soft, nothing like the way they had been moments ago. He knew very well he had just made things worse for himself but at least he knew he had tried. "Come on." He offered Eren a hand to help him up. "Are you alright?"

[thoughtless]

"I...I think so..."
What was he saying? He wasn't okay. Nothing about this was okay. He was trapped on an alien ship being threatened with reproductive experimentation, and stabbed with a giant needle. None of that was okay. Still, he felt the need to down-play his hysteria for the sake of his new...was he a friend? Gear has stuck his neck out for Eren and whether or not is was successful didn't matter. He had a feeling Gear's life was going to become a lot worse because of it.

Eren pulled himself up and sat back at the table. "Gear," he started slowly, "How long have you been here?"

[secretsparrow]

Gear blinked his gaze flickered away and he gave a shrug. "Too long." His words were quiet, "A few months I think, I'm not sure exactly. I stopped keeping track it got depressing." He used to think about trying to escape, he had tried once but the punishment that followed was not one he wanted to repeat. To be honest, he still wanted to escape, Gear wanted to think there was a way out but how could he? When he was faced with all of.. this..

"Don't worry about it. Just try and relax." Why was he protecting Eren? He was probably going to pay for it. Gear wasn't sure but the boy was new, so inocent he didn't know what he had fallen into yet. Gear wanted to protect him from it as long as he could.

[thoughtless]

Relax... Eren almost laughed. Eren had never been able to relax, let alone when trapped in some sort of alien impregnation prison. He glanced at Gear's belly and could taste bile in his mouth.

"Why would they choose us? I'm nobody. I'm just a technician. Hell, I'm not even a technician. I'm an apprentice technician in training, and I'm 2 malfunctions away from losing my place on my ship." He looked at his thin, wiry body. "And it's not like my physique screams 'birthing hips.' It has to be a mistake. It has to be..." Gear was looking at him with pity. Clearly the man had heard this denial before. Eren rubbed his shoulder. "So, what were you before all this? Friendly neighbourhood do-gooder?"

[secretsparrow]

"Ha- no. They took you because you were no one because you would go unnoticed. I was the same. I had become a scavenger, stealing parts and then selling them back on the market. People knew me, but no one would miss me. It's the same with the others. People took them because they were no one. As for why? I don't know, I asked the same thing." Despite what he had gone through already his frame was relatively small. I know you think it shouldn't be you, it should be anyone else but It is you, and there isn't any easy way off this place.

[thoughtless]

Eren looked around at the dismal faces of his fellow prisoners. All around him, people looked tired, afraid, and helpless. They had all given up. Not Eren. This wasn't how he was going to die. Sure, he was small, woozy, and a little bit bruised, but there was enough hope left in him that he wasn't going to accept this as his fate, no matter what Gear said. He stood and began to survey his prison. Their must be something he could use to...
The lights. If he could rewire the lights he may be able to short circuit the locking panel. It was a long shot but it might just work.

Quickly, he pulled a chair to the center of the room and began to pry off the metallic light ring with his fingers. A crowd circled him. On his ship he'd have guessed they were taking wagers.

He clawed at the metal until his fingers bled and further still. Slowly, the encasement began to move. Behind it he could see a mass of wires. With the right combination maybe, just maybe he could--
ZZZZZZZZAPP!!

Eren felt a huge jolt run through him and for the second time that day felt himself falling. Her felt a searing pain in his chest and the sound of laughter before everything went black.

When he woke up he was strapped down on a table in the dark, in a room he had never seen before.

[secretsparrow]

"You know for a small human you don't really give up do you?" A voice said off to his left. A doctor stepped out smiling at him. He had on a long lab coat, he looked more or less human, there was nothing strange about him. "That's good, keep that, it might just keep you alive." The lights flickered on, blinding for a moment. To his right, there was a tray table full of needles and syringes. "I wonder what you'll handle best? Seeing as you've been such a bother I don't mind pushing you a bit. You understand? Yes, but killing you so quickly would be a real shame."

In the end, he picked up a syringe filled with blue liquid. Without warning, he plunged it into the man's belly just above his belly button. In just a few minutes he would start to feel the effects. Likely, he would feel sick, and uncomfortable. The start was often the worse. The first time was never easy. "Remember, you did this to yourself, trying to escape like that."

[thoughtless]

Eren struggled and pulled against the bindings but it was no use. His arms and legs were strapped down so tightly he feared they might bruise. The doctor only stared with a sly grin, waiting. But waiting for what? Whatever that blue liquid was couldn't possibly--

Eren's eyes widen as a ripple of pain cascaded through his body, ebbing and flowing from his chest to his toes and back again. Another wave followed, moving down his spine and pulsing through his lower back. A third began in the pit of his belly and radiated out. Each wave became sharper, stronger, and lasted loner than the one before it. Within moments his body was in agony and he did all in his power not to cry out.

He squeezed his eyes shut as the wave seemed to take over ever synaps and nerve sense his body had. Without realizing it, he began to pant. Sweat dripped down his face and his skin was hot to the touch. When he thought he couldn't handle anymore, the waves changed directions and quickened.

He breathed in and out faster and harder, but the pain was too much and he could hear himself begin to moan. He moaned more when the waves of pain became faster and stronger still and slowly began to focus on one central point.

"AHHHHH!!!" He screamed as the ripples of agony collided in the pit of his stomach. They began turning and kneading, and swirling like a force Eren had never known before. His spasmed and he felt like any moment he would fall back into darkness...but he didn't. He could do nothing but writhe against his restraints and hope it would be over soon.

Then he felt it. Movement. Movement from the pit of his stomach. Movement like a worm made of fire beneath his skin. First it was one, then another and another until his belly began to stretch. Too quickly, to much. He watched his stomach balloon out in front of him, filled with a white hot slithering infestation. He grunted and groaned as his skin stretched too tightly.
He screamed one last ripple sent whatever was within him into a frenzy, and one after another latched on to his medically induced womb. He could feel their tiny teeth pry into him one after another, sending a shock through his body, and doubling in size with jolt. For what felt like eternity, Eren thrashed on the table, blindly trying to ease his infested body. He cried out again and again, unable to anything more or anything less.

The doctor slowly walked over to him and took another syringe from the tray.

"That's enough for now." He slid the needle into Eren's pelvis and the torture stopped, leaving him bloated, bruised, and swollen. He unclasped Eren's retrains and pulled the young man awkwardly to his feel. Eren's stomach was the size of a full term pregnancy and as the doctor pressed his hands against it, the swarm followed back and forth toward the pressure.

"This is your own doing," the doctor reminded him again. He nodded to an orderly who lead a broken Eren from the room. When he was gone the doctor wrote down a notation in his ledger.

Expansion: Good
Pain Tolerance: Average
Chance of Survival: Unclear