Legends From a Jumbled Man

by Michael Hudson

  Berlin Germany, September Seventh, 1939

  Director Von Shtuckholm.

  Status Report 134

  Dear Furher,

  We have begun to experiment on the subject’s blood. It did not take it well when we sliced open its arms, seeing as no man amongst my unit could pierce its skin with needles. Instead, we used bayonets, driven into her forearms while they were extended parallel to the floor, so as to make collection easier.

  It occurred to me though that we had never made it bleed though. Even when the men would beat and use it, they could never draw blood. I will need to look deeper into this, so I request your permission to begin deeper tests. To be allowed to properly open it up and see what is within. I promise to show the utmost care so as not to have the subject somehow die upon the operating table.

  Also, it has now gone a week without sleep, choking on the mustard gas we’ve filled her chamber with. When she breathes, she lets out an odd, green smoke, and her features look as if they’re decaying. It is something I promise to keep my eyes on.

  Berlin Germany, March Twenty-third, 1942

  Director Von Lizenbalm

  Status Report 1 (Since new command)

  Dear Furher,

  I have begun innovating on the tests done here, per your instructions. I know my predecessor, Mr. Shtuckholm, was a fool for requesting more supplies and men. Not only does he lack loyalty to the Fatherland and you for being so oblivious to the state of the war, but he was blind in how to proceed with testing. I promise not to be the same and to keep you properly up to date.

  The new plan I would like to propose with you has already been slightly tested through a buzzsaw to the cranium. It screamed, but it gave us valuable data as her thick skull dulled the blade, but we were still able to crack the white dome. With how strong this part of it is, I assume that it has not been tested on, and may keep the secrets to how it functions, and its immortality.

  And, as always, I shall show it only enough caution so as to not lobotomized it in the process, even to the extent of using shocks upon her open brain, rather than blades, especially due to its resistance to such energies.

  In other news, I wish to discuss about how I turned it green. Apparently, practically melting the chemicals in its acid baths with fire strong enough to burn it changes its skin not to black, but to more the colors of the baths themselves. I shall continue to experiment with this to try to make it appear human, instead of the zombie it claims to be, so as to be more presentable for when we win the war and can show them why.

  Berlin Germany, April Twenty-Third, 1945

  Fuck you Furher. First you stop sending supplies, and then you stop defending the town my lab is in? Do you wish for me to be found out when I might be nearing success? Well, I do not care anymore. I do not even wish to see my research finished. Only that I am not the only one to waste my time on it. Waste my life for it.

  So now, while I lie in this underground facility, the entrance caved in and running out of air, I laugh at the foolish Soviets. They think they can outdo a German Scientist? They are fools, but I will let them waste their time with trying. Waste their time with attempting to learn a secret that isn’t there.

  That thing is only a monster. It was before we got it, and it is only more of one now that it doesn’t speak, or smile. It barely even cries now. Like this, we made one of the soldiers we desired. Something that could not be stopped, immune to all weapons, and made perverse by our own science.

  It should be getting picked up by now. I gave it one last test, with one of my assistants pretending to let it out, and tell it where to go. I only wish I could see her face when the soviets are waiting for her, and their faces when

  “Is that it?”

  “Yes. We assume he died at that point.”

  “And Putin won’t release any files on this?”

  “If he has them, no. I do not know if his claims of not having them are true or not.”

  “And Sarah?”

  “We believe to have been put in the care of the Preserve system. I already have a man looking into which one so it may be contacted.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything else you need, Chancellor?”

  “Just an answer to how she-”

  -Escaped. A man believing I was dead when I was merely turning into my third stage after a bomb shattered a part of my glass. His eyes were the first trophies a laid on the floor as the dust obscured them from what I was doing.

  By the time they realized I was up, it was too late. I was out of my cell, and holding onto two of the heads of my guards. The other six would find similar fates as I bit and tore through them.

  By the time I left, there was not a soul left to escape. All that had ones were dead, and I… I…

  “Sarah, you don’t need to finish that. Not when we both know it’s a lie.”

  Sarah looked into nothing as Charles wrapped her into his arms. She had needed to get all of this out, and finally she had. Finally she’d had someone who she could actually talk to. Someone who would actually listen.

  And now she hoped that he didn’t mind giving her a piece of his soul so she could have one again.

  Author’s Note

  This one went through a lot of changes while being written, including the retelling part getting dropped part way through because I’m not a giant fan of torture porn, and I don’t think the people who read Sarafune are likely to want to see Sarah in quite this amount of pain.

  So yeah, this is the first story in this that’s tied to one of my other series. This one and the next will be for Sarafune Monster Preserve. Unlike the next one though, this is a little less contained, as it nods to a possible future storyline, is deeply rooted in how this character is and her relationships, but still works on its own, and would not have fit quite right in one of the stories proper. Thus, it’s here, and will be placed as Sarafune Vol. 2’s teaser chapter so as to make this book itself not required for this part of her character to be seen.

  The goal of this though, as it always was in my plans, was to flesh out exactly what happened to Sarah. Not quite a hundred percent, due to the amount of time it spands over, first WW2, and then the Cold War. It’s a dirty story, but I promise the next one, also written to help fill out this book, is a touch more cheerful. At the very least, it’s not as dark.

  Sarafune Story: Parentage

  I’m still a normal man. This story didn’t make me anything more than that, and I’m even afraid that it could have made me less, because I still miss them. The two that I only saw once, and their mother. Their beautiful, beautiful mother…

  I’m sorry. I should start from the beginning. It’s just... I’ve tried not thinking about them in so long since I had to say goodbye. Since I watched my daughter be taken… No. Since she was rescued. I couldn’t have taken care of her, and she’ll be better off in the preserves. I just wish I’d seen more of her before then.

  “Please, get back on topic.”

  You’re right. I’m sorry. I was in my city, about twenty years ago. I worked as a cashier in Walmart. A normal, simple job that meant nothing. Just like any other kid out of highschool and trying to make it through college. Whatever job I could find, I did.

  After work though, I would go to the forest near my apartment. It meant I was pretty far away from the college, but I thought it was worth it. Being able to get away from it all amongst the trees that led up the mountain that overlooked our town. There were reports of odd fires coming from it in the past, but all they had been were local superstitions. One of those urban legends.

  At least, until I met her. The dragon who stole my heart. She was beautiful, with red scales along the edges of her face, and two lines that connected to her eyebrows to mimic the shape of a heart. Her body was intimidating, as she was well muscled, well… gifted, and her claws looked like they could have ripped me in two. She would even admit to me later that she was supposed to normally kill any human who spotted her to protect her family.
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br />   But I had found her crying. Alone on the forest bed, curled up against a tree, sobbing. I didn’t dare even breathe at first, thinking I’d found a goddess of some sort, and when I did, I found I had had good reason not to. She was on me almost instantly, pinning me to a tree while she interrogated me.

  That conversation was our most tense, as we both had so many questions, so many things to fear and desire, but neither knew how to express it. How to tell the other what we needed.

  I did find out a few things though. She spoke English, which she had learned from her grandmother, who had painstakingly learned our language, having wanted to be able to know the enemy better. It was seen as invaluable by her people, making her line of red fire dragons seen as the best there could be. I wasn’t about to tell her that she was wrong, even if it was part of the problem..

  Eventually, she made me swear to never tell another soul, a request I immediately gave into. I mean, who would have believed me anyways? After all, there’s being a hippie, and then there’s being insane.

  She could have just left then. Said nothing to me ever again and been out of my life, but something possessed her to stop. I hadn’t been able to help myself from continuing to stare as she left for… embarrassing reasons, but I won’t deny it, just like many men wouldn’t.

  And then she asked if I came to this part of the woods commonly, and when I said yes, she simply said… ‘Good.’

  And thus, we began to see each other more often. At least once a week, if not almost every day, I would come to that part of the woods and find her hiding in the tree I first found her at. Some days she was more than happy to stay a long while with me, usually with tear stains down her beautiful, tanned skin, and on the days that she would only say hello before leaving, she seemed more confident. More at ease. More like she could pretend nothing was wrong.

  The night I finally found out Misera’s name was also the night I made love to her. She was crying again, and after so many talks, I had reflexively hugged her, just like I would have any close friend. That started the chain reaction of her asking about human intimacy, and me asking about draconic intimacy back.

  And when I found out about her husband, and their daughter Kiren, and… and how much of a monster her husband truly was, I had to do something. He was a worthless piece of shit, who couldn’t realize what he had despite it being right in front of his fucking-

  …

  I’m sorry. I just can’t respect a man, race or not aside, that can throw away such a wonderful woman. One who thought he was better than her simply because his scales were blue, and discarded her once he had a daughter ‘on his level.’ I still think if I ever saw him, I would have to punch him, even if meant me being disemboweled shortly afterward.

  It was something no woman should go through. Stuck in a loveless bond that was made purely because there were no blue females, and she was considered the ‘best’ in her clan, and so was given to that monster to breed with. The only one deemed worthy of him. It makes me sick thinking about how she might be with him even now.

  But… once we began, once I started kissing her, stroking her, it all changed. She began to smile, she began to ask me more and more about human society, and even was willing to come to my house once. She even destroyed my bed when she let me be with her there, and looked so cute when she tried apologizing for it.

  It was like any honeymoon period for a couple, at least, until the roundup started. I know Mr. Sarafune tried to stop it, but she was right to be afraid. While her husband and her couldn’t simply give themselves up, she couldn’t risk their daughters being harmed by whatever may come of the hunters. So, one night, with the rain pouring down to hide her from her sleeping husband as she took both Kiren and… and…

  “Dari, if I know her name right. Would you care to see a photo?”

  “How… How do you-“

  “Because we were told about all of this. About the pain, and the only salve that could heal it. About how foolish her pride had made her. And, how, while never officially done before you, Masira pledged you as her Keeper.”

  “Keeper… Wait, Masira is alive?”

  “And safe. See, shortly after you turned over Dari and Kiren, hunters did search those mountains. While her husband was relentless in his assault, when he was finally put down we found her in the back of a cave. She looked terrified, and was now scarred with three lines across her face by her abuser when she wouldn’t help him against the invaders.”

  “She told us she couldn’t though. Not when a human had sired her child. Not when one had made sure her line’s pattern would continue, and would hopefully be able to keep their kind alive with an open heart. In fact, not being able to teach Kiren some of the humility she hoped Dari would, and has, learned is one of her biggest regrets.”

  “And… And the other regrets? If I may know, please.”

  “Well… We aren’t only here to get your testimony as proof that humans and monsters can mate with one another, but… We’d like you to be the head of the breeding preserve. You will be given a large house, with room for up to three dozen monsters to live with, protection from those who may want to do you harm, and your expenses paid for by the Egyptian government, which is also where you would need to move to for the job.”

  “But… I’m just a computer technician. What can I do for them?”

  “You can give them a viewpoint very few can right now. A gentle, caring touch, and shows of love that others might think impossible and even unholy. It’s something that’s in short supply, but it’s, to us, of the utmost importance if we are to be successful in the program’s goals.”

  “And Masira?”

  “She is waiting outside, and you two will be allowed at least one more night together, even if you do not take the position.”

  “One night isn’t going to be enough…”

  “It’s all we can give you unless you follow her to the preserve. I’m sorry.”

  “…I can’t leave her. Not if I can be with her. And… after what I’d seen and heard on television about these preserves, I would be honored to try and help other monsters however I can, even if it’s just by giving them new children.”

  “We were hoping you would say that. Now, I’ll leave you two be so she can officially be your dragon.”

  And so Dari and Kiren’s mother walked in, and, in one action, followed what both of her children would find themselves doing in the future, for she would now be with not only her Keeper, but also her caretaker.

  Author’s Note

  And now for the fun of spousal abuse! Yeah, thank you brain for this one. While brainstorming for this though, I realized that Dari and Kiren are still different species technically from one another, and I thought it might be interesting to show the evolving times of the world, and even the evolving fate of their species, at least for the near future.

  Now, I am actually normally against this sort of storytelling where the kids are just a carbon copy of their parents, as I think that makes the kids less interesting, as their actions seem less unique. However, I’m first more lenient on myself about these things admittedly, and secondly is that it makes sense for the world. The species are divided by gender lines because of things like this where there were such abusive relationships that it caused horrible mental issues.

  So, having Masira do some of the things her daughters will do is just her showing how her species needs to adapt. The humility they need to learn, and the fact that dragons aren’t the best in the world, nor do they need the social strata that have harmed them for so long.

  That was my thought process at least.

  Machina Femalia: Healing

  I woke up in a hospital room. I think it was at least. I could hear the beeping of a heart monitor, but something was off. The lights were dim, the ceiling was green, and it was loud. Oh, it was so loud. Why was it so loud?

  I turned my head, feeling pain lance into my skull as I tried to move. I could see another guy next to me, sipping on water. He seemed in
surprisingly good spirits for how much pain I was in. Maybe I was just coming off of some sort of small accident, and this was a…

  My mind stopped as he turned towards me, and I saw he only had one arm, while bandages and stitches ran up his side. He grinned at whatever face I was making, before waving a little. “I was wondering when you might wake up. Got a pretty bad concussion in the attack after all.”

  I blinked again. The guy had shaved, blonde hair, maybe was in his mid-forties, and he seemed okay with missing an arm! I tried lifting one of my arms, but it was heavy, not wanting to move like the rest of me, so I just tried to get out some sort of response. Say hi, ask who he was, anything, and it just came out as a dry croak.

  The guy merely grinned at me, before whispering, “Hey, just relax. You’re in the best ward here, and I’ll show you why.” He then called for someone named Angel apparently, before laying back, whispering something about me just needing to wait, I think. My head is still in too much pain for me to really know.

  A sharp whistle came out of him as I hear the door open, but my eyes are getting heavier at this point. I can hear his voice again, before the sweetest, high pitched voice swims into my ears. As my eyes force themselves closed, I barely see a halo of gold around a white face, before I fall back to sleep.

  ======+++++======

  I slowly manage to force my eyes back open. For the first moment, I’m as I was before. Confused, lost in the dark with no idea where I was, before the sharp pain in my skull gives me an all too pointed reminder. I’m in a hospital. A man was missing his arm. My body… my body won’t listen to me.

  I try to move my arms again, feeling a small response, but no real movement. Just an acknowledgement that they exist. The same goes for my legs, which are as limp as the rest of me. I want to know what’s wrong. I want to know what happened. I… I…

  A light entered the room. I only just noticed it, as the door had been opened silently. They’re two yellow beams, held up high, as if to a person’s head. They’re moving quickly, practically gliding through the room.