by Travis Hill
2
“All I’m asking is for you to let us cut off one of your legs.” Dr. Faisel prodded Gxkxl. “It would be of infinite scientific value.”
“My leg is a necessary/incorporated item for me to function properly,” Gxkxl replied, the translator voice neutral.
“But you have four of them!” Dr. Hunan exclaimed from the alien’s other side, patting one of Gxkxl’s legs as if it were a dog. “Surely you could live with three. It isn’t like you are human and only have two to begin with.”
“Your anatomy is inferior in most ways,” Gxkxl’s matter-of-fact translation announced.
“Oh, we aren’t questioning that,” Dr. Faisel said. “We could just petition the government to let us autopsy you.”
Gxkxl felt nervous. It was the fourteenth time one of the humans had said the word ‘autopsy’ in the last ten minutes. He was beginning to think Mr. Donovan had sent him to the wrong lab for his job interview.
“If you’ll just sign here and give us a voice authorization, we can get started,” Dr. Hunan announced as he held the clipboard with a typewritten form out to creature.
“I wish to speak to my caseworker, Mr. Donovan Young,” Gxkxl said, the translator voice showing no hint of the worry that the alien suddenly felt.
