her arm another pat and followed after them, leaving her alone with the empty habitat.
She felt an uncomfortable pinch of concern. No doubt the alien would be furious if it had any idea what was happening while it was unconscious. They would certainly be inspecting every part of it. She paled as another thought occurred to her. What if it woke up during the exam? She didn’t even want to contemplate the possible blood vengeance it would exact against the facility, much less the colony.
The plaintive sound of a native bird, one that too closely resembled the cry of a baby for her comfort, broke her internal musings. She looked over at the large bird in the habitat beside the one housing the alien. Covered in silky blue feathers, its numerous wings tucked around it, it almost resembled an enormous feathery puff. The feathers were pretty, but it wasn’t something she was eager to get anywhere near. Not only was it the size of a child, it watched her a little too keenly. With its sharp, curved beak and focused gaze, like many raptors from Earth, she knew it was a predator. Given the size of the alien, she wondered if it would prey on the children of the species. It was likely judging by the way its eyes tracked her.
She turned away, ignoring it as she approached the empty habitat once more and ducked inside.
Charlie worked within the cage, though there was little to actually clean up. The alien’s waste was in one isolated corner of the habitat that only took a minute to clean up, and its water basin was clear of debris. She occupied herself instead with trying to improve the habitat. She even went as far as returning to the employee area and grabbing her overcoat and laying the soft material over the straw in an attempt to make it a little more comfortable.
It wasn’t much, but maybe it would feel a bit less inclined to glare daggers at her. Although her coat was long, it barely covered much of the bedding. She would bring in her spare blanket on her next shift. Between the two, it should be a bit more of a comfortable nest. Maybe a cup too? And a plate.
She frowned as she brushed off a stone and placed the meat and several cubes of compacted vegetation that had been developed as feed for the herbivores in the vivarium in the cleanest spot possible.
She chewed her lip with uncertainty. She didn’t want to get in trouble, but strictly speaking, there were no rules against sacrificing some of her belongings to make a specimen more comfortable. Outside goods were permitted within the facility as long as they didn’t pose a danger to anyone.
Charlie could honestly say that nothing she brought in would hurt anyone.
Accomplishing as much as possible with what she had available, she exited the habitat and proceeded to work her way through the vivarium. The entire time, her curiosity churned. The night before, when the alien had arrived, she had been too shocked to really give it much thought. She had listened to Dr. Santo drone on to her regarding her instructions, including what diet he wanted to start it out on, but she hadn’t been in a place mentally to deal with its presence. In fact, the moment she had been allowed to leave, she stumbled home and curled up in her bed, sleeping soundly until the alarm on her comm roused her. She had arrived to discover the vivarium bustling with activity.
She should have expected it. Even if they were counting the alien as an animal specimen in their records, everyone was understandably fascinated with it. She had scooted past them only to be greeted by Erik, who handed her a hot cup of coffee of far better quality than what non-gratas usually enjoyed. One of the many perks of working within the lab.
With the influx of scientists going in and out of the vivarium in the early hours, she kept busy with her daily prep work and recordkeeping while Erik cheerfully speculated on their newest specimen. Whatever fear he had the night before appeared to be fully overcome. He ducked in and out into the vivarium and finally gave her the “all clear” so she could get out there and attend to her duties. It was nearly 10 a.m. Earth time, and now she felt like she had a considerable amount of work to catch up on.