The four walls of its cell. The door, its hardened translucent window, and the limited view it gave out into the part of the lab it could see from within. That was Taylor's entire world now, all it could experience aside from what was pumped into its cell. More accurately, the scientists referred to it as a "mobile containment unit", though it still never moved from this spot. Taylor had been moved between units a few times, each stronger and more specialized than the last, but it was always in this room. Its current cell had to have been constructed specifically for it. Taylor had damaged some of the past cells, but this one was strong, it was insulated, and it had specialized nozzles and other equipment to pump chemicals and energy into it, all without even opening the door. Most of what Taylor could see through the large, translucent door was computers and sensors to collect data on their experiments. 

Right now, Taylor could see some of the scientists outside, calibrating equipment, making notes. Those in this particular group had never spoken to it, though the nametags on their lab coats meant that it knew all of their names by this point. There had been a time when Taylor had tried to talk to them, tried to reason with them, but it knew now that was a pointless endeavor. When it was time for their experiment to begin, the covering of a nozzle on the back wall of the cell opened, immediately spraying and igniting and incendiary fuel that immolated the whole of the chamber in an unavoidable flame. Far from harming Taylor, however, it could not help but to absorb the intense heat of the flame into its very being. By the time the last of the flame was gone, Taylor had grown considerably in size and mass, towering over the average Human. The dark tendrils of its essence danced excitedly upon the surface of its loosely-formed body, and its many eyes glowed in a brilliant white. For Taylor, it felt amazing to have that power surging through its essence, but it had been through this enough times to feel only dread at what was to come.



Taylor found it hard to be sure exactly how much time passed. After being immolated in fire, its cell was now chilled well-below freezing. There was no day or night, no way of judging for how long it was meant to suffer. It could have been hours, or days, though the latter likely would have killed it. All Taylor had was the constant hum of computers and sensors collecting their "readings" on what its body was suffering. It did not feel merely like being cold, but rather like its lifeforce was being slowly, but viciously torn out of every tendril. Taylor was now somewhat smaller and leaner than a Human, hardly moving, and most of its eyes were not even visible any longer. Taylor had been through this torture half a dozen times in the past few weeks, in all likelihood so the scientists could collect a better sample size on their observations. It wished it could sleep, if only to be given some reprieve from the pain.

It was hard for Taylor to even notice when the cell started to warm, as the pain lingered on across its body. It was only some movement outside that caught Taylor's attention. It crawled slowly towards the door, looking up at the woman that had come to check up on it. She was the one welcome sight that Taylor had in this hell in which it resided. Her name was Marian Allen. She was the only one who had given Taylor her first name, and the only one who really talked to it at all. She wore a similar lab coat to the scientists, but she was a nurse. At least, that was the best way Taylor could describe her. She monitored its health, and presumably the health of other subjects, based on what she had told it in the past. She was the only reason that Taylor was even aware of the existence of other subjects. She had freckled, pale skin, red hair, and was still slightly overweight, despite having been on a diet for the past two months. She represented the final shred of hope that Taylor had in this place.

Marian knelt down in front of the clear door and looked directly into Taylor's eyes, something that all of the others tended to avoid, consciously or not. "It's okay, it's over. The experiment is over now. It's going to be alright." 

As Marian was just about to stand, Taylor lifted one of its limbs suddenly up and pressed it against the window, its tendrils forming the shape of an open hand. "Please..." Taylor began. It did not have a mouth with which to speak, but its energy could simply form the sounds directly. Its voice had an otherworldly, echoing quality to it. Marian did the same, pressing her own hand right up to Taylor's.

"...let me...die." Taylor continued, sounding just as weak as it looked. 

Marian swallowed as she closed her eyes and lowered her head. Taylor did not doubt that she would grant its request, were it in her power. Her tears told it that much. But, those tears were all Marian could give for now, as she had no choice but to stand and go to the control console, pressing the button that gave the entire metal interior of the cell a powerful electric charge. Taylor absorbed the energy, revitalizing its body and mind up to its former strength. 

All so the cycle could repeat again.

[hr]

For a time, Taylor was alone. Aside from the times that Marian could actually be alone [i]with[/i] it and talk freely, these were the "best" times for it. If that word could even apply to its life. Within its cage, the closest thing that Taylor could generally experience to joy was simply the lack of pain. The experience of consuming electricity or other kinds of energy did have an inherent pleasure to it, true, but even that had been corrupted by the expectation of suffering to follow. They rarely fed it any more than its basic requirements of energy unless they had something in mind to "test". Right now, Taylor felt positively empowered by its energy, which gave it all the more dread for the scientists' next visit. 

However, for the first time in what felt like months, Taylor experienced something new. Something unexpected. It did not have the best angle from inside its cell, but it could see the screen on one of the scientists' open laptops change. Odd and distorted as it was, Taylor could see that it was a face. Then, a short phrase played through the speakers: [i]You are not alone.[/i]

Taylor could not be sure what happened. It had been such a short, simple, and strange occurrence. There could be no guarantee that it had anything to do with Taylor, yet in the absence of anything else, its mind could not help but to wander.