Chapter 3: Snake

Kalya has been forced to accept a few things since waking up after the... accident.

First was that for some reason, either by hallucination or magic/science, she was in the body of an infant. Okay, Kalya has been around enough babies to recognize it wasn't a newborn, probably in that age group where parent's keep counting the months even though their child is over 2 years old. Doesn't change the fact she has been doing some weird ass physical therapy because she needed to teach this body how to walk. Not all her teeth have grown in, and even then they are baby teeth. Like what sick motherfucker does this? It is beyond ridiculous and Kalya feels like she is just moments from taking her annoyance out on someone, even though she knows that is a bad idea.

Which brings her to the second thing she has been forced to accept. Kalya is indeed in some weird science cult underground lair. Hell, she wished this was some sort of magic, but whenever she takes a look at the notes the 'helper' make, she can recognize the method behind it. It's set up like any old lap report, only instead of it on mice, it was on her. Not only is that a waste of resources, but it gives scientists like her a bad name when others aren't following the code of ethics. She has yet to figure out just where on earth (or not on earth) she is, but once she finds a way out there is no way she will be staying. Michiko has shown her way too many maps for it to be a forgery, which means until she gets more information, Kalya has to accept she is in a place called 'fire'.

Kalya knew enough about Chinese to recognize that bit of Kanji, even if it took a few lessons for her to pronounce it correctly. Now after who knows how long, Kalya is able to answer and ask questions with only a slight accent, which is pretty good in her mind.

The only good thing out of this situation really.

The third thing Kalya found out was these workers seem to still believe in capital punishment is a good learning tool. It was like they have never read a child phycology book writing this century. But that just plays back to Kalya's cult hypothesis. Her physical therapist is the biggest offender. Waking her faster then her eyes could see whenever she doesn't stretch correctly, or don't do his weird moves fast enough, or when she talks back. So far it has caused nothing more then brushing, which is why Kalya doesn't think it was from some guy with a really short temper. He causes the most pain with the smallest amount of damage. There was no way he was doing that day in and day out on accident.

The door silently opened, and the only reason Kalya even looked up from the reading Michiko gave her was from the air moving. When you're underground with no windows you become hyper-aware of any movement.

In the doorway was not Michiko or her physical therapist that she has been forced to call 'sensei', but someone new. A feminine figure with a white lab coat that was unbuttoned and reviled a tank-top that oddly enough was made from fish nets. There were no other gothic clothes, and just from how this new person held herself Kalya assumed she just is in a position of authority.

"I've been informed that you understand our language now. It's time for you to meet with Orochimaru-sama."

Kalya frowned at that name, once again wondering why a cartoon villain name was being used in conversation, but got up regardless. No doubt any question she asked will be ignored, so there was no reason to waste her breath on such things. Maybe with some luck, this 'leader' will be talkative enough to answer her question. At least enough for her to come up with some type of plan.

Kalya paid close attention to where they were walking, and noticed that the further down the long hall they went, the less it looked like a cave and the more it looked like a real lab. Real lights were being used instead of candles, and while there was still no windows, it didn't even have that still air smell anymore.

"Answer all of Orochimaru-sama's questions Subject 7, and do not anger him." The Lady said as they stopped in front of a metal door.

Kalya had to strain her neck to look up at the handle and was almost too short to open it. But she did, and the room reviled a figure with long black hair that was bent over a table filled with more lab equipment than her college organic chemistry lab. She would have been impressed if she wasn't still about to explode from the anger of being kept here.

Then door closed behind her, and still the figure worked.

Not wanting to be the first to announce her presence, Kalya walked to the side and took a judging look at the quality of their equipment. For being a weird-ass gothic cult, Kalya had to admit that it was at the very least clean and organized. The only difference was there was no signs of animal testing, or even euthanization tanks. Kalya was only joking about them using her as a Ginnie pig, but were they really doing that? Was Kalya teleported back in time or something?

"You know your way around a lab." The figure said in a much deeper voice then what Kalya was expecting.

Figuring that this is her cue to talk, Kalya turned around. "You are Orochimaru, yes?"

Finally, the figure turned around, his long hair fanning out at his waist.

"Orochimaru-sama. But yes." He said with a blank expression.

Kalya wasn't sure what was more surprising, that this looked just like the Orochimaru that she bought a few years ago for Laurine, or that his eyes were like snake eyes.

"Do you have a hemipenis?" Kalya asked before she could stop herself.

Luckily she asked in English, and from the very slight tilt of his head, it didn't seem that Orochimaru understood what she asked.

"Regardless, tell me about your past. You may sign if you need to."

"My name is Kalya, I am a 24-year-old female, I do work in a ... lab," Kalya said, repeating that word that he said early and hoping it meant laboratory.

It seemed that she said something interesting, since Orochimaru looked away from his work once more.

"What did you research?"

"I'm a biochemist." Kalya said, while also signing the words biologist and chemistry.

"A biochemist? Where you a medicnin?"

"Nin? Like Ninja?" Kalya wondered why he was talking about... oh yeah. Naruto cosplayer. That show was about magic ninja's or some shit.

"Where you a ninja?" Orochimaru asked and Kalya had to bit her lip to keep from laughing at the idea.

"No. I was just a scientist. An Epidemiology of sorts." Kalya said as she signed the English words.

"A civilian scientist? While I doubt you are able to lie to me, that sounds hard to believe." Orochimaru said before standing up.

Kalya froze as he moved to the side and waved a hand over the microscope he was looking at. There was something about him, Kalya wasn't sure what, but she got the gut feeling he was dangerous. He would have to be a powerful man to be running all this, but Kalya felt like there some something more to it than that. And Kalya wasn't one who liked to rely on gut feeling alone.

"Show me what you think you know."

Reluctantly, Kalya walked over and pulled herself onto the chair, having to seat on her knees to even get high enough to look down into the microscope. It was a simple compound one, with a max magnification of 400X. It only took a moment for her to recognize what he was looking at. Some oocytes, from a primate if she had to guess. Not something Kalya spent a lot of her time researching, but she still knew enough to tell something was off about these eggs. The movement was the usual movement from floating in a solution, and it was almost like it was being jerked around by invisible strings.

"What animal are these eggs from?" Kalya ended up asking.

The snake-like man gave her a grin that only made Kalya more sure of his insanity.

"Human."

Kalya frowned, but bit her lip from commenting. Where they really using only humans for testing? It sounded like something that would happen in the 19 century, not now.

"Well, from how thick the cytoplasm is, I say that this oocyte is germinated, but hasn't started mitosis yet." Again, which was weird since the few times Kalya looked at videos of the stuff, you can see it happen in only a few hours.

"Interesting. You must teach me this language of yours. It's called English was it not?"

Kalya exhaled loudly as she realized she said all of that in English, before repeating it all in that not-quite-Japanese that she has been learning.

"The egg skin is thick. Like it's... getting ready for a baby. But it's only one, not many eggs." Kalya said as she continued to look.

It was still making that jerky motion, but no signs of mitosis.

"Yes. We have been having trouble with that stage. It seems that this subject's cells aren't allowing the extra chakra in."

"Chakra?" Kalya looked up to ask, no double giving the cult leading a very judging look.

"You are not even familiar with Chakra? What a shame. I'll have that added to your studies. Now you may leave... Kalya-chan."

"What? But I have questions for you!" Kalya said before she could think better of it, or even comment on how he has been the only person to correctly pronounce her name.

Orochimaru mouth twitched downward for a moment, before he reached over and patted Kalya on the head.

"But of course. Ask away."

Kalya staired in disgust at the man attempt at... what? Trying to be nice? Trying to form a bond with her? Then again, you have to have some charisma to be a leader, even for a weird-ass science one like this. Kalya balled her hands into fists for a moment, before letting out her built up anger with her breath.

"Why am I here?"

The snake-man gave his version of a smile yet again, and Kalya had no idea why he would be happy about that.

"That's because you are my first step at becoming immortal."

"What?"

Kalya was NOT liking where this was going.

"You see Kalya-chan, above all else, I wish to understand and be able to use all the jutsus in our world, but I soon realized that would be impossible to do within a human lifetime. So I began to research on how to become immortal." Orochimaru explained, and Kalya was really starting to hope that she was getting the wrong definition about these words because it sounded like this man wanted to be a god or some shit.

"You're joking." Kalya ended up saying instead of swearing at the man.

He gave an overdramatic sigh before giving Kalya a very disappointed look. "As a fellow scientist, I would have thought you also have the drive to understand the truths of the world."

"I do, but progress can't be done by one person! Nevermind the fact that everything dies." This is one of the reasons why there are teams. You get so caught up in your own small bubble, that you can miss important data.

"So small-minded, but I can't fault you for only having the point of view of a civilian." Orochimaru said while actually tsk at her.

"Fine. How am I helping with your plans of immortality." Kalya said instead of trying to argue.

Though she had to cross her arms from physically putting air quotes around immorality.

"Because I brought you back from the died, into a new body." Orochimaru simply said, and Kalya blinked at him blankly trying to figure out if she was really learning this language correctly or not.

"You... what?"

"You are quite the scientific victory Kalya-chan. That body you are now living in is one of a dozen that we successfully germinated. But it seems the problem with vitro fertilization is that there was no soul in the body. The perfect vessel to try the first step in my Fushi Tensei."

Kalya just continued to stare because there was no way...

"Now, if that was the only question you had, I think it is time for you to go. Koroko-san should be back soon." Orochimaru said just as the door opened again to realize the lady who brought her here in the first place.

Kalya didn't even notice that she slipped off the chair and walked over to the lady. Her mind was thinking circles around how this was impossible. That there was no way...

And yet...

Here she was.