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From the Video Log of L.T Simmons, transcribed to a written account. Typically these videos are sent to L.T Simmons family as per his contracted agreement but this one has been restricted due to the content within.
The kid is fucking weird.Pretty sure he's named after his daddy, but I'm not calling him Quaritch and he bit the last guy that tried to call him Miles. So, Freaky Kid it is.
There are probably better ways to say it, but the truth is that he’s just unsettling. Like, it’s obvious the poor guy doesn’t want to be here. I’ve had to deal with enough complaints from the damage he’s done about it. But god he’s just…
Simmons looks away from the camera and rubs at his face. He seems tired, or at least unsettled. The silence lasts for twenty three seconds before he sighs and turns back to the camera.
You know how in horror movies you can always tell the kid is possessed because they start just staring? He’s like that. He just… just stares at everything! All the time! Josh swears he’s worse than a cat watching a mouse, that he reacts to every change in light and motion like he’s going to lunge.
A scoff and Simmons lifts his hand. There is a bandage wrapped around his palm. Underneath is the injury reported in Medical Log 224718; a bite mark from human teeth that broke the skin in four places and required ten stitches.
We have now learned that he will lunge of course. I’m pretty sure Alma has suggested putting a muzzle on the kid. Not sure if we have anything like that thought. And uh… would that be really fucked up? I mean the kid is a bastard. All that hissing and shit is freaky and no one wants to be bitten. But he’s still… like he’s still a kid? The Colonel says he’s only fifteen at best. I remember being fifteen. At that age I was more concerned with if we were going to be able to get that fake pork for dinner.
You remember that nasty shit? It always left that greasy film in your mouth and it never tasted right anyway.
You know I bet the kid has never eaten the processed stuff we have. Maybe that’s why he’s so fucking big. I ain’t ever known another young teenager to get over six foot. The lab coat dorks say he’s only in the beginning phases of puberty too. Don’t ask me how they know that, I didn’t ask and I don’t wanna know- it's weird.
They’re weird.
I told ya that I’ve been put in the labs while we’ve got him captured right? The kid doesn’t like it but if he can’t behave they need at least one meat head with a pistol in shouting distance. I can’t blame him really. If I kept getting poked at and harassed like he was I’d be going stir crazy too. And ya’know Mikey I think you might have been right with that old zoo stuff. The kid really does seem to be struggling in the facility. I dunno if animals were smart enough to realize that they were captured but the kid certainly does.
He thinks someone is going to come get him.
Another pause from Simmons, this one longer than the previous. At this point in the video, clearance must be input once more to continue watching. At current viewing clearance is restricted to Department Heads and the Behaviorists.
I uh- I don’t want to tell him that we haven't seen any sign of it. That just feels really shitty. The lab coats have been fucking with him anyway. Something about messing up his circadian rhythm? I don’t know what that means, but they got him mixing up days. They seemed pretty excited at first when he was able to keep track of them but I think he’s started slipping. Probably that whole not seeing the sky thing huh? Like those chimps from Mexico?
I brought him a cigarette last week.
Dumb little bastard ate it.
I guess the natives don’t have those out there in bum-fuck nowhere, but wasn’t the kid supposed to have been raised by humans? I figure they knew what smokes were if that redheaded bird really smoked in the labs. But the kid ate it, and spent the whole night puking his guts up. Felt really bad for that. I tried to give him a gatorade but uh- he won’t take anything from me now. Guess he thinks it'll make him sick again. Who knows, it probably would. You think a feral kid would respond well to red 40?
Oh! I was trying to tell you why he’s freaky. Maybe you can put that nerd-mind degree to use and tell me what’s up with him. I’d like to do something to make this shit a little better for him. Fuck knows the Colonel is going to end up driving the kid to murder. And the less said about the Labcoats the better.
Anyway.
Simmons looks around as if to make sure no one else is listening then leans closer to the camera. He smiles a little and pulls out a piece of copy paper with blue strips drawn on it, a poor imitation of the subject's preferred body paint.
So the kid came in with this body paint stuff right? He got a lot of flak for it at first. Some of the more asshole-ish guys making fun of him. You know that really made me feel bad for him, but whatever. The Labcoats wont get him anymore of the paint and it really pisses him off. I’m wondering if I can somehow find a bunch of sharpies or something for him, that would probably stay on a lot better than paint. You’ll have to tell me if that will make him sick, okay? If it won’t I’ll find a way to get it to him without getting myself court-marshaled. That’ll make up for the cigarette thing.
But beyond the stripes, I told you that the kid is huge but Mikey he is huge. Not just height, but like… it’s not fair that he’s this built at fifteen when we were both rangy little bastards. And the way he moves man. You would think he spent his whole life doing some kind of training. I guess he kinda has if he’s been running with the Natives but still. He can climb just about anything, and keeps trying to break out by doing it. He damn near did a few times before they ripped everything out of his cell. It’s pretty impressive. If only he didn’t make my job that much harder.
You can tell he hunts too. Like the staring is one thing, but he’s good at tracking movement. He’ll call out your name even if he’s not looking when you walk up. At first I thought he was watching the reflections of everything but now I’m not certain. I’m pretty sure he can already recognize us by the sound of our footsteps. It’s fucking freaky. You remember that report you did about how humans have close together eyes cause we’re supposed to be predators? Well this damn kid is a predator. I don’t know how to describe it properly but when you’re near him you just know that he could kill you.
It’s in his eyes man. He just watches you all the time. Really intense for a fucking kid. I bet you he gets it from his daddy. I’ve watched the logs! The Colonel was a freak even before he got killed by Sully’s bird. He does contortionist shit too. I really don’t think my knees have ever been that good. He’ll just perch on the back of chairs or the edge of the table and watch you. Maybe he’s trying to get under my skin… might be working too.
And Mikey listen, this kid is fucking strong right?
He smacked Williams across the face and that bastard went down hard. The bruise took up most of his cheek, and rumor has it that the kid managed to fracture his eye socket. It was really funny at first, but Alma had him waterboarded for that.
Its really fucked up man.
There’s nothing we can do about it. I tried to say something, I really did. I mean he’s just a kid right? There’s no reason for us to do him that way. And… he’s not even really human, yaknow? Like he is- that’s kinda the problem- but he doesn’t know humanity the way we do. Every time something happens he gives us this look, Mike. Like… he’s just so confused why we keep hurting him.
It’s genuinely like he doesn’t understand.
I know I’m just a meathead. I came over here to get some money and to have a little bit of fun. I don’t have your nerd degree or get why the Labcoats are so interested in some kid.
The brass I get- they want information on Sully. They all got their feelings hurt when they lost that first fight and now they’re madder than a stepped on snake that wants to get revenge. I don’t get their hard on for retribution but whatever. I’m not here for some moral debate, I’m here to protect equipment. But Mikey…
I didn’t sign up to watch a kid get tortured.
Fuck.
I don’t know what to do brother.
You gotta help me man. You’re the one with the brains. I don’t know how much longer I can do this. The kids got me on edge. Maybe I need to ask to be transferred to another assignment. The Colonel is a bastard, especially now that he’s big and blue, but he’s a task oriented man. If I tell him I’m not able to put my best foot forward on this he’ll probably put me somewhere else.
Yeah.
That sounds like a plan.
Get the kid some markers to apologize for the cigs and get reassigned.
I’ll do that.
Love you brother, tell Ma and Papa the same. I’ll talk to you later, give Sammy a noogie from her favorite uncle.
Simmons cuts the feed with a smile. This is the last recording from the man before his untimely death in an unrelated accident leading Colonel Quaritch and the recomp crew to the reefside. Anthony Simmons’ material goods and Death Gratuity will be paid to his older brother by name of Michael Simmons upon investigation. If Michael Simmons is found to be in possession of restricted information of RDA mission operandi the payment will be rescinded and legal action began.