Work Text:
Zasp writhed, throwing every bit of weight he had against his restraints. His back stayed pressed against the cold mat on the operation table. His wings ached, pinched between him and the mat and the cold, solid metal behind it. The leather straps kept him nearly immobile even with every ounce of strength straining against them. The metal around his wrists didn’t budge. Someone grabbed his head and pushed it back against the table, and frigid steel snapped into place around his neck.
He wanted to plead for help. His voice had left him.
When his frantic gaze finally focused on the room, he could see the head scientist standing over him, and his stomach sank even further. She regarded him with unreadable apathy as she pulled on a pair of medical gloves. Someone else was beside her, just within his periphery.
The scientist reached up to move his head and he instinctively snapped at her hand. His mandibles clicked around air and she clicked back at him.
“Enough out of you, defect. Try that again and I’ll sew your mandibles shut.”
“I’ve heard quite enough name-calling for today, doctor. Please keep this short.”
Zasp’s blood ran cold at the familiar voice, and the figure in his periphery sharpened just slightly.
“Y-your majesty, please—”
“Enough, Zasp.”
“But what—”
The Queen pressed one razor claw to the edge of his mandibles, and his voice died. The rest of her remained out of view. The doctor left them for a moment, and Zasp could hear the clatter of surgical equipment behind him.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for words, Zasp, and actions have already failed. Workers—and drones—are expected to be useful. If you cannot manage that, you will be made useful.” A breath ghosted over his antennae, and her voice softened the smallest bit. “I am sorry, but your placements thus far have agitated my other subjects. I cannot afford for such tension to remain unresolved.”
The Queen’s claw fell from his face.
“W-what’s going t-to…?” His voice wasn’t even a whisper. He couldn’t speak. His throat had clogged in fear and nausea.
The Queen’s claws clicked along the table, slowly and thoughtfully. “The doctor has been developing crystal magic. She has been in need of a test subject for her latest theory. You will assist.”
The doctor stepped back into view on his right, an IV needle in one hand and an alcohol swab in the other.
If the restraints had been any less tight, Zasp’s shaking would have rattled the whole table.
“N-no… no, please. I-I can— I’ll— don’t—”
“Zasp?”
“Please—”
“Enough, Zasp.” The Queen’s claws pressed firmly into his left shoulder, cold prickling against his shell as much as their tips. “This is for your good, too. If you are useful here, you will not need to hear anyone else’s commentary. Understood, doctor?”
“…Yes, my Queen.”
The claws tapped at his shoulder, and he glanced over to her as best he could. A single digit flicked away the tears gathering in the corners of his vision and began to dig into the side of his face.
“What—”
He almost missed the sting of the IV. Almost.
The claws disappeared.
“Be efficient, doctor. This is an experiment, not a punishment.”
As if there was a difference.
The Queen’s footsteps faded away, and Zasp choked down a whimper.
“We’re short on anesthetics right now,” she told him dispassionately. “Look up.”
He complied too slowly for her tastes, and she shoved his chin upwards. The metal of the collar pressed against his neck, and he couldn’t look back down.
“You don’t want to see this anyway. You’ll feel it plenty.”
“Please don’t—”
“Orders are orders,” she sneered.
This time, the whimper escaped.
“Stop whining. Think of it this way—you’re making a great contribution to the techno-magical progress of your hive. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?” The doctor turned away, and when she turned back, he felt a stab farther up in his arm. “About time too.” she muttered. “Useless wench.”
Zasp’s shell cuticle began to itch. His body felt wrong.
The doctor pulled a cart over which he couldn’t see the top of. Something on top was glowing, and he could hear the pops and snaps of electrical sparks.
She had a scalpel in one hand, and with her other held something round up to his mouth.
“Bite this. And do try not to scream too much.”