Subject to Study (Naga!Brothers x Reader)

Chapter 7

I groaned as I opened my eyes, my body bruised from some kind of abuse and screaming for me to lay still just a little while longer. I felt soft sheets underneath my fingers and gently moved my arms to discover that I was laying on some sort of hospital bed.

"(Y/n) (L/n), I presume?"

Hearing my name, I glanced around where I was to see dark blue walls with ceiling tiles that hung low in the room. Furrowing my eyebrows, my eyes darted to see who was speaking to me.

An older man dressed in hospital whites and holding a clipboard returned the look. He was grizzled with slightly tanned skin weathered by age and wrinkles, the hair on his head and beard were light brown with streaks of gray. The doctor seemed to be waiting for an answer from me.

"Ah, yes, that's me."

"Do you know where you are?" The clipboard shifted in his hands as I tried to sit up, feeling my abs twitch in pain before slowly relaxing.

"No...I'm supposed to be on an island, documenting and researching new species as contracted by the University of California...in San Diego, California," I pressed a hand against my abs, feeling a thin pad of gauze taped to my skin. Lifting up my shirt a little, I visually confirmed what I had felt, seeing the pad clinging to my skin with a small dot of red in the middle of it.

"You're no longer on an island, Ms. (Y/n)," The doctor moved towards a countertop and set the clipboard down, "You were captured by some sort of monster and were dragged into a confinement container before they could rescue you. The team sent to find you said that they had no choice but to knock you out with a tranquilizer so that you wouldn't be eaten by the monster."

I froze as he spoke, my memory not matching up to what he was telling me. There didn't seem to be any tone of uncertainty.

"Okay...so where am I, then?"

"You're back home in the United States of America."

I couldn't help but stare at him. The doctor seemed to take this as a sign of panic, instead of dumbfoundedness.

"I know that everything's been quite traumatic for you, but the team did splendid work in getting you here safely," He nodded in agreement with himself, "The organizer of the team has requested that you stop by their office before you're able to leave for home."

"Did he mention why?"

"To make sure that you're all right, and to ensure that you're transported safely back to the university," He turned back to the clipboard and unhooked some paperwork, "You haven't suffered any signs of distress, so I have no reason to keep you here."

I tentatively took the paperwork and started to leave, walking down the halls of what appeared to be a hospital. Entering the lobby, I looked through the glass windows to see civilization again, the city surrounding the hospital in full motion with automotive and foot traffic. Past my own reflection, I could see the people walking around the streets, some heading to work while others were enjoying their day off.

"Ms. (L/n)?" A gruff voice called out from behind me, one of the two men that had come to stand near me in the reflective glass. I turned to look at both of them, but didn't recognize either one of them from the landing zone.

"Yes...?"

"We're here to escort you to Mr. Calmine's office."

I paled at the name.

I knew who Calmine was, and so did most everyone else in the biology field. He was well known for stealing fauna from their habitats, disfiguring them and shoving them into the spotlight as either a new variant of their species, or a natural freak. The only reason he wasn't in prison was because he had the money to pay off the right people. If he had the six nagas in his grasp...