The Mitre

Authors note: This is my first story submission and while I hope you enjoy it for what it is, I am welcoming all feedback both critical and constructive. My goal is to improve as a writer, so If you wish to see a continuation of this story please let me know.

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It was a brief but brilliant display in the upper atmosphere, a ball of rippling light burst brightly in the sky. It lasted for a few short seconds before fading, the vibrating ripples in space receded, and a metallic craft was left in the darkness. At the controls of this craft sat an entity from somewhere far outside of our dimension. The entity looked towards the bright blue world before him and he grinned, it time for his fun to begin.

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The last thing Alison remembered before waking up in this strange room, was leaving the campus library around 11pm. She had spent that Friday evening studying for her upcoming exams, choosing to ignore the various social events going on with her classmates. Alison preferred to spend her time among the sprawling shelves and books of the library, away from people. People were complicated in real life and unlike the works of literature she studied, rarely ever did she get to see behind the curtain and understand the people around her. Alison's aversion to social events had served her well through college, her grades we good and her studies were enjoyable. Tonight however, her luck might have changed had she not been alone. On the path to her dorm, in the cold autumn air, she was taken. A flash of light, a sudden stop and the world started spinning, Alison's vision faded and everything went black.

She was awake now though, her vision still blurry, her surroundings strange. The room around her was rectangular, dim lights dotted the walls on what looked to be strange electronic consoles. Everything had a polished white look about it, too clean and precise to be anything other than clinical in design. Unusual instruments and equipment littered the wall length table to her right. She was laying on her back in the middle of the room atop a metallic table.

She blinked to clear her eyes, and panic set in as she looked about. This was not right, she wasn't supposed to be here. She still had her clothes on, her thick warm sweater and her jeans, yet her boots and socks were missing. She tried to move, to get up and run, but she couldn't. Her wrists and ankles were held tight in soft pliable yet strong metallic cuffs, connected to robotic arms that extended from the table. She struggled harder, panic rising, desperately trying to understand what was happening and where she was. The robotic arms matched her movement, fluidly adjusting and altering their angle and length to maintain control of her flailing, while protecting her from damage or harm.

Her movement had triggered a change in the room, as the lights began to brighten and two or three beeps could be heard from an overhead lighting module. It made a whirring noise before descending from the ceiling slightly. Alison noticed what looked like a camera lens retract and expand as it angled itself perfectly in front of her face. A robotic voice spoke from the modules speaker, causing Alison to freeze in shock.

*"Subject has regained consciousness, experimentation to commence, attendance required."*

Alison panicked, "Who are you? Please let me go? I don't know what's happening, you've got the wrong person!"

*"Subject has regained all cognitive faculties, experimentation will commence, results will be optimal."*

"Please let me go, I promise I will just leave, I won't tell anyone. You've got the wrong person!" Alison's pleas became strained with tears as she begged to get away from this situation.

*"Subject designated Alison Edwoods, you have been intentionally selected for participation."*

Her breath caught it her throat as the robotic voice said her name, this was real, this was happening to her, and it was planned.

"I DO NOT SUBMIT TO PARTICIPATION! Let me go now, I don't want to be here! Please, who's doing this?" she cried.

*"Participation will commence regardless of subject's consent."*

As the robotic voice concluded its statement, a loud noise cut through the room. It sounded like the air break on a truck and it made Alison jump. She looked to her toes in the direction of the sound, and saw the white polished wall had altered itself, and a doorway now stood open. She stared in shock at the figure standing at the entrance to this room. It was tall, no not it, he, he was tall. She whimpered and began to quietly cry as her breath became ragged. She was looking at something not quite human. The man stood there, at-least seven feet tall, leaning up against the doorway. His skin was a light lavender purple colour and his eyes were a solid crystal blue. No iris, no pupil, just blue. He could have passed for human in the dark, but in the light Alison could clearly see features she would never in a million years have guessed. The most unexpected was the tail. Over the shoulder of this figure, she could see a thin tail with a spear pointed end waving back and forward slowly.

"Please... please let me go, don't hurt me..."

The figure shot a deep grin, it seemed amused by her words and that terrified her. He leaned forward from the door jam and stepped into the room. His tall frame loomed above her, as she tried again to pull her arms and legs free. The man held his grin, teeth as perfect as any Hollywood celebrity. His hair was black and cropped neat with a slight upward wave forward at his fringe. Alison's mind raced as she took in the detail of this unusual man. His jawline was striking, and his body was lean and thin yet defined with muscle. The muscle would have been unapparent had it not been for the clothing he wore, which looked like some form of skin tight carbon fiber shirt. It clung to his every curve and bulge, making his muscles pop noticeably. Even without pupils Alison could tell his eyes were watching hers explore him.

The man held his grin while he studied her back, before finally speaking in a calm yet commanding masculine tone. "Alison, my dear perfect Alison. I do not aim to hurt you."

She shook with fear at the words he spoke, still unable to shake the feeling she was in trouble. "Then who are you and what do you want with me?"

"I am the Mitre," He replied while dipping his head slightly in an odd sort of bow.

"The what? I don't understand...please, please let me go?"

"Alison, we will have plenty of time to talk. Let me reassure you, that I intend you no harm. I am the Mitre, and I have selected you as the first subject for my human experimentation. You will be free to leave when I have the results and data required."

His voice had calmed her down slightly, she was still concerned for her well-being, but that voice... it had such a relaxing effect.

"Why me?"

He grinned once more, that perfect handsome Hollywood grin.

"Because Alison, you are my favourite."

She flinched, still unsure of exactly what he meant. She looked at his still smiling face and felt a little more relaxed.

"I'm your favourite? for what, what does that mean? Are you... going to eat me?"

The Mitre laughed a deep chuckle. Clearly enjoying her confusion he replied, "No Alison, I do not intend to eat you, I don't know where you humans have been."

He took a moment to smile at his own little joke, he seemed entertained by just the act of speaking and continued with an electricity that captivated Alison while she listened.

"I am a traveler, a scientist and a tinkerer of sorts. This is the first time I have been to this dimension and your Earth, you are the first human I have had the pleasure of meeting. I chose you, because I like you."

"You like me? how long have you been watching me?"

"Not long. I arrived in orbit several days ago. For the first few I absorbed your languages, your cultures and your history. After I was satisfied I could converse contextually with any subjects I chose, I began my search for you. Well, for any subject really. But here you are, the right time, the right place and the right hair colour."

"The right hair colour?" she asked, utterly confused.

"Yes, I like your hair, it's a shade of auburn red, just like the flowers that grow around my homeland."

Alison couldn't help but notice a warm sense of contemplation come over him as he said this. "So you kidnapped me to experiment on me because of my hair, great, just great!" she said with a sad exasperated breath.

The Mitre chuckled again before continuing, "No Alison, you were selected for a number of criteria. You have an average height for a human female around "5'5, your weight and figure are natural and slim as one would expect of an optimal diet. Your skin is pale and readily shows changes, damage or injury, very helpful when learning the limitations of a new species. Most importantly I selected you for your behavioural motivations."

This was surreal, she was discussing why she was a perfect lab-rat with a 7 foot tall handsome purple alien that had the charm of a crooner and the smile of a movie star.

Alison hesitated before speaking, "My skin readily shows damage or injury... just what sort of experiments are you going to be doing? Can I please just leave? you seem to be a reasonable, uh, person? Just let me go and pick someone else?"

He shot her that grin again and her heart sank, as this was not a good sign that he would let her go. Despite this, she found herself smile a small smile back at him.

"Alison, let me ask you a question. Why are you the only female of prime breeding age, with your beauty and natural attractive proportions by both human standards and the statistical standards of my computer algorithms, that does not have a partner, or social life at your local education facility?"

"Uh what? Are you asking why a girl like me is single?" She struggled to understand the relevance of such an odd question, but took note of the clinical compliment that came with it.

"Yes Alison, but more accurately, why is a girl as beautiful as you, single and without a dedicated social life at your college?"

She felt her cheeks go warm, as she puzzled to understand why he would bring this up, after all she was currently being held to a table by robotic arms. "I'm not an overly attractive girl and I don't have time for those sort of friendship circles I guess?"

The Mitre looked her over, he was staring at her cheeks. She was sure she was blushing by now, and wondered if this is what he meant when he said pale skin readily shows changes, damages or injury

"Come now Alison, you and I both know you are far smarter a girl than that. I chose you for your behaviours and motivations, the least you could do is be honest with me and honest with yourself. You spend most of your time studying the greatest writers and thinkers of human observation in history. We both know you have plenty of time for friends if you had the motivation."

She listened to his response, saddened that he didn't correct her about being unattractive.'Wait what? Am I really fishing for compliments from this alien man? No, no I'm just stressed, that's all. This is just a stressful situation, anyone would struggle to hold onto any positives.'

As if reading her mind, the Mitre added, "Oh and Alison, you are objectively beautiful, my favourite human out of the lot."

He grinned and a wave of relief melted through her. She could definitely feel herself blush that time. As he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, um The Mitre?" she paused to see if that name felt right to him, though he gave no sign either way to accept or disprove. "I would have to say, that my social habits are possibly due to a strong dislike of how most people my age are consumed by a need to party, drink and throw their time into pointless acts of social behaviour. None of that will be important even 2-3 years down the line, just wasted time with nothing to show for it."

"EXACTLY!" he exclaimed loud and abrupt.

The Mitre's enthusiastic declaration made Alison jump once more. He seemed oblivious to her reaction and came closer, sitting half on the table she was restrained to. Alison could feel his hand against her side as he propped himself up on the table. He was warm, even through her clothes she could feel his warmth.

"I chose you because, by all rights you too should be a slave to your biological imperative. Yet there you are, focused on learning all you can about the cumulative works of mankind. You are not mentally defective, and you are not unattractive, yet you choose to avoid the basic animal nature that others are unable to avoid. I chose you Alison, because I wish to learn about a Human in my experiments, and not just some rutting animal."

Alison felt oddly proud of his statements. She felt happy that she was noticed for something so profound. Regardless of the precarious situation she was in, this handsome alien seemed to think quite highly of her and validated her life choices.

The Mitre shifted his weight and placed a hand on her upper thigh. Alison froze from the unexpected contact, her mind raced, his hands were so large and so warm. His light lavender purple skin looked unusual, but not at all disgusting to her. His hand lightly squeezed her leg, sending ripples through her body. There was just something about him, the air around him seemed alight with enthusiasm and his charming disposition did nothing but soothe her fears and concerns.

"So Alison, would you like to help me with my experiment? Would you be willing to help me learn of humankind? Are you prepared to be an ambassador for the human species, as the first I have encountered?"

She considered his request before conceding, "Well, I guess when you put it like that, it's hard to say no. I will be able to go home afterwards right? And you're not going to hurt me?"

"You will be free to come and go as you please, and no, I do not intend to harm you." He smiled.

Alison took a deep breath, "Then yes, I will help you."

The Mitre stood up from the table and with a clap of his large hands and another deep grin he spoke aloud.

"Wonderful! Computer, commence recording bio-signs and observations, experiment to commence with Subject cooperation."

*"Subject willingness is irrelevant, experimentation recording has commenced,"* buzzed back the computer.

The Mitre looked up at the lighting module with an amused reaction, before lightly scolding it, "Oh behave. Try and act like you understand freewill for once. You'll scare poor Alison here right back to Earth and far away from my experiments!"

The modules camera whirred again and returned to its original position within the ceiling, now set in place above Alison. The Mitre turned back to her with a reassuring smile.

"Don't let the ships A.I. frighten you. We have yet to work on its bedside manner in this dimension. It's not every day we have such a delightful planet with such enticing subjects as yourself to work with."

Alison's heart pounded once more, she was starting to worry about what it was exactly she had just agreed too. Taking a moment to clarify some thing, she asked the Mitre, "Where are we right now? Are we in space?"

"Yes, we are on my ship set in orbit around your planet, though cloaked and free from human detection." His reassuring smile remained constant and unwavering.

Alison's head spun again, this was all quite a lot to take in. The Mitre was still standing up, and she felt less comfortable than when he was sitting beside her.

"What exactly are the experiments you want my help with?" she asked, almost scared of the answer.

He look at her intently before addressing her with an air of clinical interest, "I have a number of questions I hope you can answer for me Alison, some verbally, others through observation and interaction. I already know a comfortable amount about human culture and society in general so I wont be focusing on those topics, you are all quite adorable really."

The Mitre gave her a look of pity with that last comment and she felt a little bit patronized.

"What do you mean we are adorable?" she shot back defensively.

"Well, you are a funny little race with big dreams. You go about from place to place convincing yourselves you are in complete control as a civilized and capable society, yet you spend the majority of your time pacifying yourselves. With entertainment designed to numb your intellect and unhealthy foods designed to numb your physical aptitude. Such a funny little group of contradictions."

She had to admit, he wasn't exactly wrong, "Hmm, I guess I see what you mean. But I don't do those things if it helps you at all to know."

"I am aware, this is again why you were chosen Alison. My dear sweet perfect Alison," he said once more with that reassuring smile.

He placed his hand once more on her body, this time it was her upper arm. He smiled a warm comforting and appreciative smile at her, his features softened and he looked genuinely pleased to see her. His touch made her shiver and his gaze relaxed her. She couldn't help but smile back at him again, her mind floating from the strange compliment.

"Are you ready for the first few questions of this experiment?"

She nodded.

The Mitre cleared his throat and began, "Do you find me to be attractive?"

'What?!?' she thought,'Why does he want to know that, whats that have to do with anything?' She blushed. He smiled once more that perfect toothy grin.

"Objectively Alison, do you find me to be a visually pleasing partner in this experiment?"

His wording was unusual and it made her heart beat a little faster, but none the less she asked, "Why is that important?"

"I need to know before we continue, it's important to have an understanding of how you perceive me, before we go any further."

She thought about it honestly for the first time'Yeah, I guess he is quite attractive, for a tall handsome strange purple man. God, I can't believe I find him attractive.' "Yes, I think you are attractive, for an alien"

The Mitre chucked his deep laugh once more before questioning her further, "And do you believe you are of sound mind and judgement, not influenced in that opinion by anything other than your own personal thoughts and feelings?"

She blinked at the boiler plate psychological study style questioning'Where is he going with this?' "Yes, I'm of sound mind. Though the shackles around my hands and feet could make an argument for coercion."

The Mitre shot her another toothy grin, he eyed her for the longest time, almost as if he was watching to see how her mind clicked and turned in the silence.

"You truly are the best possible subject for this experiment Alison. Those restraints remain on you, for the very same reason I asked you those previous two questions. I enjoy a big reveal, and you seem to have beaten me to it."

She was confused by this, but before she could question him, he leaned forward. His face was close to hers, his hand squeezed her shoulder, she shivered at his touch. He was so warm, she could feel his radiant heat from here. His blue eyes drank her in, she could see them looking towards her lips, to her neck, to her... nose. He was staring at her nose, "What do I smell like Alison?"

It was an intimate question, made all the more intimate by his proximity to her. She couldn't help but take a deep breath after his words, her mind raced like it was in overdrive. His scent was clear and strong in her mind. It was good. She loved it, she craved it. Every breath she took, was like another shot of morphine, she felt heat radiate through her body, her veins were flooding with fireworks and hunger. She struggled to calm herself, her mind was fixating on his lips. She wanted to get closer to him, her body tingled with desire to taste him further.