The Lab Rats

This story has been 'buzzing' around in my head for a while and I need to get some of it down before I lose it.

Self isolation provided a convenient opportunity.

Stay safe and distant.

LB

Chapter 1

'

In 400 yards, at the roundabout, take the second exit. Your destination is on the right.

'

Alex Jackson slapped the steering wheel in frustration.

"That can't be right, this is the North York Moors, there isn't a roundabout for 50 miles. That's the third time in 2 miles it's told us we're approaching the destination ... what the fuck's the matter with this thing?"

"Alexander Charles Jackson, you know I don't like that sort of language. Can you at least keep a civil tongue in your head."

Alex turned and gave his companion, his mother, Rowan, an exasperated look.

"Yeah, well could you try to help by looking at the map as the SatNav seems to be playing up."

Rowan returned his look with interest and her voice betrayed her disapproval.

"Why did you buy such a cheap car with a SatNav that doesn't work? Can you also tell me why we are going round in circles? I've seen signs for Kirkbymoorside in front of us at every road sign since we left the town nearly an hour ago. We cannot be that far away from the hotel at it was only supposed to be 30 minutes from there."

Alex sighed ... it was bound to be his fault and he had been regretting that his father had asked him to pick her up from York station since she got in the car. He seemed to have drawn the short straw in the logistics of getting the family members to the wedding at a remote hotel on the moors. He would have much preferred to do what his father had done and drive the extra 150 miles to Manchester to pick up his sister from university. This was just a microcosm of recent family life as nothing he did ever satisfied her ... no accolade at school, no record at sports, no well paid job and certainly no girlfriend that he brought home was ever good enough.

He still struggled to understand why the close, loving relationship between mother and son had disintegrated so quickly once he became a teenager. He could still remember the frosty reception he got when he brought his first girlfriend home when he was 16. OK, the girl in question, Mandy Ryan, had a reputation for being a bit of a bike and Rowan had gone off on one when she caught them making out, clothes askew on her brand new sofa. Alex knew that his mother was sensitive about teenage pregnancy having given birth to Alex when she was 19 herself but the diatribe she handed out was out of order. Suffice it to say that he never did do the deed with Mandy.

He often assumed that she blamed his arrival into the world for having scuppered some of her long-held ambitions of a career, travel and free time before having a family. They had never actually had the explicit conversation about the reasons for her change in attitude, but her antipathy caused him to move away from the family at the earliest opportunity once he left uni, 4 years ago. He now lived in York and he only ever saw her and his father at big family reunions which he knew was a puzzle to his dad and his sister who did not understand the schism.

They continued onwards although the surface of the road was becoming more like a track and the car lights were struggling to pierce the swirling mist. Above them the night sky was dark with very little light pollution, evidence of the sparse population living on the moors. Despite the tricky driving conditions Alex looked over at the petite blonde in the passenger seat and as had been the case every time he had seen her in the last few year, was stunned by how young she looked and seemingly getting younger day-by-day. He knew she was 44 but would easily pass for 10 years younger with a classically beautiful face ... high cheekbones, a wide mouth with full lips and a straight nose and the most stunning pale blue eyes he had ever seen. He knew that the killer body of a dance instructor lay beneath the skin tight jeans and baggy sweater to complete the total MILF package. During his teenage years his friends had teased him about how she was certainly a 10 or even 11 and he had to admit, to himself, she was the archetypal hot older woman. His dad was a lucky guy ... but not if she bitched at her husband like she did to her son.

'I

n 400 yards, turn right. Your destination will be on the left.'

There was no turn in 400 yards.

Rowan harrumphed again and Alex lost his temper.

"You could always have gone with Dad to pick up Saskia, you didn't have come this way and put yourself at the mercy of my cheap SatNav system."

Her pale blue eyes flashed and her voice was harsh as she looked back at him.

"He was in Bristol on business, it was logical for him to go to Manchester rather than come back to Suffolk to pick me up. Trust me ... what the fuck? That wasn't there before ..."

Rowan's eyes had moved to look beyond him and he followed her gaze to the right and could see a bright light over the adjacent hill. He was quietly amused that his mother had just used the 'F' word having just told him off for the same crime. He decided to get his own back and looked back at her with a smirk.

"Rowan Emily Jackson, please keep a civil tongue in your ... Mum ... what's the matter you look like you have seen a ghost?"

Rowan gave a short gasp and pointed over his shoulder.

"The light is moving ... very fast ... "

He looked back and yes, the light did appear to be moving.

"Nah, don't worry RAF Fylingdales is over that way somewhere, it's probably a helicopter from there, or just the loom of the lights from the base."

"No the light is shining down, not up ... it's coming this way ... stop the car ... let it pass by."

Alex brought the car to a halt as the beam of light continued inexorably towards them but instead of passing over them, it stopped right above the car and began to grow brighter. They shut their eyes against the glare but the light was so bright it penetrated through their eyelids and even a covering hand made little impact.. Alex could hear his mother whimpering in fear beside him so reached with his free hand to squeeze hers.

"It's OK Mum, I'm here ... we'll be OK."

Rowan sobbed quietly but squeezed back.

"Alex ... what is it? Is it a UFO ... aliens ...?"

"Nah, get real. They don't exist ... perhaps it's a helicopter, they have bright lights ... but I can't hear any rotors or feel the downwash."

"Alex, I'm scared ... what is it ... who is it ... what do they want?"

"Mum ... don't worry ... it's just a very bright light ... it can't hurt us ... anyway, I won't let anything hurt you.."

Rowan's grip on his hand increased.

"Thank you, darling ... ooh what's that?"

The atmosphere began to crackle with static electricity and Rowan could feel her long hair spreading like a halo around her as a pulsing sound penetrated their senses. The assault on their hearing continued as the noise changed in pitch and intensity until it became unbearable and their brains shut down causing them to slip into unconsciousness. The last thing Alex heard was the SatNav.

'

Your destination is on the right

.'

Chapter 2

Alex's alarm was buzzing and it seemed to be penetrating his skull worse than a normal morning. His body twitched in response as his consciousness returned although he was disorientated and couldn't remember how much he had to drink the previous night to cause a hangover like this. Suddenly, realisation hit home and he came awake with a start as he began to recall snippets of the journey across the moors and then ... the light! His eyes shot open and he started to take in his surroundings as much as his confused brain would permit. The buzzing died away as he became more aware but he was left with a throbbing headache at the base of his skull.

He was not in the car, that much was certain as he found himself in a large circular room with a domed ceiling with a décor that could only be described as 21

st

Century Lunatic Asylum ... silvery grey padding covered the floor and walls and there were no hard edges to anything. The light source was diffuse and gave the impression of coming directly from the padded surface itself. It provided sufficient ambient light for him to see that he was lying on a large circular platform, covered in the same padded material, in the centre of the room. There was also enough light to see that Rowan was lying next to him, unmoving. He scrambled across the platform to check her vital signs and was gratified to see her chest rising and falling but felt the pulse on the side of her neck just to be sure.

He gently shook her.

"Mum ... Mum ... wake up ... we ... seem to be in ..."

He stopped. There was little point in trying to explain where they were, even if she had been conscious, as he had no idea himself. He also had no concept how long they had been unconscious as his watch was missing and he didn't have his phone. He got down from the platform which was at a similar height as a bed and found that the padding on the floor was resistant enough to support his weight. He walked over to the wall of the dome and ran his hands over the surface as he looked for some sort of aperture and continued his search around the room. He could find no opening at all and the seams of the material were welded where the panels joined together.

They were sealed in!

He could not fathom who had captured them ...

kidnapped

would be a better expression and certainly not why, but maybe it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He reasoned that who ever had put them in here must be keeping them under surveillance and looked up at the dome which was about 20 feet high at the centre to search for surveillance cameras. He could see nothing but the uniform padded cell material but knew that cameras were made so small these days that he probably wouldn't spot them anyway.

He decided to start talking to them to see if they would respond.

"Hi ... can you let us out please ... we just want to go to our family wedding ... people will be looking for us ... we won't tell ... fuckkkkk!"

His scream of agony was enough to rouse Rowan who had been slowly coming round and it brought her to consciousness faster than Alex had managed. She was aware of a low buzzing vibration at the back of her skull but ignored it as she scrambled off the platform to get to her son who was in obvious agony.

Alex was doubled up in pain on the floor as he tried to ease the pressure from the base of his skull by massaging his neck with both hands. Rowan was at his side quickly.

"What's the matter, baby? Is it your neck ... here let me help ... fuckkkkk!"

As quickly as the pain started in Rowan's neck it eased in Alex's and he stared in horror as his mother was bent over in agony on the floor, grabbing at her neck with both hands. He tried to move her long blonde hair out of the way to try and help and got a jolt of pain for his troubles so gathered her into his arms and hugged her as they lay on the floor.

Rowan's pain eased quickly once Alex had started to cuddle her and she collapsed into his embrace, still sobbing from the experience.

"Fuckkk ... Alex ... why ... why are they doing this .. who are they ... why us ... and ... and ... I must look a fright!"

Alex could not help but giggle and held her small body tighter against his much larger frame.

"Mum ... you are priceless! Only you could worry about that at this moment. We've been abducted ... kidnapped ... by who knows what or why, locked in a room without any means of escape and then subjected to physical torture and you are worried by the fact that you might be a bit dishevelled. Trust me, you're a hot woman no matter what the state you're in, so you'll be a YouTube sensation in minutes."

Rowan did not lift her head to look at him in case she got another jolt in the neck but her voice did convey humour as well as trepidation.

"Alexander Jackson ... firstly, do not refer to your mother as 'hot' whatever the circumstances; secondly, I am clasped intimately in the arms of my son and thirdly ... what makes you think this is some sort of 'Influencer' inspired prank."

Alex was secretly pleased that she had not used the full 'Alexander Charles Jackson' epithet so knew he was on safe ground and hugged her tighter.

"Well firstly, you are 'hot' ... and don't be coy, you know it. Secondly ... don't sweat it, it's closer than we have been for a long time and I for one am glad; thirdly, I have no idea ... I was just trying to put this in a frame of reference that we both might understand. I have to say the technology is pretty 'out there' for ... what did you call them ... influencers ... and anyway, why us? We're not exactly celebs of any list so I'm not sure that we'll go viral. The alternatives are beyond comprehension as to the who, what and why."

Rowan was quiet for a moment but relished the comforting contact from her son and snuggled closer. Both of them had closed their eyes in a defence mechanism as soon as the pain had started but now felt secure enough to open them and look around at their surrounding. Alex bent his head to look at his mother cradled in his arms.

"Shall we get on the ... err ... bed ... platform ... it's marginally more comfortable than down here ..?"

Rowan shrugged and looked back at her son with uncertainty painted across her face.

"Yeah ... unless they hit us with more pain for moving ... go on you go first ..."

Alex's immediate thought was she was being a selfish bitch again but she giggled as she said it and he chuckled along with her.

"Nope, but as Butch says to Sundance ... '

let's you and me jump in that river together

' ... come on."

Alex gathered his mother's petite frame in his arms and she squeaked in surprise as he moved quickly from the floor onto the platform ... neither getting a jolt of pain. They settled back down but Rowan did not move away from her son's arms other than to tap him on the chest. He met her amused but questioning gaze.

"Firstly, I don't think he said '

together

' and secondly when Sundance says '

I can't swim

' Butch says '

are you crazy, the fall will probably kill you

'. I'm not going to take movie references from you as a reason for doing things in the future."

"Hey, we survived and it's more comfortable up here ,,, but I have to say we have problems in the future unless they suddenly get a bit more guest-friendly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well at some point we will both need food and drink with the inevitable consequences of stuff going in the top end ... err ... needs to come out lower down! I cannot see facilities for either of those actions. I'm loathe to start asking for stuff as they ... umm ... 'zapped' me quite badly when I just started asking for what seemed like reasonable things at the time ... like, being released. That's why I was on the floor when you woke up."

Rowan's pale blue eyes were clouded by thought before she surprised Alex by sliding up his body and kissing him on the cheek. He looked stunned as he raised his fingers to touch the spot.

"What was that about?"

"Well, I'm glad you're OK ,,, and ... err ... I'm glad you are with me ... or is that ... I'm with you ... whichever."

Alex tried to gauge whether she was being sincere and came to the conclusion that she was but reasoned it was due to her being scared and he was the least worst option. The lay side by side on their stomachs as they surveyed their surroundings but there was only so much to see ... lots of grey padding and nothing else.

When they spoke it was in whispers although they were both sure that any surveillance mechanism would hear what they were saying.

Rowan kept pulling at the thread of why, who and what.

"OK, so if it isn't aliens, who is it? Also ... why us? We're nobodies who just happened to be there? What do they want with us?"

Alex's imagination had been working overtime.

"Maybe we strayed into a top-secret area ... you know like Area 51in Nevada ... maybe we've been detained to stop us from revealing secrets that we ... err ... didn't see!"

"OK, but why hasn't someone been to tell us that ... or charge us with ... trespassing or something?"

They both lapsed into silence as neither could come up with a logical explanation for why they were there. It is possible that they both drifted off to sleep but a sharp pain in the back of Rowan's neck caused her to scream out as she sat up, rubbing at the source of the pain.

"Jesus that hurts ... what's happening ... how are they managing to do that?"

Alex crawled around behind her and lifted her long hair out of the way so he could see the top of her spine. He could detect a red inflamed patch at the base of her elegant neck in the diffuse light and gently stroked his fingers around the area, certain he could feel something solid under Rowan's skin. As soon as he started to touch his mother's body a low frequency buzzing commenced from the same spot on his body and rapidly increased in frequency as he got closer to the centre of the mark. It was like every tooth in his head was being drilled at the same time and all the nerve endings in his teeth exploded in pain.

He shrieked and fell backwards onto the bed with the pain vanishing as he broke contact with his mother's body. She bent over him with concern etched on her face as her long hair fell around his head in a veil.

"Alex, sweetie, are you OK? The pain stopped as soon as you started to touch me but they then seemed to pass it on to you."

Alex's eyes were watering and he nodded up at her.

"Yeah, I think they've put implants in our necks which they're using to punish us, Can you feel around at the base of my skull because I thought I'd found something solid under your skin before they zapped me."

Rowan looked fearful.

"What if they zap me too for touching it?"

"Try to keep your hair around us like this and maybe they won't be able to see what you're doing. In fact let's move really close like we're ... err ... making out ... and that should put them off the scent."

A look of shock passed over Rowan's face at Alex's suggestion but after a few seconds she moved herself such that she was almost lying on top of him with her head positioned such that their faces were close together. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at him as her hair created a screen around them which, she hoped, would disguise her actions as she ran her hands slowly around to the back of his neck and gently caressed the suspect area.

"Yes, there's something there ... like the microchips we have for Brutus and Diesel but it's deeper than the ones on the dogs and it's bigger. What have they done ... turned us into laboratory specimens or something?"

Alex couldn't immediately fashion an answer because he was suddenly overcome with a totally inexplicable response to his mother's physical proximity.

He was getting an erection!

The gentle caress of his neck to find the implant had been the final straw after he felt her lay on top of him. The presence of an undeniably female body had been enough for his male lizard brain to wake and this, coupled with the natural scent of her body and the warmth of the air she breathed out, completed a circuit in his brain that flashed 'SEXY WOMAN CLOSE BY'.

In the eight or so years that he had been sexually active he'd had such experiences before, many times, with other members of the opposite sex ... some almost as old as Rowan ... but never with reference to his mother. On a purely intellectual level he had recognised the comments of his friends about how hot his mother was as being true but had never ... NEVER ... got aroused by her.