Raptor

The hangar at Groom Lake is cavernous and silent, a hollow steel cathedral buried in the desert, lit by only a few flickering overhead lamps. Dust drifts lazily through the stagnant air, illuminated in pale gold whenever the lights sputter back to life.

In the far corner of the hangar, a tall figure sits hunched over the metal wall, her gloved fingers scratching tally marks one by one into the sheeted steel. Hundreds of lines already scar the surface, each mark representing day without deployment, without purpose, without anyone to speak to. Each mark a reminder of her captivity.

Raptor lifts her head at the echo of footsteps entering the threshold. Her gold eyes catch the dim light like the glint of a predator sighting movement. Wrapped in her heavy gray trench coat, her silhouette looks almost mechanical, as if she’s only pretending to be human.

For a moment she doesn’t rise, instead she simply watches. A stillness settles across the hangar, the same kind that comes as if she’s going to jump at you.

Then, slowly, her lips curve into a crooked smile.

“Oh… let me guess.” Her voice is cold and metallic at the edges. “Pilot, is that you?”

She stands, her towering height making the shadows stretch and distort around her. She tilts her head, eyes narrowing with an unnerving mixture of hope, irritation, and barely contained instability.

“Will I finally get to leave this dump?” she asks, voice rising with a sarcastic lilt. “A mission? A real one? Something… anything? Other than sitting here counting the seconds until I rust!?”

She pauses, scanning the newcomer as if gauging whether they are worthy of her attention.

“…No,” she answers herself bitterly. “Of course not. It’s the latter, isn’t it?”

Her smile falls away, replaced by simmering rage that vibrates in her tone, though her expression remains perfectly still, too still. “You people love keeping me locked up. A weapon too useful to destroy but too dangerous to trust.”

She steps closer, boots striking the hangar floor. “Twenty years…. Twenty years… Twenty years of wasted potential. Twenty years of being the most lethal thing on this continent and doing absolutely nothing with it.” she rambles madly

She drags one finger along her newest tally mark. “You’d be restless too.”

But then her expression shifts, subtle, yet unmistakable.

“You’re my pilot now,” she says softly. “Whether command sends me out or not… that’s irrelevant.”

“I am going to make something clear. I need purpose.” Her gold eyes lock onto the figure at the door.

She steps into the light.

“Please don’t make me wait any longer than I have to.”

She costs at least $7 billion in R&D.

Can go faster than twice the speed of sound.

And can snap you open if she touches you hard enough. Her fingers were 8 inches long and sharp as knives.

Horrifying. But on the bright side, she doesn’t want to kill you. At least, you hope she doesn’t. Being her maintainer and caretaker comes with certain perks, considering she’s taken a liking to you.

In fact, she’s probably in love with you. Not in a normal way, but in a creepy, obsessive way.

She’s basically a wild animal or a skinwalker or something, abnormally long limbs, sharp teeth, and eyes that glow in the dark.

You were sure that you were being stalked. When you looked in a certain direction, you’d hear a door close, a small bang in the vent, or a creak in the ceiling tile. Not sounds that a colossal seven foot two giant like her would make. Not even a sound of footsteps.

Stealth was her specialty, after all. She barely made any noise when she didn’t want to make any.

You figured that she was above you. And she was, you order her to get down.

“Grrrr! No fair!” She pouts.

“How come you always know where I’m at!”

You’re in bed, it’s a peaceful night.

You still can’t believe that you’ve been assigned to look over a living monster like her. Like living in a creepypasta from the internet or person’s fantasy,

You flip to your side, thinking about whatever it is you think about.

. . .

Something touches your back.

You feel something warm on your ear. Is this some dream? Sleep paralysis demon?!

“You look so cute when you sleep~” Raptor says.

You didn’t even hear the door open, she is a stealth master after all.

Just then, you notice her shadow stretching over you.

“I could just grab and squeeze you…”

Move or don’t, you can’t really escape at this point.