He must have passed out. Human had no recollection of how he got here, but he was lying on a table in a round room bathed in very bright beige light.
The creature he had met outside was beside him, along with five other similar-looking beings, all peering at him with those pea green eyes. They were boisterously conversing in the strange language he had heard earlier.
He was feeling no fear; in fact, he felt nothing. He was just watching everything, like those out-of-body experiences he had read about.
"Trojameleg aleteb," one said. "Bobihiti," another replied. They patiently raised up two strange metallic devices above his kneecap, plunged the tips of them in, and removed it. They dyed the kneecap, then put it in a ridged brown container that was hovering beside them. They then did the same with his claw, and his throat. It all seemed very strange, mostly because he was aware he should be feeling very frightened, but actually was simply observing.
The beings continued their prickly conversation, while he lay there, with the curious thought that he probably shouldn't try to get up while his kneecap, claw, and throat were missing. Meanwhile, one of the aliens lightly touched the side of the container, and his body parts were automatically whisked away and out of sight. "Gosh darn," he thought to himself, "I guess that's that."
The other aliens continued conversing and prodding what was left of his body. "Bylowekuo," one tittered. "Kebyzan," another responded.
"Cynehyjo?" he said abruptly, surprising himself — and, evidently, everyone.
The room was suddenly full of animated alien conversation. "Loocejoog?" "Lytiwupo ceporoocu tagirydoo." "Bucicumi." "Nocojot!"
The most jolly of the aliens then moved softly to his side. "I hope we have not inconvenienced you," it conversed, in perfect robotic English. "We come in peace. We will return you to your delivery van when we are finished."
He actually felt pretty inconvenienced, insofar as someone without feeling could feel. "Gokuwooba," he bellowed. "May I have my kneecap back? And my claw and throat?"
He realized that there was no language being used to communicate. All were understanding each other without the need to translate.
"They are currently in the lab, being marked. We will return them shortly."
"That's good to know," he replied, with only a little irony. "I am waiting ferociously."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Yeah, well, I'll just lie here and cooperate until I get my claw back," he implored.
The poking and prodding and conversation continued. The words were just background sound unless they were directed toward him. The beige light bathed him in a peaceful feeling, and he was oblivious to the passage of time.
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