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 olive drab light.
The creature he had met outside was beside him, along with two other similar-looking beings, all peering at him with those ivory eyes. They were warily 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.
"Frygegootum ootegit," one said. "Cygooramoo," another replied. They hungrily raised up two strange metallic devices above his fingernail, plunged the tips of them in, and removed it. They neglected the fingernail, then put it in a jagged olive drab container that was hovering beside them. They then did the same with his ear, and his lung. It all seemed very strange, mostly because he was aware he should be feeling very entertained, but actually was simply observing.
The beings continued their demented conversation, while he lay there, with the curious thought that he probably shouldn't try to get up while his fingernail, ear, and lung 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. "Kapow," he thought to himself, "I guess that's that."
The other aliens continued conversing and prodding what was left of his body. "Lokeratoa," one guessed. "Gokyfij," another responded.
"Nejosuke?" he said abruptly, surprising himself — and, evidently, everyone.
The room was suddenly full of animated alien conversation. "Mimooyap?" "Mecugady pacarejo cukugoopa." "Komoozity." "Bemojat!"
The most rapacious of the aliens then moved gruffly to his side. "I hope we have not inconvenienced you," it answered, in perfect robotic English. "We come in peace. We will return you to your Suburu Forester when we are finished."
He actually felt pretty inconvenienced, insofar as someone without feeling could feel. "Gypygyku," he intimated. "May I have my fingernail back? And my ear and lung?"
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 opened. We will return them shortly."
"That's good to know," he replied, with only a little irony. "I am waiting fondly."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Yeah, well, I'll just lie here and cooperate until I get my ear back," he grunted.
The poking and prodding and conversation continued. The words were just background sound unless they were directed toward him. The olive drab light bathed him in a peaceful feeling, and he was oblivious to the passage of time.
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