A petite, blonde-haired woman wearing a dignified grey suit with yellow markings walked into a small waiting room. She gave a quick glance over the mostly-vacant seats.

“Janice?” she called.

“Yes, right here,” a black-haired woman with inhumanly pale skin replied as she eagerly stood up from one of the seats. Her wardrobe was a stark contrast to the dapper lady's outfit – a black tank-top with matching cargo pants and boots.

“Come on in,” said the suited lady.

On cue, Janice followed the woman into a monochrome office; Janice took a seat in one of the padded chairs in front of the desk, and the suited woman sat down behind the desk.

'Anders Ortega, Captain' was the well-dressed lady's name and title, as demonstrated by the gilded name plaque facing Janice.

“So,” Anders began, adjusting her ponytail, “I don't do this often, especially for someone like you.”

Janice hummed in agreement.

“Let's make sure our time isn't wasted here, hm?” she continued.

“Right. The only thing I wish to discuss is the incident in cell 97.”

Anders raised an eyebrow. “Okay. What about it?”

“Well, there are a couple details about it that I would like to bring up.” Janice spoke carefully, keeping her tone of voice agreeable and friendly. “Firstly, nobody was informed that that cell was occupied until the moment Damien entered the cell, and we know how that turned out. There was no update or announcement about it anywhere. That volon didn't officially exist until after the incident. Second of all, when Damien was sent in there, he had no backup personnel to speak of. The lack of an escort was a clear breach of procedure, and the mysterious presence of V-97 only makes me wonder more. Doesn't it seem strange to you?”

Anders waited a moment before taking a long, deep breath. She started gently tapping a pen on the surface of her desk. “Damien was a great researcher, and his death was a terrible tragedy. But, Janice, I don't have the answers you're looking for. My orders were to send Damien to cell 97 to perform preliminary tests on a new specimen; it was an order I've given many times, and it was something he'd done many times. That's it.” She shrugged.

“But Damien is – was – under your direct supervision. Shouldn't you have–”

“What are you trying to say, Janice? I got my orders from the director himself. It's not my job to investigate freak accidents. We have a different team for that.”

“Can I meet with someone from that team, then?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because they're way higher up than me. I don't even have the permission to see them on a whim, let alone someone such as yourself.”

Janice huffed. “Would I at least be able to have the info on cell 97's new occupant?”

“...Fine, I'll give you that.” Anders stood up and walked over to a shelf lined with binders and documents. She quickly pointed out the folder prominently labeled V-97, which she took from the shelf and placed on the desk.

Janice waited patiently, watching Anders take a few pages out, walk over to her rather old-fashioned photocopier, and individually scan each page. Every second in Anders' office felt like an hour while watching her do something so menial.

The captain put a paperclip on the bundle of papers and handed them to Janice without a word.

“Thanks,” Janice replied, taking the papers.

“Is that all?” Anders impatiently asked.

“Yeah. Thanks for meeting with me.” Janice hastily stepped out of Anders' office without a reply.

Janice walked out of the waiting room and down a small flight of stairs, which led to a hall that turned a couple times before opening up into a larger foyer. She passed several security officers stationed around every door and stairwell, suited up in grey and red combat armour with holstered firearms attached to their waists. She paid little mind to them; her relationship with the facility's guards was forced, at best.

Aside from the odd guard here and there, she was the foyer's only occupant. Janice walked into a lengthy passage that led to a junction, lined with nine staircases leading to the floor below. She took the second flight of stairs from the left.

The floor below the main level was much more dark and grim than the rest of the complex – its smooth walls and polished floor transitioned into an underground prison, with metal and stone melding together to form the floor, walls, and ceiling of a dreary passage lined with several vault-like doors, all labeled with a “V” and a number.

Janice walked along the rows of doors until she reached V-33. She pulled a card out of her pocket, swiped it through the slot in the door's keypad, and opened the door.

Home, sweet home, she sarcastically told herself. The room was a huge, white, square box, brightly illuminated by powerful lights on the ceiling. Janice eyed down the small collection of furniture against the middle of the leftmost wall that she had fashioned into a personal space – complete with a desk, chair, drawer, bed, and umbrella. It almost looked out of place in the massive room, as the vast majority was in pristine, untouched condition, compared to her tiny, cluttered space.

Janice ambled over to her spot and sat down at the small, unkempt desk. She slapped V-97's document on its surface, flipped open the pages, and immediately started skimming through it.

“Found in Apartment 88 of Karma's Gateway by Operative Aidan, imitating a male middle-aged civilian by the name of Seth Lapine,” she whispered aloud as she read, “apprehended by Operative James, two minutes after discovery. Initial height, 9' 11” when apprehended, 14' 3” natural height. Weight, 664 pounds. Unstable, aggressive and violent tendencies. Possessed the ID card of Seth Lapine. Operative Damien M... killed by V-97 on day of arrival, method... consumption.”

She sighed.

Three pictures filled the next page: one shot of V-97 crawling on the ground, one shot of V-97 restrained to a metal board, and one blurry shot of V-97 with its mouth open, lunging for something just beneath the camera. However, what stood out to Janice wasn't what V-97 was doing in these pictures, it was its appearance.

Why does this volon look like him, of all people? Janice could tell V-97 had quite a high level of intelligence just from the imitation it attempted with Seth, but what bothered her more was its outfit. That volon obviously had a story to tell, and Janice was confident that if there was anyone who could get that story, it was her.

She would have to arrange an escort – something she wish she'd asked about while meeting with Anders – since she wasn't allowed to access any cells without at least two guards monitoring her. A tense arrangement, but a mandatory one.

She may have missed her opportunity to ask the captain about it, but she had one more idea in mind. One more person who might be able to help her out.

Thus, only minutes after returning to her room, she left, bringing along the photos of V-97. Her destination was a psyche lab in a different branch of the facility, which led her back up the stairs to the facility's main floor and down the hall to the bright foyer. However, instead of hugging the eastern wall as she did earlier, she proceeded through the northern passage.

Compared to the straight halls she normally accessed, the northern section of the facility was a maze of zigzagging passages and laboratories haphazardly branching from the main hall. There were colour coded instructions on the walls that made the passage a bit more feasible to navigate through, but Janice was familiar enough with the facility to safely ignore them.

It was only a few moments before she ended up at a large door with 'Dr. Lowe' engraved on it, with two guards standing stoic just outside. She just hoped he was available.

Janice pushed a button near the door, revealing a small laboratory with a tiled floor and metallic counters, encompassed by navy blue paint coating the walls.

“Carson?” Janice stepped into the lab.

A well-built researcher with a scruffy beard and a long, sky blue coat draped over his body stood alone in the far corner of the room. He looked up at her for just a moment, his face lighting up the instant their eyes met.

“Jan! Good to see you!” He cheered.

Janice grinned. “It's good to see you, too. Your smile is contagious as ever.”

Carson chuckled, walking over to Janice. “Oh, you have to put on a good face in a place like this – it'd drive you mad otherwise!”

His voice was always so genuine that Janice couldn't tell if that remark was serious or not.

“So, what brings you here today?” He clasped his hands in front of his chest.

“It's a couple things.” Janice gently reached over and pushed the button to shut the door. “Sensitive things.” A small thud of the door's automatic latch confirmed their privacy.

Carson raised an eyebrow. “Mmm, I understand,” he began, keeping his voice down, “What's going on?”

Looking from side to side, Janice stepped closer to him. “You know about Damien, right?” she whispered.

The cheer on Carson's face was short lived, changing to an expression of pain the moment Janice mentioned Damien's name. He shut his eyes and nodded his head. “Yes, I know.”

“I'm sorry to bring it up so soon, I jus-”

“No no,” Carson interrupted, “it's okay. It's not your fault I grew too close to my co-workers here.”

“I guess. But, Carson...” Janice paused, darting her eyes back and forth one more time, “I think Damien was set up.”

“Pardon me? You think his death was intentional?”

“I don't know for sure. But there are too many abnormalities about it to just let his passing go without an investigation of some kind.”

“What do you mean by this? I'm all ears.”

“Short version: Damien was sent in cell 97 alone to do preliminary tests on a volon that, according to our records at the time, did not exist.”

Carson exhaled sharply. “No kidding, huh?”

“No kidding,” Janice repeated. “And I don't mean to make light of the topic, but there's a different pressing matter that I need your help with.”

“Hmm?”

“It's about that same volon. I want to meet it.”

“What?” Carson's voice was filled with bewilderment. “You want to go in there and introduce yourself right after it just murdered one of our colleagues?”

“Frankly... yes.”

“Frankly, that's poppycock! You'll be killed too!”

“Honestly, I think I'll be okay.”

Carson shrugged. “I don't get it. Why would you want to go in there? And what makes you think you'll magically get out unharmed?”

“There's something about that volon's clothes that–”

“What, are you a fashionista now?” He let out a concerned chuckle.

Janice rolled her eyes. “Look.” She stood beside Carson, pulled out the pictures of V-97, and promptly handed them over to him.

Carson inspected them closely for a few seconds. “My word,” he mumbled. “Okay, I'll give you that, Jan. That outfit... that is rather odd. But how is it worth risking your life over?”

“Like I said, I think I'll be okay. I have a rather innate understanding of volons,” Janice affirmed, raising an eyebrow.

“Mmm... I suppose you do, don't you? I just hope you know exactly what you're doing. But may I ask how this involves me?”

“I can't do it without guards watching my back.”

“And you're asking me to loan you my security personnel on the other side of that door?”

Janice raised her eyebrows and smiled.

“You couldn't just sneak in there on your own?” Carson joked.

“You know how much these guys are sticklers for protocol.”

Carson huffed. “If I get caught doing this for you, there could be trouble for both of us if your claim about Damien has any merit. Thus... I fear the consequences of disobeying any policies right now.”

“I won't be long. Thirty minutes max. We'll be fine, I promise!”

“Fifteen.”

“If V-97 is stable enough to communicate with, I want to try to tell it not to hurt any of us. It still has to go through preliminary testing, right? This could save lives. Thirty.”

“You know what this thing is capable of. Do you really think you're going to be able to get through to it?” A look of deep thought washed over Carson's face. “I don't like it, Jan. Let me make that very clear. I'll... I'll do it, but you better be careful. I don't want to lose someone else so soon after... that...”

“Thank you so much,” Janice beamed. “I'll be as careful as possible.”

“Thirty. Minutes.” Carson sternly emphasized, wagging a finger with each word. “If you're not back in thirty, I can't call for a rescue without throwing us both under the bus. So you're on your own with this after you leave this room.”

“I know. I won't be long.”

Carson walked past Janice and opened the door, beckoning for the two armoured guards to come inside the lab. Once they stepped inside, he shut the door behind them.

“You two... I need you to escort Janice to – 97, was it? – V-97's cell and station there for half an hour or until she leaves the cell. Return to your post here afterward, and keep it on the down-low.”

The faceless guards nodded at each other, voicing their acknowledgment through their mechanical helmets.

“Thanks again, Cars.” Janice turned to the lab's entrance. “I'll come see you as soon as I can, and I'll give you the full scoop on Damien.”

“Be safe.”

With the two soldiers in tow behind Janice, she opened the door and walked back into the hallway.

She backtracked down her route through the complex once again, from the lab to the foyer and back to the cell block, acting as casual as possible to avoid suspicion from any prying eyes. The foyer and halls were, thankfully, just as empty as before, providing few witnesses to her armed escort. When she made it to the junction with the nine staircases, instead of taking the second staircase from the left, she took the fifth – straight down the middle.

Janice found herself in another hallway identical to the one connected to her cell, the only difference being the numbers on the top of each of the bulky doors. She counted the labels as she walked along the series of doors – V-91, V-92, V-93 – until she reached V-97's cell.

She stared it down and took a deep breath. She approached the door and stood on the tips of her toes to peer through the door's narrow window, but there was nothing in view. It seemed clear to enter.

With a quick glance back at the soldiers behind her, she pulled her keycard out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

Janice stepped inside V-97's cell, quickly shutting the door behind her. Sitting against the rightmost wall was a massive figure clothed in black pants and a matching coat, its face obscured by an exceptionally wide-brimmed black hat and a pair of purple scarves, one hanging from its hat and and one from its neck. The only other item of note in the room was a pair of brown shoes strewn near the cell's entrance.

The distant figure looked up and spotted Janice. It immediately scrambled to its feet and began rushing toward her.

“New human!” V-97 shrieked. “New human!”

Don't show fear, she reminded herself. Stay cool.

V-97 was approaching too fast for her to avoid its charge.

“I'm not a human!” Janice confidently shouted.

Once the towering creature was only a couple dozen feet away, it started slowing down. Janice held her open palm at V-97 as it eventually came to a stop a couple feet in front of her.

V-97 reached down and grabbed onto Janice's shoulders before hyperventilating right into her face. She shut her eyes and remained motionless until the volon leaned back a few seconds later.

“You're no human...” V-97 hissed. “You smell like... one of me.”

Janice nodded. “I am one of you.”

V-97 let go of her and hopped away, screeching as it flailed around. “No food! No!” It eventually planted itself against one of the room's far walls, its face flat against the smooth surface.

Waiting for the moaning to subside a bit, Janice cautiously followed V-97. She awkwardly waited around until the volon stopped its shrill whining.

“I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help,” she said, hoping to clarify her intentions.

V-97 didn't respond.

“Do you have a name?” she quietly asked after a long pause.

“I'm called Zev,” the volon groaned, its voice muffled from its face still being pressed against the wall. “What are you called?”

“My name is Janice.”

Zev... she thought, shutting her eyes for a moment. I knew there was something more to this guy.

“Zev, huh? Where did you get your name from?”

“A picture on a wall.”

Her small talk seemed to be working. “Yeah? Where was that picture...?”

Zev lifted their face off the wall and slowly turned their head toward Janice. “Why do you need to know?” Zev growled through clenched teeth.

“Whoa, sorry, sorry! I don't need to know, I was just curious.”

“Why are you here, Janice? You said you wanted to help.”

“I do! It's just...” Janice could tell Zev didn't have the patience for a full explanation. She had to think of something, quickly. “I just need to know a bit about you before we can let you out of here.”

“Where is here?”

“This is... a... facility of sorts.”

No reply. Only a perturbed stare.

“Unfortunately, we're kind of trapped here...” Janice continued, avoiding prolonged eye contact.

“What?! Trapped?” Zev suddenly yelped.

“Well, yes, but-”

“No! No, no, no! I can't be trapped again! No, no...” Zev trailed off as they ran over to the cell's only door.

Janice stood and watched from afar as Zev looked through the door's small window, before they started scratching and pounding on the door. They let out an ear-splitting scream before collapsing on a nearby wall.

Janice was thankful Zev didn't take their frustrations out on her. She quietly walked over to them, keeping enough distance to stay out of any further tantrums.

“Let me out,” Zev whined.

“I'm sorry, I can't.” Janice bluntly explained.

“Let me out.”

“Listen,” Janice started, keeping her voice soft, “why don't we talk about something else.”

“Let me out...”

A brilliant idea popped into her head.

“If you behave while we chat for a little bit,” she continued, “I'll get you some food.”

Zev immediately perked up, bringing their full attention back to Janice. “I want food.”

Janice couldn't help but smirk. “You'll get it, as long as you cooperate.”

“Yes! Bring me food, Janice.”

Were it not for Zev's man-eating tendencies, Janice would've giggled at their juvenile demeanor. But she had a good guess as to what Zev was expecting when she said “food.”

She took a few more steps toward Zev. “So, can I ask what you were doing before you came here?”

Zev leaned back against the wall and slid down to a sitting position. “I was exploring Seth's house.”

“Seth, hm?” Janice recalled the name on the report she read – Seth Lapine. For whatever reason, Zev had his ID. “Do you know him at all?”

“I know he was tasty.” Zev cracked a wicked, menacing grin.

Oh no. She cringed, turning away while instinctively biting her lip. The more she knew about Zev, the less she wanted to know about Zev.

“Later, a different human came inside the house. I think he was called Aidan.”

Janice inhaled sharply, raising her eyebrows with concern. “Don't tell me you...”

“Ah, ah, I didn't. He had a gun.”

Janice looked up at the ceiling, breathing a sigh of relief.

“He pointed it at me, and we got in a fight. Then I ran away.”

“Did you get away from him?” She sounded surprised.

“Yes.” Zev put a hand on their hat and looked up a bit. “But... to say the truth... I don't know what happened after I got away. I can't remember.”

“I see. That's what I think happened to me too – my memory is still a bit foggy when I try to remember how exactly I got here.”

“Ah, you're just like me.”

Janice nodded in agreement, though wincing at the comparison. She walked over to the wall Zev was sitting against and leaned on it herself. “I'm curious about your clothes. They look nice,” she began as she inspected the volon's outfit, trying to shift the subject.

“I like them too,” Zev answered.

“Where did you get them?”

“None of your business!” Zev snorted, immediately locking eyes with Janice.

“Okay! Sorry, sorry.” She took a step back and raised her hands in front of herself. There's obviously something troubling about this fellow's past. But... what? Janice was starting to feel like she was walking on eggshells. “Is there... anything else you don't like talking about?”

“I don't like being trapped. I hate it, I hate it...” Zev moaned.

Janice hummed. “I know what you mean. I really do.” She looked around the room for a few seconds. “I want out of here too. So listen closely, okay?”

“Ah, ah?” Zev looked at Janice again.

“You need to show everyone that you can behave nicely like this. That's very important. If they think you're dangerous, they won't let you leave. But if you show them you can be civil and not eat people,” she paused, shivering at the thought, “you might be allowed to... roam free, you know?”

Janice knew the chances of that happening were almost zero, given what Zev had already done to Damien.

“Who is “everyone,” Janice? Who am I being captured by?” Zev asked.

“Well, it's a group of humans who–”

“Pah!” Zev spat. “We're being trapped by humans? How humiliating to be captured by my prey...”

“What- okay, no,” Janice stuttered, wide-eyed, “humans are not prey.”

“Then why do they taste good...?” Zev muttered, tilting their head down.

Janice took a deep breath, almost shaken up from how unsettling this creature was. “Listen, Zev... you can't eat humans anymore.”

“Why not?” Zev enthusiastically replied before Janice had a chance to continue.

“Because they're living beings just like us,” she explained, putting a hand on her chest. “They're intelligent, they have thoughts and feelings. They have lives just like we do. We're even speaking their language right now.”

“Humans are very interesting. But I don't understand.”

“You... don't understand? What don't you understand?” Janice was beginning to wonder if Zev was already too far gone to reason with.

“Did you know humans hunt other creatures for food?” Zev abruptly asked.

“Yes, I do know that.”

Zev leaned closer to their conversational partner. “What's so different about me hunting them?”

The longer Janice spent with Zev, the more uncomfortable she became. She could tell arguing about morality with someone like them was a lost cause.

“Uh, well... think of it like this. If volons started hunting humans on a larger scale, humanity would win. That's that. We may be powerful... but they are more advanced than you know. They would wipe us out if we started killing them. Wouldn't it be better if we could live in harmony instead?”

Zev raised their hands in the air and looked around the spacious, empty cell. “Is this harmony, Janice?”

“N-no, it's not. But we need to show humanity that we're capable of harmony first. Only then will they start treating us as equals. It's why I'm allowed special privileges in this place.”

Zev grunted and turned away.

Janice took a few steps back from Zev. “Listen. I'm running out of time, so I'm going to have to leave now, okay? I'll have somebody bring you some grub. Just don't hurt anyone else, please?”

Zev laughed – a very distinct, high-pitched “kyeh-heh-heh” – before standing up. “Ah, ah, ah, Janice, I don't know. I'm always so hungry.” They flashed their malevolent, toothy smile again.

“For both of our sakes,” Janice pleaded as she walked over to the door.

Zev snickered again.

“Put it this way,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “If you attack the human who comes to give you food, you won't get any more food.”

“Is that a threat?” Zev cocked their head sideways.

“No! But I've seen it happen, and I don't want it to happen to you.” Janice paused, ensuring the two had eye contact. “I'm going to need you to back away from the door while I leave. And when the next person comes in here to bring you food, stay away from the door until they leave, got it?”

“Why don't I leave with you right now?”

“Because there are security guards outside, and if you try to leave, they'll shoot you. I know you don't like this, but please listen to me for now. Just stay clear while I leave.”

Zev did as they were told, expressing their disdain with a deep grumble.

Janice searched her pocket for her keycard, slid it through the door's keypad, and met up with the two security guards waiting just outside.