"So, yeah. Basically, after that damned bitch insulted my research while also trying to claim credit for my work, I ended up quitting. The pay was good, but I don't really care about that, you know? I just want to study stuff. Also, could you shift this bone a bit to the left? Thanks." Rick spoke leisurely, very much in his element.

On the operational table in front of him, Lilith was currently in her human form, albeit her torso was split in two, revealing her insides. She hummed in response, doing as asked.

Carefully lowering one of his weird machines down into her belly, Rick proceeded to do his own tests and... things. Lilith still wasn't sure, but since he'd always respected her own limits, which essentially boiled down to 'don't take samples from me', and he'd never made her do anything humiliating, she was fine with him doing tests on her body.

"Amazing. Your cells are practically equal on both the inside and outside... I have no idea how you're even alive!" He exclaimed excitedly, looking down at a computer as the machine did its thing.

"Me neither, but honestly, I've long since passed the point of caring. How much longer, by the way?" She asked. Rick didn't answer immediately, instead focusing every bit of his brain onto the computer.

After an entire minute, he sighed. "We're done for today. I still can't wrap my brain around how your powers work, but from what I'm hearing, I'm not the only one. You metahumans defy the very laws of physics..." He murmured, face slightly scrunched up.

"So we do, so we do... Anyways, did you figure out what I asked you yesterday?" She asked as she sat up, gently pushing the machine away from her. At the same time, she willed her torso to stitch itself back together before forming a shirt to wear.

Rick had, by then, abandoned his computer and walked over to her. Curiously poking the newly-made shirt, he spoke. "Yeah, I did. It was... annoying, but not unfeasible. It's kinda creepy to know that you're practically walking around naked since this is technically still your skin."

Lilith rolled her eyes and let out an amused huff. The man could be seriously weird sometimes. "You've seen me do much, much creepier stuff than go around 'technically' naked, and this is the only thing you comment on? I'm hurt."

Rick just shook his head, stepping aside so she could get to her feet and out of the operation table. Silently rolling her eyes, Lilith began to do a series of exercises, testing out her body to see if anything felt different.

It didn't. It still felt the same as it always had... Just with the added awareness that she could shape it however she wished. Thankfully, that wasn't due to anything done by Rick.

After a few more minutes of this, Lilith took the opportunity to discuss her ideas with the doctor. Despite her initial misgivings, the man was actually quite competent, and definitely knew his stuff as he launched into a boring yet revealing rant about what he'd learned last night.

Lilith lazily fell into step behind him as the scientist & guinea pig duo made their way over to the 'gym' area. It had been around two months since Rick had come to this place, and with his help, while not necessarily something she couldn't have eventually discovered herself, figuring out how to use her powers and other such things had become much easier.

"Here we are... Alright, can you go into your nightmare form? I'll go set up the shooters." He said lightly before jogging off to go to the control room, nice and far from Lilith's 'training'.

Smirking, Lilith debated for a few seconds before deciding. Immediately, her body exploded outward in size, hundreds of tentacles growing out of her while a large, octopus head grew on top.

There were hundreds of eyes lining each tentacle, along with horribly sharp bone spikes dotting the ends of said tentacles. She didn't form a mouth for this form, since technically, it was specialized towards defense, not offense.

She was only around the size of an elephant, with each tentacle only about the width of a large man's thigh. Still, she was fairly sure that, if she were grabbed a man using this form, she could easily dismember him within seconds.

"Alright, everything is ready! Remember, you're only trying to block the projectiles using your arms, so don't you dare grow a bone shield around your body, or the entire point is null. Got it? Good! Set, ready... Go!" A voice yelled through the four speakers in each corner of the room.

The next moment, a large number of machine-held guns of all types and sizes appeared on the wall opposite to where Lilith was. She eyes the things for a moment before 'switching on' her focus, which basically just meant flooding herself with adrenaline.

Then, the guns began to fire. Her tentacles moved extremely quickly, and thanks to her practically omniscient vision, she could easily see each bullet individually, as if time had slowed down. Thus, she was easily able to defend herself using just the tips of her tentacles, which were armed with extremely tough spikes, resembling claws.

"Good! Now, second round!" Rick yelled, clicking another button. This time, there was twice the amount of bullets as before, and their firing rate was much more closely tied, meaning more bullets would reach Lilith at the same time.

Rick watched with fascination as the thing that used to be the snarky yet good-natured woman waved around its nightmarish tentacles, easily deflecting or outright catching the bullets. It was a feat worthy of a fiction novel, something that he never thought he'd ever see in his lifetime.

"Impressive display, is it not?" A voice asked behind him, and Rick would deny it until his death, but the screech he let out wasn't exactly the manliest. He jumped into the air, turning around as his hand went over his heart, trying to calm down his heart, which was practically trying to punch its way out of his chest.

"O-overseer John! I-I didn't expect you here!" He said, looking anywhere but at the man. John hummed noncommittally, staring with great interest at the screen behind the doctor / scientist.

"She's quite something, isn't she, Doctor? Have you figured out what I requested of you yet?" John asked as he stepped forward, gently shoving Rick away from the screen so he could take a closer look at what was happening. John didn't resist as he stepped aside, quickly and nervously answering.

"N-not quite, Sir! I... I don't think I can come up with something to lock off her powers. They're a mystery, and she'd know if I tried to take a sample of her without her knowledge." He reported, trying his best to sound dutiful and serious.

"Hmm... She's the only one with a power that allows scientists like you to experiment so freely on her, since the Fireman is basically untouchable beyond skin-level, and the kid's power seems to be a mental one, not a physical one. So... Is it that you can't, or that you won't?" John asked lightly.

He didn't want to be unnecessarily harsh on the man, but he had few other options. His bosses were demanding some sort of insurance to counteract the metahuman's powers so that they could be deployed without fear of betrayal already. Considering the Chinese had already deployed their own metahuman squad, using it as a national symbol of pride and showing off their power to the rest of the world, John knew that if results didn't come within the week, then he'd likely be out of a job.

"Sir..." Rick asked, disbelievingly. Why was he being doubted? He'd done all he could within the parameters he was allowed, and now, he was being blamed for it? It smelled like a conspiracy to him.

Suddenly, the octopus-look-alike on the screen turned directly towards one of the cameras, staring directly into it. "You know... I can hear you two. Lay off of my cute little doctor, would you? You're really tempting me to actually act like a monster instead of just looking like one, you know?" She spoke. Immediately, John's face turned a little green as he stared at the monitor, while Rick looked relieved.

"... Right. My apologies. I... I'll leave now." John coughed into his hand, quickly high-tailing it outta there. Back in the gym, Lilith was 'frowning', although it was impossible to tell with the form she currently was in.

She'd never exactly trusted these people, but at least, she'd always thought they were genuine. She'd gotten together with the metahuman gang a few times during the past months, and they all seemed to be doing fine... But, now, she wasn't so sure anymore if her best option was to remain.

When Rick eventually returned, looking quite embarrassed and sheepish, Lilith took the opportunity to return to her normal form. Evidently, today's training wouldn't be finished.

"... I really hope I don't need to explain why I'm angry, right?" She said. Rick winced, rubbing his head. Lilith sighed, but kept talking nonetheless. "Not with you, doctor. You're just following orders. I'm not even mad with the 'overseer' up there, honestly. Still, it's not pleasant to know that I'm trusted so little that they want to essentially enslave me."

Lilith knew that she should be caring about this more, but honestly... She just didn't. Perhaps it was the knowledge that, in the end, she was her own master. She'd always been independent since she could remember, all the way back to her elementary school days. Growing up with no parents, her life had been tough, but compared to others, she'd always felt free.

Now... Evidently, whoever was on top had failed to recognize that, she mused. Stealing a look at the relieved-looking Rick beside her, Lilith began to walk back to her room.

"... I'm sorry, if that means anything." Rick murmured after a while as he followed her. Normally, after training, they'd split up, with him going off to do his own thing and she would either go meet the gang or go back to her room to laze about.

"Don't be. You've been very helpful, honestly. Besides, I had a hunch that this was happening." She chuckled. Rick looked curiously at her, obviously expecting an answer, but Lilith kept her silence.

It really should have been obvious, since she wasn't stupid. While all articles relating to metahumans were censored to hell and back when she read them, the articles that didn't directly talk about metahumans, instead just mentioning them, hadn't been, and despite them holding less information than what she'd like, they were still quite juicy.

Humming to herself, she waved a silent goodbye with Rick as she entered her room, listening to the doors shut close before locking themselves several times. She could easily spot the cameras lining the ceiling, and while they'd never truly bothered her all that much... Things felt different now, somehow.

She'd always thought that the government would support her, help her out. Sure, it wasn't exactly an enemy, but... She felt a bit betrayed. Furrowing her brows, she laid down on the comfortable sofa, extending her arm so she could grab the remote and turn on the TV.

"What to do, what to do..." She murmured. She didn't want to become a criminal and be hunted down by the greatest superpower currently on Earth, but at the same time... She wasn't exactly afraid.

Hence, as she laid there on the bed, she debated with herself, trying to reach a conclusion.