Subject R.R's condition remains unaffected in response to the catalyst.” Alana noted recording the entry into her journal. She had grown tired of the stale results, hoping for progression. No chemical seemed to react with the DNA of the subject, and made no effort to switch on the proper genes.

Alana placed her journal on the desk and ascended the steps of the human-sized test tube, grazing her skittering fingertips on the surface of glass-like material. Today the three-year project was to be unveiled to her employers of Ienova inc. She had been funded to create an entity who could modify their DNA at will. The subject could currently switch forms, but the trigger was random and unidentifiable. She crossed the DNA with a human and a canine, to create a being who could transform into a lycanthrope (werewolf).

Alana quickly became obsessed with the project, spending most of her time in the lab. The man inside the test-tube, was created in Alana's perfect . In Ienova's mind she had created the perfect weapon, in her mind she had created the perfect mate. The contents inside of the test tube was a mixture of liquid oxygen, which the entity floated in. Their body was connected to many cords, for monitoring. He hadn't been conscious since the project began, originally a patient believed to recover from a state of comatose.

The laboratory door crept open, leaving the sound of high heels to resonate. “Soon sweet Alana, you will be star.” a woman with a deep Ukrainian accent said in the utmost sarcasm.. Alana used her index finger to push up her black framed glasses disregarding her, walking over to the table to pick her journal back up. With a quick twist of her wrist, the woman snatched it up before Alana could grab it. She turned the pages with haste, lightly skimming through the recent data Alana had collected.

“Much like I figured, so incompetent” the woman nodded her head left to right and dropped the journal, stepping over to the monitoring devices. Alana quickly picked up the journal and followed behind her. “Svetlana I have everything under control.” Alana said in a quiet tone, Svetlana dragged her finger along the screen reaching the control panel.

“Please don'-” Alana's words were cut off earlier

“Shhh..” Svetlana took her own finger and pressed it her plump red lips, signaling Alana to be quiet.

“You talk much of men, but y'know men don't like the babble.” Svetlana laughed, mindlessly pushing buttons that were correlated to the test tube. Alana stood behind her silent, watching as Svetlana potentially jeopardized her life's work with each push.

“See? All under control, you worry over nothing.” Svetlana teased, pulling a pink butterfly crested band from her wrist using it to pull her excess of black hair into a low ponytail. Svetlana leaned back against the console, an exhausted yawn escaping her lips. Her bottom pressed against a switch, pushing it forward.. at the top of the test-tube two rods began to contract an impulsive of electricity.. Alana quickly pushed Svetlana to the side, and shut the switch off but the electricity was released and sent through the liquid oxygen.

.. Inside the tube a change was seen, the subject's eyes opened. Alana pressed a button, and the water drained down into the test tube, the glass retracting inside of the device.

“Subject R.R is awake” Alana stuttered..

Thoughts, feelings, sensations… they all came rushing back with consciousness… Was all of it a dream? The several moments of clarity, slight tinges of pain? The hushed and muffled voices that seemed to be coming from behind a wall---the words he couldn’t quite make out---was all of that a part of the dream?

Golden eyes opened slowly with blurred vision, and eyes tired. Let’s see… the first thing that he noticed was the pace of his heart. His blood was pumping, his whole body quickly filling with energy and the desire to move. Secondly, he noticed the two women standing in front of him. They both wore expectant gazes, one looking more eager than the other… It took him a moment to realize that he recognized the both of them---their appearances having subtle changes.

Nabris breathed in short, hurried breaths, his lungs feeling like they’d been suffocated. The back of his throat burned with what felt like bile, his nasal passage feeling a bit of the same sting. Where was he again? This… this laboratory… ah, yes--! It was slowly coming back to him, as he slowly blinked, looking down at his body and noticing the patches placed around his body, cords of varying thickness connecting him to a monitor on the outside… Oh, that’s right… This was… an experiment, right?

Curious eyes rolled up to meet their faces again, and he opened his mouth to speak, finding that the words that came out sounded husky and slurred with sleep.

“Is it done?” Nabris rasped, his face contorting in response to the hideous crack. His dark complexion looked rather pale, like he hadn’t seen the Sun in God knows how long… “How long have I been… in here…?” Another uncertain tone. He was examining his body. Nabris’ muscle mass was exceptionally lowered, though he seemed not to be emaciated---was he being fed through this thing? And his body was dripping with what looked to him like water, and the area around him glistened with the same substance…

It was hard to remember the exact procedure described to him before the experiment… He was sure the lab director---he looked at the raven-haired woman---with the thick accent explained it to him, and the kind one---he looked toward the nervous woman---was there for reassurance. This was her project, wasn’t it? The kind womans’? Nabris’ memory was too hazy right now, even if he felt fully alert at the moment, but he was sure that this was her experiment. What was her name again…?

Little pinches of pain littered the rest of his body that he began to notice when he tried to stand up. He had been sitting by the time the tube he was in drained---his eyes had been open for that much, at least. He felt like a real freak; an incompetent freak that couldn’t even stand on his own without his legs feeling a little weak---and these damn cords! Nabris reached for the cords on his chest, ready to rip them off, along with the needles in his arm.

“G-Get these damn things off of me--” Heart still thumping in his ears, goosebumps rolling over his skin.

“ Alana, find R.R appropriate attire.” Svetlana said in a commanding voice, practically shooing Alana out of the room. Alana glanced over at Nabris and let out a sigh, she merely nodded and stepped out the door closing behind her.

Svetlana pressed down switches on the control panel, deactivating the monitoring devices. For property protection, if the cords were pulled without being properly shut off they released a potent poison. The poison would of spread through Nabris' veins and killed healthy cells, leaving him dead within seconds. Noting that Nabris was impatient, she walked over clenching the bulk of the cords in her palm then ripping them from his flesh.

The skin from his back tore, and blood streamed down his skin. Svetlana seemed rather uncaring, and dropped the cords to the floor. She reached her arm up to Nabris' and held his chin with her thumb and middle finger, forcefully turning his face to look at him.

“Subject R.R, you signed confidentially agreement, yes?” Svetlana asked, collecting Alana's paperwork from a nearby table, Nabris seemed confused so she review it more thoroughly. “You were incapacitated, maybe signed by relative, lover or close friend.” Svetlana corrected, seeming unsure about the vague paperwork.

“Regardless, you are subject R.R with numerical value of 30. You agreed to have DNA mixed with the animal of the barking. You are prevented from contact the other subjects, or contract is violated.” Svetlana continued, clearly having read similar words before.. She reached inside of her handbag, and pulled out a small metal device. The device was in the shape of a bracelet, she put it to his wrist and it clenched shut, a glass protected screen displaying the number thirty.

“Contract follow two strike system, first strike make puppy bark in pain, second strike means puppy will bark no more. Understand boy? Alana is your care-taker, she will answer further questions.” Svetlana finished, looking to the opening door as Alana carried in a pile of clothes in her arms.

Alana? That was her name---! Alana! She was ordered out of the room, and Nabris looked over at the grumpy lady when she began to press buttons. He continued to reach back and try to take the cords out with as little pain as possible, but to no avail. The woman---gosh, what was her name..? Ingrid…? Cruella DeVille? He wouldn’t be surprised… she had a nasty attitude---She drew close to him and gripped the cords, and he flinched away and screamed out in pain when she wasted no time whatsoever in ripping them free of his skin. The pain was so intense and radiated through his whole body, and he could tell that blood was running down his back by the way it tickled his skin and turned the liquid he sat in crimson.

“W--What the---” His voice strangled out as his body seemed to contort forward from the pain “What is wrong with you---” Nabris seethed through clenched teeth. Of course he was immediately blown off by her, and she grabbed his face and began to speak in that accent of hers… about agreements and paperwork---God, he cared about none of that right now. “Y-yeah--yeah---” Was all he could manage to sputter, pulling away from her violently. He needed to keep away from that witch.

Nabris slid off of the pedestal, but braced himself against it, reaching an arm back to carefully touch his back. When he brought his hand back, it was smeared with blood. It didn’t look… like it was bleeding anymore… Just that someone sprayed him with blood. He raised his head and glared over at the lady. Why wasn’t he calming down---he was focused, but his heart rate was so fast---he could hardly hear what she was saying over his own heartbeat.

His golden eyes lowered to the new piece of jewelry she gave him.

“Oh, my own shock collar.” He said sarcastically through clenched teeth. A sudden sharp pain ripped through his torso, radiating to his back---and then there was a crack, and another--- “A--Ah!!” He groaned, trying his best to stay on his feet, though his knees shook. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily to try and slow his racing heart. Nabris felt like his spine was ripping out of his body---what the hell was going on?!

He closed his eyes tight and held his breath, forcing his lungs to strangle themselves before he had to take a deep breath. He did this several times until his heart rate was down to normal and he was focused. His body felt like… like it was rejecting him---was it because she ripped out those damn cords, or whatever they were?! Did that cause that?

A layer of perspiration coated his body from the tiny little struggle, and he looked up at the towering woman from where he kneeled on the ground. The door opened, and he laid his eyes on Alana and the clothes she was carrying.

“Thank God---” Nabris growled, sitting up with some difficulty, his breathing a little labored from the previous effort. “I think I need to wash up--- and maybe vomit or something…” He muttered, looking up at Alana with drowsy eyes. The pain had subsided overall, aside from the dull ache and the nausea in his stomach.

Svetlana wasted no time, leaving Alana and Nabris to report to her superiors. Alana released a sigh of relief, once again adjusting her glasses. Her state of tiredness was clearly identifiable by the bags under her eyes. Though it was hard to notice, her vivid red hair pulled the attention from her weary brown colored eyes.

“You may still have liquid oxygen in your lungs, it could potentially cause nausea related symptoms until it evaporates.” Alana suggested pulling the undergarments from the pile of clothes, she hesitated handing them to him and instead put them on the counter-top next to him.

“The other woman, who spoke to you about your contract terms is Svetlana. She's an eel, I advise you keep your conversation limited with her.” Alana laughed despite her tone being more serious than ever, a faint smile stretching across her face. “Do you remember your name?” Alana asked with a hint of curiosity, still holding the rest of the clothes, avoiding contact with the male's lower half.

He watched in relief when the witch (Svetlana, apparently) left the room. Alana was much more pleasant to look at. She had a tired face, but gentle features and a kind voice. He liked Alana much better. She spoke to him about the liquid oxygen; so it wasn’t water that he was submerged in. Nabris nodded quietly before trying to get onto his feet with a grunt of effort.

“Thank you---” He said quietly, turning away from her and gratefully taking the undergarments she laid aside and sliding them over his exposed lower half.

“It’s freezing in here…” Nabris commented, looking over at Alana again when she mentioned Svetlana, and then asked him a question.

“I believe that she’s a wicked one… and uh…” He trailed off, eyes narrowing and then squeezing shut for a split moment. “Ah---it’s… it’s Nabris… right? That’s my name.” His golden eyes were wide when he reached for the clothes, taking them from her hands carefully and picking a shirt from the pile. He slid it on over his head, wincing at the fact that the fabric stuck to the blood on his back.

“Where do I go now?” Nabris asked as he slid on a pair of cotton jogging pants.

“I've got a couple more regulation questions, and then we can get out of this lab.” Alana answered, looking at Nabris who was clothed now, head to toe. Alana picked up her journal and turned to the most recent page, she grabbed her pencil which always sat comfortably above her ear.

Alana sat down on her stool, her legs dangled until she crossed them resting the journal on her right thigh. She paused for a moment reviewing her most recent notes, of Nabris' condition. “He has no idea what the experiment was even for.” She thought to herself, coughing awkwardly as she looked back to Nabris who was waiting.

“What do you remember from the incident Nabris, what happened that day?” Alana asked in a serious tone, the information had been disclosed since the testing began.

Nabris stood nearby and slowly sunk his hands into the pockets of the soft trousers. What was she going to ask...? This was a hospital... wasn't it---well, it looked more like a laboratory. Besides, if that other woman was a doctor, he wanted to file a lawsuit right away! She'd probably ask some run of the mill questions about his pain levels or prescribe him some pills. She was a doctor, wasn't she? However, what she ended up asking was far more ambiguous than he could have asked for... He swallowed slowly and lowered his head... Things weren't quite lining up---and her question was a good one.

Why was he here...? It seemed a bit peculiar that he couldn't remember much at all aside from his name and vague breaks in his awful dream... Think, Nabris. She asked you about what "happened that day". What was she talking about, anyway?

"You're referring to... why I'm here...?" He confirmed to himself, more than to ask her. Slowly, he took a hand out of his pocket and gently ran his thumb nail over his bottom lip... "I don't remember much at all... really... Just a lot of pain, and blood---I remember lying in the snow." Nabris muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and running a hand over his face. "I-It was so cold---I remember hearing shouts, but I can't make out what they're saying---and then everything went dark."

Alana’s body readjusted and her eyes batted at his concerned tone. Ivory fingertips tapping away at the forms on her notebook leaving an unsure ringing silence. Nabris reminisced of snow but prior to now it hadn’t been mentioned before; Alana jotted down.

“Do you remember who was shouting?” Alana asked, but her curiosity was short-lived by an interruption from her phone. Alana made her way to her desk where her phone sat, Nabris seeming to be pondering a reply anyway.

The blue tint of her phone screen faded back to it’s normal color, Alana picked it up. She keyed in her phone password, Venus23, checking for new alerts. She had received a text message from her boss, Xevro, with a swipe of the screen she opened the message.

The text message read “ Svetlana has alerted me that subject thirty is awake, the flight has been scheduled in a week.. and remember that R.R is not one of us, he is a weapon.. don’t grow attached.” .. Alana’s eyes shifted to Nabris, it was hard to believe someone so kind was used for something so dangerous. While Nabris’ remained confused by his situation, Alana realized that she had been ignoring her personal needs, and really needed to use the bathroom. She dropped her phone from her grip and onto the table infront of Nabris, excusing herself.

Her next question left him thinking… He was sure he knew the guy---or… or did he? He knew that he was killed---or maybe died on the way to the hospital… or did he die at the hospital? Nabris really wasn’t sure anymore… but if he was dead, then how was he alive in this laboratory? The only other rational answer was that he slipped into a coma… He swallowed slowly, dropping his hand back to his side. She wanted to know if he knew the man who was shouting, though...Or---or wait.

He thought for a long moment, hardly noticing when she stood up to look at her cell phone… Perhaps it was a woman? It was definitely a woman, and she was calling out to him… He had to of known her.

“I-I did--! I kne--” He stopped in his tracks, noticing that the door had just closed, and her phone lay face up with the screen still lit. She left so suddenly---it must have been something she read--no. That was an invasion of privacy, he shouldn’t… He stepped over to it quick, before the screen could go black and stared down at it, golden eyes reading the message through carefully…

What was this? A weapon? Did this text message refer to him as a weapon...? Now that he thought of it, why was he in this laboratory anyway? With these strange doctors and---and… He dropped the phone and looked around, a frantic feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

What the hell was going on?