DR WATSON, EXPERIMENT #666 IS NOT READY FOR INTERACTION, PLEASE REPORT TO WARD #246 TO CHECK ON EXPERIMENT #246

Iesha winced, clutching clumsily at the earpiece through two-plus layers of rubber. Since she couldn't figure out the volume control, she resigned herself to the migraine-provoking noise-level. Sighing, she quickly checked #666's breathing again before following orders, a scowl twisting the corners of her mouth. It irked her to leave a subject in unknown condition, especially one who had just experienced a seizure. A quick glance at the camera reminded her that someone, at least, would monitor #666 until she could return to finish her work.

Fast-paced footsteps filling the empty hall, Iesha hurried to her second subject, #246, one Domenico Silva: ADHD, probable-sociopathy, probable-Borderline Personality Disorder and the associated criminal record. She hesitated in front of his door. All of which should no longer persist. Even so . . . 

Before she could consider this line of reasoning any further, she opened the door and stepped inside. #246 lay calmly on his cot, more or less exactly as they had positioned him. The thin scree of black hair over his skull added a hint of fragility to his docile demeanor. The IV still securely attached. Turning the page in her clipboard, she scrawled a few notes to this effect before returning her attention to the subject.

"Domenico Silva," she announced, closing the door behind her with a final click. "How are you feeling?"

Though her tone suggested sympathy, her face, protected by a thick pane of plexiglass, remained sharply attentive, her brown-black eyes moving quickly over the subject. It took her a few seconds to remember to smile, stretching her plump lips thinly over two rows of perfect teeth.