An ominous pair of glowing blue eyes blinked slowly, dimming the dark room from “hard to see” to pitch black and back. A pale almost translucent pair of hands, with manicured nails sharpened to a point, seemed to shift slightly and lengthen as she stretched and popped her knuckles. The nails swiped and moved the virtual screen tabs as a window labeled “Subject 0021” opened, and a smaller figure leaned in from behind, eyes glowing a softer green.

  “Nicole Alekseev…one of the humans you brought?” said the figure behind the one typing, in a soft, gentle tone. “Gizzy dear, she’s just a young one. No bigger than Menace. Why her?”

  “It’s complicated.” Gizzy said, a dark smoker’s voice and almost villainous tambour. “She’s ready for Phase 2. I can’t explain why, but I have a feeling she’s different. There’s something in her eyes. I saw it the moment Jack introduced her on screen.”

  “Is she the one? The reason you approved of that illegal transfer? I thought it was a favor for Jack and his little lover.” Whispered the background voice running similarly claw-like nails over Gizzy’s shoulders.

  “Vicki? No, Vicki is not the target. She’s convenience, an excuse. You can’t just abduct humans from their world, they have to agree to go. Otherwise, it causes a lot of problems and risk, Leena.” She said, looking back and smiling, a silvery sheen to her long canines.

  “Oh bullshit, you thrive on problems and risk, and the rules never stop you. You just have a heart…metaphorically. You can’t bring yourself to steal humans, just bribe them with incentives. You’re a softie inside.” She joked. "That's why I married you."

  “Hence the subdermal armor plating below the skin. I really hate to say a human with cancer was an opportunity, but…here we are. Vicki’s cancer free and Jack is happy, and you can’t tell me it doesn’t feel like fate that a bonus tag-along just happens to be perfect for Phase 2. Look at the data files, honey. Tell me that looks normal.” Gizzy said, scrolling past Nicole’s profile ID photo and into the medical scans.

  “I don’t understand what any of that means, I just trust that you do. I don’t like the Fear Project, but you always have a reason, and if you think she’s the one, I trust your instinct. Jack never seems to let you down. Just don’t tell me the sad details. You know I hate watching the humans suffer.” Leena sighed with a pout.

  “Suffering is part of the human experience, the goal is to reduce it for the multitude, but someone has to be the lab rat. Nicole’s tougher than she looks, I can tell. I just don’t know the angle yet on how to sell this insane idea. It has to be done delicately and correctly. Thankfully, with the memory wipes, I get more than one try. Let’s just hope I get it right in less than 3. I hate repeating myself over and over.” She growled.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “What about the boyfriend? Anything you can do with that?” Leena asked.

  “Absolutely. Any girl brave or stupid enough to date a Delmarian would be brave or stupid enough to agree to this experiment. And she’s not stupid. Insane, maybe, but aren’t we all down here?” she smirked devilishly.

  “Just be careful with her. Humans are fragile things. They break so easily. Just a little fall down the stairs can hurt them.”

  “I know. I’ve spent millions on guard rails inside this fucking moon. Do you realize how many safety rails we had to have put everywhere before moving humans here? I spent 2 million dollars alone on welded iron safety rails, idiot-proofing the place, and they still get hurt constantly. Thank the gods we can just clone the dead ones back. If only we could get the Delmarian to approve cloning, we’d have this mining moon turned into a resort. Can’t even get them to consent to brain scans on the dead ones. Superstitious Space Jackelopes.”

  “It’s so sad that in order to pull a population out of the dark ages, you have to inject more darkness and fear, and pull some of them deeper in. I wish there was another way. A nicer way.”

  "They’re primitive creatures, Leena. Both humans and Delmarian. Like pets, but dumber and with smartphones. We’ll get there. The council is getting pliable and broken down, the humans are blissfully ignorant for the most part, and the tunnels are finally ready for large scale testing. Give me time. Give HER time. She’s in for a hell of a ride, but I think this one is the kind that looks for bumpy rides. There’s a dark streak in her, don’t let the cute exterior fool you. This one likes to play in the dark.” She whispered, minimizing the window and relaxed.

  “Well, take a break for a while. You’ve been at it for hours and I ordered steaks.”

  “Real or synthetic?” Gizzy asked.

  “Synthetic, unfortunately, but the place downtown has a good spice blend. You’ll barely notice.” Lena assured.

  “Fine. But I swear, the next shipment of beef that arrives, I’m pulling executive order and confiscating the entire cargo hold. I’ll just say they tested positive for infectious…bugs or something.”

  “Don’t… we don’t want people thinking we fly in contaminated food. You know how easily humans panic when there’s the littlest contamination. Just take your cut off the top and enjoy it.”

  “It’s just so ironically frustrating that we bought part of a moon populated by hoofed animals with horns, and yet we can’t get a fucking cattle industry going down here. I’ll be done in 10 minutes, go ahead and set the table. Get Menace a femur. At least she can’t seem to tell the difference between real cow bones and 3d printed from home."

  “See you in ten, sweetie.” Leena smiled cheerfully, sashaying out of the dark room.

  “Alright Nicole…what exactly are you made of?” Gizzy sighed.