7 Science takes center stage

"Humans are smart, but they have placed their interest in belligerence and not advancing themselves. Had they been as focused on advancement, they would have reach heights that they only dream about. Earlier rather than later... they are race fighting for survival but also fighting each other" - Rosealinde

When the pilot announced that we were close I run over to a window seat and watch as out from the dunes of the desert rose a glass building. Seriously, I thought they were a spy company, not a circus. Plus, weren't many vampires allergic to the sun, why was this place in the middle of the desert? I really was mystified as to why it was made out of glass…, it also had palm trees and a lake. It actually looked more like a resort than a spy company of sorts.

I couldn't see inside the polygon, it looked empty and deserted- no pun intended. I guess they did know something about secret hideaways. The closer we got the more I could see, the life outside of the polygon was buzzing. The floor was teeming with red-suited Mytho- no, they were people. People. I turn around in time to see Russo straighten up from the gigantic wolf form. I close my eyes, he was naked.

When I opened them again he too was wearing red, it must be their… suit/ uniform. I notice dragons and strange turban-wearing men and women trying to sell things. Ummm… merchants maybe? I was itching to explore, but Maya was the priority, I wouldn't rest until I knew if she was all right.

Russo was holding a hanger with Maya's suit on it, he looked a bit embarrassed and confused. He cleared his throat. I turn to look at him.

"What?" I ask, couldn't he see I was busy?

"Could you help me?" he looks rather bashful, which looked rather adorable. Awww, was 'wittle Russo shy?

He gives me the clothes then turns around, I roll my eyes and inch over to Maya. She lay sleeping, her skin taut over her bones, her legs were thin and she had blood coming out of her eyes. I pray to The Don and The Shadow People that she's alive. Then I start changing her. It took us ten minutes to find a place to put the jet, which was enough time to fix Maya up. Russo made an emergency call, he briefly explained what happened then we waited inside the jet while the pilot left to refuel so he could go back.

The medical crew arrive, wearing white and red, some had a line of gold around their collars. A lot of the doctors gave me interesting looks, I felt like a science experiment… which I vaguely was. But I was Rosealinde's science experiment, not theirs… was that strange?

"We must also examine it." They point at me.

Before I could punch him or do anything else more violent Russo speaks: "It: is a she. Her is Zoe and Zoe will be referred to as a person. The Don would like your hospitability towards her extended to Zoe. It is also how you will be measured."

He turns to look at me: "Zoe, they would like to examine you. It is necessary to find out what antidote Maya needs."

I nod, understanding… well, not really.

Russo's commanding tone made everyone jump to attention, damn, he was quite bossy. I walk off the aircraft, shaking off the doctors who try to touch me, I was able to walk without hurting someone, for Jesus Christ.

One doctor got straight to business.

"I am Doctor Mango." I wait for the punch line, there was no way a respectable person was going to present themselves as mango? But it doesn't come, so I smile inwardly and not at him.

"I would like a summary of your account as a Hybrid." Was it me or did he use longer sentences to express one simple idea?

"Umm, well… I've been a Hybrid for a month and a few weeks. And I've been training constantly, I've had three square meals a day and I've-"

"Have you had humane experiences, to fully exploit your humanity within you." Doctor Mango, scribbles my answers. A woman doctor lifts up my arm, I watch as veins stand out. Then it turns blue where her fingers had touched.

"She has R type E in her DNA structure as well." This doctor tells the others. They wrote this insignificant bit of information down.

"I'm sorry for being dumb… but what is R and E type?" All the doctors look horrified that I didn't even know, or that they had to explain it to me.

"I'm sorry for you being dumb as well. I'm Dotoressa Pura. I'm from the Italian branch of creating Hybrids. Of course, we were closed down, the separate companies and people like me were forced to work for spies! Spie! Ti immagini? Ahh, se sapesse mia nonna! Girasse dentro la tomba cavolo…"*

a whole bunch of Italian spewed out of her mouth and I was staring amazed, I LOVED Italian stuff. Italian food, Italian places, Italian art and Italian people weren't the exception.

Rosealinde had taught me Italian, I guess she knew I would need it. And other languages, but Italian had stuck a lot better than French, German, Irish and Polish and Russian.

"Dio, caro! Hai mai sentito parlare di girare intorno alle aiule? Lo stai facendo adesso in poco parole."*

The Docotor squealed with excitement.

"Oh mio dio! Parli, I mean you speak Italian. I like you. For a Hybrid… non sei niente male." I grin at her pleased. Then I remember my original question.

"Allora*… R and E type… Che cos'é?"

"It's a protective layer around your skin, only a few Hybrids have it. It stops things like scalpels cutting you unwillingly. In the war times, many of the war Hybrids would be… re- p- r- o- g- r- a- m- e- d?" She says slowly obviously unsure of what she was saying.

I didn't really know but I fake understanding and nod my head wisely.

"Yes, they would open the Hybrids up again to put their own destructive atoms and their own commands to the Hybrids. It was only after the war we discovered that the DNA couldn't be rewritten if we inserted certain molecules into the DNA structure." I was really starting to wish Rosealinde had upgraded my science knowledge. I felt rather stupid pretending to understand.

"Tu n'as avez compris pas, ce vrai?" * Some French doctor says. He was tall and spindly, he wore round glasses which made his eyes look very big. He had a strange wart on the end of his nose and. His white lab coat was more like a cloak than a coat and he had a very long beard. He stole Dumbledore's beard, was the only thing I could think.

"Francesino." Dot.ssa Pura and I call him, then we laugh. I had already made a friend, maybe Russo was just being paranoid.

I was led into a corridor made of steel plated walls, after a quick eye scan, another door to my left opened showing a creepy steel examination table.

"Do you want me to climb on." I ask doctor Pura, she looks apologetic but nods. At least she and I had a mutual understanding, the French froggy, I didn't like. I lean flat against the table, I feel clasps tie me down both on my hands and my feet.

"Where did she bite you?" The doctor left and stood in a separate room, but it had one of those windows used often in prison: the one-way mirror. I couldn't see them.

Speaking to a room that smelt like it hadn't been used in centuries… which was probably what had happened, was making me feel a bit scared.

But I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction, so I close my eyes and try to meditate.

"On my hand." I didn't need to open my eyes, because the moment I had decided to close my eyes, a mask with holes for the air had clamped around my face. Ommm… I'm not here… ommm… I must do this for Maya, my meditation skills weren't as impressive as they used to be. Mainly because Rosealinde hadn't allowed me to meditate, she said it annoyed her.

I feel something prick my hand, they reinsert themselves into the recently healed wounds. I feel it moving inside of me. I ignore it. I had to, if not I would go ballistic and Rosealinde and Russo had been… well Russo more than Rosealinde, had been descriptive about what a pain I would be. And I didn't want to be disposed of. Not Now not ever.

I needed to be useful for Rosealinde, I needed her to know I could, and I would do anything and whatever it took to be useful to her.

"Did she bite you hard, or did her fangs just graze you?"

I thought about it: "hard."

"Did you have any ill feeling toward her at the time?" That was Doctor Mango.

I think… did I? Had I subconsciously wanted to hurt her for saying my 'secret', but I knew like Russo: Maya was bad at secrets she was unable to keep them.

"I don't know." I say with a resigned sigh. I felt trapped in the mask, it was highlighted even more by the sigh dispersing throughout the mask. I was claustrophobic; however, I doubt they cared right now.

"What do you mean you don't know?" suddenly I felt two sharp metal pieces lift my eyelids up. I try not to flinch when I see a needle directly in front of me. And I was also needle-phobic if there was such a thing. I was not going to get acupuncture anytime soon, the thought terrified me.

I would've have screamed, mainly because I was starting to panic, however doctor Pura broke through my state. I feel her hand rubbing my forehead.

"It's Okay, é tutto * okay." She mummers. I calm down, but still hear my heartbeat in my ears. The needle enters my pupil both sides, that's when I am unable to see. I rely on Pura to get me through this.

"Mio chiamo Esmeralda.*" She tells me.

"Great to know, Zoe." I find it hard to locate my mouth, it feels numb so I telepathically speak with her. I feel her shake my hand, before telling the other doctors.

"She's mastered thought travel, she is able to communicate telepathically. Her mind-" His finger probes at my forehead, I was wondering how she could feel anything through the mask.

"-is stable. She's demonstrating good saturation and vitals. Her blood cells look healthy and her saliva is clear. Her joints…" I feel her lift my arm and move it carefully, then she does the same with my legs. My knees and elbows soundly move to my relief.

"… are good."

"Right, let's test her humanity." Says the French doctor in a nasal way. Frog!

"Stop calling me frog!" He adds to me.

Then with lightning speed the needles were pulled out of my pupils. My vision returned to me blurred, otherwise I felt alright. I didn't feel like I had just had two needles jammed through my retina and cornea.

"Tear ducts?" He asks, Esmeralda leans in, her sunny tanned face was a relief. Her green eyes were welcoming and the burnt auburn hair made her look amazing.

"Affirmative." I choke out not needing science knowledge to understand.

"There's a second presence in her mind." Everyone except me bolted to look at a screen, I stupidly look around the room.

It's just me, god! –If that was Rosealinde then it could be god. However, I wasn't going to call her that.

Don?

No, dulchan.

The what?

Ugh! Yes it's me!¬- Rosealinde groaning was rather amusing.

Your confusing me. I try to snap at her, I realise I'm scowling at the ceiling and the scientists/doctors were either listening in or watching me.

It's not a hard thing to do, you're not the sharpest needle in the jar.

You keep needles in a jar?

Well, where do you keep them? She asks me irritated.

A pin cushion, what did you think a pin cushion was for?

Ah… I always thought they were trivial things humans liked to make for fun.

They are, but they're also used. I pause. Why are you here?

Because I was bored and Martha and Mr Ramsbottom have dire minds: always thinking about house chores. Also, I wanted to see what a great scientist I am.

You've been here all this time?

Nah, only when you started understanding some of the science term thrown at you… remember cornea and retina? That was me.

Have I entertained you enough? Her always hinting at my stupidity made me want to ram her head into a brick wall, preferably where behind there would be an iron wall. So it could maybe, if I was lucky, dent it.

You're a violent little bugger, aren't you?

Look who's talking!

Ah, yes. You might want to stop scowling. If a wind flies past it might keep your face like that forever and there's no way Russo would want to look at your face as it is.

Just get out! I try to leap off the examination table to do something, but then I remember she was in my mind and sitting tranquilly in a big palace in the clouds, so yeh she was well out of reach. That and I was tied down.

I'm helping you!

How?

By proving you have humanity!

And exactly how are you doing that; all you're doing is making me angry!

Exactly! Anger is a human emotion. Irritation, annoyance all degrees of a negative emotion shows you are capable of human emotions. God, must I explain everything.

Yes! Because apparently, I'm soo stupid. I say sarcastically.

Show them an anther emotion, all they've seen from you is sarcasm and anger and… hmm. Doesn't that sound like someone we know?

You?

I knew it! You admire me so much you want to be me.

Get OUT!

You want to be me, you want to be me. Na nana na na!!! Rosealinde childishness made me really want to find the iron and brick wall to ram her head against. Before I could bellow at her to leave my mind, she was gone. The room felt cold again and I felt alone.

I was alone again. Maybe having Rosealinde's voice in my head wasn't that bad… yes it was annoying but it had kept me sane… now I was feeling lonely.

I closed my eyes and felt tears make their way down my face, traitors! I tell my tears. I feel hands unclasp me, then I fall forward because of the upright position of the table. Esmeralda catches me in a motherly hug.

"Alright, you're clear. Let's go." Doctor Mango and the French doctor, who didn't look as froggy as he had a few minutes ago, joined her.

The three of them lead me out of the examination room in silence. I glance around me, many wore the rosaries (a rose with a skull and crossbones). The Don rosaries, I felt safe, but still alone. I ignore the fact that this place would be an architect's dream and a child's playground (the glass floors and strange people barely caught my attention.) I felt myself being guided to a lift, it was made entirely of some metals the walls had runes instead of buttons were just numbers, doctor Pura lightly touched a rune and then a number. She explained that the rune activated the lift, it recognised that everyone on the lift were a) part of the company and b) had good intentions. The rune had been put there after their boss had watched spy movies where people had been hijacked in a lift, he had asked 'The Don' for a special rune… the boss sounds weird… and the numbers were only nine because the numbers above could be made by pressing them in. These irrelevant details made me wonder how the boss had time to sit around thinking about lift numbers and runes. I discovered that the lift was awful, it shot up soo fast it made me feel sick, and there was nothing to hold onto so by the time it had stopped I was on the floor trying to not make a bigger fool out of myself than I already had.

I was glad to find myself seated in a vast room. The signs read: Reception.

"Sorry about the transport. The engineer who installed it got the Royal's approval." Says Doctor Mango straightening his lab coat.

"Who's the engineer?" I ask.

"Engineer isn't a who… it's an it. It might be a Hybrid but it's got a robot brain and no conscious, thus qualifies it to be an it." Froggy cleans his glasses as he answers.

"And by the way I am Francois, not Froggy."

"It's similar." Esmeralda and I mutter.

"Why am I here?" I turn to face her.

"You need to register or else you will be killed. There is nowhere in this place where a bomb won't go off. Every glass tile has been carefully constructed to house a certain kind of power: it's not gunpowder. That wouldn't kill even the weakest of us, so there is something much stronger and more powerful. We think The Don sold a batch of illegal alien something. The four of us were nearly arrested for trying to examine the ingredients." I turn aghast to hear such a thing.

I wasn't surprised Rosealinde had sold something to kill everyone, I had a feeling she liked knowing that she could blow something up whenever something went wrong… but who was stupid enough to agree? This boss was sounding crazy at this point.

"But I thought I was in the clear?!" I say.

"You more or less are, however the higher authorities need to know you have arrived and yada yada yada…" Esmeralda waves her hand.

"Zoe-Lakisha Abscond." I'm surprised when my name gets called out. Everyone seating turns to look at me, even the doctors present.

"What?" I ask shifting uncomfortably. I grab my knapsack which had been waiting for me on a bench, maybe Russo had left it here… awwwww…. and hurry to the front desk.

I produce identification and The Don's recommendation letter.

"Umm… this is real?" She shows me The Don's signature. I nod.

"Um…. Oh, and this is for you." She hands me back the letter of recommendation. I frown. I was pretty convinced it was for her, so I smile the kind of I-really-hate-you-but-I'm-too-polite-for-my-own-good smiles before flouncing back to my seat.

"You have a third name." Hisses Mango.

"I'm not sure you could call it third, there is a hyphen in the middle of it…" Mutters Francois.

"Why don't we guide her to her room, then badger her? Hmm, doctors?" Doctor Esmeralda grabs me and drags me to another lift. I dread the lift, I squirm, then realise walking would take longer, so I get in.

"Where's your block?" I look at the card I had been given. Printed elegantly in grey letters were the numbers: 32H 12A 46.

"Ugh, this." She rolls her eyes at my confused expression.

"You're in block 32H, every Hybrid has their own block for reasons we can't disclose to you, H means Hybrid, duh. You're in corridor 12A, thank goodness that's near. And your room is 46. Hmm, strange." She says.

"What's strange?" I ask frowning as she punches the numbers into the system, she ignores the bell boy/elf… thing with pointy ears and a red scruffy coat. It was quite cute actually. Its green eyes were big orbs in the middle of its pinky skin. I was surprised to see he had a The Don rosary hanging off his neck, he winks at me, and I knew he was another person Rosealinde had sent to keep an eye on me… or maybe he had already been working here years and only recently she had called in the favour.

"46, it's given to higher ranking spies or rich people."

"If the Don advised her, the company has to house her in one of the best suites. Did you know, The Don has an entire block reserved? I think it's absurd, he/she/it's never here-" Francois didn't get to finish, I grab him by his arm, spin him around. I produce a knife out of my many pockets in my jacket, and I press it hard against his throat. His fleshy throat, made me want to stab him, I wanted to see him bleed… how dare such a lesser creature talk about Rosealinde like that. I notice the elf was looking pretty angry as well.

"One word against The Don and this pretty little view of red ants is the last thing you'll see." My threat, however, wasn't taken as seriously as I would've liked.

"All right, all right. Geez. Mon dieu, tout le monde c'est fausse par cet home, cette femme… pour 'The Don'." His French garbage made me scowl, but I retract the knife and don't apologize.

"Cazzo, ha detto?*" I ask Esmeralda. She was examining Francois' nose, I don't feel bad; why was he bleeding through his nose, I hadn't caused that had I? Maybe he was one of those people who suffered regularly from nose bleeds, or he bled under pressure. That sounded better… I had caused him some discomfort.

"He said, 'oh my god, the world is going crazy for this man, for this woman… for 'the Don'. Please don't point knives at dear old Francois, he's rather delicate."

I was about to say, that I too was rather delicate, but then realised it was lie, so I stayed quiet.