"Earth Colors"

It was as if Gem saw a different world. The room was designed like a beautiful terrarium. It was a basement, but she never expected that there would be sunlight in the ceiling, which radiated through a thick glass. There was a pool at the right side that looked like a pond and a picnic area with a checkered mat on the left side. There are two rough ramps on both sides connected to the further back which is a wide, wooden platform where a large, low bed is located.

In the middle of the platform was a brown, heart-shaped shell that looked like a turtle's. They heard cries in the same direction, which made Gem run towards the shell. Jen walked towards them, too, but just like in the hallway, she still walked slowly.

The mutant, upon hearing footsteps, cautiously moved her head out of her shell. When she saw them, she continued to get out of her shell. Gem had now seen a turtle mutant, in which her shell was extending from her nape to her lower buttocks.

"Where's my mommy?" the crying child asked. She had been sniffing, and her eyes were swollen.

Gem sat beside her and said, "Don't cry, okay? I'll take care of you from now on." She then rubbed the girl's head gently, trying to console her.

"Does mommy and daddy hate me, because… I'm different?" the turtle mutant asked. She looked up at Gem with pleading eyes.

Gem was speechless. She didn't expect a heartbreaking scene on her first day. She struggled to search for words to console the kid. "They don't hate you," said Gem. "They just thought that this will be a better place for you."

"Why?" the turtle mutant asked. She finally stopped crying and Gem wiped her tears.

"Look around, it's a great place. You even have your own pool." Gem explained.

"I don't like it here, I can't have a friend." the young mutant said, trembling. She was about to cry, again.

"I'll be your friend, okay?" Gem assured her. "My name is Gem. What's yours?"

The little girl sniffed and said, "Chelone."

Assistant scientist Jen saw that Chelone had started to open up to Gem. She thought that perhaps in Gem's test results, it had shown that she likes children.

"Ms. Sayaka, just go play with Chelone and I'll wait here," Jen said, then sat on the mat comfortably. Chelone's room was like a park, and Jen liked it so much. "Let's talk about her details later." She said as she had a whole day to observe the two.

Gem gave Jen a thumbs up. She then turned Chelone, who had settled down comfortably beside her.

After her time with her, Gem conversed with Jen, and she learned that the little turtle mutant had just arrived at the research facility a week ago. Her family was rich, but something happened at the company and it became bankrupt. She lived her 6 years in a sheltered environment, and she wasn't allowed to go out. Her only friend was the child of her nanny who accepted her appearance.

Because of the company's bankruptcy and some traitors in their clan, Chelone's parents had no choice but to let go of their employees, including her nanny. Ever since then, she didn't see her friend.

According to Chelone, she just woke up one day in the facility. The last thing she remembered was her parents' fighting.

Gem realized how fortunate she was that she wasn't a mutant. She thought that maybe, the reason why her parents were fighting was their decision whether to give Chelone to D.M. Cadre.

When Chelone was done telling her story, she decided to take a swim in the pool. Gem watched her from afar, thinking, "I wonder what kind of mutants my colleagues met…"

---

Sanno and Roy were walking in the right hallway of the 3rd basement. Sanno peeked at the assistant scientist's face. He acted so formally that he can't even start a conversation. Only their footsteps were heard while there was an awkward silence between them. If only Sanno can, he would have shouted at the top of his lungs since he was a noisy person.

Finally, they reached the 10th room. A metal plate embossed with the characters, "B3-R10" was hung at the top of the metal, double doors.

Roy had let the box-like contraption scan his official I.D., and they both went in. As a protocol, they changed into indoor shoes, then went into the room.

"Whoa… Amazing!" Sanno exclaimed as he couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him is the chameleon mutant who looked at the bag of cinnamon rolls. His skin color is green, and small spots are evident. "You're so cool, man."

The guy was surprised to hear such positive comments about his skin. He was delighted and a big smile appeared on his face, then he introduced himself. "I'm Chrome. You're?"

"I'm Sanno, the most handsome guy on Earth." he jokingly said, then they shook hands.

"If you're the most handsome one on Earth, then I'll be the most handsome one on Mars." Chrome replied. The two guys laughed at each other's joke while Roy stood there, dumbfounded and wondering what was funny.

Roy decided to hand over the tablet to Sanno. "This contains all our data about Chrome. Study it today. I'll be watching you." He then moved over to the right side of the room. There was a white dining table, he pulled the chair under it and sat.

Sanno shrugged in disbelief.

"Roy is always strict, but he's kind." Chrome explained. "He always asks how I'm feeling for the day. That's the reason why this room was modified according to my preference. It's the result of a lot of tests."

Sanno scanned the high walled room and it was lit with artificial light. Chrome's room is half forest-like and half like a modern house. On the right side where Roy was sitting, was a kitchen and dining room set-up. It has complete cutlery and there was also an oven.

On the left side of the room, is a forest set-up, where Chrome usually stays. There were hammocks on the artificial trees, where he preferred to sleep. There were two metal ladders available to be pushed up in case needed.

"Those look delicious, Sanno," Chrome said, pointing at the cinnamon rolls. "Can I have some?"

"Sure," Sanno replied with a smile. "Let's go to the highest hammock and eat this."

Chrome glanced at Roy. He nodded his head, indicating that he agreed. Then, they had a race up there to know who the most handsome one is, while Roy was staring at them in confusion.

---

The fourth basement had a chilly hallway. Lia didn't know if it was because she was nervous or it was really the temperature. She walked beside Sanya to the 13th room of the left corridor. There was a metal plate with embossed "B4-L13" at the top of the metal, automatic, sliding double doors.

Sanya removed her official I.D. from her neck and used it to open the door via the contraption scanner. They went inside and changed into indoor shoes.

Sanya's I.D. lace fell, and it was suddenly tangled in her shoelace. "Go on ahead, I'll just remove this."

While Sanya was struggling to untangle it, Lia walked towards the center of the room…

...and she suddenly gazed upon a mysterious feather descending from above.