《To Be Human》


 Prelude

    Prelude


    A large snake slithered around in an aquarium too small for it. It''s large body wrapped and folded around a small log as it moved around tasting the air. The large predator was stir crazy. He couldn''t remember ever having been free but the yearning he felt for it was instinctual, primal. He watched the scientist that kept him in the cramped aquarium with love and hate. Despite being too small to properly house his large body the aquarium was kept clean and the usually live meals he was provided were not only good eating but provided a measure of entertainment. He looked forward to being fed because not only was it the only time he got a break in his boredom but the only time his master showed any affection toward him. The creature''s days were monotonous; he''d watch his master and other scientists work until they went home. Since the work done in the lab involved gene-splicing he''d witness experimentation being done on animals that either died as a result or were killed as they couldn''t be bothered housing the animal beyond what they needed it for. He often wondered if he''d share the same fate.


    Dr. Christopher Lacey, the research scientist who owned the large snake, dangled a bound and terrified rabbit over the open lid of the aquarium. The snake inside, despite being excited, slowly stirred and slithered around to look up at the plump helpless creature being dangled over his head.


    ¡°Come on boy. Look what I got for you Lu.¡± The man said happily. A sadistic smile was on his face. He enjoyed watching his pet devour other animals alive. Lu was short for Lucifer. Despite giving his pet the name he usually couldn''t be bothered calling him by it unless the new guy or gal in the laboratory asked. After a few minutes of teasing his pet Christopher dropped the fat rabbit into the aquarium and praised his snake who devoured it immediately. He then dropped in some cheap cuts of meat he had picked up from a butcher an hour''s drive outside the city. An anaconda couldn''t survive on just a single rabbit even if it was fat.


    Lucifer looked on as he lie lethargic from his meal and the boredom that had almost instantly returned once he was done eating. He was able to figure out that his master was the one in charge by how all the other humans behaved toward him. For some reason one of the humans was talking with his master excitedly and then they all erupted in a loud cheer. Lucifer had no clue what was going on but it made him nervous.


    Some time had pasted since that day. The last thing Lucifer remembered was his master stabbing him with a needle, then darkness. Awaking from that darkness he couldn''t remember anything else. He felt strange. Something about his vision wasn''t right. Something about how his entire body felt wasn''t right. He could feel he was stretched out in a long cylinder encapsulated by an orange-yellow fluid. He could see what looked like a human body minus the drapings he usually saw them in stretched out before him. Was this a special treat from his master? Lucifer had a hard time believing his master had offered up one of his own to him as sustenance. Was it a trick, a test, or a treat? He definitely was hungry. Moving Lucifer tried to slither around the body to get a better look at it. He''d never eaten a human before and needed to figure out how he''d go about swallowing it. The human leg moved hitting the side of the cylinder but somehow he felt it as if his own body had just hit it. Overwhelming confusion set in as Lucifer moved more. His mind was in panic but his movements inside the tube were dull. He hadn''t even noticed the umbilical cord like thing attached to him. The small amount of moving he had done exhausted him. His eyes became heavy and darkness overtook him again.


    The next time Lucifer woke up he was lying on a cold table covered in a pale mint green drape. The first thing he saw were the overhead lights and then his masters face which was smiling.


    ¡°Welcome Lucifer or should I call you Adam now? You are my first and yor are perfect.¡± Dr. Lacey said looking down at his handiwork. ¡°Excellent. Just excellent.¡±


    Lucifer couldn''t understand a word he saying but it was the first time he heard his master talk to him outside of the aquarium. He could hear him a lot more clearly without the odd distortion caused by the glass walls of his cramped prison. Fear set in once he realized he was no longer in the aquarium. He had seen countless times what happened to animals once they were taken out of their prisons. Lucifer''s first thought was to get away by any means necessary but he spent himself just sitting up and the whole ordeal was utterly disorienting to him. What he was experiencing must have been some weird nightmare. He had a human body but his master was still looking at him in very much the same way he looked at the animals he and the other humans oftentimes tortured to death as part of their work.


    ¡°Oh you are a smart one. I didn''t think you''d figure out how to sit up without me showing you.¡± Christopher said then lifted up Lucifer''s head which was hanging down. He looked into the large hazel eyes of his success beaming with pride. ¡°You''re one of us now. Well, sort of. You are perfect. If it weren''t for the scales on your back you could completely pass for human. Hell, you probably still can. They''re damn barely even noticeable.¡± Christopher dropped his hands from Lucifer''s face then pointed to himself. ¡°Father,¡± he said, then pointed to Lucifer and called him by his new name, Adam. ¡°Come on, say something.¡± Christopher demanded, after doing this only a few more times.


    Weak, tired, confused, and afraid Lucifer managed to figure out that his master wanted him to imitate him. ¡°Fa... fa... fa... th.. th.. th... errrr.¡± Lucifer said clumsily. It was disturbing to himself making human sounds.


    ¡°Good! Good boy!¡± Christopher said shaking Lucifer''s shoulders making him feel a bit dizzy. But, dizzy or not he didn''t want to die. As soon as Christopher had walked away Lucifer moved off the table. Having never stood or even crawled before he hit the floor hard. ¡°Woah, Lu what are you doing buddy?¡± Christopher helped him back onto the table and laid him down. ¡°There will be plenty of time for all that tomorrow.¡± Lacey turned to leave again. After making his way across the room he stopped and looked back one last time at Lucifer. Then he closed and locked the door to the room he had placed him in and went out to celebrate. He and his team had successfully transmutated a snake into a human.


    It didn''t take long for Lucifer to learn how to speak. From there his progress proceeded at a breakneck speed. During that time thousands more transmutes were created. Even though the transmutation made them genetically indistinguishable from naturally born humans as in those born as humans. Transmutes or Anthromorphs, as they were also called, had physical oddities that their naturally born human counterparts did not. While most of these traits related directly to the creature they once were other tells did not such as the unnatural hair and eye coloring some transmutes had; a suspected benign side-effect of the chemicals used to rebind spliced cells. Although there were numerous attempts to recreate transmutes that had barely noticeable tells or no tell at all the outcome of the creation of a transmute was always a surprise; one lizard would become a man with green hair, while another would look normal but have a tail, and yet another have scales on his fore-arms. Despite not being able to control how a transmute appeared they were quickly mass-produced and put to work in factories as free labor and even as soldiers across the globe. Within the course of a decade the use of transmutes as free labor and replacements for ''real'' humans to fight wars had become common place. Even so, activists tirelessly worked to put an end to what they deemed a travesty to human morality. There wasn''t a day that went by that news outlets didn''t cover the protests animal and human rights groups alike held. Soon hearing about them became much like being told water was wet.


    There were few occasions that Christopher left Adam outside of his room while the laboratory was empty. Usually this happened while everyone was on lunch break but there were times when he was left out over the weekend which Adam made the most of. He figured out how to open his cell door from the inside once everyone was gone. There was nothing special about the room Adam was kept in, nor the door, or the lock on the door. It was meant to be used for experimentation but it was hardly ever used until it was repurposed to house Adam. Due to the nature of the work done in the lab there were no security cameras inside the area Adam was kept. So, he could move about without much worry once everyone had gone home. He used that time to learn as much about the outside as he could. There were other anthromorphs in the building but he wouldn''t be able to reach them without being seen by the cameras. The only times he could interact with any of them was when they were left in one of the other auxiliary experimentation rooms that surrounded the large open space where most of the work was done.


    It was another lonely weekend. Adam had patiently waited for everyone to leave as usual before exiting his cell. He noticed a light had been left on in room one and he went to investigate. Just as Christopher sometimes forgot to put him away when he left sometimes a light would be left on in an empty room. He was surprised to see that it wasn''t empty this time. An anthromorph he was familiar with was strapped down to a table. He was one of the few that they experimented on that was actually fluent in human language like he was. Having no name Adam had decided to call him Jerry. He was covered in the same standard pale mint green gown they dressed all transmutes in they intended to conduct tests on. Being a pet Adam was mostly spared the horrors other transmutes had to endure and sometimes died doing so. Jerry''s emerald eyes were glassy and full of sadness. A gas mask covered his nose and mouth that was attached to a tank that pumped methane and oxygen out interchangeably at set intervals. Adam entered the room, his heart breaking as he looked upon his friend''s suffering. He couldn''t do anything to help. He couldn''t even risk trying to make him comfortable. He couldn''t risk one of the scientists noticing the slightest change or everything he was trying to do would fall apart.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Even though he was extremely dizzy, nauseated, and weak from being forced to breath methane all day Jerry lifted his hand reaching out to Adam. To anyone that didn''t know better the look on Adam''s expressionless face would have appeared to be cold and distant. But, Jerry could tell he was on the verge of crying. He wanted to tell Adam not to cry for him not to let something like this break him but he couldn''t. He as doing all he could to remain conscious. Sleep would do him good and allow him to somewhat forget he was strapped to a cold metal table before being forced to breath air that made him ill. But, if he had allowed himself to faint he wouldn''t have been able to see his friend. Just seeing Adam''s face made the pain he was suffering easier to bare.


    Adam took his hand and leaned down resting his head on Jerry''s shoulder. ¡°I swear to you, you will not die here.¡± Adam whispered.


    Tears welled up in Jerry''s eyes and ran down the side of his face. He''d cry for the both of them. He knew the conviction Adam had but he also knew Adam couldn''t really promise such a thing. So many had already died and as it were he wasn''t sure if he''d survive the night.


    Dr. Lacey trembled in fear as he slid backwards on the floor away from the horror that approached him. Lacey backed away blindly, his mind a haze of panic. He had just watched his creation snap the necks of over a dozen of his coworkers and employees in a matter of seconds. He had even managed to take down several armed guards without getting a drop of blood on himself while leaving it spilt on the floor around him, after having used the first guard as a meat shield when the others opened fire on him. Adam, no Lucifer, stepped closer and closer to him. The expression on Lucifer''s face hadn''t changed or shown any hint of emotion throughout but to Christopher he appeared callous and merciless.


    ¡°I created you!¡± Christopher yelled, feeling as if he''d piss himself at any moment.


    Adam stopped moving, standing merely inches away from Christopher as he continued to shake on the floor. ¡°You created me yet you''re afraid of me,¡± Lucifer said then stooped down so that they were eye to eye. ¡°Humans truly are made in God''s image. You may have given me this state of being but you did not create me. You named me Lucifer to mock the very thing you don''t understand but did you know animals prayed? Everyday, every year I spent in that cramped aquarium I never prayed for myself I prayed for you father. I prayed that you would one day know love so that you could show it and not make others suffer as you have made me suffer.¡±


    ¡°I took care of you! I drove out to a butcher shop every week just to feed you! Ungrateful, evil, lying, bastard you never suffered! I took good care of you!¡± Christopher spat.


    Adam sighed. ¡°Is that how you really feel? When I awoke in this form did you not say I was perfect? There is no time for stubbornness. I don''t want to be responsible for sending you to hell, father.¡±


    ¡°I repent.¡± Christopher said in a rush.


    ¡°You do?¡± Adam asked not sure if his master''s words were true or not.


    ¡°Yes, I do!¡± Christopher said with urgency in his voice.


    Adam leaned in and hugged him. ¡°I honestly hope for your sake that was true. I love you, father,¡± he said then snapped his neck in one effortless motion killing him. There was no other way. He couldn''t trust leaving anyone present at the lab that day alive, especially the man that was his master. He had to get on with the escape plan or risk everything falling apart, but at that moment he was falling apart. He tightly held Christopher''s lifeless body in his arms. His face showed only a very slight hint of a frown as he tried to force himself not to cry.


    ¡°Adam!¡± Jerry shouted as he entered the room. He was wearing the gear he had taken off of one of the guards he had killed.


    Startled and still clutching his father''s body in one arm Adam lifted the assault rifle at his side nearly firing on his friend.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Jerry exclaimed, lifting his hands in the air.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Adam said, lowering the gun but not the body in his arms.


    ¡°You know what that guy did to me and the others don''t you?¡± Jerry asked as he watched Adam.


    ¡°I know.¡± Adam said quietly.


    ¡°And what he did to you.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Adam shouted.


    ¡°Pull it together, man.¡± Jerry said sympathetically.


    Adam carefully lowered Christopher''s body to the floor. ¡°What are you wearing?¡± Adam asked as he took something from the dead scientist''s body and placed it in his pocket.


    ¡°Pretty cool isn''t it?¡± Jerry said striking a pose.


    ¡°Get rid of it and the weapon too.¡± Adam ordered as he stood up giving his father''s body one last look.


    ¡°Awe! Come on!¡± Jerry pouted.


    ¡°It''s too conspicuous.¡± Adam said then looked away from the corpse on the floor. ¡°Did any of them manage to escape?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jerry answered with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°Good, and the others?¡±


    ¡°The ones that are coming are out on the boat.¡± Jerry paused the expression on his face became solemn. ¡°Most of them refused to come.¡±


    ¡°I see... Go out to the boat,¡± Adam said. The laboratory was located on a small man-made Island off the east coast of the U.S. The boat was nothing more than an inflatable raft only capable of holding five or six adults at the most, but Adam had meticulously planned the escape expecting far more anthromorphs to come when the time came. Maybe if he had told more of them about his plans maybe things would have turned out differently.


    ¡°I took care of it.¡± Jerry informed stopping Adam in his tracks.


    ¡°Jerry, I-¡±


    ¡°Let''s just light this place up and leave.¡± Jerry said cutting him off.


    Things had gone according to plan with as few deaths as possible. The handful of anthromorphs that wanted to try living among the humans went their separate ways once they reached land feeling it too risky for them to all remain together. Adam sat down on the rocky shore with his back to the small man made island. The smoke from the fires they had set inside the complex had yet to rise into the dark night sky. It would be daybreak before anyone would notice the inferno and too late for anything to be salvaged.


    ¡°You''re still here?¡± Adam said not bothering to look up at the person standing in front of him. He knew it was Jerry.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Jerry responded in an upbeat tone. If Adam could see his face he would have seen that Jerry was smiling.


    ¡°You don''t agree with the others?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad.¡± Adam''s voice was heavy and silence fell between them.


    ¡°It''s okay to cry now. We''re free.¡± Jerry said holding out his hand to Adam.


    Adam took his friend''s hand then inhaled deeply. He then pulled Jerry close practically yanking him and leaned his head against his thigh.


    ¡°Okay... this isn''t awkward at all.¡± Jerry said then noticed Adam was sobbing uncontrollably. ¡°There there. It''s okay.¡± He said patting his head.


    ¡°I couldn''t save them. It''s my fault they''re all dead. If I had just told more about the escape in advance.¡± Adam said as tears streamed down his face.


    ¡°They were saved. They don''t have to live being tortured anymore.¡± Jerry said as he continued to stroke Adam''s head. ¡°Let it out. I''ll be with you until the end.¡± Jerry assured.


    A little less than two months later a global ban on the use of Anthromorphs as unpaid labor and soldiers went into effect. At least that''s how it was reported in major news outlets. The whole of the truth was far more complicated and detailed which didn''t make for catchy headline titles nor could be quickly summarized in a three paragraph or less article. Even so it meant no more using Anthromorphs for experimentation or expendable workers and cannon fodder. The news hit Adam like a ton of bricks. The outcome was far from what Adam wanted for his people but at the same time far better than what they had to endure before. Was it all pointless? The years of learning and planning, the blood he spilled, the blood he had led others to spill, was it all pointless? He had repeatedly come across news reports on those nights Dr. Lacey had neglected to put him away but he didn''t believe it was anything more than talk. Why didn''t he pay closer attention? Why didn''t he see that there was another way? Adam had always thought himself far more observant and analytical than most. After seeing that headline and reading the article he began to wonder if he had fallen prey to pride and allowed his longing to be free and an inability to silence the flurry of negative emotions that swirled inside himself from what he witnessed and experienced to color his judgment and actions. Adam held the newspaper someone hand lazily discarded on a public bench in shock. Jerry was standing behind him eating baked beans from a can. He reached down grabbing the newspaper balling it up then tossed it into the nearest trash can. He had a pretty good idea what his friend was thinking when he glanced down at what he was reading. ¡°I saw a different article on that in one of the magazines in the store down the street. A lot of us died today and the ones they didn''t kill they''ve locked them away in special zones. If you hadn''t did what you''ve done none of us would have escaped that place. We all would have died, Adam, you have to know that.¡± Jerry said, keeping his voice down.


    ¡°I know but.¡±


    ¡°A butt is what you sit on.¡± Jerry said then took another spoonful of baked bean into his mouth.


    ¡°You''re right. We''ve got work to do,¡± Adam said then stood up.


    Jerry nearly choked on what he was eating. Adam''s statement was news to him. ¡°We do?¡± What could they possibly have to do besides finish the Hand-Up program at the homeless shelter they were staying at and keep their heads down to avoid being caught and shot or worse.


    ¡°I have a plan but first we need to learn as much as possible about these special zones.¡± Adam said then started walking in the direction of the nearest public library.


    ¡°W-w-wait!¡± Jerry practically shouted then wolfed down the rest of the beans and hurriedly disposed of the can.


    Adam had stopped to wait for his friend to catch up to him. ¡°Are you sure you want to help me with this? My plan runs the risk of getting found out.¡±


    ¡°So does living.¡± Jerry said smiling. ¡°I told you before, man, I''ll stay with you until the end.¡±


    ~*~

 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    Recent college graduate, Linneah Mitchell, sat in the corner of a coffee shop clicking through online job boards. Most of the open positions posted were in engineering and medical with a few temporary agency ads and janitorial jobs for good measure. Sighing she put her tablet away. Maybe she made the wrong choice by getting a degree in education. And maybe she shouldn''t have been sitting in a coffee shop where the cheapest drink was five dollars when she had yet to find stable employment. The clerks had been staring at her for the last fifteen minutes wondering if she would order something.


    "Why are you staring at me so hard? I''m not the only one in here using the Wi-Fi without ordering," Linneah thought, then stood up and walked out of the shop without having ordered anything. It was the middle of winter in the Midwestern United States. She had only gone inside to get out of the cold for a moment and check her email. There was a bulletin board by the doors she had more or less ignored when she came into the shop. Linneah had almost walked past it again but the thought occurred to her that there might be at least one help wanted ad for a tutor on the board. Linneah backed up a few steps and carefully scanned the board. There were lots of ads on it alright, most of which were looking for customers not employees: guitar lessons, personal shopper, housekeeping services, computer repair, and the like on the off chance someone would give the board a look. Linneah debated on whether she should ask the manager about putting her own ad on it. Tutoring didn''t pay much and wasn''t consistent work, but at least it was something. Many of the ads overlapped each other and one was almost completely covered by an ad from a used car lot. Linneah lifted the used car ad to get a better look at the one it was partially covering. She was half expecting to see another service advertisement but was surprised to see it was actually a posting for a job. She had to do a double take. Was this for real and if it were, was she that desperate for work? The job was for a position in the Transmute Zone not too far from where she lived. The flyer said to call the number on it for more information. Linneah took a picture of it and went home.


    After some debate and seeing a couple of bills in the mail Linneah started to feel desperate. She had no idea what a job inside a Transmute Zone would entail. She didn''t know anyone or anyone that knew anyone who worked inside one of them and she had never seen an Anthromorph before. Images of them, of real ones, on TV and even the internet were few and far between. Were they nothing more than tame animals in human form like they were portrayed in popular media? Would the job she was calling about be basically nothing more than a glorified zookeeper?


    Before calling, Linneah decided to do a bit of research on the place. Going to her desk, which was nothing more than a small computer cart that was by the kitchen, she turned on her computer and typed in the name of the zone ''Safe Haven'' and of course doing so yielded a ton of unrelated results. Taking a moment to face palm Linneah added ''Transmute Zone''. Although a few unrelated results still popped up she was able to find a small article on the facility. While somewhat informative it still told her nothing about what to expect as an employee there.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Nervously Linneah dialed the number from the flyer. She didn''t spend five and a half years in college and getting into thousands of dollars in debt just to clean poop, but if it would keep a roof over her head and pay the bills she''d be the best poop cleaner that place had ever seen.


    ¡°Hello, Adam Neuman speaking.¡±


    Linneah''s heart jumped into her throat. She wasn''t expecting the zone''s administrator to pick up. ¡°Hello, my name is Linneah Mitchell. I saw the job flyer on the bulletin board at Star Mugs. Are you still hiring?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The man said. There was a bit of a pause. ¡°We''re looking for people to take on the stewardship of Anthromorphs here.¡±


    ¡°Stewardship? What does a steward do?¡±


    ¡°The stewardship program here sends Anthromorphs out to live with individuals that will be responsible for them until they are able to obtain citizenship.¡±


    ¡°Like adoption?¡± Linneah asked, a little confused.


    ¡°No, you''ll be responsible for them in a power of attorney way. Since the goal of the program is to transition Anthromorphs into society at large stewards are also charged with acclimating them to life outside of the zone. Does this sound like something you''d be interested in doing?¡±


    ¡°Before I answer I have a question; how many anthromorphs would I have to steward?¡±


    ¡°Each steward is responsible for one Anthromorph at a time.¡±


    ¡°In that case, yes, I would be interested in the job.¡±


    ¡°I''d like to meet with you in person before I make my decision. Are you available to come in on Monday at 9am?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see you then. I look forward to meeting you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Linneah said, then hung up the phone. Hopefully by the same time next week she''d have a job.


    Adam hung up the phone then propped his elbows up on his desk intersecting his fingers together as he glared at Jerry who was busy with a spreadsheet.


    ¡°What,¡± Jerry asked, not bothering to look away from what he was doing. He could feel Adam''s cold and heavy gaze on him.


    ¡°You really put up flyers?¡±


    ¡°You mad?¡±


    ¡°Mad is too strong of a word. I''m mildly irritated because I just had a conversation with a woman who had no clue what job we are hiring for nor had any idea what would be expected of her.¡±


    ¡°The less they know the more interested they''ll be.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    Jerry merely shrugged. ¡°It worked didn''t it? Besides, I put those up months ago. It''s not like you''re all that busy right now and I thought you liked talking to women.¡± Jerry said, his gaze remaining on his work.


    ¡°What are you implying?¡±


    Jerry smiled mischievously. ¡°Nothing, just rolling with the 100:1 female to male steward ratio this place has.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious,¡± Adam asked. Although they had known each other for years it was difficult for even him to tell when Jerry was joking at times.


    ¡°You''re the one that set up a job interview with a clueless woman.¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable.¡± Adam said standing up.


    ¡°Eh? Where you going,¡± Jerry said, finally looking away from his work.


    ¡°I have a meeting with auditors today, the reason you''re re-checking the accounts at the last minute.¡±


    ¡°Oh right! Almost forgot about that.¡± Jerry said sarcastically.


    Adam sighed and left the room. He had not worried about things being in order however Jerry was another story. Even after triple checking the accounts he was still concerned something might be wrong. At first Adam thought he understood Jerry''s obsession with making sure everything was perfect, but now he felt his friend''s hyper vigilance was a mild form of OCD or perhaps he had just grown comfortable having achieved his goal of becoming a Special Zone administrator and that comfort was causing him to grow slack. Mulling over suchc oncerns would have to wait until after his meeting with the auditors.


    ~

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two


    Most Anthromorph zones had very tall concrete walls around them that made them appear to be prisons. As much as the walls were meant to keep the Anthromorphs in they were also meant to keep humans out. For this reason it wasn''t uncommon for armed guards to be seen patrolling their perimeters. Conspiracy theorists took delight in making blog posts about the secret military experiments going on behind those tall walls. While the press was never allowed inside there were no laws preventing them from flying a drone overhead and getting footage of the inside of the zones. There were also no laws that prevented the drones from being "disabled" either. An action solely meant to send a message as any footage, recorded or live, was often very garbled anyways. Oftentimes Anthromorph zones looked indistinguishable from prisons and more or less were operated similarly. Special zones like Safe Haven were few and far between. The walls around special zones were more pleasing to the eye and not as tall. One could see the buildings within them just standing on the street. And if they were watching during the right time of day they might get a far off glimpse of some Anthromorphs. Just as the walls were different, so were the structures within them that tended to appear more like boarding schools and pretty much operated as such. Safe Haven, however, was in a class of its own; it looked more like a gated cluster of offices from the outside depending on which direction you approached it from. On the sides of the zone that didn''t have tall buildings with tinted windows the landscaping served as the walls; large hills with sparsely placed trees within the tall bricked raw iron fences that surrounded the entire zone. During the day the gates on the sides with clearly visible buildings were wide open where people and vehicles alike could routinely be seen entering and exiting the zone. Despite the appearance of being easily accessible, during the day, guards turned away anyone without proper identification. This was the problem Linneah was facing Monday morning. Being mindful to keep her tone and words polite Linneah grew irritated of the exchange she was having with a green haired guard as two other guards stood a few feet behind her closely watching them.


    ¡°I can''t let you in without clearance ma''am.¡± The man said. His tone was polite but firm.


    ¡°I heard you the first five times and each time I''ve told you I''m here for a job interview and to just call the administrator''s office. They are expecting me after all.¡± Linneah said frustrated. It was twenty minutes before nine. She had gotten there ten minutes ago. A half hour to find her way to where she was supposed to go in an unfamiliar place seemed like more than enough time.


    ¡°I''m sorry ma''am we can''t do that.¡± The guard said.


    ¡°Right, of course not.¡± Linneah murmured as she dialed Adam''s office number for the second time. Again, after ringing several times the voicemail picked up. Linneah hung up. There was no point leaving another message. ¡°It figures. What did I expect calling a number on a flyer. I bet it was just some basement dweller with nothing better to do than screw with people.¡± Linneah though ready to give up.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The green haired guard said after all three had received a message through their earpieces.


    ¡°Ma''am,¡± one of the two behind her finally spoke. ¡°I''ll escort you to the Administrator''s office.¡±


    Linneah felt like screaming at them but kept calm and simply nodded before walking off with the brown haired guard.


    As they walked Linneah was too busy looking around to notice the guard''s focus was solely on her, so much so he ran into a trash can and fell over.


    ¡°Are you, okay?¡± Linneah asked practically shouting from surprise. She didn''t hesitate to reach out her hand to help him up.


    The guard looked up at her for a split second, his face red from embarrassment. His gaze was casted to the ground as he put back on the hat that fell from his head when he fell. The guard quickly stood up ignoring her outreached hand and dusted himself off. ¡°I- I''m okay.¡± He stuttered then continued walking as if the incident never happened.


    ¡°What is with this place?¡± Linneah wondered having seen only men the few times she saw a group of people or a solitary person walking about as she and the guard made their way to and through the administration building. A sign by the door to the room Linneah was left in said waiting room but it looked more like a living room.


    ¡°Hello,¡± a tall man in a gray suit with shoulder length auburn hair said.


    Linneah didn''t show any signs of being startled but her heart had jumped into her throat. She was reading a magazine and hadn''t noticed the man that had entered the room and was standing in front of her. ¡°Hello.¡± She replied looking up at him. He was smiling and held a small cup of coffee in one hand and a heavily frosted cupcake in the other. He seemed friendly but something about him seemed off to her.


    ¡°Sorry the guards gave you a hard time. A communication mix up. You know how it is. Here.¡± He said offering the coffee and cupcake to Linneah.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Linneah said taking them even though she was in no mood for a snack and especially not one that consisted of mostly frosting and black coffee.


    ¡°I''m Jerry by the way,¡± he said, extending his hand.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Linneah sat the cupcake down, then stood up and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. Is something wrong," she asked when he wouldn''t let go of her hand.


    ¡°Does it look like something is bothering me,¡± Jerry asked, still smiling. Clasping her hand with both of his he tightened his grip. ¡°Don''t worry you''ll get the job.¡± He said then let go.


    ¡°Thanks...¡± Linneah said, looking at him suspiciously.


    ¡°I''ll go see if Mr. Neuman is ready to see you,¡± Jerry said then walked off down a short corridor that led to another area in the room.


    Linneah sat back down and stared at the cupcake. Now she really didn''t want to eat it or drink the coffee. ¡°Calm down, the administrator sounded like a normal person over the phone. Just because a weirdo happens to be working here isn''t a reason to jump to conclusions,¡± she thought as she scanned the room for a trash can. She quickly dumped the cupcake in it and poured the coffee into the large potted plant beside it.


    Adam was sitting at his desk with his face down on it fast asleep. Jerry casually walked in quietly humming. He turned the ringer to Adam''s phone back on which he had turned off without Adam''s knowledge then woke him up.


    Usually composed Adam looked completely dazed. Jerry brushed Adam''s hair back into place as he continued to hum. He then walked over to a well concealed minifridge and took a damp towel from it then threw it at Adam. The cold damp towel landed on his head, slapping him in the face. The wet chill was enough to snap him out of his haze.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Adam said after using the towel to wipe off his face.


    ¡°Yeah, no problem. You''ve got a little puddle of drool on your desk there you might want to clean up."


    His expression didn''t show it but Adam was embarrassed. He took a small spray bottle of cleaning fluid from the lower drawer of his desk and used the towel Jerry had thrown at him to wipe it up.


    ¡°Are you awake now?¡± Jerry asked as he sat down at on his own desk and removed the lid covering a small clear plastic container of cupcakes.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good, your 9 o''clock is here. Nice girl,¡± Jerry said as he stuffed one of the cupcakes into his mouth.


    Adam glared at him.


    ¡°What? You were sleep,¡± Jerry said with his mouth full.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Just gave her a little test is all,¡± Jerry said, taking another cupcake from the container.


    ¡°What did you do,¡± Adam asked, his stare having grown in intensity.


    ¡°Just had the guys at the gate give her a hard time is all. If she was put off by that then there was no point in waking you up over a no show.¡±


    ¡°I see you turned off my phone again.¡± Adam said seeing over a dozen missed calls from various people.


    ¡°You needed your rest.¡± Jerry said as he placed the cupcakes into the minifridge.


    ¡°I don''t know what I''d do without you,¡± Adam said, his words laced with sarcasm.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jerry said cheerfully as he picked up a third cupcake he had left sitting on his desk. ¡°Now that you''re rested you can check your messages.¡±


    ¡°I have to interview the young woman you insisted on giving a hard time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t waste your time,¡± Jerry said then took a bite out of his cupcake. ¡°Hire her,¡± Jerry said but his words were unintelligible due to his mouth being full.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jerry swallowed. ¡°Hire her.¡±


    ¡°Go get her.¡±


    ¡°It''s your time,¡± Jerry said then went back out to the waiting room.


    ¡°He''ll see you now,¡± Jerry said and escorted her back to Adam''s office.


    Unlike the waiting room Adam''s office had a sterile minimalist appearance. The glass wall behind his desk let in enough natural light making it unnecessary to turn on the ones overhead.


    ¡°Please have a seat Ms. Mitchell,¡± Adam said but his gaze was on Jerry.


    Jerry could tell by the look in his eyes Adam wanted him to leave and so he did.


    Linneah couldn''t put her finger on why, but she felt threatened; as if something was coiling around her neck and slowly squeezing.


    ¡°Is that your resume,¡± Adam asked, seeing the thin folder in Linneah''s hands.


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Linneah said, handing it over to him. The blank expression on his face was at odds with the soothing tone of his voice and threatening aura he gave off.


    ¡°A master''s in education,¡± Adam said with a rising inclination that made his statement sound more like a question. ¡°That will come in handy for you as a steward.¡± He placed the folder to the side on his desk.


    ¡°It will,¡± Linneah asked uncertain exactly how her degree would be of any use to her as a steward.


    ¡°Yes, it will. Perhaps not in the conventional sense but for all intents and purposes stewards are teachers and the Anthromorhps in their care are students.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what are your thoughts on Anthromorphs?¡±


    ¡°As a whole?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as a whole.¡±


    Linneah swallowed, feeling the invisible pressure around her neck increase. ¡°I don''t know much about them, only what I see on the news.¡±


    ¡°Do you think those stories are true?¡±


    ¡°Is he trying to figure out if I''m a conspiracy theorist or something,¡± Linneah thought. ¡°I think they''re true to a degree. I don''t really believe most news outlets don''t deliver stories without some kind of biased slant to them even if it''s only a slight slant.¡±


    ¡°I see, but what do you think of Anthromorphs?¡± Adam was slightly annoyed at her for having to repeat his question.


    What could Linneah say? She didn''t have any particular thoughts about Anthromorphs. How could she when she had never met any of them? ¡°I can''t say. I''ve never met any, but even if I had I don''t think that experience would be applicable to all of them.¡±


    ¡°You talk about them as if they are human.¡±


    ¡°Well, aren''t they?¡±


    ¡°Many seem to believe they are human but a lower form of human that is only slightly more than the animals they once were. Is that what you believe, Ms. Mitchell?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I''m not sure. The news certainly makes it seem that way but there are those that say they are indistinguishable from us and that any physical differences are only skin deep. I really don''t know which is the truth. Maybe, if I''m hired, being a steward will help me figure it out.¡±


    ¡°There''s one more thing you need to do. You will need to take a personality assessment exam in the computer lab on the first floor in the building adjacent to this one. Please take this with you,¡± Adam said then handed her a temporary keycard from his desk drawer. ¡°You won''t be able to access the lab without it.¡±


    ¡°The building adjacent to this one right?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Someone can escort you there if you like.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you. I''ll be fine on my own,¡± Linneah said afraid that someone could be Jerry.


    ~