Dimensions

Demi:

My stomach flipped over. “How do you expect to find out anything? You aren’t going to let me use my power, you aren’t going to let me go. Do you think you can find out by asking me about my family? Are you a scientist or a psychologist?” I crossed my arms like he did and cocked one hip. Speaking so much had made me less afraid of this man. He had made no move to hurt me.

“Keeping me here will do no good. You’re nothing more than a kidnaper keeping a girl locked in your basement.” I gave him my mother’s famous flat glare.

"I hate people. People are too emotional. Not enough logic and reason. I like science, it makes sense to me. Because if I can't figure out a problem it is because I didn't have enough information. But so too can I learn from mistakes." My eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that look either. I feel like all women are just born with the ability to give that look out. My Ex-wife certainly has that one down."

Turning to the board I shook my head. "I can learn many things from you. Perhaps not all of it useful. You said you were born like that. Tells me either your parents are wild animals or they are also full of mixed dna. I can't say that having mixed dna lets you do what you do. But it's something to consider at least."

Demi:

I swallowed and hugged myself a little tighter. “Are you ever going to let me go?” I asked, the crease between my brows returning. I didn’t care if he thought I was too emotional. I didn’t care if he hated me simply for being a person, or if he thought my parents were wild animals.

“You know its wrong to keep people against their will. Don’t you have and rules of ethics?” That was the very thing that had messed up my home world. The scientists had no ethical limits. They experimented and animals and children. They created monstrosities that couldn’t function. They tortured people like my parents. It was all being corrected now. There were rules to prevent reckless scientists from taking advantage of people.

"Yes, I am aware of ethics. It is also ethical to protect people from danger. You are dangerous even though you assure us you aren't. Until we can either limit the damage or control the setting then you are stuck here helping us further research and science. Because you do it naturally while we have to study.". I shrugged and looked at her for s moment. "You won't be here forever. But for a time."

Demi:

I pressed my lips together and dropped my gaze to the tile floor. My lashes fluttered to prevent them from tearing up. What would my parents say when I returned home, if indeed I ever got to go home… I wouldn’t be able to keep it from them. If I was gone for months, or even years, I wouldn’t be able to return to the same point in time like nothing happened. I thought of my mom, and how angry she would be when I didn’t return. Then she would get scared. She would be so worried…

After this whole time of only crying when I was absolutely alone, so as not to show weakness, I lost it. My hands went up immediately to cover my face. My chest shuddered and a small, breathy sob escaped me.

When she grew silent I looked back at the board studying it for a few moments before I began to erase it.  However as I finished I heard her sob.  I did a double take, not fully believing what was happening at first.  "Ah....". What did I do for someone crying?  What relief could I offer?  I had to fall back on what Veronica had me do and carefully I tried hugging the girl, moving stiffly and awkwardly like she was something covered in spikes.

"Um.....There there?"

Demi:

It was enough to startle me out of my sobs. I sniffled for a second before I brought my elbows up and pushed him away. I looked at him, a defensive expression on my face. “Can I go?” I asked in a quiet voice. I wanted to get away so I could cry in peace and solitude. What he had done had confirmed something for me though: he saw me as a person.

"Yeah. Your room though..." I said carefully as I watched her. I was fully awkward through the entire exchange right then, but I still had my work to do. And no amount of tears would dissuade me from keeping her here until I was absolutely certain she wouldn't be a danger to us.

Demi:

I shook my head with a slight huff. "I know," I said, looking away. I left the white lab and went to my room down the hall. I knew that the door would lock me in when I closed it, but I couldn't stand for it to be left open for him to come in whenever he wanted. I went to the bed and cried myself to sleep.

It was the first time I was fully conscious since the first night when I had cried myself to sleep as well. This was more hopeless and less afraid. I went in and out of sleep for the next hour. It wasn't night time, but I couldn't bare to be awake. I tried to force myself to stay asleep even when I belly grumbled at me for food

Work became a welcome distraction. I could focus on work, push out emotion, doubt, and concern. Work lent me a clarity of thought because I was doing something I knew instead of something I'd never been good at. I wasn't good with people it was simple as that.

I didn't even notice the secretary coming down and laying out coffee and snacks in just the right places. I simply reached out and there was something to drink or something to snack on. In fact by the time I did notice a full hour had passed and I was gazing suspiciously at a steaming hot cup of coffee. Stephano was good...I had to give him that....maybe he wasn't so bad. Still an idiot.

Demi:

He brought me a plate of food hours later. I barely woke up for it, but when he left the door open it forced me to get up and close it. I was hungry, so I ate the food then laid down again. I tried to sleep as much as I could but eventually, my body wouldn't let me anymore. At that point, I laid in the dark and thought about my life and what lead me here.


Veronica:

Much to my displeasure, I was put in charge of the DH situation at Magnolia Lab. The day after Danny had been transported, I took a trip to see how things were going. I sent a message to Toby's secretary, Simon, letting him know that I would be arriving. Leaving my office for lunch, I went home to change my outfit. I put on a black pencil skirt with a light pink blouse. I stared at myself in the mirror for a good ten minutes before I put my clothes from this morning back on. Dressed again in black slacks and a button down navy shirt, I had a small salad for lunch then drove myself to Toby's place.

The last time I had been here, I was moving my things out. It was an odd feeling to go up the walkway and ring the doorbell of the house that used to be my home.

Simon:

"Hello Ma'am. Please come on in." I chirped cheerfully as I hit the button behind the desk to open the front door. The button was designed to only work with mine or Tobi's fingerprints and it was a small joy to have it. Especially because the door wouldn't open otherwise and normally the door opened automatically and having people just walk right into the door was entertaining.

I wasn't a fan of the job, more often than not I was bored, verbally abused, and had to clean up after Tobias for anything that wasn't his home or his lab. But I was paid very well, and having my own time let me study and do just about anything I wanted. Taking classes in the evening and working almost every day during the week lent me a busy schedule. But again I could just as easily show up, check in on my charge and leave for the rest of the day by forwarding all calls to my cellphone. Sometimes I did just that.

Tobias himself was abrasive, an obvious genius, a slob, a bit of a man-child, and on occasion someone I deeply respected. It was fun sometimes having our little verbal matches. But I especially liked it when Veronica called. Seeing him ranting and all the names he called her was nothing short of spectacular. But so too after he had spent a night drinking I got to hear all the saucy little details and how he still cared for her but he'd told her that he wasn't good enough with people to handle dating.

As I welcomed Veronica in I looked her over. I was pretty young, but she'd selected me out of all the candidates to be the secretary so that way someone could be here to take care of things while Tobias was off in his world of research. I envied her position and looked up to her so my smile was genuine as I stood from the desk and moved to greet her in person. As I walked up to her with my ever present clipboard I looked her over. She had such a good figure but she always seemed to settle on something so business like. I felt she would look good in a skirt. Pencil maybe with perhaps a pastel top. But who was I to tell her that.

Veronica:

“Hello Simon,” I said as stepped up the stairs. “How are things going today?” I asked. I wanted to ask how Tobi was. What he was doing, but it was better to remain uninterested. I kept my eyes on the boy, trying not to look around at how things had changed since I had lived here.

"The usual. Had his laundry sent away, took inventory of the kitchen and office supplies as the workers went through quite a bit of stuff while they were here. I filled out the request forms just for those and I can send them your way if you want to have a look over them." I left the offer open as I didn't really mind if she wanted to look it over. I hadn't had a chance to look over what Doctor Marin might need but last I'd checked in on him he had been deep into his work and looked like he hadn't slept a wink.

"Doctor Marin is downstairs in his lab working on something. The um......person?" I paused with a faint frown as I wasn't sure just what to call the girl we now held downstairs. "She is still in her room. If you want to go check on him, it is just about time for me to exchange out his coffee. I can walk you down." The smile returned to my face as I turned to the side to encourage her to go where she wished.

Veronica:

I didn't need him to take me down, I knew the way well enough. "Yes, please do," I said with a smile that didn't quite touch my eyes. "So he hasn't begun working with the girl?" I would have thought he would have jumped at the chance. In my mind he had kept her up half the night to run tests on her.

Simon:

"From what I saw, she was crying and hasn't left her room but once. Tobias doesn't handle tears very well does he?" I shrugged it off and took a small detour into the kitchen area where I poured out a fresh mug of coffee and prepared it quickly. Humming a few notes as I worked I called to Veronica, "Do you want anything Ma'am? Coffee? Tea? Water? Juice? Protein shake?"

"Coffee please. Skim milk if you have it."

Taking down another mug I filled it for her from the pot and added in some skim milk. Returning with both mugs balanced on the clipboard I slowly stirred a cinnamon stick in the coffee for Tobias. He liked his black most of the time with cinnamon mixed in. After experimenting for a while I found just stirring it for a while with the cinnamon stick and taking it with me after was the best choice as all too often when I left the stick he got distracted by it before finally scowling and throwing it.

Leading the way then I used my card and prints to get through the various levels of security before we were in the basement and the lab. Looking through the glass wall I saw that the Doctor was gazing into a microscope while a machine spun test tubes behind him. Leaving Veronica to do as she pleased I slipped in quietly and exchanged the coffee I'd brought for him that morning. Taking a moment I picked up a few bits of trash and tossed them away, making sure I kept from disturbing any of his actual important files or machines.

Veronica:

I walked into the lab behind Simon and watched my ex-husband work for a couple minutes. How many times had I come in here completely unnoticed by him? Sometimes I had sat for nearly an hour before he even knew I was in the room.

“Why aren’t you working with the DH?” I asked coolly. Was that not the reason he had requested he to be transported to his lab? If I was going to be in charge of supervising this project, I was going to make sure it was done properly.

Tobias:

I slowly pulled away from the microscope to blink at Veronica. "Huh?" I asked for a moment. "When did you....." I paused for a second then frowned. "I choose what I'm working on. And I am. Just not directly. I am checking the properties of her blood and all the information that was sent with her. I want to narrow down the sequences of her DNA to better understand why she is the way she is. Apparently her parents were part animal as well. One part peacock, the other part fox."

Narrowing my eyes at her I asked, "Did you come all this way just to complain about what I choose to work on?"

Veronica:

While I was interested in learning about the girl, that wasn’t my job. “I’ve been put in charge of overseeing this project. I am here to make sure that things are done properly.” I tried to keep my tone even and uncaring.

“That starts with ensuring that the DH is properly taken care of. Simon said that she hasn’t come out of her room? Has she been fed today?” This was eerily like the conversation we had about our dog Tilly. He hated me for it, but I couldn’t leave her with someone who left her inside all day and only fed her when he remembered.

"God couldn't they find someone else?" A part of me was joyful at that news, even as my words were delivered in a bitter complaint. Just having Veronica here again left me wanting. What we once had, what we tried to create. But we couldn't go that route again. Neither of us had been happy.

My eyes flicked towards the DH's door before my brows furrowed. "I've only had her for a day..." The comment wasn't for Veronica but my chin tucked and I drummed my fingers on my thigh for a moment. "It's been more. Either way I am not a babysitter and the room has a way she can contact us in the lab. If she wants something she can ask. She isn't helpless." A weak argument but I could usually do better when we weren't here at what was once our home.

Veronica:

"Do you really think she would ask you for food? She has no power in this situation. I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to starve herself just to get back at us for keeping her. If you want to be able to have a subject to research you're going to have to take care of her," I said it all while planning to give Simon instructions to keep her taken care of. I knew Tobi would forget.

"I need you to send daily reports to me. If you go a day without anything to report, then you better have a good reason why. Do you understand?" I crossed my arms. This was why he called me cold hearted. I could lock up all my feelings and put up a hard exterior. This was also why I had made it so far in my career at a young age.

Grumbling what might have been an apology and could very well have been me telling her off in a colorful array of cursing. "Fine...I'll send you reports. Will take care of the subject." In a way I felt guilty. Somewhat at least. This is what happened to our dog too. I just got caught up in a project, and everything else faded away except for my research. I loved that dog and when I was focused I took great care. But too often I fell into my same habits.

Veronica:

I nodded. “You have a little less than a week before you are joined by other scientists. Keep that in mind when you work,” I warned him. Despite what he thought of me, I did want him to succeed. I tried my best to keep the number of people involved in this project to a minimal. As it was four others would be coming here to study the DH.

"Good, they can stay out most of the time and they had better have curfews as to when they can be in the lab. Government owned or not I live here and don't have rooms to house them, nor do I want to be woken up by idiots." Pushing away from the counter I slid my hands into my pockets and brushed past her. I paused at the doorway into the lab and looked over my shoulder. "Aren't you coming? Might as well introduce you to the DH as you say."

Veronica:

I followed him to the room and stood behind him as he opened the door. The light went on and the girl sat up suddenly from her bed. She blinked, and her fox ears laid back. She looked younger now with sleep in her face.