Xiaoyu was in a deep sleep. She lay sprawled on her left side without a care in the world. She didn't budge even when she was poked and prodded on the shoulders and belly. An abrupt, sharp pinch on the right half of her rear finally brought her to awareness.

Her eyelids flung open in an instant. Her eyes were bloodshot and the irises glowed devilish red. Her nails dug into her palms as her hands squeezed into fists. Her feet thrashed across the cold steel floor. She hyperventilated through clenched teeth.

"Calm down, Lilith," Anna ordered in a strict voice. She was kneeling over Xiaoyu, holding a stopwatch in one hand and an empty syringe in the other. "You know you'll be deemed a Failure if you can't control your little temper."

Being called her codename reminded Xiaoyu what she was, and who she belonged to. Each one of her "supplements" was another test of her willpower. If she didn't focus, she would become a mindless monster. She instinctively craved power, and the Devil Gene was one of the few things she was still allowed to have control over.

Her eyes gradually changed back to their natural brown color. Her body became less tense as her breathing relaxed.

Anna watched with a curious "Hmm" and a few approving nods. She clicked the watch with her thumb.

"Good girl." She spoke in a softer tone as she smiled. ".4 seconds faster than last week. Your metabolism is still improving. I was a little concerned since I gave you a more concentrated dose this time."

Xiaoyu sat up and gazed across the room. Emilie had already started her day. She was completely dry and wrapped in a towel. Sitting cross-legged on the edge of a sterile white table, she was enjoying a cup of morning tea and reading her copy of Sense and Sensibility. She would have looked serene if it weren't for the fact her cranial shield was removed and one of the lab technicians was tinkering with her brain circuits.

Anna snapped her fingers. A pair of workers took the watch and the syringe from her hands and replaced them with a fresh towel. She draped the cloth over Xiaoyu's damp hair and rubbed playfully.

"Once you get cleaned up, I have a new mission for you. The usual infiltration and elimination. You'll be better suited for this one since you're our organic option. The target is one of those paranoid types and we don't want to risk your sister tripping metal detectors left and right with all of her experimental alloys."

Another technician stopped behind Anna with a hangar and a qipao dress. With its silk skirt and a bright flower print, it looked like a more formal version of Xiaoyu's fighting gear. Anna held two tiny capsules in front of Xiaoyu's eyes, then tucked them into hidden pockets on either side of the dress's collar.

"You know the rules. The red pill gives an instant boost to your Devil Gene once you've isolated the target. Blue is your cyanide, just in case things go bad. We're still trying to figure out how to make you more self-reliant like Athena. She has her own auto-deactivation routines built in. I suppose you'd think it would be pretty boring if we had you try meditation and learn how to voluntarily stop your heart, hmm?"

Xiaoyu thought to herself in silence. Another mission meant another opportunity to use her genetic powers. If she completed all of her objectives perfectly, she would probably be given an extra day off. Maybe they would even let her see Panda again.

She looked back up as she pulled the towel across her shoulders.

"Who do I get to kill?"

Anna answered with a wide grin.

"That's what I like to hear."