A sharp stinging pain made Virtus jerk, and movement made the sensation worse. He groaned through gritted teeth and reached up to massage his aching head.

"Easy does it, Virtus," a soft feminine voice greeted him.

Startled, he opened his eyes to find that his vision was still a little cloudy. Even so, he instantly recognized the young woman kneeling beside the cot. My cot, he realized. The turtle was lying in his own pitiful excuse for a bed, and his long-lost trainer had suddenly returned.

Virtus released a shaky breath as the thought of pain fled from him. "Kamryn," he said gladly. "You're here."

She settled further back on her legs with a quizzical look, as though uncertain he was actually happy to see her. "Yes, I'm here. I'm so sorry, Virtus. I never wanted to leave—"

He held up a hand to stop her apology. "I'm just relieved you're okay, Kamryn."

"You're glad I'm…You were worried about me?"

"Of course I was," he told her. "I know that these elohim aren't the nicest characters. You told me that they've experimented with you before. What did you expect me to think? That you'd abandoned me altogether? We're both unique. We've got no choice but to stick together." Virtus expected a small chuckle for his attempt to lighten her up, but the young woman's reaction was the opposite.

A quiet sob tore from her throat, though she tried to muffle the sound. Kamryn sank into a cross-legged position on the floor as the turtle watched her with confusion. He grunted with exertion while he tried to sit up further, and the young woman's head immediately turned to him.

"Don't you dare," she ordered with all the firmness she could muster. "I'm sorry. I was nowhere near finished with you, and you're not close to being ready to get up."

"Kamryn, what's going on? I didn't mean to offend you. I meant unique in a good way."

She laughed mirthlessly. "You didn't offend me, Virtus. People don't usually…" Kamryn trailed off slowly. "Even my own kind act like I have some weird disease, all because of what the elohim have done with me. I have no one, and no home to call mine. Now you come along, and you actually care about what happens to me?"

Virtus started to nod, and thought better of it. "Yes, Kamryn, I do. You're my friend, and you don't have to be sorry for crying."

She shook her head, breathing hard through another sob. "I feel like an idiot…but you don't know how long it's been since I had a friend."

"People don't know what they're missing," the turtle said honestly.

The young woman rubbed her eyes fiercely. "And my timing couldn't be worse. Here are you are lying in this state, and I'm only thinking about myself."

"You're the least selfish person I've met here, Kamryn."

"Just the same, I need to focus on you."

"How do I look?"

"Nothing serious is broken," she volunteered. "But that head of yours appears to have taken a lot of abuse. Can you stay still for me, Virtus? I was hoping I could finish the stitching while you were unconscious, but it didn't happen."

The turtle waved off the statement. "I'll be fine, Kamryn. I could probably do some of this work myself."

"No, you won't," she said evenly. "This definitely falls under my job description. Your job is to rest and not lift another finger."

Virtus' eye ridges rose as the woman brushed away a trailing tear. "Kamryn, I know something's not right here. Is it possible for you to treat some of these things and talk to me at the same time?"

Kamryn gave him a forced smile. "Lay your head down. Do you mind not being able to see while I work? You've got two black eyes, and I think some ice would do you good."

"So that's what happens when a bulldozer runs into your face," he muttered softly.

"A bulldozer?"

"The ducaz," he replied. "He got me with his tail. And you never answered my question. Do you not want to talk to me about this stuff?"

The young woman grimaced. "I know I owe you an explanation, but I'd rather focus on treating you first. I'm not a medical professional, but there are things that every trainer is expected to be able to do."

"I'm not looking for perfection," he said. "Any help would be great, and I'm actually pretty hungry too."

Kamryn exclaimed something under her breath that sounded distinctly foreign. "They weren't meeting your needs properly in my absence, were they?"

"Barely," Virtus admitted. "The Match tonight was the first time I've been outside since I saw you last."

He heard the sound of her foot striking the floor in frustration. "They don't even give you a fighting chance! They neglect you for days, and then set you up with one of the top 20 champions. Hideous, despicable…" Kamryn sighed deeply. "I hope that you won't let this Match discourage you, Virtus. You weren't on a level playing field with that ducaz, and they made sure of it, the cowardly, conniving—"

The woman probably would have continued her rant if the turtle hadn't raised his head again. "Are they trying to say that I lost?" He felt downright indignant. "I went down all right, after the ducaz failed to get back up. The final tone sounded before I ever hit the ground!"

Green cat's eyes widened as Kamryn's mouth hung open slightly. "You…defeated the ducaz? No one told me either way; I only assumed so, based on your condition."

"He beat the shell out of me," Virtus acknowledged. "But I took the fight in the end, and I'll argue to the death with someone who says differently."

Kamryn's face mirrored amazement. "I don't mean to be shocked, Virtus; it's only that this particular ducaz is one of the best."

"I could tell," he said dryly. "It wasn't a fun Match."

"But you won. That has to tell the elohim something."

"About what, Kamryn?" He fought to keep his voice steady. "What kind of point am I going to prove? How long can they keep feeding me into Matches before I get seriously hurt? Is there a purpose to any of it, or do I only exist for their amusement?"

"I wish I could tell you," she replied. "Could you try to stay still for me?"

He rested his head compliantly, closing his eyes as she applied a soft, thin piece of material over them. The turtle could feel a chill seeping through it, but it didn't prove intolerable.

"Now, I do have a couple of mild drugs in my possession, something that could offset—"

The red-flag that went off in Virtus' head almost made him scramble to his feet. "No, no drugs! Just clean and close please."

Kamryn had backed away when he resisted her, and looked hesitant to move.

"I trust you to do this, all right?" he assured her. "Don't worry about hurting me, and I'll try not to make any more sudden moves."

Slowly she reached to retrieve the ice-pad he'd disturbed and gave it back to him. "I'll try not to hurt you badly."

Kamryn resumed the work she'd started while he'd been out, and he stayed silent. It seemed that she was more comfortable only focusing on one thing at a time. The turtle couldn't withhold every reaction to pain, but he did his best to display as little as possible while she carefully stitched his forehead.

"There now." She breathed in relief, as if she'd been in pain herself. "That was the worst of it."

"Can I sit up?"

"I really think you should rest, Virtus. I'll put a call out for food, and you can get up when it arrives. How does that sound?"

"If you'll talk to me in the meantime, then I'll stay put," Virtus agreed.

"I'll be right back," she told him.

Still blinded by the pad covering his eyes, he heard Kamryn's quiet footsteps walking away from him, followed by the hiss of the hatch. The woman had only been gone for a few seconds when he heard her returning.

"They had someone stationed outside the door, as if they knew I'd be coming. I don't understand the dealings of these elohim, Virtus. Truly, this is the strangest circumstance that I've ever been in."

"I hope you don't have to suffer on my account."

"No," she said instantly. "It isn't like that, Virtus. I worry for you, though it seems that I am more affected by your treatment than you are. You must be one of the bravest creatures I've ever met."

"I don't know if I can cop to that," he said wryly. "Are they going to let me eat?"

"Oh, yes. It's on the way."

"Thank you, Kamryn."

"You don't have to thank me," she returned. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were furious."

"Why would I blame you for the elohim? You don't control them."

She sighed noisily. "No, I'm a slave too. My leash is simply longer. I never would have left you alone for so long."

He heard emotion building in her voice again. "Kamryn, what's wrong? What happened to make you this upset?"

She took such a long time to respond that he was starting to wonder if she was going to answer him. "I was in the Medical compound, twelve days."

"In the Medical compound? Why? Are you sick?"

"My situation is complicated, Virtus. I told you that the elohim experimented with me. On the outside you can only see small signs of their tampering, but inwardly…things aren't settled. They never will be."

"What does that mean? What kind of lasting impact are you dealing with?"

"I will never live a 'normal' life, Virtus. My body requires regular medical intervention from the elohim to keep me stable, for the most part. Except when I experience a molecular failure of such magnitude that I am dependent on a machine for days at a time."

Virtus reached up to remove the ice-pad, blinking rapidly so that he could see her. "Is that what just happened, Kamryn?"

She nodded. "It isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. This experiment has nearly killed me on a number of occasions. Sometimes I just wish…" Kamryn paused as she looked at the floor. "I don't know what their point in keeping me is either. I'm nothing but a failed experiment. I seriously doubt they learned anything, except how not to create a hybrid."

"Is that what they did to you, Kamryn? They attempted to splice your DNA with something else?"

"An Earth animal," she answered. "It's not as if they have any animals to pull from this planet."

The turtle's brow creased. "There are no animals on Zuhur?"

"Not for a long time, as I understand it. The elohim don't like to eat them, so they consider the beasts to be an unnecessary drain on natural resources."

"What did they do with all of them?"

"I don't want to know the answer to that, Virtus. Sufficed to say, the animals were gone long before I was born."

"Were you born on this planet?"

Kamryn nodded. "I'm one of many slaves who have never laid eyes on the world of my origin."

"The elohim allow the slaves to procreate?"

"Allow?" She snorted. "It's practically forced. The process of breeding makes it easier for them to maintain a legion of slaves, and it doesn't force them to steal all of their workers from somewhere else."

"So this planet is the only home you've ever had."

"That is correct. This is the life I know."

Virtus felt indignation rising once more. "What gives them the right to control someone's destiny?"

"Right has nothing to do with it. Take it easy, Virtus. If I'm upsetting you I don't need to continue."

"I want you to continue," he said quickly. "You've done a lot for me, and I don't know hardly anything about you. Do you have a family?"

"No. I was separated from my mother shortly after she gave birth to me, as is custom. I never knew my father either."

"How did you end up as a trainer?"

"After the failure of my genetic experiment, it was deemed that I wasn't fit for regular work. At the same time, it doesn't hinder me from pushing someone else to exercise. There are always plenty of openings in this department. Most of the slaves to the Matches don't receive personal attention of any kind."

"I'm curious about something else, and you don't have to answer this. You said that you're still similar to a human on the outside. Did you retain anything beneficial from their genetic manipulation?"

The young woman clasped her hands nervously, looking down. "My senses were affected, most notably. Eye sight, hearing, things like that. There are other effects, but I don't like to…experiment with them. Honestly, part of me is afraid that if I cross a certain line, there might be no getting it back. That if I give in to it, I could lose my rational side completely, and then…"

Virtus realized that there was much more to her condition than just a "failed" genetic experiment, but it was also clear that she wasn't comfortable talking about it.

Kamryn shuddered. "I feel like there's a wild animal inside of me, and if I try to take advantage of whatever strength might lie there, it could overtake my humanness. Does that make any sense to you?"

Virtus nodded. "You're afraid of losing control to unnatural force that you don't understand."

"I don't think the elohim even understand," she said bitterly. "It's as if they try things just to see what will happen, regardless of the possible consequences."

The turtle stared at the young woman, reading weariness but also resolve inside her unique eyes. "Maybe you don't have anyone else you can trust, Kamryn, but you can put faith in me. I won't betray you."

She gave him a sad smile. "Nor I you. I just hope that I can find some way to get you into the elohims' good graces."

"So I can be their slave somewhere else?"

Her face fell. "I don't know what the answer is for us, Virtus."

"Neither do I, but at least you're out of the hospital and I'm still in one piece. We can be grateful for today, if nothing else."