· · · · · · ·

Leaving the passenger ship had proceeded as planned. After the first digital headcount he had sneaked away.

The ventilation shafts of the station was ridiculously wide and allowed him to crawl through. While the specific design purpose of such airshafts alluded his logic, he possessed enough imagination to think perhaps the scientists liked a mobile hiding area in case the drones got out. So he mused while hacking the station's main A.I. system, holed up in a small maintenance chamber.

Curiously, he found two more active AI systems aside of Utara, ... no, just two, but one was split up. No such records they had found when researching this station, and he made note of it for more scientifically advanced androids to investigate later. For now, he was looking for the lowest levels of Enigma II, specifically a certain mundane storage room. It was a nice, neglected spot that due to human design imperfections served little to not purpose anymore. It was not cleaned, it was not used, and beyond its architect it was not known. A perfect spot to install a bomb that would have to detonate in time ... like, five years from now.

Time is trivial for an Auton, and he was not plagued by impatience or anxiety.

· · · · · · ·

Before entrance, they all had been given a vaccination shot, quite harmless, really, in case they caught a virus that was studied here. Then, a simple welcoming speech had been given, no more than Sarah expected since there were much less educated people amongst the visitors. Likewise, the guest quarters were plain and small, many had preferred to remain on the ship.

Now, the clock ticked an imaginary afternoon. Sarah entered the cafeteria of the station, Kirindi followed her with unusual shyness. Ever since they had arrived, her quietly playful nature had made way for a cautious one. Sarah for her turn was becoming increasingly irritated. They got to see a grand amount of nothing significant, not even any of the scientists had been introduced to them. All they had seen was some equipment. Sarah had handwaved it with the scientists being busy, but now she stood in the hall where they'd receive lunch, and there they were, chatting with each other.

Amongst the visitor group a number of other scientists was. They approached the group, were as good as ignored. Literary. They were simply stared at and not got a single word of acknowledgment. Maybe it was just her new found confidence, but Sarah was positively enraged. Kirindi tugged Sarah's arm, and Sarah noticed she'd been staring. Changing view from the Enigma scientists to the pale woman brought something calming, and Sarah followed her to a far off table.

"They're treating us like we're imbeciles," Sarah muttered under her breath. People passed them to other table as the tourguide urged them to keep a distance from the Enigma staff, they had been through a difficult time lately with taxing experiments. Two people stopped before Sarah and Kirindi's table, and Sarah recognized the boots of one of them. Looking up, there were the two mercenaries.

"Leave," she snapped, louder than intended.

"The other tables are almost full, and I'm getting the feeling right now is not the time for my friend here to start kicking a fuss with someone. I saw her sit at your table and not yell a few days ago, so I'm taking my chances with your displeasure," said the man. He waited no further and pulled out two chairs.

Food was served and Sarah did her very best to ignore the table manners of the woman, vaguely wondering whether the Enigma scientists had a similar distaste of the 'normal crowd' as she had of this person here. The man knew how to use tableware, but the woman was a disaster. Sighing, she reached for her glass and took a zip. The moment she swallowed she started to cough.

"My glass!" Shadhahvar stood up and snatched it away, spilling green splashes onto the table. "Daulnori Faria is nothing for nerds, you thief!"

"Shady, it was an accident. Calm down," the man tiredly said.

At that moment, the tourguide left the group. Sarah noticed Kirindi raising her head and the two mercenaries shoving their chairs closer to the table. The man now spoke, and his voice was deeper and warning : "Shady said you two are smart. Noticed anything off about this place?"

For the first time, Sarah really looked at them and wondered whether this was part of some joke. Shadhahvar seemed nothing but a teen brat with a vain expression, but the man's weathered face had something assuring. Though his hair was long and he wore a torn jacket, he somehow made a reasonable impression on her.

"I wouldn't know," she said with feigned disinterest, though she could not deny something indeed was off. Like, everything about this reception.

"It's little things. They way they have built their halls. The kind of scanners they have. The low number of guards. All ventilation shafts are have overly large entrances. There are little holes in the edge of the halls, I see no other purpose for them but being some sort of offensive," he summed up. Sarah burst in a snorting laughter. Oh, she had noticed some of these things, but she wasn't quite ready to accept any zany evil testing facility theories.

"Miss, I'm serious. I made a recording of our tourguide's voice and analyzed it during a bathroom visit. All repeated words are perfectly identical, he is an Auton."

"I could smell him sweat, he is no Auton," Kirindi said clearly but quietly.

Shadhahvar laughed. "Smell it? Sure." But her companion elbowed her harshly. "Cut it out, Jake!" she whined, but he looked at her with such anger that she shut up. Then he turned back to Sarah.

"Okay, maybe he's not, but there's plenty of other evidence that something is up with this place, like —"

"The tourguide is a cyborg," Kirindi said. For the first time, Sarah felt irritated at Kirindi. "So what if he is? Perhaps they are researching a safe way to build cyborg here."

"I don't know how she knows that, but I do know something is wrong with this place. I've spent most of my life in the company of the twisted side of humanity. We didn't enter this place as guests, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. Didn't you see? They treat us as if we don't exist."

"People ignore others everywhere. School, workspace, restaurants ..." It was so much easier to assume they were just trying to mess with her. Besides, the assumed cyborg was overweight and short, definitely not meant for violent purposes. Deceptive, sure. But not enough to make her panic.

"Enough now. What do you want of me?"

"According to Shadhahvar, you could get access to the passenger list with a few clicks only. I was hoping, you know, that you were some kind of genius. Usually when we're in this kind of pinch, me and Shady always manage to pick up a — no offense meant — geek who works out the technical parts of our escape." If Sarah had been waiting for an excuse to dismiss all she had heard, then this was her turn to laugh.

"You're so afraid, aren't you?" Kirindi said, staring at her hands. "Oh, look, new natives coming here."

Jake saw them first. A few more Enigma scientists, most of the older people. One stood out, a bright blond head that belonged to a young man who could have passed for an Auton even if he were flesh and blood. He looked around oddly, and his gaze settled on their table. Behind him, Sarah jumped up and shouted : "Jonah! Oh my, ...I can't believe it, Jonah!"

The next moment he was forcefully hugged. With some reserve he detached her and seemed to remind himself to laugh; a stiff laugh as if he were trying to imitate hers. If he were an Auton, or a cyborg, he did a poorer job at impersonating humanity than the tourguide did. From this distance, Jake could not hear what was being said, but Sarah soon returned and was nothing but cheer and brightness. She swung her bag across her back and declared : "That's my old friend, Jonah Bayard! He is a chief scientist here, can you believe it? Come on, he'll give us a proper tour!"

Kirindi looked like she was about to object, but Sarah grabbed her and virtually dragged her along. Kirindi nearly stumbled over her own feet and fought to remain straight up. Jake thought he saw something strange in the way her long skirt flowed, but then the tables blocked view.

Storm crows forgotten, Sarah only had interest left for her friends now. Jake watched them go, noticed the shocked faces of the other Enigma scientists and the increase of chatter. Some of them left through a third exit.

Shadhahvar poked him, holding out her cup. "What some?"

"No way. I won't be able to sleep for the next 5 day's if I drink that." She smirked, apparently unaware of the new clues. That meant he would have to explain everything all over again in a while, or she wouldn't be able to make the connection between the facts. When the mercenary pack had started making teams, he had picked her as his companion cause she looked tough and hot, and she was skilled in stealth, but for the rest, her intelligence and actual battle skills left to be wished upon. He had been such an idiot in those days.

· · · · · · ·

"Didn't you promise me a tour?" He remembered he should stumble over his words and said : "Oh, yes, well, I had arranged a clearance pass for you, I mean, I saw you on the passengers list. That whole surprise act was just for fun, I knew you'd like it better that way...anyway, I need to get a new pass for your friend, see, otherwise an alarm will go off and so."

He could imagine how peeved he would have been, had his emotions still worked. This could have worked if Sarah had not turned out to have made a friend. Hm, how interesting. Jealousy was intellectual for a great part, as he was fairly sure he experienced it despite not feeling anything.

It was convenient though, providing an easy excuse to not give her that tour. In a while, she and everyone else would fall asleep. He'd rather have her in his room than somewhere in the halls when that happened.

A few hallways and elevators later, they reached his apartment. Sarah seemed quite surprised, he could guess why : save for the occasional crumbled paper on the ground and his night clothes thrown on the ground, it was a lot more tidy than his student room. Had his emotions been on, he would have taken pride in that.

"Oh my ... you hired a cleaner. It's the 36th miracle in the universe!"

Or maybe not.

Sarah laughed and dumper herself on the couch.

"You are different," he said, a little worried on whether she was experiencing side effects of the drug. Sarah should not be so open.

"You're too ... calm. Calmer than before. Ah well. Why don't you tell me what job you do? Maybe then I'll get it better. All the dry, sciency details please!"

Was she high? Sarah should have her hands folded on her lap and be nervous. Not her feet on the table and her arms spread out on the couch's back, grinning madly.

"Doctor Bayard required in laboratory 15," Utara announced at that moment. Sullivan's home base. Jonah turned to leave.

"I will be back soon. Don't go anywhere, Sarah."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be here, waiting for that tour!" She jumped up and walking to a row of small sculptures line to the wall, then promptly laughed at them.

Now Jonah was seriously worried, but Utara repeated her message. He would worry later. As he walked past the other woman, he stopped. If the cyborg came to collect her, they might take Sarah as well. That was not the agreement he had made with the general, but he trusted none at Enigma II.

She looked at him with those creepy black eyes and softly said, "Should you not hurry, sir? Perhaps it is urgent. We will be fine."

"Bring some doughnuts when you come back!" Sarah yelled at that moment. "We'll be even more fine if we have doughnuts!"

He said nothing to that and the door closed behind him.

Kirindi smiled wearily. A man whose mind she could read only difficultly, for he had no feelings ... poor fool believed it meant he was protected. But only a little. Her sister still heard him, as she did herself. In fact, the two could hear each other stronger through him. Though, it was curious how exactly his emotions were canceled out. It couldn't possibly be drugs, like he believed.

Well. Sarah was currently the greater enigma than he. Kirindi had given her a confidence boost, but now she was acting like she actually her a physical serotonin boost. Something had been in the food in the cafeteria, but all others only became sleepy. Nobody became drunk.

A third riddle came up then, which drew Kirindi's attention away.

In the wall was an aquarium, behind it in the dark was a pale white fetus in thick waters, and she thought no more of Sarah. Dilating her eyes, she gazed into the unlit aquarium. Anudjan had been right. Alive.

"~ Worry not. You will die soon. Hope so. Pain will end. ~" she gently told it, regretting that she herself could not cease it. A quiet, wordless answer came from a being that did not understand the concept of no pain or end, for suffering was all it had ever known.

What now? Sarah was here. That ruined her escape chances.

She could not go through the door. That would leave too much of a trace.

Perhaps she could access the ventilation shafts in the bathroom.

So wrong all had gone.

"Message for Kirindi," Utara said, this time softly.

Sarah found the bedroom with its waterbed, on which she started to bounce as if she were a five year old child.

Kirindi rolled up her right sleeve, revealing a dark metal gauntlet, she turned it on.

"Kirindi, who are you not on your way?"

"Sarah did not sleep and she would not leave me behind. Sarah has a friend here. He wants her to live."

A few seconds of silence, then the android was up to date.

"Okay. Kirindi, get moving. Do not be soon. The ventilation shaft in the bathroom was accessible."

"Faria herb. Could that be why she does not sleep?"

"What?"

"Another of the guests had it. Sarah accidentally drank it."

"Dammit! Faria herb overrides sleeping drugs, meaning there will be a problem for who ever else drank it."

"We can use it. Shadhahvar will help, she will like it. She can destroy the powersource in my stead, and I will head to stop the impregnation instead, and then to my sister." With that, she broke the contact, not leaving room for argument.

In the bathroom, she started taking off the camouflage clothes. The backpack slid off, revealing six blade like extensions, white like her skin but hard as xenomorph hide. Gladly she unrolled her sharp tail, annoyed of having to walk for days with it curled around her legs, only able to take small steps at a time. She stretched for a moment, then rose to her four toes total and yawned, forming an awful grin with her dark fangs. Then her face slipped back into the humanoid proportions it usually had, leaving on those eyes to betray her inhuman nature.

Out of the backpack she took a few additional pieces of armor and her simple gray outfit, which she always wore at home. She placed them on and then turned her attention to the ventilation shaft. Currently it was locked, but opening it was not too difficult, as it served as hide out for scientists in case of emergencies. Too small for a drone, but she could fit in easily.

Just when she was about to slip in, when Sarah entered and grabbed her tail. Kirindi was a little surprised Sarah snuck up on her, she was unaccustomed to reading drunk minds.

"So you're going too?" Sarah said, barely staying on her feet.

"Yes. I am sorry. You have to stay. You are not in the impregnation room and I cannot take you along. But perhaps you can come later?" Kirindi said.

Sarah blinked. "Ah, good, I don want babies anyway."

Raising her hand, she looked at the tail. "Wow ... it got you real hard, did they? I want a mutant tail too."

Kirindi tilted her head to the side and sadly beheld Sarah. "No. Not a mutant. I am from ... places like here."

Carefully so not to hurt Sarah's hand, she withdrew her tail and vanished into the shaft, sprinting away on all fours.

"People going on adventures without me again ..." Sarah mumbled. She made an attempt to climb into the shaft as well, but fell off repeatedly. It was high, and her hands did not obey as they should. "Stupid people."

She sunk onto the bathroom floor and laughed.

· · · · · · ·

There were no more hallways before him, only a few catwalks. The engines were cold and the cooling system not as perfect as it should be. He climbed out of the ventilation shafts, nobody would be here for a long time and now that he owned Utara, nothing would see him.

He crossed the hall undisturbed and found his way to a wall of pipes, which he climbed. Just when he had reached the top, where the next tunnel would be, he anomalous sound reached his ears.

The tapping of fingers.

He froze at once, hanging on the pipes in the darkness. Scanning the area, he found nothing, and Utara's records were blank. In fact ... they were blind right here.

A door closed in the distance.

"That's it. Let's head up."

Approaching footsteps on the catwalk right below him. The darkness should hide him, so he silently changed his position, allowing him to look down.

Two men walking, hurried. They were uncomfortable and human. At times like this Y-921 found himself more human than android, for curiosity got the better of him. He waited for them to disappear, then he went down again.

They had come from a chamber with cryogenerators inside. There was no data on this, and his curiosity became stronger. Forbidden information, and the very mother of the ship itself, Utara, did not know it was here? Really?

No locked door. No security. No visitors expected.

At the center of the room, two sealed basins, two xenomorph eggs. Still no information from Utara.

Radiation?

No answers.

Slowly he turned around, walked away, while his imagination played wildly with possible options. Curiosity or not, he could not find out. Soon, this all would not matter. He hoped.

He wasn't on this mission because he believed the xenomorph could not be used for good, but because he knew the humans would not use them for good...and whatever was up with those basins soon would just not matter anymore.

· · · · · · ·