Year One.

The Rules of the Game

She wasn't exactly surprised when the letter about a position she had never applied for arrived in the mail, but it was still a bit of a shock that she had been accepted. The correspondence was carefully vague about the details of the job, though Lisa already knew what would be required of her - she had been doing it for nearly a year at this point and it was only now becoming official. LexCorp's undisclosed Project Stormkrigeren had recently been deemed 'fully recovered' from the ordeal of arriving on Earth and no longer needed a full team of scientists and medical personnel to look after it, just a caretaker or two. Lisa, unfortunately, had been selected.

To say she was smart would be an understatement - she had graduated from SPBU at the top of her class with a doctoral degree in pediatrics, then a few years later earned her Master's in teaching from the University of Metropolis, all the while developing a unique skill for reading between the lines. It wasn't too hard to do so now: either she took the job, or LexCorp took everything from her. So Lisa agreed, and later that week signed the contract that granted her the position of Head Caretaker to Project Stormkrigeren.

She got the sense that Herr Luthor would have preferred leaving his 'alien' in the hands of male scientists rather than a lone female doctor, but even the scientists argued that Lisa was the better choice. She had been working with the Project almost since its creation, so the… girl was comfortable with her presence and had even learned to keep her teeth to herself when Lisa took the weekly blood samples. Despite Herr Luthor's insistence on referring to the Project as an object without gender, Lisa had changed enough of its diapers to confirm that she was definitely female. But then again, an infant extraterrestrial who could already communicate and comprehend at the same level as a three-year-old human (and kick like the best of them) could be just about any gender it liked.

Project Stormkrigeren had highly accelerated growth compared to a human child, and by the anniversary of her discovery could even toddle about some and have brief conversations with her caretakers. There were four, including Lisa - Angklow, Lee, Shienne, and herself, all working around the clock to make sure the small, rumoredly extraterrestrial child did nothing to endanger itself. Angklow and Lee had the shortest 'study' shifts in which they would simply take notes on the Project's behavior and measurements for two or three hours before handing the reins back to Schreyer or Shienne. Shienne had the night shift and only had to make sure the Project prepared for and went to bed on time, then patiently wait till Lisa arrived in the morning.

As head caretaker, Lisa had the longest and most intensive shift of the team, but she enjoyed it. Her main job was to provide the Project with an education equal to her mental growth, which just so happened to be about first grade when Lisa began the lessons. The process was simple - read the textbook, remind her not to chew on the end of her braid, complete the practice questions, walk her through the worksheet or assignment, gently remind her not to rock in her chair, every Friday give a test on what she had learned that week, then repeat for each subject.

Lisa was also required to ensure that the Project ate and exercised properly in order to maintain her supposedly delicate health. The former was easy enough - all she had to do was make a few healthy meals with the nutrient content adjusted for the Project's average rate of calorie burn and give her a supplement shake whenever she was hungry outside of mealtime. Exercising was a little more challenging, mostly because the Project Room - which had previously been a meteorite laboratory now transformed into a near-empty space containing the Project's bed, a desk, and a kitchenette - was a little on the small side for an active child to run around in. The Project seemed to have far more energy than any human child her age, yet the fact that she was constantly alert and often overwhelmed seemed to tire her easily. It didn't curb her enthusiasm to try any task Lisa set before her, and willingly went through every exercise with her teacher.

Herr Luthor had already drawn up plans for bigger rooms to house the Project. They were to be in one of the lowest below-ground levels of the building to minimize exposing it to sunlight (this was based on a theory of Anklow's that the Project's species had likely evolved in a low-light-level environment, which would also explain why she was so warm-blooded and able to see quite well in the dark), equipped with state-of-the-art atmospheric systems to keep the air at a regular low-oxygen/nitrogen level (yet another of Anklow's theories proposing that the Project's natural habitat was much less nutrient-rich and heavily oxygen-deprived), along with a kitchen and a bathroom, all designed to generally provide just about everything the Project would require to further its training and purpose. This 'project objective' as it was dubbed, was never fully revealed to Lisa until she had been working with the girl for nearly a year, but long before that she had already gotten the sense that she would not like it. And despite how much Luthor clearly despised having to leave his Project in the hands of 'nannies and babysitters', he still understood the importance of the task and took it upon himself to make sure Lisa did too.

The only industry that will forever remain profitable is war, he had explained to her on one of his rare visits to the Project Room. Lisa had glanced up from the workbook she had been explaining to the girl, resisting the urge to tell her boss the subject wasn't exactly one for little ears. Alexander must have already guessed that, but only smiled cunningly and carried on talking.

His personal philosophy was that war is obviously fought with weapons, and the only way to win a war is to have better weapons than one's opponent. That was why the Manhattan Project was created and biological weapons continue to be developed - the only problem with constant development is that every weapon invented is only the best until a better one is created.

Here Alexander laughed harshly and muttered something about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks, then resumed his horrifying relation. Existing weapons cannot be improved, they are only replaced. The dilemma begs the question: what if a weapon could be taught to improve itself?

The weapon would obviously need to be highly intelligent in order to do so, he continued, not to mention powerful, capable, fast, and untraceable. And although he didn't say it outright, Luthor strongly implied that he had something bearing all of these traits sitting only a few feet away, listening intently to every word the man said.

Lisa wished she hadn't seen the small inclination of his head towards the little girl sitting beside her. She knew what he meant. She knew what he intended to do with Project Stormkrigeren. But despite the utter horror that filled her at the thought of what might happen if Herr Luthor had his way, Lisa did her job and dutifully kept her mouth shut.

Stormkrigeren had been silently listening to the one-sided conversation, though she was too young to understand much of it or read the participants' reactions. She watched and listened, not really hearing what was said, but she was smart enough to know that any discussion that occurred in her Room was more than likely discussing her. She didn't try to ask what they were talking about - she had learned early on that it was not her place to ask - and instead kept her head down and got back to her workbook. She would ask Dr. Schreyer about it later.

She forgot to ask. It must not have been important anyway.

V*V*V*V*V*V*V

The Rooms were completed four months later.

Project Stormkrigeren's original Room had been on the ground floor of Research Laboratories Building #5, but her new space was now three floors below and much larger. The entire facility consisted of five main Rooms and had been designed with the sole purpose of the efficient study, development, and training of the subject.

The largest of these Rooms was the main living and training space, measuring forty-by-thirty-by-ten meters. Three of its four walls were reinforced concrete painted white, but the eastern wall was lined entirely with floor-to-ceiling mirrors - that is, the panels covering the bottom half were mirrors, but panels above were in fact darkened and reflective glass backed by a layer of strong plexiglass, behind which was the Watching Room. In addition to the mirrors, three doors were set in the eastern wall. One was solid steel leading up to the Watching Room, while the other two were mirrored sliding doors leading to the small kitchen and storage room respectively, and another door in the kitchen led to a bathroom.

All of these, with the exception of the Watching Room, were designed for the subject's regular use and habitation - the Watching Room was meant for her Watchers. The western wall of the space looked down into Stormkrigeren's main Room through a layer of plexiglass and a two-way mirror, but also included a few workstations and control panels for the Room below. The air in Stormkrigeren's Rooms was carefully filtered and often had various gases added or removed to maintain the low- oxygen/nitrogen environment, yet keep the composition normal enough that both humans and Stormkrigeren could comfortably breathe in the space with little acclimation. This delicate balance was achieved by various LexCorp machinery, but primarily an atmospheric regulator controlled from the Watching Room. There were also controls for adjusting the fans and humidifiers in the Room to control climate, and a series of cameras monitoring the Rooms not visible through the wide window. Included in the Watching Room was another small workspace with equipment for logging and conducting various medical tests Stormkriegren might receive. Like the main Room below, the Watching Room also had three doors - one to a small bathroom for the convenience of the caretakers, one to a hallway leading to the elevator, the only means by which the facility was accessible, and the final door opening to a short flight of stairs down into Stormkrigeren's main Room. All of this was designed for the purpose of documenting the subject - and making sure it didn't escape.

Stormkrigeren had been aware that bigger Rooms were being built for her to live in, but had never visited them until the day she moved in. Both Dr. Shienne and Dr. Schreyer were there to help with the transition, explaining to her how nice it would be to have more space downstairs as they helped her pack up her few clothes and belongings, which wasn't much besides a few of her favorite markers and pens and a twisty 'stimming toy' Dr. Angklow had brought her once. Stormkrigeren was a strong girl and was able to fold up her blanket nicely and carry it all by herself when she followed her caretakers out of her Room and down the hall to the elevator, holding Lisa's hand the entire time. The elevator looked very interesting on the inside, but moved very fast and made her feel a bit sick, though it was all over in a moment when the doors opened again to reveal Stormkrigeren's new home. Dr. Shienne said that she was getting an entire sub-level all to herself, though part of it only her caretakers were allowed to go in most of the time, but the rest of it Herr Luthor had made just for her.

Stormkrigeren obediently followed them down a cold hallway to the caretaker's space, which Lisa called the Watching Room because from there Lisa and Shienne could watch her to make sure she was healthy. It had a long window that looked down into a big white room - her Room, her caretakers had explained. The only way to get to her Room was through a heavy door and down some stairs to another door that looked like it was made of steel and was only opened by a button in the Watching Room. Dr. Shienne quickly went back up to press it, and a moment later Lisa and her small charge stepped into the Room.

Stormkrigeren stopped suddenly only a few feet past the threshold, a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of the space. She had only been in very big rooms once or twice before, but they always had something in them that didn't make the ceiling or walls seem so far away - this Room had almost nothing in it except for a mattress and a desk with a chair. It was too big, too cold, too quiet, and far too empty.

She shrank back against Dr. Schreyer's leg, still gripping her caretaker's hand and clutching her neatly folded blanket in the other, instantly catching the woman's attention.

"What do you think?" Lisa asked, gently disentangling herself from the girl's grasp, and crouching down to her level. Stormkrigeren didn't meet her gaze - which wasn't unusual as she usually tended to avoid eye contact - and stared at the concrete floor instead, trying to form some sort of reply before giving up and simply shaking her head in answer.

Lisa knew it was probably her job to ignore the subject's clear discomfort and get on with accustoming her to the Room as soon as possible, but she couldn't say she didn't understand what the little girl was feeling. Of course, the space would be overwhelming at first, especially for a toddler who already struggled with sudden changes in scenery or schedule, not to mention just how exposed it was in the huge Room. There was almost nothing in it - no cupboards or beds or sofas or even a rug - absolutely nowhere a small kid could curl up for a game of hide-and-seek, to read a book, or even just to feel safe and hidden. Against the harsh white walls and with nothing to conceal herself behind, a little girl would be clearly visible at any and all times. There was nowhere for her to hide from the prying eyes up in the Watching Room.

"Well, I know it's a little big..." Schreyer said, pointing out the obvious and trying to quell the little voice in her head saying a damn cardboard box would do if only to get Stormkrigeren a moment of peace, "...but at least you have a lot more space to run around in now. That'll be nice, right?"

Lisa hadn't lied - the Rooms were purposely spacious so that the subject would have plenty of elbow room, but they were still a bit large for just one occupant. Herr Luthor's chilling words stayed with her even months later - the subject would need plenty of space to train in, so space is what he had provided for her. It would not be long before the man decided it was time to use it.

"Let's look around," her caretaker suggested, and Stormkrigeren nodded hesitantly, following her out of the doorway as towards the bare mattress situated on the floor against the far wall, a fitted sheet folded on the end waiting to be put on so the bed could be used. Schreyer decided to set up the girl's sleeping place later, and after depositing her blanket, the two of them headed for the Room's kitchen.

The kitchen-slash-storage Room was definitely less blank than the main Room, a counter running along one wall and a tall cupboard unit taking up the opposite with walking space in the middle and a door at the far end of the space, likely opening to the bathroom. Stormkrigeren inquisitively opened the minifridge beneath the counter only to discover that it had not been stocked yet, so satisfied her curiosity instead by opening every cupboard she could reach in search of something more interesting than bare shelves. Lisa could tell the girl was more than a little discouraged by the sheer emptiness of the place, and made a mental note to bring some of the cleaning supplies and medical equipment from her previous Room upstairs to stock the place so it wouldn't seem so bare, and maybe see if she could find some juice for the subject to placate her.

Stormkrigeren had quickly gotten bored of finding nothing, so started investigating the bathroom door with Schreyer in tow, and after a brief struggle of trying to reach the handle by herself, finally managed to get it open. She toddled inside, glancing around at the familiar toilet and sink before her gaze settled on the shower stall with interest. Lisa had always given her baths in a plastic tub simply because it was the most convenient and the only showers in the research park were in a separate building that housed a radiobiology facility, but her caretaker had explained to her what they were and how they made warm rain if one turned the handle inside.

Lisa was just about to step in to prevent her charge from trying to fiddle with the handle when they both recognized the sound of footsteps approaching, temporarily distracting the little girl. Dr. Shienne appeared in the bathroom doorway, taking in the sight of the tiny girl trying to turn on the shower while Dr. Schreyer tried to stop her before quickly addressing the Head Caretaker.

"Herr Luthor called. He might visit later to see how the transition went," she announced, smiling at the little Stormkrigeren, "If you're lucky, he might even bring Lex with him."

Schreyer nodded, taking a deep breath as if that would help to calm her nerves at the thought of having to deal with the likes of Herr Luthor, who clearly knew nothing about childrearing and clearly didn't want to know. With a sigh, she brushed the apprehension from her mind and gently nudged Stormkrigeren away from the shower stall, leading her charge out into the main Room.

"Alright, Shienne. We'll be ready for them."