"Welcome to the Reproductive Sciences Division," he said smoothly. "I apologize for the dramatic extraction, but we had intelligence suggesting you planned to flee. We couldn't risk losing our most promising subject."
"Subject?" I repeated, the word bitter on my tongue. "Is that what I am to you?"
"You're much more than that, Kalyndi." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "You're the future."
They marched me through endless white corridors, each identical to the last. Through doorways, I caught glimpses of laboratories, examination rooms, and what looked disturbingly like nurseries.
But it was the people that truly chilled my blood. In one room, a young woman sat on an examination table, her pregnant belly prominently displayed. Her eyes were vacant, face expressionless. In another, a human woman and a monster I didn't recognize stood perfectly still while scientists measured and recorded data.
All matched pairs. All with the same empty look in their eyes.
"What have you done to them?" I whispered.
Verek followed my gaze. "Nothing harmful, I assure you. Cooperative subjects receive comfort medication to ease anxiety. Those who resist..." He shrugged. "Well, compliance can be encouraged through various methods."
We stopped at a door marked "Intake Processing." Inside, a team of medical staff waited with trays of equipment.
"Standard procedure," Verek explained as they surrounded me. "Full medical workup, genetic sequencing, hormone panel, and fertility assessment."
"I won't cooperate," I warned, backing against the wall.
"That's your choice." He nodded to a technician who approached with a syringe. "But it's much easier if you do."
I fought, of course. Kicked and screamed and bit until they pinned me to an examination table. The needle slid into my arm, and warmth spread through my veins. Not unconsciousness, but a heavy lethargy that made resistance impossible while leaving me aware of everything they did.
They stripped me, examined every inch of my body, drew vials of blood, scraped cells from inside my cheek, performed invasive tests while discussing my "reproductive potential" as if I were livestock.
Through the drug-induced haze, I heard snippets of conversation.
"...genetic markers match prototype seven..."
"...ovulation cycle optimal for immediate implantation..."
"...highest compatibility rating in program history..."
When they finished, they dressed me in a plain white shift and moved me to a small, sterile room with nothing but a bed and toilet. The effects of the drug were wearing off, leaving me shaking with rage and violation.
Hours passed before the door opened again. A tall, thin woman with steel-gray hair entered, followed by two assistants wheeling equipment.
"Kalyndi," she said, consulting a tablet. "I'm Dr. Eliza Mercer, Chief Geneticist for the Hybridization Initiative. I've been monitoring your case with great interest."
I sat up on the narrow bed, keeping my expression neutral despite the fire burning in my veins. "What do you want from me?"
"Direct. I appreciate that." She pulled a chair close to my bed, sitting with clinical precision. "What I want is your cooperation in the most important scientific endeavor of our time."
"Creating children who can survive in radiation zones?" I challenged. "Using us as breeding stock?"
If my knowledge surprised her, she didn't show it. "That's a simplistic view of our work, but essentially correct. The Conjunction left vast areas of this planet uninhabitable because of radiation. Areas we desperately need for resources, agriculture, living space."
"So you're creating children to colonize toxic wastelands." My voice shook with disgust. "Children who won't have a choice about their futures."
"We're creating the next evolution of humanity," she corrected. "Children with extraordinary abilities, radiation resistance, accelerated healing, enhanced strength and intelligence. The future of our species."
"By forcing matches and pregnancies? By keeping people prisoner?"
Dr. Mercer sighed as if I were a disappointing student. "The matching program was never about peaceful coexistence. That was the story for the masses. In reality, we've been selectively pairing humans and monsters based on specific genetic markers that, when combined, produce offspring with desirable traits."
"And my match with Redmon?"
