His hair was neat, slicked back with gel. He also smelled strongly of cologne. It made my nose wrinkle and my teeth show in a displeased frown.

He wore a white shirt along with a silver suit that was unbuttoned and black dress pants. The reflection of the light off his shiny black shoes made me growl softly and redirect my gaze.

He looked down at where I sat on the bed before letting out a small ‘tsk’. He looked outside the door, whispering something to someone I couldn't see before turning back to me. The strange man straightened his posture, hands going behind his back before he smiled. 

“Hello there Dakota.” He spoke, voice kind and soft. That name again. Who was that? Why was everyone calling me that? I didn't trust this man whatsoever.

“I know you must be confused, scared, maybe even a little upset? Hmm? Well I'm here to give you some answers.” He said simply. 

“You came from one of the government's little…testing facilities. They wanted a lot more than machines out in the battlefield. However it seemed their experiments weren't too keen on that idea…you would know, wouldn't you?” He waited for a response, but when he didn't get one he continued on.

“We've been keeping an eye on you.” The stranger suddenly said, making me feel uneasy. “We were planning on leaving you be, since you preferred to stay in that facility, and weren't a danger to the public…” I didn't need to pay attention to his next words. The reason I'm here is because I killed that man. The man who came into my home!

I growled softly, causing the man to stop talking, and watch me closely. “I know, this must suck, but you're stuck here. Permanently.” He said, trying, very horribly might I add, to calm me down. “We're trying to keep everything tied into what happened at that facility, and many others like it, a secret. You're not the first experiment to wind up here, nor will you be the last.”

I didn't care about that! I want to be let out now! I growled louder before suddenly lunging at the man. He flinched back and out the doorway. However, suddenly two men grabbed me from both sides. I squirmed and snarled, trying to get out of their grip.

They were armored, and pretty strong. Eventually I stopped struggling, knowing it was going to get me nowhere. The man stood in front of me, watching me with a small frown before sighing. “You're going to have to get used to it here.” Was all he said before handing something to the guards and nodding.

They suddenly began carrying me down the hallway. The walls were made of white brick, not a single scratch or bit of dirt on them. 

What is this place? Well…I somewhat knew the answer to that..but there had to be more.

At the end of the hallway they took a left, entering a corridor. There were about 3 doors on each side, and another large doorway at the end.

They took me into the first door on the left. Inside were many shelfs, stacked high with folded white clothes. One of the men let me go, walking over and grabbing a few pieces of clothing while the other kept a firm hold on me.

Soon the guard came back over, holding two pieces of folded clothing with a necklace on top out to me while the second released me and stood in front of the door.

I stared at the items, then at the two guards who were watching me like hawks before slowly putting them on. I struggled a bit, but the guards made no effort to help me, so I soon figured it out on my own.

It was a plain white shirt and white pants. They were pretty big and baggy on my frail body, but they successfully covered everything. I'm pretty sure that was their intention in the first place.

The necklace had a small holder on the front. It had a barcode and… 

Dakota.

That name again.

After I was done they led me down the hallway again. This time they weren't manhandling me, which I was thankful for, but they still refused to let me out of their sights.

Soon I was led to a massive room. It looked like some sort of cafeteria. It was a little messy, but there were a few janitors cleaning up.

I kept my gaze to the ground, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Soon we stopped, and I glanced up. 

There stood a woman behind a small computer. She looked at me, then at the necklace before grabbing a strange looking device and bringing it towards me. 

I tensed, eyes narrowing, however the guard behind me noticed and gripped my shoulders hard, preventing me from moving. 

I was about to flip out, but before I could the lady used the device to scan the barcode on my necklace with a soft beep. She then put the device back down before looking at the computer. 

The woman then disappeared behind a door behind where the computer was, coming back with a styrofoam box.

She handed it to one of the guards, who grabbed it and began leading me away once more. 

I was starting to get a bit frustrated. I didn't know what was going on. 

I was brought back to the room I woke up in and was given the box. The texture of the styrofoam felt uncomfortable on my hands. I even started getting goosebumps.

Once the guards left and I was locked in the room again I sat on the bed, opening the box. Inside was multiple slabs of meat, and a few greens. I stared at the food before closing the box and setting it on the floor.

I didn't trust it.

I knew my other side would wake me up if it sensed anyone approaching, so I decided to attempt to get some sleep. 

I laid down on the bed, closing my eyes. However there was a pain in my stomach that bothered me. I was hungry. I frowned, turning around in my bed so my back was facing the camera. 

I hated it here. I wanted to leave.

The memories of my dark, damp, mostly quiet home took my mind off the hunger, lulling me to sleep.

I jolted awake to the sound of the door to my room opening. I was startled, confused as to why my other form didn't wake me up, and who was here. 

A large man peeked into my room. He wore a white lab coat, along with a small baggie at his side, strapped to his waist. He gave me a small smile before fully entering. “Hello Dak-”

“Who the fuck is that and why do you guys keep calling me that?” I cut him off with a glare. 

He seemed suprised, but didn't seem offended or mad. “Your file says your name is Dakota.” He spoke.

I frowned. File? Seriously? They had a whole file on me?

“Well it isn't.” I huffed.

“Then what is it?” The man asked, not seeming surprised when I didn't respond. 

I didn't have a name… I didn't need one. 

The man looked at me before looking around the room, his gaze falling on the styrofoam box on the floor.

“Why haven't you eaten?”

“It’ll take more than that to drug me.” I growled softly, 

He was quiet for a moment before approaching.

I tensed, but didn't have a reason to pounce or make a break for it as he picked up the box, opening it before picking up a piece of meat and popping it in his mouth. I watched as he chewed and swallowed.

He then set the box in front of me, and I couldn't deny the pang of hunger that hit me.

The man took a step back, smiling as I began to eat the food. It was a bit on the dry side, but I was too hungry to even care.

“My name is Doctor Ryde. I'm your assigned caretaker.” He said in a kind tone, which had my eyes narrowing as I chewed on a piece of kale.

Caretaker..? 

He didn't say anything else until I was finished eating. “Do you mind following me?” He asked, opening the door. 

My eyebrows knitted together with a frown, but I didn't respond as I slowly stood up, following him.

Every now and then he'd look over his shoulder, making sure I was still there, but other than that he didn't make much of an effort to make sure I didn't try to escape.

I could run if I wanted to. I should be running.

But a small part of me knew I wouldn't get far. I didn't even know where to run, where the exit was, or anything.

I was soon led into a large…outdoor area..? There was a large, metal dome on the roof, making sure nothing could get in or out. I felt a little uneasy, but at the same time…I felt calm. This is what I missed about my home. The outdoors. The freedom. 

Doctor Ryde didn't say anything, just smiling at me before sitting down in the grass. 

I looked at him, trying to understand anything about him, or about anything going on…but I couldn't. 

After a moment I walked deeper into the outside area. There were flowers and a few bushes. In the center of the room stood a massive tree, its upper branches going through the metal dome.  I looked up at it in slight awe, bringing a hand up to feel the rough bark.

My eyes widened as I even spotted a small red bird building a nest, quickly zooming out and through the tight bars of the dome in search of more twigs or leaves. 

I glanced over at Doctor Ryde out of the corner of my eye. He was speaking to someone, who seemed a bit angered. 

Upon closer inspection the man he was speaking to was the man from before. With the gross cologne. I grimaced at the thought.

As curious as I was to find out why he looked angry, I didn't really care that much. It wasn't any of my business. I sat down in a small area surrounded by bushes. My back against the tree, a bit of sunlight seeping through the branches as I exhaled softly.

I had missed the warm sun on my skin.