It was rumoured that once upon a time, the sky was a different colour to the one it currently was. That it had been blue, like the eyes of the Dolls. The Ferals had red eyes of course, that's why there was such a stigma about the colour.

That was how it worked now. There were humans, there were Dolls, and there were Ferals. It was almost hard to believe that they all came from the same thing.

When humanity had grown bored of conquering itself over and over again with the tides of a blood-soaked history, they decided to venture out into the stars to find new lands to claim and new species to wage wars against.

With every fresh battle came a further need for evolved weaponry that wouldn't fall short of the enemies'. From this demand was born the Dolls, a new breed of humans; genetically engineered children that grew up to be hunters, fighters and killers.

The Dolls were designed and perfected in the year 2610, an army commissioned by the Global Government.

But as any clever government will tell you - never put all your eggs in one basket. Shortly after the first prototype Dolls were created, another set of scientists invented a very different genetic strain which came to be known as the Ferals.

The Ferals embodied the more animalistic side of humans, their savagery, their ferocity and speed, elevated senses of hearing and smell along with sharpened teeth and ripping claws.

They were born from a combination of human and animal DNA, and they were the bestial heat to rival the calculated cold of the Dolls.

It was decided that for every Doll, there would be a Feral, a deadly partnership designed to kill and conquer at humanity's behest.

The venture was a resounding success and humankind continued in its colonisation of any solar system that they could reach. Terraforming and claiming for their burgeoning population.

Earth itself was barely habitable anymore to anyone but the Dolls and Ferals. As such, it had been re-classified as a factory zone and a base for the hunters and warriors before they were partnered and sent on their first missions.

Aero Perez had heard the history a hundred times from the latest chief of the Dolls Programme, Professor David Turner.

"The purpose of the Ferals is debateable," Turner muttered as Aero entered his office that morning. Aero suppressed a smile, it was not exactly a secret how the Dolls Enterprise felt about the Feral Programme.

Aero glanced into a nearby mirror to see how his new uniform looked. High necked and black with silver buttons.

It complimented Aero’s own tanned skin, his brown hair was longer now and unruly strands flicked across his face as he pouted and tried to blow them away from his line of sight. He had a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks and his eyes were large and dark.

"We counter each other's flaws to create a harmonious partnership," Aero replied nonchalantly with the text book answer. Turner raised his eyebrows at him, "You know Aero, it took me a while to work out when you were using sarcasm, but I think I've pinpointed it now."

Aero’s lips twitched. It was also not a secret what the Dolls themselves felt about being partnered with Ferals.

The Dolls were already perfect as far as Aero was concerned; logical, methodical, streamlined, practised in multiple martial arts, muscle memory implanted in their cells.

The Ferals on the other hand were rough around the edges, animalistic, rash and prone to giving into their base instincts.

Aero sniffed disapprovingly, tomorrow he would be partnered. As far as he was concerned it would be just like getting a pet. He could only hope that his Feral came with a leash and at least basic house training.

"The two of you will be deployed next week in Galaxy Sierra Zulu along with a few other selected partners. Your mission will be to act as scouts for the purpose of locating further fuel sources that can be utilized by the Empire," Turner continued, shuffling some papers around on his desk before sighing. "Aero I trust you will do your best with this endeavour? Our department needs a win.”

“Yes Sir,” Aero nodded awkwardly, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach, the nerves yapping angrily in his mind, the back of his throat like bile. “I won’t let you down.”