I rushed down the long, twisting halls, each one identical as far as the eye could see. I glanced at my watch--there wasn't much time. I nearly twisted my ankle as I rounded the corner, the pulse of the red light filling me with dread and anticipation. So, here I was again. But just what was I going to do? There was no time to ponder. In a matter of seconds, they were going to--well...I didn't want to think about it.

I pushed on the doors with all of my might, and to my surprise, they opened easily. No card swipe, no scan, nothing. Before I knew it, I was at the back of the lab room, standing before it again. It stared at me with those burning eyes--irises that seemed to contain the liquid fire of wisdom and perseverance. This animal was different than any other, and not only for its size. The expression on its face--a mixture of worry and anger, led me to believe it was capable of sentient thought. I'd never seen a rat contort its face in such a manner. For a second, it looked almost human again. I shook myself. Could it be that this creature had a soul?

There was a sound behind me. I turned around quickly, and was confronted by two men. But where their faces should have been, there were masks instead. One was a red, angry dragon, the other a warlock. I felt fright instantly, but I stood my ground. Uncertain of what to do next, I glanced at the creature. It seemed to be pleading with me.

I heard the footsteps behind me growing closer, but I just stood there, staring at it, entranced by the depth and emotion of the sparkling brown eyes.

"Help me..."

A voice...but it was only in my head, as if it had spoken to me without moving its mouth--ESP or something. I couldn't quite discern whether the voice was male or female. It seemed to embody both, the very essence of speech itself.

"Please...help me..." It pleaded again. The men closed in.

Fear flowed through me as the creature spoke. It was a fear I had never felt before, and instantly, I knew that I had to escape. I couldn't let them catch me. I couldn't let them do those awful things to me. I began to run. I ran as fast I could, and as I did so, I could hear the men calling to me. Their words were undecipherable, just a jumbled mass of noise. I knew they were at the cage. I could hear them opening it. Still, I couldn't turn around. I had to keep running. My very life depended on it. My legs carried me as fast as they could go toward the exit, the creature's tortured shrieks the only sound...

I bolted upright in bed. Tiny droplets of sweat clung to my forehead, my chest heaving. Dammit... That was the third time already. Horrible dreams had been plaguing me all night long. Finding that creature had definitely sent off a warning signal in my brain, but I hadn't thought it effected me that much. It seemed as though, despite the nightmares, there was only one thing to do. I had to go back there. I had to face whatever it was that had invaded my dreams.

"Holly, I'd like you to stay a little late tonight. There's something we need to discuss."

Instant panic. Did he know that I'd sneaked into a top-secret area without authorization? Did he know that I'd stolen his ID card to do it? Worse yet, did he realize that I'd found out their secret?

"Ummm...well, I sorta had plans for this evening..." My voice was audibly shaking. I took a couple of deep breaths to try to calm myself down.

"This will only take an hour, tops. And believe me, Holly, it'll be worth your while."

Worth my while? I wasn't sure if I liked the sound of that. My face must have reflected my doubts, because he smiled faintly and assured me, "We've decided to let you in on the project. I know how much this means to you, and believe me, I had to pull a lot of strings..."

It was all I could do not to scream at that moment. Was this really happening? I took another deep breath, and forced the biggest smile I could muster. "Wow, that's really...great."

"What's the matter? I thought you'd be thrilled..." He must have sensed the hesitation in my voice.

"Oh, I am, I really am." I attempted. "I really have been interested in this project. I know it must have taken a lot of persuasion on your part to be allowed to include me. Thank you."

"You're welcome. We'll meet up in the lobby at five-thirty then." He glanced at his watch. "But right now, I have a meeting to get to. See you then! Oh, and Holly--"

"Yeah?"

"Be there on time. This is a very sensitive project, and we don't want to let anyone down on your first day."

"Right. Five-thirty sharp. I got it."

As he fled the office, I slumped into my chair. Great, just great. They finally let me in on the project right after I decided I wanted no part of it. And what if they somehow managed to figure out that I'd gone up there without permission? Still, it seemed I was in the clear for now, so I took a deep breath, and tried to quiet that nagging uncertainty in the back of my mind.

It was nearly dark outside as I made my way to the front lobby. I glanced at the clock. Five-thirty sharp, just as promised. But there was no sign of Jim. I felt that little twinge of fear begin to creep up again, and decided it was best to ignore it. It would do me no good to worry now, and after tonight, when I realized that they were none the wiser, I could get on with life knowing that everything was okay. Then my only problem would be finding a way to end whatever torture they were doing to that poor animal.

What would I do though when they introduced me to the creature? I'd have to act surprised, give them no indication that I'd ever seen such a thing. And then I would have to appear intrigued when they explained the types of cruel experiments they were planning to perform. This was going to be tougher than I'd thought.

I readied myself as the doors clicked open and I was ushered once again into that forbidden laboratory. It seemed weird to me that he'd bring me here, knowing darn well that I had no secret clearance, and wasn't approved to be in such a place. Instead of attending a meeting prior to joining the 'Nezumi' team, I was to be briefed right then and there so we could get started. Everything was being done with no attention paid to the rules and regulations of the federal government. I only hoped that Jim knew what he was doing.

I feigned surprised terror when I was again face to face with the creature. Jim seemed pleased at my reaction, and told me I had nothing to fear. I wasn't so sure about that, but I played along. The giant rat stared at me for a long moment, its eyes burning into me once again. For a brief moment, I was reminded of my dreams, and I half expected to hear its voice echo in my head.

The creature finally willed its sight from me, and turned its head. It was a familiar gesture. How many times had I used that little maneuver when I realized that someone had caught me staring? So it did recognize me after our brief encounter. This intrigued me very much.

Noting the silence, I turned to Jim. "What is it?"

"This," he gestured toward the cage excitedly. "Is Nezumi."

So Nezumi referred to the creature itself? Was that its name?

The rat seemed to spare me a quick glance, and I again saw that look of anguish in its features. My heart sank. I couldn't help but wonder if it had a family that was missing it and worrying about it. Then I shook myself. This was an animal, not a human! If it did have a family at one time, they'd probably forgotten all about it by now.

So many questions filled my head, but before I could ask any of them, the door clicked open behind us.

"Ahh...Curtis, Larry...come in. I've just introduced Holly here."

Curtis?? Shit! What gods had I pissed off to deserve this one?

He glanced at me and grinned with the grace of a dog, drool and all. He probably would have sniffed my butt if I'd let him.

"Holly, this is Curtis--"

"Yeah, we've met." I said disgustedly. Curtis just grinned that contemptible grin of his, bringing back that unbearable urge to smack it right off his face.

"And this is Larry."

I nodded and smiled in Larry's direction. "Nice to meet you."

I recognized Larry instantly. Even though the corridors had been dark, his tall, lean stature was unmistakable. He was the man I'd seen coming from this room with Curtis two days ago. He appeared to be in his mid to late forties with sandy brown hair that had begun to gray around the edges, brown eyes, and glasses that framed a snobbish, yet not completely unattractive, thin face.

"Likewise." He said hastily, ignoring my outstretched hand. There was a look about him that made me nervous, though for the likes of me, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He began to pace the short area of floor that led up to the creature's cage. "So...what do you think of our fabulous discovery?"

He'd stopped pacing to look at me. I cleared my throat, sparing a quick glance at the creature behind the bars. "I...uhhh...it's a very interesting specimen."

"It's the highlight of our very careers! This specimen you see before you will enable us to do things we previously only dreamed. With the experiments we will be performing, we will be able to begin to understand how genetic mutation works--"

"Genetic mutation?" This was seriously starting to wig me out. "So you're saying then that this creature is a mutant."

"I think that's an obvious observation, Holly. But not only is it a mutant, but the first we've ever seen of its kind. And this beast," he motioned toward the cage. "will offer its life for the development of our research."

I definitely did not like the sound of that.

"You make it sound as if the specimen offered himself willingly." I mustered up my most professional voice, trying to mask the rage that had begun to well up inside of me.

Larry seemed oblivious to my fury, and totally disregarded my rebuttal. "Oh, we've created mutants before, but they never made it past the first couple of weeks. It seems that our old theories and formulas were misguided."

"Is that why this one is number nine? You've done this eight other times?"

"Yes. And all of the others have failed. But this one, Holly...this one will be triumphant, and do you know why?"

I decided I didn't want to know. But he told me anyway.

"We didn't create this chimera in the lab. This is the way we found it."

A chill went up my spine. Larry had a wild look in his eyes, and I couldn't help but be reminded of the cartoons with the mad scientists and their crazy experiments. Everything he was saying sounded like nonsense to me.

"You're lucky, Holly." Jim broke in. "The experiments have run a little behind schedule, so you'll get to witness an important one tonight."

"What--"

"Shock treatment." A freakish grin distorted Larry's mouth.

I took a step back. I remembered that conversation between him and Curtis in the hallway. They'd spoken of shock treatment, but it hadn't registered until now. They were going to torture this poor creature. And for what?

"May I ask what results you're hoping to obtain by such an experiment?"

"We are attempting to discover the creature's threshold to pain and various elements. We've already exposed it to freezing temperatures..."

Okay, I'd heard enough. This was insane. Never had I heard of performing shock treatment on an animal, and I was sure that the government wouldn't grant such permission. Something unlawful was taking place here, and I wanted no part of it.

"Look, I really need to be getting home now. There's something I need to--"

"Sit down, Holly." Jim's voice was stern and commanding. I stared at him long and hard, almost daring a protest, but the look in his eyes silenced me, and I did as I was told.

"Why am I here?" I asked nervously. Jim moved to stand in front of me.

"Because this is where you wanted to be."

I eyed him warily. I wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"You wanted to be here, so now you're getting your wish. You're getting an opportunity most people can't even dream about, Holly. You're going to witness this creature's pain threshold--"

"That's torture!" I yelled. "What the hell is it going to accomplish? You're going to kill it!"

"If we kill it, then so be it." Larry smiled. "Then we'll have the opportunity to dissect it and see what makes it tick."

"No..."

This whole situation was so absolutely ludicrous, I felt as though I was in a dream. Had Jim really gone insane? How did people like these pass a Top Secret security investigation? I rose to leave, but strong hands pushed me back down. I gazed up behind me, and found Curtis staring back at me. This time, however, there was no grin.

"You see this key, Holly?" Jim held up the silver key, and it sparkled in the overhead light. "This is the only thing that can free it. But don't worry. You don't have to fear that you might accidentally set it free. I keep this key in a very secure place." He tucked the key into his waistband.

Jim and Larry moved toward the cage and began to attach new wires to the rat's body. They stayed several feet away, using long metal poles to do their dirty work. The cowards. They were clearly afraid of it. I struggled under Curtis's grip. I knew I had to do something or this creature would surely die, but if I made a move to help it, they might kill me as well.

"Why are you doing this?" I breathed.

"Holly..." Jim turned to me. "Think of this not as an act of cruelty, but as an act of science. You do want to be a scientist, don't you?"

"Not if it means sinking to this, no. I don't want anything to do with science."

"That's too bad." Larry shook his head. "But now you're stuck here. This is your life, Holly." He turned on the machine, and waves of electricity flowed through the wires. I could see the setting was on low, but still, the creature writhed with pain, a cry of anguish escaping it.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You've made some grave mistakes, Holly."

"I'll report you. You won't get away with this!"

"On the contrary..." Larry wheeled in a television stand and popped a videotape into the VCR. "Do you know what this is?"

I didn't answer.

"It's a surveillance tape, taken from October 20, in the hall right outside of this room. Would you like me to play it?"

Adrenaline pumped through me. They knew what I'd done! And before I could protest, an image of me suddenly appeared on the screen. I watched myself examine the doors, glance around, read the plaque. He changed tapes.

"This is from October 21." Another reenactment. My hand on Jim's coat, sliding down, taking the ID badge. I held my breath, could feel my heartbeat in my temples.

He inserted another tape. "October 21, five-thirty p.m." I watched myself swipe Jim's card and enter the lab room.

Larry shut off the television. "Maybe you would like to explain why you were intruding where you don't belong?"

I said nothing, just sat there, staring him straight in the face, hoping that my unwavering would be interpreted as a challenge. "You see, Holly, you were right. We don't have clearance for this sort of thing. The government would never allow it. They're too blind to the fact that things like this must be done in order to improve the quality of life for humankind. They, like you, are too closed minded. They call it cruelty, injustice. They fail to see the bigger picture. But, even with all of your knowledge on what is going on here behind these doors, you can not go to them. You can't report us, because if you do, we'll give them all of the evidence they need to lock you away as well."

"You're a bastard."

"Such harsh language for one in your position. I would think that outnumbered as you are, you would try to be a little more polite."

I turned to Jim, anger burning within me. "You knew about this. You knew what you were leading me into."

"I am sorry Holly, but you have to understand that I have to protect myself. You're too emotional for your own good. How many times have I told you that? I wish that you would have listened to me then."

Larry moved toward the machine again, and turned the knob. This time, he set the electricity to the next higher level. Again, the creature screamed in pain and curled its body against the bars. I couldn't stand it any longer.

Knowing that I would lose my freedom either way, I slumped down in my chair, escaping Curtis's hands. Jim moved toward me, but I grabbed the chair, slamming it into him, and sending him to the floor. As he fell, the key skidded across the floor. I stooped to pick it up, but Curtis grabbed me by the shoulders. Despising the idea of his hands anywhere near me, and determined to escape, I kicked as hard as I could, my heel digging into his groin. He cursed in pain and let go, and I grabbed the key.

Larry was watching me now, advancing on me slowly, and taking careful steps to nudge me closer to the creature, while keeping himself at a safe distance. I think he believed that as enraged and in pain as the creature was, it would lash out at the first being that came near it. He was hoping it would kill me before I could escape.

But Larry did just as I'd hoped. He moved me closer to my goal--a goal which I was very afraid of, but which I knew I must accomplish. I stuck the key in the lock.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Larry was still advancing.

I turned the key and pulled the door open, leaving only a short distance, and a rectangular opening the size of a small man, between the creature and myself. Curtis and Jim had recovered their attacks and were rushing toward us, the three of them getting dangerously close.

"Run!" I yelled at the creature. "Free yourself!"

I turned and began to run myself, not even daring to look back.

I heard excited screams and calls of rage, could almost feel the steady pound of footsteps not too far behind me. I couldn't look back. I knew if I did, that would be the end of it. I kept running. My feet were aching, so I kicked off my shoes, not caring that I would probably never see them again. Barefooted, I gained new momentum, and hurried down the twisting maze of hallways, hoping beyond hope that I would find the elevator.

I found it rather quickly, actually. It was good to know that my fear and anxiety hadn't affected my sense of direction. Now if only the stupid thing would open...

I pressed the button over and over, furiously, doing anything I could to get the doors to open. I glanced behind me. Curtis was right on my tail, and he was getting dangerously close. God, was he angry.

"Come on, come on, dammit!" I began to beat the button. Finally, it opened, and I rushed inside. I pushed the down button, but as the doors began to close, my sense of safety was abruptly halted when a hand wedged in between the doors and pried them open. I kicked at him, trying to shove him away from the closing doors, but keeping my distance. To allow him to catch me would be like committing suicide. I kicked him again, and he stumbled back a bit, but his grip on the door was still firm. I pressed the button for the basement over and over again, willing the doors to close and lock me within their safety.

Curtis was persistent though. With a groan of effort (which, by the way, made him look all the more unattractive), he pushed the doors open far enough to gain entrance. The doors shut quickly behind him, and we slowly began to descend.

"Get away from me!" I warned.

He grinned, that contemptible, disgusting grin, and I shuddered. There's something about being stuck in an elevator with a man you despise, knowing that he wants to kill you, that makes you do rash things. In my case, I mustered up all my strength, and began to beat the crap out of him. Never really having fought before, and not knowing the first thing about technique, I think I did rather well. I kicked him in the shin (boy, I was really missing my shoes at that point), punched him in the stomach, pulled his hair, and that's about the time he got a good grip on me.

"Don't fight me, Holly. You know you won't win." He slammed me up against the elevator wall, his body so close, I could feel his breath on my face.

A force jarred us just then, and I struggled to get away, but he was too strong. We both glanced at the buttons. Nothing was lit up. The door wasn't opening. I was trapped.

"Looks like they stopped the elevator." He brought his face close to mine again.

"Get away from me." My voice trembled.

"Oh, I don't think you want me to do that." He said mischievously. "I know about women like you. Always trying to act strong and tough, when inside you're just a scared little girl."

"Leave me alone, Curtis, I'm warning you..."

His mouth covered mine. It was hot and moist and tasted like stale beer. I tried to push him away, but he counteracted and pressed up against me even harder. I turned my head, breaking the contact, grateful for the fresh air.

"I'm getting sick of your little games, Holly. Always playing hard to get, trying to make me think you don't want me."

I sucked in a breath. "I don't, Curtis. Why can't you get it through your head that I don't want to go out with you?" I was furious that he'd violated me in such a way, but I was also fearful of what he might do.

"See? There you go again. But if you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say."

He pressed his mouth to mine again, stifling my cries of protest. His razor stubble scratched my face. I could feel his hands sliding down my shoulders, toward the rise of my breasts, fingers beginning to undo the buttons of my shirt.

"No!" Somehow I found the strength to shove him off of me. I felt rage bubble through me. How dare he force himself on me? With a cry of anger, I kicked him as hard as I could, and watched him fall back on the floor, clutching at his groin.

I banged on the doors of the elevator, fear and anger almost overcoming me now. I had to escape. I had to get out of here or I would be raped, and after that, I was dead for sure.

Curtis grabbed my ankle and pulled me down to the floor. I let out a cry of surprise and kicked at him. He held both of my feet, pinning them down, then moved swiftly over me.

"That's gonna cost you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sharp surgical knife. He held it up to my face so I could get a good look at it. Quite honestly, I was terrified. I thought he was going to scar my face, or slice my wrists or something. At that point I wasn't sure what Curtis was capable of.

He pressed the edge of the knife to my throat. I swallowed carefully, terror filling me completely. My heart was pounding as I could do nothing but watch his free hand rip my shirt open. I closed my eyes as I felt his sweaty palm brush against the skin below my neck.

"You really are beautiful, Holly."

His mouth replaced his hand, and he planted kisses down my chest to the edge of my bra. I shuddered from disgust. I felt as though each touch left behind a filthy disease. I struggled again under his weight, and he pressed the knife more firmly into my flesh. I could feel a warm gush of blood bubble over the blade and trickle down my neck. I froze.

"We're going to do things my way." Curtis breathed.

He reached a hand down, finding the button and zipper of my pants. I could hear myself begin to whimper. God no, not that...

"Stop...please..."

"There you go again, trying to make me think you don't want this."

"I said stop! Stop it..."

"Come on Holly!" His hands were rough with me. He had the zipper down and was trying to pull the pants from my hips, but I was resisting. "Stop the charade!" The blade dug deeper.

"No!" I choked. "Please...stop!"

Suddenly, an explosion so strong that it shattered the ceiling overhead, hit the elevator cabin. Curtis rolled off of me, and I screamed and covered my head as shards of glass rained down on top of me. Curtis was yelling something incoherent. I couldn't see a thing.

I realized my eyes were closed. When I opened them, what I saw made me gasp with fright. As the light flickered in the cabin around us, I saw its outline--the giant rat. It stood before us on two legs instead of four, the only visible features its glowing eyes and snarling teeth. Mustering all of the strength I had left, I scooted myself against the opposite wall of the elevator, gathering my ruined clothes around me.

The rat stared at me for a long moment, then quickly diverted its attention toward Curtis. I think Curtis nearly shit his pants as the rat attacked. Serves him right too, the bastard. The rat let out a gut wrenching growl, and advanced on him. I have to say what I witnessed in those next few moments amazed me. The rat moved like no man I had ever seen before, delivering precise punches and kicks, and even throws that brought Curtis down in a matter of minutes. Each move was fluent, almost graceful, yet rendered by a force so powerful, it nearly left the creature breathless. And although the rat was only half his size, it came away without even so much as a scratch.

As Curtis fell to the floor unconscious, the creature turned his attention toward me. I felt that penetrating stare again, and a new fear welled up inside of me. What were its intentions?

It rose to its full height (which was about four and half feet incidentally) and stood there in silence, surveying me for the moment. I brought my knees closer to my chest, feeling a growing sense of shame at my torn clothes. I noticed I was sobbing softly, and reached up to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

It took a step toward me, and I swallowed nervously. It showed no signs of malice as it neared. Instead, it crouched down slowly before me, it's eyes on mine.

"Are you all right?"

I gasped. Was it really speaking?

Unlike the voice in my dreams, this one was definitely male, but it was very gentle, almost humble, and spiked with an Asian accent. My entire body felt weak, but I knew I had to remain conscious. Sleep was not an option just then.

Slowly, the rat stretched out his hand. I stared at it for a long time, studying the long, thin fingers. So much like a rat's, yet so human.

"Please...take my hand."

I stared at it again, then forced myself to look into his eyes. Where the fire of anger had once been, there was now concern. Was that for me? Did this creature actually care about what happened to me?

"Please," It continued. "You must trust me. We haven't got much time."