They didn’t know that Topolsky was still scheming and finding ways to capture their friends, Max and Isabel Evans.

*****

Topolsky was reading her daily report of the operative that was now officially hers and hers alone. It was that time of the morning when Dr. Carlin would visit her office and tell her his opinion of the operative’s progress. As usual, his report was positive, his attitude was just the opposite. Topolsky was sure that she was sensing a rebel side to the doctor in this operative and she was seriously considering finding a new doctor. There were, however, various risks to the factors in doing so, that a new doctor wouldn’t be as informed, as intelligent, or as kind as Dr. Carlin. So Topolsky still relied on his opinion most of the time, keeping in mind that he was probably turning against the operative and knowing that she couldn’t afford a weak link in this operative. Heck, the only reason she hadn’t separated the subjects was so that the progress of the operative would be positive and in the long run possibly more successful. There was no reason to make the subjects more miserable than they already were.

As the doctor entered the room with his clipboard in hand, Topolsky smiled at him and asked, "So how is our operative today?"

The doctor scanned the contents of his clipboard and then replied to Topolsky, "The female human is quite healthy as is the baby inside her. She has reached the four month mark and-"

Topolsky cut him off with a wave of her hand and said, "This is an operative doctor, my operative, and we only talk about it in term of subjects. Not aliens, not humans, not pronouns doctor, subjects."

The doctor nodded and then hid whatever nervousness he was showing as he told her, "You do realize that the subjects we are working with have souls. They are for lack of a specific word people who are very much like us. The male, a subject, he has the same desires that we do and the female is like us very much. They aren’t like the lab rats that we poison."

Topolsky scoffed and said to him, "Doctor Carlin if I knew any better I’d say you actually feel sorry for these subjects. Let me remind you that they aren’t here for being like us. They are here so we can see what it is they will produce together."

The doctor was not amused at all as he countered, "My hypothesis is that they will produce a child that is very much like us."

Topolsky was not thrilled as she looked at the doctor with angry eyes and said, "Is that all doctor?" Doctor Carlin became nervous again as he nodded and walked to the door from which he had come from. Topolsky told him, "then get out, you’re ruining my perfectly good mood. Just for that why don’t you give the male some exercise and don’t come back until tomorrow." Topolsky turned away from him until she heard the door close and only then did an evil grin appear on her face.

*****

Michael and Maria were finishing their breakfast when the door opened to reveal Dr. Carlin. Michael became his usual annoying self to the doctor as he said, "what do you want today. It’s not Maria’s turn."

The doctor held his clipboard tightly to his chest as he said, "We need you today, Mr. Guerin. No need for you to turn into mush while your here."

Maria kept her eyes on her cereal, but she knew that eveyones eyes had shifted upon her. She asked softly, "why is he here?" Then she looked at Carlin accusingly as she said, "hasn’t he served his purpose?"

She turned her head back to her cereal as the doctor replied, "well someone has to be around to keep you happy. The operative has to be successful, Topolsky wants to keep him around for you and today she wants him to exercise because of my big mouth. Now Mr. Guerin if you don’t cooperate the guards will be more than-,"

Michael cut him off after giving Maria a confused look and walked toward the doctor as he said, "I know the routine." He gave Maria one last look as he followed the doctor out of the cell, knowing only too well that he would be far beyond just exhausted when he would return to where Maria would be waiting for him.

He followed doctor Carlin down the hallways and he wondered to himself why Maria was behaving so strangely. Why would she want them to let him go? Why would she want to be left in that horrible cell by herself? Then he remembered why he was heading to the exercise room, the doctor’s big mouth made Topolsky decree that he (Michael Guerin) would be worn ragged today. So he wondered what the doctor had said that triggered such a decree. For the first time since he had been brought to this hellhole he decided to talk to the doctor, he actually hadn’t tried it before.

He said to the doctor as they walked, "What did your big mouth say?"

The doctor replied, "I do not wish to discuss my affairs with you, Mr. Guerin."

Michael said accusingly, "Come on, if I have to be execising to hell and back, you could at least tell me what you told that bitch. What, do I seem threatening?"

The doctor gasped and paused mid-stride as he replied, "not hardly, Michael. I simply told her that you two are more than just subjects to be toyed with. She disagreed."

Michael’s face scrunched a little in thought as he said, "if you had it your way, you’d pity us and let us out?"

The doctor blushed a little as he opened the door to the exercise room. Michael followed him though and heard the doctor tell him after the door closed, "She won’t stop at just having you to toy with. If I had it my way I’d probably let you go, yes. BUT I don’t have it my way so let’s start on the treadmill."

Michael just shook his head dejectedly and began to run with the treadmill. Finally he asked the doctor when the doctor’s assistant finally left the room, "If we had a possible way out, would, I mean would you ever think to help, maybe distract Topolsky, something?"