It was late. Even the streets were almost empty. A few cars drove by, rain pattered quietly onto the pavement, and inside the tall, mirror-sided building, a man waited.

He wore a lab coat and rimless glasses. His brown hair was tousled, his eyes drooping with tiredness. He checked the watch on his wrist. 2:56 a.m.

The door opened and a woman walked in. She looked just as tired as he did — perhaps worse.

“You wanted to see me, Dr. Danvers?”

He nodded from his place by the window.

“It’s ready, Hidori.”

She stared at him in shock, her blue eyes wide, all signs of exhaustion gone.

“Are you serious?”

“Perfectly serious. The formula is perfect.”

“Does it work?”

“It works on rats.”

“And humans?”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Can we try it? Like, now?”

“Do you have a subject in mind?”

She hesitated, ran a hand through her close-cropped blonde hair, and then spoke.

“Me.”

“If you’re sure, then — ”

“Trust me, I’m sure. I want this.”

“Okay then. I have it with me.” He pulled a syringe from the pocket of his lab coat. The liquid inside was a pale red, almost pink, like watery blood.

“Do it.”

She lifted the sleeve of her shirt, pulling it up past the elbow. He pulled a piece of rubber tubing from another pocket and tied it expertly around her upper arm. He looked at her, once, for confirmation. She nodded, and without any warning he plunged the needle into the soft skin on the inside of her elbow. He pushed the plunger, forcing the liquid down, through the needle and into her skin.

She let out a deep breath that she hadn’t know she’d been holding as he removed the needle and tourniquet and then cleaned the insertion mark with antiseptic cleaner. He taped a wad of cotton over the tiny hole and forced her into a chair.

“How does it feel?” he asked, sounding slightly nervous.

She shrugged.

“I don’t know. I feel the same.”

“No side effects? No indications that it works?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing.”

He hung his head.

“So it doesn’t work?”

She turned her head away from him, trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes, but she couldn’t keep her voice from cracking.

“I guess not. Maybe you should try the rats again—”

“Oh, my God.” He grabbed her shoulders and stared at her, his eyes wide with horror.

“What? What is it?” Her heart was thumping.

“Your eyes. Look at your eyes. Your eyes!”

She stood up and ran to the mirror in the corner of the room while he stood in his place, shock and fear coursing through him. She stared at herself, unthinking, uncomprehending.

“Holy shit.”