Dr. Devereux stops in the lab a total of three times that day, and she continues the next day, too. It’s like she’s keeping tabs on me, like she doesn’t quite trust me not to go off on a tangent. Which, if I’m being honest, is probably smart. She certainly doesn’t expect me to steal the rabbit right out from under their noses, or else she would have added extra security to the containment room. I’m expecting it any moment, but I’m happy to see she just thinks I’ll have a mental breakdown or something. Which I very nearly do.

Apparently, the board thinks it’s okay to run back to back tests the day before the dissection. They don’t care anymore if the rabbit dies because they’re planning on killing it anyways. In their eyes, he’s already dead. Might as well use the time wisely and run every test imaginable, which includes high doses of numerous deadly toxins.

Each time, I have to watch the rabbit die before miraculously coming back to life. Sometimes, he just lays down in the cage and stops breathing for a few minutes. Those aren’t as bad, though they make my heart hurt. No, it’s the toxins that make his body go haywire, where he throws himself at the walls in an attempt to stop the pain. When the first toxin with that side effect was tested, I very nearly broke down under the watchful gaze of Dr. Devereux. Dylan was all smiles, laughing at the poor thing’s cries. Josh just kept his head down. I’m not sure if he agreed with the tests or not, but he never once spoke up, so he was useless.

I watch W die eight times by the end of the work day, and each time is worse. I want nothing more than to escape the lab and go home, curl up on my couch, and pretend none of this is happening, but I made a decision. I’m going to stand by it.

I look over W, checking for any abnormalities in his blood or if he’s suffering any lasting effects from the toxins. There’s none, not from a cursory check. He seems fine, even after so many deaths. Unless, he doesn’t actually die. Maybe his body only looks like he dies. It’s not like we can check before he wakes up again, not with the toxins swirling around him. After putting him back in the cage, I turn to leave only to come face to face with the douchebag from hell. I scowl at Dylan, unable to hide the action before he sees.

“Hey, Red. You change your mind about that drink yet?” He leers at me. Now would be a good time to grab the scalpel and stab him. It would be totally unexpected, and I almost smile at the thought of him looking down at a scalpel handle protruding from his stomach. He’d live, of course. I would want him to always remember getting taken down by a woman.

“No, sorry. I told you, I have plans already.” I move to step around him, but he follows, blocking the way.

“What’s a guy gotta do to get a date? Come on. Don’t be a bitch.”

I narrow my eyes, wishing even harder for that scalpel.

“If being a bitch means I don’t want to go on a date with you, then so be it. Now, move.”

He reaches out and grabs my arm, squeezing hard. A squeak escapes my mouth at the sudden movement, catching me by surprise. I never expected him to lay his hands on me.

Behind me, something crashes against the steel bars of the cages. We both turn to look. W stands on his hind legs, his eyes focused on Dylan. Those eyes are squinted in rage, and it confuses me enough that I almost forget about the man in front of me. How the hell could a rabbit look so angry?

I yank my arm from Dylan’s grimy fingers and step back.

“Don’t you ever touch me again,” I snarl.

“Or what?” Dylan asks, his head tilting to the side. “You’ll sick your attack rabbit on me?” He laughs. “Fucking cunt. I knew it the moment you walked into the lab. Useless.” He shakes his head before eying W again. “I can’t wait to see them cut you open, rodent. I’m glad today’s the last day I have to see your ugly face.”

Dylan turns to leave, and I stare hard at his back, my fingers twitching to pick up the closest thing and throw it at him. Right now, it’s a book. He’s big, wide, but my classes taught me to use my height to my advantage. I’m most likely faster than the brute, and I can throw him off balance if I get the right angle. He won’t lay his hands on me again. I’ll make sure of it.

I glance at W in his cage. “Thanks for the backup, buddy.” I nod my head. I don’t know when I started talking to the rabbit as if he’s human. I’m seriously losing my mind.

I leave the containment room and return to my desk, taking a seat and making myself comfortable. Then I proceed to work on a research paper about the benefits of biochemicals in the environment. It’s a ruse, useful so no one questions why I’m here so late, but I really do plan to submit the paper once I’m done. No use writing it only for it to be thrown away.

“You’re not going home?” Josh asks, packing up his bag.

“No. I have research. I’m working on a paper for Science Weekly.”

“Oh, the big leagues, huh? Cool. Uh, don’t stay up too late.”

I nod my head at him and look back down at my notes. I don’t want to arouse suspicion, so I work on the paper long after the work day ends. No doubt, there could be other scientists in the building even though it’s late, but the goal is as few people as possible. I glance at my phone, half past ten. The night guards would be at the desk downstairs, but they should be bored out of their minds now, barely sparing me a glance. The less people witnessing me leave, the better.

The lights are low in the lab, their only source from the emergency lights and a large lamp I have at my desk. It throws everything into extreme shadows. Goosebumps rise on my arms, the atmosphere eerie. The whirring of the machines and computers help, but for the most part, it’s silent. The sounds of traffic and the city don’t even penetrate the concrete walls.

I stand from my desk and begin packing up my things, stashing away everything I don’t want to leave behind. I brought an extra bag for this reason, the saddle bag at my hip for the books and notes I can’t leave behind. I take off my lab coat and leave it in the empty desk drawer, clear all my data from the computer, and tidy up what’s left. My backpack remains empty for one reason alone.

I make my way into the containment room, purposely leaving the lights off. A faint glow comes from the equipment, and it’s enough that I can see the rabbit’s eyes shining in the darkness. It’s necessary to keep the room dark from the camera. While it doesn’t point towards the cages, it’ll still see me walk into the room and out of it. It’ll be easy for them to know who took the rabbit once they search, but I don’t plan on being found. I unzip my backpack and move towards the cages, before opening the metal grate.

“Okay. Here’s the deal, W. In order to save you, I need to put you in my bag. You can’t move or make any noises. If you do, I’ll go to jail, and you’ll be dead. Understand?”

I’m making deals with a rabbit. I mean, it’s what any wise wizard would do in this situation. Why shouldn’t I appeal to the urgency? Maybe he’ll understand me. On the off chance he does, I want to make sure he knows the details.

I open the cage and hold the backpack at the edge. W moves forward and hops down into the bottom of the bag. I raise my brow, surprised that my little talk worked. Point one for an understanding rabbit. I feel a tiny ball of excitement rise when I think I’m a little like Dr. Dolittle before I gently zip up the backpack and put it on. My saddle bag goes over my shoulder and then I’m moving towards the elevators. I try to keep my movements as gentle and non-suspicious as possible. I wave to the security guard on my way out. He’s too busy eating pizza and watching a game on his phone to really notice me. A lot of good he is for actual security. I’m walking right out the door with Star Corp property.

San Diego is a crowded city. There are too many people squeezed into one area which makes for shitty parking situations. The parking garage where we’re all meant to park is around the side of the building and across the street. It’s dark and many of the streetlights are burnt out. Obviously, no one cares about safety. I grab my keys from my pockets, nervous energy making me keep them threaded in my fingers in case I need to use them as a weapon. If I aim for the eyes, I can do some real damage.

The parking garage isn’t any more well-lit than the street. My car is parked on the second floor, up a dark flight of stairs. More burnt-out lights. After a hurried trip up the steps, as smoothly as possible, so I don’t jostle W too much, I head towards my car. It’s the only one left on the floor, a single light shining over it. I breathe a sigh of relief at the sight.

I take a step towards the vehicle just as a shadow moves from the darkness. I stiffen and clutch my keys tighter. When a person steps from within the dark garage and moves into the light directly in front of my car, I frown.

“Josh?”

My awkward coworker stands in front of my door, his face decidedly not as awkward as before. He stands tall, a small smile on his lips. His hair is pushed back from his face, making him seem more confident than he has the entire time I’ve known him. Gone is the quiet and uncomfortable scientist.

“Hello, Jupiter.”

My heart rate kicks up a notch. He doesn’t sound like the Josh I know, either. His voice is no longer meek and soft. It’s strong and sure now. I wrinkle my brow and take a step back. Something screams at me to run as far away as possible.

“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Suddenly, I know I’m standing with a predator. Somehow, I had missed the signs before and wrongly assumed Josh was the lesser of two evils. As I look into his eyes, I know I’m about to fight for my life, whether I want to or not. All with a stolen rabbit in my backpack.

Cue epic fight music. Seriously, where is my super suit?