Page 12 of Monster. Me.

"Great. Okay… so when do I meet Rupert?"

"He'll be arriving in two days, which gives you some time to get settled and familiarize yourself with the facility."

Dr. Lee sets the ultrasound probe aside and stands. I sit up and fasten my jeans.

"So, ready for a grand tour?"

I grab my unfortunate collection of suitcases and follow him out of the office.

◆◆◆

As we walk, the doctor makes a few small, offhand comments about the living conditions within the facility. It turns out that the vast majority of the staff are housed in the rear section of the building. Only a handful of people commute, mostly the security guards and kitchen staff. Aside from that, life inside the facility is fairly isolated from the outside world, and those who choose to work here are generally making a long-term commitment.

Loaded down with luggage, I eventually reach the elevator.

If I thought we were heading to the upper floors, I was very wrong.

The elevator starts descending.

"Level minus two?"

"That's right. The residential sector AA where the vectors and varias live is located down there."

"Why is that?" I ask, feeling slightly uneasy.

"Because we carefully control the air our participants are exposed to. If they lived above ground, their exposure to a hormone-based inhalant would be significantly reduced. Down here we can adjust the atmosphere throughout the day and deliver different compound blends at specific times. Everything is designed to stimulate the endocrine systems of the varias."

I frown.

"Doesn't that affect the… what do you call them? Vectors?"

Dr. Lee smiles broadly.

"Vectors receive medications that suppress their response to the compound along with standard blockers."

The elevator stops, but instead of stepping out, I turn toward the doctor.

"I don't get it. If this is supposed to be a hormonal awakening, why are you using blockers?"

Dr. Lee lets out a small sigh.

"Because we don't need additional hormones coming from your bodies as alphas. They're not useful to us in this environment."

"That explanation makes me even more confused."

A mysterious smile appears on his face.

"The substances that are stimulating you will come from Mr. Fenn Drax, the individual who serves as the foundation of our research program. His hormones and pheromones are very unusual and exceptionally potent. The natural hormones of both vectors and varias would only interfere with the process."

I stare at him for a moment.

The elevator starts beeping as the doors try to close, but Dr. Lee catches them with one hand, and they slide open again.

"You probably know what would happen if a large group of alphas were placed together in a confined space with their natural hormones fully active. You'd see competition, aggression, territorial behavior. Your bodies are generally wired to challenge one another, not engage in reproduction."

I blink. "Oh. Right."

Now I feel kind of stupid for not thinking of that sooner.