His only chance of escape involved a small, dark tunnel guarded by a genetic experiment gone wrong. It watched with furious eyes, half a ton of muscle balanced on splotched hooves too spindly for its aberrant body. Wielding a single blood-spattered horn on its brow, it stood poised to skewer him alive. Only one ventilation shaft in the ceiling promised a viable exit.

This monster had slaughtered an entire team of researchers, its own creators. Several others met the same gruesome fate when it broke out of the lab, and galloped down the busiest thoroughfare on the orbital colony known as Lystra-J1.

Thankfully, it was now cornered in this freighter silo. The colonial enforcers had the facility surrounded, containing the beast. But it didn't help his own muddle. He'd done his part in luring it here. The witless security robots then proceeded to fire, and collapsed the only door. He was trapped inside, with the ugliest, meanest creature he'd ever encountered. It even had a name, etched onto the ID collar about its burly neck--'Nobbin'. Why had the engineers at AdvaGen designed such a dangerous prototype?

The scaffolding on which he'd climbed for safety wasn't sufficient for his weight. Every few seconds, it creaked a bit more, giving way. He wondered why he'd volunteered for this role. His specialty was subterfuge, a master of disguises. Miscreant animals were more suited to Joan's talents.

Nobbin grunted and giggled in bouts--hyena, warthog, and oryx genes, spliced into a form nature never intended.

His wristcom chimed. How quaint. Only one person would call while he was on an assignment.

His partner's image sputtered into view above his pressed white cuff--a dark haired woman, her eyes teasing on the blue and silver hologram.

He answered with his usual charm, even as one end of the scaffold broke completely. "Joan. It's about time."

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Thomas?" she asked, tilting her head playfully.

"Decoy duty. Orders from the client," he said. "I could use your expertise about now, my dear."

She blew a ring of smoke from her cigarette, the elephant brooch on her hat brim blinking in synthetic light. "I'm already here. Stand by to intercept," she said.

"Do hurry," he said, chuckling. "I'm about to be impaled by a puppy-pig named Nobbin. Can you believe they gave it a name like that?"

She merely winked, and the call faded.

Another bolt severed. He slipped, and held to the remnants of his perch, keeping his legs out of reach.

Something drifted down from the ventilation shaft, and settled onto the coarse, wiry bristles on Nobbin's back--Joan's stylish hat, of all things, providing a welcome distraction.

The hybrid's squeal of surprise was deafening, its mottled, beady eyes rolling white. It circled, eager for another kill, drool stringing from its jaws.

Slowly, with predatory stealth garnered from decades of experience, Joan descended upon a steel rapel cable from the vent. She brandished a modified hunting rifle under one arm.

"You weren't exaggerating, it's hideous," she said, ignoring Nobbin's snaps and snarls.

The scaffold collapsed. Thomas scrambled for any footing along the grooves in the wall, but he slipped, landing with a thud on the damp floor.

From the brooch on her hat, a spidery robotic appendage extended--surely one of Stonecipher's ingenious gadgets, as all of Joan's toys were. It expanded into thin filaments, webbing from Nobbin's back to the ground.

The creature pawed, lowered its horn, and charged.

Thomas sprang aside, tumbling deftly away.

Nobbin rammed its shovel-like head into the wall, leaving a crashing dent in the metal. It reeled and whimpered, but quickly regained focus.

Electric currents snapped and sizzled along the tendrils of Joan's device. Any normal animal would have been electrocuted. But the charge only singed Nobbin's hide, the odor of burnt skin and hair smoking along its body, enraging it further.

"Sometimes we must do things the old-fashioned way," she said with a grin. She aimed her rifle, and fired a dart into Nobbin's shoulder.

The hybrid charged again, narrowly missing its prey.

"This isn't what I had in mind," Thomas shouted, ducking away from the wildly thrashing hooves and horn.

"A good hunter knows patience, darling."

He had to dodge and dive a few more times, but the tranquilizer took effect minutes later.

Nobbin fell into a heap, panting on its side in stupor.

"Whatever will become of this pitiful beast?"

Joan retrieved her favorite hat. "Nobbin will be shipped to a preserve in Sahajia, to live out the rest of its ill-tempered days. Even a monster deserves a second chance."

Thomas laughed, and dusted himself off. "Another success for Knolls and Hunter. We do make a great team."

"As long as there's fun involved, I'm in," she said.