Ensuring that Tobi walked ahead of me so that I kept him in my sights, I ushered him into the kitchen and requested he sit at the table. He obeyed cautiously, warily watching me every bit as much as I was watching him.

"I wasn't sure what you liked," I said as I toasted some bread while loading our plates with the pre-cooked bacon and eggs from the oven. "So, I've made us something that I like to eat. But you can have something else if it's not your kind of thing."

Tobi remained silent as I passed him the hot food and went back for the coffee. He waited for me to return and start eating before he followed suit, presumably to check, as much as he reasonably could, that what I'd given him to eat was safe. But after a tentative start, he was soon wolfing it down.

"Is it good?" I asked, pointing towards his plate with my fork.

His demeanour already told me the answer, but I was keen to see whether he'd talk to me any further and it seemed like a good way to open the dialogue.

Tobi's ice-blue eyes watched me warily for a couple of seconds before he gave me a succession of quick nods and drank some coffee.

"You've eaten here with me before, you know," I ventured. "Do you remember?"

My companion lifted his head uncertainly, studying his surroundings, but confusion was the only expression he wore.

"How long have I been here?" he asked without answering my question.

Well, at least he was talking. Right now, I'd taken anything I could get.

"About a week," I replied. "We've eaten together at this table a lot, you know," I added in an additional attempt to find out how much he could recall from our time together.

Tobi furrowed brow told me he was still unsure.

"I don't ... I don't think I remember doing that," he responded apprehensively.

I made a mental note of the information he gave me, concluding that he may not recollect any of our previous conversations either.

"Do you remember anything from when you were under the influence of the Ravim?" I ventured.

Understandably, he still looked wary.

"Bits and pieces. Everything's hazy and mixed together like a dream. I remember fighting you. In there." Tobi pointed to lounge. "That's one of the reasons I tried to get out of here. I mean, if you're trying to help me, why would we be fighting?" he probed sceptically.

So, he did recall something. I was intrigued to understand the trigger behind it. Was it the fact that it was violence, albeit perceived rather than real fighting? With Tobi's close match to the Katki genetic template, it seemed at least plausible. Or perhaps it was an emotional response triggered by adrenaline?

Regardless, he remembered something, and that was a start.

"I was practising combat with you," I explained. "It wasn't real. It was in case you tried to escape. I just wanted to make sure I could restrain you without hurting you if I needed to."

"In case I tried to escape?" he repeated forlornly. "So, I am being held against my will." He paused and sighed. "I guess I should have known."

Stabbing another forkful of egg, he pushed it into his mouth.

I didn't want Tobi to view me as his jailer, but given the predicament, I shouldn't really be disappointed that he did. For all intents and purposes, I was, and I couldn't deny it.

"I get it," I replied sympathetically. "You don't want to be a prisoner anymore. You saw a chance to escape and tried to take it." I released a sigh of my own. "You're right, though. I won't be letting you go anywhere yet. Not because I don't want you to have your freedom, though. Quite the opposite in fact. It's partly because if you go out there with that mark on your neck and someone sees it, you'll be escorted right back to the Kinnisvara."

I indicated the tattoo again.

"I could just make sure nobody sees it," he contested.

"And how will you survive?" I challenged. "You don't have a licence or identification paperwork. With no documents you won't be able to work, or find anywhere to live, or buy food, or clothes."

Tobi sat in silence, continuing to pick despondently at the food I'd put in front of him. At least he appeared to be considering what I'd said.

"I know this isn't ideal," I acknowledged. "I know you weren't expecting to find yourself here and you must be scared, and if I could have told you in advance what I was doing, I would have done. Well, I actually did try to tell you – not that you remember, of course." I gave him a weak smile.

Tobi finished his breakfast and stared at me studiously.

"What exactly is it that you're doing?" he asked dubiously. "I mean, you talked about us integrating into society, but you won't let me go."

"I'm trying to find a cure for a medical condition that the Katki have," I explained. "About two years ago, I tried to do it properly. I formally requested access to information that I thought might help me find a cure to help you. The proposal I submitted was denied on the grounds that extensive research had already shown there was no cure."

"If there's no cure, then why are you doing this?" he probed further, his icy blue eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Because I'm a scientist," I replied reflectively. "Because I need to be sure for my own peace of mind that I've investigated every possibility."

"But didn't you just say extensive research had already been done?"

I sighed, clearing up our crockery for washing up and took it up to the sink.

"I'm not convinced they explored all the options. Every new person to look at something like this will bring fresh ideas. I'm working in that lab because I'm good at genetics. It's possible I can help. I at least want to try."

Having finished stacking up the crockery that needed attention, I joined Tobi back at the table again.

"So, you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart?" he asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Not entirely," I admitted. "I mean, I've always had an interest in science, especially genetics, and I've always been fascinated by the Katki generally, so it made sense for me to at least try.  I did attempt conducting my own investigation before submitting my formal proposal, but it didn't go the way I'd planned." I winced slightly at the memory. "After the research application was rejected too, I guess I felt like it wasn't meant to be. Then last year, my best friend found out her baby girl was Katki, and it devastated her. The combination of that and my father offering me a Katki of my own brought my drive back, I guess. So, not completely out of the kindness of my heart, no. It's mostly because I want to see whether I can bring my best friend's baby back to her."

Tobi's expression softened considerably, but he said nothing in response.

Meowing loudly, Tiger broke the silence as she meandered through the kitchen, stopping to rub her ear against my leg. She did this sometimes when she was no longer receiving my undivided attention.

"What is that?" he asked, nodding towards the source of the noise.

"This is my cat, Tiger," I responded, picking her up and lifting her onto my lap.

"Why is it here?" he probed further, studying her intently from the opposite side of the table.

"Well, Tiger is my pet," I explained, caressing her soft fur to illustrate the point. "She keeps me company. I talk to her, and she's nice to stroke."

"Oh," he responded, somewhat bewildered.

If Tobi had seen a cat before, he clearly didn't seem to remember the experience.

"If you stroke her, you'll have a friend for life," I added, trying again to reach out to him. "Shall I bring her over?"

One thing I'd learned about owning a cat was that their instincts were sharp. Tiger wouldn't have been in the same room as Tobi if she felt there was any danger to her. I also knew from practising fighting with Tobi that his reflexes weren't as good as hers, and Tiger would no doubt escape quickly if he tried anything.

But still, I didn't want to put my cat in unnecessary jeopardy and ensured I knew exactly where the punch-injector was should I need it.

Tobi's gaze moved down to where the cat was purring on my lap. He seemed more concerned about her than she did about him. Interesting.

"She's making another strange noise," he commented hesitantly.

"She does that when she's happy," I told him, as I continued to stroke her. "She's just a big softy, really. The worst that can happen is that she'll jump down and run into the other room."

I paused to look over at my timid companion. He certainly didn't look or act like the violent fiend I'd been expecting him to be.

However, I also knew looks could be deceiving, and consciously strove to walk the fine line between building trust and keeping my guard up.

"I'll tell you what," I ventured. "I'll stay here, and if you feel like coming over and making friends with her, then I'm sure she'd love to meet you. And if not, that's fine too. I want you to be comfortable while you're staying here, Tobi," I added. "As much as you can, at least."

Taking my eyes away from him, I focused my attention on Tiger while I petted her. By diverting my gaze, I hoped that Tobi might find the situation less intimidating, while ensuring that he stayed in my peripheral vision so that I could be ready to sedate him at the first sign of trouble.

After a minute or two of silence, Tobi stood and took a step towards me, and I looked up at him instinctively.

"Where's the best place ... you know ... if I did want to make friends?" he asked tentatively, nodding towards Tiger.

I smiled.

Today had gone much more smoothly than I anticipated, and although it wasn't over yet, I recognised that this was a huge turning point in our interaction. This was the moment where I'd offered Tobi my trust in something that was important to me, and he was acting courageously on it. To him, I was a total stranger that was holding him hostage. Yet here he was, bravely reaching out, almost literally, to accept my extended olive branch.

A warm feeling flooded my chest at the connection, and what it could mean for both of us.

"Just behind her ear is a good place to start," I replied, smiling up at him. "Like this," I added, massaging where I'd indicated to demonstrate how to do it.

Tiger purred in response, pushing her head up against my hand and rubbing her ear into it.

Removing my hand so that Tobi could try it, I watched with interest as he cautiously touched my pet behind the ear like I had. The cat instinctively rubbed back, purring softly as she did so.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "She's really soft."

"Yeah," I nodded, still pleasantly surprised at how well this was going. "The noise is because it's nice for her. I think she likes you."

My final statement had the desired effect.

Tobi beamed and lowered himself so that his face was level with my lap.

"Hi, Tiger," he cooed as he continued to weave his fingers through her fur.

We quietly stayed like that for a few minutes before I suggested we all move to the lounge.

"Do you want to play a game with her?" I asked, fetching a piece of string from a nearby shelf once we were in there. "She likes this one."

Kneeling on the floor, I placed the piece of string down with my forefinger and thumb still holding onto one end.

Tiger knew this game and crouched down opposite me, ready for action. The second I moved the string slightly, the cat pounced on it and Tobi giggled in delight.

"She likes that?" he asked.

I looked up at him, grinning.

"She loves it," I replied. "Do you want to try?" I added, backing away from the string to let him take over.

Tobi started playing with Tiger, and he soon seemed to be as lost in the game as she was.

Reasoning that the windows and doors were still alarmed, and I still had the punch-injector in my pocket if I needed it, I edged away slowly, trying to give them space to get to know each other.

Given how Tobi was acting with the cat, I couldn't imagine him hurting her. Still, I didn't want to leave the room just in case and sat down quietly in a nearby chair to read a book, keeping a close eye on them to ensure their safety as much as I could.

The two of them played for the rest of the morning, with Tiger loving the sudden increase in attention, and Tobi delighting in creating progressively more involved ways in which she could pounce for the string.

After a couple of hours of analysing their interactions, I'd become significantly more relaxed about the situation, and went to the kitchen to wash up the breakfast crockery and utensils while also preparing lunch. Tobi didn't even seem to notice I was gone, and I sporadically heard contented noises from the other room, which gave me a little scope to think.

Despite becoming lucid in a frightening situation, none of Tobi's violent tendencies seemed to have been generated yet, which was a scenario I hadn't anticipated.

I wanted to understand how he dealt with things more generally, perhaps under a different type of pressure, partly to see whether that would trigger anything I hadn't seen so far. So, I decided that after we'd eaten, I'd offer him the chance to play some competitive games with me – some physical and some cognitive – primarily so that I could analyse his reactions as part of my study.

After making soup and crusty bread for lunch, we dined together, and I let him know my suggestion for the afternoon. Making it clear the exercises were entirely voluntary, I explained that the intention was for him to enjoy the experience and, as much as possible, he should just concentrate on having fun.

Thankfully, Tobi was agreeable, and we started in the garden with a simple game that involved trying to throw a ball from a short distance into the net that was pinned to the side of my shed. He wasn't practiced at this type of game, and although it was clearly frustrating for him at times, he persevered without showing signs of instability.

After playing a few more garden games, I suggested that perhaps we migrate back to the kitchen and play some indoor games. Tobi seemed amenable to the idea. Setting a game of backgammon up on the table where we'd normally eat, we played a few games against each other, followed by some card games. Tobi's cognitive reasoning seemed to be intact, and I watched with interest as he actively learned from his mistakes.

As the afternoon continued, I noted that the Katki was behaving as any other human might, with no obvious signs of volatility. Perhaps the most unexpected revelation was when Tobi told me afterwards that he'd enjoyed it, as had I. In fact, I'd enjoyed it so much that after a late dinner, I realised that although I'd intended to alter our sleeping arrangements, I'd been so absorbed in our afternoon that I'd forgotten to do so.

After feeding the cat and getting ready for bed, I brought it up.

"Sorry, I had planned to sort this out," I said, indicating the bed. "We've been sleeping on opposite sides this week, but I can sleep on the floor until I work out something better if you like."

"Let's just do whatever we've already been doing for now," he responded, climbing in. "After today, I feel much better about staying here, and I'm happy sharing with you."

His reaction felt genuine, and I beamed. Still, I felt it was prudent to continue to keep a dose of the sedative on my person as we slept, just in case anything changed.

"I'm happy sharing with you too," I responded sincerely as I took the opposite side of the bed. "Good night, Tobi."

Tobi twisted his head to the side so that his gaze landed on me.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked inquisitively from across the bed.

"Your tattoo," I replied, indicating his neck, and then lay facing the ceiling. "It kind of looks like it spells the word Tobi if you look at it from the right angle. I didn't really like referring to you as a number, so I created a name for you. I can stop if you prefer?"

The Katki took a moment to think before answering.

"I've never had a name before," he replied with a smile. "But I like it. Tobi is fine with me. Good night, Matthew."

I turned to face him, to find he was facing the ceiling with his eyes closed.

"My friends call me Matty," I told him, recalling the fun we'd had that day, and feeling optimistic in the dim light.

Tobi didn't move, but I could see his smile grow fractionally at my implication.

"Then, good night, Matty."