"He's better than you-"

My mind mulled over the words as James snickered the entire ride to the lab.

"You're stuck on it, aren't you?" My eyes must've answered because he continued with his input.

"You work for their benefit while I work for ours, and I will do everything I can to accomplish my dreams," James smirked.

He paused for effect and said further, "Let's face it, Draven. At the end of the day, you can't even stay for the beginning of a raid."

"And that makes you better?" I ask dubiously.

"Well, I'm the demon, remember?" He snickered some more and then soured at the vibrating pain his arm gave him.

Deror snapped it clean in two. It would mend, and the fool would be fine, but seeing his hurt was gratifying. I reminded myself that would mean I was on his wavelength and instantly felt disgusted with myself. With a heavy sigh, I turned to the window to peer outside, trying to ignore him for the rest of the drive.

My heart had an odd rhythm as we grew closer to the City of the Exalted. I was excited-or maybe frightened. Whenever my mind imagined Arnelle and her gold eyes, it tried to leap out.

Then, I would think about the destruction I was a part of and feel it stall horribly. Stabbing guilt crept its way through the blood flow straight to where my despairing self slept within. It shook his walls violently, waking him with the need to throw up and the need to scream. The one James saw could only swallow down the onslaught and keep composed.

Out my window, the scenery had slowly changed from looming mountain trees to towering sky-piercing structures made from cold steel and chrome. Empyrean was mostly gleaming, teeming cities scattered across its surface; some were even under its oceans. The planet's forests or jungles were only found in their high mountains or restricted continents. Those deemed restricted meant that no human or Therianth could settle on them.

Population growth means more food, which means more space and technological advancement. It's no surprise that all that comes with a lot of greenhouse gases. And so, the largest continents on Empryean were assigned as restricted to ensure increased pollution from methane and carbon was always kept in check. Such was the thought at first, anyway.

It's the 25th century here. Everything is practically automated solar-powered convenience now, and even nuclear power is fading out of existence. There's been talk about relocating Therianths to restricted continents, but at the moment, to me, it was as unrealistic as hogs flying.

The City of the Exalted was the grandest city of all. Depending on the county or district, the buildings change in size and style, but we were from the city's center. The skyscrapers there were shiny and modern, emphasizing industrial design, but the Lab was a bowl structure for which the famous Robert Yang was known. I heard the impression of a falling raindrop on a pond. It was grand and quite breathtaking.

It also served as a living quarters for the leading scientists employed there, and I had become so five years before that night.

"We're HOME!" Jameston bellowed like a kid coming home from soccer practice just as we reached the checkpoint gate.

Yes, unfortunately for me, that meant I lived right across the hall from James.

"Could you maybe remember we have two vans full of dead colleagues? Could you, James?"

"You call them colleagues, and I call them minions. Besides, they all signed affidavits before joining us. Dying is an occupational hazard. They can't complain."

Or sue you. I added as a thought.

Once the car pulled up to the steps of the main entrance, I jumped out without saying goodnight to the bastard. He could stay behind with his broken arm and help with the aftermath of all the madness. I just wanted to get into bed and try to sleep.

Or so I thought.

"HEY! Did you forget we still got samples?"

Blast me...

Seeing the hotshot's stupid grin, I turned away and gave him the finger but said, "I'll be down below then."

"Now, now, Draven, be nice." James grinned, but as a Reaper would take a murder to hell.

That's how it always ended. Didn't it?

It wasn't like I could actually sleep anyway. Sleep hurt. That was for the blessed who knew where to draw lines and how to bring forth their humanity when it was needed. Not for cocksuckers like me who couldn't even say no to their goddamn homicidal boss.

That's what James was to everyone. The Boss. He owned half or more of the stocks staked on BioGenZ Research Inc. He was personal friends with the fucking Robert Yang, who built the lab for him. That meant if James wanted to keep something hidden, it would be no problem, for example, the secret laboratories below. No one knew of them but certain personnel.

We conducted all sorts of deprived and vile things down below. I helped in many ways, and maybe it was against my better judgment and occasionally my will, but I did them. Could anyone have a good night's sleep after cutting living things open? After hearing screams to stop but failing to listen to them, could anyone think of being forgiven?

Even now, I know I can't fathom it. Arnelle thought I could be; she said she'd forgive me when I understood the need to forgive myself, but I never got to that point. I think she just wanted to leave me hurting just a little so that I'd keep moving forward and not backward.

James used to manipulate me in the same way. He'd give me just enough hope that my work would someday change the world, and before I knew it, I'd have a scalpel in hand, cutting away without hesitation.

Down below, in my personal lab, I waited for the new samples to come in. Meanwhile, I took out the work I had put on hold for the raid and continued from where I left off.

The formula I had so far helped regress some genes in Therianth's DNA, causing some animalistic traits to erode or fall off, but the adverse effects were horrid. The specimens developed cancer or flesh-eating infections. Some regressed by mental age or became vegetated. For every right that came out, something wrong came with it.

I didn't know I was close. I wish now so badly to go back in time and stop myself from going further, but fate hates me, as I have come to learn.