you'd think they'd be happier, having finally gotten their masters.

nika rubs their bloodshot eyes under their glasses. it couldn't have come at a worse time, they suppose. while they'd successfully defended their own thesis, professor thorne's was under scrutiny. two years, with nothing to show for it but scraps of tabloid news and rumors on the web. sure, they'd discovered a lot of things that don't work, but nothing to progress thorne's hypothesis.

their funding was gone. their test subjects, with no reason to stick around if they weren't being paid... also gone. not even two hours after their graduation and nika is already back in the lab, pouring over reports, trying to isolate anything that could be their next lead. some part of them wonders why they're still here, but they've always been a stubborn bastard who doesn't like to lose. their pride won't allow them to walk away from this so easily.

emilia thorne is at her desk, sipping her coffee. "it's over, nika," she says, sighing. "we failed."

their temper flares. they stand abruptly and turn to her, slamming their palm on the surface next to them. "it's not over until i say it's over!" they snap. years of effort, down the drain just like that... no. they won't allow this.

they don't see the glint in thorne's eyes. how easily they're manipulated... she knew exactly what to say, how they'd react, and was counting on it. now she continues to prod them, pushing them further into the corner, like a wild animal. "we don't even have any human test subjects left."

"then experiment on me!"

even just saying it made them instantly regret it. at that moment, thorne looked like a shark that had just scented blood. then the look was quickly washed away, replaced with feigned concern. "you don't have to do this," she prods them.

nika's entire life has been in an academic setting. they'd graduated high school at seventeen and gone straight to college, and once they'd gotten their bachelors, they'd started working on their masters. the "real world" is just a concept to them. once upon a time, when they were very little, they'd wanted to go on adventures. reality had quickly dashed that dream, and now they find they'd rather stick with the familiar.

"i do." they want answers. no matter the cost. all this work can't have been for nothing. even if they find out thorne is wrong, that it's not possible after all... that's still a conclusion, of sorts. they want to reach it more than they want anything else now.

they didn't know it, but at that moment, their fate was sealed.