Vexi's eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.

"You know Fris?" she said, turning between the two girls.

Fris's face had gone so white her hair appeared aflame.

"Mina?" she said in a breathless voice. "What... what the hell are you doing here?"

"I don't know," said Mina. Fris looked horror-struck to see her there. What was so bad about this place? After Vexi's reassurance, even the crazy lady scientist's scary words made sense. The place seemed nice. Their purpose was understandable. "But why are you here? Are you helping out, too?"

"She shouldn't be here," said Fris, directing at Vexi. "She's just a little girl. She can't help."

"I can, too!" Mina was indignant, scowling. "Just because I'm not my sister doesn't mean I can't stand on my own two feet!"

"Listen to Mina, Fris." Vexi raised her eyebrows again at Fris, a smile toying at her lips as if she was holding a secret. Her arms were folded, her finger tapping against her elbow. "She can help. Our leader will be very pleased to see someone as spirited and enthusiastic as Mina here being one of us. In fact, with her credentials, she's going to be one of our biggest assets."

Fris went even whiter, if that were possible. Her hands shot out and grabbed Mina's shoulders. She yelped. Fris's fingers dug hard into her flesh.

"Listen to me, Mina," she said in a hoarse voice. "You shouldn't be here. This is a dangerous place – more dangerous than what anyone else tells you. You need to get out of here. Does your sister know where you are?"

"Does she know where you are?" Mina said, frowning. Fris was acting very strange, not like the friendly and strict girl that had often visited Ari at the apartment. Fris looked as though she wanted to tear the hair from her own head.

"Let her know, please. You have to. For her sake as well as yours."

"That's enough," Vexi said, standing in front of Mina. "You're scaring her, Fris. Leave her alone."

Fris gave Vexi such a terrified look Mina wondered what was in store for her if Fris spoke out of turn again. Vexi seemed such a nice girl. Without another word, the redheaded girl walked away, throwing a final backwards glance full of desperation at Mina. Mina watched her, biting her lip.

"You know Fris?" said Vexi in a casual voice, as though they were just carrying on their conversation previously. She took Mina's hand again and guided her through the double doors through which Fris had passed a few minutes ago.

"Yeah. She's my sister's friend. She used to come over a lot and study."

"Fris is another low-ranker, you know that?"

"I know. But she works very hard. I think she was working three jobs most of the time to get enough credits and she scores pretty good in her class too, my sister told me."

They reached the more advanced part of the facility at that point. Although there were still no windows, confirming Mina's guess that they were underground, most of the large glass panes were showing the lit adjacent rooms. Large flickering screens of intricate diagrams and flashing lights took up most of the space. A few students, with their backs to the corridor outside, scanned for information and inserted commands with the hologram keyboard. Coloured lights darted around the room, transporting information from one room to another. Although the sound was completely insulated from the inside, Mina could imagine the bleeps and soft whirring of machinery.

Advanced as the machines looked, she could also tell they were out of date. The computer bodies stacked against the sides of the rooms were chunky. A few had tape stuck across them, holding loosened body boards together and a few stray wires dangled from the ceiling. One or two screens were cracked; some were black, broken.

"Our analysts look at our blood samples and decide what abilities are best matched with our type."

Vexi stopped outside one of the rooms. A girl was inside. Her hair was in a plait and her sleeves rolled up past her elbows. She ran a finger down the screen. A DNA helix rotated on the spot. She tapped it several times and that part of the DNA dispersed. The screen rolled to show the next chunk. Different colours indicated the four bases, with a few loose ones floating around that were white. She slotted out a few bases and slipped in the new white ones in.

"By changing subtle aspects of the DNA structure, we can make our body more able to accept new abilities. Then we transfuse the ability essences into our body in the hopes our immune system will take it up and integrate it into ourselves."

Mina rested her hands on the windowsill, her eyes glued to the spinning DNA strands. It was beautiful, perfect. With the new, fifth base inserted, the helix almost glowed with light.

"We started with very few students because nobody knew of it. Eventually, word got round. People volunteered, added to the database, offered information. Your blood also added to our system. Now we know more and more about the human body and how our abilities manifest, and with that, we can finally make changes so we are in control of our own bodies, our own destinies.

"This is amazing," said Mina, awed.

"Our leader is a very talented woman. We have many gifted students working for her, and this is just one of them. At the rate we're going, within months we can launch it officially, available for all low-rankers. Can you imagine the good we'll do?"

"Yeah, I can." Mina's heart glowed. This was wonderful. She could help all these people who are in unhappy situations. She could be of good. "But I can't do things like this, though. I don't score well in biotech and informatics..."

"Oh, there are many jobs around. We are a community." Vexi took her hand again. "There are always people in need of a hand, whether that be in the research labs, running errands, kitchen, cleaning, welcoming – like I am doing to you now – and others. If you don't think research is where you'll thrive, there'll be other opportunities. Would you like to meet and greet new people like you?"

"I think so," said Mina, eager.

"There'll be lots of scared little boys and girls like you coming here in the next few weeks. It can be your job to see that they have good enough explanation as to why they've been brought here. They haven't been kidnapped. They aren't going to be killed. We just want their help, just like with you. And just like you, once they realise what good we're doing and believe in us, they'll want to help too. You think you'll like that?"

"A lot."

"Great." Vexi grinned, showing pearly teeth.

She led Mina round another windy corridor – the path seemed endless, spreading out like fractals with unlimited abandoned lab rooms. Yellow light bathed most of the way, aside from short lengths where all the bulbs had burned out. Down a sloping corridor, Vexi pushed open a set of double wooden doors. A girl sign was on the opposite wall on the left and a boy sign was on the right.

"Girls' dormitories on the left, boys' on the right."

Vexi didn't take her through, to Mina's surprise. She took her phone out. A hologram hovered above the screen and she was scanning the text, suddenly oblivious to Mina's presence. Her brows knitted together. Quick fingers replied a message and she stowed it in her back pocket.

"Sorry – I think our leader wants to meet you, now."

"Why would she meet me?" said Mina, puzzled. Vexi set off at a half-run. Mina followed, soon becoming breathless.

"She meets everyone. Although the computer has analysed your blood and will soon categorise your ability and potential, human nature can sometimes defy technology and break boundaries. She wants to see that. Our leader is a strange individual, but she is a beacon of hope for all of us low-rankers."

A trek through the maze of corridors later, she brought Mina before one of the plain sliding doors that looked identical to all the ones they'd passed earlier. Mina wouldn't have noticed anything special about it. Vexi suddenly appeared fidgety and anxious, wringing her hands.

"Are you okay?" Mina said in a tentative voice.

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes." Vexi's chirpy personality appeared to have been swallowed by a dark cloud. "I'll just let her know you're here. Yeah, I'll do that. Wait here."

Mina did as she was told. Vexi swiped her card and disappeared inside. Her agitation rubbed off on Mina. Didn't Vexi say the leader was a good person? Perhaps she was worried about doing her greeting job properly. Mina fiddled with the overlong sleeves of Vexi's jacket, staring up at the ceiling. Nobody came by. It was utterly quiet. The corridor stretched endlessly to her left and right.

She jumped when the door slid open again.

"She'll see you now." Vexi looked as though she'd just been crying. Her eyes were puffy and her nose pink.

"Are you okay?" Mina found herself asking for a second time. Vexi jerked away when she leaned in to touch her elbow.

"Don't—don't keep her waiting," Vexi said with a hiccup.

She stepped away. Mina watched her with a worried expression on her face until the door slid shut, blocking her view.

She turned around. The path forward was bathed in semi-darkness. Most of the lights above were either broken or just managed weak flickers. In the first corridor was a big machine with lots of bleeping lights. Holograms jumped out all over the place. A few of the monitors were broken in the top and bottom corners. Two windows opened into adjacent cells where reclining beds, much like the one in which she found herself chained, sat in the middle. They were both empty.

The scary scientist lady had her back to Mina, tapping furiously away at the computer.

"Um..."

The lady didn't acknowledge her. Her hands flew across the keyboard almost faster than the eyes can see. She muttered under her voice, a constant stream of words that made no sense to Mina.

One of the doors from within the adjacent cells slid open. Two students stumbled out, big gashes across their coats, although neither of them appeared injured – just rumpled. Their hair stuck to their faces with sweat and dirt smeared across their cheeks. Both panted, gripping onto the ledges like their lives depended on it. Upon seeing Mina staring, they straightened up to their best ability and marched nonchalantly by. She couldn't help but notice their trembling legs and frightened expressions. They left the way she came in.

"My little dove."

Remember to vote!