Water dripped from the concrete ceiling in an endless loop, a tiny puddle forming on the floor. Drip, drip, drip. It continued, echoing loudly through the room, until what broke the silence was the sound of a creaky metal door being pushed open. A wave of bright light made its way into the dim light, where to round yellow eyes shot open, waiting to spot who had disturbed their beauty sleep. A man in a shiny white coat slid his way inside, keeping the lights at low.

"Why do you disturb my sleep?" The creature growled in a thick, rough, British accent.

"You are needed." The man replied. "One of the experiments escaped and they think you are the right one for the job?"
"And which one escaped?" Their voice edged with curiosity.

He looked down at the clipboard he had held in his hand, tapping his pen restlessly against the paper. "Experiment 107."

"Oh, that one." They said with some disinterest. "You would think with all the breakthrough experiments he made with her; he would just leave her be by now."

He grimaced. "You know that is not why he is sending you."
"Fine, I'll meet with him." The voice sighed, stepping out from their corner. It was a female great horned owl, miniature in size, but looked awfully mean, and a metal bracelet with some scattered buttons wrapped around her ankle like an ankle monitor. She launched herself off her perch from a shelf, swooping down then pushing upward into the air, swiveling, and bringing her talons close to her as she made her way out the narrow opening of the door. Down the halls they passed by glaring some wide-eyed with awe children, who either knew what her purpose was or were just too oblivious to know.

It was better off that way. Those who did not know her could not judge her while those who did could fear her. Finally, she reached a small metal doorway, open just a sliver. The small owl used her feet to push the door open, flapping her wings vigorously before sliding in.

"You could've just knocked instead." A voice boomed.

She sighed. "Yes, I know this, but I wanted to try at it."

A man with sleek black hair and wide framed glasses that glared edged forward. "Well, as you may heard, experiment 107 escaped, and we can't just let her roam around freely. She was one of our greatest experiments, and not only that, but she might also expose this place and bring it down to the ground."
"We wouldn't want that happening." She said sarcastically.

"Pip, I want you to track her down and bring her back." He stated.

"And what if I can't?" She inquired.

"Kill her. However you can. Come back here with blood on your talons or the girl with you." He fixed the glasses upon his nose, leaning forward.

"Are you sure?" She furrowed her feathered brows. "You had so much success with her, are you just willing to give up all those years of work?"

"There are many other experiments here, we can have success with any, possibly just replicate it by using the similar style of experiments performed. Even if I do prefer just having her back so we do not have to repeat the same story over again." They pushed themselves back, tilting their chair at an angle.

Pip nodded and was excused. She was to do the mission as soon as possible and was to execute it without flaw. Experiment 107 was believed to have escaped some woman in her early twenties, dressed in blue, who had accidentally stumbled upon the lab while exploring the shores of Maine. Autumn was assumed to have assisted them in helping in the escape, but they were still piling together evidence.

Whoever this woman was, she was surely not impossible to track, especially someone who had dressed like they were going to some formal party. At some point, she would have to go out and go grocery shopping, leaving 107 behind or taking the girl with her.

She made her way through the halls and down a tunnel through the back that led to the outside world. The cold draft of her helped push her up in the air, the smell of salt burning her nostrils, the sound of waves crashing against the shore. The lab below was hidden by a rocky cover and layers of sand with sawgrass scattered across the top. A distance away, town windows glistened from the sun, which brightened the faded brick buildings.

The small great horned owl made their way onto the streets, swooping low to get a closer look. People gave curious looks, confused by the idea of an owl being this close to the ocean, when the majority of them live in forested areas. Cars whirled by along the streets, while people strut pass with no care to the world, yammering on about their lives.

There she is. Pip thought to herself, spotting a woman dressed in a blue starry shirt with denim jeans and black long hair pulled up into a ponytail that still managed to reach her waist. Sunglasses sat upon her nose, though it had been a cloudy day. She sticks out like a sore thumb. This makes this way easier.

Flying closer, she realized 107 was walking right beside her, a strand of her dark blue hair dangling in front of her pale face, the rest kept up by a silver cap knitted with yarn and a white flower embroidered into it. Her pointed ears still poked out, overlapping the hat, and they wore a blue shirt that reached as low as her mid-thigh and black shorts rolled up several times at the waste to fit her. She looked a bit ridiculous, but here, strange didn't stick out. The world moved to fast to care, but for her it was a godsend.

From the way the woman was quickly tugging along, she probably knew they were being tracked or would be tracked at some point. They weaved in and out of the crowds and slid into a grocery store, the automatic doors sliding open to welcome them. It took a while for Helice to be convinced that the doors weren't moving because an alien was controlling them, but after some persuasion from the woman, they made their way inside.

Pip hesitated to follow. There was nowhere to hide in a grocery store, nowhere to disguise herself, and she could not just fly in without slamming into the glass. She would have to keep posted on the black lamppost, and however long it took for them to leave would be how long she waited.

It hadn't been long till she heard the doors slide open and she peered down to see 107 and the woman exit the store, carrying a small haul of brown plastic bags with the words Hannaford printed on the front. She followed them as they made a b-line straight for the crossway where a white silhouette flashed from the other side, indicating they could cross.

They moved along quickly, possibly sensing someone was watching them, and after a few minutes, they had made it back to the apartment building. This time, she wasn't too far behind which allowed her to pass through the sliding glass door without a problem. The lobby wasn't completely empty, and she didn't have anywhere to hide or disguise herself. An owl in the lobby of an apartment was an oddity, and people were beginning to stare.

A young lady waved in 107 and the woman's direction, a large goofy smile on a face, as they had made their way to the elevator. Pip made a quick turn into the stairs after watching the elevator numbers go up and started slowing down at floor 4. She skyrocketed up the stairs like her life had depended on it, flapping her wings rapidly until she had reached the floor that had a door that had a silver plaque that read 4. She pushed the door open in time to see them make their way out of the elevator and down the hallway.

She wasn't far behind, the feathers along her back brushing against the ceiling, though no sound was made. When the lock had clicked and they had slid in, she had managed to slide seconds before it had closed and made her way into the shadows, but before she could make it to the hiding spot, she heard a loud squeal.
"Owl!" 107 yelled, before making her way over, which caused Pip to push her back into the corner. "What are you doing here little guy?"
"I guess it by accidentally got in, we should probably leave the balcony glass doors open to allow them to leave when they want." The woman walked over to the balcony and slid it open.

"Actually." She finally spoke up. "I came here for a reason." She scratched her brain for something she can make up. "I-I saw her escape with you," she gestured to Helice, "and decided I wanted my own taste of freedom. Just like her."

The woman's gaze was full of skepticism, her eyes narrowed. "And how did you know where to find us?"

"I flew around till I saw two people who looked out of place, and who looks more out of place than a teen girl dressed in an extremely oversized sweater and shorts?" Pip pointed out.

"I thought it looked cute!" Helice grabbed the hem of her sweater and held the sides up.

The woman's face became red with embarrassment. "Ok, ok I get it. What's your name?" She asked.

"Pip."
"Well Pip," she stated, opening her arms wide in front of her, "as long as you don't break anything, you can stay for as long as you want."

Pip flew over and landed on 107's head. "You've got my word, your stuff will be left untouched."
107 looked up at her and giggled. "You speak funny, and your name is Pip? My name is Helice. Nice to meet you."
Pip tilted her head, adjusting herself so she wouldn't fall. "Helice, hmm?"

"Mhm!" She stated, following the woman to help her put down the groceries down on the island counter, following orders on where to put things like raw chicken in the fridge while some little plastic containers of spices and cans full of beans and corn in the pantry. There were hundreds of questions spewing out of her mouth as she looked at the stainless-steel refrigerator, messing with the doors, watching as the light switched on and off, with cool air enveloping her. "Cold light box!"

The woman chuckled lightly, while Pip was utterly confused.

"Does she not know what a fridge is?" Pip asked.

"She didn't even know what a car was, let alone how to open its doors." She responded, walking over to Helice to lead her away from the fridge.

Pip gave a sympathetic look, but quickly straightened up after a quick rub of her face with the inner side of her wing. She had to focus and not get distracted away from the task at hand. The cool metal band rubbed against her leg, hidden by the down of her feathers. "I never got your name, what is it?"

The woman looked at her. "Avanellie. Ava or Avanie for short."

"Wait you have a nickname?"

"Anyway." Avanellie quickly changed the subject. "I need to do some cleaning and some small things for work. Do you two think you will not manage to kill yourselves while I work?"

"Yep! I think we can handle ourselves well." Helice bounced up and down, which caused Pip to flap her wings to keep her balance.

Then she left, and the two of them were alone.

Though they had chosen to sit on the couch and watch TV, they had spent most of the time trying to work the remote. The white, medium sized dog that she had quickly learned was named Nika, refused to lay by Pip, occasionally giving her the side eye, ears flat to her head. She wasn't friendly either, giving the dog the death glare, knowing well that the dog could very well foil her plans.

Once they had figured out the TV, they had found themselves watching the House of the Sand which was a dramatic soap opera that had left them on the edge of their seat. It took place in the Arabian desert, with tall burly men dressed in long garbs and head scarf wrapped tightly in a spiral on the tops of their heads, their scarabs drawn. So much blood that had stained the sand red.

Once the commercials had started, Helice had buried her head in Nika's fur, but Pip was unfazed, and found a moment to poke questions at her while they waited. "Hey, you said your name is Helice, correct?"

She looked up at her in confusion. "Yeah, why?
"How do you remember your name?" Pip leaned in close to her.

"My name?" Helice furrowed her brow. "Do you mean why I go by my name rather than number?"
Pip nodded.

"Oh, uh, Autumn made sure I remembered my name, I didn't know it till a bit ago." She then gave her a suspicious look. "Did Autumn tell you your name or did they never give you a number?'

If an owl could sweat, Pip would've been drenched. She had possibly just broken her cover, and she had no control over the situation with a medium sized dog two times her height, with thick fur she wouldn't be able to get her talons through if they were to fight it out. "I um..." her feathers puffed up "I made up the name myself, I was tired of being called a number. I was not an object; I am a living being."

Helice must have bought it as her shoulders slacked and she smiled. "That's great, I am glad you were able to do that."

Her feather's flattened. "Yeah, me too."

Nika snorted, turning her head away from them.

The commercial had finished, and the soap opera started playing again at where it left off. Señor "El Chapo" was leading the group of soldiers into a battle full of ogre looking men, in contrast to his well-muscled, strong figure. Pip was becoming bored, preening her feathers, yawning, and falling back as she began to doze off.

Soon enough, they had all fell asleep with Helice laying her head against Nika who was curled into a ball, and Pip was laying with her back flat against the girl, wings spread out and beak open as she snored quietly. The soap opera was playing at 20 decibels, and when Avanellie had come back, she smiled at the sight.

She grabbed a throw blanket she had left in a compartment under the TV and lightly placed over them, Helice stirring, blinking once, twice, then she was dozing off again. Pip yawned and blinked her big yellow eyes open and looked up at the woman.

"Good morning sleepy head." Avanellie laughed.

Pip shot up in surprise, looking around, forgetting where she was, her breath rapid.

"Hey, hey! It's ok, I'm sorry if I scared you." The woman pulled away from her, giving her a bit of space.

Helice groggily looked over at them. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." They said in unison, Avanellie reaching for the remote to turn down the volume, and she started to doze off once again.

The woman sighed. "Let's move over to the table so these two can sleep in peace."

Pip gave a swift nod and quietly flew over to the marble counter, landing clumsily as her talons could not get a grip, but after a moment, she spread her wings which gave her enough momentum to stop. She breathed heavily while Avanellie on the other hand, was smiling.

"You ok?" She asked, extending her arm to steady the owl.

After finally getting a strong grip on the smooth marble, Pip gave herself a quick preening before giving the woman a questioning look. "What happened?"

"I just had some questions." Avanellie moved around the island and made her way to the red, metallic coffee maker, preparing the grounds and the water. "If that's ok with you."
She slowly nodded her head, cautiously edging closer to the edge. "What is it?"

Avanellie turned to look back at her, now holding a coffee pot in her left hand, the other was empty, her face had dropped from her narrow-eyed look to sympathy. "There is so little I know about that place, yet I feel like I know so much by just having Helice under my roof. Did they teach you guys anything? Or were you just objects to them?"

Pip blinked. "Well it was to different severities for each of person. What we all had in similar was that we were given a number instead of an actual name. Helice, she may have not known it herself, was the talk for that scientist." She paused, and they both looked at the couch where the girl was sleeping peacefully. "Though she was often isolated from anyone and everything but the scientist and the machinery, so her lack of outside knowledge is very apparent."
For just a second, for a very small second, she could see a glaze of pain cloud her eyes and the grip she had on the coffee handle grew tighter, but as fast as it came, it disappeared. It confused, yet intrigued her, but decided it was not her place and not to push it. "So she was never allowed to be a normal kid, was she?"

"Not really."

For a moment, they sat in complete silence before Pip grabbed a tomato that was sitting in a small bowl of fruit. "Do you mind if I take this?"

Avanellie raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but for what?"

Pip turned away from her. She needed more time. "Nothing important, just some small business that needs to be finished."

Without another question, she took off from the counter, Avanellie putting down the pots to open the sliding glass door, and she was out.

☽

"I did it."

Her talons scraped along the metal top of Mr. Greg's desk, slick with tomato juice and rat blood, the room as dark as it was before.

"Oh really?" His voice boomed, and she squinted.

"Yes." Pip held her head high, though her heart pounded in her chest.

"And how did you do this?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously at her, leaning over the desk, propping his head up with his, seemingly disinterested.

"Slit her throat right open." She said nonchalantly. "Stood no chance, too weak, too oblivious to understand her own abilities. Never would I think an experiment of yours as being so stupid as she is, honestly."

"Mhm..." He nodded, not convinced. "Was 107 really that vulnerable? Yes, she was stupid outside of anything related to math and reading, but it wasn't to the point where she wasn't unable to defend herself."

"Well- "

"Well," he interrupted, now tapping his fingers against the desk, his head shooting straight up, and his eyes were full of malice, which made her take a step back in panic, "you didn't kill her. You lied. You don't lie to me, little owl, and if you do, maybe I won't be afraid to send you to the rooms to get experiments done on you. Oh how interesting it would be to perform an experiment on a talking animal with an undeniable ability. But oh how sad it would be to see those feathers plucked out and skin crawling with those wires." Reaching over, in a quick swift movement and giving her little time to react, he grabbed at a fistful of breast feathers and yanked at them.

Shock shook her hollow bones, blood dripping down her chest, and the follicles where the shafts of the feathers once were, strung. Not only that, but she had often respected this man, she had a fear of him, but it was that usually caused by someone who was higher up, but now, she was petrified.

"Explain yourself, son of a bitch!" He waved the broken feathers in her face, so angry and out of line, that he was spitting.

"I-I needed more time." She stated. "I needed more time to think, to make the kill, she has a caretaker, the same woman who took her. We don't know what she is capable of, a-and she may be a threat to us."

"So? Just kill her, kill them both, or somehow bring them back here. Maybe we can figure out what to do with the woman." He drew back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let's do this, you have a week. Figure this shit out, and your lie will be forgiven, but if not, well, you know what will happen."
She bowed her head. "Yes sir." She muttered. "It won't happen again."

"Good. Now, head back to your room, you'll head out as soon as the sun rises." He waved his hand in the air. "I'll send someone to wake you by morning."

She nodded, excusing herself before flying out of the room and making her way to her sleeping quarters. Never had she screwed up so badly, and never had she been so terrified. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it right this time. She hopped.