Zuwya slid open the door that covered the window to one of the dormancy chambers. Standing on her stool, she peered through the glass pane. Gurk remained in the same position as before with his mouth open as his breathing remained shallow. From behind her thick rimmed glasses, a small tear slipped down her cheek.
"Never thought we'd meet again like this," she whispered as she pressed her hand against the glass.
"Zuwya!" Mag shouted after opening the door to wide. The old woman turned around, pressing both of her hands against the metal chamber to maintain her balance.
"What is it, Mag?" she replied with frustration.
"It's almost time. I assume the targets will be conscious within the next two hours?" He looked down at her with arms across his chest. "Nothing's more annoying than having to wait for the prey to wake up. Sure puts a damper on the entire event."
"That's all that concerns you, isn't it?" Zuwya said dryly.
Mag rolled his eyes. "Now's not the time for this spiel. Do you know how much I've been—"
"No!" The elderly woman stomped her foot. "I'm not going to be an accomplice in this sick pastime of yours any further! This is where it all ends!" She stood in front of the dormancy chambers with her arms spread apart, blocking as much as she could of the devices with comparatively small body.
"You picked the wrong time to be rebellious!" Mag marched forward before stopping in front of the scientist. He towered over her, casting a shadow from the light of the outside hallway over here. Despite the stark contrast in size between the two, Zuwya stood confident. Her pose remained firm, her arms pressed tighter against the cold metal of the dormancy chambers.
Mag growled, his fists clenching as he stared down the old woman with furor in his eyes. "Not today! You know how many things have gone wrong in the past forty-eight hours? I'm not going to delay this again." He leaned forward, taking hold of the woman by the shoulders and brough his face down, looking at her from inches away. "You do remember the terms of our deal, don't you? You know what's on the line if you don't comply."
"I-I don't care anymore!" Zuwya stammered. Her body remained limp, unable to break free from Mag's firm grip. "It's not worth it! I didn't think you'd be having me do this for so long!"
"Terms are not negotiable! Now, I'm used to you putting up a little protest here and there. But if you're going to go through another argumentative phase, I'd suggest you save it for another day. There is a lot riding on this Hunt, I am not going to let you ruin this for Sheila. Or the Grani family name!" With both hands, Mag forced the woman to the side. Once he released her, Zuwya wobbled backwards, clutching onto the wall to stop herself from falling over.
"You'll get what's coming to you one day, Mag!" she called out, her hand pressing against the wall as her legs trembled.
"Maybe then you should make a real challenge for me. The past few targets have been absolute pushovers!" Mag slid open the door to the window of the dormancy chamber next to Gurk's. He stared into it with a look of disappointment. "Just look at this one! Looks to have absolutely no offensive capabilities whatsoever!" He slammed the door shut again and stepped away. "I know you've been doing it on purpose, Zuwya. For whatever reason!"
"I'm not trying to create weapons!" Zuwya shot back. "I've been trying to create life!"
"Isn't that what life is all about?" Mag walked closer to the scared woman. He wadded one fist and punched the palm of his other hand. "It's the core principle of evolution! Being able to defend yourself as well as taking out your prey."
"You still view my work as just mere animals. Even the rest of Tersaia has taken to start accepting them into normal society."
"That's why they roam back alleys or are used to do dirty work like Exterminating, right?" Mag said smugly. "Hopefully you'll go back to creating fiercer breeds. That crocodile Sheila and I captured? Now that's a specimen!"
"I-I hope he kills you..." Zuwya muttered under her breath.
Mag looked at the old woman with a face of both anger and confusion. "What was that?"
"I said I hope he kills you!" she repeated with fervor. She slammed one hand against the wall she was leaning then faced Mag. Tears slipped out of both eyes, dripping past her small glasses. "You deserve worse after all you've done to these innocent people!"
"Not people, Zuwya. That's where the problem lies. The ones you've made since our little agreement don't speak. They don't even have Implants! That crocodile fellow is the closest one I've seen to a real person ever since you've been working for me! And even then, he can't speak more than two words at a time!"
"That's where you've gone too far! Don't you see? He has friends. Family."
Mag shook his head. "I don't have time for this." He looked over his shoulder and more BRUTE robots entered into the room. Two stood behind him in idle poses, awaiting for the next command. "Take those two dormancy chambers and be sure to load them up into the Eco-Dome," he commanded. The two robots gave a salute before starting to obey the man's commands. A large floating platform was brought in while the two robots worked together to hoist one of the chambers onto it.
"You're free to watch if you'd like," Mag said to Zuwya. She focused on the metal device holding Gurk be moved out of the room and towards the hallway.
"You won't get away with this," she said with trembling lips. "Even if it ends me, I'll make sure that you reap what you've sewn."
"Yeah, yeah." Mag followed his two robotic servants out of the room. "You know, you're not the first person to have said that to me. And I'm sure that you won't be the last."
Zuwya fell onto the ground. She landed on her hands and knees, her tears dripping off her cheek and onto the cold metal floor. Mag stood at the entrance of the hallway, staring at the scene with disdain.
"I suggest you hurry up with your theatrics. Maybe spend these last few minutes we spend getting Gurk out of here saying goodbye to your latest creations. Making a mess on my floor isn't doing anyone any good." He turned his back to the woman, ensuring that the BRUTEs took the chamber to the proper location. The swing doors shut behind him, leaving the old woman to continue to sob. With quivering limbs, she mustered the strength to stand up once more. With a crooked and staggered walk, she made it to the remaining dormancy chamber. She placed one hand on the metal prison.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered with a whimper.
