It was getting late. She and Mocha had been talking for so long they'd actually had food brought up to them in her office. It may have all been the therapy session either. Layla had such a good time she didn't want to leave. How could such a cute canine be her therapist? 

Lost in her thoughts Layla bumped into a group that seemed to be heading out of facilities. Blinking up at them from behind her goggles she took a step back. "Ahh sorry, I guess I was a bit caught in my own mind there. I'll get out of your way now." 

"Actually I think it might be good for you to come with us. We could always use another pair of hands. Another set of eyes wouldn't be bad either," A mouse with black piercings that perfectly matched her own smiled and extended a hand. "Layla, right? I'm Scott and this is my team, Sally and Chris. We're an infiltration team." 

"Oh I won't slow you down or get in the way? It does sound like a good learning experience. But umm.." She glanced around at them all, two mice and a hedgehog. Wait, no they were rats, the tails were a giveaway. None of them were wearing anything that would protect against her ability though. Well she guessed it wouldn't be necessary. "Sure, I just won't use my ability." 

"Ahh, yeah, you'd get us sick wouldn't you? I saw notes on you. Well if you need to use it, then go ahead and do that of course. Should probably stick with us though. This facility isn't in the same area we got you from."

"Ahh well then I don't have to worry about anyone recognizing me. Less hassle and more time for me to enjoy this," Layla's ears were twitching with excitement as they spoke, eager to explore. "Besides I can't just stay down here forever right?" 

"Well that's healthy enough but remember we actually have to get going, Scott. If you're dragging the cat along, at least talk on the way out," Sally, the other mouse moved forward and pointed to the exit. "I mean, we're right there so we might as well just go." 

---

"So what city is this? The air here doesn't smell like the sea. The layout isn't really familiar either," Layla's voice sounded loud to her ears as she looked around, fur on end as they moved through the streets near their target area. It was too quiet here and she really didn't like that. Where was the noise of the city? "How the heck is it so quiet here even?" 

"There's some really quiet areas. They're pretty creepy which keeps people from straying too far in would be my guess. Companies don't want dirty little secrets being found out," Scott said in a near whisper. He was a bit quieter than Layla from sheer practice it seemed. She really wasn't used to all this sneaking around after all. "We're in New Brunswick by the way. Bit further from the sea than Halifax, yeah. You'll get used to the taste of the air here soon enough, kitty cat." 

"It's totally weird and uhh what's that?" Her focus shifted to an oddly shaped structure by the side of the road. It was about five dozen paces from the gate of the place they were here to check out and seemed to be around her height, maybe a bit taller. Using her goggles she could see it had seams to it where it might open up or change shape. 

"Oh good some strange tech. Let's find out what it is. I love taking things apart to see how they work," Chris finally spoke up with a mischievous glint in his eyes. His voice was pretty cool, sounding like it was auto tuned even in the whisper he was speaking in. Were they a he? There was a female voice layered in there if Layla was hearing right. "New toys aren't exactly easy to come by everywhere after all." 

The group moved forward at the same pace, always with one pair of eyes on the thing Layla had spotted. It was wider than her by another half on both sides. The others all seemed to be excited but her ears were flattened to her skull. They were quite close and still it hadn't done anything. It could have simply been off but it seemed to her like it was waiting. 

It was still so silent as well, as if the city was holding its breath the whole time they moved. Layla would say she wouldn't consider herself a coward but everything just seemed off. Steeling her nerves she moved ahead of the group and walked around the box, scanning it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and looked up just as she placed her paw on its surface. Who was that up on the roof? 

Before she could say anything the box began to whirr and unfold, a section sliding into place around her paw and trapping it. She'd already been opening her mouth but the words she'd intended were replaced by a startled mewl. The entire box filled her vision as the wall she was trapped by slid to the other end and the whole thing folded back down on her. She could hear a new voice cut over her allies for a moment before the floor seemed to drop out from beneath her. 

With a scream she dropped at speeds that she suspected a human would have already puked from. As is she wasn't happy, hair completely standing up and ears back. The small tail she had was practically thrashing about as she tried to find a way to slow her descent,though in the end it proved unnecessary. Upon landing she was met by some sort of slime that lessened her impact. It was incredibly dark where she was but she could faintly tell that the slime was green. 

Trying to struggle to her feet she hissed at a sudden contact. Before she could escape she was cuffed and her feet bound. The grip on her was strong even as she gave up her struggle, ears still flat. A door opened and light filtered in as she lifted. The person carrying her gave a grunt and dropped her unceremoniously into a chair where her cuffs quickly got chained down. 

"You're heavy for a tiny cat. What in hell do you eat?" A surprisingly soft voice met her ears and she looked around at the speaker, whoever it was that sought to interrogate her. "On top of that I want to know your identity and why you're snooping around these facilities. That would make you a criminal you know?" 

"I got an upgrade thanks. Metal legs are a bit harder to have muscle issues with, don't you think? As for my identity I'm really not inclined to just give it to you after that treatment. Who in the hell just drops someone down an elevator?!" She stared defiantly up at the six foot tall man. Wow, he was actually human and he was pretty buff too. Was this some kind of army base? "I just moved here and I was exploring my new city. Is that really illegal? I mean, who wouldn't have checked out a box like that?" 

The man laughed and bent down over her, seemingly taking a closer look. "Well that's fine. I can just get your identity off of your face or your blood. I suppose you have a point about exploring a new city but those goggles of yours are awfully suspicious. As a matter of fact they look like the type of things those guys at Lux Noctis wear. I've got a sneaking suspicion you're with them."

"I'm friends with some people in the group, yeah. Who do you think gave me metal legs? Like literally made muscles out of metal that hook up to my nerves and function properly. Also, if you really want a name, I'll give you the only one you'll ever need," Layla grinned and drew herself up to the fullest height her restraints would allow. "You can call me Aerico. I'm sure I'll have fun with you, maybe even before I leave." 

"Yeah you're not leaving any time soon. Now hold still for the scan. I'll just remove these goggles," he casually plucked the goggles off her face and put them on the table. A blue light flickered on at a hand signal and scanned her entire body, sending a shiver down her spine. "What does it mean, no matching record? You have to have an identity. Everyone has an identity." 

"Oh I have an all new body that I imagine your system wouldn't recognize. It's quite handy when you're hiding from a bunch of wackjobs who want to use you as a science project."

"Well then how about blood? Won't be too hard to draw," Pushing a button on what looked like a watch he spoke to it. "Prepare a lab for our new guest here. After that we'll put her in a holding cell. We're going to find out what we can from this cat one way or another." 

Doing her best not to show fear the small lynx stared up at the man and flexed her paws so her claws showed for a moment. "You think a simple holding cell is enough to make me talk? There's nothing you could ever do to make me betray my friends. Hell you probably can't even hold me." 

"Brave words for someone who has only seen one one room in our facilities. I assure you we are more than capable of holding you. We're going to get plenty of good information out of you and maybe use you for some testing of our own. Not often we get a villian to test."