The morning sun rose over the autumn tree tops. Hugging the tree trunks, the low fog crawled through the tall grass. Frogs were still peeping their harmonic melody in the small pond as sunlight bounced upon the morning dew in rainbow fragments. Breakfast was ready and the smell of waffles filled the humble farmhouse. Steve smiled but stayed in bed with his eyes closed. He knew she would come for him, like she always did.

"Good morning," she said, her voice was like velvet.

"Why can't I remember her face?" Steve asked himself as he opened his eyes.

He was still in his horrible, sterile lab cell. The walls were crisp white and the floor, also white, was trimmed with deep blue. Steve was wearing fresh white linen.

"At least they keep us clean," he sighed.

The now familiar grunts and shuffling greeted him outside his cell. Steve's captors were not human and rather reminded him of pigs. A tray holding a bowl of brown gravy with chunks of mushrooms was slid through the window slot.

"Well," Steve mused as he ate, "they don't let us starve."

With breakfast finished, it was time to join the others in the routine walk-about. Although under heavy watch, they were at least permitted to walk and talk freely. Steve walked over to the incubation chamber across his cell. Inside floated a developing infant. It wasn't quite human, but by human standards it would be female. Steve closed his eyes and tried to remember his son.

Laughter filled the chill air of the October sky as Steve pushed the swing.

"Harder Daddy!" his son said, "Push harder!"

Steve pushed the swing harder and watched his son jump from it and land neatly on the ground.

"Ta-da!" his son said, raising his arms.

His son's face was blurry except for the freckles. He couldn't recall the face of either his wife or son. He couldn't stop himself from remembering his house exploding with his family in it. His kidnappers hauled him into their ship as the raging flames and billowing smoke were forever burned into his mind.

Steve placed his hand on the glass pane of the incubation chamber and sighed, "Max."

"You know, even the pigs are starting to think you have a strange obsession with this specimen," a voice said behind him.

Steve rolled his eyes as he turned to face Ender. His eyes reptilian eyes were human once. Ender's brown hair curled softly around his ears and he was just slightly taller than Steve.

"Don't you think it's strange that this infant is growing so quickly?" Steve asked.

"Since when were you an expert on biology?" countered Ender.

"I had a son once," Steve said softly and turned back to the chamber. "It took nine months for him to grow and be born. It's been less than that and this little baby girl is already the size of a birthed baby. I just think it's strange is all."

"He's right Ender," said another voice.

Steve didn't bother to look, he knew it was 203. He had silver hair and eyes, just like 9-11. However, unlike 9-11, he could still walk around with them. Steve frowned as he thought about how 9-11 was dying and the pig men weren't letting him.

"What I can't help but wonder is," said 203, "if they can grow their own specimens, why are they still kidnapping people?"

"They need fresh meat for whatever project they're working on," Ender said and walked away.


"Fresh meat," Steve said, "Is that all we are?"

"I guess so," said 203.

"If you can't remember your name," Steve asked as he turned to look at 203, "why not just make up a name for yourself?"

He smiled at Steve and said, "I will as soon as I can think of a good one. No hurry here though, is there?"

"I guess not," Steve said and smiled back.

"Speaking of which, let's visit 9-11 shall we?"

"Okay."

Their friend, 9-11, couldn't remember his name either. He often said he had been here far too long and thus, there wasn't a point in making up a name for himself. A name meant nothing if all you were was a numbered specimen anyway. As far as they knew he had been here in this lab the longest. Yet, 9-11 had no more of a clue about why they were there than the rest of them.

The pig men were still cleaning 9-11 up was they got to his cell. They collected the brackish vomit into round, purplish black urns and carried them away. His hair was carefully combed and he was gently dressed in fresh linens.

"It's almost as if they love him," Steve said.

"He is their most precious specimen," 203 reminded him.

"Why is that, anyway?" Steve asked.

"Everyone else has died from these experiments," 203 said flatly.

A chill settled over Steve as he looked at the frail, sleeping body of 9-11. "That just might be a blessing."

"Yeah," 203 said and started walking towards the arboretum. "Let's let him sleep. He deserves it."

Forever lived and died while it was business as usual in the lab. They continued to receive many shots. Steve slipped in and out of a deep and drunken like slumber. The others fared little better. The pig men had even begun to dissect them alive, but they always mysteriously woke back up in their lab cells. Steve's friend, 203 slept longer and longer between experiments as Ender became more aggressive and resistant. They brought in new specimens, but none of them survived long enough for Steve to learn their names. This lab was a place of death and it was taking its toll on Steve. He started to wonder if he was losing his mind. He often questioned if the blurry memories of his wife and son were even real.

One day, when 203 was well enough to walk, they visited the incubation chamber. She was fully grown now.

"I feel kind of ill," Steve said, "trying not to think about what their plans are for her."

"What do you mean?" 203 asked.

"Well," Steve sighed, "up to this point, everyone here being tested have been male."

"You're right," 203 said.

"I don't want to think about it," Steve said.

It was just too cruel to ponder the fate of a poor girl who had never known sunlight or joy. Just how sick were these pig men anyway?

Steve touched the glass and whispered before walking away, "I'm sorry."

As 203 followed him to the arboretum, neither of them saw her emerald eyes open.

Stepping through the sliding door of the arboretum, they found Ender pacing beneath the giant trees. Rage and agitation twisted his face. His fangs bared as he breathed heavily. Steve thought he could almost see tears. They hurried over to Ender.

"What's the matter?" 203 asked.

"We're failed," Ender said shortly, "Failed experiments and slotted for termination."

"What?" Steve asked.

Ender couldn't possibly know that; he was losing his mind.

"I'm not losing my mind!" Ender shouted into Steve's face.

"Whoa."

Ender backed up and lowered his voice, "I can hear their thoughts. I can hear your thoughts. I can even hear her thoughts. I know. Some of those pigs can even understand us."

"So we're doomed," Steve said.

"I guess so," said 203.

"Maybe not," Ender said, composing himself. "One of them is also slotted for termination along with us. As punishment I think, that part's not clear. But I do know he plans to get revenge on the ship."

"Seriously?" Steve asked.

"Let's get off this ship," Ender whispered. "I'm not sure how but the pig plans to use a virus or some forbidden bio-weapon of some kind."

"When?"

"The day of our incineration," Ender said, "but it hasn't been scheduled yet. So we need to lay low and pretend we know nothing."

"Look," 203 said and pointed through the glass door.

Back in the lab they were assisting the girl from the incubation chamber. They wrapped her in linen and carried her to the cell next to 203's. The guys walked over and tried to get a look, but the pig men blocked them. However, they didn't miss the name plate they slid into the plaque holder next to the door before being ushered to their cells.

The plate read, "9-11-204."

It finally dawned on Steve why 9-11 and 203 couldn't remember anything before being on the ship. They couldn't even remember their names. Steve could at least remember that. The plate on 9-11's door read "9-11-000" and 203's name plate read "9-11-203". They must all be from the same series of experiments. Which meant that 9-11 and 203 could very well have been grown here, just like the girl. Steve sighed as he laid down on his cot. They couldn't possibly be planning to kill them. Yes, Ender and himself maybe, but not them. Not if 9-11 is so precious. Which meant 203 and the girl would be precious to them also, wouldn't it?

Tears filled Steve's eyes. Although they were fully grown, those two were no more than children. They hadn't even committed a single sin, or act of kindness, before being tortured here. It sickened him to think of such innocence being slowly destroyed with heartless cruelty. Suddenly Steve was grateful his son was dead. This at least gave him a twisted sense of peace as he fell asleep.

"Steve! Steve! Wake up!" Ender shouted.

Steve woke up to sirens and red flashing light flooding the lab.

"The pig did it," Ender explained, "We're escaping now!"

He stumbled as Ender yanked him off the cot and out of the cell. They rushed to 203's cell to find 204 shaking him.

"He won't wake up, just like 9-11," she said. "What's happening?"

"I don't know, the pigs' minds are a mess, but the bio-weapon must have been used." Ender said, "We have to go, now!"

"I can't leave them!" she said.

"Have it your way," Ender said and began to run, dragging Steve with him.

"But!"

"You want to die here?" Ender asked.

"No, but -"

"Then run!"

They ran past the researchers who were just shuffling about, grunting and groaning. Green ooze seeped from their skin in their living decay.

"There has to be an escape pod somewhere," Ender growled.

Steve caught his breath as Ender came to a halt. Ender's eyes glazed over for a bit as he leaned against the cold, sleek wall.

"203 is awake, they'll join us as soon as possible," Ender said.

An explosion shook the ship, dropping them to their knees.

"Let's find that pod," Steve said.

"Right."

They took the lift straight across from the lab which, by luck, brought them to the main deck. Splitting up, they checked each door as the rotting pig men ignored them.

"Over here!" Ender waved.

Steve ran over and peered into the docking bay filled with space pods. He looked over to Ender and found that his eyes were glazed over again.

"They're coming?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Ender said and ran to the first pod. "Get in."

Another explosion shook the ship and Steve didn't question as he climbed into the pod. Ender squeezed in with him.

"Can you fly this thing?" Steve asked.

"Nope," Ender said and punched a green button.

The pod shot out of the ship and rocketed into space. A blue-green planet, much like Earth, came into view from the window. They were going to crash on this planet.

Steve woke up in the burning wreckage around him. Somehow by luck, the ship missed them when it crashed. He couldn't see Ender, so he limped through the debris hoping to find someone still alive. Steve almost cried when he found Ender, 203 and 204 together next to the body of 9-11. The girl was sobbing as her red hair reflected the flames.

"We can't stay here," Ender said.

"We can't just leave him like this," 203 said.

Squealing grunts of the rotting pig men, interrupting their argument. Their bodies burned as they ambled towards them.

"Run!"

So they ran. Steve got himself separated from the others through the maze of towering mushrooms. The blinding light casted distorted shadows on the ground as he ran. His chest burned from the smoke and exertion. Eventually, he collapsed to the ground. Unable to run anymore, he struggled to dig himself a shallow hole to hide in. Sleep over came him as he hoped the others were safe.

Days have passed and Steve got used to the sunlight again. He found himself stronger than before his kidnapping. He could jump higher and run faster. What exactly was the experiment? What had they done to him. Steve guessed it didn't matter anymore. He was alive and there had been no signs of the pig men orthe others. He tried to avoid the depressing thought of him being the only survivor stuck eating nothing but mushrooms. He at least built himself a stone shack and learned to avoid the monsters that lurked underground. Based upon an abandoned mineshaft, Steve assumed that there had once been a civilization here. However, there were no signs of anyone or anything but fungus cows and mushrooms now. At least the mineshaft provided some much-needed supplies for his survival.

He was alone. Life now was simple and hard. He didn't know where he will go or what he will do next, but at least he was free.