"Alex. It's awake."

Staring out into the frozen tundras, Chisato paces in front of the feet-wide glass windows.

"What do you mean, Chisato?" Alex's voice rumbles across as she runs a hand through her dishevelled hair in an attempt to soothe her tormented mind.

"I mean what I mean, Alex." she snaps, "the simulation's over. Done. Finished. It's awake, and it chose to take our hand."

"What did it... It chose... It chose to cooperate?"

"That's what I'm saying!" her voice rises, as she halts abruptly. The sun was rising; a brilliant, blinding glare the clear glass walls offered no protection from, creating a smooth, melting cover of vibrant shadow across the colourless tundra.

"Alright, Chisato. Calm down. How much of its situation does it understand."

"Alex, you may be a moron, but it isn't! It's perfectly intelligent. How do you think it got through the simulations?"

"That's for me to decide, Chisato. From now on, do not act independently. That is an order. If there are any changes— any at all. You must report to me. Effective immediately."

"For you to decide? Alex, are you crazy? This is not about you or TranStar anymore! With the Typhon, we could very well change the world and its perception of Typhons and their perceptions about us. Besides, don't you remember what happened the last time you decided to take charge? Talos I was obliterated!"

"Chisato. This is an order. Do you understand me."

She grits her teeth. "Yes. Sir. I do."

"Good. I look forward to seeing your progress."

The carbonated ice cream was absolutely terrible.

But the world had changed much while he slept.

The once towering rows of skyscrapers in New York had become concrete buildings half their size, the cityscapes once alive with light and activity became dark and quiet, almost like the World War II memoirs he had learned in high school. The landscape outside of the safe havens retained their metropolis-like buildings and concrete roads and abandoned cars, but the swirling branches of Coral that covered the outside like thread through cotton told of unspoken dangers that involved the various objects that a Typhon could easily become.

The world today looked like one of those dystopic novels she used to love, Morgan reminisces fondly, his hand propping his head—

Then he jolts, the alcohol wearing off.

She, he thinks, glancing outside the window involuntarily, when was there ever a she?

Catherine Yu had always been the most stereotypical Asian parent: stern, demanding and a believer of tough love. Never in his life had Morgan ever seen her pick up a fiction book. In his memory, she had always been forbidding: tight-lipped and grim-eyed and just as ruthless as William Yu had ever been.

So who was she?

And there was a more pressing issue at hand, Morgan realizes. He had only taken a sip of the wine when he stepped onto the plane, it should not have so much effect as to him becoming drowsy.

Someone spiked it.

"Danielle?" he called but receives no answer. Alarmed, he turns, only to see Danielle, in the seat on the diagonal-right behind him, knocked-out, her bottle of water capped laying on the seat beside her.

Morgan narrows his eyes and turns back to his window, sliding the wine glass away from him. Did someone infiltrate the jet?

TranStar has always had protesters against their 'unnatural' ways that dissolved in violent protests that forced projects to stall and backtrack for months at times. They were most likely still active today, and considering the state of the world: people fear the unknown, always needing a hero and a villain, for some TranStar, by no doubt, is a perfect target to direct their fear and anger towards.

Or was this all deliberately planned by Alex himself?

While Morgan had always been more science-oriented, Alex had always leant slightly more towards business and management, and that meant there were always secrets. So if Alex was resorting to drug him, there was most likely cargo contained on the jet or a guest he could not talk to with Morgan in sight.

And that brought Morgan back to the subject of his memories. While amnesia after being comatose was certainly not uncommon, and memory-wiping technology had already been active when he was still awake, but some of his memory seemed so utterly artificial—

"Did the drug take effect yet?" It was Alex's voice.

"Yes, sir," the air stewardess that had first greeted him and Danielle replies him.

"Good, lock the compartment doors. I want to run a check on the cargo. For the returning trip, make sure to check their vitals every hour."

So there was cargo.

"Would you also like to have Doctor Richmond's report and have me send the vitality signals to her for analysis?"

"No, it's fine. Chisato has enough on her plate, make sure to lock the compartment."

"Of course,"

Their voices become faint, and Morgan has a name: Chisato Richmond.

There was nothing suspicious about the name itself. There were plenty of female personnel employed by TranStar. What was suspicious, however, was the strange hint of affection in Alex's voice as he mentioned her name. First name.

First name, concern, no overtime.

Could she be a potential infatuation?

Took him long enough, Morgan wants to snicker. But Alex had never one to put feelings before work, which meant Chisato Richmond must have something to do with the cargo, more than anyone let on.

"Can you speak?" she asks the Typhon in front of him.

'It' just stares at her blankly.

"Silence is not a satisfactory response. You may be the only successful specimen, but with this experiment conducted by a single person, he will believe more will be able to succeed. But after all of the hell I spent dragging you to Earth, I'm not letting you die."

"Chisato." it says.

She leant back into her chair, "good, that's someone process."

"Will you not create protection measures?" it asks, voice scratchy, "I am rather dangerous after all if the simulations are anything to go by."

"No, I'm not Alex. I don't fear death. I don't have unfinished work or regrets. If you want to kill me though, you'll probably die, too. Turrets are stationed everywhere on this station. Alex doesn't take chances. Not since I've brought you out of hibernation two years before."

"Oh, you are rather interesting," the voice is less scratchy, more humane. More Morgan.

"Well," she begins playing with her pen, "we are to establish somewhat of a human relationship, and as a psychologist, I believe the best way is to get to know each other. Since I know everything of importance about you, you're welcome to ask away."

"Is that so?" the Typhon looked strangely amused. "Anything?"

"Yes," she affirms. "Anything."

"Then, is the original Morgan alive?"

And that's chapter 3~!

Sophie updates one in a light year, yay :)

ARocks21: thank you for your review, and well, this reply is a bit late, but I will promise to try to write more for this fanfic from now on.