"I saw something today," I whispered to the window above my bed and watched the flashing stars glide across the purple sky.

"Was it something strange?" Momo said at my side, her pink eyes swirling with excitement.

"Not sure," I said as Momo moved to a ledge on the window above my bed where potted plants grew.

It was Momo's favorite spot to sit. If a doll could have such a thing.

"Well then, what was it?" Momo said.

I looked out towards the window and onto the bright lights of the city as I began to tell her.

It started as regular work day in the lab, but at this point, it was dragging. I felt it first in my swollen ankles and last in my light head. We had been working extra hours though I didn't know why they called them extra hours. It seemed every week a new donation was "showing more and more promise than before," and that was why we needed to stay later. I was starting to think this was more an excuse than a real reason.

I had been assigned to report to Court since I first met her at the terminals. Today she was showing me the filling system for all the samples collected from the donors.

"Be very cautious," Court whispered as if the sample jars would break if she spoke any louder.

Court turned towards the wheeled cart beside her, and the lifted its cover. The triple-decker cart stood as tall as my chest. Each of its steel rows was packed with little glass tubes the size of my thumb. The view above it reminded me of a bee's hive.

"Now to open the freezer," Court said and tapped her bracelet against the wall letting its hidden doors slide open.

The freezer was as seamless and reflective as the rest of the lab walls. It was difficult to know just where it stood until it's cold steam billowed down to the floors and clouded towards the high-ceilings.

Court rolled down the sleeves of her white lab coat, flipped back her long silver-streaked ponytail and straighten the frame of her goggles. I adjusted my clothes the same and watched my breath form in the cold air.

"Just tap the stripe on the side, like this," Court continued and touched her bracelet against the tiny glass tube, and it's glowing blue stripe, "And you will see the correct row on your display."

Court turned her bracelet towards me, showing the bright blue writing on the display. She had taught me about four times, but she wanted to show me again.

"Just one more time," Court promised, "It is crucial each sample is properly filed. If even one is misplaced, we could possibly lose months, even years of work."

"Um, Court," I said clutching the side of my coat, "Are you sure you want me doing this?"

"Oh," Court laughed letting her nose wrinkled up her goggles, "Don't let me scare you! It's easy! Besides, you'll receive a bonus in your contributions for such an important task. I'm sure you'll find plenty to use it on once it deposits into your balance."

I smiled back. In politeness of course.

In truth, I barely spent the contributions money I had already. With all the food, clothes and a warm space of my own, there wasn't anything else I needed. I saw the others and how they spent their money.

Enhancements.

More enhancements than you could imagine, and believe me I tried.

The first enhancement I discovered was the optical enhancements. The most common of all enhancements. I had always noticed how the people here looked more like school children daydreaming at their desk than scientists and researchers. They all just stared into space without a mind to those around them like they were somewhere else. And they were.

The optic enhancements implanted into their eyes allowed them to have dozens of other conversations and feeds. All on their own private screens, for only their enhanced eyes, to see.

I made this discovery, after picking up samples from Kalvin Noel who worked in station three hundred two. I had been speaking to him for sometime before making my routine sample tube collection. He was not the type to be bothered and had let me talk to myself for days. It was only after a few strange looks and an explanation from Court that I learned he was "occupied," as they call it. Her politeness made me no less hot-blooded at the mistake.

It had taken some time, but now I could read their stony faces and know when they were here and when they were occupied. It was an enhancement that almost everyone had, besides those in the lower city of course. Not even a hundred of their donations could pay for the most basic of enhancements. If they didn't lose their limbs donating to trying to get one first.

I looked down at the samples lined on the cart as they disappeared into the rotating circular rows of the massive freezer. I felt a lurch in my stomach at the grim reminder.

Which one of the samples I was carting around could have been someone's last?

I continued to daydream to get my mind away from it.

The next most popular enhancements were otic enhancements. This allowed the audio from optical feeds to be heard straight into the ear.

And so it went. One enhancement to enhance another. All in an endless cycle until the next update - a newer model. And for a fee, of course.

With all these options, the most fascinating ones were not the enhancements I couldn't see, but quite the opposite.

It seemed all the people in the upper city were cut from the same impeccable mold. Perfect skin, smooth silky hair, and eyes that came in unique pearlescent hues. It was only after seeing a person's eyes change from one color to another did I realize these features were enhanced too.

As we were finishing with our cart of samples, I heard Court fussing over herself again.

"Be sure to lotion your skin as soon as you return to your dorm," she whispered and stretched the skin of her cheek using the freezer door as a mirror, "You don't want to ruin yours - not like I did," she said and sighed.

I couldn't see why Court complained so much. Her porcelain skin was free from even a single freckle, her eyes were a brilliant shade of amber, and her tall frame was one I had to admit I had envied since we met.

This daily fussing was how I learned the stark silver stripe of Court's hair was just another enhancement too. It made her look more "dignified" as she described it. That seemed to be the word they used a lot. Mature and well-kept but not trying too hard. Not enough to distract you from your contributions - your most important work.

And those who tried too hard, they were always viewed as not earning their contributions. Not if they were spending all their time testing skin creams or logging photos of themselves onto the network. Court often described these types of acts with fierce disdain. With more venom, if it was wielded at Gen and her council of companions.

But Gen and her council had lifetime contributions, I had also learned. A concept that was so foreign it needed to be explained twice before I could understand. When I asked how they earned such a reward, no one had an answer not spoken in whispers or under a hand to the mouth that is.

All I did know is they had wealth so grand, they never needed to worry if their latest trial would lead to the next advancement in their field. Their lifetime contributions gave them all the time to only care about what they saw fit. Even if that was just themselves.

It was a fine rope that seemed impossible to walk on. If this were all that enhancements would bring, I would wait as long as I could before I was enhanced too.

And that was where Court left me. With a new tray of samples that needed to be filed and a mind whirling with thoughts.

I could use an optical enhancement to distract me right about now, I thought to myself.

It turned me colder than the freezer air.

Was this just a passing thought? Or was this how the endless cycle of enhancements started? I couldn't have been sure, and I couldn't have been more terrified. I instead focused my thoughts on scanning the sample tubes.

With each tap of my band against the tubes, the display of my bracelet flashed the correct filing row to place them in the freezer. Just as they did for Court. It seemed simple enough. I wasn't sure why Court was so antsy about me taking the job. Unless of course, she thought I was stupi -.

No, not Court. She was my friend, she wouldn't think I was stupid at least I thought.

It seemed everyone around here had something to say about everyone, the moment that person was gone.

Before I could get even more lost in my thoughts, I heard the heavy doors of the lab swing open and a sea of bodies flood the entrance. At its center was an unmistakable bob of silky white hair and Gen wearing a sleek black dress.

"Good morning everyone," Gen said, her pearly white smile peeked beneath her glossed lips.

There were many gasps. Distant but heard.

Gen and her somber crew dressed in gray walked through the aisles of tables. Each face she passed was stretched tight and stood still in place. I could almost hear the grinding of their teeth.

Gen sped up the aisles of desks, her coal-colored heels clacked against the glossy floors. Her crew followed until they reach a familiar station. Station three hundred two. The station of Kalvin Noel.

Kalvin stood far back into the cove of his desk and slathered his curly hair to his forehead as he watched Gen approach from afar. His face said he was delighted, but his wilting body was a nark.

And I knew just why. From the time Kalvin clocked in, from the time he clocked out I heard nothing else from him than about Gen and "vapid" ways.

I held onto the slippery tube at my bracelet and watched their exchange.

"Kalvin," Gen said as if greeting an old friend, "It was just brought to my attention a test subject of yours was reported to have promising results."

"Yes, this is true," Kalvin said and cleared his throat.

Every station in the spacious room was silent and turned towards the scene.

"If it wasn't for your supervisor, Mr. Noel," Gen said, "Well I'm certain no one in the council would have noticed such a finding,"

"Yes, I suppose so," Kalvin said, the tremors in his voice scratching through each sound.

If there was anyone he spoke ill of more than Gen, it was his supervisor.

"Come now," Gen said and clapped her hands together.

The clap echoed throughout the walls and tightened the firm hold on my back.

"There is no need for humility amongst your peers - your equals," Gen continued and extended her arms towards Kalvin, "Now go ahead share your finding with us."

Gen's pale eyes were narrowed, and her cold smirk was unrelenting. She was like a svelte snake with its prey cornered. She wasn't letting him go anywhere until she was fed.

Kal reached onto his desk for his slate. His hands shook as he brushed his fingers against the glass screen and his lips quivered as he read from it aloud.

But to my untrained ears, his words sounded as if they were coming from an ancient rune. I understood nothing, but still, I listed.

"After an injection of trial KN8472 and several weeks of environment control as outlined in section 11A, Mouse 4458 was found to exhibit brief but noticeable periods of cellular regeneration after continued lacerations to its abdomen. In total four-hundred and forty-seven lacerations were performed within a seventy-two hour period -"

"Did I hear that correctly?" Gen said, her voice biting through his.

"I- I apologize," Kal stuttered, "I - I can go back."

"Please spare me any more redundancies than necessary," Gen said, her slender hand at her forehead, "Your last statement. What was that again?"

Kalvin held his slate closer to his face, "In total four-hundred and forty-seven lacerations were performed -"

"Now Kalvin," Gen said and turned her body towards her faceless crew, "What was the outcome after this first laceration?"

Kalvin loosed his shoulders, "Well, I began to notice cellular restoration at an abnormal rate. This acceleration was recorded for a timed 24.7 seconds until it halted to a typical rate."

"And what was your outcome after the twelfth laceration?"

"A similar rapid healing followed by a halt," Kalvin said plain.

"And the twentieth?"

"The same as the previous outcome."

"Yet, how many lacerations did you continue to perform?" Gen whispered.

"It was -," Kalvin said in a pitiful whisper.

"How many?" Gen said, raising her raspy voice.

Kalvin remained silent.

"Four-hundred and forty-seven!" Gen shouted, sending shocks into the shallow air.

Gen sighed and pressed her hand to her face.

"Even a donor would have needed less to learn," Gen said and stepped closer to Kalvin, "I knew your father, Kalvin, He was a brilliant man, who contributed so much to this union. It shames me to see his contribution in you - was such a waste."

I had always feared her. Felt her powerful venom bubbling from under her skin. But I had never seen it, until now.

"Miss Vossler," one of Gen's crew members interrupted, "It is time for your next appointment."

Gen whisked a piece of stray hair from her face and turned back to Kalvin.

"We operate a research laboratory - not a butchery. Is that understood, Mr. Noel."

Kalvin nodded in silence, his thin lips gaped wide open.

"And be sure to give the poor creature, something it enjoys," Gen said and grimaced as she turned away, "Like an extra meal or whatever mice fancy."

Gen left before she could ask more. Which was probably best for Kalvin. There wasn't a mouse that was brought to his desk that didn't leave in the "dispose" bin.

My thoughts returned to my room, with Momo still perched on the sill of my window.

"Don't you think that's strange?" I asked her.

"No, no at all!" Momo said and pouted, "She really cares about the poor little creatures."

"That's not what I heard from Nate," I said, "He told us she has kettles full of dogs in the maintenance rooms. Said they don't look like they've been fed in days sometimes."

"That's just silly talk!" Momo giggled, "Sounds like she has a lot of people who are just jealous."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said and tucked myself into my pillow.

Gen did have a lot of wealth and power, but she had even more of we're people - people who didn't think she deserved anything she had. If I had learned anything, I knew I shouldn't always reach for the first conclusion, or I risked facing another painful apology like before.

I would just have to wait and find out just who Gen was for myself. Though this didn't simmer my questions.

It never did.