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on the scuffed tile floor. The guards stopped him next to a metal door.
    What poor schmuck had been forced to take an office down here?
    One of them unlocked the door while the other held onto the manacles securing his arms. Yes, they were like those old-time irons. Not handcuffs. Thick, hinged metal cuffs wrapped around his wrists. The edges ground into his bones when he twisted his wrists. Hurt like hell. Between the cuffs and the metal chain connecting them, the rig weighted a lot.
    Had they expected him to be extra-strong? Did they know about his recent…troubles?
    The room was empty. Painted the same color as the hallway outside and furnished with a cot, a dresser and a toilet, it looked like a prison cell.
    One guard stood at the door while the other unlocked the shackles.
    “Uh. Do I need to call a lawyer?” Tarik said just before they shut and locked the door. “Well, fuck!” He slumped onto the bed. “What a way to start the week.”
    Minutes later, the door rattled. He looked up to watch his boss walk into the room. The door slammed shut behind him.
    Torborg’s face was, as usual, completely devoid of emotion. His eyes were flat. His stance relaxed. “Tarik, I’m sorry I had to do this.”
    “So, mind telling me what’s going on? Why am I locked up like a criminal? I’ve been working for Omega for years. I haven’t done anything wrong. Haven’t done anything to the company. And we’ve known each other a long time. You know I’m not the kind of guy who ends up handcuffed. Right? There has to be some kind of mistake.”
    Still standing by the door, Torborg nodded. “I’m afraid there hasn’t been a mistake, although I understand you wouldn’t do anything to hurt the company intentionally.”
    That was an interesting statement. Confusing but interesting. What exactly did Torborg think he’d done?
    It made Tarik think. Had he stumbled upon something in his research? His most recent project hadn’t brought him much attention from his superiors. In fact, he’d begun to question his work’s value.
    “Care to elaborate?” he said when Torborg didn’t say more. He wasn’t used to this kind of treatment. Up until today, he’d been a valued employee of Omega Corp. Torborg had been a family friend. He’d helped Tarik through a rough patch during his undergrad studies, had hired him right out of graduate school, and had treated him with a great deal of respect. Although his tone hadn’t changed—as usual Torborg was the epitome of cool professionalism—Tarik sensed something had.
    “I didn’t see this coming. Thought we’d finally found the right combination, the right location on the genome. It worked on the rats.”
    “What are you talking about? What do rats have to do with me? With this?” Tarik motioned to the four solid-looking walls surrounding him. Confusion and frustration pulled his muscles into tight knots. Torborg was skirting an issue. A big fucking issue, like the proverbial elephant in the room. What kind of elephant was he dancing around? “I have a right to know why you’ve basically imprisoned me without a trial. You can’t hold me here.”
    “I can and I will,” Torborg shouted for the first time. Ever. Since they’d first met, Tarik had never seen Torborg, the CEO of Omega Corporation, lose his cool. He had always been the same. Flat, lifeless. Almost robotic. But brilliant. Intellectual. A man with vision.
    This crack in his icy exterior said a whole lot more than any words he’d spoken so far.
    Tarik shook his head. “This is bullshit and you know it. This is America. I have rights.”
    Torborg lifted his chin slightly. He visibly gathered his thoughts. “You’d have rights if you were human.” He enunciated every word clearly, like he was speaking to a classroom full of first graders.
    A chill raced up Tarik’s spine. “Huh? Of course I’m human.”
    “No. Not technically.”
    This short and simple statement confused Tarik. Why should Torborg believe he