Sylvia heard the commotion. How could she not? They arrived in a melee of squealing tires and radio static, breaking up the stillness morning with a cacophony of sounds. A small army of military vehicles swerved into her little cul-de-sac, tattooing black scars upon the asphalt. She watched in horror, fear trickling in rivulets down her spine, as men and women in kevlar armor kicked down Jordan and Chen’s front door.

Her hands flew to her chest, head shaking in subconscious distress. She couldn’t imagine the reason behind what they were doing. Jordan and Chen were harmless; they shoveled her driveway all winter, came over for soup and pie, listened to her ramble when others would not. Who would be looking for them? Sylvia quickly shook herself from her stupor, reaching for her phone to dial the authorities.

Her fingers never reached the buttons. She stopped short at the sight of Chen being dragged from the house. He was unconscious, wearing nothing but boxers, his bare feet dragging on the ground and head lolling. Red rage settled in her chest. She could not believe they were treating Chen this way. Chen. The boy with the kitten smile and the starstruck eyes. The quiet boy who waited diligently for Jordan whenever they were separated. Outraged, she reached for her walking stick, stumping outside.

“What are you doing?” She yelled hoarsely, shaking her walking stick at the soldiers. “Put him down! Put that boy down!” They ignored her, advancing despite her stubborn presence. Sylvia frowned, gripping her walking stick and whacking a soldier upon his helmeted head. “I said put him down!” To her fury, the soldier merely grunted at her.

“Ma’am, step aside-”

“No!” Sylvia spat, insistently prodding him. “Put him down. What are you doing with Chen-”

“Ma’am, ow-” he glared at her, “stop hitting me! This creature is dangerous; I must ask you-”

“Dangerous!” She laughed scornfully. “Chen? You’re out of your mind. He wouldn’t hurt a fly; Now leave him and Jordan alone or I will call the police!” She jabbed the soldier with her walking stick again when he turned to gesture to the other soldiers to drag Chen into the waiting car, ignoring her. “Did you hear me?”

“Excuse me, Mrs. Jung.” She was approached by another man, dressed smartly in a suit and tie. “You are interfering in the completion of government-sanctioned research. I must ask that you go back inside your home or you will be persecuted at the fullest extent of the law-”

He was cut off as the muffled noises coming from inside the house transitioned into screaming. Sylvia turned to face the front door, from where Jordan was being dragged out. Blood trickled down her forehead, tears ran from her eyes.

“Don’t hurt him please!” Jordan begged, trying to shove at the guards holding her. Her eyes met with Sylvia’s. “Sylvia, help me!” Her voice was hoarse. “I swear we haven’t done anything.” Her eyes darted between Sylvia and Chen, desperation shining through.

“Silence her.” The man in the suit said curtly. Sylvia’s heart jumped into as one of the guards brought the of his gun down on Jordan’s temple. She slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Sylvia was stunned into silence. The only thing she could do was trail after the man in the suit, eyes fixated on Jordan as the guards carelessly dragged her to another car and tossed her into the backseat. Only when the vehicles peeled out of the neighborhood did the man turn to face Sylvia again.

“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience this morning, Mrs. Jung.” Still shocked, Sylvia could only squirm at his greasy tone. “I thank you for your cooperation. You will be compensated for your involvement in our research. If you have any concerns, please contact YG research.” His words hardly registered as he handed over a business card. Sylvia numbly accepted it.

“Where are you taking them?” Her voice was barely a whisper, hand turning white against her walking stick.

“They’re in our hands now, Mrs. Jung. You are safe, no need to worry. Hurry along home now.” Sylvia almost wanted to criticize him on his demeaning words but she couldn’t consider that a priority at the moment.

She recalled other words that she had just heard: creature, government research, YG. They were so incongruous with what she had experienced over the past months. Nothing made sense. The images of the tops of Chen’s bare feet dragging over the sidewalk and the blood dripping down Jordan’s forehead echoed in her mind. They could not match the memories she had of the three of them having dinner together or catching a glimpse of the two play in the snow through her window.

JiYong’s hands shook as he left Laboratory 11 to retrieve Jordan from her holding cell. His fingers clenched at the clipboard in his hands, hoping to settle their tremble before he had to her to a debriefing room. In the end he couldn’t do it. Before reaching her holding cell door, he abruptly turned around, calling another lab technician to accompany her to the designated room. He cringed at his own actions as he made his way to the debriefing room alone. At what point during this study had he become a coward? He fiddled needlessly with the camera setup, even though he knew that DaeSung had set it up perfectly hours before. He winced at the creak of the door and the sound of footsteps shuffling across the floor.

“Subject 6 as you asked, Team Leader Kwon.” He heard the clatter as Jordan sat down and her handcuffs were secured to the divots in the table.

“Thank you.” He said curtly. “Go back to what you were doing.” He refused to turn around, hitting the button to record.

“Subject name: Jordan Chang. The date: April 16, 2027. Experiment 11: Chen. As indicated now, the subject has sustained minimal harm during the experiment. Any damage done was due to insubordination and failure to comply with directions upon her return to the laboratory. Physical detainment was necessary. I will now debrief her according to procedure.” JiYong stared down at his clipboard, mindlessly reciting to her the purpose of the procedure and the goal of the different trials. Jordan said nothing, though JiYong didn’t expect anything less.

When he finished, he raised his arm to hit the record button again, ending the video. He turned, pointedly fiddling at the computer, saving the file and ensuring things were in order. He knew he was stalling for time to avoid the eyes he knew were staring at him.

“Do you know why I hate you?” Jordan’s quiet voice flowed from behind him. Her voice was hauntingly light, toneless.

JiYong stopped typing and slowly turned to face her again, keeping his gaze on the table. He couldn’t lift his eyes to look at the girl sitting across from him. He knew what he would see: bloodshot eyes, slumped shoulders, and clenched fists that strained to soothe an aching heart.

He couldn't.

“Look at me.” Jordan voice abruptly molted into steel. JiYong could not help the flinch that went through his shoulders. “If you’re going to ruin my life then at least have the balls to do it looking into my face. Kwon JiYong, look at me.”

JiYong closed his eyes, bracing himself before looking up. Contrary to his expectations, Jordan did not look wholly different. She sat up straight. Her face betrayed no emotion.

“That’s why I hate you.” Jordan stated. “You’re a coward. You were perfectly happy subjecting a cognizant being to your cruel research as long as you were protected by a wall of glass. You had two people fall in love with each other just so you could rip them apart again. Was that the plan?” For the briefest moment, her voice wavered. JiYong wished it didn’t. He fought down the lump in his throat. “You and I both know that this trial should have ended months ago. Did you think you were helping us by prolonging this show?” Jordan’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “You should have ended this once you knew that Chen wouldn’t harm an innocent human being. You should have returned me to prison and I would have lived fine on my own, soaking in the tragedy and accomplishment of fulfilling my parents’ legacy. You should have let Chen stay here, murdering the worst criminals in the country but staying close to his pack. Instead, you kept us together for months. You waited for us to love each other. You made it so it would be impossible for us to live without each other before you ripped us apart. And now, you can’t even look me in the eye.”

She stopped to heavy silence. JiYong could not bring any words to leave his throat, each attempt silenced by the sobs Jordan fought to muffle in her chest. Screaming would have been worse. Every sound that slipped through her lips sliced through him like a blade. Every crack in her voice was a thunderbolt. He clenched his jaw as Jordan stared him down, tears streaming from her eyes. There were red welts on her wrists from where she’d pulled on her cuffs. Neither party paid any mind.

JiYong summoned the energy to clear his throat. He cleared the phlegm; he didn't clear his conscience.

“Jordan Chang, from this day forward, Experiment 11 is concluded. Your injuries will be treated and then you will be returned to the correctional facility from which you came to serve the remainder of your sentence. YG research thanks you for your contribution to this monumental project.” JiYong rose from his chair after he delivered the parting message. He didn't look at her, only rushed from the room and collapsed against the door.

Only then did the sobs escape him.

DaeSung set up another board, ready to receive another prisoner. They had both gotten the update from JiYong; Jordan was being transported soon. Both of the researchers fruitlessly tried to ignore the loud slamming of Chen’s palms upon the glass, even as the noise became louder, more desperate.

“I'm finished, let's go.” DaeSung whispered at YoungBae. They turned their backs to the glass, moving back towards the door.

“Jordan?” A voice stopped them short.

The first word Chen had ever said to them. DaeSung glanced over his shoulder.

Chen pressed himself to the glass, shouting her name. Over and over. His eyes showed no anger, no hostility. Only desperation, only love for a girl he felt was going to be pulled away from him. He slammed now-fisted hands against the glass again.

“Jordan!” Chen screamed, punching at the glass. “Jordan!” He doubled over himself, clutching at his heart before slamming his shoulder into the glass. DaeSung and YoungBae turned towards the door again. YoungBae raised a hand to cover his mouth. Chen’s attacks to the glass wall only intensified as their steps took them further away.

“Where?” His voice followed them. “Where Jordan? Jordan!” Every scream of her name was accentuated by another thump against the glass. DaeSung almost ran from the room. Anything to get away from him. “Jordan! Where-” YoungBae slammed the door shut behind them. The door closed, but not soon enough to muffle the tortured sob that emitted from within.

Jordan wasn’t exactly expecting five-star treatment after her dramatic monologue to JiYong. Her headed pounded from the crying - which she hated. Her wrists ached - which she tolerated. She knew that Chen was probably being processed or treated somewhere else in this godforsaken building. She wondered how panicked he was, if he was desperately looking for her. Or was he felt like her, slightly resigned and more than a little bitter. She was going to have to do a lot of planning in the future, she didn’t feel like wasting any more energy on crying.

Jordan cocked her head when she heard a commotion coming from outside the lab. Voices clambered over each other; Jordan heard a fleeting “President” cross over someone’s lips. Jordan rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she really didn’t want to do, it was meet President Yang.

She soon found that she didn’t have a choice, however, as the doors to the lab burst open in a flurry of activity.

“You can’t do this, President Yang! By regulations, you cannot discuss experiments with participants after they have been debriefed-”

“I am the President of this company, Kwon! I do as I please. Wipe your damn tears; compose yourself.”

Jordan closed her eyes, slowly pulling on a mask she had not used in a long time. She willed steel to creep over her, encompassing her fingertips, her arms, her heart. Only then did she look up at the President.

His face was a florid red, his chest rising and falling as if powered by bellows. It almost seemed as if he had too much to say, the cogs in his head visibly turning.

“Considering you’re the head of a massive corporation, I thought you would have more words, Mr. President.” Jordan smiled. “Cat got your tongue? Or should I say wolf?”

“Your little jokes will get you nowhere now. You’re going back to where you belong now, Chang.” He smirked. “Finally going to be locked up like you deserve. You’re a little , did you know that? My stock plunged after that little stunt that you pulled. The only way that I could recover was this absurd government funded experiment. Now my labs are crawling with little do-gooders and heads like you.”

“Like me?” Jordan tilted her head. “I don’t think so, I would never use humans as bait - even murderers and terrorists like the ones you’re using.”

“Do you really think that you’re that noble, Jordan?” The President leaned forward. Jordan wrinkled her nose at the smell of his breath.

“Not noble at all.” Jordan said lightly. “I enjoy ing with people. I enjoyed ing with your research team using their cameras. I enjoyed ing you over two years ago. And now, it looks like I have the privilege of ing you over one last time. Werewolf and human relations have never been better, thanks to the star-crossed lovers of YG research. All thanks you and your research. Honestly, I should be thanking you.” Jordan managed to relish the expressions crossing the President’s face. She had to take enjoyment where she could, after all. She wondered how he had ever managed to survive the corporate world with a poker face as terrible as his.

“You’re going to go back to prison-”

“Prison?” Jordan scoffed. “What a terrible place to be. Three square meals a day and no one to bother me, how horrible.”

“Take her away.” The President snapped. A man - a bailiff, Jordan supposed - came to detach her cuffs from the divots in the table, yanking her towards the door again. He led her through the winding hallways of the research institute. The entire way, Jordan glared at the researchers, carefully memorizing the turns she took. She would be back here, someday. And when that happened, she would not be leaving alone.

She held tight to that thought as they shoved her into a prisoner transport vehicle. She clung on as she was processed again. She dressed herself in the same hideous jumpsuit and was led into the same stark cell.

Only when she sat down on the hard mattress did she notice the sharp ache in her chest. Jordan massaged at her chest and took deep breaths, hoping to alleviate it. She stood to go to her sink and rinse her skin off with water. Nothing helped.

Jordan had an inkling of what this pain was. She could not admit to herself that it hurt; who knew what agony Chen was going through. Comparatively, her pain was nothing. She shoved the pain into the back of her mind.

She let her mask settle into place.

DaeSung and YoungBae had informed JiYong of Chen’s actions after Jordan had been led away. All three had fallen into subdued silence. They sat in the break room, deliberately avoiding the laboratory, where they knew Chen would be. JiYong made laps between the table and the coffee machine, all the while staring blankly into his mug.

Who knew that he would feel like this at the end of a successful experiment? He had not been prepared for this.

They had consumed more than what was the acceptable amount of coffee when JiYong got the call.

“TOP?” He answered.

“Chen collapsed. Med-wing, now.” JiYong immediately got to his feet. Their youngest member was rarely serious. The three of them hurried to the medical wing, where TOP paced outside the entrance, wringing his hands. He raced towards them when they came into his vision.

“We don’t know what happened. He was just sitting on his bed and then he fell over onto the floor.”

“What else?” JiYong responded as they all moved towards Chen’s room.

“His heart rate is abnormally high, blood pressure too. The medics are performing further tests.”

“Okay, that sounds good.” JiYong said.

“What do you mean, sounds good?” YoungBae retorted. “This has happened before!” They turned to look at him. JiYong felt a flicker of recognition.

“Earlier in the experiment.” He acknowledged. YoungBae nodded.

“He had these same symptoms when we separated them.”

“He didn’t collapse, though.” YoungBae fixed him with a glare.

“Yes, well they hadn’t mated then.” YoungBae snapped. “We never should have allowed that to happen. We’ve signed his death sentence.” JiYong closed his eyes at the sharp intakes of breath from the rest of the team. It was not like he hadn’t realized the repercussions of what had happened. He just hadn’t expected reality to catch up with them that soon.

“We don’t know that, she isn’t dead-”

“Don’t forget all of the research, JiYong.” YoungBae warned. “Mates that are killed or separated never survive for very long.”

“The President won’t care.” JiYong sighed. “It’s just one less werewolf that he has to deal with.”

He fell silent afterwards, drowning in the hole that he had dug himself. They walked towards the room where Chen no doubt was suffering and awaited a diagnosis.

Jordan sat cross-legged on her prison bed, head leaning back against the cinderblock wall. She tried to clear her head, to reach some sort of refuge where she could escape the tugging ache pulling her heart out of her chest. But in the past couple of months, her refuge had been Chen, and now his disappearance was the source of her pain.

She could remember the last time she felt like this, though it was not quite the same. That time, it had been a echoing emptiness that her joy from everything. The house she lived in, the high school she attended, the friends that came over. A black hole where her parents had been, in all of the happy memories she associated with them.

Jordan remembered her parents well. They were hard working people: her father was Calculus teacher at the local high school and her mother was a computer science Professor at the nearby college. They were loving; they were caring; they almost never fought. They dispelled calamity and that was what she loved about them.

But rougher times came when they heard about her father's illness. His kidneys were failing him, and would get worse if he maintained his current health habits. His medicine was expensive, too expensive, and they had to pay for Jordan’s college tuition soon. Her father felt that the medicine wasn’t necessary; he was strong.

It was at that time that Jordan began making a business out of her skill with computers. She’d always been talented, inherited from her mother. She began accepting small jobs from students and faculty alike. After a while she began marketing her IT services out on the internet, garnering a decent following. She made enough money to start a college fund. She encouraged her parents to buy the medicine. She thought she was doing good for her family.

She found out later, on accident, coming home from school that she hadn’t resolved any worries. Her parents’ bedroom door had been open a crack, and she heard the yelling. The usual: her Dad telling her mother not to worry, that he was strong, her mom telling him that he needed to take his illness seriously. But this time her mother exploded. She jabbed a finger straight into her father’s chest and screamed out her greatest fear.

“Don’t you dare die before me. You take care of yourself. Because I don’t want to live in this world on my own. I can’t.”

But her mother’s fears were never realized. A car crash took both of their lives a year later, the summer of Jordan’s senior year.

She had at that point never realized the gravity of “love”. She had wondered then what it was like to love someone to that degree.

But now, she was relieved that they left the world like they did. She was happy that neither one of her parents ever had to live without their second half. As a naive teenager, she did not understand.

She did now.

***

Thank you for being patient, everyone.