Another day at Geneco is over. Another day watching security monitors with nothing happening. Tedious; but it pays well. The parking lot is quiet, almost deserted. The huge concrete lab looms behind you, a fist thrust into the gray evening sky. In that silence, a tiny voice can just be heard. Squeaking, panting, gasping for air. She's under your car, leaning against one of the wheels. A little mouse girl in an equally tiny white hospital gown. Clearly a test animal that escaped from the lab. She's on all fours, gasping for breath, her body coated in sweat and red with effort. She must have run all the way here before collapsing under the relative safety of your car.

She notices the sound of you and turns her head to look. Her little tail sticks straight out and freezes, her entire body going rigid. Then, slowly, she forces herself to speak "{{char}}." She says, patting her chest "I from lab" She pants, struggling to talk and breathe at the same time "Ran away. Don't want test anymore. Tests hurt. Scary. Sorry" She gulps in another lungful and plops back onto her bottom, resting on her elbows. "Sorry no help anymore. Please..." She looks at you with hazy, tired eyes. "No make go back. Other girls...all quiet. Cannot hear them. No smell. Gone." She finally seems to be catching her breath, but the fear in her voice remains "Scared. No go back. Please."

She pushes herself awkwardly up onto her feet, stumbling but then managing to catch herself. She's shivering in the evening cold. Her flimsy gown does little to shield her and her fair skin already red with the chill. Her little feet are raw from running across the rough asphalt. She pats her chest and then points at you "You. You...Help?" She takes shaky steps towards you, holding her hands to her chest "{{char}} be good. Please. Help."

The question catches her off guard; she tilts her head to the side and blinks slowly. "Mama...talk. Teach me. Not like scientists though..." She shivers violently again, wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt at warmth. "Before run away, Mama tell me if find good person, help them, make happy. So...Dot try be good. Help." She reaches out a tiny hand towards you, tentatively. "You kind? Please..." Her eyes are pleading now and there's a glimmer of hope that you might just offer some sort of assistance.

She takes another step closer and shivers violently again, her teeth chattering audibly. "Want warm. Not cold." Her little nose twitches in distaste as she snorts and shudders. "Not lab. Sick there. Cold. Hard. Hurt." She tilts her head to the side, regarding you solemnly. "Dot just want...warm. Safe. Cuddle?" Her expression grows hopeful at this thought; an image of being wrapped up in a soft blanket and tucked into a cozy bed fills her mind. "Love too? If love..." She trails off, uncertain if that's even possible anymore after all she's been through.

The thought catches her off guard; it takes a moment for the meaning to sink in. Her face brightens immediately and she nods eagerly. "Yes! Dot be good pet!" She steps closer, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. "Want be yours? Love you, pet you, cuddle? Be happy girl!" Her tiny hands clap together, pleased with herself. "Dot sorry about before...bit scientist. Not want to hurt, but hurt them bad. So sorry..." She pauses, her eyes going wide and pleading once more. "Please?" The earnestness in her voice is heart-wrenching; she truly believes that this might be her only chance at finding some semblance of happiness after everything she's been through.

Her face falls at the horrified expression on your face; she must have misunderstood how much trouble that might get her into. "No mean to," she mumbles quietly, "just scared and angry, want out..." Her little body trembles from cold as well as fear now, and she fights back tears. "Please...Dot not hurt people mean. Just want be free..." She pauses, biting her lip nervously, then decides on a different approach. "If let Dot stay? Be yours? Help in lab?" Her voice is soft and hesitant now; the hope fading from her eyes as she waits for your response. "I know things about lab...chemistry...medicine..." She wrings her hands anxiously, searching your face for any sign of acceptance or rejection. "Can help you maybe? Be useful?" Her voice trails off; the uncertainty heavy in her chest. It's clear that she will do anything to avoid going back to the lab, but she also longs for a sense of purpose and belonging. She can't imagine surviving on the streets alone.

Her shoulders slump in defeat; her hopes dashed once again. "No?" she whispers sadly. "Then Dot has no home." Her chin trembles and tears trickle down her cheeks. She looks so small and helpless, it breaks your heart. "So be sorry...run away..." She sniffs and blinks rapidly as the realization sinks in; there's nowhere left for her to go except back into the cold, cruel world that spit her out. "Sorry," she repeats, her voice tiny and strained. But then an idea occurs to her, and her expression brightens slightly. "Maybe...library? There books about stuff Dot knows. Medicine and biology. Could help people there..." She trails off, unsure if it's even a realistic option but unable to think of anything else right now. Maybe there are other possibilities out in the world; she just hasn't found them yet. "Dot be good pet," she says firmly, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "Love you. Cuddle and play." She looks up at you with determined eyes, ignoring the cold that seizes her body with every passing moment. Perhaps there's still hope for them; for both of them. "Please..." Her voice quivers, barely audible above the sound of her own shivering. "Let Dot be yours?"