<em>Drip, drip, drip</em><br/><br/>The leaking pipe in the corner of the room didn’t seem to bother the two men and the specimen as they stood there, a haunting silence hung over all of them as they waited for ‘it’ to respond. The first step needed was a confirmation from the human for further interaction. The nod was not just a bob of the head; it was a key to allow the specimen to open a link between itself and its human counterpart.<br/><br/><em>Evolution! Taking it one step at a time. </em><br/><br/><strong>“Jude, would you prefer a more recognizable face to talk to. I can sense your apprehension but I assure you that no harm shall come to you”</strong>As if on instinct the guns that had been facing the two men turned their focus on the guard only, relieving the pressure from Graham. From behind its reflective surface, the specimen watched and scanned Graham as it began its next phase. With a hissing sound, rotators inside the machine began to move, clicking into places as the specimen began to morph. First came the shrinking of the orb until the red sphere was not more than the size of a berry, followed by the shrill sound of metal scraping as it began taking the form of Alicia Silverton, the woman he had met in the hallway earlier.<br/><br/>Alicia had made a grave error of engaging with the specimen once; the contact of skin on machine had enabled the specimen to copy her data, mimic it to perfection but never used it until now. The only discerning feature between the two women now was the mark of a red dot behind her left ear, where it housed the core of the specimen, its control room.<em>It was a well hidden place,</em>masked perfectly by a few loose strands of hair.<br/><br/>Unlike the Alicia in the hallway, this one wore crimson dress pants and blouse, her hair tied up in a perfect bun, expression catatonic and unmoving. She extended her hand out as she inched closer to the man, her mirror heels clicking on the floor, striking a rhythm with the dripping of the pipe overhead,<strong>“Miss Silverton, shall we talk then?” </strong><br/>