They had managed to locate a meeting room in the facility with no bullet holes in the walls, where they'd decided to gather for debrief. General Lavina Hartwell, the one who had been in charge of the operation to take the reactor, was a tall, lithe cheetah with brown eyes which regarded everyone with a measure of distrust, even her direct subordinates. Tanya hadn't been sure they wouldn't just bomb the hell out of the reactor and blow the thing or render it irreparably damaged, but seeing Hartwell's thoroughness was reassuring. It was clear the cheetah woman didn't trust anyone but herself to get the job done. Tanya made sure to take her aside when she had a brief moment and thank her for a job well done, to which the general responded with a smug smile and a haughty thanks.

For all their talk about needing to get a move on, the debrief took awhile to get started, leaving Tanya and Rose sitting alone in the meeting room awkwardly. It was the first time she'd seen him without a radiation suit and they'd exchanged an awkward introduction. There was a strange tension between them unique only to two individuals who were about to die together. She found herself going over and over and over the symptoms of radiation poisoning, which she figured he must be doing as well, albeit from a biologist's perspective.

Headaches, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fever. The headaches would no doubt come first, followed by the others within days, maybe hours. Then the latent phase; they'd feel better for a bit. That part would be… maybe a month. If they were lucky. Maybe a week, maybe days. She held onto that, pushing away the thoughts of what would come later.

There was no telling how much radiation they had been exposed to. Paradigm had built their reactor's shielding out of some kind of self repairing technology—she and Rose had both seen the cracked glass containment around Alpha somehow reconstruct itself; if it weren't for the both of them witnessing it, she might not have believed it even happened. But it seemed even this hadn't been enough to keep them safe, and their radiation suits weren't impenetrable.

She had always had a plan for this. Her work was dangerous, and she'd made arrangements years ago, always had a contingency for who could take over if she became contaminated and had to bring her current projects to a sudden conclusion. In total, she thought, she had maybe a year, only a few months of which might be usable. Her brain would deteriorate before long…

But there was the plan. She had already notified everyone she could think to, all of the ones who she trusted to take over in her place. Her heart sank, thinking of the laboratories and department hallways that she'd never get to wander again, and for a moment her thoughts wandered to the afterlife, but she shook herself back to reality, to the here and now. She had to focus.

The silence lingered in the meeting room. Rose looked more shell shocked than she was. Another thought distracted her: she hadn't told her parents. How would she break the news that they might outlive her?

The door opened, a loud and sudden break in the harsh silence, and the General and a few others walked in, taking their seats promptly. Tanya's eyes were drawn to the iridescent horns of the individual seating herself to her right, across the table from Rose. She was a young dragon with dark blue scales, white eyes glancing over the promptly placed laptop, talons tapping the keys—probably the cybersecurity specialist.

“Alright," General Hartwell said, standing at the head of the table, across from Tanya at the other end. “What have we found?"

“Well," Tanya huffed heavily, not sure where to begin. “To start, the reactor is… alive. No easy way to put it."

“Yes, I've heard about the wolf inside the core," the General said. “I also heard he tried to melt it down."

“Well… yes," Tanya said, “but he's not our enemy. We've managed to talk him down and I believe he's no more fond of Paradigm than we are."

“What makes you so certain?" the General prodded.

“The meltdown was triggered and pushed by Paradigm, yes, but Alpha—the individual inside the core—is probably deeply traumatized by… God only knows what they did to him."

This didn't seem to convince them, the military officials looking between each other uncertainly. Of course they only saw him as a threat.

“I believe it was a suicide attempt," Tanya said. The others seemed to pause and process this.

“Dr. Mitchell, your findings?" the cheetah said to an older male deer with prominent antlers and a brown suit that almost matched his fur.

“Yes," he sighed, looking down at his notes. “I've had a chance to interview this Alpha myself once the reactor was stabilized—and I believe we all owe Dr. Sampson a heartfelt thank you for that."

He gave her a respectful nod, as did several of the others at the table. She returned the gesture.

“Yes, doc, thanks for averting the meltdown and possibly preventing nuclear armageddon!" said the young dragon girl at the computer, her bright smile showing an array of sharp white teeth.

“Don't mention it," Tanya said. She glanced over to Rose, who still seemed pretty out of it.

“Please pardon Miss Alieva," the General sighed, glaring at the dragon. “Our cybersecurity specialist has a habit of speaking out of turn."

The dragon girl bit her lip. “Sorry, General."

“As you were saying, Dr. Mitchell?" the cheetah said, turning to the deer.

“Ah, yes," he said promptly, straightening. “It's very likely that Alpha has sustained a good deal of psychological trauma. He seems to be an amnesiac."

“He lost his memory?" Tanya asked. The stag nodded. “Was it because of the near meltdown?"

She had been so wrapped up in her own radiation exposure that she hadn't even thought of how nearly undergoing a nuclear meltdown might have hurt Alpha himself. Had he been irreparably damaged? Were these incredible powers of his killing him?

“Not recently, no," the deer said. “His only memories are of his imprisonment with Paradigm, going back to the day he gained his abilities." He cleared his throat. “I did ask about it, and he noted recalling something about a crash—a car accident—but I've designated that as an off limits topic. Bringing up traumatic memories seems to cause his radioactivity to spike, so I feel it's best not to push, for everyone's safety."

“Thank you, Dr." the General said. She turned to a light brown-furred caracal on her left. “Dr. Miller is our material engineer, who claims to have found… some kind of nanotechnology?"

The caracal nodded.

“A completely programmable nano-material," he said, speaking quickly, eyes flitting over his own computer screen. “Much of the facility is made of it, besides the older parts. Mostly the reactor. Basically, it rearranges itself on the fly to block radiation—it's completely impervious to even the most intense gamma rays. Also lets the facility self repair. It's really quite remarkable, I can't imagine what we could use it f—"

“Thank you, Dr." the General cut off. “You said there were other 'items'?"

“Ah, yes!" the caracal said. “A list of furniture!"

“... Furniture?" the General said.

“Oh, yeah!" the dragon jumped in. “We found those were files transferred over from the Gamma Reactor facility!"

“They consist of a series of pieces of common furniture," the caracal said rapidly. “A desk, a bed, a dresser—furnishings for a common bedroom—all made of the same nano-material!"

“And why is furniture significant?" the General asked.

“Well, in this case, they're all files detailing blueprints for these pieces of furniture, so if we learn how to reprogram these nanomachines, we can create some of them—"

“Oh, I'm working on that right now!" the dragon burst out. “You should see the code that runs these things, it's incred—"

“Why is the furniture significant?" the General sighed.

“Right. Sorry." the caracal said. “Well, this furniture isn't like the items in the rest of the facility, designed to deflect the radiation—it's built to allow intense gamma radiation to pass through it completely. I believe these pieces are designed to be used—"

“—in the reactor!" This time Tanya was the one to jump in.

“Yes!" the caracal said. “But oddly, these files show they've never been edited, used, or even opened. It's as if Paradigm developed this technology to allow for Alpha's comfort and then never used it."

“Mm," the stag hummed. “It could be that they were keeping these as a reward for good behavior from Alpha."

Tanya scowled. Using basic necessities, the minimum amenities needed for comfort, as a carrot on a stick? It was sinking in just how truly morally corrupt Paradigm was.

“Actually…" the dragoness said, grimacing and seeming to want to shrink down and hide behind her laptop. “There is a note I found with the furniture files. It, uhh… it lists them as 'not to be used unless coerced'."

“'Coerced…?'" the stag murmured. “By whom? Alpha?"

Tanya shook her head.

“He wouldn't have any leverage over them," she said.

“Even if he consciously attempted to meltdown the reactor?" the deer asked.

“They could inject him with sedatives at the touch of a button," she said. “It was all right there in the control room. I doubt he could blow the reactor at will."

“We'll figure that out later," the General said. “What else?"

“I believe Dr. Lockwood had some findings to report from the eastern and western annexes," Tanya said. They all turned to Rose, but he was staring at the tabletop, his gaze distant.

“Dr. Lockwood?" she said gently. His ears didn't so much as twitch. She cleared her throat. “Rose?"

The gray wolf jumped.

“Hm? Yes?" he asked.

“Your findings, Dr." the General said, with less gentleness than Tanya would have liked.

“Yes, right," Rose sighed, gathering his notes. “Uhh… the east wing was a research laboratory. Devoted to… well…"

Was that a blush?

“Devoted to…?" the General prodded impatiently.

“... Devoted to, ah… using Alpha's, er… 'genetic material'... to inseminate various samples from other subjects." Rose said, clearly blushing now. “Trying to create offspring."

“I see," the General said, reacting to his bashfulness with the same begrudging patience with which a professor reacted to a student struggling to read a complicated paper. “Were any attempts successful?"

“No," Rose said. “In most tests, the radiation from Alpha's…"

“'Genetic material'?" the General finished.

“Right," Rose said. “The radiation killed the cells of the other subjects. The only instances where it didn't were those where Alpha's genetic material was paired with those of the test subject named Gamma—apparently a female, and also lupine. These tests were also unsuccessful; the cells seem to die rapidly after leaving their host."

“And this 'Gamma'," the General said. “Where are we on that?"

“Well—" Rose started, but there was another ecstatic outburst from the dragon girl.

“Oh, oh! We're actually working on that!" she said excitedly. “We're trying to trace the location of the other facility based on transmissions sent between the Gamma facility and this one."

“Good," the General said.

“I believe Dr. Lockwood had something else to add," Tanya said.

“Uh, just that the decay rate of the Gamma samples seems to indicate that the other facility is close by," he said, glancing around. “Paradigm hasn't figured out how to keep the cells from dying outside their host, so they'd have to transport them fast."

“So the other reactor is nearby?" the General said with a nod. “Good. Anyone else have anything to add?"

“I should note to everyone the topics I have designated as off limits when speaking with Alpha," the stag said. “Chief among them, this other test subject, Gamma. While I'm sure it would do him some good to know he isn't alone in his very strange and traumatic situation, we can't risk him getting emotional. If ever you speak with him, do not bring up the existence of this other facility and certainly not Gamma herself."

They all nodded at this, though Tanya's nod was stiffer than the others. Rose looked as dismayed as she felt, but they both understood.

“Moreover, do not discuss Alpha's past prior to his arrival at Paradigm. It won't do anyone any good if he can't recall any of it, and it might only succeed in making him upset. Lastly, we'll need to approach any other questioning carefully. Even if he brings up any of the tests Paradigm might have performed on him, don't pry. Don't ask for information, just take what he offers. We must ensure our scientific curiosity does not overreach our ethical concern, or else we are no better than Paradigm."

They all nodded more decidedly this time.

“Speaking of which," Tanya began, “As much as I want to know how Alpha works, I'll start setting up a program to see about removing this ability of his."

“Removing it?" the General asked. “What for?"

“It's his request," Tanya said simply.

“But what about the good he can do?" the General asked. “And no, before you ask, my first thought was not to use him to manufacture weapons or to turn him into a soldier. He could go into hazardous radioactive environments, help test the effects of radiation! He could provide a source of infinite energy!"

“I'm well aware, General," she said. “But this is his only wish, and I intend to grant it."

***

Rose had always imagined he'd get a quick and violent death, like the kind his tribal ancestors might have gotten. If he didn't vomit out his guts and drop into a coma soon, he knew he'd live long enough to have his fur fall out bit by bit, until he was a gangly pink thing, barely living. Radiation was slow and painful, a long death that meant you were dead before you knew it, and that you'd wish you were dead long before it killed you. He was a geneticist; always fascinated with life down to the smallest detail. Having the chains of his DNA broken, his atomic structure itself torn apart, was a fate worse than he could imagine.

But there was one glimmer of hope in the dark shadow that had fallen over him: Alpha. Rose was fascinated by him. He'd shuffle off this mortal coil soon, but before he did, he'd use everything he had left to research Paradigm's most incredible subject. The immoral tech company had always been one for pushing the limits of science, but this was truly their greatest accomplishment. He'd seen them create super soldiers, feline warriors with a hive-like hymenopteran eusocial connection, loyal lupine brutes with the strength and durability of rhinoceros. But an organic nuclear reactor, producing radiation from his very cells? That had to top them all.

He felt for Alpha—who knew how long they'd had him in that cage, using him for power—but he also found something awe inspiring in the sight of the dark wolf and his green bioluminescence. A living, breathing reactor, with uranium pumping through his veins. It was more than the chiseled abs or toned muscles, though that was a factor. It was the exotic glow, the contrast of green on black, that made him so alluring. It was the strange temptation conflicting with the pure toxicity of his very being. The very fact that Alpha was poison to be around made him all the more attractive. That probably says something about me, Rose thought, but he didn't care. Interesting how freeing it was to be so close to death, suddenly not caring how society thought of him, since he'd be leaving it behind soon.

He picked up snippets of the conversation between his dazes, zoning in and out. There had been a long exchange about furniture, and now General What's-Her-Face was expressing her concern about increasing conflict with Russia, whose government was probably miffed about an unexpected US operation on their soil. There was also the more immediate concern: Paradigm coming in to retake the facility. But Rose thought briefly that this might be a better fate for him, snuffed out by a bullet instead of the slow burn of radiation. But what about Alpha? What would happen to him?

Then there was Gamma. These two were his sole reason for pushing on: ensuring Alpha's safety was the most immediate concern, but finding Gamma was a close second.

“We could use a decommissioned reactor," Dr. Sampson was saying—Tanya, as she'd insisted. “Or a prototype. Mmm… No, maybe not. We don't want to put him in a potentially damaged reactor, nor an untested—Oh!"

Her ears perked.

“An SMR!" she said. “Yes, that's perfect! A Small Modular Reactor; they're designed to be quickly assembled and easily transportable. We can put him in one, so that if Paradigm ever manages to locate us, we can be on the move."

“How soon can you get ahold of one?" the General asked, actually sounding slightly impressed.

“Just give me a phone call," Tanya said.

“Make it now," the cheetah said, gesturing toward the door.

“Uhh, I—" Rose began awkwardly. Tanya stopped, half out of her chair. They all looked at him. “I… should also note that Alpha has a suit. For transport. But it's likely only built for quick transit."

“Noted," the General said. She gave a brief nod to Tanya, who nodded back and made for the door, whipping out her phone.

But before she got there, the door flew open, almost hitting her in the face, and a young red fox guy ran in, clutching a thick cylindrical device.

“We found a… a cure…" he wheezed, “...for the… the radiation!"

Rose's heart jumped and he lifted an inch out of his seat.

“What?" Tanya gasped.

“It's a nanite injector," the fox huffed, holding out the cylinder. “Designed to rewrite and repair DNA!"

“Fucking nanites!" the caracal engineer laughed. “They can do anything!"

Rose's head spun, caught between excitement and disbelief. He knew nanomachines could help enhance MRI scans, aid in diagnosis or even treatment of various conditions. He'd recently looked into using them in genetic engineering, growing tissue samples for artificial organs, but using them to repair broken strands of DNA? Paradigm's technology was consistently awe-inspiring. This was the benefit of experimentation without morals or limits—and even as he felt a twist in his gut at the thought of how they might have developed this technology, he couldn't help but admire it.

“But there's only one injector," the fox sighed. “We found it in the rubble, and we tried to look for others… I'm sorry."

He looked crestfallen, but Tanya offered a gentle smile.

“Thank you," she said. The General, firm as ever, dismissed the vulpine researcher. Tanya set the device down on the table and it rolled toward the edge. She grabbed it and it settled.

“How long would it take to reverse engineer?" she asked the caracal, and Rose's heart skipped as she glanced at him. He would be the one in charge of doing this, naturally.

“I don't know," the caracal said, throwing up his hands. “Maybe a month, maybe a year, a decade. We might never understand it."

The General glanced at him again and he nodded silently, defeat settling in his heart again. She had the look of someone who had made this decision before: the choice between sparing one life or sacrificing for the greater good.

“Well," she sighed, leaning against the table. “Get to it, then. A cure for radiation exposure is too important to lose."

“Yes, General," Tanya said quietly, nodding with him, Rose closing his eyes in what he hoped was perceived as solemn agreement and not holding back tears.

“Get Alpha into his suit, ASAP," she said. “We're moving out."