Mark was taken to a small examination room. He had been locked to a chair, and was waiting for someone, anyone, to explain what was going on. After an eternity, one of the suited men came into the room.
Mark nervously watched as he collected a large number of needles and vials and placed them on a table. Then he approached him. Mark shook in his restraints, imagining many terrifying ways that he could suffer at the hands of this person, but then,
"Shhh, I can't take this anymore. I was so excited to join this project, but when I found out.."
The voice sounded more like a woman's than a man's.
"I just, no. All of it, it's not right, it has to stop."
The figure's hands rose to the mask and pressed two black buttons on the sides. The dark visor over her face lifted, revealing her anguished face. She looked much more upset than Mark. Hoping that she would help him, Mark spoke.
"What's going on?"
"That man, Dr. Gatrop, he is insane. This is wonderful technology, wonderful research, but he twisted all of it! Kidnapping? Forced experimentation? Why? He doesn't want to go through things the right way, he just wants his results and his sick fun!"
The woman put her hand to her face, trying to cover up her tearing eyes. After a minute she continued.
"I'm not a part of this anymore. I've washed my hands, done!"
She walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a large bag, then scooped all of the needles and vials and threw them in.
"I am going to disable your 'security devices' so that you can take this man and his insanity down."
She tossed the bag onto a chair across the room, then brought a couple of books down from a shelf on the wall.
"I'm not authorized to do anything with them, so it will take me some time to get it done without being caught, but once you are free, you can fix everything."
The woman turned around and finally showed a hint of happiness. Mark was uncertain about becoming some kind of hero, but the default option was none too attractive itself.
"Yes, please, I don't want to do this." Mark stopped for a second, realizing something. "Do you know where my body is?"
The woman walked up to him.
"That I'm not sure about, and I don't just mean location. My job was to help develop and evaluate the artificial bodies. I don't know how people were transferred from their old bodies to the artificial ones, and I don't know what happened to the old bodies. But if we get out of Gatrop's grip, we can find out."
Mark was now much less confident. If he rebelled, his body could end up destroyed, leaving him stranded as this girl he had been forced to become. He looked at the woman with worried eyes.
"How can I be sure my body will be alright?"