49. The Moha Lab

        Luckily for Zara, the wait in the Moha Lab wasn't too long, Soon enough, a slim, good looking aribu dressed in a white lab coat emerged from the hall to greet them. 

        Eden knew him already. "Hello Adon, how nice to see you again."
         "Hello Eden" he greeted before turning to Zara. "And you must be Zara?" He smiled, warmly.
         "Yes." She stood up immediately.
         "My name is Adon, I will be your Lab Technician today." He gestured to the hall beyond the reception. "Why don't you come with me?"

         Adon seemed smart, genuinely kind which eased Zara's nerves, somewhat.
         "I'll pick you up later, Sugar Cheeks" Eden assured as he led her down the hall.

         The hall zig-zagged into a narrow stairwell which took them down to a basement level, complete with a big red line on the floor. They followed the red line to a secondary reception area, a much bigger reception centered in a hub of hallways. She scanned the premises with growing unease as he signed her in, it was huge establishment. The Moha Lab was nothing like she imagined it to be, nothing like Dena had described. It was cold, it had an eerie and dark atmosphere, giving her the urge to run away. She glanced the other way but there was just more of the same, it wasn't a happy place and smelled awful. Her heart sank, it certainly wasn't going to be a fun trip to Atlan.

         "Come this way" Adon coaxed her on, strangely content with his dull surroundings. He led her farther along the red line, down a long corridor dotted with curtained windows and closed doors, there was nothing much to see or hear. She followed him into an office where to her great surprise, the captivating chartreuse eyes from the portrait had come to life! Dr Seton was awaiting her arrival!

         "Zara, I would like you to meet Doctor Seton, god of Medication, and Malodon, god of Transformation."

         Zara couldn't believe her eyes, Doctor Seton and Doctor Malodon? Together in real life? She was inadequately dressed!!! Terrified, she raised her hand in salute, flattered, yet frightened to have been given their special attention. Why her?

         "Have a seat" Seton gestured to the chair. "Thank you for coming to see us, You're probably wondering why we would be so interested in you?"
         "Yes" Zara nodded, blushing.
         "Well, sometimes the aribu don't realize how special they are because there are so many of them." Zara was all ears. "After running some preliminary tests, your Product demonstrated an unusually high grade, both you and the donor have very clean bloodlines. We think it will be highly intelligent, just like you are."

         Highly intelligent? Zara felt her palms sweat, this was good news, perhaps this meant she would be paid a lot for it?
         "You stand to profit heavily from your Product. Because of his excellent potential, his development is of great importance to us. It is in our best interest to ensure he receives the most premium care we can afford."

         Zara felt relief wash all over her. Premium care? It sounded enticing, perhaps it meant an upgrade from these cold surroundings.
         "We'd like to do some non-invasive tests" Malodon explained. "Just to assess his potential so we can get him off to a solid start."

         Him? Zara nodded silently in spite of her questions, it sounded a bit too good to be true, after all that she had been through it almost broke the dam.

         Adon handed her a tablet and tool. "Sign here" he pointed to the box.

         "Why?" Zara stared at the tablet, the writing was so small she could hardly read it, it would take half an hour.

         "We need you to sign the contract" Seton explained.
         Zara stared at the tablet, she didn't understand the code... "What am I signing for?"
         "It's just a release form" Adon explained. "It will ensure that the proceeds of your Product are properly assigned and distributed to you once you graduate from your program."

         Relieved that Fina U was still on the agenda, Zara marked her initials into the soft clay and handed it back to Adon.

         "Excellent" Seton stood up. "Adon, why don't you take her into the exam room?"

         Adon led Zara into an adjoining lab with a strange looking chair. He sat her down, then rolled a large cylindrical machine into the room. It was a scary looking apparatus with hoses and nozzles attached.

         "Don't worry" Seton assured as he entered the room, Malodon in tow. "It's scary looking but harmless." He sat down on a rolling stool and reached for one of the hoses, a mask was attached to the end.

         "I'm going to give you a small amount of calming gas to relax the fetus. We're going to test his reflexes with some gentle stimulation, it's just a preliminary test before we try anything invasive. Strong reflexes are an indicator of strong physical health. You may not feel anything, perhaps a little sleepy." He handed her the mask, smiling.

         Zara tried to avoid looking into his eyes but again she couldn't help it, it was even harder to dodge them in real life, under the examination lights they were soooo chartreuse…

         "Go ahead" he encouraged. "Inhale."

         Affirmations were designed for times like this… The Doctor's sincerity was comforting, he seemed so sincere… Almost familiar… As if somehow his face was embedded in her memory from somewhere long ago…

         Zara closed her eyes, reminding herself to be brave, placing the mask over her face and took a deep breath.

         It wasn't long before Dion's Salon became one of Nolan's regular hang outs. He sat in the chair while Mel trimmed his hair, she knew how to trim it in such a way that it looked like she hadn't trimmed it at all, it just looked better, smelled better and felt better after she had worked her magic. He liked Mel, a lot. Mel was the only real female friend he had in Atlan since he never got to know any of the goddesses at the clubs. She was easy to talk to, she was a good listener and she was interested in his life at Merchant U. 

He told her about his important meeting, unable to keep the excitement to himself.
         "I have to look my best" he explained, revealing his optimism. "This is my big break, I can feel it."
         Mel smiled as she feathered his ends, she loved to hear the success stories unfold from her clients, Nolan was no exception. "Can I suggest a rinse to suit the New You?" She offered him a color selection chart.
         "A rinse?" Nolan took the chart and studied the hair samples, he had never even considered such a thing. He glanced at himself in the mirror, pondering the idea, watching Mel work, realizing now how important she was to him. She was a real ally, someone who would always root for him. Her success was directly influenced by his success... He studied the chart a moment longer and pointed to a rich auburn. "This one" he smiled.