The view through the glass wall was agonizingly peaceful. Warm-toned lighting softly colored the walls and floor, and nothing sat on the bedside table except for a small succulent. There was a bathroom and shower booth on one side, and a small surveillance camera was mounted on the ceiling. It was a spacious and comfortable area. At least, it was to the humans who designed this place. They seemed to think that installing heating in a prison makes it a hotel.

I was huddling in the corner of the bed, hugging my knees. The sight of my long limbs folded as I curled up made me look small, contrasting with my large frame. My dark brown eyes were turned toward the glass wall, but there was no sign of expectation in that gaze.

A humming sound came from the vent. It was a noise that kept me from sleeping all night. On Mars, it was natural to sleep many times for short durations, but here, even that brief sleep was rarely permitted. When I closed my eyes, the mechanical hum pierced my ears, and just as I finally drifted off, they would shake me awake for an experiment. The humans formulated questions, and my body broke down to provide the answers.

The warm food I used to buy on the way home from work, the poetry books on the old shelf, the starlight that poured through the window at night. I had no family or siblings, but there was a life of my own there. Working at the factory, saving money, and occasionally falling asleep while re-reading a favorite sentence over and over—ordinary days. Back then, I believed tomorrow would be much like today. I only realized how much of a luxury that belief was after being dragged to Earth.

Through the door of the room beyond the glass wall, a young man in a lab coat was entering, unlike the researchers in hazmat suits. He had half-parted black hair, a face fairer than the other Earthlings I'd seen, and a large box in both hands. Unfamiliar footsteps drew closer.

I raised my head. An Earthling I'd never seen before. I had seen countless faces since coming here, but one more stranger wouldn't change anything. He hugged his knees again. Without wariness or expectation, he simply watched silently as the Earthling beyond the glass wall approached the desk in front of him.