"Designate a handler."
Derek was conscious of his own breathing.
"What's your ID, mate?"
Derek took a deep breath and felt his composure return.
"1188571."
"Assign Henrietta to 1188571."
Long tubes of solid metal slid apart like pieces of a puzzle, unlocking the vault in front of them.
The man winked at Derek and patted him on the back. 'Good luck', he seemed to say.
It would be Derek's first time seeing his partner. He had an idea what to expect, but was anxious nonetheless.
Derek walked through the opened entrance. He was met with a containment cell. Henrietta's small silhouette pressed against the white walls. Plushy toys lay on a polka dot bed behind her. She was in a room indistinguishable from a little girl's, except that it was made of steel. Derek drew closer to the window. Henrietta raised her head and looked back at his stare. Giddiness drew over her, and she smiled without restraint. She ran over to him, the soft steps of her feet resounding shortly on the metal floor. Standing on her tip toes, half her head reached just over the bottom of the window. Henrietta's small hands pressed against the glass, reaching, it seemed, for Derek.
To be certain, Henrietta's love was engineered: it was, so to say, a fake love. But, Derek thought, idly watching her, it was no less distinguishable from the real thing.
