Genis's eyes took in everything as they walked. The colorless walls, the guard, the lines of cells. Genis didn't think he would ever miss the sound of silence so much when he heard the prisoners crying. His heart ached to turn to Mithos and ask him to stop all this; it didn't need to be like this. Whether they were looking at him or not, he felt their eyes on him as he stared at their feet. There were so many of them. Some bony and thin as the prisoners at the ranch, most still whole and healthy.

But they were all alive. They all could have a life outside of here.

His face had grown nearly as ashen as the walls when he looked to Mithos again. If Mithos picked, he somehow felt he would be crueler. It was something about the sound of his voice—but there was no merciful way to sentence someone to experimentation.

Instead, he quickly shook his head. "No. No," Genis repeated, cutting himself off before he could say any more. He hated this. He hated this side of Mithos. "I... How are they chosen for compatibility?" he asked, not entirely to stall.