Mirror Lady

What had Dane gotten himself into? After the ominous ultimatum given to him by Dr. Vega, he made the half-hearted decision to follow her into the dark lower floors of the C.I.R.S. building. It wasn't a decision he was proud of, being so naive, but it was much too late to turn back. 

The basement was dimly lit and smelled of moisture. It was filled with enclosures, these with creatures much stranger than the ones above. Dane wasn't even sure if he could call them Iotils anymore. "As you know, Iotils are inanimate objects that have come to life and gained sentience" Dr. Vega began, not giving Dane the proper time to digest what he was seeing. He didn't even have time to confirm if they had just walked past a dragon or not when Dr. Vega continued, "This happens because these objects form what is called a 'life core', how or why they do this is still unknown to us."

"Life core?" Dane thought, he had heard that word thrown around before but no one ever elaborated on it.

"This is why we exist. Our goal is to research and capture Iotils that prove dangerous for the public, this in turn helps us understand them better though we haven't made much progress as of now." It seemed a little cruel to Dane to lock up sentient creatures just because they were a little dangerous but they didn't seem to be suffering, also he was like 90% sure the dragon he had walked past could and would eat him given the chance.

"If that's true then why have I never heard of this before?" he inquired, his curiosity slowly overtaking the fear he held

"But you have, you simply weren't paying attention. I'm willing to bet a small fortune that you've heard our name whispered after a strange event or a 'natural phenomenon' as we often frame them."

"What does that have to do with me then?" Dane gathered the courage to continue.

Dr. Vega smiled before answering. "This has alot to do with you. You and two other 'willing' individuals will form a new branch of the C.I.R.S. I've been planning on instituting for a while now." Dane's chest tightened, half expecting her to say something along the lines of "The C.I.R.S. Human Shield Department". His heart calmed slightly as he heard her answer. "We need a field team, people who can investigate areas of interest without arousing suspicion. People who can pass off as citizens while gathering valuable information. Who better to do the job then— "

"Actual citizens." Dane completed.

Dane threw his hands up. "Okay, hang on. This is moving way too fast. Life cores, dangerous Iotils, some secret organization I'm apparently now part of—I need a minute to process. I mean, yeah, Iotils are weird, but Chip, for example, an Iotil I live with, doesn't exactly scream 'containment breach waiting to happen.'"

Dr. Vega's lips twitched in a faint smile, but Dane wasn't finished. He gestured toward the enclosures they'd passed. "And what's with the dragon? Since when do Iotils turn into that?"

Dr. Vega clasped her hands behind her back, taking a step closer to him. "They don't evolve, if that's what you're thinking. Iotils almost never change from the form they had when they first gained sentience. But some—like the dragon—are different."

"Different how?" Dane asked.

"Different because of the size of their life core," she explained. "We don't fully understand why, but larger life cores sometimes result in Iotils that... deviate from their original form. The dragon you saw? It started as a safety cone."

Dane blinked. "A safety cone?"

Dr. Vega nodded. "Orange, reflective stripes, the works. But its life core is exponentially larger than most. The same applies to others, like the Banana Knight in the next enclosure or the chicken candles."

"Chicken candles?" Dane repeated, his voice rising an octave.

She gestured to a nearby enclosure, where three waxy chickens strutted around. Each had a small, flickering flame perched on its head, like a bizarre living candelabra.

"Those," Dr. Vega continued, "used to be ordinary decorative candles. Now they cluck, walk, and occasionally molt wax feathers. All of these cases share the same anomaly—a disproportionately large life core—but we haven't figured out why it happens or how to predict it."

Dane stared at the chicken candles, then back at the dragon. His brain felt like it was doing backflips. "So you're telling me that any random object could gain sentience, and if its life core is big enough, it might just turn into… whatever that is?"

"Essentially," Dr. Vega replied, her tone far too casual for Dane's comfort. "That's why C.I.R.S. exists. We study these anomalies to keep people safe—and hopefully uncover answers in the process."

Dane understood the situation a little better and this awoke something in him, something he hadn't felt in a while. If any inanimate object could turn into those things, then how many people were unknowingly at risk? How many families were living beside danger without even realizing it? That put his parents at risk. It had been a few years since Dane had talked to his parents but he still had much love for them. He tightened his fists, a strange sense of duty hardening his resolve. If he could do something—anything—to help understand Iotils and protect people, then he had to.

He turned to Dr. Vega, his voice steady for the first time that day. "When do I start?"