Rebecca woke up, refreshed, and lying down in some sort of liquid. She was in a tank. The fluid was thick and viscous, and she floated in it, lips nearly touching the glass ceiling. In a panic, she pounded her fist against it, twisting her body. A scream escaped her lips as white-hot agony arced up her back. Her memory came back to her. She had been whipped, like an animal. All animals, in a mine. Sobs escaped her, and she tried to stop them, for every time her chest heaved, and a streak of pain lanced up her shoulder and around her neck.

"Calm down!" A dolphin popped its head over the tank, and it opened with a hydraulic hiss. The strange sight was enough to make Rebecca stop. Cool air rushed in, and she took a breath.

"Bup bup bup! Don't get up!" It commanded in a peculiar chitter.

"Where am I? Who are you? What the hell is going on?!?!"

"Shhh... You're in the infirmary. I'm the Doctor here, and I'm healing you. Do you understand?" He spoke slowly, like she would have difficulty understanding.

"Yes, yes I do. Why and how can you speak? It isn't... normal." She felt coolness on her back. Apparently, the strange liquid was healing her back.

"You're not normal. What's twelve into twelve plus twelve?" He peered at her curiously, black eyes glistening.

"144, plus twelve, which is 156. Why?" She was tempted to punch it in the snout, but then refrained. It was wondering why she wasn't like the other humans. "Oh."

"Yes... you show above average intelligence." The dolphin swivelled, and pressed a button. Liquid began draining out of the tank. Curious, Rebecca began inspecting her surroundings. She was in a clean, sterile room. The walls were white, and the sole furniture was the tank, a chair, and a cupboard of medicines.

"What is this stuff?" Her fingers scraped along the bottom of the tank, where there was only a thin layer of liquid left. The tank gurgled once more, and then it was empty.

"Nanogenes. It works pretty quickly."

"So we can get back to work ASAP?" Her tone was bitter, and she felt sick. "I'm new here, can you explain to me what the Hell is going on?"

He glanced around furtively and then said "Can you help me find the Terraform?"

"Wait, what?" She peered at the dolphin. He looked normal enough – a bottlenose, presumably.

"It's the Iguana's most prized possession. Sit up. Carefully" he glared, and then she followed his instructions, wincing.

"Iguanas? You'll have to forgive me, I'm new here." Rebecca looked down at her bare body. She couldn't see the mark, but she could feel it. Her entire back was sore, and she could barely move. The liquid had soothed the pain, but now it hurt again. She tried to stay as still as possible, while the dolphin doctor fetched something from the cupboard.

"Ah, of course. Visitor to our planet, huh? Perhaps a wedding goer?" He straightened, and ripped open a few packages with his teeth. Rebecca held out her hand, and he placed the packet in it with a sigh.

"Not having opposable thumbs is highly difficult sometimes. Normally, I have a lab assistant, but... Regardless, I shall explain. Bend over, it'll hurt, but the bandages have pain reliefs."

Rebecca nodded, and hunched, placing her forehead on her knees. It was awkward. Being treated by a dolphin doctor while in her undies was definitely a new one. She hissed as her skin stretched, and the dolphin laid a smooth flipper on her back. He began placing the bandages gently, then he lifted her back gently, and wound it around her neck.

"W-where did it strike?" her voice trembled.

"All up your back, across your collarbones, ending near your ear." The dolphin spoke with pity in his voice. This was not the first patient he had gotten. Sometimes, it was worse. Sometimes, they'd be covered with lashes. Sometimes, the liquid in the tank would turn red faster than he could heal. And their eyes. Eyes which held broken souls and pained memories. He shook the images from his mind and returned to his job, fastening the dressing with tape.

"Will it heal?" Rebecca knew it was superficial, but she didn't care. A life in which she'd be reminded of the pain every time she looked in the mirror was not one she wanted. It was unbearable, and she avoided dwelling on it. She asked questions, came up with plans in her head. Anything to forget the knives which drove into her body.

"Mostly – just a thin red line. The painkillers will kick in now. And I'll try to explain everything that I know. And my plans" He sat back in the chair, lower half submerged in the tank. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable of positions.

Rebecca exhaled softly in relief as her back was numbed into a dull ache. "I'm very curious to hear it. Can I have some clothes, or something?"

"Yes, yes of course. I apologize. Just a minute" he retreated into a closet which Rebecca had not noticed, and came back with clothes.

"I'll start with how we got here. The mer-cows are currently ruling the seas. And-"

"The vanadium. Weapons. They're planning to conquer the land" Realization dawned on Rebecca as she donned the standard-issue black linen pants.

"Well, yes. You catch on fast; I'm not really used to that. Nobody knows what's really going on down here. In the sea, there are four beings sentient enough to build communities. It's a strange mix. There are the dolphins, the humans, the iguanas, and the mer-cows. The oceans are extremely shallow, and underneath the stone floors are giant oxygen pockets. Nobody quite knows where they come from, or how they're replenished. Anyways, the iguanas and humans lived there, until the mer-cows began conquering through brute force. The humans and iguanas are used for mining. That is, until the iguana scales were discovered to have use in cosmetics. And thus the trafficking industry began."

"W...Where are they?" Rebecca felt sick to her stomach.

"All... exported. And us dolphins" tears began to leak from his dark eyes "They enslaved us for skilled labour. And now nobody knows what those brutes are really planning." He gently pulled the shirt over her shoulders, and she buttoned the front. The bandage wound across her right shoulder, curling upwards towards her left ear. The white stood stark against her dark skin and black clothes,

"Oh gosh, I'm so, so sorry. I'm going to do everything I can to stop them. I really vow to. We need to gather information about their military plans, and contact my friend. We cut them off before they can strike, contact the Shadow Proclamation and free every single creature those beasts have captured. But first, I need to know something important."

"Sounds like a plan. And I have figured out how to escape as well. We need to come back and free everyone. And what is this important thing?"

"What's your name?"

"Carl Grey."

"Rebecca Smith. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"It's my pleasure."