Dr. Zhen /// Private Notes
Entry 122-120
[Dated: One Week Ago]

Every day I grow increasingly concerned about the work that we’re doing at this facility. This island has become Dr. Hastings’ personal playground and Dr. Kalei refuses to rein her in. A few of us have stepped forward to voice our opinions, but Kalei remains insistent that Hastings is on to something revolutionary. I don’t see it, and I’m not the only one. Nessa feels the same, as do a growing number of scientists.

I don’t trust Dr. Hastings. She may very well be the genius that Dr. Kalei believes her to be, but her efforts on Volkan Island are not for the greater good. I honestly have no idea what her true intentions are, but it’s become clear to me that the woman has no moral compass. She lacks even a base compassion for people; she’s so utterly devoted and consumed by her work that she’s lost sight of why we’re all here. These experiments of hers are bordering on the inhumane. She claims that this will save marine life, but this constant testing has become gruesome to the point where I feel as though I’m working in some kind of horrific Grand Guignol.

Having been on this island for so long, everyone gets to know one another fairly well, but Dr. Hastings has consistently kept a distance. The few times I have spoken with her on a more casual level, the conversations were terse and her icy demeanor always at the forefront. She is socially remote, with a lack of personality only comparable to an android.

I’ve witnessed Dr. Hastings show some semblance of emotion on just two occasions—both times when she became disheartened after the termination of Subject 35 and 36. It was during those events when I discovered the only thing that truly appears human about her—a single nervous tic. She puts on generous amounts of lipstick when she becomes anxious or agitated. I never see her wear it otherwise.

Needless to say, Nex Coast’s original focus—the AquaNanite—has taken a back seat as Dr. Kalei caters to Hastings’ every whim and innumerable flights of fancy. Had we devoted as much time to the AquaNanite, which would effectively use nanomachines to “eat” the pollution from our oceans—while remaining harmless to both human and marine life—we may have already had something to show for all our efforts. Instead, the facility is filled with Hastings’ abominations…and this madness shows no signs of stopping. How long until this place becomes a charnel house is anyone’s guess.

–Tania Zhen

Danger Zone One. Story by Midnight. Art by Salaiix.