[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/KFht5DO.jpg?1[/img]

[color=red][h1]MON Safehouse[/h1][/color][/center]

[color=red]Kyosuke ignored Ryūko and Mao's jokes and stared at Misa as she flittered away, subconsciously shrinking back a few inches like a cornered animal. It was like he thought. He wasn't welcome here. 

The venom with which she'd said the word "human" filled his heart with dread, and a rising anxiety began to take hold. It was true that he'd had similar thoughts himself, unknowingly placing himself and MON in different categories. "Human" and "extraspecies". "Man"... and "monster". He would admit that. He wasn't so conceited as to think that deep down he wasn't the least bit prejudiced. 

But wasn't that just simple logic? In fact, it was biology! Extraspecies shared many traits in common with humans. In fact they were more closely related to humans genetically than apes, despite their bizarre morphology. It could easily be said that the difference between humans and extraspecies was like the difference between humans and [i]Homo erectus[/i]. But a 1% difference meant a world of change in genomic chemistry. Humans and extraspecies were [i]different species[/i]. Related, yes, but... 

[b][i]But they're still not human,[/i][/b] the fearful voice in the back of his head said. [b][i]And they think it too. They're only just pretending they don't. That to them you're nothing more than[/i] a filthy human.[/b]

[i]No, you're wrong! They... they're good people![/i]

[b][i]Are they? You heard it from them directly. They all joined MON after getting picked up for[/i] breaking the law.[/b]

He screwed his eyes shut as he mentally debated with himself, all the while retreating further and further inward as his outer self tried its best to look non-threatening and disappear entirely. He wanted to leave. He wanted to run away from all this. But there was nowhere he could go. 

The phone rang, breaking Kyosuke out of his trance. It immediately went to speaker. 

"Ya ho! Smith here, everybody!" The coordinator's voice rang loud and clear. "We've finished packing our scaly friends into their new prison cells, so I want you girls to come on down to the detention center and help us question him and his cronies. I'll meet you there in an hour, okayyyy? Oh, and you better be treating Kyo-chan nicely! That goes for you too, Misa-chan! Alright, toodles!"

Kyosuke felt a cold shiver run up his spine. Smith wanted him to go back and [i]talk[/i] to those guys? The ones who had tried to [i]kill[/i] him just a few hours ago?[/color]