Maille's main concern, after rescuing me from my date with the dumpster, was to keep me out of Howard's sight.
Apparently, he hadn't been as sneaky as he thought he was being. She'd noticed that the Robo Russians were suddenly dying off. Noticed that Howard was in charge of testing those particular sets of hamsters. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. Especially when you could hear Howard's cries of pain whenever he got bitten by one of us. Well, me, I don't know if the others bit him.
Maille had been rather helpless in doing anything though. She'd been assigned to a different department soon after my disappearance.

Again, my personality worked against me. Howard had complained all that day that I had just 'up and quit' on him, without any notice.
Ha. I wish I could have quit.
Of course no one questioned him. He was the boss. Me, I was the annoying newbie.

But Maille. She'd noticed. Been suspicious.
Like I said earlier, she can read people.
She knew that I wouldn't just up and quit.
Knew that Howard wasn't acting quite like his normal self.

Of course his relationship with the animals had always been a bit strained. So that wasn't out of the ordinary. She wouldn't have suspected that I was actually a hamster. I didn't even suspect that was even possible, myself.

In any case. She knew Howard well enough to know he didn't like the Robo Russians. Knew that if she went to him and told him that one of the hamsters had survived, that I still wouldn't live. He had made his dislike of them well known, and she'd noticed that if any of them got sick...they didn't get better. Even with all the medications and the best care. They still died.

Unfortunately for her, Howard had access to every area of the lab. So, if she had stuck me in the sick room, he would have found me eventually.

There's a bit of a figher in her. She wanted a Russian to survive. And since I'd already been written off as dead. She didn't have to return me to the lab if I got better. Clever girl. She saved me from more experiments. Plus, she really didn't like Howard.

Maille did the only thing she could for me in that moment. She grabbed a paper towel, and swaddled me into a little bundle. Obviously, being as weak as I was, I accepted the odd treatment like a lamb. Instinctively trusting her.
Then, she put me in the only place she could with Howard lurking about. The pocket of her lab coat.


Martin Elek