I wanted to agree, I did agree, but all I could see was a thousand bucks. “Well, that’s the chance I’m gonna have to take,” I said. “It has nothing to do with you. Besides, I’ve dealt with weirder shit before. Don’t worry.”

The ghoul turned back to the window. “You’ve never had your soul taken from you, have you, Cal?” he asked, and that was all he said for the rest of the evening.

The day arrived as most do with me: late and in a pool of vomit. I’d passed out at my desk the night before after being thrown out of a few bars, kicked around by some cops and generally harassed by the planet. I felt like shit and was in no mood to deal with those science geeks, let alone their lame-o experiment.

I wiped the vomit off my desk and was surprised to see I’d had a pretty decent dinner. Looked like steak. Too bad I couldn’t remember.

I took a big swig as I glanced at the clock. It was almost five. I had an hour to get my shit together and get over there. I didn’t have time to waste so I took the bottle with me and got into the shower. I killed the bottle, washed, hocked up some bile, and before I knew it I felt like I might not kill somebody.

Mo’Lock was waiting for me outside the house. I had gotten the idea that he wasn’t tagging along so I figured he was just gonna give me a hard time. “Hey, gruesome, you coming?”

He nodded. “What else have I got to do,” he said. “Besides, knowing you, there’s bound to be trouble.”

I laughed. “Let’s hope you’re wrong,” I said as I got into my car.

We pulled up in front of a big gray warehouse just as the sun set. I got out and lit a smoke, surveying the big building hidden in the shadow of some other abandoned houses. The warehouse was half stone and half steel. The kind they use for airport hangars and army barracks. Very dull, very cold, and so plain I doubted I would have ever seen it if I hadn’t been looking for it.

There was a single door stuck on its front like a pig snout. No windows, just a few vent ribbings above the doorway where the stone turned to steel. Next to the door there was an unmarked buzzer button. I pressed it as Mo’Lock came up behind me.

I turned to him. “Look, about the other night,” I said.

Mo’Lock shook his head. “Do not worry about it. Let’s just get this over with.”

I was about to tell him again that I doubted the experiment would even work when the door opened and there peeking around the corner was Ponytail. He was wearing a lab coat.