"I don't think they knew, no. The shuttle crashed, and I was hurt — ended up in medical recovery, which led to the whole lab rat thing." A little smile. "It was all very convenient for them."

A nod at that; he understands — "I still don't even know how to gauge what's real here, or not. Monsters, ghosts, mutated wildlife...." A soft scoff.

"Those are wise words... That's how I managed to stay alive as long as I did in the facility, probably. Letting them think I was oblivious." He smiles. "A friend of yours?"