[@WhiteAngel25] [@Estylwen]

[color=gray][h1]The musée du Louvre[/h1]
[h2]The Louvre Museum[/h2]
[h3]Paris, France[/h3][/color]

Fatigue was forming in his sinuses as he sat there staring at his fluorescent screen. His Word Document sat opened, but empty. It'd been a long day, made even longer by his spouse [i]yet again[/i]. A single hand rubbed over his face, before the other joined in. He examined his empty coffee mug, heavily annoyed, but without disbelief. It seemed as though there wasn't enough coffee in the world, let alone time. Thierry sat back in his office chair and sighed, [b]"Dammit, [i]Nicholas[/i]."[/b]

It wasn't unusual for extra paperwork during one of Nick's runs by any means. It was always [i]more [/i]shocking if there was a lack of extra paper trails. However, this was different. It was a bit more personal than usual, now that his spouse had managed to get captured by HiveMind. Not in a dead end job kind of way, but very literally behind lock and key. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. It was all he and several other administrative assistants could do to keep the peace between the biggest scientific and archeological societies. But it'd already been [i]months [/i]since Nick had gone down to a [i]supposed [/i]underwater cave. None of it sniffed right then and it turned out exactly as bad as he'd imagined it.

[b]"[i]Idiot[/i]."[/b] Thierry scoffed. Once in French at Mr. Cress, who was failing to respond to his emails in a timely manner, and another in English directed towards Nick... for being well ...[i]an idiot[/i].

Thierry closed the empty document and pushed a button on his phone and hoped his secretary was in a better mood this morning than he was, "Yes?"

[b]"Lucille, please cancel my 9 o'clock. I'm exhausted."[/b] Thierry sighed heavily.

[b]"Oh my gosh, Thierry!"[/b] Rang Lucy's voice over the phone's speaker, [b]"You stayed here all night, didn't you? I keep telling you..."[/b]

[b]"Don't you dare start with me Lucy! I'm in no mood."[/b] Thierry rested his head in his folded arms on a pile of unfinished paperwork.

Lucy chimed in, [b]"But you've [i]been [/i] a mood, I'm only worried!"[/b]

[b]"And that's my problem."[/b] Thierry's voice was muffled as he spoke making it hard for his English secretary to understand him, [b]"Stop wasting energy worrying. I can worry enough for the both of us. Use that energy to solve world hunger by getting me another coffee."[/b]

[b]"[i]Sir[/i], you know damn well I don't speak French!"[/b] The bodiless woman stated with a joking tone, [b]"I'll get you anther coffee."[/b]

[b]"And maybe when you're done with those peace talks between..."[/b] He paused, [b]"[i]Whoever the hell it is at the moment[/i], I'll let you do [i]harder [/i]tasks."[/b] Thierry pulled himself upright as Lucy entered his office.

[b]"Like what, Sir?"[/b] Lucy laughed setting a fresh cup of coffee on a newly discovered coaster.

[b]"Pick up [i]my dry cleaning[/i]." [/b]

[b]"That.."[/b] Lucy paused holding back a giggle, [b]"Sounds incredibly [i]difficult [/i]Sir."[/b]

Just as Thierry was about to remark that it wasn't so much the pricing, but rather all the missing clothes, the phone rang. The red buttons flashed indicating that it was a call coming from outside of The Louvre. He instantly grabbed to pick up the phone, leaving Lucy to hurry herself out of his office. He was hoping it was Mr. Cress, with some new information on exactly what HiveMind wanted in return for Nick's... [i]his spouse's[/i] ...personal safety.

It was indeed Mr. Cress, but the elder man sounded hushed, almost defeated as he spoke, [b]"I'm so sorry, Thierry. But my hands are tied. I gave the HiveMind assistant your office number as well as personal. I didn't think you'd mind. The Louvre wants Bergman safe just as much as you do, but HiveMind hasn't budged on monetary payment alone. They seem to want more. This new dark energy. They're absolutely obsessed with it. They even went as far as killing off some of The World's Museum's scientists. They seem to think we're exploring it as well, despite no proof. You know just as well as I do, that our interests lie in the [i]past[/i], not the future."[/b]

[b]"Is there anything at all.."[/b] Thierry felt overwhelmed by all of this information, but sipped calmly on his coffee regardless.

Cress hesitated a moment before adding, [b]"I can tell you something I didn't tell Madame Findley. They even targeted [i]them[/i]." [/b]

[b]"What kind of balls does one have to have to attack [i]them[/i]?"[/b]

[b]"Brass ones, my boy!"[/b] The old man chuckled through the phone. [b]"They think they've got us all cornered in the market!"[/b]

[b]"I'll call you back once I've learned anything."[/b] Thierry now sounded defeated as well.

[b]"Of course, Monsieur..."[/b]

And that was that. Thierry hung up the phone. Placing it down carefully despite his current oncoming desire to strangle someone. He'd just have to sit there all day and wait for a phone call of some sort from HiveMind, before life could continue as scheduled. Hopefully it would be sooner rather than later.

[color=gray]_________________________________________________________


[h1]Nicholas James Claude Bergman[/h1]
[h2]HiveMind Captive[/h2][/color]

Blinding bright light made him close his eyes again. Good [i]God [/i]it was bright! So very bright. There was a throb to his right temple as well. With an extra attempt, there were no recent memories. Nothing at all. He was spacey, loopy, or more appropriately, [i]redacted[/i]. He was stiff and incredibly cold. Then he noticed the beeping. Like a steady pulse. Beep, beep, beep. God it was annoying. 

He opened his eyes again with a squint. Tried to turn his head to see his surroundings, but the breathing tube that was down his throat, and other restraints hindered his movement.


[b]"Good morning, Subject #004. I thought I lost you there for a minute!"[/b] A man with a medical mask blocked out the light, thankfully, but #4 only stared up. Incapacitated.

It might just as well had been some sort of cruel fate, but #4 wouldn't understand in his current position. The man seemed to be prodding at something above him, [b]"Huh."[/b]

The beeping went from steady to intense then back again, as #4 could feel prodding. The man placed his pen-sized rod down and looked to #4, [b]"You know, I've always wanted to go to The Temple of Karnak!"[/b] The doctor spoke rather enthusiastically, but #4 had no idea what any of it meant.

Then some extra prods made him encounter some names. Stella being one of them. He didn't know much about the woman, but felt she was in grave da... [i]and the thought was gone.[/i]

[b]"Do you know anything about augmentations, Subject #004?"[/b] The doctor laughed, [b]"Don't worry, you can answer me later."[/b]

Somewhere behind #4, Stella's image and voice rang out from a monitor that the doctor was watching closely, [b]"These people are ridiculous. We need a plan, fast..."[/b]

[b]"[i]Stella[/i]!"[/b] #4 heard himself scream, but didn't recognize it. Didn't remember the desperation of the event at hand.

[b]"Yes, you absolutely did, #004. But you weren't fast enough. The cat caught the lab rat. And now you'll be one of HiveMind's super soldiers! You'll go where we say, do what we say."[/b] The doctor was exuberant as he spoke.

Every now and then the prodding would sting. Burn. #4 wanted it to end, but even more as after several minutes of the doctor's silence. The pain rushed through and the beeping intensified as Nick laid there, knowing exactly what was going on, who he was. He briefly wondered about Stella and #3. Were they in as bad as he was? He wasn't so sure. He'd thought he'd pushed #3 onto Stella, who fell into the submarine. Or was it he that fell out of the submarine? Everything. All the details. Blurry. None of Nick's memories lingered long enough. Nothing was static as the doctor prodded.

Painful memories about his spouse lined up with the increase of beeping again. Despite being a HiveMind worker, the doctor didn't seem to make jokes about Nick's various memories as he poked around into even more sensitive ones like... [i]the first time[/i] he'd kissed Thierry. An unethical company doesn't always mean unethical employees.

[b]"No more of these pesky emotions. No more drama. [i]Just the way you like it[/i], Subject #004."[/b] Not that #4 could see it, but the doctor was smiling behind his mask, [b]"You'll love it, [i]I promise[/i]."[/b]