[s][b]British Governmental Research Laboratory, St. Kilda Island, Scotland[/b]

A young, redheaded girl in a typical white lab coat hurried down a blinding white hallway, arms firmly holding onto a yellow manila folder. Completely ignoring the hello's she received as she scurried along, she was focused on making it to the office at the end as soon as possible. Upon arriving, she entered the door, which had been left open, and entered an office which completely stood out from the rest of the facility, looking instead like it belonged in an old manor home than an underground lab.

Placing the folder on the desk, and opening it for the man sitting on the other side, the girl, in a shaky voice, spoke.

“Doctor. Everything is ready. The patients are sufficiently sleep deprived. Shall we move on to part two of the procedure?”

“Yes, I believe so. Have Mr. Edwards get the papers. We have to make sure that nothing goes wrong.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and, Karen. Calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of. The things we are doing here are for the good of the country, you know.”

The girl paused, and, without any sign of emotion, quickly responded. “Yes sir.”

Turning quickly, the girl hurried out of the office, and made her way back down the sterile hallway.

With a smile spread across thin lips, the doctor watched with a fixed gaze as his assistant walked away, only getting out of his chair once she was out of sight. Now standing, he looked down at the files on the folder, with the details of the patients he had exposed to a gas just a few days earlier. 

“Delirious... Complaining about headaches... Seemingly losing his sanity? Perfect.” 

Closing the folder, the doctor took a cigarette and lighter out of his front pocket and twirled the cigarette around in his fingers a bit before lighting it, and walking out of the office.

Upon reaching the assembly room, Doctor Pyke looked around, smiling with joy upon seeing Karen and “Mr. Edwards” enter from the opposite side. Hurrying to meet the man, Pyke thanked Karen, and sent her away, before engaging in conversation with Edwards.

“So, tell me Daniel. You checked everything out, right? There is no way we can get into any legal trouble if the subjects sign these waivers, correct?”

Edwards nodded, solemnly. “If you can manage to get signatures from the patients giving you permission to potentially kill them, then yes. I swear, boy. Your father would be furious if he actually knew all that went on down here.”

“Well” Doctor Pyke said “as long as you keep doing your job of supervising, then we won't have to worry about that. Am I correct, Mr. Edwards?”

Looking up at the doctor, the portly, older man nodded. “My lips are sealed. But ONLY because you are searching for a cure for my Emily. If at any point you go back on that agreement, I promise you, I will not hesitate to let your father in on this facilities secrets.”

“I know. I don't plan on it. Finding a cure for her is just another wonderful secret of the world I get to find, so I have no reason to break our agreement.”

Staying silent, Edwards handed Doctor Pyke the paperwork, before slowly leaving.

Sighing once the man was out of view, Pyke ran a hand though his hair, looking down at the paperwork in his other hand. After reading through it all, he walked over to somebody else, who he handed the paperwork to.

“Time to let our sleepy subjects out. Part 2 if beginning.”

Nodding, the person hurriedly left, coming back fifteen minutes later to tell Pyke that the subjects had been released, and were waiting in the other room for him.

Thanking the man, Pyke turned and walked into the other room, where the three patients were sitting in chairs, in front of a table with three clipboards on it.

Putting on his false, friendly face, Pyke sat down across from the three.

“Hello. I am Matthew Pyke, the head of this project, and I would just like to thank all of you for taking part in this study of mine. Your payment is ready now, but I just need you to sign these forums. They are just your typical closing agreements, you promising not to talk about the facility, the basics, you know? But this is all that stands in the way of you, and your money and beds at home. So, please, don't let me get in the way. Here you are.” 

Handing pens to each of the men, Pyke watched as they basically signed their lives away without even reading that they were doing so. Smiling, although hardly for the reason the subjects thought he was, Pyke stood, holding their signed sheets safely against his chest, and taking a few steps back, as soldiers entered the room, behind the patients. 

“Hey... What is this? What's going on?” One of the subjects asked as his arms were grabbed by the soldier. “Hey! Let go of me? What is this?!”

“Once again, I would like to thank you for taking part in this work. Your payment will be sent to your families, with an apology for their loss. Thank you for taking part in the first, and hopefully last, British VX Nerve Agent Recreation Study. Your participation is appreciated. Thank you for serving your country.”

With plenty of shouting, the three subjects were dragged away to another chamber that had been hidden from their view, where the rest of the scientists taking part in the project were already waiting. Pyke walked up behind them, looking into the room, where the soldiers and subjects were. Two of the soldiers had managed to get their subjects inside without trouble, but the third wasn't so easily able to rid himself of his, and was now getting attacked by the subjects, prompting one of the other soldiers to rush to attempt saving him.

“Stop.” Pyke said in a cold tone.

“But sir! If this keeps up, they'll kill him!” the soldier replied. 

Rubbing his temples, Pyke glared at the soldier. “The timer has already started. If you go in there now, you risk killing everybody in this facility. Your friend knew this job came with risks. Now accept that, and stay out here.”

Ignoring Pyke completely, the soldier began to unlock the chamber door, in an attempt to get inside to save his friend. Hearing footsteps approaching him, he turned to fight Pyke off, so he could save his friend, only to be met with a gun between his eyes. 

“If you are so eager to die, don't go putting the rest of us at risk.”

Without time for the soldier to react, Pyke pulled the trigger, spraying the inside of the mans head all over the lab wall with a noise loud enough to even scare the subjects currently mauling the soldier inside the chamber. Lighting another cigarette, Pyke walked back to the one way window, and watched the inside carefully. The rest of the staff followed suit once the shock of the gunshot stopped. 

“Release it.” Pyke said calmly.

“Hey, wait. You said it was on a timer!” The remaining soldier shouted. 

Pyke looked back at him for a second, but seeing the fear on his face, decided no action was needed. Looking down at a man about his age, Pyke repeated himself. “Do it.”

With a nod, the man pressed a button, and the hiss of the gas being released from vents sounded throughout the chamber, causing the subjects to begin to panic. They all hurried over to the door, and began to try banging on it, in hopes somebody would let them out, or perhaps in hopes they could break it down. Pyke, however, wasn't looking at them. He was looking at the beaten soldier, who had crawled away from the subjects, and was propped up in a corner.

“Keep an eye on him.” Pyke said to a woman with a clip board. “We can clearly see how he reacts, so he will give us the most information.”

Slightly upset by the order, the woman nodded. “Yes sir.”

After a few minutes, Pyke noticed as the soldier began to twitch, quickly ordering the woman watching to take notes. A few minutes later, one of the men banging on the door collapsed, as his legs gave out from under him, while another began freaking out as a large amount of liquid began to escape from his nose. A few more minutes in, and the final man collapsed on the floor, grabbing at his throat, while both the soldier and the man who's legs gave out began to vomit, while the man who was grabbing at his throat just moments before lay limp on the floor, his muscles spasming, while large amounts of drool began to escape his mouth. Soon after, nearly all the others were in this same state, except for the man with the runny nose, who only seemed to lost control of his bodily functions, but otherwise was still holding himself up fine.

A few more minutes in, and all of them were dead.

“Okay. That's it. Stop.” Pyke said, as vents turned on inside the chamber.

“You, and you. Come with me.” Pyke said to the man he had turn on the vents, and the woman he had taking notes.

Following Pyke, the three put on hazmat suits, and, once they got the clear, entered the chamber to observe the bodies. 

“Muscle spasming, drooling, sweating, loss of bowel control, blistering of the skin... You have all of this down, I presume, Ms. Parker?”

“Yes, Doctor Pyke.”

“Good. Is there anything else either of you can see?”

After a brief pause, the woman spoke up. “Sir. I think this soldier is still alive.”

Turning, Pyke moved in next to the woman, Pyke looked closely. “Indeed. He is still breathing.” He said in a somewhat disappointed voice. “You.” Pyke said motioning to the man in with them. “Take him to the medical wing, right away. I want him thoroughly examined. I want to know why he is alive.” 

“Yes sir!” The man replied, rushing over to the soldier, and picking him up.

“Why.” Pyke said, warranting confusion from the woman in with him. “I want to know why he is alive! I was sure I had it perfect!” 

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Pyke looked at the woman, and saw the worried look on her face. 

“I... I'm sorry. I know I should be happy he lived. But... I also want to get this right. You have to understand. We are at a disadvantage right now. Britain is a pushover. We can not defend ourselves against our neighbors. I want to have a guarantee. If France, or Spain, or even Germany attacks. I want to have this, because this and this alone will guarantee our safety. This alone, could guarantee great things for our nation.”[/s]