[h3][color=#90adb1]Marcus Bradley[/color][/h3] [sup]Location: Hallway -> Testing Room -> [color=f26522]Games Room[/color]
[/sup][hr]

Nervously, Marcus looked up and down the hallway. Athena seemed to be growing weaker as he stood there. Maybe there was someone else in the hall that could help her-- why him? Why did he have to be here now when-- [i]THUNK.[/i] Marcus nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound. He looked toward Athena then took a step back. She was laying face first on the ground, motionless and soundless. Without a moment of hesitation, Marcus was on the move. Seriously-- why him? There were so many other people that could have been in this position that probably should have been in this position but-- him? He had to be the one around the girl that passed out? Who wanted to be around people that passed out anyway? Who-- oh-- Doctors, nurses, paramedics, they probably did, right? Whole jobs full of people that were more trained for this [i]mess[/i]. But no, he had to be the one here right now-- that was [i]bullshit.[/i]

When at last he came to a halt, it was outside of his exam room. What? 
Of course he didn't want to be around that nonsense-- what if she had something? Sure they were all sick with superhero malaria but what if she had like... [i]MEGA[/i]hero malaria? What if she were contagious? Hell no he was not going to deal with that. Then there was the possibility he could be blamed for that woman passing out. How was he supposed to prove that he didn't have "make people pass out" powers? What if he actually did and accidentally used them on her? No, see, the last thing he needed was to become a criminal or something while already being held like one-- which was actually sort of disturbing now that he thought about it. BUT WAIT-- what if there were cameras that already saw him? Marcus' heart began to hammer in a way he felt was probably unhealthy-- he could feel his mouth dry out. No no, this wasn't good. He could be guilty just because he was there but... wait! 

[i]Circumstantial evidence![/i]

Marcus had seen enough episodes of Law and Order to know that was a thing that could maybe save him-- well, depending on if they found his fingerprints on like, the underside of her shoe, or something-- the door opened before him. Again, Marcus nearly leapt out of his skin for the second time today. With a brow raised Nkiru, Marcus' trainer, asked him, [b]"Marcus, how long have you been standing here?"[/b] Narrowing her eyes she added, [b]"And why are you so sweaty?"[/b] Was he sweaty? Marcus couldn't tell sweat from the waves of nausea suddenly washing over him-- his chest was tightening and he swore the ceiling was probably going to collapse on him. Numbly, Marcus shook his head at Nkiru, without saying a word. Concern twisted Nkiru's expression and she seemed to become thoughtful, before shrugging it away lightly. [b]"I hope you have hydrated, because now is time for testing. Come in and remove your shirt. I will be attaching the electrodes to your skin, in order to collect data,"[/b] Nkiru told him, as they walked further into the room, [b]"Step onto the treadmill."[/b]

He could feel Nkiru staring at him as he took his shirt off. When he glanced over at her, that same thoughtful expression was on her face, and Nkiru seemed to sense his confusion. Unprompted, Nkiru clarified her stare, [b]"Your face is pouring sweat but not your back-- is this normal for you?"[/b] Having been practically born and raised under the sun on the farm fields, Marcus knew extremely well that him not being fully sweating, especially when his head apparently was sweaty, was completely not normal-- he shook his head in response, surely looking just as confused as Nkiru probably felt. [b]"Perhaps it is simply a matter of clothing,"[/b] Nkiru mumbled thoughtfully as she began to attach electrodes to Marcus' skin. Quite firmly Marcus knew better than that-- this was a cotton shirt and it should have been at least damp. He'd already tossed it to the side of the treadmill but he didn't recall it feeling-- Marcus stumbled slightly.

[b]"Are you paying attention? I have told you that this will increase in speed, Mr. Bradley."[/b]

No, he wasn't paying attention but now he was. As he walked, the pace on the treadmill was slowly increasing-- he was breathing heavily-- [b]"How are you getting tired already? You are not even jogging yet--"[/b] paper rustled as Nkiru looked through a clipboard [b]"--you were raised on a farm, no? I though you worked the fields. You should have more stamina,"[/b] she concluded in a thoughtful manner. While Marcus would have loved to respond to her confusion with even more confusion, he currently found it difficult to breathe and impossible to speak. This was just as strange to him as it was to her but Marcus felt something was off. His legs felt as if they were made of lead. Every breath felt as if it were being taken through a straw. He could hear how audible his breathing was but his steps-- they were [i]Godzilla[/i] heavy and even the treadmill was shaking more than it... probably should? Marcus didn't know-- he didn't have any gym equipment in his house or anything, nor was there one accessible within twenty miles of his home.

A high pitched rhythmic beep began to sound and Nkiru stopped the treadmill. She hastily walked over to a few displays as Marcus stepped off the machine, then doubled over. [b]"Your heart rate is far too high to be safe anymore-- we have to count this testing session as complete,"[/b] Nkiru told Marcus. She walked over to him then thrust a bottle of water into his face-- it was half finished and must have been her personal one. Marcus eyed it then looked up at Nkiru. [b]"Drink. You may be suffering from heat exhaustion-- though I do not know how you could have it, in an air conditioned area, but I am no doctor,"[/b] Nkiru said in a tone that seemed not directed at him. Marcus took the water and unscrewed the cap with shaking hands. With expertise, Nkiru began removing the electrodes from Marcus' body swiftly. [b]"You should go rest, eat something, and find more water,"[/b] Nkiru suggested in a rather motherly tone, [b]"You are complete with our activities today."[/b] Breathlessly, after chugging the water, Marcus nodded then exited the room.

He wandered the halls distractedly and still shirtless. His breath did not come back to him easily but he roamed around long enough to where he was no longer panting. By chance, he found himself outside a set of glass double doors, through which he could see several arcade machines, a pool table, dart board-- Marcus opened the door the stepped into the room. Anyway-- corn-hole board, shuffle board, ping-pong table, air hockey table, a small karaoke machine from the looks of it, more than enough televisions and comfortable seating chairs for a football team, and lots of lights that made Marcus feel suddenly overwhelmed-- what didn't this room have? There was so much potential to do so many things that Marcus found himself simply sinking into a recliner without thinking about it. He settled into the chair, leaned back, and put his feet up. Nearly instantly Marcus fell asleep.