His eyes opened, and he awoke anew. Bruce gulped for air, his body moist with sweat, above him a blurry ceiling. His body ached as it trembled, Bruce pulling his thin blanket closer as though it was his only shield to reality. His mind burned with images of the dream: the riot of bodies, the evisceration of his own body, that monster...but moments later the details started to fade and memories slid into feelings. While his body relaxed little by little, his heart grew hard with fear.

Throwing his legs out of bed, he only wore dark blue jeans and a green shirt, his shoes and labcoat held off to the side. Finding his glasses, he took a better stock of the under-lit infirmary. One other bed was occupied, a brown haired teen with a thin face and gray eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. It was the first time Bruce really got a look at him, but the only reaction he gave to Bruce moving was a slight glance. When he heard a pair of footsteps approaching, he stayed put, mind still trying to catch up with everything.

Hair long and blonde, a red T-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it under a lab coat, Dr. Leonard Samson lit up as he saw the two occupants. [color=fee226]“Good to see you two up and about. You were out for quite some time, considering...well maybe I should let the General debrief you.”[/color]

[color=AF7AC5]“How long has it been?”[/color] Bruce’s knuckles were white as he clasped his other wrist.

Samson held up a hand, smiling lightly, [color=fee226]“The accident was last night, and about now it’s lunchtime. I can go get you guys some food. Anything in particular you want from the vending machine?”[/color]

Bruce brought his hand up to his mouth, resisting the urge to bite it so the pain might bring him back. Instead, he burst out, [color=AF7AC5]“We shouldn’t even be alive!”[/color] His hands were unable to stop trembling even in gripping themselves. He met with Samson’s green eyes, but glancing down as though he might transmit what he had just seen if they’d continued. Shaking his head, he blurted, [color=AF7AC5]“Uh, Oreos, the soft ones.”[/color]

Samson looked to the teenager expectantly, but he stayed silent. [color=fee226]“Two packs then.”[/color] He hit the lights as he took his leave, the two of them back to their lonesome, though now in a room that was more than dim. Bruce kept coming up with questions to ask or things to say but every word died before it could leave his throat. Bruce hoped he’d calm down with a bit more time but it never came. He felt sick. His skin itched but he refused to scratch it lest it come off.

Once again there were footsteps. Samson led the way, tossing each of them a snack. One landed square on the teen’s blanket and rested there, the other was picked up off the ground after it had slipped through Bruce’s grasp. As he lifted his head back up, he saw General Ross flanked by two security guards. Looking over Bruce as he fumbled with the packaging, he grimaced, [color=d43426]“You’re a mess. Get a fucking hold of yourself.”[/color] Glaring at the other one, he spat, [color=d43426]“And you! Get up or I’ll have them make you get up.”[/color] The teen finally moved, his face stone as he got out of his infirmary bed and took a stand. [color=d43426]“What’s you’re name and what the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the goddamn desert.”[/color]

His voice cracked, but finally came after he cleared his throat. [color=3b9bcd]“My name’s Rick Jones. I got my motorcycle license and thought I’d go exploring.”[/color]

Ross gave a condescending snort. [color=d43426]“No you didn’t. Your license isn’t class M, the motorcycle was reported stolen last night, and you had alcohol with you.”[/color] Rick’s eyes started darting around, and he took half a step back. [color=d43426]“You’d be on track for juvie if this wasn’t a top secret military base. If you want to be treated like an adult, we’ll have you tried like one.”[/color]

[color=AF7AC5]“What about suicide protection?”[/color] Bruce spoke out, his food untouched. [color=AF7AC5]“He said he was looking for a place to die when we were out there.”[/color]

Rick shot him an angry look. Ross gave a light shrug, [color=d43426]“Guess that explains the painkillers we found. Not that it’s guaranteed to work if you mix the two, depends. Could kill you, could just give you a stomach ulcer. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter why you got here, just that you’ll be leaving. And I assure you, if there are any weird rumors or further trespassing by [i]anyone[/i], you will be investigated for any information leaks.”[/color] With a jerk of his head, the two security guards stepped forward, guiding Rick out.

[color=AF7AC5]“W-wait!”[/color] Bruce stood up. [color=AF7AC5]“I want to talk to him!”[/color]

Ross’s nostrils flared, and he waved for Samson to leave as well. [color=d43426]“You can’t be fucking serious. They’re talking about kicking your bum ass out of here. You went against my direct order, putting yourself at risk to save a liability, and to top it off, your fucking Emitter was dysfunctional, meaning that my department has shit all to show for advancing [i]your[/i] project over everything else in the works here.”[/color] Bruce stared, eyes blinking behind his glasses. As he opened his mouth, Ross found the words first. [color=d43426]“Yeah, I know it should be impossible. I remember your briefing, but we have the numbers. The beam went a quarter of the projected distance and there was no residual radiation to speak of. The two of you passed out when you hit the ground and we had you carried here the following morning. Would have done it earlier but we were waiting until the nonexistent radiation decayed enough.”[/color] Ross shook his head, a low sigh of fatigue escaping.

Bruce leaned back, a hand running across his face and up through his hair. [color=d43426]“This isn’t over. The med team didn’t pick up anything concerning on a cursory check, but you and Jones will both be getting a checkup, and Samson’s already scheduled a psych eval for you next week. Concerned about PTSD. I wanted to tell him you’ve already been through hell-”[/color] Bruce went pale. [color=d43426]“But I figured you could tell him yourself.”[/color] Ross gave Bruce a firm look, his expression softening somewhat. [color=d43426]“You’ll get another chance. For now I’m putting you with Sterns and his team since he’s the only other person working with Gamma and you’re a one trick pony. But his project won’t get into full swing until next week. More than enough time to brush up on his notes, get your phys and psych done, and write the incident report for last night. I’ll be raking security over the coals once it’s in, don’t you worry about that.”[/color] Standing up, he started for the door, only to stop and look back one more time. [color=d43426]“Don’t ever fucking go against me again. And see Betty when you can, she damn near lost her mind. Think about that next time you decide to throw your life away.”[/color]

Bruce was left to the silence. His heart had been going ever since Ross raised his voice. Last night he channeled that anxiety into going out to deal with Rick, but now the energy had nowhere to go. His mind was swimming with currents in every direction, agonizing over past, present, and future, two packages of food left forgotten.[hr]The red candlelight flickered even though there was no draft in the small chamber. Seven candles at the seven points of a septagram within a red circle illuminated the office space, a number of tomes and scrolls piled just at the edge of the firelight. Hovering above the center was a lone woman, legs crossed and poking out of the sides of the dark purple dress that trailed on the floor. Adorned with earrings of concentric rings spinning within one another, a tattoo on her sternum made of a ring within another ring made up of three lines attached to three small circles, and long lavender hair, her eyes were closed but her mouth moved as she muttered in her communion.

[color=7e6ab8]“Yes, it was as though those earthbound souls were screaming, a fall to the underworld coming that ultimately did not take them. The cards observed a vessel restored, never one but now many… It returned? A demon? Here? Fortuitous, but this world is not one of coincidence… If those were the means then I know exactly how to proceed on my own. I will invoke another séance in due time, master.”[/color]

In synchronization, the candles blew out, casting the room in darkness. The light switched on with a wave of her hand, the woman now standing at full height on her black high heels, her eyes without pupil or iris. A smile coming from her painted lips, she left the room into the halls of Cadmus proper. Cutting a driven path through, as always her appearance drew the eyes of many. There was no official uniform of Cadmus, though while most wore labcoats, She always seemed to draw much notice outside of the Paranormal Division where she spent most of her time. If it wasn’t her low cut top, it was the long legs revealed in their entirety with purpose that drew the eyes of the many young men to her, ones she knew had never seen a real woman. Her form was carefully chosen to garner as much use as she could in any and all circumstances. But her basking was a mere diversion, as she reached the Material Sciences division with her eyes on but one. Finding the office of a Dr. Samuel Sterns to have its door wide open, she entered without announcement. His hair short and tan, his mouth encircled by a short goatee, he met her in the eyes with a look befitting his surname. She approached casually. [color=7e6ab8]“Doctor? I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’re working on a fascinating line of experimentation.”[/color] While there were protocols and secrecy, openness and collaboration were incentivized, the sorceress not feeling any shame as she leaned over his documents. That he didn’t even flinch away from her eyes as he slipped a hand over his paperwork both annoyed and intrigued her, but she didn’t let an iota of that show on her face.

[color=2fa39c]“No one outside of the division should know yet.”[/color] Opening a folder and shoving the papers inside, Sterns grumbled, [color=2fa39c]“Can I help?”[/color]

Daring to take a seat on the desk, she leaned even closer. [color=7e6ab8]“Oh, no, it’s I who wish to help you. Or rather, I believe we can help one another. Your research on Gamma induced mutation… My name is Tala, I work in the Paranormal Division, and I think there is [i]much[/i] we can accomplish together.”[/color]

Stern’s eyes narrowed for a moment, his incredulity plain. But even as his cheeks puffed out for a moment, no doubt concealing a scoff, he said, [color=2fa39c]“I’m listening.”[/color]