Curse Or Cure?

The skies were always grey here. You had better luck striking it rich in the lotto than catching a glimpse of the sun behind its cloudy mask. Through the perpetual gloom of dreary skies however, there was one little thing that never failed to brighten my spirits.

“Papaaa? Are we going, are we going?”.

The soft, yet demanding voice, pulling me from my slumber was that of my daughter, Zephyr.

Named after the calming, gentle breeze of a welcoming warm wind, and here she was a growing tornado of curiosity and whimsy. There couldn’t be a more proud father in the universe. My little girl, my pride and joy. I shot up out of bed, grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug

“I told you, we are going this weekend, pumpkin. Four more sleeps, okay? Then we go”, I told her. I promised her we would go see the botanical gardens just outside of town. I didn’t know how much longer we had before they would be gone.

She huffed. A grumpy frown spread on her face. She crossed her arms in defiance.

“You’re gonna come home this time, right?”, she asked.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world”

Her sour expression dropped immediately. A toothless grin had replaced the disappointed scowl. She was missing both of her front teeth. She was incredibly pleased with herself for this reason. No matter how many times I explain to her that hitting her face off the car door while running around isn’t exactly an appropriate way to lose teeth, she just laughs it off and tells me that she is tougher than an automobile. Though that particular string of words is ridiculous, I couldn’t fault the validity of her claim. When it happened, she didn’t shed a single tear. She just fell to the ground and let out the most nonchalant “ow” you’d ever heard.

As I got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen, my tablet buzzed. Glancing down at it I saw that it was from work. One of my colleagues, Cohen. She informed me that they had found “something big”, and that I needed to come into work and see. Looking up from my tablet, I could see Zephyr at the end of the hall, staring at me flatly.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”, she said with an expectant voice.

“I have to, pumpkin. Work needs papa to help out with something really important”.

She sighed in defeat before rolling her eyes.

“Okay, papa. Am I going to Auntie Nia’s, then?”, she asked.

“You are, indeed”, I replied with a quick grin. 

“I wish mommy was here”, she said, despondent.

Her Mother had passed away a year prior, due to respiratory complications. Just before we lost her, the world had come face to face with an event most unprecedented. “The Shift” as it was being touted, occurred at random that fateful day. A beautiful and lustrous light cut through the sky. It truly was a wonder for all who had the pleasure of witnessing it. Little did we know that it would signal the decline of life as we knew it. Air quality began growing compromised. That’s when she fell ill. As the Shift evolved into full blown oxygen depletion, I feared for my daughter as well. Zephyr had become ill for a time, just like her Mother. We were lucky to see her recover and narrowly escape a shared fate. Perhaps that’s why I come off as overly doting. I couldn’t bear to look at an empty space that she should be occupying. The thought kills me. 

“Me too, honey”.

The trip into the lab went exceptionally uneventfully. More so than usual. The dull whir of the engine. As the land grew increasingly arid, I knew I was encroaching on my destination. What could it be that Cohen was so eager to show me? I knew it must be pertaining to the Shift. Bios Alpha was at the forefront of the anomaly and had been tasked with damage control and reversal of the impending calamity. I had to admit, even in these trying and unsure times, it was nice to know that I was a part of a team that had partial control of maintaining this disaster. Though a sigh of relief was a distant pipe dream, we knew at the very least that there were options at our disposal. Many of our operatives worked tirelessly around the clock, adamant that we would solve this issue and save what life remained on the planet. The number of lives lost to this plague was insurmountable, and there would imminently be more on the horizon. We were working against an invisible clock with an indefinite finish line. We knew we had to move quickly. 

Pulling into the gated parking lot, I got out of my car, sand swirling around me as it normally did out here. Extracting my keycard from my pocket I approached the main door. No one was at the front desk on this particular day. No Cohen. No Rima or Rinnon either. Our new arrivals, Solsta, Lumis and Celeste were out once again, gathering intel on the overseers. I could hear the faint sound of voices. One of them belonged to Len Corvus, the head of our sector. The other to a woman. I felt I had heard it before, but could not place a name to it. As I rounded the corner, the voices became much clearer to me. The two appeared to be planning a retrieval of a package. As I passed a window to one of the offices, I could see Len inside, sitting and facing the woman I was hearing. She was in Phantom Raven attire. The Phantom Ravens were an elite police force, under the thumb of our city’s overseers. This particular officer however, seemed to have an alliance with Dr. Corvus. I had, in fact, seen this woman before, but seeing as Dr. Corvus never brought her up in conversation, I saw no need to pry into his affairs. After all, there were bigger threats to deal with than some simple collusion. Not many knew it obviously, but Dr. Corvus was staunchly against the reign of the Overseers, and had defied them in secret for years. 

One of our very own projects here at Bios Apha, “DaevaDecrypt”, saw to it that a threat would be created and “handled” by the Overseers, gaining them popularity in the polls. Naturally, the Overseers were the ones to offer up the contract for this plot of theirs. This project would see the creation of the Vyridia. A race of beings born of our DNA as well as that of the Vaskyr. The hope was that these beings would be entirely unstable and quickly grow feral, wreaking havoc on the city. What ended up happening instead, was the birth of a docile and curious group, who wanted to help others. Of course, the Overseers had to salvage this mistake and immediately took to the media. Portraying the Vyridia as monsters, the people slowly began developing mistrust towards these new visitors. Eventually, the hate for these poor beings grew so exponentially, that they were being eradicated on site, or brought before the Overseers to be made examples of.

I deduced that these ‘packages’ that were being discussed by Dr. Corvus and the Phantom Raven officer were a small group of Vyridia. Making my way past the very not private, private conversation, I entered the main lab where my office was. Dr. Cohen Sayah was already inside tinkering with something as she always seemed to be. Alerted by my presence, she addressed me, excitedly.

“You’re here! Perfect! Come here, I want to show what we have discovered.”

She walked me over to one of the testing chambers where we would conduct experiments needing containment. The observation glass was tempered to the highest degree and layered in a ten inch stack. Nothing was getting in or out if we had our say. The particular chamber she brought me to was empty. Nothing conversation worthy inside.

“This is what you wanted me to see? Nothing…” I said, unimpressed.

“Exactly! It’s what you don’t see!”, she replied, continuing her upbeat demeanor. “Inside that  chamber is our ticket out of this mess.” 

“I don’t understand”, I told her, puzzled.

“This…” She started. “Is MK-00796… You can’t see it. Yet.” she made her way over to the main console and began projecting a frequency into the aforementioned chamber. Glancing over at her, she had a deranged smile on her face. It was a quirk about her I always noticed when she was incredibly overjoyed. I could tell she was over the moon about this discovery. As the frequency dropped to around 3.2 Hertz, I began to notice changes in the chamber. Visual flickers of light. It appeared as though there was some sort of scenery trying to reveal itself.

As whatever was inside adjusted to the frequency, it slowly became more and more clear. I turned back to Dr. Sayah, wide- eyed.

“Delta waves”, I said.

“Delta waves”, she confirmed. 

As the scenery came into full view, I could see that it had taken the form of a dark alleyway. Rain fell onto the concrete as neon lights danced atop the puddles. I could see something shifting around in the darkness. It slowly reeled around. I could feel it leering at me. In a split second, I found myself face to face with a translucent being who seemed to be twitching at abnormal speeds. Its facial features were hard to describe as I couldn’t really make them out, but I knew it stood at about eight feet tall. That was after I found that it had settled to the ground. It was analyzing me. Scrutinizing every feature. It appeared to mean no harm. I had surprised myself by not jumping back when it had approached me. Could it be that this being was… friendly?

“That is a transdimensional being, visible only using the frequencies designated to delta waves. We have observed that they have no need for bodily processes. They don’t eat, sleep, defecate,urinate, dehydrate, bleed, or… get this. Breathe. They are impervious to conventional dangers. As a matter of fact, we have yet to find a way to cause them any harm whatsoever. These entities are essentially beings of the dreamplane.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Somehow Dr. Sayah and Dr. Corvus had tapped into another realm and brought back a creature from its reality. The idea that there were other dimensions was not the problem. I knew some of the pretenses that our sponsors worked under. DRAIDA was known to exist in many realities. What baffled me was how they just managed to snag one and lock it up behind glass. Glass. Torn through the fabric of time and they expected to hold it behind one of the weakest materials in our world. I chuckled a little. The whole situation was insane, and I was well aware that “insane” was what we did. Shaking my head in disbelief, I turned to her once again.

“So what’s the plan?”, I asked. She smiled as she prepared her response.

“I’m glad you asked! Our plan is full integration with all biological alignments on the planet.”

“You want to fuse them to us?”

“Precisely. Early tests on smaller rodentia have concluded that integration is possible, and that the effects and abilities of these beings, specifically MK-00796, apply to organic life and are lasting. This is it Theo. The solution to our problem. This is Project Glass Shadow.”

Guiding me over to a series of habitats, there were several rodents inside. Behaviour seemed pretty average.

“These were the tested subjects?” I asked.

“Yes. Virtually no difference aesthetically.”

“Fascinating.”

I had to admit, there was a different degree of hope to this project. I am unaware of how long it had been going on behind my back, but everything was out the window now. Anything that could see us thriving in the Shift was a welcome one. Dr Sayah informed me that they would soon be ready for full testing and would need willing participants. I had considered interjecting myself. The quicker we were able to confirm proper integration, the quicker I could get Zephyr here and… 

I had to stop and compose my thoughts. What was I thinking? I couldn’t just force my little girl into such a traumatic experience. I saw that thing in the chamber. While it didn’t come off as hostile, it wasn’t exactly the most comforting thing to look at. The poor thing would be scared out of her wits if faced with it. 

I had to do it. To know what the process felt like. For her sake. To know that she wouldn’t be scared.

“I’ll do it”, I said outright.

Dr. Sayah looked at me with confusion and slight bewilderment. 

“You shouldn’t be the first one in-”

I cut her off. She needed to know why. She needed to know that I had to do it. It was an obligation.

“I have to, Cohen. Zephyr. She would be terrified coming into contact with that thing. I want the experience so I can walk her through it and be right there with her”.

Dr. Sayah pursed her lips and looked off. I could tell she was wrestling with something.

“You do realize that if something happens to you, you are leaving that little girl all alone in this shithole, right?”.

I let out a quick sigh. Zephyr would understand that the sacrifice was necessary, right? She knows why I am here. I couldn’t let anyone else take on this responsibility.

“I’m sure one of the Goodwills would have no problem…”, She started.

“No”, I replied, cutting her off once again. “No. we have put the Vyridia through too much already. Ever since their inception, they have been tormented and that is on us. That is on Bios Alpha’s shoulders. Those boys, and their poor friend Celeste have been evading execution every single day of their lives, Cohen. I won’t use them as guinea pigs for just a breath of hope.”

Her face softened, as though she had sympathized with my statement. 

“Alright, Theo. I will go speak with Len and see if we can’t get things set in motion.”

“Thank you, Cohen”.

She made her way out of the main lab, and back towards the room where Dr. Corvus had been speaking with that Phantom Raven lady. As I began to contemplate the depth of my decision to enter testing, I was interrupted by a commotion in the upper level of the lab. It sounded as though there were people shouting at each other. Once again, a man and a woman. No. Two women. I think I knew what was going on this time. Making my way upstairs I heard one of the women shouting.

“Hey! Get your hands off me!”

After that utterance, it was silent, aside from what sounded like some distant murmuring. Arriving at the top of the stairs I turned the corner into one of the hallways and saw a girl with her ear pressed against the wall. It was one of our lab’s new residents. A Vyridia named Celeste Omada. She appeared to be listening in on something. I knew exactly what it was. It was apparent she had a run in with Rima and Rinnon Stone. Our very first resident Vyridia. As a matter of fact they were the very first successful pair of Vyridia created from Project “DaevaDecrypt”. Rinnon was rather fiery when it came to protecting his sister. As the Archetypal Vyridia, Rima and Rinnon were saddled with a very unique set of circumstances, adversarial to their existence. We had found that pairing the DNA of a Vaskyr with our own DNA had posed extremely volatile results. The structure of the genetic code could not keep itself together. In every preliminary test, the Genetic material would tear itself apart, as if it were exposed to monumental doses of radiation. We had, over time, developed a serum to hold together the structure of the genetic compounds, just long enough to replicate and reinforce them. The more we were able to breed the DNA, the more stable it became. Eventually, when we no longer needed the unstable DNA of the Archetype Vyridia, we sought to destroy them, so as not to extend their suffering. The testing had been done over a few years, so we had actually grown connections with our creations. The thought of destroying them was entirely too much for the old head of Theta Sector, that he actually resigned from his position at Theta Sector. At the behest of Rima and Rinnon, themselves, we obviously chose to let them live. Instead of destroying them, we developed stronger forms of the serum. Even with all the research and labour that went into making the latest batch, they could still only go a couple short hours without taking the medication, or else their genetic makeup would melt away, killing them. 

Celeste seemed far too focused on the conversation happening behind the wall to notice my presence. I spoke softly so that I wouldn’t startle her.

“I see you’ve formally met the Stone twins”

She jolted and spun around to face me.

“ Oh, Dr. Apherius, I didn't think anyone was... here. What just happened in there? Do you know?” She inquired. I pondered for a moment about what she could be talking about as I didn’t see exactly what happened. I knew that Rima had been failing to take her injections on time. Life was trying for the poor girl, and I believe she was just so tired of fighting. I elected to spare Ms. Omada the sordid details of Rima Stone and what would happen if she didn’t take her medication. Instead I told her that Rima would fall unconscious if she didn’t keep up with her regiment. 

“Oh no. That’s horrible, but I-”. Celeste had cut herself off

“Is everything alright Ms. Omada?” I asked her with a mild level of concern. She seemed panicked.

“Y-yeah, everything is fine. Still adjusting, I think. Have you seen Lumis and Solsta by chance?” she stammered.

I hadn’t seen the Goodwill boys in a little while, as I thought they, as well as Ms. Omada were still out. I figured I’d give her somewhere to look so that she didn’t have to stay up here with me and the Stones. I’m sure she was uncomfortable enough being in a new place, let alone with a bunch  of strangers, harbouring unknown intentions. I figured that all I could do is give her an out.

“Down in the lab. I think they are helping Dr. Sayah with something.”

She would never know that I had lied. Besides, I was sure she would feel relieved to get away from the situation that had just occurred up here. She uttered gratitudes before making her way downstairs.

“Oh, wait Celeste!”I called after her.

 Before she fully vacated, I wanted to reinforce the fact that she was indeed safe here, along with Solsta and Lumis.

“I know things seem strange here, but it really just takes time to warm up to it. Everyone here is rather helpful once you get to know them.”

Her face kind of twisted. She was shuffling awkwardly. It appeared that I had gone and made her discomfort worse.

“I’ll uh- keep that in mind, thanks”, she replied tensely.

I let her go without another word. It seemed to me that Celeste and the Goodwill brothers would just have to get accustomed to us on their own terms. Turning to the hidden door that was now concealing the Stone twins, I called out to them.

“She’s gone. You can open up now.”

With some hesitation, Rinnon slowly slid the door into the wall and scanned the perimeter around me. He was pale and wide- eyed. As he came to the realization that Celeste was truly gone, he let out a deep breath and turned his attention to me. I looked down and bit my tongue in frustration. You see I had to lie to Celeste about the Stone twins. Direct order from the head of Bios Alpha. The physiology and deterioration of the Stone twins was considered top secret information, and could under no circumstances be shared with anyone outside Theta Sector, beyond higher ups at Bios Alpha itself. The lying was bad enough, but the fact that Rinnon was causing a scene with the new arrivals may lead to them seeking refuge elsewhere. Likely back on the street, holing up in abandoned buildings, and other derelict places. I finally was able to bring myself to look Rinnon in the eye.

“You two really need to cut this shit out. I can’t keep harbouring the truth forever.”

This seemed to strike a nerve with a once again bewildered Rinnon.

“We never asked to be made this way, Apherius”, he said coldly.

I explained to Rinnon the importance of keeping their conditions under wraps. As I tore into Rinnon for his behaviour, the growing sobs of Rima echoed off the stone walls surrounding us. Almost as if a beacon for my scorn, I turned to her and told her that she needed to take her shots or her life would be over. She too had finally reached a boiling point, and had to explode.

“I’m so sick of this! I’m so tired of this existence, Theo! Do you know how difficult it is? Living everyday in this corporeal hell? It’s far more torturous than just letting myself slip away!”

I realized that I had become far too heated. I spun around and took a moment to breathe before turning back toward them.

“You’re right.” I started. “I don’t understand, and I’m sorry for raising my voice at you. You and Rinnon are very important to us. We are all family and this operation would never be the same without either of you. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

I cautiously approached Rima, so as not to frighten her. I wrapped my arms around her, and her sobbing subsided. Her breathing slowed and she came to a state of calm.

“Will we get to see them again, Theo?” she asked me. She was talking about their progenitors. Both Rima and Rinnon had come to know them as parents. It was truly heartbreaking, as their progenitors had not been here since the DNA extraction. They were two entirely different beings who knew nothing of each other. The twins had it in their head that they were waiting on a family reunion that would never come. I hated to have to be the one that had to cover up truths. I had no real information to give them about the beings who donated their DNA to us. They had not given names, addresses, anything. The only thing we knew was that one was mortal, like the rest of us, and the other was a Vaskyr. 

“I truly hope so, my dear.”

It was evident to me that both Rima and Rinnon were just looking for some family time.

“You two should come by my place for dinner tonight. I’m sure Zephyr would love to see you.”

“W-we aren’t s-supposed to-” stammered Rinnon before I cut in

“Dr. Corvus doesn’t have to know” I interjected with a smirk.

Later that evening, the final click of the front door signalled the last of the facility members leaving. I had watched as Dr. Corvus drove off just some minutes earlier, and The Goodwills and Celeste had gone off to their quarters for the night, likely talking conspiracies surrounding the Overseers. After this, I had set my plan in motion. Walking over to where Rima and Rinnon were sitting, I informed them that I would pull my car around and come back into the facility to retrieve them. Making my way outside, I felt a cold nip in the air. Uncharacteristic of the desert we were situated in. I took a moment of pause. My mind was locked on Dr. Sayah’s revelation. Project Glass Shadow was undoubtedly a bold approach to our unfolding fate as a species. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear about the whole thing. I was well aware that we had a mountain of failed projects on our record. Expected, to be sure. When you specialize in experimental things, such as Bios Alpha, you are bound to run into negative results. It comes with the job, unfortunately. Many view our work as unscrupulous, and to some degree I could understand the apprehension, especially considering the fear I was currently feeling. I pressed on to my car with the lingering sensation of dread following me like a shadow, stalking in the night. I pulled up to the front of the facility and made my way inside to retrieve Rima and Rinnon. I found that they were waiting near the front door, holding all of the provisions they would need for the night. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a child starting their first day of school. They looked as though they were lost and awaiting guidance. I smiled and gestured outside.

“Your chariot awaits”, I said.

Rima bore a little smile and gave me a hug as she made her way outside. Rinnon looked terrified to be leaving the facility. I turned and wanted as Rima got in the back seat before turning back to Rinnon.

“I understand this is difficult, Rin, but I assure you that both you and Rima are safe in my hands.”

He looked at me with that same wide-eyed expression he always wore. He said nothing, but gave me a stiff nod.

“Zephyr has been asking about you two, you know. She really misses you guys.”

He looked at the ground in apparent discomfort.

“Couldn’t you just… bring her here?” he asked.

I pondered the inquiry.

“She gets out a lot more than you two do. Trust me. Getting some time away from the lab will do you some good. Have dinner with us. Live a semblance of normalcy. Just for tonight, Rin. Indulge me, won’t you? I promise I’ll have you back first thing tomorrow.”

I could tell he was fighting with his answer but eventually, he caved in and made his way out to the car, tightly clutching his case. Locking the front door, I made my way to the car and situated myself inside. Pulling out of the parking lot, I made my way down the dirt road and into the swallowing night.

As I pulled up to my driveway, I could see Zephyr waiting in the front window. Upon seeing my car, I could see her excitement well up. She disappeared from view, and like a shot, the front door was open with her occupying the threshold. She was jumping and waving. As we exited, she lit up even further

“RIN! RIMA!” she shouted as she ran out towards us. She careened into Rinnon who reciprocated her high-energy hug. It was the first time I had seen him smile in quite some time. He had always had a prickly demeanor, but all that faltered when he was with Zephyr. I knew there was room for patience in him. Rima was equally as close with my daughter. The two often discussed their shared interest in reading. I could often hear them sharing details of a land far far away that I had never heard of. It was beautiful to hear two souls share a similar escape from their daily reality. I couldn’t think of two people who deserved peace more than those two.

Rinnon was surprisingly helpful with dinner preparations. The night was perfect. It felt as though we were having a family gathering. It was the first time our home felt full since the passing of Zephyr’s Mother. I didn’t have to do much talking that evening, as the air was full of energy and questions being fired around from everyone at the table. Rinnon was doing animal impressions, prompting laughter from the girls. I couldn’t help but chuckle, myself. It was rather uncommon to see this side of him. Full of vigor and life. Enjoying the small things as everyone deserves to. Later that evening, after Zephyr had gone to bed, I sat in silence while Rima and Rinnon spoke to one another. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rinnon opening his case, containing his injections. As he took his dose, I felt a wave of guilt come over me. It was because of us. It was because of us that these poor people had to endure life in this manner. I had never been able to understand why Bios Alpha would take on a project, just to appease the Overseers. I was relatively new to the facility when Dr. Corvus’ predecessor was running things. How he saw the morality in creating something, just for it to be killed was beyond my comprehension. His penultimate creation, signalled the beginning of his detachment from our outfit. Sitting in my living room was a permanent reminder of our failure. This once again kicked up the fear I had been feeling earlier at the facility, and began breeding doubts in my mind about the success of our newest undertaking. A few lab rats weren’t enough to convince me anymore, that our plan was infallible. Still, what choice did I have? As my fear grew, so too did my determination. It was no longer just about preserving my daughter’s safety, but also that of Rima, Rinnon and everyone at Bios Alpha. The following day, I would bring this to the attention of Dr. Corvus. I wouldn’t want to die in this world saying I did nothing. Saying I never tried. As I said goodnight to the twins, I laid awake in bed wondering what the future of our world would look like. I created a perfect image in my head as sleep claimed me for the night. 

I was awakened by the tantalizing aroma of bacon and coffee calling to me from the kitchen. I pulled myself from the comfort of my bed and as if driven by a wild instinct, made my way out of my bedroom and towards the siren call of breakfast. As I approached the kitchen, I could hear the sizzling of a hot pan. There was no doubt in my mind now. It wasn’t just a dream. There was definitely some cooking happening. Making my way into the kitchen I found Rima and Rinnon hard at work preparing an all-out feast. They seemed entirely absorbed in their work. They took no notice of me at first. Rima’s hair was up in a messy do as she vigorously mixed up batter for pancakes. Rinnon was meticulously chopping various fruits. His eyes unblinking, lest he make a mistake cutting a piece even a millimeter too thin. I figured I would step out so as to not break their focus. As I was about to exit the kitchen, Zephyr came flying around the corner with glasses of juice. Narrowly avoiding a collision with me, she looked up at me and smiled.

“Morning Papa! We are making breakfast!” she said excitedly

“I see that. Thank you pumpkin” I replied, reciprocating her energy.

Our small exchange drew the attention of Rima who was now looking at me.

“Good morning Theo! I figured we’d make a fast breakfast, so we can get back to the lab before Dr. Corvus”

“A small breakfast, huh?” I said with a chuckle.

“Is it too much?” She asked with a hint of concern.

“It’s perfect. Thank you, Rima. Thank you Rinnon”

Rinnon said nothing in return, he just made an affirming sound and continued with his task. 

“Why don’t you go sit down, Theo? We will have everything ready soon. Well, assuming Rin has exhausted your whole stockpile of fruits that is”.

As soon as she uttered that sentence, Rinnon ceased his chopping.

“Consider the stockpile exhausted” he said, gently setting the knife aside.

“Let’s eat," he added.

The morning was jovial overall. Zephyr was laughing for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Much like the previous evening, the feeling of family and togetherness was strong. I was trying to milk every last second that I could. Knowing that I would soon have to slip the Stones back into the laboratory. After we ate, We quickly rushed the dishes to the kitchen. I told them that I would take care of them when I returned home. As we rushed toward the door, I knelt down and gave Zephyr a hug.

“Please bring them home more, Papa. I love when they come over”.

“I’ll do my best, sweetheart. You know that RIma and Rinnon are very busy.”

“Do they have to stay at your work because they’re sick?”

I had to admit, the question caught me off guard, but I did my best to explain to her how they did lots of work and didn’t have a lot of time for social niceties. 

“They aren’t sick, Zephyr”

“Yes they are. I saw them putting medicine in their arms.” She admitted, honestly.

“Did you, now? Are you worried about them?” I asked her.

She nodded with a half-frown on her face.

“Hey” I started.

She looked up at me with tears welling up in her eyes.

“I promise you that they are going to be okay. More than okay. They are happy and healthy. Moreover, they love getting to see you, and I know they won’t let anything get in the way of that, okay?”

She nodded and wiped her eyes before giving me another hug. 

“Auntie is going to be here in a couple minutes, okay? Just sit tight. I love you and I’ll see you tonight”. I smiled at her and made my way toward the door.

“Love you too, Papa,” she responded with a little more joy in her voice.

The drive to the lab was quiet and uneventful. I could feel the positivity draining as we pulled further and further away from home. The sun began cresting over the horizon and Rinnon let out a sigh.

“And to think, you didn’t want to come by last night, Rin” I said to him.

“Well maybe I was a little apprehensive about being seen and ripped apart on the spot, Apherius”

“Why so testy all of a sudden?” I asked him. “We were having a good morning”.

“Likely the last one we will have for a while” He claimed, coldly.

“Look, I hate that we have to hole you up in there, but it’s for your safety. Besides, you have more Vyridia there now. You should really try and get along with them. They’ve been through the ringer too, you know.” I told him.

“Oh the obnoxious guy and his prying friends? No thanks. They don’t understand the concept of minding their own business” he said.

I pursed my lips before saying my final remark.

“There’s just no winning with you, is there, Rin?”

I looked back at him in the rearview. He stared at me with an irritated scowl. 

I pulled into the lot of Bios Alpha and found that we had been the first to arrive. Just as we planned. Dr. Corvus wouldn’t be around for another few minutes. It gave me just enough time to slip Rima and Rinnon back inside. As I unlocked the doors to the facility, I found Solsta inside tinkering with something. He looked up at me and offered me the same Solsta-esque greeting he did every day.

“Oh hey, science guy! Why are prickly pear and quiet time with you?”

I was stunned in silence. I was used to him referring to me as “science guy”, but I had never heard these new nicknames for Rima and Rinnon. Rinnon shot Solsta a glare.

“My name is Rinnon, asshole”

“Well Rinnon asshole, a hearty good morning to you”

Rinnon looked as though he were about to explode in utter rage, but to my surprise, he just walked off in a huff. Shaking my head, I looked over at Solsta.

“Do you have to antagonize him? He has a tough time with newcomers”.

“I tried playing nice the first time I met him, doc. It was him who started with the nastiness.” Solsta stated.

“We all have to try and get along here. You and him are in the same boat after all” I reminded him.

“Hey, we were just fine before that Calio lady dragged us here” He replied.

I had to ponder the name. Calio. The night Solsta, Lumis and Celeste arrived, they were accompanied by a woman from the Phantom Ravens. It clicked a moment later. The woman he was talking about was Calio Cygnus. Though she was under employ of the Overseers, she worked in secret protecting the Vyridia from unjust treatment. I looked at Rima who just stared at me, unsure of what to make of the situation that had just unfolded between her brother and Mr. Goodwill.

“It’s alright, Rima. Why don’t you head upstairs and re-up on your injections.”

She nodded and thanked me for taking her and Rinnon in for the night. I obliged and waved her off. Turning my attention back to Solsta who had since returned to his task of tinkering with tiny machine parts, I spoke to him.

“Solsta, if Dr. Corvus asks, you didn’t see them come in with me, alright?” I pressed. He didn’t even look up at me. He gave me a quick salute and went on with his business. I made my way to the lab and awaited the arrival of the team. This new project held promise, but in just as great a capacity, it held uncertainty. I could feel an anxiousness burgeoning inside me. Only time would tell if it could truly be applied to the populous.

Not ten minutes later, did Dr. Corvus walk into the lab, looking more stern than usual.

“Dr. Apherius.” He said, gathering my attention. “Come with me please. I need to discuss something with you”. He made a hasty exit, leaving me with a feeling of dread. He was on to me. He knew I took the Stone twins from the lab. I began piecing together my explanation as I made my way to his office. As I made it to the door. I wrapped lightly on the solid wood before grabbing the handle and opening it. As I entered, I could make out the faint smell of whiskey and aromatic spices. It was quite pleasant and actually calmed me down a degree.

“Please sit, Doctor.” He prompted me from his desk, gesturing to an adjacent chair. I sat down, awaiting his reprimands, though I didn’t make an attempt to incriminate myself. I kept quiet and remained patient. Then… he spoke.

“Dr. Apherius, I have heard some troubling news.”

I could feel a bout of nervous sweat burning in my brow. He continued.

“Dr. Sayah has informed me that you have volunteered yourself as a subject for Glass Shadow. Is this correct?”

I could feel a wash of relief cascading over me at the conclusion of his question. He was none the wiser of Rima and Rinnon’s little excursion.

“That is accurate, yes” I replied

“Then I surmise you are aware of the risks associated with such a project?” he asked.

I pondered the future. What the success of Glass Shadow could mean for us as a species. What it could mean to my little Zephyr.

“I do,” I responded.

He brought me over to the chamber in which MK-00796 was housed. Dr. Corvus began increasing the soundwave frequency in the chamber so that we could get a look at the being.

“As Dr. Sayah has explained, I’m sure, these beings have highly unique properties. Preliminary tests have shown that integration with carbon-based lifeforms is indeed possible”.

Dr. Corvus brought up some recordings of the integration process. It all seemed relatively straightforward. The host was placed in the chamber and was made to wait for the being to approach. The recordings couldn’t really pick up the scenery manifested by MK-00796, but I did notice something odd. Cracks were forming on the glass that was supposed to be holding the specimen.

“Hang on Len. Pause it” I prompted. He did as I said. “Those cracks… I don’t see them in the chamber now. Did we have the glass replaced?”

He looked closer at the video before having a moment of realization.

“Ah, yes. I remember having to transfer the subject from chamber 3 to chamber 6. The glass was replaced on chamber 3, but seeing as the transfer process was rather arduous, we elected to leave 00796 in 6”.

I nodded and approached the glass. I could see the entity coming into view. Once again, it approached me. Staring into what I could only assume was its eyes, I spoke to it.

“I hope you can help us. I hope we can work together”. 

It seemed to stare at me. Its head cocked to the side slightly before vanishing in front of me. Dr. Corvus spoke again.

“It appears to have the ability to counteract the control frequency in the chamber. Sometimes, when it disappears, we have to wait and try again when it has reset itself.” he said.

This was peculiar to me. What could this being’s reasoning be to vanish? Is it fear? Anger? Perhaps something beyond our mortal emotions. All I knew was that I was going in as blind as possible to this experiment. 

“I’m ready,” I told him.

He looked at me quizzically.

“What? Right now? You don’t want to inform your daughter?”

“I don’t want to scare her. This could solve all of our problems, and I don’t want to go into this experiment knowing that the last thing I did was scare her. We shouldn’t waste another second… Not when our lives are on the line”.

Dr. Corvus was silent for a moment. Carefully crafting a reply. I knew the risks. I knew what could happen to me in there. No matter what he said, I would remain unwavering in my decision.

“Well it’s a good thing this won’t be the last thing you do.” He said confidently. 

It made me feel slightly better hearing that, though I knew there was no way he could know for certain what the outcome of this would be. With a deep breath, I stepped to the entrance of chamber 6. Growing anxious, I shoved my hands into my pockets as hard as I could. My chest was tight. Removing my right hand, I reached for the keypad to the right of the chamber door. I entered the code and closed my eyes as I pressed ‘enter’. As I crossed the threshold, the door slid closed behind me.

“Are you alright, Dr. Apherius? How are you feeling?”

It was a sensation that was hard to describe. A complex series of sensory events occurred. I felt as though I was surrounded by water. Breathing still came naturally, but my movement felt slowed. I felt tired, yet comfortable. I stated this to Dr. Corvus, who remained silent after my response. The glass of the chamber walls slowly began to fade into obscurity as they were overtaken by lumbering trees, and the vast night sky. Dr. Corvus' voice emanated in the chamber once again.

“I will keep this brief as my voice could impact the frequency in there. You should see a cabin up the road. This was recorded in all the previous integrations with the rodents. Enter the cabin and wait. That should be all you have to do. If anything seems out of the ordinary, I will suppress the entity long enough for you to make your exit”.

His statement sent chills down my spine. I had spent far too long however, spinning my wheels in place. I stiffened my lip and pressed on to the cabin previously mentioned. As I stepped on to the deck, I heard the familiar creak of wood. The musty smell of old lumber wafted into my nostrils. This manifestation was eerily realistic. I had no idea that MK-00796 could conjure up smells and sounds within its created realms. Approaching the door, I hesitated for a moment. This was it. The moment of truth. Stepping through the door I found that the inside was not what I had expected. Instead of a cozy interior a cabin would typically have possessed, I found myself inside… the lab of Bios Alpha. Had I gotten turned around and walked out the chamber door by mistake? I ensured that I closed the door behind me so as not to let the entity out of chamber 6. I scanned the area for Dr. Corvus, to inform him that I had used the wrong door, likely due to my induced fatigue. As I pressed further into the lab, I could hear a scraping sound coming from behind the curtain where Dr. Sayah had kept the rodents that were previously tested on. This roused my curiosity. As I approached, the scratching grew, and was accompanied by a sort of raspy gurgling noise. I ripped back the curtain and saw something I could never have prepared for. The sight was enough to make me sick. Where all the rodents had once been housed, lay the unmoving corpses of… people. They were all dressed the same and covered in a mysterious black substance. They were badly mangled and mutilated beyond recognition. An unchecked and primal fear permeated throughout my body. The adrenaline rush pushed me over the edge. I was shaking violently and finally vomited on the floor. Something was clearly not right. The pile of bodies began to shuffle. Something was happening. The raspy gurgling re-introduced itself as it grew into an inhuman scream. As the pile of bodies began rising, I turned and ran. I attempted to push the door leading from the lab to the lobby open, but it wouldn’t budge. The scream grew louder. As I turned around to find the source, I could see that light bulbs were popping in a direct line to me. Whatever was stalking me, wanted to remain concealed. As the last lightbulb burst, all went quiet. It was pitch black in the lab. I was frozen in terror. All I could do was wait. In a matter of seconds, all the lights had restored, many times brighter than before. Standing in the center of the room was a rotted shell of a corpse. Screaming. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The thing standing in front of me from the pile of bodies I had seen earlier was… me. The lights shut down again. All was quiet. Lights restored, screaming continued. This time, however, there were three of the corpses, both me. This process repeated a few times. Upon the last iteration, there was once again only one of the bodies. They were toying with me. This time there was no screaming, only a raspy breathing as the hollow corpse stared at me. Instantly it began its lunge at me, just as the lights went down again. I felt something tear through my body. The pain was excruciating. This thing was tearing my body apart and I couldn’t see any of it. Swing after swing, I could feel parts of me flying off into the darkness. The wetness of blood smeared all over me. Eventually, the pain was too great and I blacked out.

I awakened in my bed, drenched in sweat. I immediately began patting down my body, ensuring all of my parts were intact. It had all felt so vivid. I could even swear I was still feeling the pain of all the wounds that I had sustained. I looked out the window and found that it was still dark outside. Rain was falling, which was indeed unusual considering the biome we were inhabiting. I got out of bed to ground myself. Leaving my room I took a walk down the hallway towards Zephyr’s room. Opening the door I stepped in and saw she was asleep. I watched her for a moment to calm myself down, before making my way downstairs. As I made it to the kitchen, much to my surprise, Zephyr’s aunt was still there. She was on the phone, speaking to… someone. She was saying strange things. Things that made no sense to me.

“He’s never been gone this late. I’m worried something happened” and “Have ave you heard anything from Theo?” were the most disturbing. I called out to her

“I’m right here, don’t worry.”

Nothing.

She didn’t respond at all. Not a jump, not a look. Maybe she didn’t hear me

“Nia? Hello!” I said, steadily raising my voice. Still, nothing.What the hell was going on? I rushed back upstairs and re-entered Zephyr’s room to wake her up. I didn’t want to startle her. As I went to approach her I bumped into a stack of books which fell, waking her up. I receded into the corner slightly so as not to be too close if she woke up. She shifted and sat up as she scanned the room, I whispered:

“Zephy, it’s me. Don’t be scared.”

Her eyes locked on me and to my horror, she looked absolutely terrified. She screamed like I had never heard her scream before. I could hear Nia flying up the stairs. She came into the room

“Zephyr, sweetie?! What’s wrong?”

“There’s a monster in here!” She screamed while sobbing.

“Where, sweetie? Where’s the monster”

Zephyr slowly extended her arm, and with an unblinking gaze, pointed directly at me.

Nia looked into my eyes and squinted a bit. She looked as though she wanted to say something to me, but instead looked back at my daughter and said, “I don’t see anything”.

I spoke again

“Nia, it’s me. Theo. Stop playing around”

As I moved toward them, Zephyr screamed again.

“It’s moving! It’s moving!”

Seeing that she was completely inconsolable, Nia promptly took Zephyr out of the room.

I was completely lost for words. Why couldn’t they understand me? It was completely unprecedented. My own daughter called me a monster… Following them downstairs, I heard a knock at the front door. Nia went to answer it. As it swung open I could see Dr. Cohen Sayah on the other side. Why was she at my house at this hour?

“Good evening, Nia. I have some… unfortunate news for you. Do you mind if we speak alone?”

Nia told Zephyr to wait in the living room as she stepped out with Dr. Sayah. I went back upstairs and opened a window to listen in. 

“Nia, I don’t really know how to break this to you, so I am just going to say it. I am terribly sorry, but there was a catastrophic failure at the lab today, and…”

Nia immediately began crying uncontrollably and fell to her knees. Dr Sayah got down and put her arms around Nia. I was so perplexed by this. Dr. Sayah couldn’t be insinuating that I had died, could she? She continued speaking.

“Theodore was adamant about seeing this project through. He only had protecting his daughter on his mind the whole time. He did it with very good reason. He was incredibly brave for undertaking it. I’m so sorry I didn’t try harder to stop him.” Dr. Sayah said before breaking down, herself. Rushing to the stairs I yelled out to Zephyr.

“Zephyr, pumpkin! I’m here! Don’t be scared!” 

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t hear me. She was glued to the window trying to hear what was going on outside. As I descended the stairs I could tell that something had caught her ear. She looked over at me and her eyes grew wide once again. This time she shouted directly at me.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PAPA?! GO AWAY!”

As she shouted, everything around me went black. This time however… the light did not return.

You know, I could have sworn I felt tears rolling down my cheeks that night. The emotional pain felt just as real. I would never find out if I was indeed crying or if it was just some parting response from my brain. Regardless, as the abyss consumed the last of me, I knew that i felt until the very end, I felt every last sec-

THE END