BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Seven [Part 2/3]: Slipups

                      -Jake Aylesbury -

The old lab, a darker, less developed work space that Martello clung to long after expansions were made and larger, whiter rooms with better gadgetry were installed. This place had been the home of operations at the start, where the Trinity of Scientists, Garner,  Martello and Daniels,  had worked most hours of the day and night.

With all the memories and regrets, it seemed she couldn't let go of this room. But she wasn't alone, most of Unit Zero were attached to it, none more so than Swan. She had helped convince Andersen and Cole that it should be kept as it has always been kept and handed over to Martello for her use after Nicodemus left. This had been our sanctuary and our hell hole all at once.

After becoming Nocturnals, it was the only place even slightly sympathetic to our sensitive eyes at T.S HQ, save our personal quarters. It was usually dim enough to bear. Which may have been that Nicodemus had injected himself with an unstable serum not long before we'd been turned into Nocturnals ourselves. He understood the concept of a light induced migraine.

Perhaps Miss Andersen wasn't aware of this, but this was the best place for her to  begin her journey at Trinity Science. Less cold and calculated. A little more warm and friendly. More to the point, she was in the right hands. Martello had somehow intercepted the message that she had arrived, before Dr. Daniels could appear.

I heard a door shut behind me and turned to see Martello crossing the room. Her eyes scanning her research tablet whilst she brushed back a loose black curl from obscuring her view.

"All done?" I inquired, my hands in my front pockets, head tipping to one side as I waited for a response.

She took a second, humming, unaware I'd spoken before she finally brought her dark eyes up to look at me. Hand still on head, holding back that one curl that had escaped her ponytail. She pulled a clinical smile  as she realised what I'd asked and nodded like a bobble head. "For tonight, yes. But I want to do a few more tests in lab room two later. If mister Andersen permits me to, that is, and if I can keep doctor Daniels claws out of her until then." Martello placed her tablet down on the counter, glancing at it for a second, reluctant to remove her fingers from their grasp of it. "It's a miracle he hasn't shown up and taken over already."

"Hopefully his mind is occupied elsewhere." I paused, catching Kate's movements behind the glass separating her from the room. She looked drunk and lost, her head bobbing slowly where she sat, slumped on her little metal bench. "How are your findings so far?"

 "Well, just from what I've seen there doesn't seem to be any danger of a plant or sabotage. Except for the fact she has a second serum in her system." Angelica crossed her arms, glancing back over her shoulder at the subject. "Now, until the blood work's all done, I won't know for sure. But, I think having so many outside conflicts at Ides made the two serums work together to repair damage. It's slowing the process of them fighting each other. Hopefully, uh, well..." She paused bringing her attention back to me, the doubt on her skin was evident but I tried to ignore it. "I'm hoping it means that if she's exposed to a fair amount of stressors, the serums will have time to bond together and not... kill her."

My mouth hung open a little. "Is that really possible? That they could adapt together?"

"Well, scavenging exists." Her face lit with a broad smile, a little twinkle coming into her eye. This was what Martello loved, the possibilities. The fact there was always something new and being able to talk about it. "That's all about the time it takes and one not seeing the other as a threat as much as material to learn from and use. Broken down for energy like food." She took a breath, the excitement pouring out of her pores, making the artificial perfume on her skin redundant. She smelled like paprika and honey under the fake scent of flowers. "Who's to say in this case there isn't a slight chance that the serums won't learn to get along. Given that she's survived a couple days with it in her system with little sign of the decay it causes. She's outlasted any subject I've seen before, under these circumstances."