Be Still My Heart

Preparation

The recruits barely even flinch as the needles are pushed into their arms. I nervously tap my foot waiting for my turn. "Alright, Y/N. Go ahead and sit down." Wanda comes walking up with me holding my hand. She leans down to my ear. "Want me to?" I nod my head as Dr. Trager wipes down my arm with the wipe. "Yes, now, please."

My vision fades out from Dr. Trager uncapping the needle to Wanda and me. This isn't a memory though. We are standing outside a secluded cabin in the woods. I turn to look at Wanda next to me, "Where are we?" She steps forward moving towards the door that leads inside.

"I had a dream about where we would go for a break after this mission is over." She twists open the knob and opens the door but the image fades away before I can see inside. I can feel Wanda's magic fading out in my head.

I open my eyes to see Dr. Trager holding two vials of my blood. My arm has a small gauze wrap covering where the needle was. Time moves so slow during those mind moments. I wish I could have seen more.

I look up at Wanda who is still holding onto my hand. "That sounds perfect." She nods her head with a soft smile acknowledging my comment. "Just you and me."

Specialist Grace speaks to all of us, "Alright, recruits and specialists. Tomorrow is the day we have been preparing you for. We have completed all of your baseline testing."

She turns to look at me next, "Y/N, I will give you free rein of their schedules for the rest of the day but please don't break them." All of the recruits lightly chuckle at her attempt at a joke.

"We will start your experiment tomorrow morning at nine sharp. Be here by eight thirty the absolute latest. Make sure you get some sleep, but don't eat before arriving. We want you at your best for the experiment."

The recruits all answer with a resounding, "Yes ma'am." She nods as her way of dismissing us but motions for me to walk over to her. Her voice is quiet as she pulls me further into the lab away from the recruits and Wanda.

"We will run your healing experiment tomorrow after the recruits. We want all hands on deck in case of any unpredictable reactions. You and Wanda can use your abilities to detain if need be. Is there anything else you need before we do this tomorrow?"

She actually looks like she cares about what I say. "Will I have the chance to meet Assistant Director Grace before? I just worry about being groggy or incapacitated after that amount of healing. I want to make a good impression." It is a blessing that I have learned to lie well.

"Actually, we will be on a strict timeline tomorrow so you can meet her after. Dr. Trager has reassured me that you will be fine and completely unaffected. I wouldn't worry. She will be watching though." I nod my head and take a step back to leave, "Okay, I hope so."

Specialist Grace turns around and watches as I herd the recruits out of the lab to head towards the cafeteria. I can feel her eyes burning into the back of my head. I have a bad feeling about this. I place my hand on Wanda's lower back as we walk down the hallway. I hope Nat and everyone can show up on time.

Specialist Grace POV-

I wait until the recruits, Y/N, and Wanda have disappeared down the hallway to speak again. Dr. Trager places the samples into the fridge for us to look at later, all of them except Y/N's.

"Did you get my report on the skin cells?" I watch as he begins to make a slide of her blood to look at under the microscope. "Yes, but I haven't had a chance to read all of it. What did you find?" It takes him a moment to speak while he focuses. He spins around in his chair to face me.

"It really is amazing. Her normal skin cells have a regenerative ability which is why she can heal faster than the average person. The cells from her wrist are damaged but still functioning to protect her, and the cells from her chest were completely destroyed which explains the loss of touch there."

He looks back to the microscope placing his eyes to the scope. He continues speaking, "Her cells protected her body. If Drew had done that to anyone else, they would have died. The regenerative and healing capabilities are just,-" He stops mid-sentence adjusting the microscope.

"What? Did you find something?" His mouth drops open but he remains speechless. "Dr. Trager what did you find?" He pushes back from the microscope looking back at me.

"Her blood has very similar properties to her skin. I don't understand. Why are Drew's blood and body not like this? His brain is splitting apart at the seams in a mortal, dying host. I thought they were supposed to be one in the same but different."

He has read all the old reports. We believed they would be perfect candidates based on all of their similarities: blood type, genetic markers, birth timeline. It wasn't until recently that we realized just how different they are.

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense. I really only care about one thing though. Will it work? Do you think her body will reject Drew's mind?" Dr. Trager pulls off the slide and uncaps another vial of blood, Drew's. He makes a slide of it to view under the microscope next.

"Let's hope not. Looking at this from a genetic and medical perspective, it should be an easy transition with our advanced technology and tools. Y/N's body should willingly accept Drew's brain transmissions, but we can't guarantee anything. Their abilities will dictate whether this works."

My secure line phone buzzes with a call from Mom. "I need to take this. Send me your report on her blood. Make sure that the machine is ready. We only get one shot at this before we raise Y/N and Wanda's red flags." I pull open the lab door and begin the walk towards my office. "Hey, yeah. I'm coming. Everything is a go."