Sons of the Earth

NARD Containment Level C, February 8th, 2020, 22:00

     The Wizard groaned, eyes blinking in the bright light. It was like lying back in the desert. The sun seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, piercing into him, driving all shadow away. He quickly realized that the light was, in fact, coming from everywhere at once. He was in a room whose walls, floor, and ceiling were made of translucent frosted material with banks of blindingly bright lights behind them. He was lying on a clear plastic air mattress on a hard, transparent shelf. Everything, even the toilet and plumbing, was made of transparent material that did nothing to block the light. He felt disoriented, somehow drained. Never before had he experienced such a complete lack of shadow. He sat up with a groan, shaking his head to try to clear the residual effects of the drugs from his system. His clothing seemed to be made of sheer white semi-transparent silk, leaving him feeling embarrassingly exposed. He scratched absently at one arm, discovering a small piece of gauze with clear plastic tape inside his elbow. Someone had drawn blood from him while he'd been unconscious. Looking up and squinting, he could barely make out clear pipes along the top edges of the walls. He guessed they were for ventilation or maybe to gas him back into unconsciousness. No, this was not good.

     "Ah, you're awake!"

     The Wizard turned, seeing a thin man with thinner hair, glasses with thick black rims, and a clipboard. He was coming in through a door indistinguishable from the wall, entering from another blindingly-lit room. Until now, the Wizard hadn't realized that part of the wall was clear, leaving a small anteroom with a transparent chair where the man sat. The man crossed one leg over the other, setting his clipboard to write. "My name is Dr. Russo, and I'm in charge of your case. I'd like to start by..."

     "Case? What case?" the Wizard interrupted. "Where am I? Where is the Swordsman? What happened to Mason? I demand to speak with the Overseers! This is a blatant violation of our agreement."

     Russo didn't seem happy about being interrupted. He let the Wizard know by gazing sternly at him for a long moment. "I'd like to begin by asking you some basic questions," he began again, annoyed. "First, you're usually referred to as 'The Wizard,' but the earliest proper name we can directly associate with you is Merlinus Ambrosius. If you allow it, may I refer to you by your most well-recognized name of Merlin?"

     The Wizard sternly reminded himself to stay calm. "I don't really care what you call me. I just want to know where the Swordsman is."

     "We'll get to that." Russo smiled at him. "I'd like to welcome you to one of our National Artifact Research and Development labs, Merlin." The smile widened. "I have to say, I feel like a kid at Christmas! I've been looking forward to meeting you for some time now. You and your fellow demigods are of great interest to our group."

     "We're actually true humans. I'm more human than you are. You should be the one in here, not me." The Wizard had gotten to his feet, noting with dismay that his sheer outfit included slippers but no underwear. He could see the outline of his body through his clothing. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep calm.

     "Ah, yes, the matching mitochondrial DNA," Russo acknowledged. "The three of you really are incredible. Tell me, how did you find our African base?"

     The Wizard stared flatly at him. "I'll tell you that using your own favorite word. Classified."

     Russo's smile vanished. "I see you've dealt with Artifact hunters before."

     "A time or two, yes."

     "Alright then." Russo flipped pages around on his clipboard. He seemed somewhat put out. "Do you have any special medical or dietary needs?"

     "I get constipated sometimes," the Wizard replied conversationally. "Nothing some roughage can't fix. As for dietary, I'm not overly fond of hot peppers, so please hold the Mexican. No allergies. I rarely get sick, although I do come down with the occasional cold. I'm up-to-date on all my shots, so you don't have to worry about me going rabid and biting you. I've got no current meds, my blood type is O+, and I prefer wine to beer, red to white. Anything else?"