Phoenix Rising

Chapter 7

Mid-day light streams through the one-way windows of Laboratory C. Monitors beep in neon harmony, green except for two red ones, glowing like misplaced Christmas lights among the wires and dials. Roughly twenty Scientists dart from monitor to monitor, flickering and flitting like schools of white fish.

All are in perpetual movement, all except for one.

"Head Scientist O'Connor," a voice calls.

The Head Scientist turns away from a hologram, which abruptly switches off.

"Yes, Max?" the man pries in a deep monotone. He turns his head in his adresser's direction, meeting him head on with a steely grey gaze. The Head Scientist is an older man, his hair a shock of grey-white on his squared-off head. His age, however, does nothing to disguise his power. His shoulders, wide and thick, show even under his lab coat; his eyes glare from his head with an assertive, controlling confidence.

Max's eyes dart to the ground, bowing under his superior's gaze.

"Someone is here to see you," Max mumbles.

"Tell them they can wait," O'Connor snarls, switching the hologram back on. The image of a young girl's face is briefly visible, mouth moving quickly as if talking to someone.

"I don't think you understand-"

"No, Max, you don't understand. This is important. Leave me in peace."

The younger Scientist opens his mouth in protest, but then turns away with a nearly-silent "suit yourself." He walks away, almost fearfully, but doesn't bother to look back. The Head Scientist continues to look at his floating picture.

With a sharp crunch of breaking lock and a loud clang, the doors of the lab burst open. In walks a figure clothed in black, flanked by white-uniformed Enforcers.

"Leader," O'Connor grins with open arms, "Nice to see you."

"Shut up, Dale," the Leader growls.

Dale O'Connor frowns, brow furrowing.

"You got a problem?"

"You're brave to talk to me like this. And yes, I have a big problem."

O'Connor crosses his thick arms, his expression barely conveying curiosity.

"I have been informed of an issue concerning two of your patients. I expected you to find a way to resolve it, but judging by the way it has progressed-" the leader gestures towards the now-kissing hologram, "You have done nothing to fix it."

"You gonna kill me like you did Roberts?"

The air in the room grows instantly heavier with the collective fear of the Scientists. In a far corner, Max hides his small smirk, his teeth holding back a triumphant "I told you so."

Dale O'Connors stares at the figure that could have him killed with an idiotic confidence. His courage is so shocking that the Leader seems swayed. After a brief pause, it speaks.

"No, I won't have you killed. At least, not yet. I have simply come here to suggest a solution to our little problem, since you are obviously too idiotic to devise one."

The Head Scientist frowns and stares challengingly at his superior.

"Hit me," he says.

"I don't know as much about your technology as you do, but I have been thinking. Dale, if you kill someone in a simulation, do they die in reality?"

"Uh... We've never really tried. But yeah, if they were killed suddenly in the simulation, they would almost definitely die in reality. The shock of apparent death would be too much for the body to handle, and it would simply... shut down."