VARIANCE

PART ONE: CONNECTIONS

My name is Freddie Anderson, and I am a biochemist. I am twenty-one years old and I've been working at the A.R.C.S Labs since two years, and never once had something occurred that had shaken up the whole system.

Until today.

As usual, I had no idea where I'd kept my glasses. I was shuffling up the things on my desk, when they walked in.

The hall was divided into two: desks lined up with computers and shelves accompanied by rotating chairs. 

I sat second to the right, near the entrance. The noise had died out when the unexpected company showed up.

Two security guards, followed by a girl, and behind her; were two more.

The girl had purple skin.

The colored skin wasn't what shook me, it was the way she's looked at me, when they'd walked away. The four bodyguards and all.

Her eyes.

I don't know what it was that i was expecting. Something that conveyed that she couldn't br human? Something easier to accept? Maybe violet or red eyes?

She had dark brown human eyes.

                                                                                           *

'It's crazy right?' My colleague, Raavi, asks me later that day.

We were at the mess hall - basically the cafeteria - but mess hall sounded a lot cooler.

'What's crazy?' I ask, munching on my bologna sandwich.

'We spend our entire lives trying to find one, and she just shows pops up from the middle of nowhere.'

'Raavi,' I say. 'Who're you talking about?'

'I'm talking about the Variant!' Raavi quotes in the air. 'Remember?'

I roll my eyes. Of course I do, I just didn't want to think about it.

'I do.'

'Can you believe that out of everyone, we got her?' He pauses for dramatic effect. 'Nebula.'

'Nay - boo - lah?'

Raavi was my very, very good friend. He was an Indian, and the best thing about him, was that he still had his accent, unlike other people I knew - but that also meant I had to guess some of the things that he meant to say?

It took me a minute to register what he'd actually meant.

'Wait,' I stand up, and slam my hands onto the table. ' That's NEBULA?'

'Duh?' Raavi shakes his head, and my heart did a double flip.

We had one of the strongest Variants in our system.

She could burn this place down.

'Where are they keeping her?' I demand. We were gonna have to find a better place, she couldn't burn the lab, it would ruin tons of hard work.

'She's in our unit,' Raavi says, standing up now. 'She's our responsibility now.'

For the hundredth time in my life, I wondered why I'd chosen this as my profession.

Back at home - Raavi's home actually (I was too broke to pay my rent) - I checked my files.

About a decade ago, certain news had surfaced that we had enhanced beings living with us. And that they were completely human.

And they were the results of an experiment that had taken place a long time ago.

That was pretty much all I knew about the Variants.

And now we'd finally found one.

Next day was a Sunday—but I never took it as a holiday, so I headed off to the lab, first thing in the morning.

I had had a quick shower and an apple for breakfast. I could hardly afford anything these days.

Sunday was family day for Raavi, so I was pretty much partner-less at work.

I reached A.R.C.S by bus, at around eight in the morning.

I met a few other colleagues on my way to the cabin, and I smiled graciously. I didn't have many friends at the lab, but I knew I could count on any one of them if I ever found myself in a situation.

Every cabin at the lab held a unit. They consisted of—uh, how do you say it?—a big glass box?—a structure that could hold anything?

Bullets. Fire. You name it.

Our units could hold anything.

Which was why they were the best place to keep the Variants.

And currently, the unit in my cabin was inhabited.

Nebula was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She looked like she was sleeping (her eyes were closed) — I couldn't be sure, though.

Without making much noise, I walked over to my desk and switched on the computer.

It wasn't actually a computer, just a projection, but he name stuck anyway.

I quickly checked my e-mails, and when I was done, I glanced a look at her.

She was still asleep.

And she looked so calm. At that moment, I doubted the stories.

And her skin. It was beautiful.

Now that I could actually see, it wasn't just purple. Purple and blue and green blended together.

Like the artificial image of a dying star.

Like a Nebula.

At around three, in the afternoon, Penelope walked into my cabin, carrying a paper bag containing what could only be one of her latest recipes.

'Hey workaholic,' she greeted me, as she set down the bag rather heavily onto my desk.

'Hey.' I reply and offer her a faint smile.

Despite Penelope being my colleague as well as one of my best friends, truth is, I'm actually a teensy-bit terrified of her.

Literally everyone I know is crazy about her. Including Raavi. I think he'd die for her if she asked him.

I id not belong to that category. Nor did I want her to think of me as belonging to that category.

Penelope...., well; she was a natural blond(at least that's what she told me), but there was never a day when I hadn't seen her and her blue hair. Light blue. She had a pale complexion, just like me, but that's where the similarities ended. She was really curvy and had a huge tendency, about the size of Russia, to wear clothes that accentuated her figure.

Raavi called her hot.

But to me, she was terrifying. No, not quite. Wary. I was very wary about her presence.

'Can I ask you a question?' I said, looking at Penelope, who was currently unwrapping a granola bar.

She nods.

'Who transferred her to my unit?' I point at Nebula. She was still sleeping, and I didn't want to wake her, so I basically whispered my question.

There you go guys. That's chapter one. I am on 2 month break from now on, because of my dumb life. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.xxx