It was late, far too late to be in the laboratory, but Amanda Sinclair, a graduate student at Gotham University, could not fathom being away from her experiment- not during these crucial moments.
She looked down at the lab mouse, squeaking as it ran on its wheel, unaware of the world around him. He was so small. Amanda felt guilt gnawing at her stomach. It was the one part of science she could never truly get behind.
"Stop it." She spoke aloud, chastising herself. "It's for science. For the better good."
But that didn't make her feel any better.
She reached into her lab coat pocket, pulling out a yogurt drop. She slipped the treat through the bars of the cage, watching the mouse sniff the air, then hop off his wheel to get the tasty treat.
She heard it then.
"Hello?" She called out.
"It's me," A man walked into the laboratory. Grayson was a fellow graduate student. He worked in a lab across the hall. "I'm about to head home, need a ride?"
Amanda shook her head.
"The mouse will still be here in," Grayson looked down at his watch. It was four a.m. "five hours. You really should get some sleep."
"I don't need sleep."
Grayson sighed. "Suit yourself. See you tomorrow."
Amanda mumbled a goodbye, glad to be alone with her rodent companion once more.
It was maybe fifteen minutes later when she heard another noise.
"Grayson?"
No response. Amanda sighed. He'd probably forgotten to turn off his Bunsen Burner like always.
She listened again for any noise, but there was only the sound of the mouse regaining tempo on the wheel.
She watched him.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
Another noise.
"Grayson, can you not?" Amanda called, frustrated. "I'm really busy. This isn't funny."
She looked towards the lab door.
The man standing at the entrance wasn't Grayson. This man was too broad; his defined muscles stood out from under his black hoodie. His face was hidden beneath the hood, but she could catch just the slightest look at his chin under the dimmed laboratory lights. A long scar ran across it.
"This is a restricted area," She responded, voice shakier than she wanted it to be. She grabbed her phone from where it sat by the mouse's cage.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
She slid her lock screen open, eyes still on the man at the door.
She used muscle memory to open her text messages. She tried to remember who'd she texted last, not that it mattered. She pressed on the messages.
She ran her fingers across the phone's keyboard.
Help.
She screamed as the man ran, lunging at her.
***
The man stood, head tilted, looking at the rodent on the wheel.
The rodent looked back, equally curious, little paws still tirelessly working on the wheel.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
He felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone.
Hurry.
The man stepped over the woman, crumpled on the floor before him.
He walked to the very end of the lab, directly to a door labeled, "Authorized Persona Only."
He grabbed the handle, yanked down, and watched as the metal bent in his strong grip, ripping it clean off the door frame. The door slid open.
The walls were lined with cabinets, all labeled "CAUTION." He walked to the back of the room.
The cabinet had a frosted glass window. He drew his hand back, punching forward, watching the glass fall away as if it'd never been there to begin with.
He reached into the cabinet, pulling out a vile of liquid the color of the clouds before a storm.
He reached for his phone, typing:
Got it.
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Author's Note: Relatively short chapter, so the next one will be up today as well. I just need to go over it to make sure there's no misspelling. As always: Leave a comment, heart this chapter, and add this story to your library. - C