It has been a month now. A whole month since the explosion at the ARC and exactly a week since Nick's funeral.
It was quiet, not many people were there; Nick didn't have many people that were close to him. He was a very private man in life and now, I guess, in death as well. It was just me, Abby, Connor, Jenny, Sarah, Lester, Becker and some co-workers that I'm pretty sure he almost never talked to. I knew Becker didn't feel comfortable there considering him and Nick didn't know each other well but I'm grateful that he came and paid his respects.
We haven't really talked about what happened a couple weeks back. With planning the funeral and going through Nick's things, that I claimed, I have just been too busy to allow myself to contemplate any kind of relationship with him.
But now I've started to find myself wanting to talk to him about it. I keep hoping he mentions it, also wanting to sort our 'relationship' out, but he never does.
And then whenever I try to bring it up there is always something in the way of me doing so, whether it be Connor barging in accidentally or a false alarm from the anomaly detecting device.
"Mia!" Shaking my head I look up to see Abby pointing to my hand with a mock angry face. Looking down I notice how the ancient plant I was watering was now overflowing.
Swearing I scramble to pick the pot up and empty the excess water into a bucket. Looking up, once the plant is back in place, I see Abby standing there with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
"We've had this new botanical, enviromentally controlled, lab for less than a week." She tries to act mad but I can see the hint of a smile on the corner of her lips.
My sheepish grin somewhat breaks her facade and she shakes her head chuckling while I rub the back of my neck in embarrassment.
"Yeah, sorry. I just got caught up in my thoughts." Shrugging I go over and grab a spray bottle to spray the leaves of some of the other plants.
Turning my back to her I focus on some of the smaller species we have and start with the little purple succulents and a few tiny air plants dating back to the jurassic.
I sigh when I feel Abby's small hand on my shoulder making me turn to face the girl who is around the same height as me, begrudgingly I will admit she is a couple inches, at most, taller than I am.
Turning I come face to face with her only to see the concern in her eyes shining through. Sending her a small smile I rub her upper arm reassuringly. "I'm fine, Abby." By the look in her eyes I can tell she doesn't believe me but doesn't question me on it.
"If you ever need to talk, please come to me." Her caring side shows through greatly. I nod with a tiny, yet grateful smile before forcing a larger one on my face.
"Well I better get going. Lupin needs feeding." I tell her as my false smile turns genuine at the thought of the canis dirus pup, better known as a direwolf.
An anomaly opened up at a random warehouse in downtown London and me, Abby and a few security were the ones chosen to go but by the time we got there a man was dead and all bloodied was a dying direwolf who was in labour with her pups. Because of my history of being a vetinary midwife for animals such as wolves I helped the prehistoric wolf birth four pups.
Because of the fight the mother must of had with the human man she was injured badly which caused her early birthing since her body knew she was dying.
This led to three out of the four pups to die almost instantly due to under development but the biggest and obviously most developed pup miraculously managed to survive against all of the odds placed against him.
Sadly the mother died soon after the birth of her last pup, Lupin. At first we did think he was dead with his eyes closed, which is normal, but it did also look like he was not breathing so just imagine my surprise when I saw the tiny pup start to wriggle about and make little noises.
Between me and Abby we made the decision that he could not be put back through the anomaly because without his mother to protect and teach him he would not last long so that is what led me to being here with the two month old pup. We had some hit and misses with the little one but luckily managed to keep him alive.
I remember the options of care we went over: from using a surrogate family of wolves to putting him down all together. But it was all soon decided when he opened his eyes a week or so, later. I decided I wouldn't let anyone do anything to hurt him and would look after the pup myself.
A few days later I found myself becoming like the mother wolf to him. I researched further and refreshed my knowledge of wolf husbandry since we couldn't know how it was like for direwolves and that was the next best thing.
Soon after he started moving about I discovered that even the prehistoric, less evolved, direwolf had the instinctual ability to imprint on an object or organism that wasn't its species.
And when I say imprinting I don't mean the hocus pocus Twilight imprinting. I mean the scientific discovery that an animal will instinctively make the first thing it sees at birth its source of protection, sustenance...Basically its mother.
Even with how adorable that is, it is a massive problem because the little thing struggles to be around other wolves, which we found out about when Lester ordered we at least try a surrogate family. That is a problem because now we have no hope of having him learn some of his wild behaviours naturally.
Another problem with this is because the pup is being reared by humans it will sexually imprint which means it will think of itself as a human because it was brought up by one since he has no sense of self like humans and few other animals do.
This isn't good because when matured and looking for a mate he will look for what he assumes he is, a human, in said mate and if paired with a wolf will probably freak out.
I, soon after the wolf family incident, had to explain how since I was the first thing the pup saw and recognised as protection, in his eyes, I am his mum.
And since then I've been keeping him with me at my house. Well that was until Connor started to stay, with Sid and Nancy. The two species from different times wouldn't be able to coexist together so Lupin has been staying in the animal unit office, without Lester knowing.
Even though the space is anything but natural he seems to enjoy it more than enough. Having free reign of the large office to practice his running and playing keeps his spirits high.
My smile widens when I open the door to the unit and see Lupin on his back playing with a pinecone I brought in for him yesterday. As soon as the door opens he drops it and comes scampering over. Being around two months old now he has started growing his adult fur and is almost completely weaned off of milk and onto softer meats.
He starts yipping and nudging my legs wanting to be picked up and fed his milk still not completely used to having to eat meat. Rolling my eyes, I kneel down in front of him and start scratching his scruff the way he likes it. His tongue wags out and he closes his eyes. It really surprises me how he has some major similarities to today's wolves and even dogs.
Even with the things in common, it is obvious Lupin isn't a normal wolf pup. He is bigger and differently proportioned to modern wolf pups his age.
"Are you ready for some breakfast?" I ask as he starts to get excited. Standing back up I walk the short distance to the fridge where we hold different meats for feeding the carnivores.
Looking inside, "so what do you feel like today? Some poultry, beef, lamb?" I turn and look at him questioningly as if he will answer. All he does is turn his head to the side adorably. Rolling my eyes as a grin spreads across my face I turn back and grab the small chunks of beef I prepared for him a while ago.
Taking it out and then closing the fridge I turn and open the zip-lock bag. We've tried the feeding process with a bowl and he won't take it so, for now, he has to be hand fed which isn't that shocking considering he isn't even supposed to be a part of domestic living.
Sliding down so I am leaning against the fridge I sit and wait for the over excited pup to come closer. When he does I start passing him the chunks one at a time and wait until he has ate the last one before giving him another. Once the portion of meat chunks is gone I throw the bag away and wash my hands. Looking around the room I almost laugh at how much Lupin has taken over the once clean and neat office. The computer chairs have been shredded, parts of the walls have been clawed and all of the important files and other things have been put up higher on shelves where me and Abby can barely reach. Shaking my head a short chuckle escapes me as I look down to a happily playing Lupin.
"What am I going to do with you wolfie?" He looks at me when I call him by his nickname but before I can say anything else an alarm goes off. I frown as I realise it is not the anomaly alarm and wonder what it is. Quickly exiting the room I notice some people gathering around the corner and start my jog to catch up to the moving group. Getting to the group of mostly security I see that their guns are raised and ready to fire. My breathing increases as I realise there could be danger in the ARC. "Talk to me." I hear Jenny command as she comes up behind us and look over to see Becker is the one she is talking to. "We have an intruder in Sector Seven."
"No identification as of yet." My eyes widen considerably as my thoughts go instantly to the one person I despise the most. I also see Connor coming up beside me looking equally as panicked as I feel. "Helen." I speak through my teeth as fear and fury runs through my veins at the possibility that my aunt is in the building. "Prepare to shoot on sight." Jenny must realise how bad this could be as well and orders the men as Becker nods raising his hand gun to the door. He kicks it open but instead of seeing the most horrible person I know I see the most annoying one instead.
Danny Quinn.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." He speaks while backing up slightly as he notices the guns trained on him. "Oh my God. I don't believe it!" I exclaim at the stupidity and stubbornness of this one man. "You've really got to do something about your security." He still finds the audacity to take a jab at the people pointing guns at him. I see Becker's jaw twitch in annoyance, his pride being poked at, and if I wasn't already annoyed myself I would've laughed.
Jenny huffs in annoyance as the cocky man smiles cheekily. Looking over the people present he stops when he sees me and flashes me a smile making me roll my eyes but can't stop the small twitch upwards of my lips at the silliness of this man. "Nice to see you, Mia." He winks playfully at me making a scoff escape my mouth. I roll my eyes as Becker turns his head slightly, looking at me from the corner of his eyes in surprise, as if he didn't even know I was here in the first place.
Ignoring him and looking over the captains shoulder I reply to Danny. "Yeah, likewise." The sarcastic undertone in my voice is picked up by Connor who chuckles under his breath. Before anyone can speak further I turn on my heels and start walking back to the hub. Lester must have already been informed of the intrusion and of who it is because as soon as I enter he shouts for me to come into his office from the balcony. Nothing escapes this man. Sighing, I jog up the stairs and enter his office after him and take one of the three available seats as we wait for the others to arrive.
Soon after I get myself comfortable Danny, Becker and Jenny come in. Jenny sits to my left as Danny sits to my right and Becker stands next to him with his arms crossed and a clear look of irritation on his face. "How did you get in?" Is the first thing James asks clearly wondering how the ARC's security didn't stop him. "Jumped the perimeter fence and kicked in a fire door. It was easy."
"What the hell are you doing here?" James exclaims obviously not fond of the man already. "It's my ambition to fight dinosaurs, save the world." I roll my eyes at the sarcastic comment. "Look, I just want to help, that's all." He speaks honestly, saying something seriously for the first time today. "I warned you to stay away from this, Danny." I tell him not liking that he is so willing to put himself in so much danger. He turns to me slightly with mischief in his eyes. "See, I thought you were flirting. It's hard to read women these days." I huff but also resist the urge to laugh as Becker scoffs at the comment; looking even more annoyed at the ex-police inspector than James, though not by much. "Can you pistol whip him?" He looks at Becker who raises his eyebrow in confusion and amusement. "Sir?"
"Just a thought." Is Lester's response to Becker's questioning if he was serious or not. "Mr Quinn."
"It's um, Danny."
"Mr Quinn, the fate of the nation, possibly the world, hangs on what we do here. It's not a place for chancers and wide boys." As soon as Lester speaks those words I see something in Danny's eyes change and all of a sudden no joking is left in them. "My brother was killed by a creature. Don't ask me to pretend it didn't happen. You've seen what I can do, and I want in." I sigh knowing that he will most likely get what he wants, in the end.
Once out of the office and walking back to my unit I notice Connor looking around the hallway in panic. "Connor, what are you doing?" He swings around with his eyes wide like a deer caught in head lights. He quickly shakes his panicked demeanour and tries to act casual. "Oh nothing just...trying to find you! Yeah, that's it. I need to tell you something." I raise my eyebrow at his bad acting but don't question him further. "And what was the thing you wanted to tell me?" I ask crossing my arms. He scratches the back of his neck as he seems to think of what to tell me before his eyes widen in realisation. "Okay, so...Erm, Abby doesn't know I'm staying at yours. She thinks I'm staying at one of my guy-mates houses. Please don't tell her. I feel embarrassed enough as it is, I don't need her thinking I have no friends outside of the ARC."
My own eyes widen as I slap his upper arm completely forgetting his suspicious actions from before. "Connor! You can't expect me to lie to her. We literally work in the same unit."
"Please, Mia! As your bestfriend I am begging that you keep this a secret." I roll my eyes we he uses the word 'bestfriend' to try and guilt-trip me. "But Abby is also my friend, Connor. I can't keep secrets from her." I'm somewhat confused at his overreaction to the situation when it isn't even that serious. "Okay, just please let me tell her. I promise I will." He begs and as I look in his eyes I notice the sincerity in them. Groaning, "fine. But you better tell her!" I warn and he nods furiously while bringing me in for a crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I actually love you so much!" He overreacts as his word come out fast and jumbled making me weeze out a laugh as I try to push against his shoulders to release me. "Connor...can't...breathe...too...tight." he instantly lets go with a sheepish grin as I try to catch my breath.
"Sorry." Glaring playfully, I attempt to move past him to enter the animal unit lab but Connor quickly stops me by leaning against the doors with his arms spread out. "You can't go in there." I furrow my eyebrows in confusion as I try, and fail, to get past him again. "Why?" I try looking in through the window on the door but Connors head quickly blocks it. "Because...Lupin is sleeping! And looks so peaceful. You going in there would wake him up." He whispers the last bit. Standing back a bit I look closely at Connor's nervous expression with narrowed eyes before slowly nodding accepting his answer even if I don't believe it. I just can't be bothered questioning him when he's like this. He lets out a sigh of relief before coming up to me and slinging an arm around my shoulders; leading me to the main hub.
When we get there he quickly leaves me alone and I see Becker with a detained Danny with his hands behind his back. Becker leads him to a desk and shoves him away. "You're going nowhere until we decide what to do with you. Don't get too comfortable." I see the glint of smugness in Becker's eyes in being able to have Danny under arrest and have him under his thumb. Shaking my head I walk up to the two 'alpha males' and sit on the desk in front of Danny and Becker. Before I can speak up Connor beats me to it. "Karma must really work, eh, Danny? It's not too long ago that you had me banged up. Look at you now." I frown looking over my shoulder to see Connor crouched down while walking like he has lost something. "The fact that I saved your life doesn't win me any credit?" Connor shakes his head not even looking at the man. "No." And then carries on walking around weirdly looking like a crab making a small chuckle escape from my throat.
"What does that machine do, then?" At his question Connor pops up to his full height. "You're not even supposed to be looking at that machine. It's top secret, innit?" Connor looks to Becker who nods in confirmation. After a beat a proud grin covers Connor's face. "But it is brilliant. And, you know, it's completely unique. Well, I bet you're wondering who invented it?" I roll my eyes at the boy who can't hold his own water to save his life. When he doesn't answer Connor carries on anyway. "Le Connor Temple." I scoff out a laugh as I look over his shoulder and see one of the screens frizzle. "What?" Danny musn't understand Connor's awful attempt at a French accent. "Connor Temple. That's...I invented it." He states proudly yet somewhat awkwardly.
"So, why is that screen jumping around, then?" He asks as the screen gets worse. Connor furrows his eyebrows in confusion before turning to face the computer. "Jumping? He walks over to have a better look. He stares at it before picking up its cables. My eyes widen at the chewed through cords. "Oh, my God." Connor's eyes also widen as he says this. He quickly starts scrambling around to get the computer up and running again. He keeps on looking over his shoulder at me in panic which sets me on edge further. After a moment it all starts to click why he didn't want me in the animal unit or why he was crouched down looking for something.
I'm going to kill him.
Jumping down off of the desk I stomp up to where Connor is with his back turned to me. When he looks over his shoulder again his eyes widen as he sees the knowing glare on my face. "What. Did. You. Do!?" I bite the words out as my blood pressure surely skyrockets. "I-I didn't mean to! I just wanted to go and check on Lupin but when I opened the door he ran out! I've been trying to find him but he could be anywhere." My anger quickly turns to worry as I look over the chewed cords. "He could have electrocuted himself. He is lost and likely stressed. He might get hurt or worse..." My words trail off at the thought of the little pup in danger. What if one of the security find him and shoot on sight?
At that though I swing around and walk straight towards Becker who eyes me warily with a hint of concern in his eyes that you wouldn't be able to see unless you know him. Looking him in the eyes properly since Nick's funeral shocks me for a second as I realise how much I've missed being able to talk to him. Shaking my head to push them thoughts away my eyes turn pleading as I address him. "Becker, if you or your team find a wolf pup about this big...Will you please tell me? He's not dangerous but will most likely be scared. Just don't hurt him, please?" I ask while making his size with my hands realising Becker has never seen Lupin before. His eyes widen and soften as he sees and hears my desperation and worry. Almost as if on instinct he nods while putting a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" He seems confused why I'm so panicked but I can't bring myself to answer him properly. "I'll tell you about it later." My eyes drift away from his as I hear Connor starting to talk.
"Lester, before you shout at me, I'm really sorry. I'll get the hard drive memory back up and running in seconds." For the first time I notice how Lester has been watching what's going on. Coming closer he looks between me and Connor. "At the risk of sounding like someone from the Old Testament, is there any sane reason why you're keeping animals in the ARC?" His sarcastic comment probably would've been funny had I not been too worrisome in this moment in time.
The anomaly alarm starts to go off making me stand closer to Connor so I can look at the computer. "We must have missed an anomaly while it was offline. It closed an hour ago. I'll get the location." Connor tells us as he gets the computer working again. "Yes, would you do that? Because that would be extremely helpful!" James snaps, annoyed at the current situation making Connor flinch awkwardly, knowing this was his fault.
"Christine Johnson is here to see you." A woman who must be his assistant or secretary informs Lester as a woman and a group of people follow behind her. "Here?" If anything, I'd say Lester looks rather worried, but definitely more annoyed than anything.
"James. This isn't a bad time, I hope?" The woman comes closer while letting off an air of arrogance and falseness. Her fake demeanour leaves a sour taste in my mouth as a small scowl overtakes my face. This woman, Christine Johnson, has to be nothing but bad news. I'm pretty sure I've never seen her before but by the look on Connor and Becker's faces, they have. Seeing Becker like this never fails to impress me. He doesn't give anything away and manages to keep an air of professionalism I would never be able to uphold. Lester also seems good with a false face. "Christine, what an unexpected pleasure." He welcomes before looking to Becker. "Do we know where Jenny is?"
"No, sir." Becker speaks calmly with his arms behind his back. Totaly professional. "Could you find her for me, please?"
"Yes, sir." I roll my eyes as he doesn't make a move to go and do so but stop myself from chuckling when I see the woman, Christine, eyeing me in suspicion. He seems to realise he isn't doing something right. "Now?"
"Now." James confirms and Becker quickly jogs away. As soon as Christine starts talking again, I dismiss myself not wanting to be around the woman much longer.
"Where are you going? An anomaly went off. We need to go and check it out." I hear Connor shout behind me as I begin to exit the hub. Turning, I smirk. "Well someone lost my pup so I have to go and find him before he gets himself into even more trouble." I don't wait for his reply as I spin on my heel and exit without missing a beat. I start back at the animal unit. Surely if he could he would come back here where the space and scent is familiar? The first place I look is his bed and then his little 'den' he made out of my extra clothes and some papers. He wasn't anywhere in the room. The next place I check is the botanical lab. Looking through the large glass window I don't see anything abnormal and when I properly check inside he's not there.
When I'm back in the hallway I contemplate where to look next. Before I can think any further I notice Connor at the other end of the corridor turning to go towards the analysing and testing labs. Wasn't he supposed to be on the closed anomaly call? Frowning I start a jog to catch up to the rushing man. "Connor! Wait!" He doesn't stop but slows down to allow me to catch up before picking up his pace again. His face is rather serious which is a change making me believe something potentially dangerous is happening.
Looking down slightly as we turn another corner I notice the metal briefcase in his hand. "What is that?" I ask as he walks into the analysis laboratory and quickly gets to work opening the case and taking out a long thin swab tube. "It's some type of fungus. We found it where the anomaly was and I need to test it to see how it works." He explains as he puts gloves on and hands me some before opening the tube and swabbing some of the spores onto the little glass slide. He hands it to me to clip into the microscope as he goes and grabs some enhancer to get the fungus to react.
Once clipped in I move back allowing Connor to do his work since he is more of a professional in this area than me. Although he is better qualified to analyse the fungus, it isn't hard to see that as soon as the enhancer is added the fungus grows at a rapid rate. A lot quicker than I thought possible. You don't even need a microscope to see the growth. "Radical." He instantly pulls out his phone and speed dials who I assume will be one of the team who went with him. As he does this I grab the slide and carefully put it in a quarantined glass box to keep it contained. "Jenny, you have to get out of there.
Quarantine the whole block, now! This fungus is toxic. It's incredibly aggressive. You need to trace anybody who's been exposed to it."
I hear Connor close his phone but don't turn to look as something more fascinatingly scary holds my attention. The fungus grows unbelievably fast and starts to curl around the edges of the glass cube it was placed on. "I've never even heard of something like this before, Connor." My eyes seem to be constantly widened as I stare at the fungus. "Me neither. Come on. I need to go and inform the rest of the team." By that I'm pretty sure he means Sarah but I nod along anyway and follow him out of the room. We walk in a tense yet somewhat comfortable silence through the futuristic, looking corridors. As we move I find myself looking down at the ground rather than in front of me.
"Why don't you have your weapons on you?" He asks me frowning in confusion because ever since Nick's death I always have them on me when at work. Rolling my eyes, "I put them away because I was looking for Lupin and he's scared of all the stuff I strap onto myself. It's also a lot easier to get under things and move around without a gun jabbing into your side."He nods as a faint blush falls over his cheeks. "I'm sorry about Lupin. I just wanted to check on him for you." My anger from before is barely exhistant at this point and with how sincere and innocent Connor looks right now I find it hard to even hold the tiniest grudge. Patting him on the back, "don't beat yourself up about it. He's always causing trouble that one. He was bound to get out at some point. If it wasn't you then it would've been someone else." He nods seeming relieved at my forgiveness.
He opens his mouth to reply but is cut off by yet another alarm going off. Frowning I turn in the direction it is coming from and my eyes widen as I realise what is back there. "The fungus." Connor speaks looking at me and I nod before starting a run to get back to the lab. By the time we get back I'm not surprised that Danny is standing there, always getting into trouble. "Of course it would be you." I mumble while going to open the lab door but he quickly stops me by grabbing my arm and pulling me to the wide viewing window. "You don't want to go in there. Trust me." I'm pretty sure my eyes grow to the size of tennis balls from what I can see in there.
There's a man, on the floor, being eaten alive by the fungus. "What exactly did you do in there?" I turn at the sound of Connors voice and frown in confusion when I see him and Danny putting biohazard suits on. I must've been staring at the, seemingly, dead man for longer than I thought. "I didn't do anything. He's still alive. We've got to get him out." Danny rushes to put the suit on. Connor seems to notice for the first time and shakes his head while narrowing his eyes. "Forget it. I'm handling this. I've had biohazard training."
"So have I." That seems to shut Connor up. "Fine."
"What's going on?" I hear Christine Johnson's voice ask as she comes into view with Lester and one of her men. I groan in annoyance, could this actually get any worse? Lester keeps an air of calm, "everything under control?"
"Everything is fine. He's helping me." Connor adds the last bit when he notices Lester eyeing up Danny wearing the biohazard suit. "Right." He, Christine and one of her men come to stand where I am basically pressed up against the glass window watching as both Connor and Danny go in. They move to where the unknown man is. The man is almost completely covered by the fungus with only some of his face partly showing. Danny looks up after having a good look at the man in question and shakes his head confirming his death.
"You've killed one of my men." From the corner of my eye I see Christine turn to James in accusation. It disgusts me how she seems more concerned about getting one up on Lester than the fact one of her men is dead. James seems to be ready for her accusation and throws one back at her. "Care to explain why he was trespassing in a security zone, Christine?" A small, private smirk overcomes my face as the woman looks stumped for words, which I'm guessing doesn't happen much. He finishes her off quite professionally but with a slight hint of smugness to add insult to injury. "We'll send you a full report when the post-mortem is in. Now, for your own safety, I suggest you leave." She seems put out but also manages to keep a coldness to her features before leaving without another word in his direction.
James comes and stands next to me again. "I don't like her." I break the slightly awkward silence with my obvious declaration. I see the small smirk on his face as he looks at me from the corner of his eye. "Me neither." Shortly after this he leaves to go back to his office, I assume, which leaves me to go and sit at one of the ARC's many white glowing desks as Connor and Danny go about putting the poor mans body into a white body bag. Once the body is inside said body bag I notice how neither of them make a move to leave as they continue talking. I roll my eyes as Danny tries to take off his suit and Connor snaps at him for doing so. From where it was placed I notice the body bag move slightly but it doesn't properly register with me that it shouldn't be doing that until it starts trying to get up. Dead men don't do that...
Jumping up from the chair I was sitting on, my heart beat increases as I basically slam into the glass window but stop myself before I crack my head against it. "Connor, Danny! Look behind you!" I scream as they both stare at me in confusion as it I'm mad, obviously not being able to hear what I'm saying. I point and bang on the glass as my eyes wander from them to the moving, almost standing, body bag.
I mentally slap myself when I realise there is a button right in front of me to allow communication. Pressing it, "turn around!" They hesitantly do as I say and when they do I notice how they freeze in place at the now standing body bag. The bag moving was bad enough as it is but when I see some sort of fungus monster rip the bag open I can't stop myself from letting out a gasp.
This is really starting to be like some sort of post apocalyptic movie.
Once Connor and Danny have got the giant mushroom pressed against a wall by holding a table to it I manage to snap out of my stupor and quickly barge into the door getting their attention. "Come on, guys. Come on!" Connor runs out first quickly followed by Danny and I don't waste any time in slamming the door closed and sigh in relief as it locks. My relief is short lived when the creature bangs against the door where I was leaning against which makes me jump back while releasing a shriek of surprise.
"What is that?" I hear Lester ask as he and Sarah come up to us while I back further away from the door. I only just notice the security with their guns trained on the door. Sarah comes up next to me puts a hand on my shoulder making me look at her. "You okay?" She must notice my adrenaline filled worry but I quickly shake it off. Smiling slightly, "yeah, just got a bit of a shock when I saw a supposedly dead man get out of his body bag as a giant mushroom." My joke seems to lighten her own mood as she chuckles slightly. "Hey... you know that Jenny was given a box of Cutter's things, right? I thought you would've been given it?" I shake my head with a slightly more strained smile at the though of Nick. "I told them to give it to her." Turning back to the creature I cross my arms not wanting to go any further than that. She seems to understand and quickly walks away to check on Connor and Danny.
From slightly behind me I hear Lester mutter, "well, this could be tricky to explain to the next of kin."
"Good news, he's not technically dead. Bad news, he's turned into a mushroom."
"What are we going to do with it?" I ask turning to Connor who I see standing next to James. "I don't know. This all happened when it reacted with the saline solution." Coming even closer I think over our options. "Well, all fungi like damp environments, right? Why don't we try drying it out?"
"Bake the hell out of it. We'll see what happens." Connor grins pointing at me as he agrees while walking to the labs thermostat. Going to stand by the large observing window I watch as Connor heightens the temperature and pray that it does something.
We wait for at least ten minutes and when nothing happens I find myself deflating slightly. "It's not responding." Danny speaks up from a bit behind me. "Right. So come on, what's our plan B?" Lester asks oblivious to our pessimistic stance on the situation as he comes to stand next to us by the window. Looking over at our faces he seems to realise that we don't have another plan. "You know, just once. Just once would be nice."
James starts to walk away when Danny speaks up, "look, something's happening." The fungal creature starts to expand and grow larger. "Err..." I trail off as it grows a lot bigger than it was before.
Suddenly, the fungus explodes against the window. On instinct I duck down behind the wall as others do and Sarah screams at the sudden shock.