Fear and Loathing

[Fairchild]

A week later, Jera again walked the same corridor. She stood before the same office door. She waved her card in front of the same reader and saw the same large, metal desk with the same, holoscreen console.

But the man sitting behind it was not the same. Nagrebetskiy looked different. He looked... happy. Instead of his usual thoughtfulness and nervousness he was calm and smiling. She could have sworn she even noticed more brown in his greying hair than usual.

"Nick," she stepped forward and nodded in a friendly manner. "Are we finally done?"

He looked at her, his eyes unlike anything she had ever seen before. "We are! After so many months, so much effort, we are done. The project is complete." He took a small phial filled with silvery liquid and waved it. "As I promised, you and Feint will be the first to have it. Use it well."

Jera reached out for the phial, but the professor hid it behind his desk again. She raised her eyebrow.

"Tomorrow. We have to do it in a controlled environment, with our technicians and some medical staff with you. It would be sad if something went wrong because of a stupid mistake, and we still have to monitor the initial effects." He looked at her again. "I would hate to tease you, but... it's for science."

The Corsair paused for a while. She looked around the office, evidently wanting to ask something else. Eventually, she did.

"What about the Outcast?"

Nagrebetskiy loured. "Why?"

"Just curious. Are you going to release him for his contributions?"

He sighed. "He's... not going to go anywhere anymore. After the experiment, he broke down. I have no clue what he actually saw during the fear gas hallucinations, but it must have been very traumatic. He killed himself the night after."

Jera's expression remained unchanged. They both were quiet for a moment. After a couple of minutes, she shook off. "We have to move on. Until tomorrow, then. I'll gather my agents in the labs."