Sometimes, things should stay secret.
Ideas and plans,
Only you must keep it.
You must ban
All others from your mind.
For it is the only thing
That keeps this in hind.
Man is a cruel being.
Only wishing to cause pain
Upon others they do,
And it shouldn't be anything to gain.
But may I ask who?
Who is the one to berate?
Belittle?
Of all things great?
Of all I pummel?
For maybe it is not man that one should fear?
But rather secret.
Can one come and hear?
Can one keep it?
Be cautious, my friend
For if you do not
Telling your secret will be your end
And the culprit will never be caught.
Katherine Wilson stared out of her office's stained glass window with peering, cautious eyes. She has always been the weary type and feeling the stares of others upon her back had been nothing less than annoying and incessant. The stares had always been upon her though. For as long as she could remember, the stares had bore into her very existence.
That was a lie. She actually could remember when they started staring.
It started when she graduated and was immediately awarded for her efforts, gaining an instant internship into one of the most prestigious medical science company in the entire U.S. But that was beside the point.
The stares were mere weak ones then.
She had immediately rose through the ranks when she got a lasting job after graduating college and soon enough was a respectable scientist in the biomedical and psychological field at age 26, for she had graduated far earlier than she had previously hoped for. The stares were justified. She was the youngest in her division, after all. She still couldn't shake the awful feeling of peering orbs transfixed upon her turned form.
Was she a genius?
Hell no.
She was just… ordinary.
Ordinary-ish.
Science had been one of Katherine's only safe havens in school, which led her to this job. That and the ability to pick up languages with a cunning knack that only one could call impressive. Art and music were exceptions and included in this safe haven as well. It was no wonder she pursued science, and rightfully so; but it was this activity of pursuing the unattainable intelligence that she dreamed of that was the start of this huge mess.
Almost all grave mistakes and dark paths can be led most knowingly to one source, a mecca if you will, of one stupid idea.
Katherine knew this thought all too well. Or… will know this thought. It depends on how you view time in a perspective that you understand compared to how she would perceive time. She knows that pursuing science was the start of her misfortune.
Sorry.
Will know.
She had four paths that she could've chosen in life and she decided to follow her brain. Smart choice, dumb decision. That doesn't make sense… does it? No matter. It isn't supposed to make sense. You do not need to understand why, you just need to accept it as a fact and move on. That is how you should take these ramblings, as one would perceive. She could have chosen to be an art teacher. A composer. Even a Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, or English teacher. But noooooooo. She had to follow her intellect and passion for science. Her love for it, even.
It's all because of those damned books.
Yes. Her life's choice had been because of a few fucking books. They were called the Maximum Ride series.
Okay… Maybe not because of the books. But they were a large part of her choice.
She had been interested in science beforehand and probably would've chosen it over the others even if the books didn't exist, but nevertheless, it is mentally reassuring to have an object to blame rather than one's own intellectual preferences towards certain subjects. Alas, the books were the swinging factor that brought her to her major decision in science.
Because of this decision, eyes were forever trained on her.
And she completely, utterly, despised being put in the spotlight.
Especially when her reputational intellect is put at stake.
Katherine twitched nervously away from the window, turning around to stare at her far older colleagues, acquaintances, etcetera. Her hazel, more emerald green than brown orbs transfixed upon the mostly brown mass of eyes with her two odd green that never fit in. Sure, there were others with light eyes, but there were only two people and they were both blue eyed. That beside the point, she shuffled her feet nervously as they stared back, adjusting her glasses to set off her nerves.
There had been a murmur. And God knows that murmurs are never good in a lab.
Her eyes slid to her mousy blond-ish brown hair with obvious red tints. It was neatly held in a long braid that rested beside her left side of her neck, the end tickling her waist as she walked. Her hands toyed with her bangs relentlessly, trying their hardest to smooth down her hair and calm her overworked brain as her pale fingers swept through the strands with ease.
"Who cares to tell me about this murmur I have been hearing about?" she asked, her hands now fixed on the side of her oversized glasses as she peered once again at the others in the room. She had a reign of superiority that was very unusual yet respected at the place of work.
"I heard from Thomas that they finally figured out a way to communicate interdimensionally. Apparently, this was a top-secret job, but you know Tom. The little bastard can't keep his mouth shut on government affairs." A tall, elderly, hispanic man that she immediately recognized as Angelo, said. His graying hair swept sparsely over his tanned skin. His eyes bulged as he spoke, tell tale signs of possible consequences for this information getting out.
"Interdimensional communication? How peculiar, if not impossible… Since when did they find a different dimension in the first place?" She asked wearily, her head spinning. This was impossible. This was incredible.
"I am as much at odds as you, Katherine. I am a man of science, and I know that science is growing more efficient as time wears on, but I am at odds and am baffled at this. I even heard that it was based upon your very paper. You know, the one that got you the internship after you graduated." Angelo said, pulling a box of Marbolo cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting one without a care. That chainsmoker.
"My paper? The one I wrote on the string theory?" Katherine asked, doing her best to wave the toxic smoke away from her face.
"Yes, m'dear. By the way, what did your paper speak of? I tried to get ahold of it when you joined us, for some light reading of course, but they already had it documented and locked away in storage." Said a new voice with a thick English accent. Katherine turned quickly, meeting the azure eyes of Doctor Colin Bartholomew.
"It was just the basics of the string theory. You know...how it is a theoretical framework that the universe (or space as it would be reckoned) is consisting of. The framework being made of "strings" of particle like substances that represent dimensional objects and the like. These strings could very well be parallel or intersecting, even fictional realities are probable. It is estimated that there are at least ten or eleven dimensions or "strings" each vibrating at their own frequency. The laws of physics and such may differ there or even be nonexistent. Furthermore, due to the fact that these particles are moving likely due to the fact that most matter moves or vibrates; these "strings" could cause strange phenomena and such to happen. The phenomena is usually the interaction of these "strings". That's the basics of my paper." Katherine said after pulling her hair tie out of her hair, using it to make strange shapes with her fingers. Nervous habits like these were always a good distraction when in situations as such.
"So, in theory, could one string communicate with another?" A feminine voice from the crowd, Amelia, asked. Said female, an elderly lady about to retire with a shriveled old face and a snobbish expression, walked forward and ran her hands through Katherine's hair. Katherine smiled.
"By trying to match vibrations, I suppose it is theoretical. In fact, anything is quite possible in theory, Amy." She said, affectionately rubbing her hands along the elderly lady's upper arms. "Doing so would likely cause dire consequences and henceforth it could even make things collide if our frequencies match all through…" Katherine pondered to herself. "Marcus!" She called to a middle aged white male with blonde hair and brown eyes.
"Yes?" The gravely voice replied, an obvious hint of worry in his eyes.
"Take me to them, please. They, for one, didn't have the permission to use my work; and for two, I highly doubt that they even have the morals that should apply to this sort of technology." Katherine said softly, brows furrowed. This could cause something terrible…
Katherine and Marcus traveled through the halls, the stench of bleach and other cleaners flowing through the corridors like a breadcrumb trail to any of the rooms. White-washed walls and bright blue curtains flashed brightly as they passed them, careful eyes watching for any cords or obstructions that they may trip over. Reaching the stairs and elevators, Marcus caught an elevator, holding it for Katherine.
"You coming?" He asked, his hand firmly placed on the metal door.
"Yeah, but not in that death trap. I'll take the stairs. Which floor?" She said, her irrational fear of elevators leading her to the stairs. Marcus nodded, letting go of a weak smile and a haphazard basement leave his lips.
Katherine smiled, running down the spiral staircase. Starting at floor six and going to the basement, she allowed her thoughts to run through her mind. Her breaths came out in hasty pants and her baffled mind was reeling. Stomach stitched in pain, eyes blurry, and feet cautious for her clumsiness, she continued to run down the stairs. Her own mind caused this mess. It is all her fault. Whatever happens, it is her payment that should go, not anyone else's. She burst through the doors of the basement, bumping into Marcus on the way. She smiled, sweaty and exhausted.
"This way." He said, leading her to a pair of steel, double doors. Punching in his access code, he threw the doors open.
Large metal beasts hummed and roared, vibrating at certain wavelengths. Katherine froze, eyes wide. "My schematics! So this is how you found a way to communicate with them!" she shouted, gesturing to the machine and her blueprints laid out upon a table. Three pairs of eyes rose to meet her.
"Isn't it beautiful? Science at it's greatest!" Thomas, the man who spread the rumour, called out. His brown eyes were wide and black hair ruffled and tinted with hints of silver.
"You stole my work!" Katherine shouted, storming up to the man, getting apprehended by a bald man with calculating blue eyes. His ripped muscled pinned her arms behind her back as she painfully landed upon the cold, hard, metal floors. She struggled, her lab coat billowed out and her legs kicked at her attacker furiously, not doing much damage because of the skinny-jeans she wore.
"Yes! I did! But it had to be done! We could be gods! Kings of the new world! And I need you, my queen, on my side! You must find a way to influence the other dimensions! Make them give their work over! Make a clear connection! You see, we have only been able to communicate via short burst of vibrations in morse code sequences. I am sure that you have been thorough in your work, however, and you must have some more ideas, correct?" He said with his eyes glinting maliciously.
"You will never find my work! Ever!" She cried out, and it was true. She had completed her work, but had only turned in a fraction of it here. The rest, she had burned, although it was forever engraved in her mind. It was, after all, based upon her own mentality of wishing to never let certain things go. "I will take my work with me to the grave!" She shouted at the demented scientist furiously.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Now, that won't do!" A middle aged man with red-blonde hair called out, studying her face with sharp eyes. He pulled her up by her hair, grabbing her face and peering into her eyes with cold intent. Katherine scowled, making her knee connect with his crotch before pushing away from him. She ran to the machines, frantically toying with them before getting an idea. A terrible idea.
She started a sequence.
Running and pushing the bald man out of her way, she went under the laser-like beam as it shot out the next round of vibrations. She jumped, touching her hand to the nozzle as she was suddenly racked with pain.
Then… darkness.