Dr. Putzkammer smiled as Cain stepped off of the platform, his cryostasis tank just emptied and Cain naked and dripping with water. As Cain wrung out his long, blond hair, Putzkammer offered him a towel, and reached to dry his shoulder, but Cain swatted his hand away with a growl and snatched the towel away.

"Don't touch me... It hurts." The cold air was making goosebumps rise on his skin, but he simply draped the towel across his shoulders, not caring he was otherwise bare. Other scientists were bustling about the lab, glancing Cain's way before returning to the lit screens of their computers in the otherwise dark room; the lights had gone off in the base of the cryostasis tank.

"Your sister has just avakened, and she is doing fine. Zhey are having some trouble vaking Abel... But it should not take long. As ve did before vhen ve created you initially, you and your brozer share the same batch of nanomachines, zo you may be able to communicate visout speaking."

"Really? Maybe I should try to wake him...?"

"Please do." Cain closed his eyes, and reached out to Abel with his mind. He touched some sort of consciousness. It was sedated, and far off, but it was definitely there. Abel was there. Cain crept in, the tendrils of his own mind enveloping his twin's lovingly, enjoying the familiarity of the dreams there, the thoughts and memories they both shared. It was the most soothing place in the world...

…...Abel...

…...Abel, wake up...

…...Come on, little brother...

Abel roused slightly, enough to feel him there.

Cain?

Oh good. I was worried. You need to wake up.

You're alive! The rush of gratitude was overwhelming, and if they had been in the same room, Abel would have leaped on Cain in relief.

Hm, yes I am, Cain smiled, Now wake up so I can greet you properly.

His mind remained wrapped in Abel's as he opened his eyes slowly, inside of the now empty cryostasis tank. He pulled his oxygen mask off and the glass lifted, receding into the ceiling.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH!" Cain felt it as Abel did, and Abel fell to the floor of his tank, screaming. Sensation fired across his nerves where there was none. His senses were dramatically heightened, and he could feel everything: the floor, the nanomachines crawling through his veins, the cold air, his modified cells changing with every passing second, healing and wounding and healing in the same instant, and it hurt. Cain gasped, withdrawing suddenly, feeling his own similar pain when he returned to his body, and he pushed the scientist in front of him out of the way so he could see the screen monitoring Abel's lab, and the people swarming around to help him.

"Oh, no... My poor Abel... he doesn't handle pain very well..." Cain touched the screen lovingly. The chatter from the scientists was deafening on Abel's sharp hearing, surely, only adding to his agony. The others crowded around Cain to watch, shocked.

Abel's eyes snapped open and he howled like a beast, bursting into blindingly bright electric blue light, lightning shooting in every direction in a violent tempest, incinerating anyone it touched on contact, the machines exploding, fragments of glass wounding and killing, showers of sparks filling the room. Live wires burned white hot, catching labcoats and sending their owners fleeing for their lives. As the storm subsided, Abel was hugging his knees, gasping, his silver hair standing on end as residual bolts of lightning arced through the air, crackling, Abel's hair rippling with static.

Still touching the screen, Cain reached out again, intending to soothe. Abel recoiled visibly on the screen at first, but gasped, and got on his hands and knees, his eyes welling with tears. He spoke aloud, a tremor in his voice.

"Cain... Please, help me... It hurts... IT HURTS! Make it stop!"

"I need to go to him..."

"You cannot... He is in London, and ve are in Berlin." Cain frowned deeply, his hand still resting tenderly on the screen,

"He needs my help... I guess there's nothing I can do right now... When can I see him again?"

"Soon enough."

"All right... Can I ask why you're doing this to us? What's this for?"

"Vell... It has come to our attention zhat many of the humans sent on zhe trip in zhe Ark vis you—and on previous expeditions—to Mars have all come down vis some sort of sickness. It causes sensitivity to light, a fatal allergy to silver, and a thirst for normal, untainted human blood. Much like a vampire. Vhen zhey returned home, the developed an elitist attitude and believe zhey are better zhan everyone else. Zhey view zhemselves as superior beings and think of humans as food. So, you, Abel, und your sister have been modified to combat the problem. Initally, you were created as perfect humans, and the nanomachines were developed later. You sree took to zhen so vell, I had to continue."

"And... What about Lilith?"

"She did not take to zhem like you. And she wants nossing to do viss zhis. She will not kill, and zhat is vat you must do."

"You want my siblings and I to kill the Methuselah?"

"You haf to. Zhe hunger vill overvelm you."

"I can do that. And I don't think it'll be a problem for Abel or Seth either... As long as Lilith doesn't interfere. I'll make sure she doesn't, because Abel has a soft spot for her."

"Sehr gut. Now, follow me, und I vill give you your new uniform."