The group orbed into a closet in the Benning Institute. Leo had carefully chosen the spot he had orbed them into. Even though the Institute was closed and most of the people had gone home there were still security guards about. He had orbed them close to the electromagnet David would need to use but far enough away so that they wouldn't risk detection.
"I still don't think this is a good idea," Leo whispered as Cole carefully opened the door to the closet a crack. "The Elders wouldn't approve of this. Remember what I said? You can't use magic to cure him."
"We aren't," said Piper. "Not exactly. He's going to use this electromagnet to cure himself. We're just using a little magic to get him there."
"Semantics," said Leo. "It amounts to the same thing."
"Then why did I have my premonition?" Phoebe asked. "My premonitions are meant for us to help people. That's all we're doing."
"Be quiet," Cole chided. "No one is in the hall right now but they could be right around the corner. They might hear you."
"Let's get going," said David. "The sooner we get this over with the better I'll feel."
Cautiously the group moved out of the closet toward the room holding the equipment David would need. The room was very large with several large computers and other equipment. Against one wall was a large glass that was covered in strange symbols and what looked like equations. In the center of the room sat a chair with restraint straps on it and what looked like a large laser directly overhead pointed at the chair.
David moved up to the large glass with the equations and began to scan them. None of the others could make any sense out of the equations. Apparently David seemed to understand them. He read line after line with great enthusiasm.
"This is incredible," he whispered. "This has gone far beyond what I had done before the accident. I never realized anyone had carried my work to this level."
"You can read that?" questioned Piper looking at the strange symbols and equations.
"Most of it," said David. "It's mostly theoretical equations and such. It deals with advanced areas of physics mostly. I recognize some of the equations. They were ones I had come up with before I started experimenting. But someone has continued my work. They've added to what I came up with and gone far beyond what even I had imagined. I didn't think any of my work had survived the fired that destroyed my lab."
"Apparently some of it did," said Cole. "I must admit it's just so much gobbelty gook to me. I never was much for science."
"This here," said David, pointing out a portion of an equation. "I came up with that early in my research. It's a theoretical correlation between space and time and an electromagnetic field that can expand that correlation beyond what should be considered possible. I was never quite sure if it was accurate.
"But this part here." He indicated another portion of an equation. "This has carried my original correlation even further. It shows that the expansion is not only possible, but that nearly infinite. That would explain why the creature gets stronger the angrier it becomes. According to this, a sufficient power source, such as gamma radiation, would initiate the electromagnetic field. All it would need would be a triggering mechanism to activate the field."
"Such as when you get angry," said Piper.
"Precisely," said David. "There are measurable effects within a human body when they become angry. The pupils dilate, breathing becomes more rapid and shallower, the heart rate increases, and the sweat and adrenal glands begin producing more. That must be what happens when I turn into that creature. When my adrenal glands begin producing the extra adrenaline it interacts with the gamma radiation in my body. This would trigger the electromagnetic field producing the change in me."
"So why does this creature take over?" Paige asked. "Why do you black out when you change?"
"I'm not sure," said David. "It's almost like the creature is a separate entity inside me. When the electromagnetic field is produced, the creature comes out and I go inside, so to speak. It's almost like being unconscious. That's why I don't remember anything that happens after I change."
"But the creature seems to remember that you want to help people," said Phoebe. "It never tried to hurt me. It tried to protect me."
"Maybe," theorized David, "the last thought I have before I change is imprinted upon the creature's psyche. It doesn't realize why it's doing what it's doing. Almost like an instinctual response. All it knows is that someone is in danger and it needs to protect that someone. It doesn't know how or why, only that it can't let any harm come to that person."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Piper asked.
"Not in this case," said David. "The creature is incredibly powerful, as you've seen. Basically it's raw, uncontrolled power. With no conscious will directing that power. In its zeal to protect the person it doesn't care about any damage it does. Or any people it might hurt. Only that it has to protect that person at any cost. Its anger is directed at the persons or object trying to hurt the person it needs to protect."
"Which means it will destroy those persons or objects to protect the person imprinted on its psyche," said Leo.
"Exactly," said David. "If those people fight back, such as they did when Phoebe was attacked, it angers the creature even more. Creating an even stronger electromagnetic field and more power for the creature. Theoretically, there's no limit to the amount of power a creature like that could generate. It could become virtually unstoppable."
"So, when the creature has removed the person it's protecting from the danger," said Cole, "it begins to calm down. Loosing the anger that powers it. This would lessen the electromagnetic field and eventually the creature would loose enough power so that it couldn't be sustained any longer. That's when you take over again."
"And you said you weren't much for science," said David. "That's exactly what happens. The creature needs a specific level of the electromagnetic field to emerge. Once the field has dropped below that level, it can't be sustained any longer. And the creature ceases to exist."
"What we don't know yet," said a voice from across the room, "is the specific level of the electromagnetic field needed to generate the creature. We've never had a specimen to test. And without that, it's very difficult to determine exactly what level of the electromagnetic field is needed to generate the creature."
They all turned to see an elderly man dressed in a white lab coat standing across the room. He hand his hands in his pockets and was calmly watching the entire group. On the wall next to him was a large red button. One that, presumably, would activate the security system of the building and notify everyone that there were intruders inside.