Taking a breath in and waking up to glistening and sparkles all around. It was a relaxed, calm atmosphere. Staring upwards to notice icicle like formations but were pure white. A feeling of floating while taking in the surroundings.
Each digit moved. Each facial feature mirrored the feelings. The body moved into an upright position, bobbing in the water. A full fingered hand moved from front to back on the surface while being clenched into a fist and opened again. The other full fingered hand did the same. Looking down into the water, toes curled on both feet just fine.
This must be the afterlife, thought Wes. He was bobbing slightly in the water. He was in the full nude. The wound on his finger was healed and showed no scars. He looked up at the ceiling once again. He turned around to continue to see where exactly he was at. Heaven, Hell, maybe even Purgatory.
His eyes then fixated on another figure floating in the water. It only took a few seconds to figure out who that was. He held his breath and dived under water to swim towards her.
It was the same floating feeling. A relaxed breath in while waking up to an earthy view.
Stalactites covered in crystalized soda straws, she tilted her head to the side as she thought to herself. She noticed she was floating. She moved her body up to see below her. Similar to the ceiling above but with water. She froze as she sensed a foreboding, like a warning. She looked around, searching for an escape. There wasn't. She braced herself as water splashed all over her. She felt herself being embraced. Rose tried to struggle out, pushing herself.
"Hey-hey-hey-HEY!" Wes tried to calm her down. "It's me! It's me!"
When she heard a human voice, she stopped. Rose opened her eyes and looked to see an Adam's apple in front of her. She roamed upwards to see a familiar face. Both of her hands jotted up to cup either side of his face.
"You're okay!" She beamed. Tears started to form in the corners. "You're okay." Her voice started to crack. "I'm s-so happy you're alright. Look at you. You're not sick-you're-you're-you're not dying."
Wes pulled her into a hug. He held onto her. "I'm happy you are alright. You gave me a scare as that guy shot you and fed you to those things! And then the same thing happened to me. I'm glad I got to see you once again."
The two pulled away. "I like what you have done with your hair." She teased. Wes moved one hand over his head. He raked his fingers through it. He thought it would stop but he kept going until he was pulling it out to view the ends. "Very Tarzan like. Didn't think you could do shoulder length but it actually suits you." His look of confusion and horror made her giggle. She hugged him again. Her head resting on his chest. "I am so happy you're okay. I don't know what I would do with myself if you ended up dying because of me." She closed her eyes. "It's so nice to hear it beating so strong."
Wes pulled her away to stare at her again. "It's a feeling you don't ever want to know." He brushed a wet strand of hair back in place. They stared at one another, thankful that they were okay. The two started to move in closer. Their focus fell onto each other's lips.
As they were drawing near, their ears moved as they heard a faint sound coming from behind Wes. He moved around to face the sound with one arm keeping Rose behind him. He kept his eyes on the noise that kept coming closer. Rose peeked around him to see what was happening.
"Do not, I repeat, DO NOT get frisky in that pool," a voice echoed to them. "You can do whatever you want but just not in that pool!" A man in flannel and jeans with hiking boots came out of the darkness. He was an elder man with silver hair, mustache, and a five-o'clock shadow. He pointed to a spot. "Don't worry. Not here to harm either of you. Glad to see you're finally awake. I stole some clothes from an RV park. May not fit quite well but its better than being in the buff." The two couldn't stop staring at his red eyes. He seemed like a normal human. "We've got lots of things to talk about. One of them being, our eyes. Yeah. I see the confusion and concern. Don't worry. Pool doesn't have a reflection but you have them too. Let's talk. Get dressed. I'll be waiting with my back turned." He headed back through where he came from.
The two looked at one another. Rose shrugged. No use turning back. The two swam over to where he was. They didn't know there was a ledge until they go there. It looked like it was hidden amongst the formations. The two found their piles of clothes. Rose noticed how quickly her body got dry. She felt her hair, it was getting damp as well. That was odd. She made a mental note of that.
The clothes didn't fit to their body but it made them decent. The strange man did not get underwear for either of them. He did also find two pairs of shoes. Thankfully, Rose could bend the back of the shoe down as they were a little small. Wes had to do the same with his.
He stood in front of her, as they walked. Wes didn't want any more harm to come to her. They followed the man back to an opening. Their eyes adjusting as the faint light got brighter. It was a smaller opening compared to where they were originally at.
The were some furnishings like lamps, book shelves, artwork, and such to make it seem more homely. The man stepped to the side, revealing a table and chairs. Sitting on one of the chairs was a big hairy creature. The two froze in surprise.
"That's a sasquatch!" Wes looked over to the man.
"I go by S.Q. for short since no human has ever pronounced let alone enunciated my actual name," S.Q. the sasquatch looked over to them. He glanced over to the man who sat down. There were two other chairs. "You didn't tell them anything, did you?"
"Nope, just warned them about not doing any friskiness in the pool and to get some clothes on" the man explained.
S.Q. let out a sigh. "Your social skills are terrible. Sit please. You'll understand once it's explained. Besides we've already met before."
Rose moved around Wes. She sat right down, her curiosity showing. Wes followed her. "You're the one who touched my foot."
S.Q. nodded. "You're the one who scared the living daylights out me." The man couldn't help but chuckle. "This silver fox is my friend Bernard Finley. And you are?"
"I am Doctor Rose Turgenev and this is my assigned body guard Wesson Gummer," she introduced them both.
"Nice to finally meet you both," S.Q. looked at each of them. "Now I would like to welcome you to the club." S.Q. and Bernard saw the confusion on both of their faces and started to laugh. S.Q. waved his hand. "I'm sorry-I'm sorry. We don't get out much. You are now part of the immortal club. Yay. Congratulations. Something you have always wanted to hear." He shook both his hands in the air. "The pool you just woke up in is a mixing pool of sorts. Easiest way to put this, is that you have been reborn."
"You ever wonder why you woke up naked?" Bernard pointed at them both. "You actually arrived to that pool with clothes on. Every gets eaten away in that pool. You go through a whole transformation. Ever seen a hairless sasquatch?" S.Q. let out a sigh of disappointment. Bernard pointed back to himself. "I have. And it's not a pretty sight."
"Okay, okay, they don't need mental images of that," S.Q. felt embarrassed. "However, that's how I came to be like this. How he became to be like that. That pool has stopped our aging and we don't get sick."
"How far away are we from Perfection?" Rose wondered.
"We're miles from the lab," S.Q. knew what she was asking. "They brought you here." S.Q. turned around to view some furry creatures poking their heads around a cave wall.
"You better not mess anything up! We had an agreement!" Bernard called out to them.
"Rocky?!" Wes blinked in surprise. The flying squirrel that escaped the cage was staring at them. Along with another squirrel.
"The giant flying squirrels saved us?" Rose wanted to know more.
"Yep, they tried to escape like last time but instead found you, just dangling on the rope," Bernard explained. "You had blood on your shoulder so it brought out some other creatures."
"I heard bone snapping and screaming though," Wes didn't take his eyes off the squirrels.
"That did happen but they didn't attack any of you folks," Bernard grabbed a nearby mug. "The one you named Rocky, tried to take you but found out you were tied. Took him a while to get you off the rope. Some of the others had to come in and chew the rope away. The bone crunching and the screams. Two different creatures trying to fight over your blood on the ground."
"How do you know all that?" Rose looked over to them.
"They told us," Bernard smiled. "You'll hear them too. That pool brings out all sorts of things. Your instincts are amped up. You can see in the dark. We get these red eyes glowing. S.Q.'s is green but he's more animal so go figure."
"So Rocky came back twice?" Wes looked over to the group.
"Yes," S.Q. nodded. "Tried to escape twice. However, he had both of you held in their area of the lab. You didn't come here until that group was taking over the lab. Destroying their home. Rocky told them of the outside world. Instead of crawling around, they opened up a tunnel system that led to these tunnels."
"Then we can go back through those tunnels," Rose interjected.
S.Q. and Bernard shook their heads. "You aren't able to. Nothing is able to. Rocky and his group closed it off when they got out all they could from there. They dropped you off with us and made themselves a home."
"How did we end up in the pool?" Rose looked between them.
"You were already affected by the main pool or air, whichever," Bernard explained. "You could see the changes starting to happen. So S.Q. and I dropped you into this pool. It takes new moon to new moon for all the changes to happen."
"Are you saying we have been gene spliced?" Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. The two nodded to her. "We have been in Mixmaster's presence?" This word confused them. "Mixmaster? A genesplicing organism that has overtaken the lab? That pool has Mixmaster in it?"
"That's what you are calling it then?" Bernard scratched his chin. "I like it. Sounds better than our description. To answer your questions, then yes. You have encountered Mixmaster."
"Oh, we should show them that thing," S.Q. became serious.
"Oh yeah," Bernard nodded. "Since your eyes have adjusted. Let's go back to the pool." He got up and brought a lamp. The three followed him. "Now, I have never encountered Mixmaster but the weird thing is that we're in a mountain and there is an underwater stream that goes to that lab area. You all traveled through there thanks to the squirrels. But this Mixmaster has gotten all the way up here. Not just one pool. This is the better pool. The other pools. Eh, we don't care about those." He stopped to hold up the lamp. "Now, there's something else we all got mixed in with. These things. You call them grab-roids."
The lamp illuminated crystalized fossils of a graboid, shrieker, and an assblaster. It looked as though the graboid and assblaster were fighting over a shrieker.
"How do you think I have never been eaten going across that desert?" S.Q. brought up. "I can sense them as they can sense me. Also, this pool doesn't make you taste good. I got bit by a snake once. Snake died. Poor thing. Gave it my cousin as a gift. He loved it."
"I-I'm trying to wrap my head around all of this," Rose was perplexed. Wes was too stunned to talk. "We got gene spliced with who knows what along with graboid DNA? We can sense them?" The two nodded to her. "How?"
"Same way they do with us, vibrations," S.Q. waved his arm. "We didn't even know these things were here until later."
"How long have you been here?" Rose looked between them.
"We're actually about the same age," Bernard nodded. "Eighty-four years old."
"You're eighty-four?" Wes blurted out. He was surprised again.
"Don't look it, do I?" Bernard straightened out his mustache. "Came here in the seventies trying to mine. Stumbled upon this guy. We both scared one another and fell into this pool. Can't leave the pool until the transformation is complete or you have to sit in it longer."
"Guess who had to sit in it longer?" S.Q. joked. "That's why when you two came, we already knew what to do. Let's go back. The squirrels have been wondering how you were doing. Plus, it would be good to see what they brought with them from the lab."
The four headed back to the living area of the cave. The squirrels were no longer there. S.Q. and Bernard lead them through some tunnels before turning into a big cavern. There were creatures and plants all over. It was like the four stumbled upon an alien planet. Rose was in awe.
"The squirrels all got out and each took something with them," S.Q. looked around. "Some plants, some creatures, some of their pools, and whatever else they wanted. They live here now. Which is fine. They won't ever escape to the outside world again. Well not yet at least."
A few squirrels made their way over to them. Rose and Wes stood still as the squirrels sniffed them all over. The squirrels got their fill before leaving. Other creatures came over to them, sniffing them as well.
"Now that you smell like one of them, they're not afraid," Bernard petted one. "We'll keep them safe. I know both of you probably want to go back but we also need to know that both of you will keep this place a secret."
Rose turned around to eye him. "You have my word." She turned back around to pet a creature she has never seen before. "I've been gone at least maybe a little over a month. We still have time but I would like to know what happened to everyone. You'll also have us on the outside so whatever you need, we can get it for you."
S.Q. and Bernard turned to look at one another. They liked this agreement. The four went back to the table to discuss all of the questions they had for one another.
While this was happening, Burt and Tyler were finally making their way back from Utah to Perfection. At Perfection, Twitchell had to go through one by one and get a detailed document of all the events that transpired in Perfection by every person who was currently living in Perfection. Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with three scientists, only two.
The scientists that were arrested in Utah were interrogated and were in holding until further notice. Lewis asked for his reward from Dr. Moreau. He asked to make these scientists his teammates. Dr. Moreau agreed only that they serve the government for their prison sentence instead.
Lewis talked it over with the scientists. They were all happy to oblige. They still had to be in holding until the sentencing of the Proudfoot Corporation was done. They were witnesses along with coconspirators even if it was life threatening.