Disclaimer: I do not own TWD or the characters, however I do own Alice and her drama.
Dr. Jenner walked to the center of the lab and placed his coffee mug down on a computer desk. He looked around the room for a moment before speaking, observing everyone's face.
"Give me playback of TS-19."
"Playback of TS-19." Vi repeated over the intercom.
A large flat screen in the front of the room turned on and images of a brain from different views appeared.
"Two people ever got a chance to see this."
"Is that a brain?" Carl asked no one in particular.
Dr. Jenner smiled at the boy. "An extraordinary one." He looked back at the screen, his smile fading. "Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for EID."
"Enhanced Internal View" Vi spoke.
Everyone watched the screen closely, each wondering if the answers were going to unfold before them. Their eyes fixed on the rapid lights in the brain that were going off as the image zoomed to closer to the center of the brain stem.
"What are those lights?" Shane asked, squinting his eyes slightly.
"That is a persons life." Jenner began to explain. "Experiences, memories, everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, in all those ripples of light is you. The thing that makes you unique and human. It determines what a person does, think, or say from the moment of birth until death."
"Death?" Rick repeated. "Is that what this is? A vigil?"
"Yes, or rather a playback of a vigil."
"This person died." Andrea took a shaky step closer to the screen. "Who?"
"Test Subject 19." Dr. Jenner replied. "Someone who was bit and infected and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan forward to the first event."
Alice feet stayed glued in their spot, but she watched the screen closely. She was watching the life of someone end and it was a strange feeling. This test subject had been bitten, knew they were going to die, and willingly let themselves be restrained to a table in the name of science. It took courage to spend their last moments like that, and she wondered if she would have been able to do it. 'I doubt I could' she mused to herself.
"Scanning to first event." The image zoomed out and showed the whole brain.
"What is that?" Glenn asked. He could still feel his head pounding from his hangover.
"It invaded the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhages. The brain goes into shut down, followed by the major organs." The brain and rapid light activity started to dim on the screen. "Everything you were or ever would be, gone."
Andrea felt tears start to slid down her cheek but she didn't make a sound. Dr. Jenner brows knitted together, confused as to why she was crying.
"She lost somebody two days ago." Lori explained, her voice low and sympathetic.
"I lost someone too. I know how devastating it is. Scan to the second event." The doctor quickly spoke, not wanted to think about the topic of loss.
"Scanning to second event."
"The resurrection times vary widely. We've had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we've heard of was eight hours and in the case of this patient, it took us two hours, one minute, and seven seconds." He looked at the screen with wretched eyes. The brainstem relit as Dr. Jenner spoke.
"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked, her eye brows shooting up.
"No, it just gets them up and moving."
"But they're not alive?" Rick probed.
"You tell me."
Rick looked at the image closer. "It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark."
"Dark, lifeless. The frontal lobes, the human parts, that doesn't come back. Just a shell of yourself."
"Do you think they have any memories?" Alice asked. Dr. Jenner looked at her.
"I can't say for sure." He admitted. "I don't think so considering the brain is dead. The only way I could answer that for you is to become a walker, but then I definitely wouldn't be able to answer you huh?" he joked darkly.
Alice stayed silent, but nodded. It scared her even more when she thought about becoming one of those things. A few hours ago they all were in jolly moods, sipping wine and eating a meal that wasn't game Daryl caught. Now they were in a lab with heavy hearts and watching what a simple scratch or bite from an infected person could do to them.
The patient started to thrash around violently. They stopped moving when a bright light shot through their head.
"Oh God, what was that?" Carol asked.
"He shot his patient in the head," Andrea answered. "didn't you?"
Jenner continued to stare at the screen, not answering the question. They knew what he did and knew it had to be done. There was no point confirming what everyone already knew. "Vi, power down the main stream and work station" the screen turned off.
"You have no idea what it is, do you?"
"It could be a few things. Parasitic perhaps."
"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui suggested from the back of the room, her cheeks tear stained from the watching the video.
"There is that."
"Someone has to know what's going on, right?" Alice suggested. "This isn't the only CDC is the world. I'm sure-"
"Maybe." Dr. Jenner interjected. She was a hopeful young woman, but it was a waste. Hope wasn't going to fix the problem. "There may be some people like me left out there."
"You don't know? How don't you know?" Rick asked, growing frustrated from the lack of useful answers.
"Everything went down. I've been in the dark for almost a month."
"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anywhere, that's what you're really saying." Andrea walked to a desk and slid down it, cradling her knees to her chest.
Daryl rubbed his face hard with his hands. "Man, I wanna get shitfaced drink again."
Alice leaned against a desk and hung her head low. She was quickly starting to lose hope that things would get better. She eyed the cross on her bracelet. What if this was the wrath of God? What if anyone surviving wasn't in his master plan? She wrapped her arms tightly around herself. This was starting to feel like one sick joke. She wanted to keep her faith strong, but it was getting harder. Her parents and sister were dead, Amy was dead, Jim was dead, and the dead ruled the world. She believed as strongly as she could, but what God would do this? It made her stomach churn when she realized how dark her thoughts had gotten and she quickly abandoned them. No, her faith was what kept her alive and she refused to let it go.
"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but that clock is counting down." Dale motioned to the large digital clock on the wall. "What happens at zero?"
"The uh basement generators run out of fuel." He answered quickly as he started to walk away.
"And then?" ignoring Rick, Dr. Jenner left the room. "Vi, what happens when the fuel runs out?"
"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur."
"Decontamination?" Alice repeated, looking up. "I don't like how that sounds."
"Listen, I want you guys to go back to your rooms. Shane, T-dog, and Glenn come with me to the basement, we're gonna check on the fuel."
"This is crazy. We came all the way here just to find out it's been a hopeless situation this whole time."
"Don't talk like that Andrea."
"Look around you Alice, look where we are. We're in the CDC. If anyone would know what's going on it would be the people who work here. They deal with dangerous illnesses all the time and none of them are alive expect one man." Andrea stood up from her bed and started to pace the small room the two women shared. "They knew there was no answer for this, that's why they opted out."
"You heard what Dr. Jenner said though. He's been in the dark for a month, that doesn't mean everyone else has been. Maybe someone does know something."
Andrea let out a bitter laugh. "I would love to live in whatever world you do."
"What?" Alice frowned, not caring much for the tone Andrea was using with her.
"You're always so hopeful, looking for the good. I got news for you Alice, it's over. It won't get better from this point on. If someone knew something, don't you think this problem would be under control by now?"
"Just because you've given all hope up, doesn't mean we all have to. If you wanna be negative about everything, go ahead, but don't stab at what I believe and make fun of me for holding on to the thought that someone knows something. You ain't the only one that lost family. Using that as an excuse to quit fighting ain't a good one. Don't use it to try and make everyone else wanna call it quits."
Andrea looked at the young woman, surprised by how severe her tone had been. Since she had met Alice, back when her group joined with Dale's, Andrea hadn't known her to stick up for herself. Andrea pegged her to be a pushover that would never grow a backbone. It was her biggest hang up with Alice, but something had shifted in her all of a sudden. She had spoken up about something she didn't agree with without hesitation for the first time.
Both women suddenly noticed the room was too silent. The soft buzz of the air conditioner had stopped. Andrea put her hand up to the vent and frowned.
"What the fuck? It's off."
"That's strange. Maybe it's just our room or something." Andrea nodded, but looked unsure. The lights flickered then went off. "Something's wrong."
A/N: I have to admit, this wasn't my favorite part to write about but is needed. We all know what happens and there wasn't much of a spin I could put on it *sad face*. Only one more part left until it's sequel time! Yay!
And I know I've taken my sweet time putting this chapter out but I've been super busy. Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads and reviews! Thanks to everyone who also favorite this and follows ^_^