A Horrifying, Yet Miraculous, Absolution

Ch. 1

[x]

0200 ZULU.

Otherwise known as the dead of night.

By now, the lab had mountains of what basically amounted to 'camping gear' – items that Maria's father had sent through the regulated postal. Meant to give the girl a promise of what's to come upon her recovery, never did Gerald think those items would be used here – the laboratory – compiled higher than Everest. With a simple pat of her hand, the child beckoned the scientist to sit besides her. After the many hours, exhaustion had set on her features: puffed up, swollen eyes; a bright, abused nose; a pile of tissue boxes that had been emptied into the bin meant for old notes. He was still worried about what had just occurred, but Maria was not adhering to his time schedule.

He took the clipboard that held the bent, but not destroyed, paperwork of PSUL2.018-BD. Strangely, despite having tossed it away, his granddaughter eventually returned it into his hands. Of course, she still hadn't said anything – but a smile danced upon her features; the juxtaposition of the tear-streaked face and her normal radiance gave Gerald a sense of confusion.

There were three pillows in his granddaughter's tent: one for him, one for herself, and one that was crammed as close as possible to the foot of the latest specimen. It had taken multiple trips for Gerald to grab what Maria wordlessly requested, but for her sake he complied. [It didn't remove the undertone that something was incredibly amiss, however. He hadn't told anyone about… them yet – and while he had intended on notifying Maria about that larva's corrupted result, it was too soon. How did his little darling know that he had just started a new sample? A guess? Or did she sneak into his journal once again?] Stacked besides the pillows were books, crayons, and snacks – each sleeping area included a spare blanket.

Gerald winced. It wasn't as if the specimen could understand what was going on. But, if this what made Maria happy… "Tomorrow, we'll have to get your checkup," he softly added, rubbing his granddaughter's head in a comforting tone. "No needles. I promise."

Her gaze left PSUL2.018-BD's iron and glass footprint. She swallowed, paused, and then shook her head in reassurance. She was willing. It was a good sign.

So, there Gerald nodded asleep: Maria holding his hand on the right.

Things… were going to be okay.

[x]

Gerald gave another yawn and rubbed the grooves of the temples. Eventually, the sounds of his steps echoed as he returned to his laboratory. He was beginning to see the Black Arms in his dreams, now, and wasn't that a terrifying thought?

Maria was still sprawled next to the PSUL's tube. Her hand rested in an uncurled state, as if she had ended her movement in a hug. Strange that she was already forming a connection with the specimen when she had not done the same with all the others prior. The Biolizard [and Gerald frowned once again at that failure – not angry, but disappointed] was something she had been curious and excited about, yet as a pet. The reptile was posed for pictures and squeals of 'cuteness,' but never were there camping trips in the lab at midnight. When the lizard was banished into the deepest realm of the ARK, the only tears on her face were ones brought by a late-night exhale – not the wailing of deep night.

This level of connection…

… There was a set of blue eyes watching him. "Ah, Maria," Gerald coughed once and turned to address her. Those thick blankets moved as the rest of her body crawled out of the tent. "Good morning."

A yawn, a smile, and a wave. That was what the scientist received. Her mouth moved as if to talk, but it was impossible to miss the sudden change of her expression. What was once brilliant and the warmth of the sun crashed into something that Gerald couldn't label: haunted? Afraid? Shocked?

It was nothing that should be on her.

That expression changed again. Ah. He knew this one: guilt. His large hand reached out and rubbed her blonde locks. "Don't worry about it. You know very well that I talk enough for the both of us. Unlike you, my coworkers don't have the ability to run and hide from my Project: SHADOW ramblings." There was a tight squeeze at the end. [Saying the full name of the Project made him recall how little time he had left. G.U.N. was not at the mercy of the President- The President wanted his immortality for the little protection he could offer- They wanted to return to destroy his planet- If the Eclipse Cannon couldn't be finished in time, even if he saved Maria from disease, upon their return, she would still-!]

His granddaughter's hand flew out and grabbed his arm. It seemed she caught onto his… stress. His jumbled thoughts reorganized as he fixed his glasses. "I'm alright so long as you are, my dear."

There was that haunted look again. However, Maria blinked it away after she had taken a quick glance at the specimen. Her thumbs pushed into Gerald's coat; mouth attempted to speak once more but only a croaking cry escaped.

Oh, Maria. His precious granddaughter.

What had happened to her?

[x]

It was the new normal.

Gerald woke up, greeted Maria in the hallway right in front of his personal room, walked to the cafeteria together, headed back towards the laboratory, worked on Project: SHADOW as she set up 'camp,' ended the day's work based on his granddaughter's sleeping visage, and finally tucked her to bed. It was only after then that he went back to finish on the less… child-friendly tasks he had to undergo – Maria did not need to see what he was doing to that larva and the slowly growing embryo. If the specimen was to die, he should do his part and ensure it won't happen in front of her at the very least.

It was not pity that the scientist felt.

His syringe, filled with another set of poison to see if PSUL2.018-BD would survive this round of tests, pierced into the small Mobian-shaped form – 'shaped' because Gerald was not going to lie to himself: an organic in the form of the future invaders was never something that should be brought to light. If his deal was not exposed, Maria needed to have his Project by her side to save the planet, and it wouldn't be allowed to do that if it carried their appearance.

[Memories of Maria cuddling up to the lizard before its banishment; of the etching of a hedgehog defeating a dead civilization's version of 'God'; of the thought that a cure for all diseases should be something 'cute and fuzzy' in Maria's words…]

A pencil scratched notes and echoed into the night.

The spasms of the Project silent.

Small limbs and body in full contortions.

A sudden lack of movement.

The alarms silenced by his impassive movement as the embryo's heart reached critical.

Stillness for a few moments before the pencil glided against the sheet of paper once more.

Test 1,567: it is still alive.

Another day passed.

Test 1,664: it is still alive.

Another week passed.

Test 1,937: it is still alive…

[x]

'Sean Casey' was honestly nothing more than a young kid. 19 years old, bright honey-colored hair, and a dress suit that was obviously quite uncomfortable. Last year, the youth was 'Adams Novell.' The year before that, 'Xavier' Something 'Davis the Second.' Each new cycle of the calendar brought a kid fresh from the military academy for the enlisted. It always struck Gerald a humorous chord that the lowest of the ranks had less age than he had as a scientist. Naïve, innocent, almost like Maria; stories of their upbringing and old lives created something new to talk about. Critically, the Security Forces individual that was stationed on Gerald's hallway/wing complex had tales of Earth not yet heard in the Robotnik quarters.

Maria would be very excited!

"So, which academy did you come from, Mr. Casey?" Gerald asked while setting up the table with a set of coffee and tea. "The one in the south? East?"

An embarrassed and confused smile. Most expected the 'genius' of the ARK to be more… inhospitable [and the rumors going around that he was starting to go 'mad' were idiotic without substance!]. He once had a wife, though, and understood how to make meaningful connections. Whenever Casey would report to his superiors, he would tell them, as all the others had, that Dr. Robotnik was a jolly fellow, hardworking for G.U.N.'s desires.

"South, so I was expecting to do my first base in the plains or the desert," gushed the young adult. "I got the fourth highest score in the academy and was told I was going to have the opportunity to work at a 'faraway place' if I was willing. I honestly expected overseas, not…" His hand reached towards the window; the planet's vast oceans below them. "Well, this!"

Gerald nodded. Each kid had similar stories: the highest-ranking cadet that had no awards or pictures taken. G.U.N. wasn't going to let anyone in that had the potential for loose lips nor history. [There were not many things that he agreed with the military complex, but the secrecy of the truth of the ARK was one of them.] "I dare say you lucked out! Not much happens here on the station. It's why 'Blues Monday' even exists." He made sure to add a smile. "The worst thing that generally happens is having to put up with this old man. The higher ups of yours understands that to achieve peak performance is to tie their workers into stylistic uniforms."

Casey was social enough to chuckle.

There was a dull noise of the entrance door opening in the background. Maria soon waltzed in with three trays of lunch: him, her, and a 'special guest.' So swift she had made it back that the steam was still rising from the lot of them. Her blue eyes were concentrated on her own limbs as she attempted to maintain balance; pink tongue sticking out. Once she thought everything was under control, she turned to look up and gave Gerald a-

Her feet slid to a halt as shock etched onto features. Swiftly, the girl tore her hand over her upper left chest, near her heart, and took a step back. Watching her stumble, suddenly fearful of NIDS teasing its grip on her body again, Dr. Robotnik rushed forwards-!

The flash of a metal lunch tray arced the sky-

Sharpened edge jammed against a male's skull-

Milk bleaching a suit white-

There were 'slopping' noises as steak, mashed potatoes, and peas splattered towards the ground. The stainless-steel utensils embedded onto Casey's no longer shined shoes.

But forget about the boy, Maria had fallen!

And she was in a panic. Cyan blazed as his granddaughter threw herself away from the dining room, never keeping her eye off of the G.U.N. member. Her back tracking motions had her bounce into a wall, but she was immediate in slipping from Gerald's grasp. It was painfully apparent that Maria was frightened of Sean Casey. Her trembled hands eventually got to the access panel and the girl fled. Only her shoes that pounded the floor were evidence of what used to be.

He ignored the military boy's groans and took off after Maria.

[x]

It was the utility closet in the area closest to PSUL's tube was located where he found her. She was crammed into the thinnest of slits – if she was just a few pounds heavier she might not have made it. The headband in her hair was gone, the blonde locks tangled and filled with dust from the nearby broom, and the bottom hem of her light blue dress was torn. In her arms was a pillow that had actually been cut by her nails – the same one from the tent, whose guts were piled into a mound that prevented anyone from coming close to the hiding spot.

Gerald couldn't physically touch her, so he decided to slide down to sit as close as he could. In fact, he reached his arm towards the only hole he could attempt; a sigh of relief when her own hand reached back and squeezed.

He couldn't understand what she was thinking.

But he could be there for her-

The voice was hoarse and filled with grief. "Grandpa… Don't ever let that man be with you alone."

The shock of hearing her first words again didn't give a response fast enough for her, apparently.

"Promise me, Grandpa!"

"Ma- Maria, what's the matter?" Gerald begged, giving another squeeze of her hand. He took note of how… red it was, as if it had been scratching at something harder than cotton…

"Not everyone can be trusted! He's the one that-!"

Maria flinched. Just like that, her voice was gone once more.