"Excuse me?" Hank said, clearly taken aback, "That's classified information. I'm sure you wont mind my asking how you came by it?"

"Is it?" Samuel sputtered, the adrenaline keeping him awake slowly fading, "is it really?"

"What's going on?" Michael asked, offering his shoulder for Samuel to lean on. 

"Oh please, you're all..." Samuel trailed off, He knees gave way and he tumbled into Michaels arms. He looked at Michaels face, studying his expression carefully. "You don't know... Do you?"

"Know what?" Michael asked.

"Monsters." Samuel said, shutting his eyes and succumbing to his own fatigue. 

Eddie reached forward to help support Samuel's now limp body. 

Adam tilted his head in curiosity, and looked him over closely, "is this dead?"

"No, I don't think so," Clara answered, "just fainted."

"Fainted?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Clara replied, "Like, uh, Asleep by accident." 

"Oh, okay." Adam replied, "what's the difference?"

"Fainted people wake up." Michael said, strained from keeping Samuel standing.

That didn't make much sense to Adam, then again, neither did being alive in the first place. Life didn't really seem like the gift they'd told him it was.

They brought Samuel inside, laying him on one of the many metal tables in the lab, and wheeling him to the medical ward. A small beige room off the side of the main lab, Michael wasn't familiar with this room, despite working right next to it every day.  He sat patiently with the others, hours passed by slower than they ever had. Clara sat next to him, her leg bouncing anxiously. The rhythmic beating of her heel against the tile floor felt like the only sound in the lab, or even the world.

"You okay?" Michael whispered to her.

"Yeah," Clara replied, uneasy, "it's just weird right? We're supposed to be the only non-sciencey people here."

Michael nodded, "So, where do you think he came from?" 

"Maybe he's like Adam?" She replied, though she had a feeling that was wrong.

"I dunno, he doesn't seem like Adam," Michael said, "then again... who does?" 

"His eyes." Adam said, loudly.

"What?" Clara asked.

"His eyes," Adam repeated, opening his eyes wide, "They're not yellow, people with the Cerberus gene have yellow eyes."

Michael liked the way Adam explained, it was innocent, as if a stranger hadn't just appeared in their super secret laboratory and fainted. It was more than just innocence too, everything Adam said was like a child said it, full of hope. Michael and Clara looked over at each other, silently examining each other's faces.

"If you're checking," Adam said, "You both have blue eyes. You coulda just asked... Or looked in a mirror?" 

Clara let out a small giggle, she was happy at least somebody maintained a good mood. Adam didn't understand why she was laughing, but it felt good to make her laugh.

"What do you think he meant?" Michael asked, quieting the conversation again.

"By what?" Clara replied.

"Monsters." Michael said solemnly.

"Oh," Clara said. She'd been trying not to think too hard about that word, she didn't like the implications.

Adam furrowed his brow, "What is monsters?" he asked. 

Michael paused, he wasn't sure how to answer that. "I think, at least in this context, it's people that do bad things." 

"That's it?" Adam asked, he sounded disappointed.

"I mean, there's another kind of monster, but they don't really exist." Clara added.

"What's the other kind?" Adam leaned forward, excitedly.

"They're like... The unnatural? Ya know, scary creatures that eat people or mess things up." She said, "Made in a lab, or born in darkness, evil from the shadows." 

"Hm," Adam said, "I don't think I like monsters." 

"Well," Clara replied, "You haven't read any of their books yet." 

The conversation faded, and all that was left in the air was silence. Michael watched as Samuel's IV dripped, little by little. He looked over to Clara, still tapping her foot.

"Do you think he's just like, A disgruntled employee or something?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Clara replied. 

"I mean," Michael continued, "I could see an overworked employee calling their boss a monster."

"Hank doesn't seem like the type to overwork people," Clara said, "He's been good to us, at least."

"I guess so." Michael replied, "But I just can't get it out of my head. What do you think he meant?"

"I don't know," Clara said, "I don't think anyone does. And until he wakes up, I don't think anyone's getting any information."

"Yeah..." Michael replied, "... Except Hank."

"What?" Clara asked.

"He knew Hank, remember?" Michael clarified, "So maybe Hank knows him." 

"Oh, you're right." She said, "Adam, try to keep Eddie company, we're going to see Hank." 

Adam nodded, he and Eddie had begun a game of checkers, and neither of them intended to abandon it any time soon.

Clara and Michael began their march up to Hank's door with confidence, and a tenacity that weakened with each step. What started as a march, had suddenly become a slow and steady walk, as they approached the door. It sat at the other end of the hallway, across from their bedrooms. It was nothing impressive, a regular wooden door with a glass window, like any office door. They could hear his muffled voice through it, Causing Michael to grab Clara by the arm. He gestured for her to wait. 

"You did what?" They heard, "You understand, of course, his being here puts all of our jobs... No, our LIVES, at stake?!" 

Michael furrowed his brow, this didn't sound like the Hank he was familiar with. 

"I just wish you'd asked me," Hank continued, "Because now it looks like we're the bad guys."

They heard a loud pounding, as if something was slammed against the wall. 

"He saw it?! Then why is he still alive? we've done more for less, Cynthia."

Cynthia. That name sounded familiar to Michael, He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew he'd heard it. "Does that name sound familiar to you?" He asked.

"I don't... think so?" Clara said.

"It's the person Hank keeps disappearing to talk to." A voice inside her head replied. Clara had begun to forget Bunny, their conversations had become few and far between.

"Oh yeah," Clara said, "It's the lady he talks to sometimes, the security woman."

"Okay," Michael replied, "Well he just implied they've killed people to keep what this guy saw a secret." 

"Hank wouldn't kill people." Clara said, now unsure.

"I mean," Michael continued, "We haven't known him that long." 

"Regardless," Hank continued, "You'd better fix this. If it gets any bigger, you're fired." He said it with such guile it put a pit in Michael's stomach. "It does remind me though, how is smiler? Still contained, obviously?" 

"Yes sir." a female voice said, "She's alive, but not moving." 

"Interesting, and the offspring?" Hank asked.

"Contained." She replied. 

Michael felt a sickness, a deep unease. One look at Clara told him she felt the same. He pointed back to the lab, and she nodded. Just as they turned to leave, the door swung open. 

"Ah! My star pupils," Hank said, his normal cheery tone returning, "What can I do for you?" 

"Oh," Michael stammered, "Nothing. We just... Uh." 

"We were wondering if you knew that guy?" Clara asked, "He just kinda freaked everyone out. We were hoping you'd have the answers."

Hank stroked his chin thoughtfully, "No, I'm afraid I don't." He replied. "I'd never seen him before today." 

Clara suddenly felt relieved, She almost believed him. She knew lies very well, she knew when she'd been lied to, and yet she believed him. 

"Well," She said, "Thanks anyways." 

Hank sighed, "I've actually been on the phone with head of security for a while now. She'll be down in a moment to fix this mess." 

Clara nodded, and glanced over to Michael, He looked frozen in place.

"Michael, son," Hank said, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Michael muttered, "Just a little shaken up."

"I can definitely understand that," Hank said, placing his hand on Michael's shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything, My door is always open.

"Will do." Michael said quietly. 

"Why don't we all go back down to the lab?" Hank asked, "Hopefully, we can get some answers from this young man." 

Walking with Hank suddenly felt wrong, it gave Michael a tightness in his chest. With every step, he felt more tangled in a web of lies weaved by a man he once looked up to, a man he still looked up to. 

Hank opened the door slowly, as if he was savoring it. In fact, he was buying time. Inside, Adam and Eddie were still playing a game of checkers. Samuel laid in bed, still motionless, but with his eyes wide open now. 

"Are you... awake?" Michael asked.

Samuel shot up off the bed with a start, flinging the blankets placed on him to the ground. He scanned the room almost instinctively, like an animal caught in a trap. "I... Think so?" He said, "That all depends, who are you?" 

"Uh, Michael." Michael stammered.

"Hm." Samuel said, he furrowed his brow. "Where are we, Michael?" 

"The infirmary." Michael replied.

Samuels eyes widened, "Infirmary of where?" 

"The clintax building?" Michael replied. 

Samuel let out a shaky breath, "How long have I been here?" He asked

"We were actually hoping you'd know." Michael said, "How'd you get into the building?" 

Hank put his hand on Michael's shoulder again, this time, it felt as if Michael had done something wrong and Hank wanted to correct him.

"I'm not sure," Samuel replied, "It all feels foggy. We were in the woods, looking for some kind of animal? There were soldiers. They needed me to track it, I brought them to a cave and then..."

"Then, what?" Clara asked.

"Those things... Monsters. They weren't like anything I'd ever seen before. Fast, and leathal. Apex predators like no others I'd ever seen. They killed two of the soldiers, and we ran. It was dark, and cold. After the little ones stopped following, we though we were safe, but we weren't. There was a big one, their mother I think, they drove us towards her. She had to be fifteen foot tall, at least. She killed everyone, except me and one other. We brought her down, still alive, but down. And then," 

Before he could finish, The door swung open. It was Cynthia, still wearing her green camoflauge uniform.

Samuel backed up quickly, "She shot me." He said, "she shot me and brought me here."