Xaviers!

"Of course a corporation would discover something scientifically mind-blowing and use it just to make drugs," Tosh sighed. Such a waste.

"So the protein is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg jutting into the plane of existence we can measure. And that contact alone is enough to spawn a rampaging monster. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if more of this energy source manifested."

"I don't think you have to imagine anything. I can make some educated guesses as to how this energy might manifest..." Acala chirps perhaps a tad ominously.

The projection dissipates only to be replaced by a similar one with a slight difference in the outer shell of the protein, next to it the vague outline of a person morphing into a bipedal shark with little lightning-bolts animated around it.

Another variant of the molecule and another cartoon of a person, wavy lines extending from their head and to the rendition of a floating rock of some kind.

A third pairing of MGH and cartoonish display, a person splitting apart into numerous birds.

"Holy shit... you're saying this energy is what makes both natural and produced MGH work? That would mean it's touching every mutant. That's... that can't be. Mutations are genetic, not cosmic gobbledygook."

"So you think I'm genetically predisposed to all this, Tosh?"

"Well, I kinda did... mostly," he admitted.

"More importantly, is it one source for everyone? Or are there more? Sam, tell us everything you saw, no matter how trivial."

"I told you, it was like a person minus the person. Like the powers just... lingered afterwards. A spark looking for something to catch on."

"It tried to reach out to you, but I think Will had... more potential, somehow."

"Are you sure? Me turning into a second rock monster is a big coincidence."

"Do you want me to tell you what I saw, or do you want reassurance that the third creature living in your head was put there by cosmic space gods?"

"I just want to know what happened now that I know there could be more to the story."

"I'll read up on those theories too. Maybe my slow meat brain will make some connections your machine logic would otherwise overlook."

Sam sighs as the boffins just keep on sciencing.

She slumps into a chair and opens her mind, trying to reach that odd place she perceived when she was in the ground.

It's always hard to do something when you don't really have a good idea as to how, but she has a vague idea of what she's looking for at least. And Tosh's and Haley's minds are right there as... beacons maybe? Points to orient herself by? It was one thing to grasp at the equivalent of a roaring bonfire before but now it's hard to determine if what she's seeing is flickers of sparks or just the non-sense your eyeballs try to make of the inside of your eyelids. Maybe it's more noticeable when powers are being used? Or her own powers work better when there's struggles, fighting, a battle?

At least the isolated fragment of MGH doesn't appear to be doing anything, so it seems unlikely there'd be a resurgence of the Rock Monster.

And then there's a voice in her head that she probably wishes she's only imagining.

"Oh whatsoever might you be grasping for, my lost little bird?"

"Thought you'd leave a little something in here? I wouldn't count on getting lucky twice." She frowns.

"This shouldn't be happening. There should be alarms going off..."

"...we may have another problem, Tosh."

Hearing the worry in her tone, Tosh quickly turned to look at Sam.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"I think... Cailleach is out. And I don't think she's the only one."

"Shouldn't there, um, be an alarm?" he asked with growing worry.

"I'm not bloody making this up, Tosh. They bypassed it somehow!"

And that's when an emergency light on the wall starts flashing and a speaker crackles to life.

"Code Silver, I repeat, Code Silver. All hospital and research personnel are recommended to move to their designated safety areas. North and South Wing will seal off in T minus 10 minutes. All Security Response Units to the containment facility."

"Code Silver, I repeat, Code Silver..." the message begins to loop.




Somewhere in the distance an emergency evacuation boat is skimming across the waves and into the brewing storm, carrying Conduit beyond the reach of her power and letting security systems slip free, the little technopath bouncing in place and clapping wildly in the rain until a hulking shape of a sharkman nudges her below deck where a whole host of villains is already settling in. Next to the boat a sleek shadow rises from the depth and breaches the surface, splaying her fins triumphantly before diving back beneath the waves.

"No, no, no... this is bad. Very, very bad. We've gotta help!" he said, starting to freak out at the idea that his grandfather or Thresher or... shit, was Finn there?... might be one of them.

Haley was in enough pain that most of the conversation sort of just blended into background noise as she sat on the edge of her exam table, eyes closed.

Background noise that was suddenly broken through by an odd sense of a cackle at the back her her head and then a palpable feeling of concern from first Sam then Tosh. Her eyes snapped open as the conversation shifted to that of escape. She was about to hop off the table and move herself closer to the others when the alarms started. She winced at the lights, klaxon and PA system and nearly fell off the table.

“God fucking damnit, it’s always something,” she grumbled, rubbing her temples before just ripping the leads from the monitoring equipment off and moving towards the others.

“What do we need to do and where the fuck are my clothes?” She asked the room as she stood in front of them in a hospital gown.

"Are you sure you're up to this, Haley?"

“The sooner we fix this, the sooner that fucking alarm shuts up,” she replied, “besides. Maybe throwing around some shit with my brain will make it hurt less. Not like *not* using it for the past weeks has helped me.”

"I just hope it's not already too late to help," Tosh said impatiently as he hurried to the door.