[Drama] Start of the Shards

[Will Stanton]

After getting off the train from Muir, Will had made his way fairly straight towards his room, deep in the bowels of the point. He'd have dozens of hours of classes to make up, and a meeting with the headmaster to try to explain things, and he wasn't looking forward to any of that. That could wait until tomorrow.

The walk through campus was harder than he had anticipated. Some of it, yes, was the emptiness he felt inside; the residual effects of the drugs failing his system. But now, everything seemed so...fake. Like two-dimensional cardboard cutouts of the real thing. Without his enhanced senses, things didn't really seem as...real as they had even six hours ago. Was this what it was like before the MGH? It must have been -- but it was like looking at a world where, say, blue didn't exist. Like something was missing.

Brushing past a couple people who waved at him, Will had entered the Point as quickly as possible. He was so god-damned tired, all the time, and the return of that lack of energy hit him like three tons of bricks. And it was with that mindset that he staggered through the door, staring at the nearly empty room in which he was supposed to stay.

The nearly empty room. The tub that Tosh had built for him was the main obstacle in the small chamber, apart from Acala's various equipment. It sat there, gleaming and white, taunting him. And, after staring at it for a moment, the rage and frustration that had been building over the previous couple days tipped over. Shifting his hands into sledgehammers, Will leapt onto the tub with gusto, swinging, smashing, shouting and swearing, as he tore the damn thing to pieces.

((open))

[Ballinger Lippincott]

"You know, technically, that too is University property," Lippencott said. "We might have to bill you for that."

He had arrived in the doorway nearly silently, watching as Will unleashed his frustrations on the tub.

"Welcome home, my son."

[Will Stanton]

"Headmaster...I didn't hear you come in," Will said, straightening up. "I'm...sorry for the mess, and for taking so long to come back..."

[Ballinger Lippincott]

Lippencott waved his hand, dismissively.

"Pay no mind to it, my boy; I understand your frustrations. And try not to take the decisions by your teammates too harshly. They were doing what they thought was best, and that's all we can ask of anyone in the long run.

But I am relieved you have returned to us intact. You were missed."

[Will Stanton]

"I'm...sorry I didn't fight harder to come straight home, sir. It's not something I was comfortable with doing..."

[Ballinger Lippincott]

"I know, and I've been reading the reports. It must have been astonishing, yes? I only wish I could have seen it for myself."

[Will Stanton]

"It was...I can't describe it. Everything just made sense..." Will trailed off.

[Ballinger Lippincott]

"And it will again, I promise you.

You got a taste of what your true potential is, artificially enhanced by some drugs. But if you can reach that point with artificial support, than you can reach it without. We're all about finding limits here, and helping you reach them. And I promise you, we'll help you reach that point again, entirely free from chemical modification.

I've been speaking to your doctors some, and we're working on a new schedule for you. Just hang in there a while longer, and your hard work will pay off."

[Will Stanton]

"I'm just so tired, Mr. Lippencott. It's hitting me again, now that the drugs are out of my system. I'm being dragged thin..."

[Ballinger Lippincott]

"No pain, no gain, my boy. But that does not mean you need to suffer unnecessarily."

Lippencott reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device, similar to the one that Zandra had used on Nailah in their fight. Flicking it on, the room was bathed in white light. "Just take a few deep breaths..."

[Will Stanton]

Will closed his eyes as the white light filled the room, giving a little sigh as everything...fuzzed, ever so slightly.

His form quivered and shook, losing definition and differentiation, his human form slowly melting and collapsing into a puddle of clay goo on the floor, as he just...unclenched.

[Ballinger Lippincott]

"Rest well, my son. You have a long road ahead of you," Lippencott said, turning off his device, and making sure he shut off the light on his way out.