"Analise, are you done yet?" Ely questioned with little patience.
Analise looked back and glared at him. "You called the poison unit and I'm in charge of this unit. I have to stay here until they are finished." Analise said as she looked down at her clip board.
Ely looked around and stared at the damage from the disturbance that occurred moments ago. "To think Markel could get that mad. I've never seen him that way." Ely said as he glanced at the holes in the walls from where Markel dodge a punch and then where Markel threw Rainer.
Analise walked over near Ely and placed some contents that were given to her by one of the poison unit employees, inside of a black bin. "We were told that he was different from the rest, and not to get on his bad side."
"Yeah, I know, it's just, I never thought I would see the day where Markel flared up like that. He's usually calmer and more collective" Ely looked down and over the railing where he had seen Markel get thrown off and then rise over again. The two stood quietly and watched the poison unit as they cleared out Frost's room of the red haze. The atmosphere was dense, so much had gone on in such a short amount of time and everyone was running around with their heads cut off. The Poison unit had slowly started to clean up their tools and vacate Frosts room.
"Miss Storm?" A man in a yellow full body suit voiced.
"Yes?"
"We captured a sample of the red haze. Just in case you need to examine it and be able to further help the affected victim."
Analise took the vile of red smoke from the man's hand. "Thank you. Are you guys done?"
"Yes Ma'am. We're returning to headquarters."
"Alright, thank you guys." Analise smiled and put the vile in her black bin. "Want to go down to the lab with me?" Analise asked Ely.
"Yeah why not." Ely smiled, grabbed the black bin and followed behind Analise. The two had made their way through the medical unit and enter the doors to the lab. As they made their way around, they got to the Biocontainment lab where the lab technicians ran tests on anything that could have life threating potential. Analise had been with this lab since she was sixteen years old, now at twenty-one years old and exceeded far past her superiors, she was now the lead scientist of the Biocontainment lab. Ely on the other hand was the lead of different unit. He had been with the lab since he was fourteen; his father used to work in one of the sectors but had recently retired. Ely ran the Pharmacy and Immunology lab and occasionally he helped in the medical wing with taking blood samples and issuing IV's. From the very beginning Ely and Analise had worked closely together they even sometimes switched spots at each other's unit, which people weren't entirely happy with. Analise made her way over to her desk in the way back of her lab and placed her black bin on an empty counter that was next to her desk. She gently put the vial of red haze down on a mate.
"I have a vial for someone to examine." Analise called out to her techs that were working silently. A technician stood up from her seat, walked over to the vial, picked it up and walked it back over to her desk where she began the examination.
"Clara?" Analise looked at the girl who pick the vial up.
"Yes ma'am?" Clara looked back at Analise. Clara was older than Analise by a lot, but still showed her the respect she deserved.
"When you're done finding anything, please place the results on my desk. If it's serious, please find me and let me know." Analise said and smiled.
Clara smiled back and slowly turned around in her seat and proceeded with her work. Analise proceeded with her work as well and gently placed her binders and clip boards out on the table. Ely sat next to Analise, placing his elbows on top of the table and putting his chin in palms of his hands.
"I'm starving, want dinner? I haven't eaten anything yet." Ely said as he looked down at his stomach.
Analise looked at him. "No, I don't."
"Why not?" Ely furred his eyebrows.
"Maybe she's not hungry Ely." A voice said behind him.
Ely turned around. "Ally? Everything ok?" he asked concerned.
Ally smirked slightly. "Markel explained a lot in there so, everything is kind of tense. He told me to leave."
"What did he explain?" Analise asked, looking up at Ally.
"It had a lot to do with Frost and what the crazy guy had mentioned earlier." Ally paused for a minute. "Analise, can we please go get some coffee or something. I'm dying." Ally begged.
Analise looked at her and smiled. "Fine. Let's go to the coffee shop downstairs."
"Oh, so you'll go with Ally, but not me." Ely complained.
"You wanted food; this is just coffee." Analise smiled and followed Ally out.
Ally laughed at Ely and led the way out of the office. With the automatic sliding glass door closing behind the three as they made their way out, they slowly walked down to the coffee shop. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans and the gentle conversation between doctors and scientists filled the atmosphere. Everyone had to work late into the night to get their work finished, or started, so it was only natural that the coffee shop was filled with people trying to get the energy that they needed. Ally made her way to stand in line with Ely and Analise following her. The line had turned short quickly and Ally was the next one up.
"What will it be Ally?" The cashier asked as she grabbed a cup from a nearby stack.
"Um, a large caramel coffee with a shot of expresso."
"Alright anything else?" The cashier asked as she rung up the order.
"Guys, order. I'll pay." Ally looked at Ely and Analise.
"Um, just one medium black coffee for me." Ely spoke up.
"Um…" Analise hesitated as she squinted her eyes. The black board with the menu on it had suddenly gone blurry. Analise suddenly grabbed ahold of her head as a shocking pain went through her skull and fell to her knees. Ely and Ally had rushed to her aid, knelling beside her.
"Analise, what's wrong?!" Ely asked as he put his arm around her shoulders.
"I…don't…know." Analise tried to speak through her pain. "I'm hearing weird things." She mumbled.
"Like what?" Ally questioned.
"A different language." Analise grunted in agony. Everyone in the coffee shop rushed to her side, making every attempt they could to help her.
"Ally call for you brother. We need someone fast." Ely ordered.
Ally nodded and reached for her cell phone. Getting Markel on the line, he was in the coffee shop before they could hang up the phone. Markel rushed to Analise's side, getting down to her level.
"Analise, it's Markel. We're getting you out of here." Markel warned as he picked her up and carried her to an empty patient room. Hedix and Frost were there waiting for her as well.
****
From the side lines, an ominous figured stood within the shadows.
"Did you get to the location we spoke of?" A female voice asked telepathically.
"Yes, I have. There's a lot of commotion going on though. I think she could be the girl we spoke of." The figure stated.
"Get to her as soon as you can." The female said again.
"I know dear, just give me some time to find out more ok."
"Ok."
The female voice went silent and the figure remained as it watched Markel carry Analise out of the coffee shop. "I'm glad to see you two are doing well." The figure whispered and vanished.
****
"What's going on with her man?" Frost asked genuinely concerned as he waited by the empty room.
"No idea. She suddenly dropped to her knees and was saying that she was hearing someone speak a different language." Ely spoke as he began to hook up on I.V. to Analise's arm. After the I.V. was inserted, Analise had calmed down and went into a state of paralysis. Everyone that stood around her while she laid on the bed, look nervous and scared. Analise was the one of the strongest people in the whole building; mentally, so seeing her break down like she did was nerve racking.
"Anyone know what she could be talking about?" Hedix asked.
"Nope, not in the slightest." Ally said a little depressed, but before she could begin to be fully depressed an idea had sprung into her mind. "But I know who might."
Ally and Hedix seemed to be on the same wavelength as they both screamed "TANTO!" at the top of their lungs and ran out of the room, heading towards Tantos room. Running down the halls like they were being chased and rounding corners like maniacs, Ally had made it to Tanto's room before Hedix. Catching her breath and waiting for Hedix to get to her side, Ally inhaled and let it out slowly, while knocking on the door.
"Tanto, It's Ally and Hedix. Can we come in?" Ally voiced through the tiny gap in the doorway, still trying to catch her breathe.
"Yes, come in." Tanto said.
Ally and Hedix slowly walked into Tanto's room. Tanto sat peacefully on his bed. His reading glasses were on the bridge of his nose and a paperback book was in his hands. The room was dark except for the reading light Tanto had on and the moon light peering through the window.
"What do you guys need?" Tanto questioned.
"You look like an old man Tanto." Hedix commented, his comment unnecessary.
Tanto glared and Ally punched Hedix in the arm. "That's not how we ask for help." Ally snarled. Looking back at Tanto, Ally made her way to his side. "Tanto, we need your help. Will you help us?"
"Depending on if I know how. What's the problem?" Tanto put his book down and took off his glasses.
"Analise collapsed in the coffee shop downstairs. She said her head was hurting and she was hearing voices." Ally began.
"Is she crazy?" Tanto interrupted.
Ally glared. "No! Anyway. She was saying that these voices were speaking a different language."
"I do believe she needs to be put into the mental side of this hospital." Tanto joked.
"Tanto!" Ally pleaded.
"Okay, okay. I'll try my best." Tanto agreed. He then stood up from his bed, slid his slippers on and made his way to the room Analise was in. When they turned the corner of the hallway, everyone was frantically trying to bust down Analise's door.
Hedix ran to Frost. "What's going on?!"
"I have no idea. We all left so the doctor could do some tests, when we came back, the doors had been locked, and doc passed out on the ground." Frost said as he kicked the door with all his strength, but with no outcome. Tanto had made his way around everyone and looked inside the window that peered into her room. Looking at everything that was in the room and making visual connections with everything, Tanto had a crazy idea, for he had felt something ominous, but also something strangely familiar.
"Markel, Ally. Come here for a second." Tanto looked at them seriously.
"Yeah. What is it?" Markel asked.
"This is going to sound crazy and unheard of but, the language she might be hearing could possibly be your language."
"And how did you come across that idea?" Markel asked.
Tanto hesitated for a moment but came back with. "Because I'm looking at everything and there's something off about all of this and this might be a weird thing to request, but you need to do some blood tests on her."
"Well, we would but the door is not opening." Ally said.
"I may have a little bit of my power back. At least enough to melt something. I'll try and melt the interior lock to the door." Tanto walked over to the door and placed two fingers on the metal plating with a handle connected to it and closed his eyes. The metal plating began to glow orange as it was heating up. From the inside of the door, everyone could hear loud pops of metal and gears as they melted. Tanto then opened his eyes and looked back at everyone.
"Markel, go ahead and try and kick the door down." Tanto instructed.
Markel nodded and with one swift and quick motion, his foot connected with the door and the door connected with the floor with a loud bang. Doctors rushed in as soon as the door was released off its hinges and began to examine the doctor that was laying in the middle of the floor. Analise was still out cold, laying peacefully in her bed like nothing happened. Markel took to her side and checked her pulse.
"Her heart rate is kind of high." Markel mentioned.
Tanto made his way over and took a good look at Analise's face. "She seems a bit pale. If we take blood from her now, she could get even paler. We should wait."
Markel nodded and stood out of the way while Ely made his way over with a new I.V drip to replace the old one.
"I think we should let her rest. One of us be in here with her though. We can't have whatever happened to happen again." Ely commented as he finished replacing the I.V bag.
"I agree. I'll stay with her for the time being." Tanto volunteered.
"You sure Tanto?" Frost asked. "I was going to stay with her."
"Yeah I'm sure. I want to listen to what she was experiencing before she fainted." Tanto smiled slightly and took his place in a chair beside the window. The commotion in the hallways had calmed down and everyone had returned to their normal routines. Tanto sat and began to flip through the pages of a book that he had found within the nightstand beside Analise's bed. With the night turning into sun rise. The orange rays had flooded into the window and covered the floor and part of the bed; making the room illuminated with color. Tanto covered his eyes and looked at the clouds that floated smoothly by in the sky. With the rustling of Analise's blanket, Tanto turned his attention towards the bed to see that Analise was rubbing her eyes.
****
"Tanto, you're as keen as very." The mysterious figure whispered.
"You caused quite the uproar dear." The same female voice spoke."
"I didn't mean to. I just wanted a closer look at her."
"Remember, your presence to the humans is powerful. Be careful next time."
"Yes dear." The figure responded and vanished once again.
****
"Miss. Analise, you're awake." Tanto smiled and stood next to her.
"Tanto? What are you doing out of your room?"
Tanto placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "You are the patient now. Just sit and relax, I'll go get a nurse."
Tanto walked out of the room and Analise sat up slowly in her bed and looked out of the window. "How long was I out?" She whispered to herself.
"Only for the rest of the night." Ely's voice rang through as he walked into the room.
"Ely. What happened? I don't remember getting here." Analise rubbed her temples.
"You fainted in the coffee shop. We had to call Markel to come get you. He's the one who carried you here." Ely informed while he took down her heart rate from the monitor.
"Really?" Analise looked at Ely, worried for her own health.
"Yup. Some crazy stuff happened last night. I can't believe you don't remember a single thing."
"Well, I remember hearing voices and then after that I have no clue." Analise smiled. "Hey, why was Tanto in here?"
Ely finished his notes and placed himself on the side of Analise's bed. "Ally and Hedix ran to get him. They thought that he would have an idea of what was going on inside your head."
"Does he?"
Ely shrugged. "Has he questioned you yet?"
"No. he hasn't."
"Well then I'll call him back in here and then he can interrogate you for a little." Ely giggled slightly as he stood up and left the room. Shortly after he had left, Tanto had reappeared in the doorway.
"How are you feeling Doctor?" Tanto asked.
"Well from what I've heard, you're the doctor for today." Analise smiled.
Tanto grinned and took a seat in an olive-green chair that was in front of the bed. "Tell me about those voices you heard."
Analise went silent for a moment. "Tanto, they weren't just voices. I saw images to. Images that left my heart sinking with despair." Analise began. "The voices were male and female. Each saying something in a language I couldn't understand. Both sounding, I don't know, digitally altered. You know when someone puts their mouth to a fan and talks into it. Something like that, but weirder."
"Digitally altered?" Tanto questioned.
"Yeah." Analise put her head down in embarrassment.
"Tell me about the images."
"Green eyes, a clock and blood." Analise mentioned. "Those images kept playing through my head."
"A clock? Do you remember what it looked like?" Tanto became more intrigued.
"No, I could only see black with gold roman numerals as the numbers on the clock."
Tantos eyes became wide. "Doctor Ely!" He shouted.
"What is it?!" Ely had swung around the corner of the door with the sense of urgency.
"Get blood work on Doctor Analise. I need to discuss something urgent with Markel and Ally. Excuse me." Tanto made his way quickly out of the room, leaving Ely and Analise pondering with a million questions.
Tanto ran with all his might down every hallway that led to Markel's office. Bursting in, almost swinging the door off of the frame, Tanto stood in front of Markel, trying to catch his breath as Markel looked at him like he was insane.
"What in the world is going on?" Markel asked in a low and surprisingly calm tone.
"A black clock with gold numbers. What does that sound like?"
"His Excellency's clock. Why?"
"Explain to me why Doctor Analise would see this in her head right before she fainted." Tanto said.
"She what?" Markel questioned as he raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. She must be connected to the royal family somehow. No ordinary human that was born on this planet would ever know about or see such a thing."
Markel went silent. "Blood work?"
"Doctor Ely is already on it." Tanto said.
"Good. I'll have Ely tell me what's going on with her later."
Tanto and Markel grew silent. The clock in Markel's office was the only sound that echoed through the atmosphere. The light from the sun was shining through the windows, reflecting off the pictures that hung on the walls. Bookshelves were covered with books and old journals that Markel and Ally use to keep during their time in their world. Tantos eyes fixated on an old relic that was placed on the bookshelf.
"How do you have that Sir?" Tanto asked and quickly caught on to what he had said.
Markel smiled "Old habit kicking back in Tanto?" Markel stood up from his desk and grabbed the relic and placed it on a device that suspended the relic in midair.
"It's been a while since me and you have been in a room alone. So naturally I will call you by the respected name." Tanto smirked.
"Tanto, I haven't been called that since I was beside His Excellency." Markel said and smiled at the memory.
"Do you miss being there?" Tanto asked.
Markel nodded. "This relic was giving to me by His Excellency. It was said to document anything that you wanted to remember. When I'm alone, or Ally and myself are at home, we sit back and play the message His Excellency had left."
"He left you a message?" Tanto raised an eyebrow.
"Me and Ally were like family to His Excellency. We knew each other since we were small, remember. Here, let me play it." Markel pressed a button on the device that made the relic stand still while still in mid-air and the device illuminated a light that shone through the purple crystal and suddenly within a magical minute, His Excellencies face appeared on the wall in front of the two. Tanto's eyes widened as he stood on his feet from the chair he was sitting in.
"I can't believe I'm seeing his face after so long. He was so young back then." Tanto choked on his words.
"He was, I believe, Ten-years-old in this video." Markel smiled.
"Hi Markel, Hi Ally!" A female voice cut though the video.
The recording had begun to play, and a female's face came into frame next to His Excellency.
"I'm forcing His Highness to make a video log of the heart sealing procedures." The female's voice rang as she laughed.
"For a reason I am unaware of." His Highness's low and childlike voice cut through.
"Because you need to record this stuff Your Highness. You never know what could go wrong." The female said. "Now come over here and lay on the table."
His Excellency rolled his eyes and looked at the relic. "Markel, if you see this video, remind me to replace her. She is driving me up a wall."
"You won't replace me. I'm the only one who can fix your time piece."
His Excellency had mouthed 'shit' as he turned around, took off his cape and placed it on the nearest chair in the lab. He laid down on the table and looked up at a light that was above him. The female doctor opened his shirt gently, chanted a spell and suddenly the time piece that was in his chest was floating above his body in a holographic diagram.
"I've never seen this in person." Tanto whispered.
"I have, and the mage doing it is the only one that has the power to do that and still keep him alive. It's amazing." Markel whispered as well.
Nearing the end of the recording. His Excellencies clock was put back and he was sitting up on the table. "Markel." He called out.
"Protect this with your life. I will need you and your smarts for years to come." His Excellency put his hand on his chest and within minutes the recording was terminated, and the light turned dim.
"That's all?" Tanto questioned.
Markel nodded. "This was his first recording. He never got to record another one, Scarlet passed away before the next repair." Markel stood up and removed the crystal from the devise and placed it back on the shelf. Markel came back to his desk and sat in his chair. Suddenly a knock rang through the room.
"Who is it?" Markel called out.
"Ely."
"Come in."
Ely slowly opened the door. "Markel, I think you should see this."
Markel, Ely and Tanto made their way down to the lab, where Analise was sitting in the chair next to three vials of her own blood. "Hey Analise." Markel walked in and placed a hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, but my blood is not." Analise smiled awkwardly.
"Look." Ely motioned to a microscope with a pallet of Analise's blood underneath. Tanto took first look and placed his eye over the lens. Analise's blood seemed to be 'pulling' itself towards something. Tanto looked in the direction the blood was being pulled and Markel and Ally were the closes to that direction.
"Her blood seems to be reacting to you guys." Tanto mentioned as he made eye contact with Markel and Ally.
****
"I don't think its them that it's reacting to, but I'll let you believe that for now." The figure whispered behind Markel and Ally, fading away once again.
****
"What do you mean?" Ally questioned.
"Meaning, her blood seems to be pulling itself towards you two." Ely said. "I've ran every possible test, and nothing is coming up abnormal, I've even ran it through an ancestry scan, and nothing popped up. The only abnormal thing is that right there." Ely pointed to the blood under the microscope.
"So, what does this mean?" Markel crossed his arms over his chest.
Ely shrugged. "I don't know, But." As Ely began to say something else, the lights began to flicker within the lab.
Everyone in the lab looked up at the lights. Ally's ears picked up on a hissing noise coming from above them.
"Duck!" Ally screamed.
Everyone did exactly what she said just as the lights exploded above them. Ally looked up from her arm that shielded her eyes, and the room was completely dark. "Hey, is everyone ok?" Ally shouted through the darkness.
****
"Now why did you do that?" The female voice asked.
The figured shrugged. "I couldn't let them pry further into her blood."
"It's not like they would've guessed anything." The female voiced.
"I know, but now, I have to make it to the basement. I need to have 'eyes' on her at all times." The figured said and faded out.
****
"Yeah, I'm ok." Analise called out.
"Same here. Let's get out of here. "Ely called out and reached for an emergency glow stick in the desk drawer. Cracking it and illuminating its light, everyone followed Ely out and to everyone's surprise, the whole building was completely dark.
"Is there a power outage?" Analise questioned.
"I don't think the lights would've burst like they did if it was just a simple power outage." Ely made his snide comment.
Looking around in the dark. Hedix's voice came through the darkness; his body engulfed in the ice flame that Frost was powering from the palm of his hand. "Hey guys. What happened?" He questioned.
Markel shrugged. "The lights exploded in the lab." He spoke.
Suddenly "Hey, guys. The voices are back." Analise groaned and grabbed her head.
Frost ran over and grabbed her; helping her to not fall on the floor. As Frost supported her weight, the lights above them began to flicker back on, but when they came to, everything from patient monitors to computers, were all blacked out with a green light flashing in the middle. Analise began to scream as the light on every screen flicker faster.
"What the hell is going on?!" Hedix called out.
The green light on the screens began to slow down as Analise came down from her screaming. Analise went silent but the single light on every screen was still slowly pulsating. Markel and Frost stood over Analise and helped her to her feet. "Did you understand the voice's Analise?" Frost questioned.
Analise looked at Frost like he was crazy. "No. Again the same language that I've been hearing. But one phrase stuck out and I don't know what it means."
Markel and Tanto looked at her. "What phrase?"
Analise thought for a moment. "I don't know if I'm going to pronounce this correctly, but it was... 'Sana Tempore.'"
Tanto looked at Markel and Markel looked at Analise trying to analyze what she just said "Sana Tempore? Heal time? Why would you be hearing my language?" Markel questioned shocked and looked at Ally.
Ally was just as surprised as he was and Tanto was also shocked. "Maybe that's why her blood was pulling towards you guys. She might be connected to you two somehow." Tanto said.
Everyone looked at the three of them with widened eyes and raised eyebrows. "Connected to them? Isn't Analise human?" Hedix questioned.
"I thought I was." Analise put her hand to her heart, in a sense to check if she was still alive.
"That doesn't mean anything. Our race has connections with humans. It's just the incredibly lucky ones are the ones who are close to us." Ally commented. "But I still don't understand how Analise could be connected to us when we were born many moons ago."
Everyone went silent and looked around the room in a 'seeking for answers' way. "Well, I'm exhausted guys. Ally want to come with me for a little R and R." Analise asked, interrupting the silence.
"Yeah good idea. Call me if you need anything alright brother." Ally looked back.
Markel nodded and watched the girls walk off and make their way down the hallway towards the dorm rooms that were in the lab for the scientists and doctors who never left. "We should head out and get some rest to. We've been up all night and now it's in the afternoon." Markel suggested.
"Good idea. I'm heading back to my room. I'm late for my medical treatment." Tanto bid his farewell and made his way back to the hospital wing.
Ely nodded and departed as well and Markel, Frost and Hedix made their way to the Markel's office.
****
Around the corner, where no one could see, the figure stood in darkness. Bright dark green eyes had pierced their way through. "Sana Tempore, hu. Now I wonder what made her hear that? It seems you are the correct person after all. Now all I have to do is go back to Aaron and set things up for my arrival." The figure whispered to himself as he looked around him at the screens that still flashed the green light. "I have my eye on you, Miss Analise." The voice smiled and pixelated into the nearest screen.