True Words

The sound of a game of ping pong was the loudest sound in the recreation center, as it typically was except at times in the late night when the place was vacant and Ms. Fontane came down to play the piano. She was quite a beauty, but afflicted with a severely detrimental anti-social disorder, hence why she only ever came out at night when the halls and recreation room were empty. Bryan made his way to the ping pong table, passing by the large couch where a lot of the patients could sit and watch some television together. The television was off today, however, and only a few patients were on the couch, reading or drawing with crayon. Bryan nodded to them, and a couple waved back with content grins on their faces that made him smile too. The game of ping pong was being played by a couple of perfectionists who committed themselves to get rid of the trait. Of course, they were far from reaching that goal, and it was a strange goal. The two could have been world ping pong champions with how they were going. The paddles held at perfect positions and the ball was hit back at the opponent at perfect angles, but the opponent would always hit it back perfectly.

"How long have you guys been at it?" Bryan asked cheerily, watching the ball zip back and forth across the table.

"Only two and a half hours I'd say," one said.

"Still on the first game," the other added, his eyes never leaving the table.

Bryan repressed a chuckle. "Here's a better question: what's the score?"

"Zero all," they replied in perfect unison.

* * *

Hesway didn't shrink back at the woman's approach, only continued to mutter his nonsense. At the sound of getting some rest, a light appeared in his eyes, almost as if he were glad to hear it, though the rest of his face didn't show the feeling. "Viora, dolviora...abliste gorun. De vrjnla lanjuate sirenco." These words almost had a sweet touch out of all the stuff he had said prior, but were lost in more mutterings. However, it was here that he took the woman's arm, expecting to be helped up and over to the bed.

* * *

Dr. Meakley smiled as one of her staff members entered the room. She had been typing on the computer prior to her entry and paused to readjust her black-framed glasses. Her black hair which was typically in order, long and shiny, was a bit of a mess by this time of day. At hearing Kim's questions, she pointed to one of the chairs, her smile becoming more weary. "Please. Have a seat, Ms. Morgan," she said kindly and typed a few more things on her computer really quick, her fingers dancing across the keyboard before stopping. "I imagine it is a bit odd. I don't really know why I assigned that many people to the task at all," she admitted. "And what's more curious is that out of all of my staff and out of all the numbers I could have sent to watch Hesway, I just...yikes, never mind," she cut herself short, taking a deep breath.

"This'll sound crazy, and yes, I know where you work, but...well, I had the feeling that it HAD to be you FOUR that watched Hesway," she explained. "I don't know why. It was just the feeling I got while checking over the list of available staff on this shift. Maybe a breakthrough is bound to happen with you four taking care of the job...even though it is over. As for further observations of the subject, I figured I'd let his regular staff member keep tabs on him. Hmm...," she stopped to think. Her mouth contorted a bit and she tilted her head before taking her fingers to the keyboard of her computer again, clicking a few things before leaning forward to peer at her computer screen. "Well...that is odd..."

Adelina's smile grew as she saw the sort of sparkle in his eyes, and grew further when he took her arm. Once sure she had his arm also, she rose; minding his weight and attempting to make the process as comfortable as possible. Once the two were fully standing, with more of the patient's weight on herself, Adelina began to move towards the bed at the other end of the room.

Careful in her walking, she made sure to keep an exact pace that Mr. Hesway could follow comfortably. It didn't take long for the two to reach the bed, at which Adelina paused for a moment. Pulling back the covers, she made enough space for him before beginning to set him there. With fluid, comfortable motions, she (with some trouble) shifted his weight and set him into the bed gently. Bringing the covers back over him and fixing his head so that he rested comfortable on the pillow, she smiled.

That hadn't be hard at all.

"Would you like for me to get you anything Mr. Hesway? Maybe water?"

"Oh...nothing's wrong. It just appears that Mr. Talbott, Hesway's assigned caretaker, is actually on vacation this week," Dr. Meakley explained, moving her mouse so she could close out what she was taking a look out. "Turns out that I would have had to have chosen someone else for this job regardless." She placed her arms in her lap and she looked like she was thinking, her eyes just a tad bit vacant. A few seconds passed before she shook her head. "I'm surprised I wasn't aware that he was going to be out. Mr. Talbott, that is. Why didn't I know?" It was obvious that this fact seemed to nag at her. "Must be so busy around here. And here I thought I was used to the stress by now." Dr. Meakley laughed.

* * *

Allowing Adelina to take him to the bed and tuck him in, he shook his head at her question and the room seemed to be silent. Had he actually quit muttering? Upon further inspection, one would note that his lips were still moving at a rather rapid pace. He was still muttering, just really quietly. Hesway closed his eyes, his mouth still moving a mile a minute, though the words were inaudible. A smile formed on his face though.

Dr. Meakley stood up from her desk and meandered over to the window. The atmosphere in the room grew awfully tense for some reason. Meakley's tone was very ominous. "I have a question for you, Kim. And don't worry about Hesway; I'll get someone else to cover it," she said before sighing for a moment. "Are you moving away anytime soon or something? Or...do you know if Mr. Mosher, Ms. Forester, or Ms. Adelina plan to do so?"

* * *

The large recreation center couch was as comfortable as it always was. Bryan had left the two perfectionist friends to enjoy their game of ping pong that would go on likely until one of them grew so tired that they couldn't coordinate themselves correctly. He had delved into the reception office for the rec center and snatched a nice sudoku puzzle book from one of the cardboard boxes. Swiftly approaching the couch, Bryan took out one of his pens from his front pocket, the very one Hesway had used earlier, and clicked it. Upon reaching his destination, he sat down with a huge grin, nodding to some of the others who were also sitting on the couch. The best way to get to understand patients was to be amongst them. The room was lacking significant patrols anyway, so it was a good thing he was there in case something went wrong which didn't happen often.

As he smiled, so did Adelina. Though it wasn't enough progress to return whatever mental state me was in to normal, it was progress. These moments would eventually lead to curing their patients, which was all the staff could ever hope for. With an approving nod, the nurse stepped away from the bed and began to walk over to the door. She did stop however, and look back at the man one final time, her smile growing. Progress.

She left without a word.

Dr. Meakley ceased to look out the window and turned to face Kim, shaking her head. "N-no. It'll be all right," she said. "I think I need some coffee or something. Did you have anymore questions to ask? I'm sorry if my responses were not helpful, but they are the truth," she explained. She was shivering a bit, but it was far from cold in her office.

The rest of work shift went by rather easily for Adelina, with nothing else to really do she found herself wandering. Visiting patients, both her own and others, and generally just making rounds around the building. It didn't pass by slowly at all, in fact, it seemed like minutes before she realized it was already five minutes past the end of her shift. With a final check of her current area, she made her goodbyes to those she passed and moved towards the exit.

She was home soon afterwards, with a longing to go back.

Dr. Meakley pulled out her cell phone from her pocket after Kim had left. She went to her contacts and found the number she was looking for and dialed it. "Cherise? Yes. I'm going out for a small bit. Exactly, thank you. Good bye." Tucking the phone back into her pocket, she took off her doctor's coat, straightening her green blouse as she did. She grabbed her purse and keys and left her office, shutting the door behind her and locking it to make sure no one snuck in and peered into the files without permission. Meandering through the halls, she waved to everyone who acknowledged her presence. Most of them were her own staff members. She ran into a few of the other supervisors on the way to the elevator and bid them a good afternoon. The lack of music in the elevator was a bit upsetting to her, and the silence wasn't doing anything to calm her nerves. Stopping on the ground floor, the elevator doors opened and Dr. Meakley briskly walked across the lobby giving the receptionist at the main desk a friendly wave before bursting out of the front doors.

The sun was particularly ferocious today, and there were no clouds in the blue sky to cover it. Dr. Meakley had never cared for the heat, but it was unavoidable, even here in the north, at least in the summer. Being on the coast wasn't helping the situation at all either. The woman walked down the sidewalk along the parking lot and found her car, opening the door and getting inside. She slammed the door shut and took a deep breath, fishing her keys out of her purse and putting them into the ignition, starting the car up. She sighed in relief as the air conditioner blasted her with cold air.

"Now there's some relief. I said I was going for coffee, but I think something cold would be a bit more nice on a day like today," she said to herself before checking her mirrors and pulling out of the parking lot, driving back along the tree-bordered long road that would lead her back to the main city. There was a quaint little ice cream shoppe on one of the smaller roads in the city, and Dr. Meakley made that her destination, driving along the main avenues until she reached it. She pulled into the parking lot and hopped out of her car, missing the sweet, steady flow of cold air from her AC. Whipping out a pair of sunglasses from her purse and donning them, she headed towards the building, but circumvented the main entrance in favor of a window on the other side of the building where a few patio tables and chairs were set up on a small plaza for people to enjoy their treats outside. The line wasn't too long, and it was eventually her turn. She ordered her usual: a chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake. With drink in hand, she went over to one of the tables and took a seat.

"The heat's not that bad," Dr. Meakley said to herself quietly and sighed before taking a sip of her milkshake, pleased at its rich flavor as always. They really did make the best milkshakes.

"Did you say goodbye to them?" the sound of a male voice echoed through the air coming from right next to Dr. Meakley causing her to jump in her chair and slam her drink down onto the table.

"Oh sweet Lord," she gasped, placing her hand over her heart which was beating uncontrollably. She turned and looked at the figure sitting in the chair next to her at her table. He wore a long black overcoat in the dead of summer with the hood up which shadowed most of his face, but she could see his mouth: pale lips set into a rather indifferent line. From what she could tell, he had white skin...very smooth, but that was all. Her eyebrows furrowed, a fire blazing within her eyes themselves. "Glad you're such a professional at sneaking up on people. You should consider a different hobby," she shot at the figure angrily, but in a tone that suggested that she had met the man before.

"Did you say goodbye to them?" he repeated, completely unfazed by Meakley's emotion. "They'll be leaving tomorrow you know. Today might be your last chance."

"You're full of crap, buddy. I asked around and no one plans on going anywhere," Meakley lied partially, for she had only asked Kim about it.

The figure laughed. "Oh, they're leaving all right. I just thought I'd warn you ahead of time..."

One of Meakley's hands clenched into a fist. "Get away from me or calling the cops. Seriously."

"Your world's police can't do anything to me...," the figure retorted and laughed at her mockingly.

Meakley's eye twitched and she turned away from him, taking a sip of her shake. "They're looking for you, you know. They want to question you about Hesway. They think you might be connected to his trauma....um...," she had explained, but turned her head to realize that nobody was there. Meakley sighed. "Perhaps I should commit myself to the asylum. I must be going crazy...."

* * *

Bryan yelped as he felt something slam across the back of his head. A few of the more unstable patients on the couch at the time screamed and started rushing about crazily, hiding behind objects in the rec center. "You know how horrible of an idea that is, James," Bryan stated flatly, rubbing the back of his head. He had been completely into one of his sudoku puzzles, and it was a rather rude awakening.

"I'm just letting you know that you're going to miss the last appointment you have today. Gerald Greene needs his meds and evaluation, you dope," a tall man standing behind the couch said to Bryan, tapping a rather thick book of medical terminology against one of his legs. "Then you can go home and do all the sudoku that you want...legally that is." The man, James, reached down and snatched Bryan's puzzle book away from him.

"I was going to give it back...after all the puzzles were completed," Bryan shot at his colleague sourly before standing up and bowing slightly. "I bid you my leave, Your Majesty." Seeing James's grip on his book tighten, Bryan backed away slowly and nervously before turning around and breaking out into a run for the elevator.

"Pfft...'Your Majesty'. Yeah right. We're equals, Bryan. I'm no supervisor yet." James looked around at the patients he had frightened. "Sorry about that guys. Everything's all right. Mr. Mosher was going to be late and I had to set him straight," he explained in an extremely gentle voice, smiling as the calm returned to the rec center.

Standing before the door of room 913, Bryan checked his watch. He was a bit late, even though James had pressed him to hurry, and he had. He knocked on the door a few times before a male voice from within told him to come in. Bryan nodded and opened the door, entered the room, and shut the door behind him. When he turned away from the door, he saw Gerald Greene sitting on his bed as if he were a frog. "How are you doing today, Gerald?" Bryan asked calmly moving closer towards the man.

Gerald Greene was a young man only a little older than Bryan, but his tattoos and rough facial appearance made him a lot older. He had a shaved head and dark eyes, a curved scar present at the corner of his left one. Bryan always felt a little timid, for this man had much more muscle than he did. However, he had come to learn that Gerald was as docile as a little rabbit...and sometimes, that analogy was dead on. "I'm doing just fine, Mr. Mosher. Thank you for asking," Gerald croaked in an odd voice.

"I see we're a frog today, hm?" Bryan asked casually, taking out a pen and a clipboard he had brought with him with a form attached. All the general information was all filled out--he just had to do the evaluation.

Gerald ribbited in response and hopped a couple of times in place on his bed. "I saw a fly in here this morning...the next thing I knew, I was eating it and I just knew I had to be a frog," Gerald explained firmly.

"I see...," Bryan responded, jotting some things on the form. "I have your medication for you." He took out a couple of small blue spherical pills and set them on the nightstand next to Gerald's bed where there was a cup of what appeared to be orange juice. "If you could go ahead and take those for me please."

Gerald bounced near the nightstand and stuck his tongue in and out rapidly as if trying to reach the pills with it. Bryan picked the pills up, Gerald's eyes following his every movement. "Allow me," Bryan said with a smile, holding the pills closer to Gerald's mouth so he could pick him up with his tongue. "Hold them, and open your mouth," Bryan instructed, reaching for the juice and pouring a little bit into Gerald's mouth. "Swallow, and open wide." Bryan took out a small flashlight and turned it on, flashing it into Gerald's mouth to make sure he had actually taken the medicine, though Gerald wasn't one to do such a thing as to hide the meds under his tongue like some of the others did.

"All good, Mr. Mosher?" Gerald croaked again, bloating his cheeks up and trying to make frog sounds with his throat.

"Not quite. Just a few more questions and we'll be good to go." Bryan scanned the form really quick. "Gerald, you do remember you are human, correct?"

"You mean like you, Mr. Mosher? No way, man," Gerald responded, obviously taken aback by the question.

"Okay. Were you a human at one time? Do you remember that much?"

Gerald gave Bryan a sideways frown and thought for a moment. "Well, I've been thinking about it....and I guess it's not too crazy for me to have been one at some point."

"Good, good!" Bryan exclaimed, jotting something quickly down on the form. "Keep thinking about it then. Remember what you were a couple of days ago?"

"A fox."

"And just yesterday?"

"A bird."

"Which is why--"

"I had to stay in my room," Gerald said and pouted which almost made Bryan want to laugh.

Bryan finished filling out the form really quick. "I see. Well, keep thinking about it. If you remember that much, then....well, we might have a breakthrough on our hands soon enough, eh? Have a wonderful day, Gerald," Bryan said cheerily, nodding his head to the frog man before leaving and shutting the door gently behind him.

"Yes, good to see you doing well." Gwendolyn said as she exited the last of her patients' room, "I shall be back tomorrow."

Gwendolyn breathed a sigh of relief. The day was over, she had checked up on and took careful notes of all her patients. Now she just had to go back to her office and sort these notes out, then she would be able to return home. Of course, Gwendolyn might as well have a bed in her office and be living in the asylum, since her house was pretty much empty. She stuffed the pen and clipboard into her coat pocket, then rubbed her right hand which was still sore from all the writing as she headed back to her office.

Gwendolyn's office was, to put it simply, a mess. The black jacket that she wore to work every day was tossed aside on the chair. Several half-filled and and a few full bottles of water were scattered all over the ground. On the ground beside her desk was a trash can that was so full it would not be able to hold any more. And on her desk was a plate with a half-eaten bagel on it. It was apparent that Gwendolyn spends most of her morning cooped up in her office. However, there was one place that looked neat, which was the large drawer in her desk, which she pulled open to reveal a plethora of folders, each labeled with a name.

Gwendolyn did not spend long in her office, she simply had to put each patient's notes in their respective folders. Usually Gwendolyn would have gone over said notes before leaving for the night, but today she was a tad too tired. She could look through them first thing tomorrow morning before she went to see the results of the tests done on the author's writing. She took a deep breath and grabbed her jacket, putting it on then turning to leave.

Bryan descended the stairs with aims to make it to the ground floor, but was forced to stop at the seventh. He walked anxiously down the hallway to the receptionist station. "Hey there, Cherise. Is Dr. Meakley around?" Bryan asked the young, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl sitting behind the desk. She was a real beauty, but it kind of creeped Bryan out when he saw her. She looked like a porcelain doll...and well, they creeped him out.

Cherise shook her head. "Sorry there, Mr. Mosher," she replied with a smile and a slight giggle. "She went out a while ago and hasn't returned yet. Is there somethin' I can help you with?"

"Yeah. I have the Gerald Greene evaluation here," he answered, placing the form on the desk in front of her. She peered over it and took it, stashing it in a small black basket where some other completed forms rested. "Free to go?"

"I'll make sure she gets it. Have a good evening there, Mr. Mosher," Cherise replied, still smiling.

Bryan nodded. "Same to you, Cherise," he said before waltzing towards the stairs. He was eager to get home, though this particular day had been a rather nice one. It just made him even happier that he chose the job he did. As he drove home, he couldn't help what wonders would come of the next day when the results from the Hesway observation would be available.

* * *

Friday, June 17, 2024. 6:30 AM PST...

The alarm clock blared and Bryan's zombified hand reached out from under the covers and shut it off. The zombie himself rose in due time, tossing the covers away and shuffling to the bathroom. He scrubbed, shaved, and made himself presentable as he always did, donning his work clothes and heading downstairs for some toast with apple butter and a nice hot cup of coffee. He devoured the toast hungrily and nearly burned his tongue on the coffee. Groaning, he walked over to the front door and slipped on his shoes. Opening the door, he found a newspaper and brought it inside, setting it on the table. He'd read it when he got back from work. He poured some coffee in a thermos and walked out the door, hopping in his car so he could speed off to work. It was to be a momentous day, even better than the day prior.

Bryan pulled into the parking lot to see James standing at the entrance of the asylum talking to Dr. Meakley. He got out of his car in a hurry, almost forgetting his coffee and rushed over to them. "Good morning there," he greeted them with a halfhearted grin.

"Ah, hello there, Bryan," James said, the first to acknowledge them. "Glad to see you're on time today."

"I'm on time everyday, James," Bryan shot back at him flatly. He looked at Dr. Meakley who was avoiding his gaze. "Is something wrong doctor?"

"N-no. I should probably get started looking over yesterday's forms. Anna cursed me out over the phone because I didn't get a lot done yesterday afternoon and when it came time for her shift, she had to go crazy to get everything caught up," Meakley explained, still avoiding eye contact with Bryan. She turned without another word and walked inside.

"Is she--"

"She'll be okay, Bryan. She's had a lot on her mind lately," James explained. "Dr. Waterford should be ready with those results right? Your little observation group members aren't the only ones interested in these results. Go get the word and spread it eh?" he said and nudged Bryan in the arm.

Bryan just shook his head with a smile and rushed inside. Dodging the elevator, he shot straight for the stairs and haphazardly ascended them until he reached the second floor. He opened the door and walked calmly down the hallway--running wasn't a good idea. The janitors liked to wax the floors in the morning. All it took was for you to be running on the wrong day and--BAM--your ass hits the floor. Bryan reached the lab which was still being fully operated by white-coated staff members. He caught side of Dr. Waterford, but remained at a distance from the lab so he would be out of sight until the others showed up.

Bryan soon found himself face-to-face with Kim. She greeted him and he smiled in return. "Well, a good morning to you, too, Ms. Morgan," the man offered in return, glancing into Dr. Waterford's lab. "If you're worried about me waiting long, don't. I haven't been here but for a few minutes to tell the truth. I just had to get here as soon as I could. I was eager for those results, you know," he explained clearly. Who couldn't be eager? Hesway's case had become one of the most popular in the entire asylum, mainly due to the mystique surrounding it, such as how he was found and the mysterious person who turned him in and yet could not be found after that. Weird things did happen in the world, and it was exciting when they did.

"I'm hoping the others get here soon. Technically we could get the results now, but...well, I wanted everyone to see them at the same time," he added, his expression becoming a bit more sheepish. "We were all assigned to the task at hand, so it only seemed appropriate. Yes." He coughed into his hand a bit and closed his eyes with a big grin. Why is it that I feel like a clown sometimes...? he thought, his mind a bit frazzled. He took a sip of his coffee from the thermos he was holding in his right hand, his face returning to a more mild state.

Gwendolyn awoke at a much earlier time than usual, 6:04 AM was what her alarm clock said when she pulled herself out of bed. Usually she wouldn't even open her eyes until at least 8:30, it was an entire two and a half hours earlier than what she was used to. But Gwendolyn simply couldn't sleep through the morning when she had so much to do today.

It didn't take long for Gwendolyn to get ready, her shower was short and it was easy to fix her hair. She lived all by herself in an apartment complex, with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Her home wasn't exactly warm and cozy, it was exactly the opposite. The only pieces of furniture in the entire place consisted of a table, a chair, a couch, and a bed. But that didn't matter to Gwendolyn at all, her house was useless except as a place to sleep, otherwise Gwendolyn was rarely even seen near her apartment complex. Gwendolyn dressed herself and when she looked at the clock before heading out, it was only 6:28, she had plenty of time. And even if some of the people came early, they could wait a half hour or two.

At the asylum, Gwendolyn wasted no time to greet anyone with even a simple nod and a smile, much less a "good morning." She wasn't a morning person, which was why she preferred to hole herself up in her office throughout most of the morning. Gwendolyn's social skills weren't the best in the first place.

When Gwendolyn reached her office, she set down her breakfast on her desk, it was the same as every morning, a single bagel and a cup of coffee. Taking a bite out of the bagel, Gwendolyn pulled out the drawer and took the numerous pieces of paper with data she had collected yesterday. And one by one she went over them as she ate her small breakfast. Gwendolyn took her time with these papers, she didn't care if the others were all waiting for her. This was more important right now.

After Gwendolyn finished reviewing her notes from yesterday, she took a look at her watch which still said 6:30 AM. But the watch was an hour slow. Gwendolyn stood up and took off her brown jacket, which she had on the entire time she was in the asylum, and put on the white doctor's coat. She grabbed her pen and clipboard, which were also on her desk along with the half piece of bagel from yesterday morning. She took a glance at it and scribbled down a quick note to dispose of the leftover food before it went stale and started to grow moldy. Then she opened her office door and left for the laboratory, arriving beside her two co-workers with just a simple "Good morning" and nothing more.

So I'm a clown, and why does Ms. Morgan seem a bit more intimidating than she did yesterday? Bryan thought shakily. Perhaps she was hoping that he'd have the results by now. A hidden, but not-so-hidden anxiety? Nah. Bryan didn't know the woman very well, but she didn't seem like the type to get anxious over anything really. It was slightly disturbing, yet was perfect for this kind of setting. If anything wrong happened, like a patient having a breakdown, she'd be able to stay calm and not panic through it, being of more help than a detriment. Yet, he was still unnerved.

"My apologies, Ms. Morgan. I'd have something interesting to say if the epitome of excitement in my life didn't fall upon the results of these results," Bryan stated peaceably, shaking his head. "Well, I think our boss is having some problems, and I'm worried about her," he added quickly as if it had just come to mind, though his head turned when he heard someone approaching. It was Ms. Forester. She said her greeting and nothing more. Gotta love these people, Bryan thought, smiling at her with a nod.

"Yes, good morning indeed."

"Oh, you actually went to speak with her?" Bryan inquired rhetorically only to show his surprise. "Doesn't sound like what you pulled out of her is...substantial...in determining her motives. It really doesn't sound like the way she'd do things, you know. With the lack of logic behind it. It just had to be us four...," he said, his voice trailing off as he thought a bit. Everyone had different perceptions. To him, the task was simple, but perhaps Dr. Meakley thought it a more interesting task and chose the four of them because it would be somehow rewarding? Though, it was rewarding to Bryan, getting to work with Mr. Hesway, but that was only because he was a fan of the author's. He doubted anyone else here would be interested in his taste of literature.

The familiar ringing from an ancient alarm clock sounded a pale hand reaching from under the sheets. Fumbling with the ticker moving back and forth, the hand eventually pushed away the entombment of sheets and pressed the correct button. The ticker froze in place, not another sound coming from the apartment for about a minute. It was, however, when that single minute passed that the rest of the sheets were pushed away. Adelina rubbed her eyes quickly as she sat up, stifling a slight yawn before getting up and out of bed.

The rest of the morning rituals went about as usual. It was considerably easy to be up and about eating before brushing her teeth, jumping in the shower, and getting dressed. She didn't even need the water to wake her up, she was wide awake and ready shortly after she stood. The joys of being a morning person, as she easily strode about, finishing up with just enough time to make her commute to the Asylum. A smile meeting her face as she left her home, she began to make her way to work.

Walking was always so much better than driving. That was how she viewed it at least, and she didn't care if others found it tedious. She still arrived on time, she still got her work done, and she found herself to be in a much better physical/mental state than others. Though, her lack of a quick commute did leave something to be desired; She walked in casually and up to the group from yesterday with her smile only growing.

"Everyone's here? Good. I'm sorry for the delay, Dr. Waterford should have those results ready, correct?"

The door to the lab flung open and Dr. Waterford, eyebrow raised, a flame in his eye, stepped out and faced the group. "Why, yes. They should. And they are. I was wondering what you were doing loitering outside of my lab," he said roughly, approaching them, a folder in his hands with not much in it in his hands. "I'm going to tell you something," he said seriously, thrusting the folder into Bryan's hands who was knocked a bit off balance by the action. "The results of this analysis are inconclusive. What we've managed to discern from an overnight complete overhaul of all information available at our fingertips is that the page is covered in nothing but complete and utter nonsense. The true words of the insane." His grimace appeared to be set in stone. "There's no good news. None. Go ahead and look through it on your own if you want, but make sure it gets into Dr. Meakley's hands. And soon. I bid you all a good day." With that, his expression softened, if only lightly, and he nodded to them and went back into his lab.

"Guessing no one likes failure," Bryan grumbled a bit, shaking his head. "Let's see...," he said, opening the folder. Inside was a couple of pieces of paper stapled togeter--a report on the analysis procedure and results. The only other thing in the folder was the actual page itself with Hesway's strange writing on it. "I guess this is it. I can't believe they weren't able to find anything out."