Lane’s mouth twitches like he’s trying not to smile, then he pushes off the counter and steps a little closer, studying me more carefully.
“You don’t have to do this.”
Italmostsounds like a question, as though he’s askingwhyI’m doing this.
“I do.” I breathe deeply and glance down at my hands in my lap. “I know neither of you might believe in this until you see it, butIbelieve it because Ihaveseen it. And, well…” I look back up at him and attempt a grin before he takes metooseriously. “It’s scary as fuck. I’ve found myself in some kind of comic book apocalypse, and I just need to tip the scales in my favor if I’m going to fucking survive. I just hopethisisn’t what puts me in a grave.”
Lane continues staring at me, taking in everything I said despite the lack of clear answers. “‘He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.’”
I huff softly and finish without thinking. “‘And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze also into you.’”
That smile finally breaks across his face. “You know Friedrich Nietzsche?”
“I had a phase. Existential dread pairs really well with poor life choices.”
Across the room, Harrison speaks without looking up from his work. “‘God is dead, and we have killed him.’”
I bark a laugh. “Well, if that isn’t the most fitting quote for the occasion.”
Lane grins. “Harrison enjoys playing God.”
In a low voice, Harrison replies, “Yourgod, angel.”
Lane’s face turns beet red, and he averts his gaze, staring down at his shoes as he shifts on his feet.
Well, that’s fucking cute.
I shake my head but can’t help but smile. It’s easy with them, easier than I expected. It’s been so long since I’ve had someone around who I don’t feel is judging me with every word I say. I don’t feel like I’m navigating anything or bracing for an implosion.
It’s not that I’ve been a complete loser, but I just tend to spend most of my time in my apartment with my computers. Those I’m familiar with. People are more difficult. But being here with Lane and Harrison is a lot more effortless.
Lane and I talk a little more while Harrison continues working. I’m grateful for the distraction as Lane starts talking about some neuroscience conference they’re both attending in a few months. I’m not really paying attention to that. The distraction is how happy Lane is. There’s a little jealousy there, sure, but mostly it’s relief at how everything worked out for them after what they went through. It’s a welcome interruption from how the rest of the day has gone.
Since I arrived early this morning, it’s been nothing but tests. MRI, CT scans, blood work, things I only partly understand but fully agreed to in exchange for them doing this for me.
If I’m going to die and come back with superpowers, I mightas well be a well-documented case study, especially for someone other than my uncle.
“Everything baseline looks normal,” Harrison says, still without looking up.
“Perfect. Glad to know I’m dying healthy.”
“We’ll run everything again post-resuscitation. If your theory is correct—”
“It’snota theory.”
“—then we should see some kind of neurological or physiological deviation.”
I turn to Lane with acan you believe this guylook, expecting him to be on my side. Instead, he peers back sheepishly and shrugs. I suddenly feel very outnumbered.
Harrison finally steps away from the computer he’s been working at and walks over. “We’re ready.”
There’s a shift in the room with those two words. It’s subtle but real, like everything just clicked into place. Like this stopped being hypothetical.
I swallow hard, nod, and slide off the table, adjusting my glasses as I follow them into the adjoining room. There’s more equipment, more machines, and an actual bed instead of an exam table. This room has more…purpose.
“Well,” I mutter, hating the way my voice trembles. “Guess it’s time to prove to you both it’s not just a theory.”
“Sorry, Case,” Lane says with that same abashed look from before. “It’s just that we spent last weekend trying to form some kind of concrete hypothesis for how this could be possible, but we weren’t able to come up with anything or find any documented evidence supporting your claim. There aren’t any recorded cases of near-death events resulting in abilities like you mentioned.”
