Issue Seven: "Here With Me"

Prelude: Nocturnes

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I got my propaganda!
I got revisionism!
I got my violence in hi-def ultra-realism!
All a part of this great nation!
I got my fist!
I got my plan!
I got survivalism!

“I’ve got to get out of here.” Agent Trevor Thomas had seen enough. He’d signed on to Cadmus detail because he thought it would be a quiet life. He’d had enough of patrolling the lower dimensions that separated the plains of existence; he’d had enough of arresting angels in the name of President Lord. He thought being security detail at a government installation would be easy. Wrong. He’d killed dozens. By accident, by order, by choice. “Move.”

The man at the exit of Area 15 put his hand on the Agent’s shirt. Thomas was wearing a white shirt and black trousers; his tie was tied loosely around his neck. “No one is leaving, sir.”

“Oh, really?” Trevor calculated how long it would take him to dial in the exit code and how long he could incapacitate the two guards at the doors. There were scientists behind him, sure, but they were no threat. “By whose order?” Twenty-five. Take away seven. Plus fifteen. Nerve cluster below the rib cage. Pain divided by the need. Ok. Seventeen seconds. Worth his career?

“Director Donovan himself.”

Thomas nodded slowly. “Director Donovan himself.” Nineteen seconds. He wanted to hurt this guy. “Look soldier I’ve had a long day. My shift ended three hours ago but I’ve stuck around to help out the Director himself. Now if you want to bother him then do it, but I’ve done my duty, and I want out. Now.”

“But the Director…”

“Open the door.”

“Alright, sir.” The man dialled in the code, and the exit swung open, real oxygen hitting Trevor Thomas in the face as he stepped out. He turned and saluted the man as the door sealed shut. He rummaged through his pocket, and found what he needed. It took him thirteen seconds. New record.

Las Vegas, The Strip:

"That wasn't me." Bill Nodell stood up in the car, and looked around. Lights were going out all over the city.

“What’s going on?” Travis Clevenger watched as the traffic came to a stop in front of him, and finally, every light in the city turned off. “What… Hey?”

Bill Nodell wiped his mouth of the sauce that had oozed out of the burrito he was eating. “Well a minute ago we were driving down a place that had enough light to illuminate the dark side of the moon, and now…”

Travis Clevenger nodded. “And now the city of Las Vegas has just plunged into darkness. This cannot be good.”

“When is it ever? Call up Chase. See if she can give us a low down on what just happened.”

“Way ahead of you partner.” Clevenger held up his phone, a number already dialled. “We need to pull over before traffic gets worse…”

Nodell nodded again. “Yeah. We’re not far from the car lot either. I’m thinking the parking might be pretty good right now.”

Echo gasped as she felt the blood slowly drip from her nose, and then blinked, reality and this man’s mind flickered before her eyes. “Yebat.” She grimaced and tensed up. In her trance she had dug her nails deep into Vic Sage’s flesh, and blood seeped from the wounds, just like all the other wounds inflicted onto him by Dr Moon before that moment. Moon hadn’t held back. “Promudobliadskaja pizdoprojebina!”

“Eurgh… Zacroy rot…”Her eyes widened and she stumbled back, surprised at the words she heard. “Ahueyet?!”

Vic Sage looked up weakly. “Your swearing… Is kind of off-putting…” His eyes were red, blood vessels burst behind the surface. His eyes darted around, but as Echo breathed gently his gaze landed squarely on her. “Blind… Blind again…”

“You’re not wearing any lenses…”

Vic clumsily looked around. Blood dribbled from his lips. “Where are… My friends…”

“Friends?”

“Friend.” He was firm. Decisive.

“You said friends…”

He cleared his throat of blood and spit. “Slip of the tongue.”

“Slip of something.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Freudian slip. There’s someone else here… I’ve got to warn…” She turned to the door, her fist clenched, she was about to pull her hood over her head when Vic spoke again, and reluctantly she turned, hesitant, but at least she was listening.

“You’re… Russian… A mind reader… That I know. You also breathe VERY erotically, but that’s not for me to bring up right now but PLEASE… Wait…”

She glanced back to the door, and then back to the imprisoned hero. “I…”

“Do you know what you’re doing here? Do you really know?”

“Yes…”

“Oh.” The word left his lips before he could think not to show his dismay. He felt a hand on his face, thin fingers trailed along his stubble-covered cheek and then something tightened around his temple, and suddenly he could see. She was beautiful. Long blonde hair tied in a ponytail behind her head, trailing down her back. She wore a tight silver jump suit but she wasn’t wearing the hood that was attached to the back of the collar, A small surgical scar was barely visible at her hairline, and her eyes, even hidden by tinted goggles… Bluer than the sea.

“I’m here by order of my government to support the DEO in the interrogation of suspects of superhuman crime. But you…” Her voice trailed off, and Vic breathed in deeply.

“I’m not a criminal…”

She shook her head. “You’re a murderer…”

“No. Never.”

“What about the murder of Aristotle Rodor? You tore him limb from limb according to the reports…”

He burst forward, only to be pulled back by the restraints wrapped around his arms and waist. He was still trapped. At least his tormentors were getting prettier. He was still trapped but he shouted regardless. “DO I LOOK LIKE THE KIND OF GUY WHO COULD TEAR HIS BEST FRIEND LIMB FROM LIMB?!”

“Well you do seem to have a loud, aggressive streak…” She turned again, and began to type her exit code into the keypad by the door. She took her key card out of a pouch from her leg and was ready to swipe out.

“I’m sorry but… Please… Read my mind… You’ll see the truth.”

With a swift look to the ceiling and another exhale, she turned back around. “You know that’s not true.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“You could have brainwashed yourself. Persuaded yourself so completely that you’re innocent that if I read your mind it’d read true. It’s happened before. I’ve got to…”

“I’m not lying to you…”

“I’m sorry but…”

“Off.”

The woman’s eyes rolled into back into her head and she collapsed, hitting the ground hard. “Bug?” Vic turned to his friend who looked around blindly. His skin was torn off in patches, revealing circuitry knitted to bone and muscle. It shook Vic to the core.

“She’s got a microchip in her skull… Took me time but I negated… The nanomachines in my bloodstream…”

“You ok?”

“I can’t feel my hands…”

“Me neither… I think they’re shackled… But I can’t turn my neck to look…”

“And we’re both blind.”

“Only you. That kind lady placed some goggles on me before you knocked her senseless… Talk to the shackles, get them to release us.”

“I’ve been trying to… But the voices… Quieter…”

They’d tortured him by flaying him. It was horrifying. The circuits were torn and shredded; something must have played havoc with his ‘internal systems’. The trauma probably. Obviously. Oh shut up, I’m not a doctor. Let alone a hero. Why do I even do stuff like this? It’s a waste of time. I’m wasting my time. And my life. I should just stop. This is the last. That’s it. This is the last time I put myself out there. Last time I put myself in the position of TORTURE AND PAIN AND DEATH AND SUFFERING. Yeah. Stop it. You’re being dramatic. And who needs a drama when your friend has been flayed alive?

Vic sighed heavily. “Do it.”

“Done it.” The both of them suddenly collapsed out of the shackles and hit the floor with a wet thud. Bug hit hard, blood sprayed out of his nose and he groaned, unable to move.

“Bug!” Vic hobbled over to him as fast as he could, but the metre felt like miles, and he collapsed next to him, panting. “God… Damn… Drugs…” He puts his hand out, held it straight, but couldn’t stop the shaking.

Stop. Shaking. Stop it. You’ve been through so much. You’ve overcome addiction. Insanity. The greatest odds and the world’s vilest villains. YOU STOP SHAKING. YOU STOP SHAKING NOW, DAMMIT!

He concentrated, his hand began to slow, began to still, and then he groaned. “Good. Good.”

Good.

Bug struggled to his feet. “Well THAT took a bit too much out of me.”

“Hey man, you’re not dying today,” replied Vic, stifling a laugh.

Bug gulped loudly. “Who… said anything… about dying?”

Vic’s eyes widened suspiciously, and then he smiled. “No one.”

“Right…”

Vic crawled over to Echo, and removed a spare pair of goggles from a pouch on her back, and then took her side arm. He placed the lenses over Bug’s eyes and put the gun behind his back. “Eyes open, man, we’ve got to get out of here.”

Bug adjusted the goggles around his head, and then looked around, then back to Vic. “Wouldn’t this be a good time to call the Justice League?”

Vic shrugged. “I haven’t got my cell. Or their number.”

“Oh,” pouted Bug.

“Yeah. ‘Oh’.”

“So we’re trapped?”

“Think like a man, Bug, not an insect. Let’s get out of here. Shout ‘Oh Superman, Superman, save me, save me!’ and then we’ll see what happens…”

“Superman swooping down?”

Vic patted his friend on the back, and nodded vigorously. “Superman swooping down!”

I’m lying. Like Superman would save me. You know why these people ‘like’ me? Feel indebted to me? Because I stalked them for months. Discovered their secrets. And held them against them for years. Barry Allen hates me. Hal Jordan doesn’t know about me yet. Clark Kent..? You don’t want to know. But Bruce is the one who I feel actually likes me. It’s my oddball nature I guess. Plays well against his stupid god damn miserable ass nature! I mean, I could blackmail these guys! I’m a bloody security risk and they let me keep walking! You know why I’m nice around them? Why I’m syrupy sweet? Because I don’t want them to HATE me any more than they do!

[/u]

Watching all the insects march along,
Seem to know just right where they belong…
Smears of face reflecting in the chrome,
Hiding in the crowd I'm all alone…

No one's heard a single word I've said…
They don't sound as good outside my head!
It looks as though the past is here to stay.
I've become a million miles a...

Why do you get all the love in the world?

“Oh Jesus!” She staggered away from the white-haired man, and then vomited against the wall. Her laptop was clasped tightly underneath her arm and her other hand supported her as she emptied the content of her stomach. “Oh God…”

“The Justice League aren’t the only ones who can teleport around the country, Sullivan. And yeah, maybe I should have warned you before I ordered our transportation… But I was in a hurry.” Faraday brushed off his suit, and then took a cigarette out his pocket. He smiled as he lit it up.

Chloe turned, wiping her mouth. “You think?!”

“…But the flight was at risk.” He took a long drag, and turned back to her.

She didn’t look happy. “What?!”

“Donovan threatened us. Directly. He has super powered weapons of mass destruction.”

Chloe does a double take. “What?!”

“He runs Area 15, Sullivan. He’s in charge of DEO R&D. He develops weapons from superhumans. He has the ability to kill a man with a satellite developed using metahuman laser enhancements.” He looked at the cigarette in his hand and then flicked it away. “He’s linked a collection of super powered eyes up to a telescope and pointed them DOWN.”

“WHAT?!”

Faraday sighed heavily. “He develops weapons from superhumans. Now look at your computer and tell me what you’ve got.”

“What… What do you mean?”

“Well, you use your eyes and your hand, you tell me what you’ve pulled up on your screen.”

“Uh… Dabney Donovan. Umm, I’ve got no mention of him in newspaper articles…”

“Is that a good thing?”

“But photo recognition on some of the more retro superhero fan sites have someone that appears to be him fighting Captain Marvel with giant robots (you really need to do a deeper check on these guys when you put them in charge of your facilities, sir)…”

“WHAT?!”

“I’m… I’m assuming you didn’t know about his… Heh… Sordid past?”

“Dammit… We screen all personnel. Any hint of a criminal record and they’re blacklisted. You think I put mad scientists in charge of important government research stations on purpose?”

Chloe groaned. “Please don’t ask me that question.”

King groaned. “I don’t.”

“Right. Then that suggests that somehow any word or mention of Dabney Donovan was removed from the Internet. From every database known to man. And the gaps have been filled up…”

“But what could have done that? Is there any mention of him? Ever?”

“Nope. But using these news reports… And doing a search in parallel to Captain Marvel… Now we’re getting somewhere. Get this, he was born…” She paused. She refreshed the page, redid her search. And then she continued to speak. “God, by the looks of this, he’s nearly one hundred years old…”

“But I’ve met him; he’s in his forties, max…” King watched over her shoulder, reading the data faster than she could scroll down.

“Nuh-Uh, Boss…”

“How is all this possible?”

“May we interrupt?” The two agents turned around as a voice interrupted their discussion.

Chloe blinked hard. “What?”

King’s eyes roll up in discomfort. “Oh Lord…”

“We were about to say the same to you.” Bill Nodell flicked a match from his finger onto the ground, and Travis Clevenger took a sip from a bottle of Mountain Dew, sunglasses hiding his eyes. “Hey, Boss.”

[/u]

I'm just a face in the crowd,
Nothing to worry about,
Not even tryin' to stand out…
I'm getting smaller and smaller and smaller
And I have nothing to say!
It's all been taken away!
I just behave and obey,
I'm afraid I am starting to fade away!

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“It’s a simple question, Bug…” Vic groaned as he dragged his friend along the corridor. “I personally prefer Johnny Cash’s rendition of Hurt compared to the original by Nine Inch Nails…. Jesus, do you weigh a lot…”

Bug looked up, and smiled feebly. “I’m pretty well hung, it might be that…”

Vic paused to think. “Bottom heavy? Maybe.” He continued to drag them both onwards. “‘Sides it was a rhetorical question. You DO weigh a lot. I didn’t need an answer. Now answer the REAL question…”

“I just don’t see the point of answering it! It’s bloody ridiculous to be so damn flippant in these situations…”

“I will drop you right here and now if you don’t answer the question.” He paused and flung both their bodies into the shadows. A troop of armoured guards marched past them in a hurry to the elevator. “Something’s going on upstairs.”

“We need to get out of this place… It’s a goddamn ghost town since Vapor brushed through… And I prefer the original.”

“I can live with that.” Vic lifted his friend up again and began to hustle towards the stairwell near the elevator. “This place is deserted, all personnel must have been diverted to the higher levels… We can wait here until the elevator gets back. I’m not in the mood to… In the mood to climb how many levels?”

[/u]

See the animal in his cage that you built,
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye,
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built,
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart,
And it's all... Right where it belongs…

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The tie is tight around her neck. She knots it, straightens it, and it is done. She pulls on the jacket, pulls it down so the fabric is straight and without creases. The trench coat is next, long and black. She pauses before continuing. This is it. She smiles, her flesh is warm and she is protected. The black gloves pull on with relative ease, and she grabs the hat, treated in the radioactive isotopes needed to transform. Her belt, new, created by her dear friend Aristotle Rodor, storing the next step. The new face. She looks at the mirror. Young. Youthful. Vic Sage?

“GAH!” Echo jerked up from the cold metal floor. Her hand went straight for her weapon but it was gone, the holster empty. She staggered up, and looked to the restraints. “Bliad!” She grabbed her radio, but there were no voices replying to her calls for help. His mind had linked with hers; his memories still swirled with hers! “Durak!” She slapped her head and then looked around. There were no guards. No scientists. Oh God. She sprinted out of the room and headed straight for the stairwell. She knew the passages that would get her out of here. She knew where she could escape. She knew where she would not get caught!

What if everything around you,
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know,
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection,
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks,
Would you find yourself... Find yourself afraid to see?

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[/u]



“What are you doing here?!”

He took out a cigarette and lit it up, thin lips holding it in his mouth. He looks to Chloe, smiles, and then his gaze travels back to Faraday. “We’re searching for Vic Sage, The Question, whatever you want to call him today.”

Bill Nodell shrugged.

“By your orders, remember, sir? You sent us on a wild goose chase to track him down because of his murder rap…”

His partner popped his head up in the conversation. He held his hand up to gain their attention. “Which, by the way, I totally disagree with…”

“Which Clev totally disagrees with, and here we are.”

Faraday sighed. “And why are you here, in this exact spot, at this exact time?”

Clevenger removed his sunglasses, and placed them in his breast pocket, his large jacket covering a brown t-shirt with a white dove inside a yellow shield emblazed upon it. He looked around slowly, to his partner, and then to Faraday and Sullivan. “DEO cameras caught someone matching his description entering this building, and after the massive power surge and now… The complete lack of light in the area, we assumed that he might have something to do with it… But I’m guessing you used the DEO teleportation system that the techs down in Washington are trying to keep hush hush about…”

Faraday pointed a finger accusingly at Clevenger. “Then how do YOU know about it?”

Travis sighed heavily. “Sorry, sir, but Bill took them all out to a strip club one night. I think one guy lost their virginity…”

Bill groaned and shuddered. “Three.”

“And when they get drunk… Loose lips sink ships and all that.”



Chloe put her hand on Faraday’s shoulder, and pointed to the laptop. “Boss… Radiation levels in Area 15 are spiking… It’s like a nuclear meltdown in there…”

A loud hiss suddenly filled the air as a man stepped through the threshold of Area 15. The man, chunks of flesh missing from his torso, blood pouring from many wounds, suddenly found himself confronted with four loaded guns. King, Chloe and Bill with their pistols, Travis with a shotgun. “Error… Errrrrahhh! H-Help me!”

Faraday didn’t lower his weapon, but he looked over his shoulder to Chloe. “Is he the source of the radiation?”

Slowly holstering her weapon, and then turning to her laptop, Chloe looked back up to King as she read out the information on the screen. “Definite no-no, but…”

“Arrrghh…” The man collapsed onto the cold stone floor, and the door sealed behind him.

“God…” Sullivan took out a small device from her bag and moved it over the fallen man. “This man’s body is… His nervous system is laced with electronics… And the radiation poisoning he’s suffering… He may not be the source, but it doesn’t mean he’s not going to be glowing in the morning!”

“This is Faraday.” King turned away from the Agents, cell phone to his ear. “I need clean up teams down here. We have a major level threat alert underway. Area 15 has been compromised and we may have casualties. No, I don’t want Superman called in!” Chloe blushed slightly, and only Clevenger noticed. “Just get the hazmat teams here ASAP!” He paused for a moment. “And bring out the Knights. It’s time.”

Bill arched an eyebrow. “The ‘Knights’?”

Faraday hung up the phone. “Shut your mouth.”

[/u]



“Gah!” I awaken as the door pings close against my limbs. My leg is sprawled out, the closing door hitting it as it tries to close so the elevator can go back down. I pull myself up, my head throbbing with pain and then curse to myself. “Bug, you traitorous bastard!”

“Whom are you talking to?”

I look around, and as my eyes come into focus I suddenly realise where I am. First floor. The exit is in sight. And the only thing in my way… Damn. A glowing man who’s floating metres off the floor, and the burnt bodies of dozens of people. Frying pan meet fire. “I have no idea.”

“Who are you?”

I roll my eyes. “Your shell.”

“Our life forces are contained within this skin.”

“You’re like Captain Atom Lite.”

“We are not Captain Atom.”

“I never said you were him. Said you were like. Get a clue.”

The creature speaks through gritted teeth. Did I touch a nerve? Are there any nerves to touch beneath that see through skin? “Are you well?”

“No, I’m very, very scared right now, and I think I’m mere moments away from peeing myself, so… Uh… You want me to… Hkk…” Ah, I’m coughing now? Hurts in my chest… And as I look down at my hand, Irealise what’s happening. Blood. “You’re radioactive. To a real zenith degree.” You’re killing me.

“We are the Fusion. We are The Fission.” I fumble with something in my pocket, and I instantly realize my mistake. The freak doesn’t like it. “What are you doing?!” I might have screamed at that moment. I can’t be sure. The creature jerks up its hand, electric fire flickering in and out of view, and blasts some kind of energy at me, catching my side and causing me to buckle over in pain. I’m deafened by the sound of the discharge, my ears pop and ring, and as I fall to the floor, my skin feels like it is on fire. I struggle to stand back up, the pain burning inside me. I look up. My head weighs a ton.

“We are The Fission. The Fusion.” I press down on another.

“Yeah, you said. Anyway. You may be the answer… But I… Am The Question!” I swipe down the card and then all hell breaks loose. The massive complex fluctuates, and the gravity suddenly shifts, and I feel my body get lighter. 42. The anchor is gone. Nothing holds this place to standard reality. At least that traitorous son of a bitch Bug was good on his word on this one. I’d vow I’d gain my revenge but right now…? It just seems ridiculous.

“WE DO NOT COMPREHEND!” The creep raises it’s hand, and releases a blast of pure energy towards me, but the sudden flux of gravity change catches the beam, and it goes insane, shooting everywhere but where it was aimed for.

I dive away, behind the armoured corpse of one of the guards, and I smile. “You’re not escaping this place, jerko!”

[/u]

I believe I can see the future
Because I repeat the same routine
I think I used to have a purpose
Then again, that might have been a dream

Faraday spoke to the Agents in black suits that had just arrived. “We’ve established a perimeter, we’ve released the radiation devouring micro machines into the air, open the door and see what we’ve got.”

“Faraday…” Nodell looked up from over Chloe’s shoulder, reading the database information from the personnel archive as it appeared.. “That Survivor? He isn’t in any of the personnel files… And… And… Holy…”

“What?” Faraday turned and his eyes widened.

“Need a hand, Faraday?” The Director of the DEO grimaced.

“Well if it isn’t the Justice League, sticking their noses in to business that doesn’t involve them.” Faraday felt his hand wander over to his holster, but he clenched his fist instead, and looked as Wonder Woman, Batman and the Flash stepped forward.

Wonder Woman placed her hand in front of Batman, and moved in front of the Caped Crusader. “We’re offering our help, Faraday. And by sanction of the UN, we’re allowed to. So what is the situation?”

A new voice enters the conversation. “You’ll probably find out sooner or later, so you might as well hear it from us….”

Faraday pointed a finger at Travis, who had just spoken. “Don’t say one more word, Agent.”

Nodell smiled slightly, and fiddled with a match. “It seems that a branch of our oh-so-in-control government has gone rogue, and we’re about to enter the base they were residing in and see if we can ‘contain’ the situation.”

Batman turned, and nodded at the two agents. “Hrm.”

Nodell nodded. “Don’t you mean ‘hh’?”

Faraday groaned. “I’ll deal with you later, you mutinous creeps.” He put his phone to his ear and a smile formed on his lips. “Yes. Good.”

“Boss?” Sullivan stepped up from her laptop and stepped toward her partner. “Who was that?”

Faraday’s smile didn’t fade. It scared Chloe. “Back up.”

It happened fast. The unmarked truck rolled up into the car lot, and then stopped metres away from the assorted agents and heroes. The backdoor of the truck folded down, and steps appeared. Wonder Woman watched in curiosity as a group of ten men in black armour stepped out.

The Flash spoke first, leaning toward Batman and whispering. “Who are they?”

Wonder Woman answered in Batman’s stead. “No military insignia visible. Strange masks though.”

Faraday moved for the men to get by. “The next generation of soldier.” One of the men pushed Batman back with his shoulder, and the Dark Knight grabbed the man by the arm, only for his jaw to be struck by a black-gloved hand. He staggered back, blood trickling from his lip.



The Caped Crusader wiped the blood away, and looked back at Faraday, a smug smile still ever-present. “Hr…”

“The most powerful soldiers in America.”

Batman places his hand back inside his cape. “What do you call them?”

“Knights.”

“(Oh, so that’s them).” Whispered Nodell to Clevenger. Clevenger just grit his teeth and watched on as they marched in formation to the door, weapons raised. “That weaponry look familiar to you.”

“Sure does.”

“Metropolis. One year ago.”

Clevenger didn’t reply, but bought up his shotgun, ready. “We’ll talk about that later.”

“Interesting.” The three heroes, the agents and the soldiers looked on as the scientists finally overrode the lock that separated them from Area 15, and with practised precision and ease, they leapt through the entrance… Only to find themselves in another part of the car lot, dusty and cold, the smell of stale air residing inside.

“What’s this?” Faraday popped his head into the room, confused.

Chloe typed something into her computer, and looked up. “The door… Leads here boss…”

“My God, that means…”

“The tesseract no longer exists…” Clevenger’s eyes widened in surprise as the words sunk in.

“And anyone inside…” The Flash thought it through fast. He knew what it meant.

Nodell lowered his weapon, and stepped out of the room, then looked at the gathered men and women. “…Is dead?!”

One of the scientists nodded. “We can assume as much, sir.”

Faraday shook his head, and then looked to the heroes. “My God.”

Batman scowled. “That means that the Question…”

Wonder Woman interrupted Batman before he could finish his sentence. “Is gone.”

Faraday just smiled.

I think I used to have a voice,
Now I never make a sound...
I just do what I’ve been told...
I really don’t want them to come around...
Oh, no...