Victoria pushed up her glasses as she parted the neocortex to reach into the amygdala.
"As I expected, the amygdala of these zombies were larger and swollen. This may be why they were so erratic and alert. It's also the part of their brain that never gets fixed to its proper state despite the SS cells…. I wonder why that is."
She continued to dig her scalpel deep into a zombie man that wore a muzzle and was tied-up. No drugs could work on them and blunt force does not result in passing out.
So this was the best they could do to keep them still. Besides….. That person.
Victoria turned to the specimen cell by her side. It was the size of a usual prison cell, and there's even a bed and a urinal. A tray was also left with some food inside.
"You're not hungry?" She asked.
The person huddled in a corner, and shook their head.
Victoria frowned. "You still have to eat. You're the most successful one, so we have to examine everything down to your digestive patterns and eating habits."
The person walked closer to the bars, revealing themself from the darkness.
"I can't taste anything. It's like putting sandpaper into my mouth. It feels really dry."
It was Josephine Jones, her eyes bloodshot and red.
"Oh, then did your salivary glands turn off somehow? I'll take care of that. And your sense of taste too, as much as I can."
"No. What I want is to die. I don't belong here. I never should have woken up again." She said in that strong Southern accent. "It ain't God's will."
"If there is a God, why would He allow the possibility of your rebirth to exist? For these cells that I have with me to exist?" Victoria went back to tinkering with the brain, the tip of her gloves drenched in blood. "If there is a God, it is His will for this to happen."
"Why me? It could be anyone else. I am just a wretched sinner."
Victoria stopped at this, cocking her head back with a sad smile.
"Aren't we all?"
------------------------------------
Harker had now worn the uniform of a maintenance man, as he had seen that they were able to use the card key to access everything. Mina followed behind him, wearing a scientist uniform and putting on a mask since her Shapeshifting was not as Effective as Harker's,
As for Roland…..
Harker realized that the experience of wearing someone else's skin was new to him. He would still catch Roland in a daze whenever he looked on a reflective surface and saw himself as someone else.
Though it was even less effective than Mina's, since he only got a small amount of Harker's blood while she received more.... and other 'DNA samples'.
He was also wearing a mask as a scientist, and Harker patted his shoulder to snap him out of it.
"We gotta get moving, Rol. Everything's clear. I see Alejandro mixing in with the security team just fine. "Go ask around where Victoria was."
Roland blinked. "Oh, right…."
He went to ask a junior scientist colleague. Some of them looked familiar as workers in BITMAC too, some weren't. Roland picked someone that didn't look familiar so it would be likely that they were hired recently, and they didn't know their colleagues much yet.
He saw them dissecting the body of a living and breathing zombie on a metal bed. The zombie was muzzled and tied up. It must be hard for them to study something they are struggling with.
Roland went naturally by their side. "They sure are a tricky one to cut up, aren't they?"
The female scientist by his side agreed and complained. "It's been hours and we still haven't taken out all of the main organs. They keep on going back to the specimen and healing again. For something dead long ago…. They sure were more lively than any cadaver I handled."
"Maybe I could ask the head for some assistance. Do you know where Ms. Seward must be at the moment?"
She shrugged. "Wasn't she always in that personal office down the stairs?"
"Down the stairs?" Roland asked.
"Yeah….. Don't tell me you never noticed those stairs? I think she must have the whole thing to herself. I see her go there after lunch in the cafeteria, and she rarely ever goes anyway. She just talks with her guards and barely eats anything." The scientist said.
She chuckled. "She sure is dedicated, but we still have to take care of our health as intellectuals, right? How can we save the world and cure the incurable if we drop dead soon?"
Roland nodded. "That's true…."
He returned to Harker and Mina's side, pointing to a hallway leading to a sign that has an arrow pointing down. "She must be on another floor down below. How do we convince the guards to let us enter?"
"I already took care of it." Harker smiled. "Look at that fella over there. He's heading downstairs as we speak. Alejandro let me borrow something pretty useful. "
He showed a pill from his pocket.
A big burly bodyguard was walking down, blinking in confusion. He was in a daze but his body continued moving vigorously, a sweet scent lingering around him.
"Where are you going?" One of the men stopped him.
The guard with droopy eyes looked at them. "I'm…. Going here, I guess?"
"Why?"
"... Uh…. I am needed?"
The scent suddenly wafted around them, beckoning them to look into a certain direction. They turned to the maintenance man, who looked at them with his piercing eyes...
And they both quickly fell asleep.
The high bodyguard continued to make his way behind Victoria, who was too engrossed with her work. The bodyguard moved over to take a nearby metal saw…..
And went for the electrical wires, cutting them in half.
Victoria jolted as she succumbed in sudden darkness. She called out. "Guards! Call maintenance, the power is out here! I can't see!"
Harker gestured to Mina, who called back with the voice of the bodyguard that stopped the other.
"Yes, Ma'am! They're on their way!"
They took the sleeping guards with them, and descended the stairs to Victoria Seward's mad laboratory.
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