Chapter Text
Prologue
[Erik Satie- Gnossiene No. 1]
It’s been almost a month since we’ve acquired our newest recruit. But working with Project Sigma is proving to be difficult.
Moira furrowed her brows as she typed in that last word: “difficult”. Just seeing that word silently mocking her from the computer screen left a bitter taste in her mouth. Never in her entire career would she have thought that a man who lost his mind to the universe made her feel like an utter failure.
Even when several attempts to start a normal conversation have been made, Project Sigma continues to stammer about the existence of gravity, the Schwarzschild radius and other convoluted equations, as well as a certain melody only he can hear.
His body and mind are at a constant state of unease. He trembles even at the softest sound the robotic arms make, and his eyes kept shifting as if he’s being watched by an unknown force. His refusal to eat has caused him to lose a significant amount of weight. Thus, his meals are to be immediately replaced with a liquid diet, adjusting it slowly until his body is ready to accept solid foods.
Moira stopped for a moment to let out a heavy sigh, releasing all of her disappointment and anger in that one warm breath. Moira knew that this report—just like the ones before—will be despised by the majority of the Talon council. However, her pride will not allow her to abandon Project Sigma so easily. She turned away from her desk and reclined on her soft, leather chair before closing her eyes. After a moment’s rest, she stared at the bare ceiling in her lab and allowed herself to think.
“Dammit!” She whispered to herself. “Why is he being so… difficult?” Saying that word led her to bite her thumb with disgust. “He used to be so willing to work with the other sciences. But now?”
Yes, Moira’s current “assignment” was no stranger to her. Over a decade ago, she and this madman used to work in a prestigious organization known as Overwatch. She was a budding scientist working under the genetics division while he was a brilliant doctor specializing in astrophysics. Though their departments rarely collaborated, they developed an interesting relationship built from clandestine meetings and nightly conversations. Sometimes, during the slow afternoons, she and a handful of scientists would sit at one table and listen to this man’s work, thoughts, and other musings. She fondly remembered how he would grab everyone’s attention with his commanding yet friendly tone. How his broad shoulders moved with every intricate gesture he’d make with his hands. How she used to be mesmerized by his kind smile.
But after he was sent to the Horizon Lunar Colony to study the stars, and her practices became more…questionable, they slowly lost touch.
From the corner of her eye, Moira could see Project Sigma’s dossier sprawled on top of her desk. She’s been reviewing his profile for countless nights now, and still couldn’t figure out what the universe did to the man’s mind. But that hasn’t stopped her from taking another look over and over again. Her curiosity and dedication compelled her to reach for the scattered papers. Then, she rearranged the pages in a way that made sense to her before giving it another read.
Name: Siebren de Kuiper
Age: 60s
Current Health: Unstable
Renowned astrophysicist, Dr. Siebren de Kuiper, met a tragic accident during one of his experiments. It is to be believed that the doctor was able to create a tennis ball-shaped black hole out of thin air. However, due to unspecified reasons, the black hole collapsed, causing immense neurological and psychological damage to Dr. de Kuiper.
…
Several weeks after the incident the medical team reported that Dr. de Kuiper was able to control objects using only his thoughts. A fascinating ability for a man with a shattered mind.
…
…de Kuiper had another outburst, killing dozens and injuring others. It is recommended to put de Kuiper in a vegetative state until further instructions are given.
“Idiots!” Moira growled as she slammed the stack of papers on her desk. “The doctors in that facility destroyed his rehabilitation by keeping him in stasis. Subjects should be constantly stimulated in order to—” A sudden realization stopped her mid-sentence. Why didn’t I think about this before?
She grabbed the last few pages of Project Sigma’s dossier before searching for a few files on her computer. She opened documents that had information on the subject’s procurement, reawakening, and current treatment, and compared them with the other data in her hand. Moira had surmised that Project Sigma has been lacking proper stimuli. From the day they acquired him, they kept him locked up in a padded room and the only means of communication was through the use of robotic arms and a PA system that was protected by a heavy-duty one-way mirror. Talon was too afraid to send anyone in with that ticking time bomb. But Moira knew that he needed human interaction.
With a newfound source of energy, Moira returned to her report.
Due to Project Sigma’s long solitary confinement, he has lost all contact with the real world. For this reason, his current treatment must be replaced with one that nurtures his social skills. Once he’s stabilized, developing his other attributes will follow suit. Dr. Moira O’Deorain will personally conduct each experiment to ensure the procedures are done without fail.