Theo was not in the Lab. Or at least he couldn't have been. There was nothing beneath his feet. No matter where he looked, it was a deep blue enveloping him.. surrounding him. The smell of burnt toast filled his nostrils. He was not afraid. Something deep inside him told him to be afraid but there was something supressing that emotion. If he reached out, truly attempted to connect and ground himself, he could hear the screams that came from within. But each time, that ball of stress and panic floated further and further away. Theodore felt his head get light. Relaxation came through his veins like morphine. Nothing mattered at that moment. Yet a memory surfaced as Theodore lost himself in the haze.

Theo: Oh god, Oh Fuck.

Eli:... Shame what happened to him. But the best thing to do is move on.

Theo: Move on? That man just shattered and you just want us to move on?

Eli: When soldiers die in combat next to their fellow man, they don't stick around and mourn their deaths. They either figure out what happened to get them killed and keep marching or they just march forward and hope to whatever luck or God they rely on that they don't go down like that. Lucky for us, we can do both. Today we figured out that we should always keep our wrists covered.

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Theo: His arm broke off from his body and the rest of him just went with it! And you're telling me that what we learned was to "wear longer gloves?"

Eli: I mean... at its core, yes.

Theo: I don't think we can do this Eli.

Eli: Are you kidding? The universe is calling us. Fame, fortune, our names in the scientific community will become legendary. Hawking Legendary, Einstien Legendary! Isn't that what you want Theo?

Theo: This is our 5th Casualty. Isn't it strange how we're allowed to keep going like this? We should've been defunded a hundred times over by now, if not canceled by the first one. Safety-wise, we're a hazard. Ethics wise we're a stain. We can't keep going like this. It's just not right.

Eli: When you saw the first man die, you saw it as a mistake. When the second died, it was a horrible twist of luck. The third was a macabre event. Do you really think you're in any place to start talking about "Ethics committees?"

Theo: At least I care.

Eli: You think I'm doing this because I don't care? I do care. I care about all the people we'll put out of a job if we quit now. I care about the people who depend on us to control this dangerous substance. I care about the fact that if we ever did get put into one of those committees, we're both going down. And I don't think anyone of us wants that.

Theo: ...

Eli: I'm glad we've agreed. Now start up test number 5.