Chapter 35: A Number Of Grimm Details

--- Nicholas Grimm ---

Stepping into one of the company’s many testing rooms he found both Doctor Holiday and the head of security standing beside Cyn while staring at someone inside of a sideways glass tube of sorts.

Cyn was the only one to notice him, and she gave him a small wave in spite of the many little wires sticking to her, while murmuring a quiet, “Secretive greetings.”

He waved back before noticing a small tray of coffee cups sitting on the edge of a counter. (Naughtiness quota…)

When the cups crashed to the ground both the Doc and the security head jumped as they turned towards him.

“Oh, it’s you…” The Doc sighed in relief.

“Yeah, you, uh, you called for me?” He figured it was for him to pick up Cynthia since for some reason the higher ups didn’t like anyone other than him escorting her be it in a wheelchair or carrying her around. (Something about compromising assets and mental contamination,) which were both things that the company was super worried about in regards to Cyn for some silly reason.

The fact that Cyn was still hooked up to testing equipment though left him doubting that.

Doctor Holiday stared at him for a minute before adjusting her glasses. “Right, subject… N, would you mind being a test variable?”

“Uh, sure?” That was the most common experiment the doc had him help her with, and it wasn’t like he was doing anything else. (Wonder if this’ll be one of the ones I go sleepy bye after?) “What do you need me to do?”

“Just step inside of the test chamber with the current subject, he’s been sedated so we’re just testing how resistant he is via external stimuli. If he starts to move, even sluggishly, you're to leave the chamber immediately before he can regain motor function.” The Doctor explained.

“Uh, sure thing?” He shrugged before walking over to the science cell that was really similar to the one he’d spent a lot of time in after first joining the company. (I wonder if this guy is going to join the team? I could use more guy friends.)

He loved the girls but when the only other guy he regularly interacted with was Mathias well… (I could really use more guy friends…)

The large metal door on one side of the cell opened with a depressurized hiss before swinging to the side and leaving him free to enter.

The man currently on what he was pretty sure Vanessa would call ‘the good stuff’ was sat in a chair with several restraints to keep him from hurting himself.

Upon giving the man a once over Nicholas realized that he was a fair bit older than the rest of the team, the man’s hair already starting to gray some, and not in the blonde so pale it looks gray that he was more used to. (He’s also not wearing our pajamas or our uniform.)

“Um, he doesn’t seem to be moving.” He called back to the doc, having made all the observations he could. Already knowing that the doc would figure out ten times as much as him just from watching than he could by actually doing.

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“Try poking him!” The doc called back.

When he’d first been given the order of poking something, he hadn’t thought it very scientific sounding, but the Doc had assured him that it was one of the most basic principals of science. The fact that it was also the second most common thing for him to do when helping with a test told him that she was probably right.

And so he poked the drugged man and waited for a response, and waited before turning around to the head of security with a gun pointed at the back of Nicholas’s head and several shadows reaching for the back of his. “He’s still not moving.”

The head of security watched him for another moment before returning his gun to his holster, just as the shadows retracted, before turning and exiting the cell.

“So, um, what was this experiment about?” He frowned, not really getting why he’d gone in the cell if the security guy was planning on doing the same.

“Hmm, oh, nothing too important.” The doc assured him as the science cell sealed itself shut once more.

“Then why did you need him in there with me?” He asked, pointing at the security guard as Cyn started tugging on her wires..

“He was there to give you a hard reset in case of cognitive contamination beyond your usual parameters.” The Doc explained as happy to answer his question as she ever was.

“Oh…” He nodded slowly before glancing at the guy still in the cell. “Was he going to join the team?”

“What?” The doc blinked before shaking her head. “No, no. Nothing like that. He’s nowhere near as interesting or useful as the actual members of our program. With this we’ve already learned all that matters from him.”

He just continued to nod before glancing down at Cyn as the little girl tugged on his shirt.

“Adorably requesting uppsies.” She told him, raising her arms as high as she could.

“Sure.” He smiled before picking her up, her too light weight making it far easier than it should’ve been to pick up someone of her age.

He turned back to Doctor Holiday, leaving the head of security behind him as Cyn quietly mumbled, “Menacing glare.”

“You need anything else?” He asked the doc, instead of focusing on how thin Cynthia was.

“Menacing glare.”

“Uh, no, no. We just need to clean up here and we can handle that on our own.” The doc assured him with wide eyes and a shaky grin that reminded him how awkward she was with people. “You can take subject C back to her room now.”

“Menacing glare.”

“I’ll do that, but I should probably get her something to eat.” He frowned, unable to completely ignore Cyn’s weight as he shifted her to his hip. “Actually, have you eaten anything today?”

“Faux innocent eyes. I have not.” The girl admitted.

“Of course you haven’t.” He sighed, knowing that she was too shy to ask the guards to bring her something. (Actually that reminds me.) “Have you eaten yet doc?”

“Menacing glare.”

“No, b-but I can eat when I’m, uh, done here.” The doc assured him as she hid behind her clipboard to keep him from realizing she was lying about eating later.

“If you’re sure…” He wasn’t happy that she was skipping meals but she was an adult and they weren’t actually on a team together so he couldn’t really guilt trip her into eating like he did the girls when they got sidetracked with something.

“Menacing glare.”

“I’m sure!”

Knowing to pick his battles he shook his head and shifted Cyn around so that it’d be easier to walk while carrying her. “Come on, I think today was pudding day.”

It was one of the few foods he didn’t have to fight her to get her to eat, her loving it almost as much as she did her extra rare steaks.

“Excited wriggling.” Cyn told him as she moved around, before once more whispering, “Menacing glare.” as the shadows around them began to shift and twist, (though it’s no more than they usually do.)

Still, he gave her a comforting head pat, knowing that she was still irritated by what had happened a moment ago. And while he appreciated her concern (it’s not like getting shot in the back of the head would even make my top hundred worst deaths.)