A Spark... of Madness

When I woke up again, I was no longer in pain. 

However, my mind was in a mess because of the vivid waking dreams and nightmares that seemed to create the worst cocktail of real life and fantasy. I was glad to be awake despite the nausea and stiffness in my body.

"Finally, she has woken up," Someone spoke up from beside my bed. "He would not have been happy if she died."

"I told you she was fine. The combination of drugs was just a little too much for her," Someone else answered. "What does he want her for anyway? She seems so normal."

There was shuffling in the room. 

"Who knows? It is better not to ask too many questions," The first person answered. "But it is strange that we were asked to scan her that thoroughly. She does not seem like the kind of person who would have trackers or other technologies on her."

There was silence, so I assumed that the answer was nonverbal. Perhaps the other person shrugged. I focused on opening my eyes. I was familiar with the heaviness of a hangover after a late night. 

My eyes felt dry, and the harsh white light around me did not help.

"Welcome, sunshine," The voice was from the second person. 

I could tell despite the cobwebs in my brain. He was a handsome man with a cheerful demeanour. But there was something in his eyes that was unsettling. It took a moment for me to recognise it. 

I had seen it in a mirror before. 

The signs of mania… 

It was an excitability that could not be concealed among those who experienced it. It was not exactly crazy eyes, but that was an element of it. It was a not-so-subtle sign of insanity that manifested in the overly bright eyes of some people.

Over time, I had learned how to see the mania in my eyes when I went off to the deep end… and apparently, I could also see it in other people's eyes. 

The man and I stared for a long moment, as if we recognised each other. It was as if there was a resonance of the souls, but it was more likely that it was synchronicity of our atypical minds. 

Or maybe, he saw the insanity in my eyes as I saw the madness in his own. 

Someone cleared their throat, and the cursed spell broke, letting me look away from the strange eyes. 

The other person was a woman. She was significantly older than the younger man. Her demeanour was solid and calm, a complete opposite of the restless energy that seemed to thrum beneath her partner's skin.

"Where am I?" I croaked as I struggled to sit up. 

"You are in my lab," The man answered, still looking at me with intense sparkling eyes. "Nancy, water."

"Of course," The woman went to a small fridge to get water. 

"I am Dr Kyle, but you can just call me Kyle. This is my assistant, Nurse Nancy. That is always fun to say," he said with a strange giggle. 

Nancy brought me water with a straw. I took a sip of the cold water and felt immediate relief in my throat. I sipped continuously, ignoring the intense gaze from Kyle and Nancy. I tried to organise my thoughts. 

Once I had enough water, I felt like I was ready to talk.

"What kind of lab is this?" I asked.

Kyle answered without hesitation. "A research lab."

Immediately, I rolled my eyes. I did not know if he was being intentionally difficult or if he could not process information like a neurotypical person. People with symptoms of mania could be a little unpredictable. 

Kyle giggled again like a mad scientist. "Come, I will show you around."

Nurse Nancy became immediately tense. "Doctor, I do not think that it is a good idea."

Kyle's eyes stopped sparkling with the slight madness and became cold. The chill in them belonged to a murderer. I had been on enough adventures to know the look of someone who could kill remorselessly. 

It was unsettling. 

"You are not here to order me around," Kyle said eerily. "Run along and report that the subject is fine. If there is a problem with her looking around, I am sure that he can eliminate her."

Nurse Nancy lowered her head in acceptance of the cold statement from Kyle. It seemed that she was quite afraid of him losing it. Perhaps, I should have been afraid as well because of the casual threat against my life. 

Instead, I felt a sense of detachment from the entire scene as I got off the bed. I felt a little weak on my feet for a moment, but I did not otherwise feel bad. It seemed that whatever drugs were in my system had been flushed out. 

I looked at my current state of dress with a bit of apprehension. I was no longer in my clothes but in a hospital gown. At least, it was a full dress, not one of those with open flaps that exposed half of the body.

"We could not run a full body scan with your original clothes," Kyle said without prompting. "As our honoured subject, you were naturally treated with the highest level of care."

I was sceptical of that, but I decided not to ask more questions on the subject of the attire. The answers might be more disturbing than comforting. However, I was curious about the type of scans conducted. I remembered hearing something about checking for trackers. 

"Come along," Kyle said, beckoning to me. 

Without hesitation, I followed him. Nurse Nancy did not make a move to stop us or even follow. I could only assume that she planned to make a report to the higher powers that could apparently eliminate me. 

"You do not seem to be afraid, Katie," Kyle said casually, as he put his hands into his lab coat pockets. "You should be afraid."

"Would being afraid change the outcome of this situation?" I asked, not surprised that he knew my name or even called it teasingly. 

He looked startled for a moment before laughing. This was not one of his creepy, maniacal giggles. It was a genuine laugh, the laugh of a normal human being. It would have sounded quite warm and nice in another situation. 

"I suppose not," He replied. 

"Exactly. I like to imagine life is just a story. I do not have enough power or money to write it for myself, especially with the choices I have made so far. So, I will enjoy reading it until my inevitable character death," I said with a smile. 

"You are quite mad," Kyle stops and looks at me with clear eyes as we turn into a bright hallway. 

"You would know," I stare back at him. 

He turns away and keeps walking. 

I follow him. 

I do not need to explain what I meant because he knows I know. He knows I can see the demons in him. He knows that I have already realised that Nurse Nancy is not just an assistant. 

She is a safeguard in case those demons run amok. 

But I could not wait to see why the safeguard was necessary. 

What work was Dr Kyle doing?