A harsh sound tore through the air as you leapt from your sheets, tumbling from your bed and banging your head harshly against your nightstand. To add on to the horrid experience, your phone fell from its place and smacked into your nose once again. Hissing, you raised your hand to your face, feeling a warm liquid pour from your nose. You threw yourself from the floor, stumbling slightly with the sudden motion, and wandered over to your bathroom. Your apartment wasn't the neatest, but you knew your way around, avoiding precariously stacked notebooks and textbooks. Just because school wasn't out didn't mean you weren't going to continue your studies.

       Your reflection looked like one from a horror scene, blood having poured over nearly the entire left side of your face. Your right hand found its way to the faucet while your left tried to rip a piece of toilet paper, bringing it to your face to wipe away what you could before your hands were cupped beneath the water, flinging warm droplets carelessly at your face. It didn't take long to clean yourself up, but there was a noticeable bruise beneath your eye, where your cheek and nose met.

       "First impression. I look like I got my ass dragged through hell then handed right back at me." Grimacing, you wrenched your eyes from your reflection, moving steadily towards your closet. A tight grey t-shirt and black skinny jeans seemed fit for the occasion. Laid back but serious. Your lab coat seemed a bit much, too showy, but you threw it over your arm anyway, walking back into the bathroom after grabbing a towel and fresh underwear.

       Once more, you found yourself standing in front of the mirror. The bruise was swollen slightly, a nasty shade of green already. With an anxious groan, you stripped of your only clothing and turned the knobs, watching water shoot from the shower head in awkward streams. You stepped in, nearly slipping and stumbling backwards. Your arms shot out and steadied you once again before you were completely beneath the liquid. With a heavy sigh of relief, your heartbeat returned to normal.

       "Daily actions are much more difficult under extreme stress," you reminded yourself. It seemed as though you were the only being who ever listened to what you had to say, to the knowledge you had to share.

       While you lathered up, using your best body wash and hair products, you hummed a tune. It wasn't anything too fancy, nothing you'd heard before, but the simple action calmed your nerves. "I think I'll bring the lab coat," you announced aloud, "for comic release." It was true you could be a grand comedian, though nobody believed you, nor did they bother to allow you to demonstrate. Most would simply shrug out of your way, not even glancing at you. But that never bothered you.

       When the world was being bombed and all the idiots ran, you knew who would be holding the controls.

       With a dark chuckle, thinking about all the destruction you could cause with your vast knowledge, you rinsed down. The water slowed and stopped altogether as you rotated the faucets yet again, walking out and toweling off. You slipped into your outfit, carelessly draping the white lab coat over your arm. You never emptied the pockets, everything you would need already placed in easy-to-access areas. It was always a surprise to many when you'd extract random objects. Many were serious, but the rest were for comedic release. Mostly for yourself as you found yourself too serious at times, too dark.

       You ran your free hand through your hair, setting it as best you could, though it was still slightly bedraggled. It didn't matter much, you looked better with messy hair.

       With this thought, you couldn't help but wonder what the individual was like. Yes, they were foul mouthed, but what else? Were they male or female? Young or old? Serious, humorous, or somewhere in between?

       The though of going to meet a complete stranger sent anxiety reeling through your very bones and you trembled slightly, regaining your composure quickly. "It doesn't matter. You have a job." You scolded yourself momentarily, staring hard at your reflection. With a quick once over, you looked up once again, "You look good." As if you weren't awkward enough, you clicked your tongue and pointed finger guns at yourself, laughing at your stupidity as you stepped into your black converse, ignoring the neglected socks haphazardly tossed over the back of your couch.

       You grabbed your phone from your nightstand, double checking to make sure you had everything. You knew you always over-prepared, but it was better than not being ready for anything. There was too much going on for you not to be ready to ward off anything. The very real possibility of multiple dimensions, the possibility of a deranged creature shooting through some portal and attacking the world, sent chills of both fear and excitement running through you.

        You'd always longed to meet an otherworldly creature, to watch the horror, chaos, and destruction they could cause. You would die just to control some beautiful creature like that, to crush all the little people. Yes, you knew you weren't right in the head, but you didn't care. It's better to be crazy than sane. The crazy ones have the most fun.

       With an affirmative nod, you walked out the door, locking it behind you and walking down grungy stairs, the smell of weed hanging heavy in the air. The fresh air outside was welcomed. You never were big on substance-using, but you wouldn't be one to deny a try.

       Just past the front steps, in the front lot, your sleek black truck awaited you. You'd made a fair amount of cash selling a few unimportant devices and liquids, all quickly tossed into a government lab. It didn't bother you, knowing your government had such objects. After all, you made them. You could easily destroy them with new inventions or substances.

       With a smirk, you placed one foot on the step, the truck being exceptionally tall, and hoisted yourself up. Even at nearly 6', it was difficult to get into the monster. Your lab coat was tossed to the side and you pulled your phone out, typing the address into Google Maps and starting your vehicle.

       With a wide grin, you took off, following the directions to what you hoped to be your new job.

-x-

       Double checking the address on the mailbox and confirming you were in the right place, you pulled into the driveway, staring at the tan home in awe. It looked wonderful, small gardens around the front. Walking up to the door, the garage shut, you heard several voices from the other side. Either they live with more people, or there are multiple scientists in there.

      Saying a small prayer, hoping they just lived with more people, you lightly knocked on the door, the voices going silent. The knob jiggled and you were met by a young woman wearing white shorts and a pink shirt. She gawked for a minute before toying with her vibrant hair, a coy smile on her lips. "Hi." She seemed flirtatious. You felt yourself fill with nerves again before you decided it was time for a little comedy.

       You cleared my throat and smiled softly, "A short poem, if you would. Roses are red, I'm hella gay, maybe tomorrow Satan, but not today." Her eyes went wide for a second before she huffed, folding her arms over her middle, "What the hell do you want?"

       With a laugh, you replied, "I'm (Y/N). I'm here about an ad I found, for a lab assistant?" As soon as the words were out of your mouth, the girl was shoved away, replaced with a man in a white lab coat. One look at him made you falter. No.
       In one hand, he held a flask, while the other clung to the door. "Tha-eugh-at would be my department." With a quick swig, he grabbed your arm and harshly pulled you into the house, shutting the door and swallowing heavily. The scent of alcohol seemed to follow him everywhere as you were dragged behind him and pulled to a couch. He pressed you down and you bounced slightly on the plush cushions, clearing your throat and setting your hands in your lap. He sat in a chair near the end of the couch, throwing one leg over the other and an arm over the back of the chair.

       "So you-you're a scientist?" He cocked a brow, seemingly in disbelief. You were not going to be deterred, having tried too hard to back out now. "Yes, I am. I already told you, I graduated top of my class. And," you paused dramatically, "I've sold several inventions and concoctions to the government."

       You watched as the man rolled his eyes, "The government is-is stupid, which eugh means you-you're stupid fo-for doing that." You huffed, "I'm not stupid for making a decision. You think I'm stupid, but I don't, which means I'm not." You blabbered, not even sure if you were making sense.

       With another belch, the man sat up straight in his chair. You took in his outfit, along with his wild blue hair. He looked pretty hot, though you had no idea how old he was. It didn't help that you were slightly more attracted to older men than to those your own age. Don't be gay, don't be gay, don't be gay. You scolded yourself humorously, reminding yourself that you needed to tone it down. (The author means no offense. They do this every day, too. It's their mantra.)

       "Alright, so eugh so you're smart enough to-to work alone, so eugh so that's good, I guess." He had no emotion in his voice, no expression on his face. He was serious. "Can-Can you eugh tell me how Magnesium reacts with-with water?" He looked at me expectantly.

       He can't be serious. "It forms Magnesium Hydroxide and Hydrogen Gas." He raised his brow, slightly impressed. "You know your elements. But eugh how about Neutrinos?"

       You gasped, your eyes widening. You had recently been studying them, though you believed nobody knew much about them anymore, much less cared enough to ask about them. "A bomb made with Neutrinos is powerful enough to wipe the entire Earth, to destroy the planet. It-It could kill the entire population in a fraction of a second, having the ability to pass through virtually anything. I thought they had been forgotten! Nobody talks about them anymore, nobody knows how to make one, and nobody ever bothers to bring it up anymore. I thought they were just gone forever!" You were growing excited, something that didn't pass Rick unnoticed. "Nice," he replied gruffly, a small, amused smirk growing, "you got the job. But eugh But you're gonna have to-to put up with shit from my grandson. He eugh He resigned, but eugh he didn't believe me when-when I'd said I was getting a new a-eugh-ssistant."

       You furrowed your brow in confusion, looking at the floor thoughtfully for a minute. "Do-Don't worry, he's, like, 13. eugh A big-big baby."

       A sudden voice rang from behind you, making you jump, "16, a-ass." Behind you stood a young boy, apparently 16. So he's who I'm replacing? Questions ran through your mind, going unasked. You stood up, "Hi." You waved, watching as he waved back before running up the stairs. You could hear a door slamming shut, watching as Rick stood.

       "Alright, c-c'mon. eugh We got shit to do."