Hello, hello! I'm sure I say this all the time, but this is a favorite chapter of mine. Somewhat short, but with great revelation and a great cliffhanger ending. I think. What do you think? Let me know! Anyway, thanks as always for everything. On with the show!

"It would've been a lot easier, Doc, if you had just shared the files," Elliot said aloud.

He sat at the desk of his former mentor, sorting through the different folders on the department computer. As if guessing the password to the personal register hadn't been difficult enough, now he had to deal with the organizational skills of his former docent. He was reminded of the Professor's previous desk management.

"How in the world did you ever find anything, Doc?"

Secret human capsule experiments were not exactly headlined as such. Instead, most of the work folders were scattered throughout the desktop and internal drive, and labeled in nondescript ways. Elliot tried to imagine a method to the madness, but it wasn't always apparent.

"A-ha! There you are!"

Finally, Elliot located one of the files on the capsule experiments.

The Professor had separated the trials by protocol variables. Elliot re-organized them into chronological order, spanning the last year and a half. Then he located the most recent entry from a week ago and selected its "Discussion" video log.

"Hey, Professor!" Elliot called out, smiling at seeing his mentor animated once again.

Projected in front of the computer screen, a coarse green hologram of Dr. Berman popped up, with the former teacher sitting at the exact same desk where Elliot currently sat.

The doctor observed:

"A second attempt at emergence has now failed. That is two consecutive failures using the protocol that had previously resurrected Alessandro. Without a demonstrable advantage, I cannot endorse further use of this flawed protocol. How it worked for Aless, I don't know, but from a practical and ethical standpoint, I cannot risk the life of another encapsulated subject just to test the current protocol once again."

The professor sighed deeply. He continued:

"Regarding our friend from the past, I have to say, I am deeply worried about Alessandro. He eats poorly. He sleeps erratically. He can be very withdrawn at times and emotional at others. Can this all be attributed to a change in hormones? Strangely, there are also times when Alessandro exhibits periods of calmness and inner solitude followed by activity with extraordinary energy, especially after resting all day. He can be very athletic and agile. I'm not sure exactly what to make of him.

"The good thing is he has now completed an adequate quarantine period, and so I feel fine with advancing his diet and activity electives. It is time to increase his exposure to our world and to other people. Still, I am thinking we should keep a close eye on him. He may be suffering from the effects of a prolonged encapsulation period."

End of report.

Elliot sat back in the office chair.

"A prolonged encapsulation syndrome?" Elliot said to himself. "When did we talk about this? When was that last entry?"

Elliot searched again.

As the computer relocated the last produced video, Elliot's face lit up. Yet another computer entry was found, but this one was not placed in a human capsule folder like the others.

Did Dr. Berman forget to put this one away?

The date of entry for the last video was also far more recent than the other entry -- it was from the day the Professor was murdered.

Frantically, Elliot clicked on the more recent document, and the Professor reappeared in holographic form once again, this time holding both of his hands at his face, his fingers intertwined:

"A lot has happened since my last entry. Where do I begin?

"Elliot and I had decided to re-segregate Alessandro. His presence has somehow attracted the attention of the canines, to the point of them attempting to break through our building's defenses. This endangers everyone at the Center.

"To ensure Alessandro's 'cooperation' with further isolation, I had decided to subdue him at today's follow-up visit, using a tranquilizer injection. However, something else happened."

Elliot leaned forward.

"During the medical visit, with my back turned away, I saw -- out of the corner of my eye -- the boy get up out of his chair, run across the room, grab a blood bag out of the refrigeration unit, open it and drink it! All within a matter of a few seconds!"

Elliot covered his mouth in disbelief.

"By the time I turned around, Alessandro was already returning to his seat, amazingly as if nothing had happened! I wouldn't have believed it myself, except that I saw the empty blood bag in the disposal bin and caught Alessandro wiping a drop of blood from his mouth. And he knew I had caught him, too! He couldn't help but wipe his mouth in front of me, and so he smiled, like a mischievous little child that had just snuck a bite of chocolate!

"But then I became scared and couldn't reciprocate a calm feeling. I panicked. I reached for the sedative syringe. Alessandro must have sensed my fear and quickly disappeared out of the room, faster than I'd ever seen anyone move, at superhuman speed!

"I suspect that this is not the first time Alessandro has obtained blood to drink. It explains the shortage of blood units we've been having the last couple of weeks. It may also explain how he survived our emergence trial!"

Elliot thought about the day Aless had emerged out of his coma and the day he, Elliot, had discovered an empty refrigeration unit. Human blood was the key!

"I haven't told Elliot what has happened yet. I'm not sure how he'll take it. He has become quite attached to Alessandro, which is not surprising, given Elliot's involvement with the trials and all the time they've spent together. But he needs to be told, and we need to find Alessandro.

"At this point, I am not sure Alessandro is completely dangerous in terms of his dietary needs. He has not, to my knowledge, killed anyone for their blood. If he had wanted, he probably would have killed us already by now.

"But we have to be certain. We have to talk with him. We have to better understand his condition. I don't think even he fully understands his condition.

"I have more work to do now. I had hoped to submit a full presentation to the other scientists at the next meeting, but it will have to wait again."

End of report.

Elliot reached at the keyboard to end the transmission, but hesitated...

The report had ended, but the recording persisted. In the hologram, Dr. Berman continued to sit at his desk, holding a hand to his jaw. After a moment, he reached up and wiped his face, only to grimace and bring his hand back down to his abdomen. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"I did everything I could, Charles... "

His tone of voice was faded.

Elliot raised an eyebrow.

"... but there's no more time. I did the best I could."

The scientist in the video sighed and gently shook his head.

"Why did you have to do that?" the old scientist grumbled. "You weren't thinking correctly, that's what happened." He hung his head. "God, I wish you were here."

Before Elliot could process his thoughts further, the green hologram disappeared, as if Dr. Berman's ghost had been present in the room with him.

"Oh!!!"

Elliot gasped with horror.

The hologram had ended but not before he saw it.

Elliot rewound the video, very close to its end. There! he thought.

Behind Dr. Berman in the shadows, before the hologram ended, something in the background moved.

Elliot paused the video play button to reveal two yellow eyes and the outline of a figure behind the doctor.

Elliot passed his hand through the green bordering.

The figure was not human.

Ta-da!!! Did you like that? I hope so. I hope you keep reading with me.