Sneaky Sam

Early in the morning, I decided to take a day off work. It was getting repetitive and I just needed some space from it. I was planning on spending time with Selena, most likely pulling some pranks, but as it turns out, she already had plans. I guess she was going to meet some boy named Blooper. I couldn't help myself and teased her about it a little before I left.

Though I adore the thought of not only meeting this kid and seeing if he's worthy of my sister, but also embarrassing her a bit, I needed to see Professor. He mentioned needing help with something and paying me afterwards.

It didn't take me long to get out of the tunnel and to the lab. I would have gone through the secret entrance, but I didn't want to give myself away. Jerold was already onto me.

As I arrived and started to walk down the black path, loud bickering from two different voices was very apparent and I could easily make out what they were saying.

"Listen to me! You can't just experiment on things like this! Do you even know what you are dealing with? No! Of course not! But me and my kind has knowledge about these sorts of things going centuries back! Not only will you damage it, but you'll anger something you don't want to deal with!" The first voice was feminine, and one that I have heard before. I almost didn't realize who it was from the tone in their voice. Normally, it was a lot softer and definitely not screaming.

"No! I have been school for longer than you would believe and as the best scientist here, YOU listen to ME! What I will be doing will bring all sorts of revolutionary science! If- no- when I succeed, I will be able to cure the incurable! No more sadness! No more pain! Ever had a nightmare? Well not anymore!" The other was definitely male and Irish at that. Hearing him mad was pretty normal for me. I have pissed him off more than once to know it.

Coming up the short stairs, two figures were standing by the weapons, outside of the lab. Tanith and Professor Pikalus stood three feet away from each other, eyes locked on to the opposite ones. Though there were pilots, guards and other scientists around, all simply watched in shock as they fought. Breaking up fights isn't one of their skills huh. I scanned once more before snapping back when Tanith started to speak again.

"You can't cure sadness like that! You will most likely damage them and that's if you're lucky! Of course, you wouldn't understand that! Humans don't understand spirits like mine do!" Tanith a gesture to Pikalus when saying humans and herself when talking about her own species. However, the mad scientist rolled his eyes.

"Your kind believe in fairytales and are thicker than the crust of this Earth! They worship fake things that will supposedly "Destroy them" if they don't. For Pete's sake, they think water and currents are living! They're stupid!" I raised my eyebrows, quickly shifting my gaze to the hybrid to see her response. Her fist clenched and Tanith's face started to turn red.

"YOU-! YOU TAKE THAT BACK! My kind are smart in a way that your petty mind couldn't understand! It doesn't matter how much you learned, you and your ego will be Atlantis's downfall! All of that money spent on education was a waste! You won't learn a thing with a mind like that!"

That must have struck a soft spot because Professor's skin started to turn a blue color, arms becoming a little larger. I started to contemplate stepping in, but wasn't letting your anger out supposed to be good? Not only that, but I wanted to watch it. It almost felt like a movie.

"THAT IS CROSSING THE LINE! DO NOT TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! You are technically part of Atlantis's army and I am a general! Back off soldier!" His voice turned to a growl.

Tanith's blue eyes turned deadly. "I don't take orders from you. You might control the general army, but I'm technically part of the royal crew. I take orders from Cody, Rasmus and maybe PebbleTeen, but not you. Think Pikalus. You'd think you'd be good at it."

I whistled. I had hung out with Tanith a little bit, I mean not much but still and I'd heard about her every once in awhile, but never had she been like this to another person. That I knew of at least.

Pikalus's size increased. "Like you're one to talk. I'd be surprised if you ever thought before you did something. Where has all of your decisions left you? You've put yourself in Hell."

"At least I'll see you there."

The two never wavered their sight but Professor's size and color began to change. They were starting to close in on each other, the three feet in between them grew smaller by the second. Hulk form was seconds away and though witnessing this was fun, it had to stop. Everyone else had no idea what to do, and something told me the pair of them were too stubborn to realize they'd gone a step too far. I sighed and swam up to them as fast as I could.

"That's enough." I wedged myself in between them and pushed both aside. Both shot me and look before returning to each other. "Both of you, stop it. Professor, you wanted help from me so let's go do that thing and Tanith, go take a walk. Cool off." Professor started to smirk but I whipped around to him. "I'm not just talking to her. Now stop or I'll make both of you wish you did."

They exchanged a look. I couldn't help but notice something I didn't before. Tanith had bags under her eyes. "Fine." They said simultaneously while sharing a same aggravated tone. They turned around and set off in opposite directions, Professor going towards the lab and Tanith, somewhere else. I sighed and followed the scientist.

"What was that about?" I asked once we entered. Professor paused for a moment.

"Well, I asked for your and Tanith's help with my experiment today because it's very time sensitive, and when I said what we were doing, she didn't agree with me and refused to do it."

Curiosity crept into my mind. "What are we doing? You never said."

"I'm experimenting on a spirit. Believe or not, they are a thing. I want to take out all of the bad out of the spirit, negative emotions or whatever else and see if I can find a way to make it so it never feels sadness or wants to do anything even remotely evil! I can create true peace in the world! No problems!"

"That's possible?"

Professor huffed. "Tanith doesn't think so but I'm a scientist. I try things that shouldn't be possible."

I waited on the sidelines as he began to set up everything he needed. Inside one of the large, glass containers, he was creating some sort of tube filled with a strange almost clear fluid and something bright inside. My guess was the glowy things was a spirit. It constantly changed shape, going from a circle, to a blob and back again, sometimes swirling around the container it was in, almost like it was exploring. Nearby the tube was an operating table with a small wheeled table with supplies on it right next to it.

While he was busy, I began to play with some of the things on the desk. Potions, pencils and even started snooping through papers and examining a gun left on it. Aiming, I almost tested it out before he stopped me.

"Hey! Put that down! Don't touch anything!" I rolled my eyes but obeyed.

"Do you blame me? You said we'd be doing stuff, I'm getting bored."

From what normally was a cage for dangerous animals, he beckoned me over. "It's done, get over here intern."

"Not an intern." I grumbled but soon, I was by his side. Professor put some gloves on and carefully, took the glowing sphere out of its container and on the table.

"Red needle." He held his hand out. I picked it out and placed it in his hand and watched him slowly trying to stick it in the glowing ball. To my surprise, it actually went in and the whole things started to reflect the fluid injected in, starting to turn a sickly red color and sparked. "Yellow! Blue! Stat!"

With those two, Professor inched forward but another spark made him flinch and move out of the way. "Empty! Now!" I fumbled for it, but eventually I got it to him. Pikalus quickly got it in and started to pull something out, but the spirit didn't like it.

A small burst came from it and sent both of us flying. The scientist's head jerked up and stared right at it until giving an order I could agree with. "RUN!"

Sprinting out of the container, the red spirit followed us, but thankfully was much slower. Both of us whipped around, trying to come up with an idea. I got out my sword, even though I wasn't really sure if it'd work against a spirit.

"What did I say!" We glanced over our shoulders to see the half snake entering the room, eyes narrowed. "I said specifically, Do NOT piss it off and what did you go and do?"

Professor huffed. "Fine, you were right. If you know so much, how do we stop it?" His arms crossed. Tanith pulled out her silver staff, the same one I remembered stealing so long ago. Pretty good prank, I just wish it lasted longer for all the work we did. Maybe we can reuse the maze? I quickly snapped back into reality when they started talking again.

"I'm going to attempt a calming spell. You two cover me while I'm charging."

The spirit began to cause chaos, knocking over things and destroying them as well, setting fire to the tables and sending electricity everywhere. As they bounced everywhere, I did my best to get rid of the ever growing fires as well as fight it off. When my sword hit the electricity like energy it spout, it disappeared in thin air.

Professor was doing the same, shooting it with some gun he had on him. Tanith held the staff in front of her and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. Almost seconds later, a lime pulse came from her, but as it passed through me, I barely felt anything. Just the slightest hint of peace but it was gone before it actually worked. The spirit remained the same.

Professor glanced back, eyebrows furrowing. "What was that?" Tanith herself gave a blank stare, then became perplexed.

"It... Didn't work. Why didn't it work?" She rubbed her head in confusion.

"Well since you can't calm it, I need to destroy."

"Wait no!" The hybrid protested. "It's alive! It's scared! You put needles in it and experimented on its emotions, of course it's attacking us! We just need to reason with it!"

"It's going to kill us all. It's kill or be killed Tanith. Your move."

While those two were starting to think of something, I huffed. "Guys, you're both thinking with one part of yourself. It's heart AND mind, not one or the other. Sheesh. If you aren't going to do it I will. Tanith," I caught her attention. "You have that shield thing you do right?" She nodded. "Can you contain it?"

"Well, yes but I'd need some sort of power source to hold it. I won't last that long for sure."

"Professor."

"Already thinking about it... Oh! Remember that gem you got me for Christmas? It has it's own power! It just-"

"-Needs a little push, that's genius! Go get it!"

Professor rushed across the lab as we defended it from attacks. I did what I could with my speed and Tanith with her defensive abilities. Her movement slightly off and quite sluggish. He brought back a box, opening it up to reveal a glowing gem. He plucked it out and turned to the half human, who nodded.

Professor chucked it across the room and Tanith released a portion of her power after it. The gem hit the spirit and with the power going inside of it a moment later, a bubble formed around it, trapping the spirit inside.

Tanith scooped it up, holding it in her arms and exchanged a glance with Professor. "I'm going to take this. I'll figure out a way to fix it, don't worry."

She started to leave, but the scientist said something I wasn't expecting.

"Tanith, when was the last time you slept?"

She froze in her tracks. I looked to Professor but his eyes fixated on her form. Eventually, she turned around. "What?"

"Aside from the bags in your eyes, your movements were off and we might argue out differences out but you were differently irritable today. You look exhausted too. So tell me and don't lie, when was the last time you slept?"

She paused. "It's been... Awhile. Longer than I'm willing to admit."

"How long? A day?"

"... Three."

My eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, what? Three days?" I butted in.

"That's why the little calming thing didn't work! You haven't got enough power to do that much. How have you been lasting that long?"

Tanith averted her gaze and sighed. "Call it self motivation. I don't want to sleep."

"You have to. You're a medic, you should know how dangerous it is for you to be up for that long! If you don't sleep soon, I'm going to tell Cody."

"Don't bring him into this! I'm fine. I know the risks but I just can't. I'll try and deal with it but..." Her voice trailed off and she was lost in thought. Finally, she came back and locked eyes with us. "No promises." And walked out the door.

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I really wanted to do a chapter not only on Sam's Perspective, but also with Professor and Tanith clashing. They have very different perspectives on life as well as clashing personalities and raised in different societies. While Professor is all about science, Tanith was raised in magic. They oppose each other.

Also, this will lead into my next little thingy so, be prepared.

I hope you liked it! Be sure to comment! See ya!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter