At The Precipice Of Something New

Something Complicated

The Institute
July the 8th, 2289
13:01

"I'm surprised you all called a second weekly Directorate meeting. I assume something concerning has happened above ground?"

"Yes, to put it all too lightly. As the Institute's Director and his closest advisor, would either of you care to explain this?"

Confused, Shaun Norwich and his father, Nathaniel Norwich, looked over Dr. Madison Li, Dr. Allison Filmore, Dr. Clayton Holdren, Dr. Alan Binet, and Dr. Alana Secord, all of whom seemed, just as confusingly to the two men, entirely in agreement. It was seeing the unprecedented anger Dr. Alan Binet could not hide, however, that unsettled Nathaniel the most; it was rare for Alan to be anything other than content and calm if not cheerful and serene. From the tense way he kept his arms crossed to the way he looked disdainfully at the large file he and his colleagues had set down before them, a feeling of unease and dread pawed at Nathaniel when he reached for and opened the file. Flipping through a few pages, he paused upon seeing a few of the headers and, more pertinently, the notes on them written in red ink. He took out one of the files, bringing it a bit closer to his face so he could read the somewhat messy handwriting clearly. He let out a defeated sigh when he did. 23. October. 2287 – Vault 111 – Information: Nora Jacqueline Norwich. Setting it down and pushing the rest of the file towards his son, Nathaniel nervously clasped his hands together, holding them steady just under his chin, elbows holding them up on the table. He looked between his son and the Directorate, feeling all the more uneasy when Shaun, pulling out a few files, eventually set them down, a wary look to his face and his movements hesitant. The two men sharing a long, knowing look, finally turned back to the Directorate, all of whom still were varyingly, in the cases of Dr. Madison Li and Dr. Alan Binet, angry, in the cases of Dr. Allison Filmore and Dr. Clayton Holdren, trepidatious, and, in the case of Dr. Alana Secord, completely and utterly frustrated and annoyed.

"I understand you all must be far from pleased with the circumstances, but this is much more complicated than I suspect you think," Shaun finally said, if unusually hesitant. "The first being, of course, to do with Dr. Virgil."

"And Evelyn," Alan said, his voice shaking. "For years, you have let this be portrayed as nothing but an accident when the truth is Dr. Virgil's attempt to leave the Institute and sabotage a programme very few thought necessary to continue led to his death and, more saliently, the death of my wife!"

"All the while doing..." Clayton said, trailing off before shaking his head. "For the last two years – nearly, two years – you've been drawing your..."

"What was the point of this?" Madison uncompromisingly stared down the Director. "Manipulating us and our records to lead your mother to the Institute? Or, if you'd prefer to start there, covering up what really happened to Dr. Virgil and Dr. Binet? Because both of those need more than a little bit of an explanation."

Shaun sighed. "If you all would prefer we begin with what happened with Dr. Virgil, then we can. I suppose it does, chronologically, make the most sense."

"Yes," Alan said bitterly. "It does."

"Then I suppose you should all know that Dr. Virgil was successful in his departure from the Institute. We have attempted to track him down but were unable to do so," Nate said calmly. "We had X6-88 as the point of contact for Kellogg, whom we chose to attempt to find him. All we know about Dr. Virgil since his departure from the Institute is he more than likely went into and disappeared in the so-called 'Glowing Sea,' or, where it is arguably most treacherous, what used to be Providence, Rhode Island."

"Virgil is still alive?" Madison raised an eyebrow. "So," She said, her voice darkening. "He left the Institute and, in the process, killed Evelyn Binet and destroyed the programme he was frustrated by and wanted stopped? Something Allie, Clayton, and I had been pushing for a few years at that point?"