My Fallen Angel (Daryl Dixon Love Story)

Chapter Six: A Millisecond

I wake up to the sound of running water. Water, where am I? The CDC, that's right. I sit up looking at the small room I shared with Daryl, his pack was on the cot and he must be in the shower. I get up and put my shoes on, grab the rest of my stuff and walk to the dining hall where I see Dale and Glenn.

Dale is cooking what looks to be eggs and Glenn is groaning over his plate, he is hung over. "Morning, feeling ok there Glenn?" I ask sitting next to him putting my hand on his shoulder. He groans an answer and shakes his head. I smile as the others make their way in.

"Morning." Rick greets everyone.

"Are you hungover Dad? Mom said you would be." Carl asks. I look at Rick and sure enough, he looks bad.

"Mom's right." He mumbles an answer.

"Mom has that annoying habit." Lori smiles as I chuckle.

T-Dog brings a skillet of eggs and passes them around as I am checking my blood sugar, 123, it's high, probably from the wine I had last night, I inject some insulin and eat small today.

Shane walks in and goes to get coffee, an annoyed look on his face. "Hey." He mumbles to us all.

"Hey, feel as bad as I do?" Rick questions.

"Worse." He replies as he turns around taking a sip of his coffee.

"The hell happen' to you? Your neck." T-Dog points to Shane's neck where there are 3 scratches. I stand up and approach to look at them.

"Must've done it in my sleep." Is Shane's answer as I move his shirt to get a better look.

"Never seen you do that before." Rick says as I nod knowing there is more to this story than he is letting on.

"Me neither, not like me at all." Shane says as he glances at Lori who is trying to ignore this whole conversation. They must have gotten in a fight...but why would she scratch him... great, this is going to be a lot of drama and when is she going to tell Rick? I think as I shake my head.

Just then Dr. Jenner comes in. "Morning." He calls to everyone. We all greet him as Dale asks a question. "Doc, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing in the......"

"But you will anyway." Dr. Jenner sighs.

"Well, we didn't just come here for the eggs" Andrea retorts, as I agree.

Jenner leads us into the control room and begins to type on one of the computers. We all stand waiting patiently as the screen flickers on.

"Give me a playback of TS-19," Jenner says, talking to VI.

"Playback of TS-19," Vi answers.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this," Jenner explained. "Very few."

I watched the screen as he went through many slides of the images. Carl has a curious look on his face as he finally speaks up. "Is that a brain?"

"An extraordinary one," Jenner replies. "Not that it matters in the end, Take us in for EIV."

"Enhanced internal view." VI answers again. The video on the screen changes perspective as it shows the subject lying down. There were certain lights spread across the screen that Shane points out, "What are those lights?"

"It's a person's life," Jenner answered. "Experiences, memories...It's everything, somewhere, in all that organic writing, all the ripples of light, is you--the thing that makes you unique, and human."

"You don't make sense..." Daryl asked. "Ever?" I smile at his sentence, but I get what Jenner is saying.

"Those are synapses," Dr. Jenner continues to explain. "Electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death."