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[Fitz had intended to send this as a private message to Dr. Foster, but a sudden onset of dizziness and blurred vision meant a text message was out of the question. Video would have to do. He'd remembered to set the privacy settings, hadn't he? Probably.

He addresses the network with a bleary expression, glassy eyes rolling up into his head until he blinks to train them back into place. His skin is an unhealthy pallor, ghastly white with a rash of dark splotches tainting the deep bags under his eyes.]

Doctor Foster... I, ah... The samples from the tunnels? I've been performing analyses, and I've reason to suspect that they aren't quite safe... They react terribly to human DNA samples. It's... I'm not a strong enough biologist to reach a proper conclusion, but some sort of degeneration appears to be taking place.

I also think it might be in our best interests to quarantine off the remaining sediment. The dust has been... It's...

[He grimaces and clenches his jaw, bowing his head for a long moment. He doesn't finish his thought, jumping over to a different one instead.]

Would advise against further reconnaissance trips to the tunnels. At least until we've had more time to study.

[He clumsily gropes along the keyboard next. One of those button presses probably manages to post it. Probably.]

[Action]

[Those who thought the darkness was limited to the subterranean levels of Wonderland might be dismayed by a certain scientist's decision to bring a cursed object onto a higher level. Fitz, believing fully that "cursed objects" were silly superstitions, saw nothing wrong with the idea of bringing it topside for testing and discovery. That was before the illness struck. Now, there's just pain. Pain and... some kind of faint melody. It's too distant to make out yet, a soft buzzing at the edge of his thoughts.

After leaving his message, he abandons the lab entirely, with the intent to return to his room on the fourth floor and sleep until the illness breaks on its own. He's underestimated the frequent onsets of mystical pain, though. He'll most likely be a huddled lump of a person curled against a hallway wall, shivering despite a critically high fever.

He'll still argue any "taint" or "curse" talk, though. It's probably nothing that antibiotics can't cure.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh jeez, you're not lookin' so hot. [ Yes, that is the perfect opening statement to offer to strangers. ] Y-you might wanna back off from the science stuff all the way, uh, until this whole thing blows over, you know? Or, or get someone to take those samples back underground and all.

[he tries to smile weakly.]

No.. I suppose I'm not. Sorry to trouble you with it. I'd thought I was sending something less publicly.

The way things are looking, "the science stuff" might be the only solution. But I might sign myself up for a week off following this.

Thanks for worrying.

U-uh. No problem? I'd say go for the vacation for sure, though. I mean, there's always time for it. Science gets way intense sometimes. Boy, but y-you'd probably already know that by now. You just, you never know when something's gonna have a bad reaction with human DNA these days.

[His smile grows more genuine at that. Is this a little scientist? That's adorable.]

Do you have a lot of experience working with DNA samples?

[ Now genuine, Morty can run with. ]

I mean, I-I dunno if I'd call it working with, but I've sure seen a lot of crazy DNA-related stuff happen. My grandpa's way into experiments and inventing stuff, so w-we have a lot of. Just wacky adventures together.

I don't know a lot of people your age who'd call DNA sequencing particularly adventurous. Your grandpa must be a great scientist to introduce you to such high-level material.

Oh, sure, he's pretty great! I don't always get what he's talking about, but h-he sure is passionate. I-it's nice to get out there to-- get out and check out all that stuff. You know, it's a lot better than math. I once spent a day running around in a theme park inside someone's body, you know? Th- that's the kinda stuff a lot of kids never get to do.

Calculations can be a big part of the advanced sciences, you know. But I'll agree that introductory mathematics can be an absolute beast.

[He's got some questions about the "inside someone's body" remark, but it's probably just some Magic Schoolbus thing. Do kids even still have the Magic Schoolbus? Fitz hopes so.]

For sure, they can be a beast. I'm, I'm mostly just working on trying not to fail right now. I end up going on a lot of sorta mid-week adventures. It's good to hear that even-- even a guy who analyzes DNA might not have always been a math fan, though.

Consider it a necessary evil. You'll need to grasp the concepts to unlock the things that actually matter.

It isn't fun, but I promise it'll be worthwhile.

Well, I'll take your word for that one. Whenever I, whenever everyone heads back out of here and I get back to school, I'll make sure I remember that. I-I'm Morty, by the way. Uh, Morty Smith.

It's nice to meet you, Morty. I'm Fitz.

If you're interested in continuing your studies while you've settled here, I'd be happy to help encourage a toung scientific mind. Perhaps when circumstances are more ideal, of course.

Wow, thanks, Fitz. I-if I ever get around to thinking that, I'll let you know.

[ But the surefire way to have an acquaintance not actively realize he's dumb is to talk about academic stuff as little as possible. Morty will have to review his options. ]

In the meantime, y-you just go ahead and take a step back from those samples and all, you know? People don't stay dead here or anything, but I think dying is a pretty huge setback no matter how you put it.

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