0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟾: 𝚂𝚗𝚒𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚑

"You've got exactly sixty seconds to explain to me why I shouldn't cut your funding, Martin," a squat man in his sixties exclaimed angrily as he burst through the Hawkins Laboratory doors. Dr. Brenner was at his side immediately, trying to keep up with his quick pace.

"Mr. Munson, we're making great strides..." Dr. Brenner began to explain.

"Six!" Mr. Munson interrupted him, stopping on his heel and turning to look Dr. Brenner in the eyes. "Six kids are dead! It's starting to attract attention!"

"They were all orphans, there was nobody who cared for them," Dr. Brenner replied.

"Yeah, well, the public is starting to sniff it out. We cannot and will not continue to cover this if it does not yield results!"

"We've found a girl," Dr. Brenner stammered, clambering onto the first words that came to him.

"Is that supposed to impress me? Six kids, Martin!" Mr. Munson reminded him. He started walking again, signalling to Dr. Brenner that his time to convince him was just about up.

"She-She's different than the rest," Dr. Brenner quickly explained. "We've been looking at this all wrong."

Mr. Munson stopped and slowly turned to look at Dr. Brenner. "What do you mean?"

"The kids we took before," Dr. Brenner began, taking a few steps to close the divide between them that Mr. Munson had created. "they were...regular, ordinary. We took them because we could, because nobody would notice. We didn't consider their...attributes."

"Attributes?" Mr. Munson asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"There are children out there with connections to the supernatural. Exactly what and how, we're still unsure. But we've found one, and we're confident that she will yield results," Dr. Brenner continued, a serious strain underlying his voice as he drew out the last three words. He was standing only inches away from Mr. Munson, his eyes pleading with him to reconsider. "Please, Mr. Munson. This work is vital to the safety and security of our country."