“As you can see…” Simon said, pointing toward the final slide of the hastily made presentation prepared while waiting in the lobby for his appointment with the council, “The scanner readings clearly outline the two as anomalous to our reality. These readings are consistent with previous anomalous activity recorded in the past. The slight variations recorded here and here…” He paused, pointing toward mass spikes recorded in the data flow which stood out amongst the clean flow of identical information he was trying to present. “Are believed to be owed to the specific reality these two hail from, yet more testing will be needed to verify this. Enough concrete data exists already from our preliminary tests to support Lab 458’s claim to the two prisoners, especially when combined with the circumstantial evidence recorded placing the two at the heart of breach activity earlier today.”

  He finished now, out of breath. He’d been talking rapidly for the last half hour or so, maybe more, caught in the flow of his explanation paying little mind to the figures surrounding him. That was the only way he could properly keep his composure standing before the twenty-odd members of the council. Now though, his presentation over, he had little else he could do except fidget in place and wait.

  The council had stayed silent throughout his entire presentation, never raising an objection or asking questions. All members remained silent as they pursued through the shoddy, hastily prepared notes Simon had handed out to accompany his speech. Some leaned forward, a look of curious interest on their face. Most however glowered at him with obvious disapproval.

  “Tell us, Intern,” One of the council members spoke, features hidden from view, his tone holding a harsh inquisitiveness to it that sent shivers down Simon’s spine, “Dr. Lewis used the last of his favors to arrange this meeting today, pushed several other important figures out of their time slots for it. Now, at the penultimate hour, he sends… you in his place. You claim these two to be vital to your research, crucial to your lab’s survival, so explain to us why your head researcher can’t be bothered to grace us with his presence?”

  Simon smiled internally, he’d been prepared for this question, expected it to come up when interrogated, “You know as well as I that Dr. Lewis is old, and while his mind may remain sharpened and ready for the new frontiers these two can unlock, his body struggles day by day. Today, unfortunately, he fell ill and lay bedridden. Thus he was forced to send me, a lowly intern, to appease the might of the council. He begs you forgive us this transgression.”

  This was a completely bald-faced lie. Last he’d seen him, Dr. Lewis was doing a little jig about the lab, celebrating the success soon to follow if they could get their hands on the two strangers. But the council didn’t know that. All they knew was Dr. Lewis was an old shut-in who rarely left his home or lab. Unlike Simon, they didn’t know Dr. Lewis regularly underwent experimental surgery to repair his aged tissue. Unlike Simon, they didn’t know Dr. Lewis was more likely to curse the council for slashing his budget than beg its forgiveness.

  All this worked in his favor rather nicely, as he could hear the council mutter amongst themselves, a majority accepting his explanation without further hassle. Still, though, some on the council remained unconvinced, casting doubt on Simon’s story.

  “If Dr. Lewis is as ill as you so claim, could he not simply wait to pursue this matter? Why waste years of built-up political power for… you?” He could hear the skepticism in his detractor's voice, yet Simon didn’t care. Internally he was celebrating wildly, leaping around as he fist pumped the air. This was another question he’d expected, another question he lay prepped to answer. Bowing low before the council he began,

  “Please forgive my impertinence, but you know as well as I that time would not be on our side! Though they may be unwilling to touch them now, still clamoring to hoist more and more charges on them, those two are the highest-profile criminals in decades. The public latched onto them, demanding punishment. If we wait too long, even just one hour, they could slip through our grasp. Be shipped to another lab, a labor camp, or gods forbid executed!”

  Silence descended on the room after his rebuttal, and Simon knew he’d nailed it. Unlike before, nothing he’d said was false. Already news streams were labeling the two’s car crash the highest-profile terrorist attack in decades in an effort to fan the flames of sensationalized outrage, and it was working. Mounting public pressure on the Justice Sector had kept them at bay for now, forcing them to keep adding more and more charges to the two (last time Simon checked the provisional list, they’d somehow been charged with Jaywalking) but that wouldn’t last for long.

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  Sooner rather than later, the two would be officially tried and sent for punishment outside of being detained. Likely, looking at the growing public outrage and lack of care amidst the government toward the two, they were facing execution. If Lab 458 failed to make their case here, it was unlikely they’d get another chance.

  Still, a slight smile almost broke through his emotionless face, confidence began to grow within him. It had been a while now since he was questioned, the council falling back into internal discussion only shooting him the odd glance or glare. He’d nailed it, secured both the project’s future and his own in one fail swoop. Yet right as he was gearing up for another round of internal celebration, everything came crashing down around him as one of the council members stood up, red-faced and enraged,

  “I’m sorry, I can stand for this farce no longer! Is this a joke to you? You talk about the future of your lab, the future of mankind, yet you stand before us looking like that? Who do you think we are, what do you think this is?”

  Simon scowled internally. He’d expected the question, spent more time trying to prep for it than any other, yet now faced with it still he couldn’t come up with a good justification, a good reason why he was dressed so casually. Thankfully, while waiting for his meeting time with the council, he’d managed to spruce his appearance up somewhat. He’d found a comb to tame his messy locks and a pair of discarded shoes loaned to him by a friendly guard replaced his sandals. Still, he looked like an absolute joke standing in the prim and proper chambers of the council.

  Clasping his hands together, a nervous smile leaking through his fa?ade, Simon began a rapid explanation as he flew off the script, nothing concrete prepared in time.

  “Esteemed members of the council, this morning I was not planning to stand here before you. I was not planning to come to work at all. I’d been granted time off…” he paused, stiffing slightly as he heard one of the council members whisper to his right “We grant interns time off?”

  Shaking his head to focus himself, he began again, ignoring the confidence rattling blow that had just happened, “I was planning to relax the day away under the sun, stretched out buried in the warm embrace of the beach. That all changed as soon as the breach occurred. As soon as we could confirm the arrival of anomalous material, we went into overdrive to track and test it. We were so busy that I haven’t yet had a chance to change clothes. While my sorry state of dress may bring insult to the council, for which I humbly apologize, in my eyes it only further acts as evidence of the importance of the prisoners. It further shows how dedicated Lab 458 is to completing “Project Breach.”

  “Yes…” another council member said, leaning forward into his raised desk as he stared down at Simon. “You’ve made your commitment to your project quite clear. You're so committed you'd try and request the most dangerous criminals we’ve captured in years. What makes you think your lab, underfunded and run down, can possibly manage to detain these two?” Simon stood surprised, not expecting the question. Still, though, an answer quickly sprung to mind as he stepped forward, a smile on his face.

  “I would argue Lab 458 is the only place qualified to detain these prisoners. Though the nature of their crimes may be severe, what’s more compelling about them is not their current media spotlight. The widespread popularity of their crimes is not what makes them dangerous. Rather, it’s their origins. They come from another world, another reality utterly alien to our own. A normal prison couldn’t possibly handle them. Though Lab 458 is no prison, it is the world’s only leading expert on what they are. The only place that can hope to possibly detain them, study them, and prevent more criminals like them from appearing.”

  The council went quiet, as Simon stood silent and ready to answer further questions. But none came, instead the council moved back inward as debate began. Simon stepped back, away from the center of the room where he’d stood preaching to the council, content to melt into the background and watch the chaos of the council debate. There was little he could do now, he’d shared the facts of the research and played the game of politics. All that remained now was the wait.

  “Simon Park,” The council began after a while, the debate finished and a decision was reached, “We the council have reached a majority regarding your request. We have found that Lab 458 has successfully proven its need for the prisoners, thus its claim on the prisoners is valid. This claim is provisional and may be up for review or suspension dependent on the quality of your research.”

  The speaker of the council punctuated the announcement with loud banging as he brought down a gavel. It was official, Lab 458 had succeeded. Their claim to the prisoners was inarguable, a matter of law now. Bowing low and thanking the council, Simon quickly cleared the floor so the council’s next meeting could begin. He struggled to keep his face calm before the council, struggled not to laugh as soon as the verdict was read. He’d done it! He’d had to tell more than one lie to succeed, but that didn’t matter anymore. The prisoners were his, and it was time to go collect his spoils…