He lowered his head groggily, his heavy brain like a lead weight dangling from his body, ready to fall at any moment. Dr. Will did not know what he was thinking. He realized he was thinking of nothing at all; his former wisdom and reason had been squeezed out of his cerebral cortex. Every step he took was cautious, as though there were some thick, wet, soft substance between the soles of his shoes and the deck. Even though his eyes and brain told him it did not exist, he could not help sinking into the comfort of an environment that required no thought.
He stared at his palms, deaf to the noise beside his ears. These hands, which had never done prolonged physical labor, had once borne only wrinkles formed by time and soft calluses on the knuckles from years of holding a pen. Now they looked pale and swollen, as if they had been soaked in liquid for too long, carrying the scent of body wash and blood.
"Doctor." Captain Miller raised his voice. He glanced at Dr. Will's raised hand; it bore only the blood from when he had helped move Justin earlier. Dr. Peters, Major D.J., and First Officer Stark all had Justin's blood on them. "Do you really not know?"
"I don't know." Dr. Will lifted his head as if waking from a dream. "You knew Wendy Lawson? You never told me."
"Yes, I knew Dr. Wendy Lawson. It was a tragedy." Captain Miller looked at the physicist again, seeming unwilling to mention the accident from Project Pegasus again. He had signed a nondisclosure agreement and would never reveal the true cause of that accident. That was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s requirement. "She's dead, and you're still alive. Now, you're the only person in the world who understands