There was nothing like being bare to the world. Again. A world steadily on the track of breaking down along with her very nude body. Again. As she was face to face once again with Leslie Homer as he stoically wrote down notes, it was indeed confirmation that her life is just but a spiral.

And as it loops back, the more devastating the spiral becomes.

Within the clouded mist, both Jackie and Leslie faced each other, a great distance away. Jackie just stared at the wispy void as Leslie wrote—physically—on a note board with paper and pen. Even outside of her eyesight she can never ignore now, it was telling.

He stopped writing, and gave a thumbs up that jerked upward three times. A signal he outlined to her to being able to dress now. Which she began to.

He turned to face what-was just the endless white void, until a hand motion caused it all to fade away—slowly—as Jackie was dressing. Despite her being so mentality distant, her now enhanced speeds managed to out pace the effect giving away, now in her tight dark gray and black sports top and matching shorts. Her eyes continued to train down to the carpeted floors of her new siVis State Manager.

The house was incredibly quaint, wooden textures mostly on the walls, parts of the floor once a room ended and began, and the lightning was more orange versus yellow. They were in his new living room, which only had the couch and boxes all over the place.

Leslie was faced with her parents. Jack Snr. wearing light jacket that was violet with blue detailing and jeans—wearing his one of three pairs of shoes ever, “Ugly Emergency”, brought out for hospital events and the like. Her mother Dawn however, was vested up in a thick white long jacket, black tights and furry boots. If there’s anything she hated, it was being cold. Even if it’s only Fall-like disposition now.

That thought caused Jackie’s face to scrunch, tensing with ache. What supposed to be Fall—just Fall. What supposed to be October—and the fact that she can’t quite accept is that they were gone for nearly two or three weeks. All that pain and suffering, all so condensed.

“Now… Your daughter’s condition can very well improve. The body is a very interesting thing, can handle anything that comes it’s way, but emphasis on can,” Leslie explained. His tone still so stern but very soft for the sake of Jackie’s parents.

They can only nod, and passively hold each other close.

“Due to the state of her siVis, combined with her traumatic encounters, as well as the sheer stress she’s currently under… We are hitting her limit. Anything bigger or even more subtle than what she took out there? All of it can break her,” he extended his arms forward before they gave any kind of reaction. “Now, again, the human body is amazing. If we’re given any chance and if those chances are viable? Nothing can cling to the impossible like we can. And it’s happening now. While the healing process is overworked, her metastructure is basically locked everything in place. Meaning if she does crack, it’s not going to be quick or sudden and there will be a fight to stay whole. And it’s keeping everything in place so when everything DOES get a chance to heal, it’ll be like nothing ever happened. Your daughter refuses to go down and she’s being rewarded for it.”

There were gasps and sighs of relief that her parents could express, but Jackie still felt was beyond her. After all, her body is all “locked” up.

Leslie reached out and grabbed Jack Snr.’s hand, despite his mitts consuming the nurse’s hand with zeal. “Part of our sessions will be based on leveling stress down, and increasing tolerance. All tied together by reminding her of sentiments and simply expressing again. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m willing to go the distance.”

“I—Thanks, man!” Jack was grinning ear to ear. “You’re a lifesaver—really—I-I mean, of course, haha!”

Jackie’s eyes caught a detail, she looked at the back of the nurse’s head and saw his jaws clutched from the back. Seemed like what expression he gave, he held back what grimness that would’ve surfaced.

“Well,” Dawn followed up. “If there’s anything else, we’ll leave you to your work.”

“See to creating your living space more comforting. Anything she wants to keep and make hers? Honor it. I’ll be sure to send you the reports through your account emails.”

As they nodded, Leslie pulled away to the side, scooting away to make space for the family. In no time flat, the couple walked over to hug their hurt daughter.

“We love you,” Dawn whispered.

Jackie forced her lips to respond, “And I’ll always love you.”

With that, they let go, walking out of the home. Leaving Leslie alone, and Jackie feeling all the more distant.

“… So, I’ll start by saying—Sorry for calling you all idiots—” Leslie began.

“We were,” Jackie responded. “Are. Will be.”

Leslie rolled his eyes, “There’s a thing called ‘self-fulfilling prophecies’.”

“And we’re stupid enough to never learn from our mistakes. We are them.”

Leslie just put his hand on his hip, looked about and sighed.

“Do you want me to repeat that you’re literally keeping it together, despite that? Or that going through that whole damn ordeal of yours stretched your limits so far, that when you get better, you’d be pretty much unstoppable?”

Jackie darted her eyes at him.

Leslie raised a finger, “Now don’t go conjure any ideas. But it’s what I said, your body was dealt with a lot of force beyond what it knew. This is merely a reaction, a snapback. You know better know, and your siVis is saying ‘never again’.”

“… So it is possible, then,” Jackie said. “Possible to survive this.”

“And it’s going to take a lot of work. Work we have to do together. This stuff latches onto humanity—the ill-defined parts, meaning our state of mind and the subtle ripple effects it has on our bodies. You surviving this means being stronger and able to shrug anything like this off again. But you have to keep your mind stable.”

Leslie then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “And considering how you’re taking this… I’m sure that you analyzing what you did and whatever your screwed up then will basically make you unstoppable now. So that’s a plus. It’s shitty, but it’s still a plus.”

Jackie lowered her head back down.

Leslie, in turn, stood up straight and walked towards his couch, sitting on it. He pointed to the empty cushion, “You need to take in sensations anyways.”

Jackie complied, sitting down on the couch. Faux leather texture, very cheap despite it being so new, or maybe because. She continued to let her head down.

“All this talk about my wellbeing… What about yours?”

“My life isn’t on trial here and shouldn’t be the focus,” Leslie bluntly stated.

Until he noticed her looking at him, making an effort to make eye contact.

“…Don’t tell me you have it in your head that you brought trouble my way somehow.”

She just continued to stare.

“Oh Jesus—” Leslie buried his hands into his hands before quickly rebounding from such. “Look, now you’re getting to the point of letting your guilt run rampant. What my mother and father did was going to continue with or without you or anyone. Turns out that they wanted to see how far… They wanted to find some solution where—and me speaking about this is giving it more weight than it fucking should. They’re mutilating idiots that wanted to be geniuses, and that’s what got them. Sad thing is, the siVis State Committee wanted me in the weeds somehow and sooner than later. So they’re using this in so they can make me one of their own while keeping an eye out for me. Or on me, either way.”

He shrugged.

“I’m… Sorry to hear all that,” Jackie said, trying to inject her raw sympathy—for it to come through but not too much to make it sound insincere. “You don’t deserve all this.”

“That’s the thing of life,” Leslie expressed solemnly. “None deserves anything that’s coming to them. Becomes a truism, working in the field that I’m in. Or before, I guess.”

Jackie was making an effort, to use her voice, to angle her body, to act out the emotions. To truly overstate how much she was sympathizing with him.

“…You wanted to be solely a healthcare nurse, didn’t you?”

Leslie’s expression went dark. Oddly enough, just settling back to his stern, jutted chin and slight lips pursing. But it was darker.

“We just lose so such ground. There’s the simple truth that healthcare is needed more than ever, that is overworked, that is overtaxed. People still get broken bones, get into accidents—hell, kids just getting their physicals in order. But no. Greater good needs this, greater good needs that. Even Dr. Taber, bless her memory—just wanted to be a fucking anthropologist. They boxed her in, killed her career and even then, it was that career that caused this siVis shit in the first place. I’m just another example of that. I’ll lose my mind trying to crack things I never studied for and unable to do the thing I was meant to do. Another soul into some self-justifying meat-grinder called the greater good.”

Jackie begun to laugh, but had no power behind it. She smiled with delirium, but every time she laughed, it fell away and she forgot to lift her cheeks in the way that she did before. Causing a constantly lopsided, broken smile.

“Why did we have to be born here? During all of this?”

Leslie didn’t answer that, returning into a neutral, but clearly crestfallen, expression.

“Everything is just… Broken. Everything. You, me, us as a whole, thoroughly smashed into pieces… And the thing is, I’m sure that all this was caused by some conspiracy or some people on the top—because we were fundamentally broken as a society before that. And maybe this would’ve been a wake up call, something that will finally—truly—humble us… But what can you do with shards of glass? Other than throw them away, along with where those shards came from?”

Leslie just continued to look forward, letting her speak.

Jackie lost the energy to hoist her head up, lowering it once again, “…Maybe this is all just penance. Our just desserts.”

“Okay, okay,” Leslie cut in, starling Jackie. “You’re entitled to your opinions, but I draw the line at ‘persecution of the masses’.”

Jackie wanted to argue, to clarify her point… But just slumped within her seat.

“Why? Why should everyone burn? Why do people think everyone singlehandedly responsible for the state of existence? Some are just surviving the shittiest box they were placed in without any say.”

Jackie just clutched at her head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s an understandable sentiment—we all do make society function, but the bigger responsibilities? Some people never heard of the people lording over them and are too busy trying to crawl through literal shit. A 9-5 worker, or some grandma, or hell—some abusive asshole doesn’t wake up in the morning going ‘TIME TO SOIL HUMANITY’S JOURNEY’—they think about their lives and simply react.”

Jackie simply closed her eyes, wallowing in her continued failure.

“Now, since I got that outburst—rant—and lecture out of the way and continuing to fix your ego—” Leslie looked at her. She opened her eyes to see that he looked sincere. “There is a point that we do need to react better to things. And not spend so much time adding to those useless time wastes we put value into, and think about making our lives better.”

“You outlined my thought a whole lot better than I ever could… God, I’m such a fuck up.”

Leslie perked an eyebrow. “Well, your achievements, your grades—all of your Biografile paints you otherwise.”

“Yeah, because awards and papers perfectly defines a person…” Jackie snarked. “Especially a person that never technically finished school.”

“Great name,” Leslie retorted. “’Biografile’.”

Jackie looked at him, “Very snappy, yeah. The naming convention was on the money.”

“You instantly know what the words combined are and no one does a doubletake hearing it. Ever.”

“Pretty much, mhm.”

Leslie exhaled in relief, “I’m glad that we’re on the same page because Jesus, what a terrible fucking name—”

“I was trying to be nice and continue on with the angsting, yeah…” Jackie giggled, escaping her throat and mind before she could analyze it.

Leslie wiped his forehead, “Yeah. Creep with female patient that he has to see naked, I really needed to say something with -file at the end of it—totally—”

Jackie pouted her lips. “Oh c’mon, Leslie… You’re a doctor and the fact that you’re aware of it already wipes you clean…”

“Not really, but it’s just that I never properly talked about that and it was so bad that I didn’t and for that as your medical advisor, I fucked up there.”

“The place was infested with shadow nightmare demons, I totally forgive you—”

“Either way,” Leslie answered. “I’m just doing something I hold myself to, a belief I have. We need more common damn sense in this world. As well as decency.”

Jackie took a pause.

“Yeah,” she nodded softly. “We do, don’t we?”

Suddenly, Leslie’s phone went off.

It was the dial tone of the Extant Warning signal. Only faster. And more high pitched.

He took one glance at his phone, his intense eyes simmering the report he got.

Leslie bolted for the TV on the wall, and turned it on.

Nothing that was on the screen made sense. It was truly fantastic.

“For the first time ever in history, we are witnessing a supernatural, superpowered conflict emerging in the City of Davenport…”