Out in the wilderness, past the tall, scaling walls of the Solaire facility, nature did not stir. It slept in the dawn, only the birds reaching the canopies of the trees and letting forth an extravagant song. It could not be translated or appreciated but simply heard. The green grass swayed like bristles on a brush, cleaning the air and sky. Trees stood tall and strong under the evening wind. A river rushed by, salmon leaping in and out of it. A hungry bear stalked them, clutching its claws and waiting at the mouth of the waterfall, half a mile away. It raised its massive snout and sniffed the air, a bothersome change in breeze interrupting him. The bear shuffled on the rocky slopes, might grey slabs much heavier than itself, to look at the Solaire Facility far away. 

From the distance, it appeared like a prison, with barbed wires and sloping, impenetralble walls. The hungry bear turned back to the water, suddenly swiping forward and knocking a fish out of its territory. It lay on the ground for a second, flipping and turning incessantly, before the bear's claws dug deep into its flesh.

Blood made its way onto the green grass but the bear only seemed to care about its meal. It had eaten; as the young cubs came up behind it, dawdling and rolling in the dirt. They shared what little they could. Young bodies squirmed and giggled as they hid in the thick coat of their mother. It had children; as the helicopter flew overheard and caused the animals to skitter back into the forest. It had protection; they arrived at the dug-out, turned up logs and muddy mounds making a shelter in the cold. It had purpose; as the sun shone through the cracks and holes between the trees. The brown coat it wore allowed it to disappear into the broken world. Before retreating to its burrow, the bear looked again at the alien building, a fortress of food, safety and purpose. It wondered in this extreme circumstance, if anyone was looking back. 

Yeshua was looking back. 

A bandage wrapped around half of his head, covering his right eye. It was tied behind his hair; it had been cut just before the surgery. The shaggy and unkbrushed nature was gone, the hairs only slumping a few millimetres off his scarred scalp.

His white hospital gown blended into the broken world behind him. A plastered wall held his back, while a window bigger than him, starting at his toes and not even stopping at his head, shot up to the ceiling. He raised his left hand and pressed its warm skin along the glass. The sun has just escaped behind the woods, the last glimmers of sunlight still a sign of hope. 

But the warm glow of the orb had faded; it was fading, Yeshua corrected himself. His right hand eventually fell upwards, grabbing onto his left wrist. His skin was smooth and far from dry. It had youth falling off it, like a burn under a cold tap. He felt numb. As the sunlight seemed to fade, another young man stared back at the boy, from behind the glass. He had a bandage on his young face. It was not sculpted correctly. A potter had just left his masterpiece waiting to fix itself on its own. A chill ran down his spine as he noticed his eyes looked not at him, but the wall behind. They were fixated with an unfamiliar emotion. 

Was it sadness?

The boy drifted away, but Yeshua wanted to talk to him. He felt he knew something he didn't. A broken lock without a key. He looked down to his feet; they were bare and cold under the tough floor panels. They hadn't been cleaned for days. They scraped at his soles. 

Looking back up, there was no boy. In fact, there was nothing at all. Only darkness was there. 

[color=8882be]"Cadet Horowitz, we recommend you go and get some rest. Aren't you tired?"[/color] 

An older man, bespectacled and holding a clipboard in one hand,  had turned off the lights. The shaders of the glass had changed to not let anylight in. A soft whirring had begun without Yeshua noticing, and as it ceased, all the light drained out of the room. 

If the glass had just broke his sight of the evening world, Yeshua wondered, then why did he still want to see the bears? The river still flowed, the sun still fell, the light still faded. Now there was just a barrier between them, but he knew they were there. Who would want to shut out just a beautiful sight?

[color=8882be]"I implore you to come with me, Mr. Horowitz. We have some clothes for you to get changed into."[/color] He stated, standing at the door. He waited for some time, but no movement was made. The doctor opened his jaw once again. The boy had not moved 

[color=8882be]"What are you looking at?" [/color]

Yeshua continued staring into the darkness. It was empty, to the Doctor at least, but he could see through their facade. His father had taught him that; how to see what you couldn't. How to build a house out of bricks you couldn't cement. How to climb a ladder with no rungs. No one knew their little secret. As he continued staring at the black pit, his eyes widened. The bear stared back!


[color=ec008c]"Tut tut, Doctor! What a time to be alive!"[/color]