Darren's eyes watered as he felt another heave take hold of him, but nothing came up, as the contents of his stomach had been emptied out long before. His insides were sore, as if they'd been burned and then scraped clean by some harsh, unyielding instrument - the truth wasn't far from that, however. He hadn't spoken to the doctor, who seemed to be having quite a busy day, but from what the others said he was lucky to be alive. He was never one to turn down a drink, but he'd be much more careful the next time Viktor asked him to join him for a bottle. Darren was no lightweight, but the Stalker's drinking habits were clearly on a level bordering the suicidal.<br/><br/>The discomfort in his abdomen wasn't the only thing afflicting him; pain was currently radiating from a certain spot on his chest, and for the first time in recent memory the mutant was wishing he'd worn more layers. Many of the others nearby had offered him sympathetic glances in the aftermath of Liliana's unexpected attack, and some even looked afraid, as if worried a similar fate would befall them if they got in the woman's path.<br/><br/>She'd saved him, of that there was no doubt. The moment Darren realized what the vial's contents had been designed to do, he understood that much. But that didn't change the fact that when Liliana twisted, for the first time since meeting the emotionless woman, he thought he spotted something in her face. In her eyes there had been a flicker, visible only for the briefest of instants, but he was sure he'd seen<span style="font-style: italic">enjoyment</span>. And for some reason, that scared him more than anything else.<br/><br/>With nothing else to do but wait for the doctor, he leaned back onto the table he was on and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths as he pondered the merits of sobriety.