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Quite the contrary, someone was living.

The hiss of air as the pod unsealed itself was loud, louder than it should have been. Significant, in that it was the first sound she'd heard in only God knew how long.

Or was it?

Goosebumps raced across pale skin as the temperature shifted, cooler, almost damp. Different in a way that had the woman squinting into the dim light and flinching away when even that proved too bright for eyes that hadn't seen light in ages. It took a moment for the sting to fade to something tolerable enough to let her take a good look at her surroundings, but once she did those dark eyes widened. "Woah."

Pods. Rows and rows of pods with glowing monitors that flickered with names and dates, and the familiar bouncing lines and numbers that you saw on hospital equipment. Was she dreaming? It wasn't unlikely, not with the sort of far-fetched beliefs and ideas that swam around in her head, but this didn't feel like a dream.

It felt very much real, and she was reaching out for the edge of her pod, leaning around it so she could get a look at the monitor that had her own name glowing in 8-bit lettering when she heard the heavy beat of feet falls coming towards her.

It wasn't so much the tone of voice that had Gretchen staring, but the sate of the man that stalked into view. Almost violently ginger(and probably violent in general, she got the impression), with a patch of white hair on one side, scars riddling face and what little she could see of his upper chest. He seemed practically feral as he barked at her, and it took a moment to focus on his words instead of the lines of scar tissue that zig-zagged across his face.

"Well that's a relief, yeah?" Gretch hadn't quote followed what he'd said, but the gist of it seemed to indicate that she should count herself lucky to be alive and awake. This, she firmly believed, was cause for delight. "Well, maybe not the perpetual fighting bit, but. You know." She tried to shrug, found she could, and smiled as her shoulders rolled.

Another blink as he started asking questions, and she nodded. "Yes, I can hear you fine, my eyes appear to be working so long as you are, in fact, a slightly taller than average red haired man with some badass scars." A little gentle ribbing probably wouldn't hurt, right? Right.

That last question had her smiling turning up a notch. "So it's a problem if I can't feel my left leg from the knee down?" A pause. "Rep." Interesting name, but she supposed it fit. He didn't look like a Joe or a Larry.

Dubious indeed, and a brow edged up as evidence. She did withhold doubt, for now, since she had just woken up in a pod surrounded by other pods in what looked like some kind of underground lab, or something equally nefarious.

She chuckled. "I beg your pardon, sir. This is not a peg." The prosthetic in question was lifted, as if to give him a better look at it. All sleek and shiny stainless at the core, but the fairing was mirrored chrome and mat black. "This is top of the line. The very best in all-terrain traversing." The leg was lowered again, and her weight shifted to her opposite hip as she crossed her arms. "I can pretty much anything a normal person can, short of wiggling my toes or rotating my ankle at will."

Dark eyes held his gaze for a few long seconds more before skirting off around them again. "So where exactly am I?" Somewhere different to be sure. Superhuman strength, fighting, recruitment?

Curious indeed.

Dark eyes flicked down to the fake leg, and she gave a thoughtful hum as lips pursed. "I guess I'll find out, right?" Hopefully it wouldn't be quite as taxing as Rep was making it out, but if it was Gretchen was sure she'd adapt. At this point she had a far bit of practice in over coming adversaries. "I can rock climb with it. I mean, that's not ice or anything, but better than some." Grinning, she tapped the toe of her other foot against the shiny chrome.

As he began explaining to her where she was the girl went quiet, listening intently. An island in the Bermuda, a militant organization that fought mon- "Monsters?" Dark eyes lit up. Of all the information he'd just fed her, that was the bit that had caught her attention. "Like, real monsters?" She sounded skeptically hopeful, though she did glance at the earring he had indicated. It didn't look much like a fallen angel. Or an ax, for that matter. Her head tilted to one side as she stared at the twisted earring.

Likely she should have been a little more concerned over the living conditions and where she was going to be staying, but she was still hung up on the whole monster thing. "So does that mean ghosts also?" Her gaze snapped back up to his face. "is that what the shadows are, monsters?"

Already large eyes got even wider as Rep confirmed that monsters and creepy crawlies of all manner were in fact real. Lips parted, chest rising on a slow intake of breath. "And I can see them now?" The shadows wouldn't be shadows anymore. She could finally stop guessing, start getting real, honest to God answers for a change. It was all terribly exciting.

She probably should have been a little more apprehensive of the idea, but she'd been searching for the truth for so ******** long, and now she was going to get it!

"Okay." A hand came up, gesturing for a pause. Really, she didn't mind him giving her information, it was appreciated, but it was also a lot to take in. "So go back to this partner thing. I'm going to be paired up with a monster," here she paused, brows pinching slightly. "To wield?" That didn't sound right."

Well that sounded...different. She blinked up at him, absorbing everything he'd just told her, and after a moment she nodded. "Alright." It didn't make a whole lot of sense now, but she suspect it would as she went along. Which meant she needed to stop asking questions, and just start doing.

"So where is this Cove?"

She stepped out of the pod, following on his heels, but her pace stuttered briefly as he mentioned having a voice in her head for the rest of forever.. It left the girl staring at the back of his head, wondering just how literal he was being here. "Alright." Wariness mixed with curiosiry. A healthy combination for the island. Not that she knew that yet.

There were probably more questions she could be asking, but her mind was cycling through everything she'd heard so far. It meant she was quiet as she followed him, features thoughtful.