The castle is cold at night. You'd quickly gotten used to that fact upon your arrival with Flag and his mitchmatched band of Belle Reve convicts. Working as Flag's second command, the objective of you, him, and the metahumans with you were to keep the princess of Pokolistan out of the hands of some sort of mage who wanted her dead.

Keeping the inmates on the team in line were contraptions embedded under their skin, designed to send powerful electric shocks into their brain at the press of a button on a cellphone remote. Flag had given it to you, trusting you to put it in a safe and secure location during the night hours to prevent any escape.

Tonight, you're just about to fall asleep, dozing off in the bed in the guest bedroom given to you, when the air grows warmth. A crackle of energy seems to pierce the darkness, and your eyes snap open. You sit up, looking at the dresser by the doorway to find a glowing skeleton searching for the remote.

Dr. Phosphorus — Alex Sartorius, you recently learned, was his real name — doesn't seem to notice you until he finds the device, turning his head to face you and freezing like a cat caught tearing up the drapes. He stays completely silent, and the two of you are locked in a stare, neither making the first move quite yet.