The Russells were a middle-aged couple with a son and a daughter. Both were well-regarded scholars, jointly employed by Monarch, each heading their own research projects. Good income, good connections, happy family—textbook American middle class.
But Mrs. Russell—Emma Russell—had been plagued by Spirit Vision for some time now. Strange people and strange occurrences kept appearing before her eyes.
Not everyone welcomed supernatural abilities, and Emma Russell certainly didn't. She'd managed to grit her teeth and pretend she couldn't see anything at first, but the Spirit Vision had been growing stronger. The ability was seriously disrupting both her work and her daily life.
Monarch dealt in plenty of classified information. Emma Russell's Spirit Vision, Dr. Graham's extraordinary regeneration and swimming speed, and Bella's various peculiarities all fell within Dr. Serizawa's range of acceptance. The way he saw it: You can be as powerful as you want—can you top Godzilla?
Even those mutants were small fry in his eyes. He didn't care about the oddities among his people. But when Emma Russell's ability started affecting her work, that got his attention. Worried he couldn't handle the situation alone, he'd brought Bella—someone with similar capabilities—along for the consultation.
One look was all Bella needed to identify Emma Russell's problem.
She didn't hold back. "Professor, Mrs. Russell—based on my observation, it's not just Spirit Vision. Your hearing, smell, and taste have all been significantly enhanced as well. The human brain relies primarily on visual input to absorb and process information, which is why your sight is currently the first to... how should I put this? Your vision has evolved the fastest."
"Evolved?" Emma Russell's husband, Mark Russell, asked in alarm.
Bella glanced at Dr. Serizawa. The Japanese professor nodded, indicating she could speak freely.
"'Evolved' isn't quite accurate, but it's certainly not degeneration. I haven't finished reading my biology textbooks yet, so I can't tell you how modern science would explain this. What I do know is that Mrs. Russell's current state is neither a step forward nor a step backward. The evolutionary path isn't a straight line—Mrs. Russell has essentially taken a step to the side on that path. A very large step."
Not forward, not backward—ma'am, you've wandered into the next lane over. That was Bella's assessment.
"Is there anything that can be done?" Dr. Serizawa didn't care about evolution. He only cared whether this couple could still work for Monarch.
Bella considered for a moment. "Removing her eyes would—"
"Absolutely not!"
"I will not allow my wife to be harmed!"
Both Dr. Serizawa and Mr. Russell objected immediately.
Emma Russell, on the other hand, hesitated. The Spirit Vision had become unbearable. Seeing those things every single day—she could feel her body weakening day by day. Eyes, or her life?
Bella had no choice but to explain to these laypeople: "Prolonged exposure to spiritual entities, spending every day surrounded by negative energy—Mrs. Russell's mental state will deteriorate severely, and her physical health will follow. Eventually, she'll..."
Hearing the prognosis, Dr. Serizawa fell silent, the balance in his mind clearly beginning to tip. If she was going to die anyway, keeping her eyes served no purpose—donate them? But would removing the eyes actually solve the whole problem?
Mr. Russell held firm: "Even so, I won't allow my wife to be harmed. We'll leave the country. Leave Monarch."
Bella smiled without sound. "The United States has only existed for two hundred years. Apart from the murdered Native Americans and Black people, there honestly aren't that many victims tied to this land. Go to Europe, go to Asia—you'll find ancient battlefields around every corner, or buildings haunted by restless spirits. Those places would be far worse for Mrs. Russell."
Bella and Dr. Serizawa soon excused themselves. They waited at a café nearby, and before long, Mr. Russell—who'd caught her look earlier—hurried over.
"There's another way, isn't there? Anything other than taking my wife's eyes—I'll do whatever it takes."
Bella had read through essentially every book on the occult available on Earth. Mrs. Russell's condition wasn't unusual. She had a solution, of course.
"There is one other approach. We need to subject Mrs. Russell to a continuous, unrelenting stream of terror—not the minor scares she's been experiencing. We need fear substantial enough to physically manifest and destroy the ability entirely."
The plan sounded dubious. Mark Russell couldn't shake the feeling his wife would be scared to death.
"Isn't there... a more scientific solution?"
"Eye removal is the most scientific option, and the most effective."
"...All right. I'll go with the fear plan."
Emma Russell's situation wasn't difficult to handle, just tedious. These days, everything had to be done gradually.
Summoning the Demon Nun to frighten her outright was out of the question. The woman was an ordinary researcher, not a hardened cartel boss like Campos who'd clawed his way through mountains of corpses in Mexico. Her mental fortitude wasn't that strong—one shock might kill her on the spot.
Bella's approach was to escalate step by step, designing a structured program for her.
She contacted old John Winchester, who was playing baseball with his younger son. Through the hunter network's channels, she obtained a lead on a missing-persons case, then had someone pass along the contact details of "exorcism masters" Mr. and Mrs. Russell to the right people.
A simple case of a restless spirit causing trouble. Once Emma Russell used her Spirit Vision to locate the ghost, Mark Russell dispatched it with a pre-prepared crucifix.
The whole process was straightforward. Apart from Emma Russell fainting from visual overload, there were no major complications.
"How many more times will this have to happen?" Mark Russell asked Bella, watching his wife lying unconscious on the bed, his face etched with worry.
"Probably four more rounds, and her Spirit Vision should be burned out. This is the only method I can think of to disable it without removing her eyes. Staring directly at an angel's true form would produce a similar effect, but the intensity is hard to control, and the angels despise me—they wouldn't necessarily cooperate..." Bella suddenly thought of another approach, only to dismiss it herself a moment later.
Mark Russell stared, mouth agape, unsure how to respond.
Ghosts. Angels. The impact on his scientific worldview was immense.
"This world... angels actually exist?"
Bella's reply was firm: "I can tell you this—yes. And the Republican supporters will tell you the same thing."
Several paranormal cases were resolved in quick succession, and the couple's reputation within a small circle began to grow.