Every muscle in his body spasmed, causing him to drop the slides, which shattered into a million tiny diamonds across the floor as Henry fell after them.

A thousand lifetimes passed through Henry's thoughts, hints of memories cascading through his brain, each one moving too quickly for him to understand. They felt like his memories, yet something about them defied reason, as if he was dreaming through another's eyes. Vivid images flew toward him, drowning him in an overwhelming array of sights, sounds, smells and emotions. He was still falling, a moment in time that lasted an eternity, heading to the floor with agonising slowness.

In a flash, the images exploded from his mind as time caught up. With a bump and a slight bounce from his momentum, Henry hit the floor gasping for air.

He was back in reality.

When the blackness lifted, he was met by a pair of topaz eyes, sparkling with a thousand hues, familiar and safe. Elle crouched over him, her face full of fear and concern, a few inches from his own.

“Henry, can you hear me?” she said.

Words did not come. Henry raised his hands to his face and miraculously, found only the gloves had been cut by the glass on the floor. Idiot, he thought angrily. Henry became aware that it was not just Elle who had rushed to his aid. He was at the centre of a swarm of people all looking to help or, more accurately, trying to get a first-hand glimpse at some new gossip. How embarrassing was this? And what the hell had happened, had he fainted? He must have, but why? He didn't feel ill before, although now he felt he could throw up any second.

“I'm fine, I just-” he stopped to catch his breath. “-I slipped. Give me a minute.”

With arms pulling him up, Henry found his feet and steadied himself against the door.

“Are you all right?” Elle said. “You need to see a doctor.”

“I'm fine,” Henry said, the words coming out in an incoherent mutter. Henry pushed open the lab door and headed down the corridor, Elle following closely behind.

“A&E is the other way Henry, you need to-”

“I need to be left alone, you understand?”

Elle stared at him for a moment before she turned and walked back into the lab, leaving Henry alone in the corridor. The floor swaying, Henry walked past the security doors at the end of the hall, wildly swiping his entry key at the console, before continuing towards the staff bathroom. He switched on the light, for which only two out of five bulbs worked and turned on the tap, water spluttering through the antiquated pipework. He filled the bowl and sighed, staring at himself in the mirror above the sink. Physically he appeared fine, if a little pale, but then again, he always looked pale. His body felt weird, as if every cell was shifting and readjusting itself.

Something was changing.

Memories whizzed through his head, seemingly from the minds of a plethora of people. They seemed connected, but moved too fast for him to figure out how. It was like looking into a train carriage hurtling through a station, except somehow he recognised everyone inside, even if he didn't quite know who they were.