Dave gave the man a long stare. The doctor, and especially the security guard, seemed to be very serious. They were not participating in any games here. So Dave was on his own for this one, facing something unknown. He felt scared for his mental health. Then he realized he had to say something. But he couldn't deal with his problem right now, so he'd have to escape the situation.

"It just really hurt, that's all. I'm sorry if I might have frightened you. It was a...reflex. But I should really go." Dave moved for the door.  The doctor and the guard remained motionless. "I'll take your advice and stop listening to loud music," Dave said weakly.

The doctor gave him a startled look, but didn't protest as Dave moved to leave. The doctor seemed relieved, perfectly content to ignore his curiosity and let the strange man with the electronic ear be on his way...fast.

Dave felt the hallway spin as he made his way for the elevator. He tried not to panic, as he reached out for his balance. But just as he felt himself steadying, there was a short buzz in his ear and the hallway lurched violently. He flew headlong down the hall, as the floor dropped away beneath him, and he found himself rolling down a near vertical surface. He grabbed the frame of a doorway as he tumbled by and managed to get a hold. His body stopped moving and the gravity normalized.

Through the beating adrenaline, a voice offered a logical explanation. He received it with a slightly desperate grasp and found a slight relief in its logic: balance is sensed through the inner ear. It wasn't gravity that had changed. It was his sense of balance. He hadn't really been falling.

He burst a goofy smile as he thought about what he must have looked like, a fully grown man rolling down the hall. But when the image was fully in his head, it offered no amusement. Something was seriously wrong with him.

Whatever was in his ear was gaining far too much control.

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