Chapter 25 – CLIMATE CHANGE
Michael Mercer’s cockiness got the best of him this day. He believes that his years of training with Aegis, earning him the rank of lieutenant in Wolf Squad, would give him the determination to stand up to anything. He was the youngest lieutenant in Aegis’s history. He would later take on threats greater than the average monster like Wilfre and his shadow demons. He even delivered the killing blow. Of course, he knows that he isn’t undefeatable. He isn’t that arrogant. He had still much to learn about being a hero alongside Alex.
Still, he needed to face Icesassin again, not just to get back at him for freezing his hands, but to prove that he is more than just an Aegis lapdog. He needed to show that he was strong enough to take on an Elemental in battle. But he got more then he bargained for when the true power of the Elementals was unleashed upon him in Hyde Park.
Moments ago, it was a bleak, rainy day. Now the park had been transformed into a frozen wasteland. The heavy raindrops have been frozen into snowflakes that are quickly covering the ground. The lake to Michael’s right has been completely frozen over, trapping Chaos Man and the Aqua Virus underneath. Violet, hiding behind a tree far away from the fight is shivering, tightly wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt to warm herself up. Funny how before she complained about the rain. Now she’d give anything to have it returned. At least it was warm in the month of July.
Even the people outside the park were affected by the sudden frigid winds. Just going about their business when a blizzard suddenly blew past them, frosting the roads and pavements with thin layers of ice, like it was winter all of a sudden. Then they heard it. The roar of Icesassin’s companion, the vicious spirit of a wyvern. A creature known to be a distant cousin of the dragon was under Icesassin’s command.
People panicked and made their getaway whilst trying not to slip on the frozen pavement. Magna Tech robots were sent in to deal with the threat before Aegis could arrive. But the regular police robots weren’t going to be enough to contend with a Mythos level Elemental. They needed to send in the SWAT models.
Instead of fighting as originally intended, Michael chose to run away from the wyvern spirit as it chases after him from the air, breathing ice at the ground, trying to incase him in it.
He is struggling to stay upright while carrying Frost Fang over his shoulder and dodging the ice blasts, simply running for his life. Icesassin simply stood back with his arms crossed, shaking his head at Mercer’s miserable performance. “What happened to all that tough guy talk earlier?” He thought as he watched, a small smirk forming under his dark blue scarf.
Icesassin: Arrogant fool. Being chosen by an Aura Blade doesn’t make you invincible. You should’ve known better than to try and stop me.
SWAT Robot: Elemental target acquired. Eliminate on sight.
Icesassin’s head snaps to his right, where he spotted a squad of eight new Magna Tech SWAT robots. They’re designs are slightly bulkier than the standard police bots and they are painted in sleek black paint with a few white stripes on their arms, legs and body. Their heads were less cone-shaped than their police counterparts. Instead, they were more rounded with the same downward arrow-shaped bright blue vizor.
The robots all raise their arms forwards at Icesassin in perfect sync. The panels on their forearms retract, allowing their weapons to spring forth. On their right arms they housed double-barrelled machine guns and their left housed a small missile launcher. These were high-grade military war machines, and they were programmed to eradicate all their selected targets.
The robots all open fire on Icesassin with the guns from their right arms. But the Elemental won’t stand still. He ran for cover behind a line of trees and forms thick walls of ice to fill in the gaps.
Icesassin: These machines pack a lot of firepower. But it won’t be enough to stop me… or him.
He glances over at the frozen lake as he uttered that last part to himself, timing it almost perfectly to the sudden reappearance of Chaos Man, bursting out of the ice with swirling red chaos energy around him before it faded, hinting that he must’ve used chaos blast to escape, completely shattering the frozen lake.
The Aqua Virus wasn’t far behind, launching itself out of the water with its shark mouth wide open, trying to snap him up like the prey he is. Chaos Man narrowly dodges round those teeth by backflipping midair and landing on its back just as it dives back into the lake. The creature shakes its body side to side, trying to knock him off, but the hero maintains a firm grip on its dorsal fin.
Chaos Man: Whoa! Giddy up, sea horsey!
Since shaking him off wasn’t working, the Aqua Virus repeatedly dives in and out of the lake, swiping its claws at him. Alex was surprised he was actually able to hold onto the creature even though its body was supposedly liquid. It felt more like he was gripping thick jelly. He wondered if his chaos energy suit was adapting to its surroundings and allowing him to physically grasp it. He still has a lot more to learn about his powers and the emeralds.
At the bottom of the lake the Aqua Virus begins to pick up speed for one more attempt to shake off this clingy pest on its back. Once more it launches itself straight up into the sky like a rocket, gaining a lot of height. Then it tucks itself into a ball and starts to spin forwards rapidly.
Chaos Man: Ahhh! Hey! Knock it off! Getting dizzy!
The monster didn’t respond. Instead, it decided to increase its speed, showing that it can understand human speech as well as have a bit of a sadistic side to it. Chaos Man’s grip slips and the Aqua Virus finally gets rid of him with a vicious smack of its long tail, slapping Chaos Man across the sky like a fly swatter.
One of the SWAT robots looks up in Chaos Man’s direction and ceases fire. It remotely transmits a signal to Magna Tech HQ, communicating with the building’s AI system, Matthew.
At Magna Tech, Doctor Wasp, no longer hiding his mutated appearance to the world, quickly relays the message to Richard who was sitting back in his office chair, drinking his favourite whisky. He orders Adrian to send out the new prototype to capture the water monster while their SWAT robots keep Chaos Man and Icesassin busy.
Meanwhile in Hyde Park, Chaos Man swoops in and pushes Michael out of the way of another breath of ice. It forms a large bed of sharp icicles where it struck.
Chaos Man: You alright?
Michael: Pretty good, considering that my ass nearly got frostbite from a ghost wyvern… We’re outmatched, aren’t we?
Chaos Man: With that monster and Icesassin, yeah, I’d say we are. And now we’ve got Magna Tech robots cutting in on the fun- Look out!
Chaos Man and Michael duck out of the way as the Aqua Virus, bigger and stronger than ever, launched out of the lake in the form of a massive geyser flying straight up before plummeting back down atop the wyvern spirit, causing it to disperse into tiny particles.
Icesassin, groaned in response to this, like he felt the pain of his animal spirit. He felt the same explosive force strike his back like a phantom pain, forcing him down on one knee behind his barrier. One of the SWAT robots takes advantage of his temporary counterattack and fires a small missile at the trees, blasting Icesassin into the lake.
With him out of their line of sight, the SWAT robots turn to Chaos Man and aim their weapons at him instead. Despite his reaction time, he didn’t manage to dodge all the bullets flying his way. A few hit him in his left leg. Fortunately, his super-suit was bulletproof. The only reason he allowed himself to even get hit just now was because he was scanning the park for Violet, making sure she was unharmed.
Violet – for the most part – was fine. She distanced herself away from the battlefield as much as she can, desperately trying to reach the exit. But the Aqua Virus, reformed in its new evolved form, had her in its line of sight and is determined to grab her. It slithers across the icy path like a snake, using its claws to pull itself along for extra speed. The elemental snowfall is slowing its movements, and it could already feel its liquid body starting to freeze over again. It was happening much slower than last time with its increased size, but it can’t allow itself to be exposed to the cold for too long.
Chaos Man: Violet!
Michael: I got her! You stop Icesassin and those robots!
Shouted Michael as he raced after them, giving his friend no time to question his plan or if he’s even qualified to take on the Aqua Virus alone now that it’s bigger and stronger than before. Perhaps Michael felt the need to switch opponents after gravely underestimating the true power of an Elemental. At least with the water monster, he could freeze it like before. He doesn’t even need to defeat it, just immobilise it long enough to rescue Violet then get a lift from Chaos Man outta there.
Which is proving to be easier said than done. Despite its slowed movements, it still can move faster than a human can run. Violet eventually notices the creature fast approaching over her right shoulder and picks up the pace, screaming for her life. She was almost out through the park entrance when all of a sudden, a new player entered the field.
Something hit the ice-covered ground hard, kicking up a thick mist, temporarily blinding her. She can see a silhouette hidden within the fog. For a second she assumed it was Chaos Man, but it wasn’t. It was something else. Something big and heavy.
The fog clears, revealing the brand-new prototype Magna Tech had dispatched to their location. Michael catches a glimpse of it from a distance. It was nothing like the police or the new SWAT robots. Its design looks like it was ripped from a mecha anime with its sleek but edgy bipedal design. It was covered in a variety of weapons and had jet wings on its back. It was a shiny white colour with gold highlights. Written on its chest are two words “Magna Defender.” Next to it was the greek symbol “A” which stood for Alpha.
Michael: The hell is that? Where do Magna Tech find the time and materials to build something like that?
The Magna Defender may have a bit of a bulky appearance with its weapons and wings, but it moves like its light on its feet. The mecha leaps over Violet and lands in front of the Aqua Virus, halting its approach, and quickly raises one of its cannons at it. It fires off some kind of laser netting at the creature. The edges of the net slice off the monster’s fingers and tail since it was too big to completely seal inside of. The Aqua Virus roars in pain but was unable to raise its head without getting zapped with each touch of the net. It was trapped.
Michael and Violet were surprised to see the same creature that proved itself to be extremely persistent and quick on its feet easily submit to a robot of all things. It was like Magna Tech were flaunting their wealth and ingenuity, showing up the city’s heroes. Michael didn’t like it one bit. Good thing Alex was preoccupied with Icesassin and the SWAT robots right now to notice.
A familiar voice then spoke through the Alpha prototype as it scoops the Aqua Virus up in the net. Violet didn’t know who it was, but Michael does. He heard it before at Alice’s funeral.
Michael: Richard Magna?
He was sure of it, though his voice sounded a little bit younger than how he remembered.
Matthew: Not quite, Michael Mercer. I am Matthew, an advanced artificial intelligence created by Mister Magna to overlook all operations over all Magna Tech-related affairs and maintain order. I am remotely controlling this prototype personally. I calculated it would increase the chances of a successful capture over self automation.
Michael: What even is that thing?
Matthew: This is the first prototype of the Magna Defender line of special ops, combat robots… Forgive me, but I must depart. I have orders to-
Michael: Wait- what are you planning to do with that thing?! Your boss doesn’t actually think he can contain it, does he?
Matthew completely ignores his question and programs the alpha robot to take off and chart a course back to Magna Tech HQ. The whole time they were interacting, Violet is looking at the helpless monster curled up in the electric net. The Aqua Virus was looking back at her with calmer eyes. It’s slit pupils briefly revert back to full circles, making it appear more human. Violet could sense that it was scared and maybe even a little sad about its predicament, scared what Magna Tech are planning to do with it.
Before she could blink, the robot and the monster were gone from sight. It blasts off into the sky at such incredible speeds that neither she nor Michael could see which way it went. Michael sheaths Frost Fang and approaches Violet, lightly grabbing her shoulder.
Michael: Are you alright? Did that thing hurt you?
Violet simply shakes her head, assuring him that she is fine.
Violet: Why would Magna Tech be interested in that creature?
Michael: Not sure. They may need it for something. What they need it for? I don’t know. But I can’t ignore the fact that it won’t be for something good.
Violet: Where’s Alex?
Michael: Still fighting that Elemental.
Michael looks over Violet’s shoulder and spots a convoy of Aegis humvees closing in on their location, most likely coming for Icesassin to stop him from causing any more serious damage.
Michael: Aegis are almost here. You better get home. Don’t worry about Alex, I’ll watch out for him.
Violet: Thanks, Michael. Take care, both of you.
Violet takes her leave, unfurling her umbrella to keep any more falling snow from clinging to her soaked clothes and creating as much distance from the park as possible. The sooner she’s safe and warm at home the better.
Back in the park, Chaos Man had finished off the last of the SWAT robots with concentrated chaos spear blast to the head. He was feeling a little bit bruised and exhausted from the fight between them, Icesassin and the Aqua Virus, not to mention the fact that he hadn’t fully recovered from the training Omnius put him through. It had been a long day for the hero and there are still more surprises to come.
Icesassin: No!
Chaos Man turns around and faces Icesassin who appeared distraught about the Aqua Virus escaping his clutches once again.
Icesassin: You idiot! You let him get away again!
Chaos Man: Me? You didn’t exactly put in much effort to stop- Wait a minute. Did you say “him”? You treat that monster like a person?
Icesassin: I don’t expect someone like you to understand… Your kind never does.
Chaos Man: My kind? What’s that supposed to mean?
Icesassin: You know exactly what I mean.
Chaos Man: Wow, I know you Elementals hate humans, but there’s no need for racism here… Look, I don’t know what your connection to that creature is, but I can at least see that you don’t want it to hurt anybody. Why don’t you stop throwing icicles at me for a second and just talk to me?
Icesassin: You work alongside Aegis. There’s nothing to talk about.
A swirling torrent of cold wind circles around Icesassin as he takes up a fighter’s stance unfamiliar to Chaos Man. It may be a type of martial art that Elementals know. Ice katanas form in his hands. He gives them a few spins.
Chaos Man: You seriously wanna fight me again? You got a problem with me or something?
Icesassin: You have no idea.
Chaos Man: Heh, maybe you and Richard Magna should set up a Chaos Man haters club, but I doubt you’ll get many members.
Icesassin simply grunts in response. Was everything a joke to this guy? How can the public treat this child so seriously? A deadly creature has been unleashed in the UK’s most populated city and is growing stronger with each passing day. This is why he believes that only he is qualified to stop it, even if he has to break down everyone in his way.
Icesassin: Spirit of the wyvern!
He calls upon his animal spirit again. The ghost wyvern appears out of the ground beneath Icesassin, allowing him to mount its back. The wyvern roars right in Chaos Man’s face, causing frost to form over his hair and the parts of his face that weren’t protected by his suit. Chaos Man shakes off the snow and assumes his fighting position.
However, their second match was rudely interrupted by gunfire coming from behind them. Chaos Man ducks and rolls to the side, thinking he was being attack by Magna Tech again, only to realise it was the Lion Squad from Aegis, led by their captain, Jesse McGregor. He was a middle-aged looking man, about Chase’s age and had a short white beard. Behind them was Michael rushing in and grabbing the captain’s arm, trying to stop him from killing Icesassin.
Michael: Please wait! I just told you that we can’t afford to kill him when he knows so much about what we’re up against.
Captain McGregor: We’ve got our orders, boy. No Elemental is allowed to live once they use their powers with hostile intent within human territory. Open fire!
The soldiers all open fire on Icesassin. But his wyvern spirit shields him with its wings. One would think the bullets would phase through the ghostly creature, but instead it froze them midair for less than a millisecond before they dropped to the ground.
Chaos Man then steps into the line of fire and raises his hands, forcing the soldiers to hold their fire and await their captain’s next orders.
Chaos Man: Whoa whoa whoa! Listen to Michael, he’s not a threat!
Captain McGregor: No? Look around you! He’s turned this park into bloody Narnia! He’s too dangerous to let roam free!
Chaos Man: He was only trying to stop that water monster, same as we’re doing. He hasn’t hurt anyone! Don’t go all guns blazing just because he’s an Elemental. They’re people like us.
Icesassin: Don’t speak for me! I don’t need your charity!
Shouted Icesassin from atop his animal spirit as it rests its wings on the ground, giving the crowd a clear view of him again.
Icesassin: You humans make it very hard for us to see the good in you. You think we Elementals are all the same.
Captain McGregor: Your kind declared war on us!
Chaos Man and Michael: What?!
Both Michael and Chaos Man turn to McGregor with shock.
Captain McGregor: You didn’t hear? Back in 2002 the Elementals suddenly decided that humanity needed to be wiped out and attacked us! They’ve butchered thousands! Murdered women and children in cold blood… They’re not people like us, they’re animals!
Icesassin’s eyes narrowed at the captain, and he grits his teeth underneath his scarf. His animal spirit responds to his emotions and growls at the humans. The soldiers flinch and raise their weapons at him. Some of their hands were shaking in fear of him. Michael and Chaos Man can see that the captain wasn’t exaggerating. They were genuinely terrified of Icesassin because of what he is and what he is capable of.
Icesassin: …I did not start that war! The Elemental who did is dead! His name was Gerald Skyshatter. He was killed during the Akuma No Kohai. Everything he stood for, all who followed him, are all gone! … Never ever compare me to him again! I fight only in defence of myself and other Elementals whose lives are much harder because of Gerald’s actions… We’re not all like him!
Captain McGregor: At this point, I don’t care. Shoot him!
Chaos Man: NO!
The soldiers all open fire on Icesassin. The wyvern spirit quickly turns itself around and takes flight, getting as far away from Hyde Park as possible. Part of Icesassin wanted to use his powers on the soldiers, not to kill them, but to incapacitate them. But the part of him that was under the alias Captain Ryan Jefferson at Aegis remind him of how he’d close he had gotten to his fellow captains.
He thinks back to a specific moment with McGregor where the two of them were sitting together in the mess hall sharing war stories. Owen had to make up his own to maintain cover within Aegis’ ranks. He felt terrible about it after McGregor revealed to him that he was one of the few soldiers on the field of battle who managed to survive the Akuma No Kohai and shared the horrors of its aftermath from his perspective.
With his own eyes he saw entire homes, villages, cultures and families being reduced to dust around him. It was like watching history in Kyoto/Japan was being erased as if it never existed. Many human lives were lost in the event as well as Elementals. He understands why he’s grown to fear and hate Elementals. The actions of one Elemental were what led to all that death and destruction for no reason other than power for power’s sake.
Icesassin: This is your final warning. Stay out of my way. That creature is my responsibility, not yours!
Lion Squad completely ignore his warning and open fire at him again. Icesassin’s animal spirit breathes out a cold misty fog to mask their escape as they fly off in the opposite direction, getting as much distance between them as possible. That doesn’t stop Chaos Man from flying through the fog and trying to go after him. Alas, he was gone.
Chaos Man: How does he keep doing that?
Captain McGregor: Fan out! Search the entire city! He can’t have gone far!
He shouted with intense authority. The soldiers all obey and return to their humvees. Michael attempts to reason with the captain, help him understand their side of things. But he was seeing red. He is in no condition to be thinking clearly about details right now.
With no sight of Icesassin and no indication of where he went, Chaos Man gives up the search and slowly descends back to the park, rejoining Michael.
Chaos Man: I lost him. Man, we suck.
Michael: Don’t say that. This is only a minor setback. Not every mission is gonna be a success. Alice and Dad taught me that… Violet’s safe, thank God. She’s gone home.
Chaos Man: Thank God indeed. What about the Aqua Virus?
Michael: You’re not gonna believe this, but Magna Tech sent a bloody gundam robot to capture it.
Chaos Man: You serious?
Michael: Its not actually a gundam, but it certainly looks like something ripped from a mecha anime. Point is Magna Tech have it now and I have no idea what they’re planning to do with it.
Chaos Man: Then we better get over there and put a stop to whatever they’re gonna do before it escapes again.
Michael casually grabs Alex’s arm, stopping him from running off.
Michael: And what do you think’s gonna happen when you go busting in there like you own the place? Don’t forget, Richard’s not your biggest fan. You show up at his company building and they’ll sound the alarm. It’ll make you look like the bad guy for breaking and entering. Trust me, Richard’s the kind of guy who could bribe his way out of anything if wants to.
Chaos Man: (he lets out a deep sigh) … Yeah, you’re right. Still, we gotta do something. That monster is valuable to Richard in some way, otherwise he’d have destroyed it. You think Richard’s gonna use it to power some kind of weapon against me or something?
Michael: Possibly. We’ll have to come up with a plan to get into Magna Tech without raising suspicion… Hmm, my dad says that he and Richard go way back. Maybe he can help us get a tour or something.
Chaos Man: A tour?
Michael: You got any better ideas?
Chaos Man: No.
Michael: Then trust me on this. Dad’ll get us in. We just need to figure out what to do with Aqua Virus when we find it. Kill it if we have to.
Chaos Man: What if Icesassin shows up again?
Michael: Then he’ll provide us with a distraction when we sneak into the restricted areas!
Chaos Man: Okay… We should probably inform Omnius of our plan. Maybe he can help us?
Michael: Help us how? By giving us words of wisdom, speeches, and riddles? No offence, Alex, but your mentor is kind of a weirdo. Yeah, he’s a great teacher and all, but I’ve never seen him in a proper fight before, aside from our sparring match. Hell, does he ever leave the monastery?
Chaos Man wanted to speak in defence of his master but couldn’t find the words to do it. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t ever seen Omnius leave the sanctuary of his mountain paradise. Not counting the time he brought him back to Hillside House and then returned to adopt him.
Michael: …Look, I’m not trying to be disrespectful of Omnius, he’s a good man, maybe even one of the kindest souls I’ve met. But he seems too… out of touch with how the world is now. A hermit that’s too old fashioned to deal with the problems of the modern world. That’s also why you need me, I know how things are now through my experience with Aegis.
Omnius: Ah but experience alone can only take you so far, Michael…
Michael froze on the spot and feels a shiver running up his spine. Now he gets why Alex was glancing over his shoulder every now and then as he listened to him talk. He was looking at Omnius who had just been standing a few feet behind him, listening to every word of criticism.
Omnius: And being in touch with the times isn’t always the solution to a problem. Sometimes the old ways are the better option. Why else do you think people still ride horses to travel or write a letter for long distance communication? If it is not broken, don’t fix it.
Michael slowly turns around and addresses Omnius with a small, nervous smile forming on his face.
Michael: Oh- u-uh, h-hi, Omnius… how long have you been standing there?
Omnius: Long enough. I saw you two were facing Icesassin and the monster here through my smoke visions. I wanted to come and see for myself how much you two have improved… I must admit, I was expecting a little bit more out of you, Michael.
Michael: Whoa whoa whoa! You mean to tell us you’ve been here this whole time, and you didn’t think to lend us a hand?! We could’ve used your help!
Michael spoke out in annoyance, no longer feeling nervous about Omnius’ sudden appearance. Omnius stood his ground and doesn’t move an inch as Michael closes the gap between them and glares up at the tall, oddly dressed man, glaring into his different coloured eyes.
Omnius: An apprentice who expects their master to fight their battles for them is not a worthy apprentice. If you wished for me to help you when the fight gets tough, then I have already failed as your teacher.
Michael groans with annoyance. Chaos Man then steps towards them and quickly changes the subject.
Chaos Man: Since you’re here, I take it you heard us talking about our plan to sneak into Magna Tech by going undercover or something?
Omnius nods his head.
Omnius: I do agree with Michael’s plan. Attacking an enemy stronghold will put all its inhabitants on high alert. But sneaking in under their noses will provide you the best chance as learning what they are up to… However, there is one flaw in this plan.
Michael: And what pray tell is that?
Omnius: You claim to know Richard though your father. He can guarantee your ticket inside, but I doubt he will do the same for Alex, someone who he doesn’t know. But I do have an obvious solution…
Omnius turns to Alex and places his hand on his shoulder.
Omnius: Alex will go undercover as a student keen to learn about the wonders of science and technology who just so happens to be childhood friends with the son of the general of Aegis. He will convince you to ask your father to pull a few strings to get him a tour of Magna Tech.
Chaos Man: B-but, Omnius, I don’t know anything about science and technology. I can’t pull off being a smart student.
Omnius: You’ll be fine. Michael and I will talk you through it before we go in.
Michael: We? Hold on, you’re not thinking about coming to Magna Tech with us, are ya?
Omnius: We still need to recover the stolen Chaos Emerald from the monster. Since Alex hasn’t mastered the Chaos Control yet, you will need my help to contain the creature. Besides, I thought that you might like to “see me in a proper fight” as you put it.
Chaos Man chuckles at his remark as he glances at Michael’s annoyed expression.
Chaos Man: That’d be great! Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but I wouldn’t mind seeing my teacher in action.
Omnius smiles warmly at Alex. It isn’t often that he felt the need to fight himself. Being a pacifist, Omnius always preferred to try and talk things out rather than use violence as a first resort. That’s where he and Michael differ. Often times it feels like he and Michael are competing for Alex to focus more on one or the other. Tomorrow they’ll be doing things his way when they get into Magna Tech.
Omnius: We will discuss our plan in greater detail later. For now, I suggest we get out of this snow. With Icesassin gone it’ll soon melt… I am craving something hot to eat. Since I am “too old fashioned”, why don’t you find us a place to get some dinner, Michael?
Michael rolls his eyes at his comment. Alex takes a good look around the park, making absolutely sure no eyes were on him as he instantly changes out of his super-suit and back into his regular clothes. Without the protection of his chaos energy, Alex instantly felt the cold wind blowing against him and the rain soaking his body.
Alex: Brrrr, it’s so cold!
Michael: Maybe you should’ve waited until we were out of the rain first, you dumbass.
Omnius: Now now, no need for that… Come, let us depart. I’m feeling famished.
Michael: Sure, I know a place not too far from here. We can easily walk there… Famished?! Can he be any more stereotypical?
The three of them walk out of the park and the rain as quickly as they can without running. The people around them are still on edge after the sudden change in climate Icesassin delivered. He was still out there and still dangerous as far as they knew. There’s no telling what that Elemental planned to do next.
Magna Tech Headquarters, 8:37pm.
The mission to acquire the Aqua Virus was a success. Doctor Adrian Vespa has really outdone himself with his new Magna Defender prototype. It carried out its objective flawlessly. A small part of him was a little disappointed he didn’t get to test out the robot’s combat programming against Chaos Man. It was initially designed to go toe-to-toe with him. He would’ve loved to collect some battle data. Still, there was always next time.
For now, he is hard at work in his special lab where only the most important and scientifically advanced projects are being worked on, like Project Leda. Unlike many of the other labs in the company building, which were filled with expensive lab equipment, and brightly lit all over. This lab was empty, dull and dark, only containing a few machines necessary to complete Project Leda, and this was purely by Adrian’s choice. Too many unessential items are just clutter that’ll slow him and his progress down.
With the Aqua Virus captured, it had been placed within a big plexiglass box reinforced with titanium outlines standing in the back of the near-empty lab. The box was completely sealed with no way for the creature to escape like last time in the old, worn-down storage warehouse. All it can do was roar and slam its hands and tail against the sides, but the cage wouldn’t budge. There isn’t even so much as a single scratch on the glass.
Some of the other scientists can’t decide what’s scarier to look at, the Aqua Virus or Adrian without his disguise. Despite everyone in the building seeing him like this multiple times now, it was still hard to digest. In fact, some people had a hard time keeping their lunch down just looking at him. And Adrian was fully aware of their glances. He tried to not let it bother him as he began working on the project.
Standing on the right side of the room was the one device capable of bringing Alice Magna back from the dead. It looks exactly like its 3D design on the hologram Matthew showed Richard. A circular pod big enough for a person to lie down inside of. Written on the side was “Cellular Regenerator” the name of the machine. The pod was connected to two large generators taking up the rest of the right-side wall. On the left side was a long table with two sinks built in, taps, gas nozzles for the bunsen burners. Above it was a few shelves of empty test tubes, beakers and other stuff and below a large freezer underneath for storing ingredients, chemicals, etc.
Dr Wasp: Fetch me the mineral analyser.
He asks one of the assisting scientists to his right without taking his eyes off the microscope. He was examining a sample of water he harvested from the Aqua Virus, interested in seeing what kind of DNA it has. However, the scientist huffs and crosses his arms, expressing disgust towards the mutated man.
Rude Scientist: Do I look like hired help to you, Monster?!
Doctor Wasp flinched at his response, his black nails scratching the white countertop. How dare he have the gall to call his superior that to his face. He would’ve given him a piece of his mind if Richard hadn’t suddenly entered the room. The other scientists all look at the one who insulted Adrian for a brief moment before looking back at their boss.
Richard: You there. You’re fired! Get out of my building!
He already heard what that lesser man said from the other side of the door before he even opened it. The rude scientist clenches his fists in anger and leaves the room. He just had to open his big mouth and speak his mind.
Richard: I shall repeat myself for anyone else who hadn’t been paying attention to my earlier announcement. Anyone who disrespects my head scientist again will not only lose their jobs but won’t ever have a stable career again, like the man I just fired. Am I understood?!
The other scientists nod and respond with a shaky “Yes, Mister Magna!”. They all quietly go back to their posts as Richard approaches Adrian, checking in on his progress. One scientist ends up leaning against the glass box by accident. The Aqua Virus morphs into a wave and slams itself against it, scaring the hell out of the woman and causing her to back away in a panic.
Richard: Idiot… So, Adrian, did your findings match your hypothesis for the project?
Dr Wasp: Extensive empirical evidence suggests that the sample I’ve extracted from the monster has the potential to bind the elements needed to build a human body. If done correctly, we could not only make a successful clone body, but also potentially improve her.
Richard: Improve her how?
Dr Wasp: Take a look.
Adrian steps aside so that Richard could take a look through the microscope. A tiny gasp escapes his lips when he sees that the water molecules are supercharged with chaos energy.
Dr Wasp: The human body is made of 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 9.5% hydrogen, 3.2% nitrogen, 1.2% phosphorus, 0.4% potassium, 0.2% sulphur, sodium, and chlorine, 0.1% magnesium, 6% minerals, 1% carbohydrate, 16% fat and protein. And the key component, 62% water… Before I thought all those elements alone would be enough to generate a body in the Cellular Regenerator, but every clone came out defective and didn’t last more than a few seconds. However, the stabilised chaos energy the creature absorbed from Chaos Man’s emerald should allow all the elements to combine properly and produce a stable clone body.
Richard: You’re absolutely sure?
Richard asks as he pulls away from the microscope and faces his most trusted second in command.
Dr Wasp: I’ve had Matthew run multiple simulations. Eighty-five out of one hundred have proven a success.
Richard: And what about the times it didn’t work? What were the side-effects?
Adrian hesitated at first to answer; worried Richard might pull the plug on the project if he deemed it unsafe. As much as he wanted to get back to working on Operation Chaos Breaker – a project he was more passionate about – he’d come so far in Leda that stopping now would feel like a huge waste of time and resources.
Dr Wasp: The simulations displayed signs of memory loss, violent aggression, and insanity. But that was before I thought about including the chaos energy in the equation. I assure you, Richard, it won’t be like them.
Richard: Thank you for being honest with me, Adrian. How long will it take for you to begin the cloning process?
Dr Wasp: For an entire human body to be 3D printed and moulded to take the shape of your daughter, I estimate it will take somewhere between 12 to 16 hours. I will have to remain in the lab for the entire duration to make sure there are no problems.
Female Scientist: But, Doctor Vespa, don’t you need to sleep?
Male Scientist: Yeah, I swear I’ve never seen you leave the building once since you started working here.
Dr Wasp: One of the benefits of my mutation is that I no longer need sleep. My body is rested 24/7. Though I really do miss sleeping.
Richard: There you have it. The rest of you can go home now. I entrust Magna Tech and the success of this project to you and Matthew.
The other scientists nod and all exit the lab one at a time, leaving Adrian alone with Richard, though it wouldn’t be just the two of them for long. Richard needed to get home to his wife and spend some proper time with her, something he had been neglecting since they started Project Leda. He hopes to make up for all that by surprising her with the greatest gift of all tomorrow. The chance to hold her daughter in her arms again.
Richard: Right, I shall leave you to your work. Goodnight and good luck, my old friend.
The CEO says almost soulfully as he grabs his cane and jacket. Before Adrian knew it, he was out the door, leaving him all alone with his work. The only company he had being a monster and an AI. But this was nothing new to Doctor Wasp. He spent half of his life in isolation. The quiet helped him focus on his work. Though he couldn’t say no to some music.
Matthew: Any requests?
Dr Wasp: Hmm, put on something classical. Like maybe Beethoven’s fifth.
Matthew: Excellent choice, sir.
Beethoven’s fifth symphony plays over the speakers in the lab, equaling the quality of the music in every corner of the room as he moves around, gathering the ingredients for the clone formula. Adrian takes his time measuring each of the components he listed to Richard earlier, making sure it is the exact amount needed and not a percentage more or less. One tiny miscalculation, that’s all it takes for everything to go wrong.
As the hours pass, Adrian works tirelessly into the night. He was the only soul left inside the corporate buildings. Occasionally the company security robots patrolling the halls would poke their heads in to see if all was well before marching off.
After a certain point, the Aqua Virus had grown tired of trying to escape. It had been hammering away at the plexiglass walls for hours and hadn’t made a dent. It was trapped. The only thing it can do was curl up into a ball and sit patiently, biding its time to think up a different strategy. There was no rain for it to possess this time. Even if there were, the box completely sealed itself off from the building’s water supply. It sat back and watched Adrian assemble the serum. The wasp scientist catches it glaring at him out the corner of his eye, paying it no mind.
The time was 1:23am when Adrian had finally finished assembling the formula. He reaches into his lab coat pocket and pulls out an old, beaten-up audio recorder cassette player. It is a relic compared to the advanced tech in the lab. On the back was a small strip of old, worn tape with “Adrian’s Logs” written on it. The ink was faded and the strip was coming off a little bit in the corners, showing how old the device is.
Adrian instinctively presses the record button on the side without looking, used to where it was on his old recorder, as he gets a good look at the beaker containing the formula through his microscope.
Dr Wasp: Personal science log, entry 110. Subject: Project Leda. I have carefully assembled the growth formula for the Cellular Regenerator, adding all the elements needed to grow the clone body, including a sample of water harvested from the liquid monstrosity sitting in the cell behind me…
The Aqua Virus reacts to Doctor Wasp’s comment and roars at him. Adrian almost dropped his recorder from the shock but didn’t thankfully. That small device contained every science log he recorded since he was young. He documented every discovery he’s ever made in the hopes that it could prove useful to humanity long after he’s gone. It was safer to do it this way rather than use his Magna Phone and uploading it to the cloud where any hackers might come across it. Grunting with annoyance, Adrian resumed his audio log.
Dr Wasp: … I have recently discovered from the Elemental terrorist, known as Icesassin, that this creature has been named The Aqua Virus. I do not yet know why he went with that name, but that is not important right now. What is important is using its unique genetic material to hopefully make a successful clone of Alice Magna…
Satisfied with the results of the formula’s stability, Adrian carefully picks up the beaker and carries it over to the Cellular Regenerator. He opens a small cylinder at the top of the pod and pours the formula inside it before quickly resealing it. The only piece missing was a vial of the original Alice’s blood. He inserts it into the small slot on the other side of the pod’s top end. Everything needed to clone Alice was in place. Now he just has to turn it on and hope for a miracle.
He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves before reaching for the switch in the middle of the two generators that’ll activate the machine.
Dr Wasp: …This is it. Whatever happens now all comes down to how accurate my calculations are and whether my theories on the Aqua Virus being the key are correct. Whatever outcome occurs, I am prepared to deal with the consequences in the name of science… Okay, activating Cellular Regenerator… now!
In one swift motion, the switch is flipped and the machine roars to life. Many different coloured lights on the generators flash on and off as the humming intensifies.
Adrian slowly peers through the glass of the pod and watches the formula being poured through the eight tubes on both sides and depositing it into the pod, filling it up slowly until it was almost completely full. From there several small antennae in the corners of the pod shoot a small bolt of electricity into the liquid mass of flesh.
Dr Wasp: Haha! It’s working! (He clears his throat) But now’s not the time to celebrate, not until I know it’s worked. The Cellular Regenerator is doing what its designed for with no issues so far. But to ensure its working from start to finish, I must remain in the lab and keep constant watch on it… This is where I sign off for now. Come tomorrow I’ll record the results in my next log. Until then, this is Doctor Adrian Vespa signing off.
It wasn’t an exaggeration. Adrian stayed awake all through the night, sitting in a small office chair, watching the pod slowly 3D print the clone of Alice. He’d only seen old security footage of the process recorded back in 1989 when his predecessor was testing his invention for the first time. The footage came from the far-left camera so there wasn’t a clear shot at how he managed to do it, but Adrian liked to think he was clever enough to work it out on his own. Only 30 minutes have passed and nothing’s blown up. That’s gotta be a good sign.
To help pass the waiting time, Adrian occupies himself with music, coffee, and a few games of chess against Matthew, curious to see if he can continuously outsmart a learning AI. He somehow managed to beat him four times until he got bored and called it quits. Matthew makes note of every winning strategy the head scientist made for future reference. He will make sure to win next time.
At six hours into the process, Adrian and Matthew were having a conversation about Chaos Man and what kind of strategies they should come up with to defeat him. Matthew generated up to thirty-five possibilities, but Adrian disagrees about any of them being a sure win. As he spoke, Adrian glances over at the pod and can see the body is slowly forming. The skeleton had finished solidifying and now the internal organs were being formed within with a few blood vessels drifting around in the liquid flesh. Disturbing to look at, but a guarantee that it’s working as intended.
The Aqua Virus continued to sit and stare in silence. It’s slit green eyes focus on the cloning pod, showing an interest in what was going on inside of it like it was curious.
Time was now 11:55pm in the afternoon the next day, approximately twelve hours since the experiment began. Adrian was still sitting alone in the lab staring into the pod. By now Alice’s body had almost fully formed inside the pod. Patches of her body still hadn’t been fully covered by skin, exposing her muscles. Her hair hadn’t fully grown in yet as well. Adrian struggled to hold back a light-hearted laugh. Everything seemed to be working just like the simulations said they would. He estimated one more hour and the clone will be 100% complete.
Richard Magna and all the other employees are already inside the building going about their business. Matthew informs all employees to not disturb the special projects lab until Project Leda was completed. Even Richard himself was forced to obey that rule. But he didn’t care, as long as all that time, effort and money in the lab yielded results.
In the meantime, the CEO occupied himself with paperwork whilst having his TV on in the background to fill out the silence. The news was on right now, but nothing important was being reported. Or rather, nothing Richard found important. The news was all the same to him nowadays. Something bad happens but was thwarted by Chaos Man. Public opinion of the multi-coloured hero has significantly grown in the past few months and their opinion on Magna Tech was going down. It was infuriating to be reminded of it every single day. It is mostly why he felt the need to pour himself another glass of whisky as he worked.
But Richard was interrupted by his personal Magna Phone ringing, stopping him from sipping his glass. As he picks it up from the right side of his desk, he sees that the person calling him was his old friend, Chase Mercer. Even if he wanted to, he can’t let it go to voicemail. He answers and positions the phone to his ear.
Richard: Chase, so good to hear from you again. How are you?
Chase: Hey, Richard, I’m fine thanks, never better… Listen, I have a favour to ask you.
Richard: Whatever it is, the answer is yes. Unless it involves Chaos Man! Er-sorry, force of habit.
Chase: Hehe, it's fine. This ain’t about Chaos Man. It’s about my son, Michael.
Richard: Ah yes Michael. How is he doing? Haven’t seen him since the funeral. I hear he’s protecting the city alongside Chaos Man now. No offence, Chase, but your son was better off staying at Aegis.
Chase: None taken. In fact, part of me agrees. But at the end of the day, this isn’t about what you or I want. What Michael wants to do with his life is his decision and I want him to follow his gut. If he feels his place is to be by Chaos Man’s side, then I won’t stop him… Anyway, the reason I called is because Michael’s friend, Alex, wanted a tour of Magna Tech and he asked me to ask you if you’ll give him permission to visit.
Richard: Oh? And who is this Alex you speak of? Michael never mentioned him at the funeral.
Chase: He’s one of his friends from Hillside House orphanage. Apparently, he’s a good student who is deeply fascinated by your company’s robots and technology. Says he’s been dying to see where it all gets made.
Richard: I see. Well, I’m afraid I cannot-
A hologram of Matthew suddenly appears in front of Richard’s desk, startling the man and causing him to drop his cellphone.
Matthew: Forgive the intrusion, sir. But Doctor Vespa has sent me to inform you that the cloning process is almost complete.
Richard’s eyes widen with shock. This is the news he’d been waiting for all day. He immediately stands up from his chair and reaches down to pick up his phone.
Richard: I-I’m sorry, Chase, but I gotta go! Something has come to my attention! I’ll call you back!
He hangs up the phone as he storms out of the office and rushes down to the 27th floor via the elevator and bursts through the doors to the special projects lab. As he entered, he spots Adrian standing beside the cloning pod with his hands in his pockets. He notices the Aqua Virus’s glass box has had its titanium shields down, leaving only a small peephole for its green eye to peer out of. It sees Richard and narrows its eye, glaring menacingly at him.
But Richard paid it no mind and approaches Adrian and the Cellular Regenerator. He peers inside the pod and can see the results of Adrian’s hard work. Inside lie a sleeping, perfectly cloned body of Alice Magna without any clothes or patches of missing skin. She was whole.
But the process isn’t fully complete yet. The computer screen on the left-side wall above the pod showed a black loading screen that has “Memory upload in progress” displayed above the loading bar which was about 76% complete currently.
Richard: Is it time?
Dr Wasp: Almost. Just a few more minutes left on the upload, and we’ll be welcoming your daughter back into this world.
Richard: Adrian, I-I am genuinely astonished.
Dr Wasp: Don’t get your hopes up yet, sir. There’s still one thing you should know.
Richard: What?
Adrian pauses. What he’s done here today has pushed the limits of possible science, barely crossing the line between reality and science fiction. Richard has been asking so much of him, and even the smartest man alive knows the limits of what he can do.
Dr Wasp: … You realise that this machine isn’t transferring Alice’s consciousness to the new body. It has created a copy of her mind. For the real Alice nothing will change… For her clone, everything will.
Richard: I understand… Will she remember me?
Dr Wasp: The clone will have all the memories and emotions as the real Alice Magna up until the moments before her death. As soon as she wakes up, she’ll have no idea she died in Reading that day. She’ll assume she passed out and slipped into a coma as we revived her in our hospital… She will believe she’s the real Alice.
Computer Voice: Memory upload completed.
The machine announced, drawing Richard and Adrian’s eyes toward the screen which displayed those exact words. The cloning process is finished. All that remained was opening the pod and praying the clone will gain consciousness. Adrian was about to press the big button on the side with the word “Open” written above it. But Richard stops him. A look of worry and doubt looming over him.
Richard: This has to work, Adrian. It has to!
Dr Wasp: I have handled everything with slow and steady precision. If this doesn’t work-
Richard: You’re not hearing me! It HAS to work! I can’t bear the thought of losing her again.
Adrian places his yellow hand atop Richard’s cybernetic one and gently pats it with reassurance. He is prepared for whatever outcome will occur. If it fails, he’ll take all the blame. But if it succeeds, he will finally rest knowing he’d managed to perfectly replicate Professor Valerian’s life’s work.
Exhaling a deep, calming breath, Adrian presses the button. The pod hisses as jets of steam blast out of the crevices. The lid slowly opens and automatically lifts itself to one side, exposing the clone’s naked body to the fresh air for the very first time.
At first nothing happened. There were no signs of life coming from the clone. Both Richard and Adrian feared that it didn’t work and that they’d wasted all this time for nothing. But then they heard something faint. A tiny gasp of air that they know didn’t come from either of them. It was coming from the pod. They both slowly lean forward to get a better look at the clone.
They could see her fingers and toes twitching with the smallest of movements. Barely audible groans escaped through her dry lips. Her nose and ears twitched, reacting to the sudden exposure of the smells of chemicals and sounds of the heart rate monitor beeping at a steady rhythm on one of the generator screens.
Good signs so far. But they weren’t fully sure there were signs of life until the clone started to slowly, but hesitantly, open her newly formed eyes. Her sense of sight was overstimulated by the overhead lights in the lab even though they were dimmed. A big, wholesome grin appears on Richard and Adrian’s faces, feeling overjoyed at what they’re witnessing. The cloning process was a complete success. Alice Magna is reborn.
To Be Continued