Chapter 28 – DOCTOR WASP PART 1

A whole day has passed since the Aqua Virus escaped Magna Tech with the red Chaos Emerald, evolving into a third new and powerful form. Chase ordered his soldiers to begin a long, thorough search across New London and every other city in the UK for any sightings of the monster and to be prepared for when it would strike again.

But so far there have been no signs of the Aqua Virus. Instead of using its new abilities, it decided to go into hiding and take some time to think up what its next move should be. The only reason it was lured to New London in the first place was the red Chaos Emerald. Now that it’s got it, all it can do for now is rest and reflect.

The damage dealt to Magna Tech is still under repair, with people and machines working tirelessly to fill in the crater in the courtyard, repair some of the floors and recycle the equipment that had been ruined by the violent waves. Most of the personnel who’d been infected with the Aqua Virus were immediately quarantined and kept under 24-hour surveillance until Doctor Wasp and some of the other scientists had deemed them clear of the infection and free to return to their families for a week before coming back into work again.

Meanwhile, those who weren’t so lucky didn’t survive. The families of the dead employees demanded one last look at their loved ones but were denied due to the risk of the infection spreading to them. They couldn’t even give them a proper funeral. Aegis ordered that the bodies must be cremated to ensure the virus dies with them. It was inhumane, but necessary to prevent what could’ve been a global pandemic.

Chaos. Everywhere Richard Magna looks it thrives. From his office window, he can see the extent of the damage outside his building. From the security camera footage on his TV screen, he can see the ruins of his company’s several floors. Even with the best builders, repairmen and such in his pocket, it would take weeks, maybe months, to restore everything back to what it was.

Without the red chaos emerald to provide infinite power to the entire headquarters, they were forced to go back to using standard power, which meant more money out of his wallet. The emerald’s power alone cut his electricity bills down to a size that he had forgotten how good it was.

As annoying as the loss of the emerald and the Aqua Virus was, it paled in comparison to the current condition of his daughter, Alice. Adrian had brought her back to the Special Project’s lab on floor 27. He had been tending to her since the incident while he paced about his office awaiting his call.

Groaning with frustration, Richard walked over to his cabinet and reached for an empty glass and his favourite bottle of whisky. He really needed a drink after all the stress he’d been under lately. But as he reached out for the glass with his right hand (the cybernetic one), he found himself struggling to move it. Glancing down at his prosthetic limb, he was shocked to see that it had sustained damage and was now moving slower than his brain was telling it to. It must have happened during the attack. His arm was battered, and some wires had come loose in the joints of his wrist and elbow, sparks emitting from the exposed wires. How had he not noticed?

Richard: Grrr! Goddamnit!

He grunted as he was forced to use his left hand to grab the glass, the bottle, and pour the alcohol into it single-handed. He continued staring out of the window, watching the city thrive below, though the atmosphere isn’t as lively as it has been since the Monster War. People are starting to believe that the Monster War, Wilfre and now the Aqua Virus are just the beginning, and they are to expect more threats in the future. All because Chaos Man had to exist.

Matthew: Excuse me, Mister Magna?

Matthew suddenly speaks as his holographic avatar is projected in the centre of the office. Richard’s gloomy expression lifts slightly in response to his own voice emanating from the AI program’s digital mouth. He'd better bring him some good news.

Richard: You bring news from Adrian about Alice?

Matthew: Negative, sir. I have come to inform you that Aegis has done a full ID scan of this Omnius figure we’ve captured on our cameras… All results came back negative. According to Aegis's database, Omnius simply does not exist.

That wasn’t good news at all. Richard turns to face Matthew with annoyance and shock.

Matthew: They have searched through everything and found nothing. No files, no criminal record, dental records, passport, mobile phone data, email, not even any friends or family members. I even went the extra mile and searched historical documents for any record linking him to magic and witchcraft. Nothing. This man does not exist anywhere.

Richard: But that’s impossible. I saw him with my own eyes! He conjured magic right in front of me! You sent the camera footage to Aegis, didn’t you?

Matthew: Yes, sir. General Mercer believes that he is a Sorcerer, but he claimed that finding Icesassin and the Aqua Virus must remain their top priority.

Matthew then plays back an audio recording of what Chase had said to Matthew when he digitally transported himself over to Aegis’s command centre. The hologram’s appearance changes to Chase Mercer to further cement the playback.

Chase’s Voice: Richard, if you’re hearing this, first off, I hope you, Adrian and your people are alright. And I’m sorry for the losses you sustained during the Aqua Virus’s attack… We at Aegis have acknowledged your concerns about this Omnius character and the possibility that he poses a threat, being one of the last surviving people in the world who knows magic. However, Michael has already informed me of this man and assures me that he is no threat. I’m sorry, Richard, but finding and eliminating the Aqua Virus is much more important than your fears. So, unless Omnius does prove himself dangerous, I ask that you keep this knowledge to yourself. The government has too much on their plate to contemplate about the possibility of magic returning to the UK.

The playback ends, and the hologram changes back to Matthew’s chosen form. Richard was not at all pleased with the response. Part of him can understand what Chase is saying. He agreed that the Aqua Virus must remain their first priority, but the fact that Chaos Man has a mentor who can use magic – a lost art that hadn’t been seen or used for many years – is not something that can be ignored. Magic is supposed to be extinct. Those who practice it were a danger to society. If it were ever to return, even more chaos would rain down upon Great Britain.

Richard: (he sighs) I figured Chase would prioritise the words of his son over mine… Anything else to report?

Matthew: In more pleasant news, you’ll be pleased to know that the infected personnel have all been cleared and, of course, have been given time off with pay. Aegis is still in the dark about Project Leda, and I have erased all footage of the Aqua Virus’s imprisonment within our laboratories.

Richard: Good. And what of Alice’s condition?

Matthew: Doctor Vespa is still running tests on her.

Richard: That’s what you said the last time I asked! I’m sick of pacing the floor while I wait! I’m going down to Floor 27 to see for myself.

Matthew: I do not think that is wise, sir.

Richard: I don’t care what you think, Matthew! You’re an AI!

He shouted as he stormed impatiently out of the office, ignoring the confused looks of his employees. He got into the elevator and rode it down to the 27th floor.

Meanwhile, in the Special Projects lab, Adrian is stressing out over the latest test results he’d gotten from the Alice clone, who is currently lying unconscious back in the Cellular Regenerator pod she was birthed from. She hadn’t woken up once since she’d gotten possessed by the Aqua Virus, hence the head scientist’s stress. His antennae twitching in response to his emotions.

He is pacing the floor, muttering to himself, sounding anxious and worried about how Richard will respond to the results.

Dr Wasp: Oh god, oh god, oh god! Thi- this is really bad! Grrr! Why can’t I figure it out?! “Smartest man alive”, my ass! If I couldn’t do what my predecessor did successfully, what fucking good is that title?!

Underneath his lab coat, he can feel his insect wings twitching in response to his emotions. The situation was really starting to get to him now, to the point he couldn’t form full, straight sentences.

Dr Wasp: I need to s – zzzzzzz – save her! I gave Richard my word I would! I thought the Aqua Virus – zzzzzzz – was – zzzzzzz – the key! But I… I underestimated its ability to grow and evolve exponentially faster than I previous – zzzzzzz – ly calculated!

With each buzzing utterance, his wings increased in rhythm underneath his lab coat, straining the fabric, begging to stretch outwards and flap naturally. Adrian clutches the sides of his head, gritting his teeth like he was having a painful headache.

Dr Wasp: No! No no no no no! Matthew, quick! Put on some relaxing ambience!

Matthew: Which track would you like-

Dr Wasp: ANYTHING, I DON’T CARE! As long as it's calming! QUICKLY!!!!

Matthew acknowledges his request and searches through UTube to find a compilation of calming background music with video footage of wild sea life swimming around the beautiful blue depths of the ocean with huge coral reefs filling the environment.

Dr Wasp: ANYTHING THAT ISN’T RELATED TO WATER!!!

He shouted. Matthew complies and quickly switches out the video of the ocean with something that was exactly the opposite. A video of a vast, empty desert – with a few cacti thrown in – at night appeared on the computer screen. The night sky was full of shining stars and an aurora borealis.

Adrian takes a couple of deep, long breaths as he takes in the peaceful tunes of a piano and a few violins playing along with the desert video. He can feel his thoughts calming down and his body responding to the sounds of relaxation. His antennae ceased twitching, and his wings fell still under his coat. Adrian leaned back in his chair and laid his head back as he casually spun around, glancing at the screen with each passing second.

Dr Wasp: Phew, that was much too close. Any seconds later and I would’ve-

It was at this moment that Richard burst through the doors, startling him out of his train of thought and rudely interrupting his moment of relaxation. Richard noticed what was on the screen, but he didn’t bother asking about it. His focus was on his daughter’s body lying in the pod in front of him.

Adrian immediately gets up from his chair, straightens his uniform and puts his professional mask back on, trying to cover up his moment of vulnerability in front of his superior. Fortunately, Richard is more focused on Alice than on him, placing his left hand atop the glass.

Dr Wasp: Richard, I wasn’t informed of your arrival.

Richard: And since when did I need permission to roam about my own company?!

He raised his voice at Adrian unintentionally. Once he realised his mistake, he took a calming breath and apologised.

Richard: … I’m sorry, Adrian. I’m still stressed out over the disaster we suffered yesterday.

Dr Wasp: You and me both, sir.

Richard: How did that thing manage to escape?! You assured me that nothing could escape the cage.

Dr Wasp: It didn’t. At least not by itself… I’ve been looking through the video footage of its first appearance in New London, its battle with Chaos Man and Michael Mercer, as well as its second appearance in Hyde Park… As I mentioned previously, this creature shares the same chaos energy signature as Chaos Man. By absorbing his emerald, it can evolve and adapt to a stronger form than before, just as water generally adapts to any environment. It even managed to develop its own anti-freeze to counteract Michael’s ice sword.

Richard: What does this have to do with Alice or the employees under its control?

Dr Wasp: Human beings are 60% water, which makes them the perfect puppets for that thing. By taking some of its water and using it to clone Alice, it established a kind of psychic link between them, taking control of her and spreading the infection to anyone in close proximity. Evolution is the nature of the Aqua Virus. And now that it has two emeralds, I estimate it will continue to evolve at an even faster rate.

Richard: Why didn’t you tell me this before?!

Dr Wasp: Because you never gave me an opportunity to study it! You ordered me to begin the cloning process immediately without any time to figure out if my theories were correct.

Richard groans in frustration. Of course, Adrian was right. He was impatient, so he couldn’t fault him for how things turned out. He knew deep down that Adrian was doing everything in his power to bring his daughter back. But not even he could perform miracles.

Switching the topic and his attention back to Alice, Richard calmly speaks up.

Richard: …Just tell me if she’s going to be alright?

Dr Wasp: Her vital signs remain stable, so she’s alive. However, she has entered a comatose state that I do not know if she’ll wake up from… My scanners confirmed that she’s free of the Aqua Virus like the others. But until she wakes up, we won’t know if there’s any damage to the brain.

Richard gently lowers his head onto the glass and closes his eyes, expressing fear and regret that he may lose his daughter all over again. He almost lost himself when he first received the news of her death. Seeing her die a second time may shatter his psyche.

What’s worse, his wife, Felicia, has been growing concerned about his longer hours at the company. Even now, his phone vibrated in his trouser pocket. Richard didn’t need to take it out to know it was her. He isn’t ready to confront her on what they’ve really been doing at the company since the funeral. Adrian’s insect eyes look at the phone in his pocket. He can see the light shining through the fabric. His eyes then focus on his cybernetic arm, only now noticing the damage it sustained from yesterday’s attack.

Dr Wasp: Richard, your arm’s damaged.

Richard: Oh? Yeah. It happened yesterday when Chaos Man’s mentor pushed us into the bushes. Must’ve fallen on it.

Dr Wasp: I can repair it no problem, sir. In fact, I’ve almost finished working on your upgrade.

Richard: My arm is not your priority; my daughter is! Focus on reviving her first.

Dr Wasp: I- As you wish, sir. But at least let me repair your current arm. It’ll only take a few minutes.

Richard rolls his eyes and removes his jacket, tie and shirt, exposing his bare chest. He was in surprisingly good shape for a man of his age who spends most of his time sitting at a desk. But the most notable part of his body that he and Adrian couldn’t help but stare at was the scars across his chest and right shoulder. It looked like he had been mauled by a large claw, too big to be from any kind of wild animal, hinting at how he lost his original arm.

He disconnects his damaged prosthetic arm from the socket connected to his shoulder wound and hands it to Adrian, who sets it down carefully on the counter to his left. Richard quickly puts his shirt, tie and jacket back on, tucking the shirt into his trousers, straightening his tie and smoothing out his jacket to the best of his ability with only one arm. Adrian had to help him out with the tie. Richard glanced down at his most trusted partner, and a tiny smile crept onto his face.

Richard: … Adrian, I know you are doing the best that you can for her… Perhaps I ask too much of you sometimes.

Dr Wasp: Not at all, sir. Ever since you took me in, I have dedicated myself and my genius to you and the betterment of mankind… As frustrating as certain times are, part of me enjoys the challenge. As a man of science, I always seek out problems deemed impossible to solve… Richard, you trusted me with the life of your daughter, and I am still determined to do whatever it takes to bring her back.

Richard’s smile grew a little bigger in response to his kind words. Hard to believe the kind of man Adrian grew up to be. When he refused to be a part of is corporate empire the first time he met, claiming that he didn’t need to prove his worth to a man like him. Now he is dedicating all his time and intellect to pull off a seemingly impossible task.

This all helped improve Richard’s mood. But until he’s given the chance to hold Alice in his arms again and tell her how much he loves her, he tries not to get his hopes up too high. For now, he should direct some of that love towards his wife, who is waiting for him to get back home.

Richard: Adrian, I’m going to take off early. You’re in charge of things until I return.

Dr Wasp: As you wish, Mister Magna. Take care of yourself and Felicia.

Richard: And you take care of my daughter.

He uttered with a hint of hope in his voice before leaving the lab, much calmer than when he entered. As soon as he was gone, Adrian exhaled and slumped back into his office chair, casually spinning around in a circle as he dealt with the conflicting thoughts racing through his head.

He hadn’t told Richard about the latest test results. He was too scared to give Richard any more bad news on top of the huge pile of problems he’s having to deal with now. The cost to repair all the damage to Magna Tech, lawsuits against the employees and citizens caught up in the Aqua Virus’s attack, the knowledge of a Sorcerer returning to the public eye after magic had been dormant for centuries, his wife, and much more. It was all too much for one man to juggle. As gifted and resourceful as Richard is, not even he can handle everything.

Doctor Wasp glances over at the clipboard he hid under stacks of paper and gives it another look-over, making sure the results are the same and that he didn’t misread it. Unfortunately, he didn’t. They are the same.

Dr Wasp: What am I gonna do?! The latest blood tests I got back from Alice have shown that the cloning process has proven unstable! She’s… She’s not going to come back from this… Unless… No! (He lets out a deep sigh) … This could backfire greatly, but I have no other choice.

Adrian drops the clipboard back onto the table, reaches into his pocket and pulls out his MagnaPhone. He dials an unknown number and places the phone to his ear, awaiting the contact to pick up. He didn’t have to wait long for they answered almost instantly.

Dr Wasp: Hello again… Listen closely, I have a very important job for you.

For as long as Adrian Vespa can remember, he was always viewed and described by others as “gifted” with his fierce intelligence, rivalled only by some of the greatest minds that preceded him, such as Albert Einstein, Issac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci and Nikola Tesla. But intelligence can be a double-edged sword. Some people can be amazed by it; others feel inferior to the genius in the room. And there are those who fear it.

February 8th, 1988, was the date Adrian was born into the world. From the very moment he opened his eyes, gazing up at his mother, he seemed like any ordinary baby. But the moment he opened his mouth for the first time, that’s when his entire world would change.

Baby Adrian: … Mother?

He was just born, and he already spoke his first word. He said “Mother”. Not Mummy, Mama, or Mum. Mother. Both she and the doctors and nurses who helped her deliver him were shocked by this discovery. Normally, it takes an infant somewhere between 9 and 12 months to say their first meaningful word, yet Adrian spoke his in less than a minute.

Granted, Adrian willingly chose to remain silent after that, sensing the disturbing effect he inflicted on everyone in this room. But it was already too late. They had just witnessed another historical moment.

Five years later, the year was 1993. Adrian and his mother lived in a small house in a town called Chepstow in Wales. They originally lived in the centre of London but were forced to move after a tragic loss: the death of Adrian’s father. It had greatly affected his mother’s mental state. She could no longer work as a professor at London Imperial College.

Adrian, however, failed to see the logic in mourning the death of a man who was never there for him, nor was present for his birth. He never knew his father; thus, he has no emotional attachment to him.

As he grew up, Adrian’s intelligence continued to grow exponentially. He was speaking long, eloquent sentences at the age of 2. At age 3, he was reading quantum physics books, books way too advanced for children his age. At age 4, he mastered the strategic game of chess, even managing to win a few games against experienced adults.

His mother couldn’t go a single day without people singing praise of her child and telling her how proud of him she must be. But the truth was, she was torn between being proud and being infuriated that her own child was smarter than she was, just like his father. It often felt like she was seeing her late husband in him. Always taking charge of complicated things around the house and expressing how easy it was for him, and even the simplest of people can figure it out with a little thought.

Things weren’t going well at the primary school either. Adrian went to a normal public school, and it was clear to everyone that he didn’t belong there. While some kids spent their time drawing funny pictures on the playground, Adrian was drawing advanced math equations. When they were playing football together, Adrian was building a sculpture of a DNA strand out of tiny pebbles he found on the ground.

All the other children his age kept their distance from him, thinking he was a weirdo or a nerd. However, there was one child: a little ginger girl with pigtails, freckles all over her face and big brown eyes behind a large pair of round glasses. She was the only one who willingly chose to approach Adrian and say “Hi” instead of calling him names like the other kids who passed by him.

Little Girl: Um, hi, Adrian.

Adrian briefly looks up to see who is addressing him before returning his gaze to a caterpillar cocoon hanging from a tiny branch of the bush in front of him. He doesn’t answer the girl, not even with a low grunt. The girl suddenly felt awkward around him and tried to keep the conversation going with a question.

Little Girl: Whatcha doin’?

Young Adrian: Just studying this amazing metamorphic process. It is due any second now.

Little Girl: Okay… The bell’s gonna ring soon. Don’t you want to play with us?

Young Adrian: Hmm, no.

He answers simply without taking his brown eyes off the cocoon.

Little Girl: Come on, it’ll be fun! (She points to the other children) See? Everybody’s laughing and having a good time.

Young Adrian: I find all their laughter to be highly illogical.

Little Girl: Well, let’s stop laughing and start playing-

Adrian shuts her up by placing his index finger over her lips. He required peace and quiet, for he was witnessing the emergence of the butterfly from its cocoon, spreading its bright blue wings for the very first time. To Adrian, it was a glorious moment he was fortunate to witness. But the girl could not understand what the big deal was.

Young Adrian: Look at her. Truly fascinating. A new graceful, stoic creature of beauty has emerged into this world.

Little Girl: Those are some big words there, Adrian. I’ve never heard you use them before.

Young Adrian: Nonsense. My vocabulary is infinitely expanding.

Little Girl: Well then, let's “expand” our playtime before class starts.

The girl encouraged him as she started running in circles around him, acting like an aeroplane. Adrian rolled his eyes at her lack of intellect and continued to study the butterfly as it began to take flight. When the girl was getting dangerously close to running into the butterfly, Adrian quickly stood up and blocked her way, causing her to bump into him. The two children fell onto the grass in the vast football field. But Adrian didn’t care as long as the butterfly remained unharmed.

Little Girl: Hey! Why did you do that?!

Young Adrian: You were approximately 3.37 inches away from stepping on this newborn butterfly… If you insist on playing, you have a large quantity of field to run around in. You can “play” without disturbing its delicate ecosystem. It is wrong to harm nature in such a barbaric manner.

Said Adrian in a deadpan-sounding voice as he got up, gently dusted the grass and dirt off his school uniform and started walking away, leaving the girl utterly confused.

Little Girl: Ooookay?

Was all she muttered as she got up again. She’s not sure why, but she still decided to follow Adrian, showing an interest in him. Unfortunately, Adrian didn’t feel the same way. While all the other children continued to spend their break time having fun, Adrian simply wandered around the field, admiring the beauty and fragility of nature.

The girl was starting to get bored and annoyed with Adrian wasting her time like this when she could literally be doing something else anywhere else. Yet her stubbornness in trying to get Adrian to have fun as a normal kid persists. Maybe she felt she needed to do this because she felt bad that Adrian had no friends. Though part of her was starting to understand why.

Little Girl: C’mon, Adrian, let's do something really fun! Anything you like!

That seemed to have sparked a positive reaction in Adrian, who immediately turned around and addressed her in a more excited tone of voice.

Young Adrian: Oh? You want to run some statistics? Or observe phenomenon and render a hypothesis of said phenomenon?

Little Girl: Uhhhhh no. I was thinking more like playing tag or hide-and-seek.

And just like that, Adrian’s expression shifted back to his usual stoic and bored self. He crossed his arms with disappointment. She clearly said, “anything he found fun”, yet she went ahead and suggested things she found fun. What was even the point of asking him what he liked?

Young Adrian: Doesn’t sound like fun… Sorry, Ellie, but I’m afraid break time is almost over, and class is about to begin in 3, 2, 1…

The school bell rings out all over the playground and football field, timing it perfectly to Adrian’s calculations, making him feel good about himself.

Young Adrian: I bid you adieu.

He starts making his way towards the school building, slipping his bag over his right shoulder. A now-frustrated Ellie stomps her foot and reluctantly follows, feeling stupid for wasting her precious playtime trying to befriend a boy who clearly has no desire for friendships.

The final lesson of the day was music class. All the students were handed specific musical instruments for the lesson ranging from woodwinds, brass and string instruments. Adrian was handed a violin. Music was a subject Adrian found to be just as fascinating as chemistry and biology. He was sitting in the front row of the classroom, paying attention to the music teacher, who was performing a demonstration of the piece of classical music he wanted the class to practice together as a group. The students all applauded their teacher, thinking he performed well. But not Adrian. He thought it was mediocre at best.

Music Teacher: Now then, can anyone tell me the name of the piece I’ve demon-

Adrian already had his hand up before he could even have a chance to finish his sentence.

Music Teacher: Yes, Adrian?

Young Adrian: I recognise that piece anywhere. Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor.

Music Teacher: Very good, Adrian! You are correct… For today’s lesson, everybody will be practising that score with the instruments I have provided for you.

Young Adrian: If we are going to replicate that piece, I do not think it wise to follow your example.

Adrian spoke up, interrupting the teacher. The whole class gasped at Adrian, shocked that he would rudely interrupt the teacher like that.

Music Teacher: Excuse me?

Young Adrian: It is a beautiful piece, though your execution needs some work. May I suggest that on the seventh bar of the adagio andante, you add a little fortissimo on the arpeggiated B-flat scale.

The entire class was stunned by Adrian’s eloquent way of speaking. Many of the kids had absolutely no idea what he was saying. The music teacher was beyond speechless. He had been studying music for years in college and had played in a band for seven years before becoming a teacher. Yet he was being outclassed by a five-year-old boy.

Music Teacher: Wow… I-I never thought to do it like that.

Young Adrian: Well, that is because you rarely think.

Everyone gasps again. They couldn’t believe what they’d just heard. Adrian just insulted a teacher to his face. Some of the boys in the back started chuckling at the teacher’s shocked expression, triggering an angry response.

Music Teacher: Pipe down!

He raised his voice at the back of the class, instantly shutting up the laughing students. The infuriated teacher slowly turned his attention back to Adrian and ordered him to get up from his desk and pick up his violin, carrying a hint of malice in his voice when he asked him to perform the piece in front of everyone. If he truly thinks he’s better than him, a professional musician, then he can go ahead and prove it.

And Adrian does just that. He casually stands up in front of the class and performs the symphony with his violin. The Teacher was preparing himself for a smirk, expecting Adrian to succumb to his nerves and put that child in his place. But instead, the opposite occurred.

Adrian flawlessly played the violin with such precision and grace that it stunned the classroom into silence. He wasn’t just good; he was exceptional. The ease with which he dragged the strings along the violin showed how skilled he was with the instrument. He was so good that some of the teachers from the other classrooms paused their lectures so they could peek inside the music room and watch him. “Wow, he’s amazing”, the music teacher heard one of his colleagues mutter to the other. He clenched his fists in anger, feeling even more humiliated by this obnoxious child genius.

Music Teacher: Stop! Enough!

He shouted angrily, forcing Adrian to cease playing and glance up at him with confusion. Why did he make him stop? he wondered. He thought he was doing a good job.

Music Teacher: Sit back down, Adrian! You have made it clear how much you know about music.

Young Adrian: I fail to understand why this is displeasing to you. Mastering a piece of music is no harder than solving a remedial equation. A creative outlet provides a spiritual release and helps facilitate a healthy mental balance. Even the simplest of primates can figure it out with a little thought.

Music Teacher: What do you mean by that, child?!

Young Adrian: No need for hostility, Mister White. I am merely suggesting that you lack the ability to solve a few tweaking issues when you claimed to have mastered that specific piece. Music is an art, and like art, it cannot be rushed.

Music Teacher: Are you saying I’m stupid?!

Young Adrian: I’d use a more sophisticated word like “impaired”.

Music Teacher: I think you’d better leave!

Said the teacher venomously through gritted teeth.

Young Adrian: I was only trying to help.

Music Teacher: I don’t need your kind of help, Mister Know-it-all! Now get out of my classroom!

Adrian shrugs off his angry response and packs up his books and organised pencils on his desk into his bag before leaving the classroom, clueless as to why the teacher was lashing out at him for simply pointing out the tiny flaws in his demonstration. His job as a teacher is to teach the next generation the importance of reality to help them get by in life when they grow up. He often felt like he was in a zoo full of dumb monkeys compared to him. He can’t help being smarter than the rest of them. It’s just how he was born.

After school had ended and all the students were permitted to return home, Adrian instead found himself sitting outside the headmaster’s office. His mother was called in to talk with him about her son’s behaviour and how much it was affecting the rest of the school.

His mother was sitting nervously in the chair opposite the headmaster’s desk, fidgeting with the ends of her cardigan as she waited for Headmaster Filch – as it says on his desk placard – to finish reading through some documents before addressing the elephant in the room, or rather, outside of it.

Headmaster Filch: I’m certain you know why I called you in here, Miss Vespa.

Adrian’s Mother: Mm. It’s because of my son. You said there were some “disturbances” today.

Headmaster Filch: Your boy is… different, Miss Vespa. I have been looking through his IQ charts since he first enrolled at Chepstow Primary School. Genius doesn’t describe how smart he is…

He picks up one of the documents and shows it to her. It is a chart showing Adrian’s IQ levels throughout the months of Year 1. The red line on the graph only went up with each passing month.

Headmaster Filch: This graph shows how much his intelligence has been growing throughout his first year. By the end of Year 1, he has surpassed the intelligence of a 6th-year student.

He then puts the chart down and shows her the next one, showing a graph of his intelligence for Year 2. This time the red line was going up much higher than the first.

Headmaster Filch: Since then, it’s tripled! His IQ is 115!

Adrian’s Mother: Um, is that… good?

Headmaster Filch: That’s the average IQ of a college student!

He expressed in a shocked tone of voice. He was also shocked that his mother wasn’t more expressive about this discovery. Never in all his years of running this school had he encountered a student who was smart enough to surpass secondary school students. Adrian was so smart that he could give Stephen Hawking a run for his money.

Adrian’s Mother: I don’t understand. You said he was in trouble, yet you’re speaking so highly of him?

Headmaster Filch: I was getting to that… As intelligent as Adrian is, he is having difficulty adjusting to a regular school environment. He doesn’t socialise with the other students. He often insults their intelligence, claiming that they are “so slow”. And not just students; even teachers were mocked for their lack of intelligence. During music class, he called the teacher a flawed musician and embarrassed him in front of the whole class. Mister White threatened to quit if I didn’t punish your son.

Adrian’s Mother: Goodness.

Headmaster Filch: And that was but one incident. Yesterday in science, he went so far as to teach the class himself because he saw the teacher as incompetent and feared the students wouldn’t properly learn under her. Another incident during gym class: he said, and I quote, “Gym class is pointless, and I fail to see the obsession with kicking balls into nets like some neanderthal” … I don’t think he understands how to behave like a human being, Miss Vespa.

Adrian’s Mother: Now you listen here! My son is not a robot! He just has a… unique way of seeing the world, that’s all.

Headmaster Filch: Regardless, I’m afraid we cannot permit him to continue attending this school. We simply do not have the means of keeping up with his ever-growing intelligence. He’s gonna have to go to a special school for more “gifted” students. Like this place.

The headmaster slides a pamphlet across his desk for an advanced school known as Alderman Knight School for special children. Adrian’s mother gasps and stands up from her chair in shock, noticing the admission price.

Adrian’s Mother: I-I can’t afford this?! I work a minimum wage job at my local market!

Headmaster Filch: Well, I don’t know what else to tell you, other than we can’t allow Adrian to return here. Our school is not for him, and he must pursue his education elsewhere… You and your son can go now, Miss Vespa. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.

Adrian’s Mother: … Yeah, me too.

She mumbles under her breath as she slowly rises from her seat and takes the pamphlet, putting it in her purse before exiting the office more upset than when she came in.

Adrian was about to ask her if everything was alright, only to be silenced by her raising her hand, telling him not to speak until they were home. She had had enough of her son and his annoying intellect.

Things only worsened when they returned to their home in their quiet little town. All Miss Vespa wanted was to sit down in her chair, watch some TV and not have to think about what happened today. She didn’t want to worry about the future today, just sit back and relax. But she wasn’t even permitted to do that. Her show was being drowned out by the sound of a piano playing upstairs. She tried to drown it out by turning up the volume on the TV, but the music still managed to be the loudest.

She groaned frustratingly and got up from her chair, storming upstairs to Adrian’s room to tell him to turn it down. She barged in without knocking and entered Adrian’s room. His room was nothing like what one would imagine a typical child’s bedroom to be. His walls were painted a dull grey, and so was his carpet. The room contained a single bed with all-white bedding, a side table with a small lamp and an old alarm clock.

Adrian is at his desk looking through his microscope, performing experiments on insect larvae, dissecting them to see what they looked like on the inside. All around him on his desk and on his shelves, he had jars full of different kinds of insects, such as a praying mantis, a tarantula, a dragonfly, crickets, and wasps. Most people, including his mother, see insects as gross and wouldn’t hesitate to step on them. But Adrian always admired them. Human society has existed for thousands of years. But insect societies have existed for millions of years. Before men-built skyscrapers, ant colonies built their own cities underground. Before humans fought in wars against themselves and Elementals, ants and termites fought in wars for their own survival and territory, sometimes in people’s back gardens.

It is all quite fascinating to the young boy. Too bad he was alone on the subject. His mother, feeling grossed out by the number of live bugs in his room, tells Adrian to pause the classical music he has playing on his boombox and stop whatever he was doing so she can have a talk with him.

Adrian’s Mother: Adrian, we need to talk.

Young Adrian: About what, Mother? I was in the middle of a very important experiment.

Adrian’s Mother: Do you have any idea what you have done today?!

Young Adrian: The school has finally come to their senses and realised that I am too smart to continue going there. They wish for you to enrol me in a more advanced school, one that can comprehend my intellect.

Adrian’s Mother: The only problem is I can’t afford to send you to that school! I’d have to get a second job – maybe three – just to pay the entry fee! I’d be spending even more time working and less time here!

Young Adrian: You mean less time sitting around doing nothing? I fail to see how doing more work and earning more money can be perceived as a bad thing.

Adrian’s Mother: Grrr, of course you don’t! You never think about the well-being of others, just yourself!

She suddenly shouted at him, startling Adrian and some of the insects he kept. She didn’t mean to lash out, but with all the stress that she’s been forced to deal with, on top of the stress of having to change schools, it was understandable why she lost it.

Young Adrian: Mother? Why are you shouting at me?

He asked with a hint of fear in his voice. He’d never seen his mother like this before. She was usually calm and collected and often left him to his own devices whenever they were at home together. But now she was looking at him as if she despised him for who he was.

Her anger then started to turn into sadness. Tears built up under her eyes before she dropped to her knees and cried into her hands.

Adrian’s Mother: … Why can’t you just be normal?

She murmured under her breath without removing her face from her hands.

Adrian’s Mother: Other kids your age would think about playing outside with their friends, playing video games, watching cartoons, and other stuff. But you don’t do any of that! I’m not qualified to raise a genius! I just- I… I wish that… you were normal.

Coming from his own mother, that hurt. Far worse than all the pushing and beatings he’d received from his bullies at school. Adrian lowers his head and trembles, trying not to express his pain and sadness in front of her. But he failed to grasp what she was saying about being “normal”. Expressing emotion is part of being human, yet Adrian’s ever-growing brain can only think about how illogical it is.

Young Adrian: I’m sorry I was such a disappointment to you… Am I the reason you are suffering from depression?

His mother slowly lifts her head from her palms, looking up at her son with a tear-stained face. She can’t muster the courage to speak, not even to deny his claim. She just remained frozen, glaring at him for a few minutes before finally getting back up, turning around slowly, and leaving the room without another word.

Adrian sat back in his chair, waiting for the sounds of her faint footsteps to fade out before slamming his head down hard onto his desk, vibrating the wood and rattling the jars, startling the insects. But the throbbing pain in his forehead cannot compare to the emotional pain he received from his mother. He never asked to be born this way; it’s just how he came out. He is surrounded by knowledge and yet has no room for others. Nobody to share it with.

He then started crying into his sleeves, exclaiming out loud about why he’s so different. Up until now, he didn’t see himself as different, yet everyone at school treats him as such, including the teachers. Now his own mother doesn’t love him for who he is, he thought. All that intelligence, yet he doesn’t know what to do to fix things. If only there was something he could do.

A couple of days have passed since Adrian’s expulsion. Today was a nice sunny Saturday afternoon. School was out for the day and the next. Children were outside playing football, riding their bikes, or hanging out at playgrounds. But not Adrian. He was outside, but playing was the last thing on his mind.

His mother’s mental health regarding the expensive new school she needed to send her son to was taking a massive toll on her. Through the living room window, Adrian could see her sitting in her chair, staring blankly at the wall, not even paying attention to what was currently on the TV. The look on her face was blank and emotionless, like she was mentally and spiritually exhausted. She didn’t even bother coming into work today, claiming she was sick, which isn’t too far off.

Adrian lowers his head and sits down cross-legged on the grass in his front garden. His eyes are focused on a few honeybees buzzing around the tiny flowers hidden among the grass, collecting nectar and spreading pollen from flower to flower. It was his only source of entertainment outdoors. Even if the other children invited him to play with them, he’d never fit in with them.

He spent the whole day sitting there watching them until nightfall. He was so invested in watching the bees doing what they were created to do that he lost track of time. The life of an insect can be both simple and complicated at the same time, similar to a human. Their only goals are to breed, build their colonies bigger and survive. But life has many problems thrown at them. Invading rivals, predators, humans destroying everything they built just because they’re big and can.

Two looming shadows slowly creep into his field of vision, causing the bees to scatter. Adrian looks up to see who was responsible. Standing on the pavement before him were two adults, a man and a woman, dressed in all-black suits with black sunglasses. Both had blonde hair, but the man’s was shorter and slicked back, while the woman’s was down to her shoulders. She also wore a black skirt and heels.

Strange Man: Rough day, huh, kid?

Young Adrian: Who are you?

Strange Woman: We’re just two citizens concerned about a child being outside unsupervised, that’s all.

Young Adrian: You two are too nicely dressed to be ordinary citizens, and I know everybody on this street. I have never seen either of you before. You look like members of the Men in Black.

The man and woman chuckle in response. The man then reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a couple of photographs. He kneels to the boy’s eye level and presents them to him. Adrian’s eyes widen a little when he sees that they are photos of drawings of various complicated math equations he drew all over the school playground.

Strange Man: You drew these, didn’t you?

Young Adrian: How did you know about those?

Strange Woman: Your school’s headmaster called the police, who informed the MI5.

The woman and her partner pull out a MI5 badge with their names and faces on it and show it to Adrian. But he didn’t get a proper look at what their names were, only catching their faces and the big letters that spell out MI5.

Strange Man: You are a genius, Adrian Vespa.

Young Adrian: You know my name?

Strange Woman: We read through your file; that’s how we found you. We know a lot about you, Adrian.

Young Adrian: Doesn’t sound suspicious or creepy at all.

Strange Man: We’ve also learned that your mother is suffering from depression and is having some major financial troubles. What if we told you we can help with that?

Young Adrian: I’d say, what’s the catch?

Strange Woman: The catch is that you must come with us to our top-secret facility and use your gifted intelligence to help save a lot of lives. Every day we have been scouring the planet, looking for the brightest minds among the generations. And never had we encountered one who sketched the Navier-Stokes Equations onto a primary school’s playground in under an hour… You are truly special, Adrian. Your intellect could save millions of lives. And your mother will be compensated for her troubles. She won’t have to worry about paying for that expensive school anymore if you agree to come with us.

Strange Man: So, what do you say, Adrian? Are you ready to leave this primitive life behind and come with us to our facility? You’ll be working alongside other great scientific minds too. It’ll be nice to interact with people more your speed, wouldn’t it?

Adrian was conflicted about whether he should agree to their proposal or not. It is logical to use his intellect for good and help take the stress off his mother’s shoulders. But they are still two completely random strangers who showed up out of nowhere and offered to take him away from his home and mother. Not going with them would also be logical.

But then he thought about the pain and misery he was causing his poor mother, and his guilt overruled all reason and logic. He may not understand how to express himself as a person, but that never meant he didn’t care about his mother. She raised him to the best of her abilities and eventually cracked under pressure. He owed it to her to give her peace.

Young Adrian: … I shall accept your offer, on one condition.

Strange Man: And that is?

Young Adrian: You give me the freedom to leave the facility whenever I please and allow me to visit my mother every now and then.

Strange Woman: That is all? Sorry we gave you the impression that you were going to be a prisoner, Adrian. That wasn’t our intention… You are free to leave whenever you want. Now then, let us depart.

Young Adrian: Wait. I wish to say goodbye to my mother first.

The two agents turn to each other, looking very serious, before returning their attention to Adrian.

Strange Woman: Of course. Allow me to accompany you and explain the situation to her.

Young Adrian: That won’t be necessary. I am perfectly capable of explaining the situation- Ow!

While Adrian was focused on the female agent, the male agent had pulled out a syringe containing some kind of drug and injected it straight into the side of Adrian’s neck. The young boy only had seconds to react to the painful jab before the effect started to kick in. His sense of sight and sound were becoming static and blurry, and he could feel his legs giving out under him. Before he could respond, he was out like a light. His limp, unconscious body fell into the man’s arms.

Strange Man: He’s out. Long enough until we get back to LOST.

Strange Woman: Get him in the van; I’ll handle Miss Vespa.

The woman’s partner complies and picks the small boy up in his arms. His weight was no issue for him, given how skinny Adrian was. He carries him down the driveway to a black, unregistered van parked outside the house under cover of night and puts Adrian in the back. Nobody was around; the street was completely silent, with only the faint hum of the streetlamps providing ambience. Nobody seemed to suspect a thing.

The female agent approaches the front door and rings the doorbell. Behind her back, she held a pistol with a silencer on the barrel, impatiently tapping her index finger against the side as she waited for the mother to come and open it. She could hear his mother on the other side, shouting at him for being out too late and expressing her worry for his safety. It’ll be the last thing she ever says.

Adrian’s Mother: Adrian! Do you know what time it is?! You should’ve been back hours ago- huh? Who are you-

Adrian’s mother wasn’t given the privilege of finishing her final words, as the moment she opened the door was the instant the woman fired a silent bullet straight to her head, killing her in one shot. Her body fell backwards and hit the carpeted floor hard. The woman nonchalantly put her silent pistol back into her handbag after putting the safety back on. Her partner rushed back to her side and helped her move the body out of sight and dumped it in the back of the van with Adrian before anyone noticed. They’d rather not have to kill anybody curious enough to catch them in the act.

The male agent puts on a pair of surgeon's gloves before entering the house. He goes into the kitchen and switches on the oven, turning the knob up to the maximum temperature and opening it wide. He then switches on the gas burners on top all the way before racing out of the house as fast as he can.

As soon as he was in the passenger seat, the van drove off as fast as it could, getting clear of the house before it exploded.

It didn’t take long for the oven to get hot enough to ignite the gas burners and trigger an explosion that consumed most of the house in a violent burst of flames. By the time the neighbourhood responded to the explosion and called 999, the two agents were far from the scene of the crime.

The male agent looks back at the two bodies in the back, one alive and one dead, making sure Adrian is still sleeping. There was no need to check if his mother was actually dead. The precise, clean bullet hole in her skull was all the confirmation he needed.

The male agent then pulled out his radio and contacted their superiors as his partner drove onto the motorway into the night.

Strange Man: The package is secured, sir. We’re en route to LOST now.

Mysterious Boss: Excellent. He will prove most useful to our organisation in time… Have there been any complications?

Strange Man: We’ve had to terminate the boy’s mother. We feared his desire to visit her frequently would jeopardise the projects.

Mysterious Boss: Dispose of the body first, then bring the boy to me. I will see to it he forgets all about her… When I’m done with him, he won’t remember anything about his old life.

Strange Man: Understood, sir. Over and out.

He switches off his radio and turns to his partner.

Strange Man: I still don’t understand how the boss manages to persuade the subjects to forget everything about their past lives. You ever see how it's done?

Strange Woman: No, but it isn’t our job to question the boss’s methods. All that matters is we ensure Adrian uses his gift to serve us well in the long run… A war is coming, and we’ll need all the top-tier minds in the world working for us.

The two agents continue driving down the highway for an hour and a half before turning right down a country road. From there, they continue until they turn right again into a dark, off-road path that leads them deep into a thick, dark forest.

Strange Man: So, the usual place?

The woman nods as she pulls up on the side of a large riverbank. They both exit the van and drag Miss Vespa’s body out of the back and carry her over to the edge of the water. On the count of three, they throw her body into the water. They wait for a few minutes to make sure the body has completely submerged, out of sight and out of mind.

Strange Man: Goodbye, Miss Vespa.

Strange Woman: We’ll be sure to take good care of your son. We have very big plans for him.

She says ominously as she and her partner watch what’s left of Adrian’s mother sink completely into the cold, grimy river, never to be seen again.

To Be Continued