Chapter 30– DOCTOR WASP PART 3
The next morning, Adrian’s eyes slowly flicker open. He quickly notices a blanket over him, and his back feels cold against the metal table beneath him. He tries to sit upright to assess his situation, but his body is aching all over like he’d been hit by a truck. He grins and bears it as he looks around, soon realising he’s not in his lab anymore.
He was placed in a dimly lit morgue with grimy brick walls, aside from the one on his left, which was occupied by drawers where dead bodies are stored. He was sitting atop an examination table where coroners would perform autopsies on the corpses, making them presentable for funerals. There was a chill in the air, sending a shiver up the scientist’s spine. He was all alone in this place, left for dead. The first time he’d left his home in fourteen years, and he ended up in a morgue of all places.
Adrian: Where am I? Hello! Is anyone here?!
He called out as loudly as he could, but there was no response. This confirmed he was alone here. His body still ached like crazy, but Adrian needed to get up and find a way out of here. But as soon as his feet touched the cold, concrete floor, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto it, pulling the blanket over him, covering his exposed, mutated body. Adrian groaned as he carefully picked himself back up again, unaware of the transformation he’d undergone last night.
His memory of the incident was still foggy, but right now he was more focused on finding some clothes and getting out of that dreary place. However, his head started pounding, forcing him to grasp the sides of it and drop to his knees again.
Adrian: Argh! My head! It feels like it's on fire…
The pain started spreading to his eyes, forcing them closed. The pain only lasted a few seconds, fortunately. However, what came next shocked Adrian. His vision had changed. His new eyes were made up of thousands of tiny lenses, just like an insect, and the environment around him appeared mosaic. He could see ultraviolet light shining off the walls, and the room itself didn’t appear so dark to him anymore.
Adrian: W-What is this?
His new eyes slowly gaze down at his hands, where the realisation finally sets in that something had happened to him. He screams with terror at the sight of his yellow hands and claw-like nails.
Adrian: NO!
Panicked, he quickly scans the room until he spots a mirror lying flat on a tray next to a bunch of cutting tools. He snatched it up and took a good long look at his reflection. He can see his own expression of pure horror on his face, trembling at his disgusting appearance. He slowly brought his hand up to his face to feel his skin, which felt rough to the touch, like dragging his fingers along sandpaper. Then he lightly touched the two antennae sticking out of his head. They twitched in response, startling Adrian. They felt very sensitive to his touch.
Adrian: M-my face! It’s been horribly distorted… The wasp!
He muttered as he reflected on the incident last night, remembering the wasp that drank the serum as it got zapped by the laser. How it stung him in the back of the neck. Adrian traces that spot and can feel a sharp pain in the exact spot he got stung. The wasp’s stinger was still lodged in there.
Grabbing a pair of forceps, he gently pulls the stinger out of his neck and brings it up to his face to get a good look at the cause of his suffering. His brain began theorising what exactly happened as he paced the floor.
He soon found in the corner of the room a laundry bin full of old clothes. They smelled foul and were filthy, but Adrian would rather wear old, tattered clothes than walk around naked. He searched through the bin for his clothes or anything that closely resembled the clothes he wore yesterday until he was satisfied, wasting no time putting them on.
But he stopped after putting on his trousers, socks and shoes when he noticed another big change to his body. A good one this time. His muscles have grown bigger. He ignores the black stripes covering his yellow-skinned torso and pokes his own pecs and six-pack abs. He was a skinny man who had no time for exercising before, yet now he has developed a physique of a fitness instructor.
Adrian: How very peculiar… I think I understand what happened. The wasp that stung me had ingested the regeneration serum. The Argon Matrix Laser might’ve genetically fused the properties of the serum with its DNA, causing it to grow in size. When it stung me, it must’ve passed down the serum through its venom, along with its mutated DNA, hence why I look… like this.
He utters in a saddened tone as he placed his hands into his pockets. He finds his recorder in one of the trouser pockets and quickly pulls it out. He rewinds it back to the last log he’d made and pressed play. His own voice emits from the speaker a bit staticky but clear enough to hear his own screams and the crashing of the beakers he knocked over.
He flinched a little when he hears Jennifer’s faint grunts and the sounds of her crying over him. He carried on listening until two new voices arrived.
Male Agent’s Voice: What happened in here?! Get off him, girl!
The faint sound of the male agent pushing Jennifer to the side triggers an angered response from Adrian.
Female Agent’s Voice: Oh god, he’s hideous! … Is he still alive?
Male Agent’s Voice: There’s no pulse… He’s dead!
Female Agent’s Voice: No! He was our most valuable asset! Please tell me he at least completed the serum.
There is a pause before the male agent regretfully utters his response.
Male Agent’s Voice: It looks like he hadn’t… All this time babysitting him, altering his memories, pretending to be his parents! It was all for nothing! Grrr, we should bury him at the bottom of the lake with his mother!
Adrian gasps and almost drops the recorder in response to that shocking revelation. For a while, he questioned whether those agents really were his parents, but now this all but confirms his suspicions. They were nothing to him but his captors.
Female Agent’s Voice: No. We’ll bring him to the morgue. Maybe we can find traces of it in his blood.
Male Agent’s Voice: And then what? Say we do, how do we create it without him?!
Female Agent’s Voice: We’ll find a way. We must. You know what the boss will do to us if we fail him.
Male Agent’s Voice: Yeah, I know… What should we do with the girl?
Female Agent’s Voice: We’ll put her back in her cell until we can harvest the serum from Adrian’s body. If we don’t find anything, terminate her and the other test subjects.
No more words were spoken from that point onwards. Adrian slowly switches off the recorder, pressing his back against the wall. He slides down it with a look of despair on his face as he sits down in defeat. He should’ve known they put him here. It was all too much to process. Every single day of his time at LOST has been a lie. They took him from his mother when he was five, altered his memories, and kept him prisoner, forcing him to build all sorts of weapons for whoever was really in charge of this place.
Something snapped deep within Adrian as his anger began to emerge. He could feel his blood boiling as his fists clenched tightly. Enraged, he punched the wall next to him so hard with great strength he didn’t know he had. His whole fist ended up going through the wall completely. Sunlight enters the morgue through the hole, illuminating the darkened room.
Adrian instinctively panicked and backed away from the light, still under the impression that he was allergic to the sun and the atmosphere outside was radioactive. But he quickly began to realise that his skin wasn’t being burned by the sunlight and the fresh air he breathed that seeped in from the hole wasn’t toxic.
The young scientist slowly stretches out his hand towards the sunbeam, starting with his fingers and then his whole hand. Nothing. No burns or radioactivity. He was completely fine.
Adrian: It was all a lie!
He yelled furiously as he scurried over to the hole to look outside. He wasn’t even underground. He was on the surface on what looked like an ordinary street in a small town. He could see cars driving down the road, people walking their dogs along the pavement, birds chirping as they sat on the weathervanes. There was never any world-ending apocalypse, no Elemental threat, no ruined civilisation. Yet another deception from LOST.
And then, as he gazed out into the open world, all the memories LOST had stolen from him came flooding into his head all at once. Flashes of Adrian’s birth, his days at his old primary school, the times he spent at home, the day he was kidnapped. The one thing they all had in common? His mother. He can see her face in every one of them.
Adrian stumbles backwards from the hole until he hits the wall again, breathing rapidly with his eyes wide open. His whole world came tumbling down now that the truth had sunk in. Those monsters came into his life and abducted him, killed his mother, made him forget her, all so they could use his intelligence for their own selfish desires. Adrian can’t help but wonder how many others they’ve condemned to the same fate as him for the same reasons. Did they do the same to Jennifer too?
Adrian: D-did they… willingly dismember and mutilate her, just to see if the serum would work?!
He whispered to himself, sounding horrified at the thought alone. Just how monstrous can people be to even think of doing something so horrible? In the end, it didn’t really matter. They need to be stopped, he thought. He won’t allow this to go on any longer. He will find a way out of this morgue, free Jennifer and anyone else they’ve trapped here (if they’re still alive), then find and kill those bastards. This he vowed.
Now fully dressed and determined to put a stop to LOST’s deception, Adrian exits the morgue and wanders down a narrow, concrete hallway, trying to find his way through the LOST facility. The layout was unfamiliar to him, as he had never explored these parts of it. Still, he wouldn’t let it stop him from getting his revenge against the organisation that stole his life.
The building’s alarm system had been activated once his captors discovered he was still alive and now running around the facility. But Adrian didn’t falter. He kept moving forward, searching every room he came across for Jennifer and any other victims. If not them, he at least wanted to find his captors so that he could wrap his hands around their wretched throats.
His anger was blinding him. All he currently cares about is revenge. He wants the agents to suffer and die at his hands; let it sink in how much pain he endured while working under them. He can feel an intense vibration building within his chest, responding to his high stress and anger. Again, he didn’t care, as his focus was on getting payback.
Female Agent: That’s far enough, Adrian!
But as he turned the corner on his right, he was not expecting the agents to find him. Both stood a few feet in front of him in the dimly lit hallway, pointing their guns at him. Adrian narrowed his insect eyes and bared his teeth at them.
Male Agent: Amazing how you were able to fake being dead like that. I guess that’s the proof we needed that the Regeneration Serum did work in the end. Still, did you really think you could escape?
Female Agent: Where would you even go? There’s nothing out there in the world. Even if you manage to overcome the radioactive atmosphere, how will you survive the Element-
Adrian: Silence! I will not hear any more of your lies!
Female Agent: Lies? What do you mean?
Adrian: I remember everything!
He shouted venomously at them. The two agents flinched and glanced at each other with a worried look on their faces.
Adrian: I was never allergic to sunlight! The world didn’t end! It was all a lie! Just like how you lied about who I am! You murdered my mother! Abducted me from my home so you could use me for your own benefit! Kept me here for fourteen years! … You destroyed my childhood! And now, I will destroy everything you’ve built here!
Male Agent: Come now, Adrian. You are many things, but a killer isn’t one of them. We should know; we’ve been watching over you for a long time.
Adrian: You know nothing about me! I want justice – zzzzzzz!
A buzzing stutter escapes his lips, like an uncontrollable vocal tic that responds to his emotional imbalance. It only grows worse with each display of anger.
Adrian: Not only did you ruin my life, but Jennifer’s – zzzzzzz- too! Where is she?!
Female Agent: She is no longer your concern. We have terminated her and the other subjects once we learned you had escaped. We can’t allow Aegis to know what we’ve been doing here. Luckily for you, we still need you alive, at least for now.
Male Agent: Once we’ve relocated to another base, we will cut you open and fish the serum out of you. Then it won’t be long until we find someone else who's as smart as you and start again… Now, Adrian, if you would be so kind as to follow us to the helipad.
The agents gently lower their guns and close in on Adrian, who was down on his knees wallowing in despair after learning of Jennifer’s death. A mixture of rage and sadness consumes him. He lets out a guttural scream as he slams his fists into the ground so hard that it craters under his punch, cracking the ground around it.
Adrian: It was – zzzzzzz – n’t enough that you had to destroy my life but end hers – zzzzzz – too! You people are monsters – zzzzzzz! Pure evil! There can never be forgiveness – zzzzzzzz – for the atrocities – zzzzzz – you’ve committed! … I swear to you, on the graves – zzzzzz – of my mother, Jennifer, and everyone you’ve trapped here, I will kill you!
The buzzing stutter intensifies as Adrian shot one last glance at the agents, who are nothing to him but flickering lights that must be snuffed out. He grits his teeth and grunts as his body starts to pulsate. His muscle mass was growing with each passing second. The old, worn-out, dirty clothes he harvested from the morgue began to rip and tear as his body grew bigger. Adrian was too angry to acknowledge the secondary transformation he was undergoing.
Adrian: I’M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!
The agents froze on the spot, reacting to the cannon-deep boom of Adrian’s voice becoming demonic as his body increased in size and muscle mass. He was growing so big that his head was touching the ceiling of the hallway. His shadow stretched over the agents who were now trembling with paralysing fear.
The disturbing sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking echoed off the walls. Beneath the trembling agents, Adrian’s shadow convulses and morphs into a new form, mirroring his actual transformation unfolding before their eyes, still hidden behind their sunglasses. Adrian’s voice had faded out, being replaced by an unsettling low growl.
Male Agent: Wha- what is that thing?!
Female Agent: Kill it!
They blindly open fire on the monster kneeling in front of them, filling its body with holes, blood splattering everywhere. They kept pulling the trigger until they depleted all their ammo.
Unfortunately, all they managed to accomplish was piss him off even more. Adrian – or what used to be Adrian – was still alive. The regeneration serum he inherited from the wasp kicked in and rapidly healed his wounds, pushing the bullets out of his body. The look of fear on their faces says it all. They’re doomed.
Male Agent: Adrian, wait! Don’t do this!
Female Agent: Everything we did, it wasn’t by choice! Our boss, he made us do it! I swear! We didn’t want to hurt- AHHHHHHH!
The agents scream in terror before being pounced on by the monsterfied Adrian Vespa. The lights flash rapidly, giving only glimpses of the massacre unfolding in the dark hallway of the LOST facility. The blood of the agents splatters all over the walls, floor and ceiling. When he’s done here, nobody will be able to identify their bodies.
Adrian’s Voice: Personal Science Log, entry 118. I have fallen unconscious during my last log. I found myself lying inside a morgue when I regained consciousness, stripped of my clothes and left for dead. It didn’t take long for me to uncover what happened… Last night, I was running tests on the Regeneration Serum using the original prototype of the Argon Matrix Laser. However, one of the wasps I’ve kept in a jar had escaped and flown into the path of the laser. I remember the wasp stinging me, and my body exhibited symptoms no ordinary sting can cause…
Once again, Adrian was regaining consciousness in an unknown location with nothing covering him except a pair of black boxer shorts. He could faintly hear his own voice echoing around him. Somebody must’ve seized his audio recording and is listening to his most recent log.
Adrian’s Voice: Somehow, the sting from that wasp made me feel stronger. It would seem that when the wasp ingested the serum, it passed it down to me through its stinger. I can feel the properties of the serum rewriting my own biology. My wounds can heal at a rapid pace. I tested it by cutting my finger with a box cutter. It worked! But that’s not all. My physical strength has grown to be five times greater than that of an ordinary human. My vision has changed significantly! I can see in the dark and see things that are normally invisible to the naked eye, similar to ultraviolet light. Even heat signatures! I can also detect signals with the antennae sticking out of my head… This brings me to the cons of my mutation…
Adrian slowly gets up. This time, he was lying in a small but comfortable single bed. His surroundings are much nicer to look at compared to the dark, grimy morgue. From what he can see, he has woken up in a small bedroom; at least that’s what it looked like at first. Eventually, he discovers that he’s actually inside a jail cell.
Adrian’s Voice: … Not only did I inherit the serum from the yellowjacket, but I’ve also absorbed its mutated DNA. My skin has become a segmented, hardened exoskeleton, increasing my own durability and pain tolerance. My mother’s brown eyes have been replaced by those of an insect… A devastating side effect of my experiments. I don’t know if there’s any hope of reversing this mutation dealt to me. The serum was designed to permanently rewrite the DNA structure of whoever receives it. Because it restructured the yellowjacket wasp first, well, you can guess…
It suddenly clicked for Adrian that his body had reverted to his first mutated form, though with a few new added features. The black stripes that covered only his torso had now spread to his upper arms and thighs. And the biggest new feature he discovered was a large pair of transparent insect wings folded against his back. He gasped in shock as he traced his fingers across the thin surface of his new wings.
?????: Ah, you’re awake. Thank goodness.
A new voice spoke up, coming from his left. Adrian instantly turned in that direction and saw that he was not alone this time. A man in a fancy black suit was standing in front of the cell door with his back turned to him. Adrian’s recorder rested firmly in his right hand, still playing the latest audio log.
Adrian’s Voice: … They lied to me about everything! LOST murdered my mother and abducted me! I also believe that they’ve purposely dismembered and blinded Jennifer so they could see proof of the serum’s success for themselves once I’ve tested it on her. No doubt they also cut out her vocal cords to stop her from saying anything to me… They will pay for this! I will ensure no innocent child gets taken away from their parents again. Even if I end up spending the rest of my life in prison for what I’m about to do, it’ll be worth it knowing they will never fester our country again. If this is my last audio log, I hope whoever finds this doesn’t make the same mistakes I’ve made. If you have a gift, use it for the good of mankind… This is Doctor Adrian Vespa signing off.
The man clicks the stop button once the log concludes. He grabs the only chair in the cell and turns it towards Adrian before sitting down. The man was none other than Richard Magna, in his thirties. Back when he still had both his arms and before he grew out his recognisable moustache.
He was the only person who looked upon Adrian without fear or question of his appearance. He saw the man behind the monster. A man he’d been so anxious to meet.
Richard: Leave us.
He ordered the guards standing outside the cell. The guards obeyed his command and left without questioning him, showing Adrian how much power and respect he must exude to convince the soldiers that there was no need for surveillance at this time.
Richard: Adrian Vespa. As soon as I heard that name, I chose to come here in person in the hopes of meeting you. Though I must admit, you weren’t how I’d imagined… I thought you’d be taller.
Adrian: Where am I?
Adrian asked, getting straight to the point of his visit and ignoring his reference to his height, which was an obvious distraction from his mutated appearance.
Richard: You are currently being held in the detention area within Aegis headquarters.
Adrian: Aegis? What about LOST?
Richard: You don’t have to worry about them anymore. Aegis has already shut that place down, arrested everyone involved and freed the people they’ve abducted… Tell me, what do you remember?
Adrian repositions himself on the bed, pulling the sheets over his shoulders to keep himself warm and hide his wings from Richard, even though he’d already seen them.
He tells him everything he recalls from after recording that log. He remembered confronting the agents for all they’ve done in a hallway. But his mind drew a blank for what happened next. The last thing he remembered after that was waking up here.
Richard took over from there and told Adrian that Aegis had been investigating LOST for a long time. They had an agent deep undercover placed within the facility, gathering intel on what was going on there and trying to figure out who the mastermind behind it all was.
They were successful in getting all the evidence they needed to send in the troops. Unfortunately, the identity of their leader remains a mystery, and they most likely escaped before the soldiers arrived.
As for the agents. Richard didn’t sugarcoat the truth when he told Adrian that he had murdered them in cold blood. He acknowledged that he wasn’t in control of himself at that time, but that didn’t stop Aegis from designating him a monster threat. The only reason he’s not dead is that Richard had a friend at Aegis who served as a captain and convinced him to pull some strings to get him here and look the other way when the identity of the monster was discovered.
Adrian was more shocked to hear about his monstrous mutation than the murder of his captors. Why should he pity them after they murdered his mother in cold blood? Still, the thought of possibly mutating into that monster again terrified him.
Richard: You have nothing to fear anymore, Adrian. LOST are no more, and Aegis will never know that you were the monster they encountered that day.
Adrian: How can you be so sure of that? I don’t even know who you are!
Richard: My name is Richard Magna. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?
Adrian: You’re the founder and CEO of Magna Tech. You started your company five years ago and have become a very successful business faster than any other technological company on the planet
Richard: Very impressive. Although you got one thing wrong. Technically, I started my company three years ago. The first two years of construction don’t count.
Adrian: You seem unbothered by my appearance.
Richard: I’ve already learned everything I needed from your audio logs. What happened to you was an accident, and I see no reason to berate you for it… You certainly have a gifted mind, Adrian. Just like your father.
Adrian’s eyes widen with bewilderment.
Adrian: You knew my father?!
Richard: One of the finest scientists I’ve ever known. I used to work for him when I was younger. The truth is that there wouldn’t be a Magna Tech without your father’s influence. His work on developing new medicines has boosted the company to its true potential. One of his greatest inventions was Neurosis. A special drug that was designed to be a cure for Alzheimer’s. It is rather ironic that his son would develop a similar drug.
Adrian: But that’s impossible. Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, our ability to think and carry out simple daily tasks. It has been proven time and time again that it cannot be treated.
Richard: That’s what I thought too for a long time… Your father was a good friend and mentor to me. You grew up believing he abandoned you, but the truth is he didn’t know he had a son. By the time he did, it was already too late.
Adrian: How did my father die?
Richard pauses for a few minutes before he can muster up the courage to tell him what happened.
Richard: Your father was around my age when I first met him. Normally, Alzheimer’s wouldn’t start to infect someone until they’d reached the age of 65. But your father caught it very young and feared it would one day get the better of him. So, he went ahead and tested Neurosis on himself behind my back… For a good couple of years, it worked. He not only got better, but he also improved. But eventually, his antibodies grew strong enough to reject Neurosis, and his disease came back with a vengeance. His mental health deteriorated at a rapid pace. He lost his entire memory, his functionality, everything that made him who he was… In the end, he died in his sleep as I held his hand… Losing him left a massive hole in my heart and his company. A hole that I hoped you might fill.
Adrian lowers his head to hide the tears he was shedding. All the times he’s been cutting his father out of his life, pretending he didn’t exist to spite his neglect and abandonment of his family, was for nothing. His father never intentionally abandoned him. He succumbed to his own creation and suffered a horrible death, as if nature was punishing him for trying to play God. “Perhaps I’m more like my father than I initially thought.” Adrian thought as he looked down at his mutated hands.
Richard: I know this is a lot to take in so suddenly, but that’s also why I came here… Adrian, I want you to come work for me at Magna Tech. With a great mind like yours, it would waste away in a cell like this. You have no idea just how gifted you truly are.
Adrian: I know what you’re trying to do. Those agents at LOST said the same thing and look where that got me. I trusted them with everything! I will never trust another so-called organisation ever again! You might as well leave me to rot in this cell. I’m safer here than out there, where anyone can take advantage of me.
He turns his back to Richard, refusing to trust any kind words spewing from his mouth. Never again will he share his gifts with another corporation. However, Richard doesn’t move from his chair. He is determined to win this young man’s trust no matter what.
Richard: The moment you were born, you spoke a word that would normally take a newborn a few years to say. At age 3, you explained the theory of relativity to one of your classmates. At age 5, you mastered Mandarin, Chinese and the Japanese languages… Have you ever wondered how you were born so smart?
His curiosity piqued, Adrian glances back at Richard over his right shoulder.
Adrian: Quite often, actually. I suppose you know why?
Richard nods and waits for Adrian to turn himself back around to face him before giving away the secret.
Richard: It is because the Neurosis drug had been genetically transmitted to you by your father… The drug was designed to repeatedly repair damaged cells in the brain to prevent memory loss or lack of intelligence. It proved temporary for your father, but because you were born with the drug already in your system, it has become a part of you. Your antibodies will never fight against it because they don’t register it as a virus… As you grew older, your brain increased in intelligence… Do you see now, Adrian? Your father may not have been there for you, but he has given you a great blessing before his death. Wasting away in here would only tarnish that gift and his memory, and I cannot allow it… I don’t want to force you to work for me as LOST did. The decision is down to you. Just think about everything I’ve said to you before you make your decision.
As Richard’s words ran through the young scientist’s mind, he thought about the dishonour he’d bring not only to his father, but also to his mother if he chose to remain in this cell. This man was offering him a chance to utilise his gifts for himself for once. To do whatever he desired to make the world a better place.
The trauma of being manipulated and lied to for many years of his life continued to push him against this offer, begging him not to take any chances and risk being used and manipulated again, or get anyone else killed. But that couldn’t compare to the fear of losing control of himself and mutating into a monster again. Alone, he is a danger to himself and the UK. Magna Tech may have the technology to help cure his mutation. Only time will tell if Richard Magna can truly be trusted.
Adrian: LOST took everything from me. And I still believe that working for you is a big risk. But the risk of not accepting your proposal is greater. Therefore, I will agree to join you at Magna Tech. However, I have a few conditions.
Richard: Name your price, and it's yours.
Adrian: I want the freedom to leave the company whenever I desire, should I ever change my mind. I want the freedom to choose which projects to work on, only agreeing to any you suggest if I think it benefits mankind. Lastly, I want the finest laboratory your company has, with full access to all its equipment.
Richard smiles and holds out his hand to him.
Richard: Deal.
Adrian reluctantly stretches out his own deformed hand to shake Richard’s, not just because he was still harbouring doubts, but also because he was worried about how the CEO would react to the feeling of his hardened skin. But Richard wasn’t at all concerned about that. He was just pleased to have another Vespa working with him again. He was hopeful the two of them would change the world.
Richard: Welcome to the Magna Tech family, Doctor Adrian Vespa.
Back in the present, Adrian is standing outside of Magna Tech, dressed up in his trench coat, gloves, scarf, sunglasses and fedora, hiding his mutations from the citizens walking past the ruined courtyard at the front of Magna Tech, still under reconstruction after the recent Aqua Virus attack.
He was standing outside on the pavement, looking over the reconstruction, watching the builders working hard to restore the courtyard to its former glory. The fresh air helped clear his head and gave him time to reflect on how far he’d come before and after joining Magna Tech. Every day he felt like he needed to remind himself of all he’d lost and how thankful he was for agreeing to Richard’s proposition. To think that if he hadn’t, he’d be another mindless monster hunted down and killed – or imprisoned – by Aegis. He owes Richard so much, like how much Richard owed his father all those years ago.
Reflecting on his past has given Adrian the much-needed motivation to work harder on successfully completing Project Leda and reviving Alice Magna permanently. But the key to her survival is now loose somewhere in the UK, and he doesn’t have the means to locate it on his own. Which is why he called in professionals.
?????: Oi! You the guy who contacted us?! You match the description!
And they have arrived right on time. Adrian casually follows the voice of his contact, tucking his hands into his coat pockets.
He follows the contact down a set of stairs that lead to the edge of the River Thames, where there were no witnesses. His contacts were people who preferred to keep a low profile, and with good reason. For they were none other than…
Dr Wasp: The Crimson Nightshades. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.
Drake Lowlan approaches the disguised doctor while his crew members, Scarlet Garcia – who is currently leaning up against a wall – and Lukas Reikon, sitting cross-legged on the ground, stay back, letting their leader do all the talking.
Drake: When you said, “Look for a man dressed like a noir private eye”, I thought you were just talking shit. Y’know, joking.
Dr Wasp: I do not make jokes, and this job is no joking matter. I have been informed that you have done jobs for Magna Tech in the past, as have your parents before you… I require your services for a very special task.
Drake: Maybe we’ll help ya out, that is, if you're willin’ to pay.
Doctor Wasp cautiously pulls out a large stack of notes tied together with a rubber band and hands it to Drake.
Dr Wasp: You get ten thousand now and another ten thousand when the job is done. There can be no mistakes.
Drake: You worry about your end of things; we’ll worry about ours.
Dr Wasp: As long as we understand each other.
Drake: Alright, Doc, who’s the target?
Doctor Wasp pulls out his MagnaPhone and brings up a photograph of the Aqua Virus in its original form. The photo was taken before its capture. He figured they would refuse this mission if he showed them its current form. But getting it back was far more important to him than their opinions. And using them was the only logical solution since Chaos Man and Aegis are dead set on destroying it. He cannot allow that, not while he still has a use for it.
Scarlet and Lukas get up and approach the two of them, getting a good look at the Aqua Virus over Drake’s shoulder.
Scarlet: Hmm, no one’s ever hired us to assassinate a monster before. Why not get Aegis to do it?
Dr Wasp: Because your mission is not to kill it, but to acquire a sample of its DNA and bring it back to me.
Lukas: We have seen this creature on the news. It is said to be as strong as Chaos man himself. The task you ask of us comes with great risk. You could be endangering our lives.
Dr Wasp: That didn’t stop you from taking down The Blood Rose. A cult of witches so powerful, so dangerous, that even Aegis couldn’t stop them. I know you can handle The Aqua Virus… As I said, I only require a sample of its DNA. I didn’t say you had to engage it.
Drake: If Lukas’s right about how strong this thing is, £20,000 may not be worth the risk. Double the price, and we’ll consider it.
Adrian grunts underneath his scarf, annoyed that he must give up the other £10,000 he had in his other pocket so early, as well as find a way to get hold of the other ten thousand when they’re done, all the while keeping Richard in the dark about it. He also hands Drake a special syringe for them to use on the Aqua Virus once they find it.
Drake: Alright, Doc, consider that monster quenched. Scarlet will text you when we’re done, and we’ll meet here to collect the rest of the money.
Dr Wasp: Just get it done quickly and discreetly.
Drake: Discretion is our speciality… Oh, one more question before you go. What do you need that monster’s DNA for?
Dr Wasp: That is classified. Besides, it’s not my place to tell… Good day, Crimson Nightshades.
With their exchange done, there was no longer any need for Adrian to hang about a secluded place like this when he is needed back at Magna Tech. He must return to his objective of keeping Alice alive. The less her former boyfriend knows about what he really needs the Aqua Virus sample for, the better.
Dr Wasp: You have given me a second chance at life, Richard. Another chance to properly use my intelligence to help heal the world rather than harm it. You have always been a great mentor, and a great friend. You gave me purpose again. I promised you I would save your daughter, and I won’t rest until I do … Oh, Mother, Father, if only you could’ve seen what I’ve done with my gift. You would’ve been so proud of me.
As he strolled down the street on his way back to Magna Tech, he caught a glimpse of Chaos Man flying overhead. The people below all cheered and clapped as they watched him fly by. Adrian will never clap for him. Any enemy of Richard Magna’s is an enemy of his also.
Dr Wasp: LOST may be gone, but time has given life to a new enemy. A stronger enemy. But I will not be blinded by his deception! As soon as I return to working on Operation Chaos Breaker, I will see to it that Chaos Man never threatens our existence again!
As he reached the courtyard, Adrian accidentally bumps into one of the builders working on restoring it.
Dr Wasp: My apologies. As you were.
Was all he said to him before continuing to the front entrance to the company building. The builder brushes off this accidental encounter and approaches one of his coworkers who is currently drinking water from the built-in water fountain that joggers use to refill their water bottles.
Builder 1: Alright, breaktime’s over. Get back to work!
Builder 2: You got it, Boss.
Yelled the second builder as he wiped the loose drops away with his elbow. He was itching to get back to work, get as much done today and look forward to receiving his paycheck from Richard.
However, as he was about to start up the jackhammer, he unexpectedly leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, as he suddenly threw up in the bushes to his right. Once he’d finished, he wiped his mouth for a second time, only to notice bloodstains on his forearm where he wiped.
Builder 2: What the hell?
Builder 1: Oi! I said breaktime’s over! Chop, chop!
The second builder shakes his head, deciding not to question his unexpected change in health and get back to doing what he and the boys were getting paid to do, deciding to go to the hospital afterwards. Though in the back of his mind, he wondered what exactly he ate that made him feel sick all of a sudden. Or what he drank.
To Be Continued