The silence in the room grew increasingly tense as Trent and Diogo stood facing each other. John Wales was crouched behind a table, watching the scene unfold, as he imagined a tumbleweed blowing through the space between the two men. The air was thick with anticipation and unease, as the tension built to a breaking point. The only sound was the ticking of a clock on the wall, and the creak of a floorboard as one of the men shifted his weight.
Diogo inhaled deeply from his inhaler, his body trembling as he did so. He let out a shrill scream, and his eyes turned yellow for a brief moment before returning to their normal color. His breathing slowed, and the trembling stopped, but his face remained contorted in a look of horror and confusion.
As Diogo stood, paralyzed by fear, Trent sprang into action, firing a couple of bullets at the motionless figure. But to his surprise, the bullets seemed to have no effect - they didn't even make Diogo flinch. "How is this possible?" Trent thought. "The bullets didn't even make him move, and they certainly didn't injure him. Could it be the work of that mysterious inhaler he used?"
As Trent watched, a wicked smile spread across Diogo's face. This was the first time Trent had felt fear since coming out of the machine. "Harley," he asked, panic rising in his voice, "what's happening? The bullets aren't working on him, and what the heck is that inhaler?" Harley replied, "I've detected a chemical called elixirium in his body. For now, you won't be able to kill him."
"But why?" Trent asked, incredulous. "What do you mean I can't kill him for now?"
"He's indestructible," Harley replied, "but only for a limited time. The particle that's causing this effect is unstable, so the effect is bound to wear off." She paused. "Be careful, Trent. Until the effect wears off, you may not be able to hurt him.
Diogo finally disrupted the silence and broke into a snarky grin. "Done shooting or out of ammo already?" he quipped. "My turn."
"Seems like that inhaler scrambled your senses," Trent retorted, letting out a dry chuckle. "The bullets don't work on me, either."
"Oh yeah?" Diogo taunted, taking a step forward. "Let's see about that."
As Trent's submachine guns dematerialized into thin air, he dropped into a fighting stance, his fists clenched. Diogo followed suit, discarding his guns and jogging in place, pulling his fists up to shield his face. It was almost as if they were preparing for a boxing match, sizing each other up, each one confident of their own abilities. The tension in the air was palpable, the silence broken only by the soft thud of their feet against the floor.
The two men charged at each other, meeting in the middle of the room with a crash of fists and feet. Trent aimed a right jab at Diogo's head, but Diogo effortlessly parried the strike, twisting to use his knee to send Trent flying backward. Trent landed hard on the floor, landing on his back with a grunt, blood trickling from his nose. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes burning with determination as he readied himself for the next round.
Diogo was a skilled martial artist, a student of the ancient art of Koryu Bujutsu. Though he was not the most successful student at the dojo, he had a few tricks up his sleeve. He swung a leg toward Trent's face, but Trent deflected the kick with his open palms. Before Trent could counterattack, Diogo's other leg came flying toward his stomach, catching him with a powerful eziguri that sent him flying. Trent landed hard on his back, winded and dazed.
"You've got guts, kid," Diogo said, his smile as cruel as ever. John Wales noticed that Trent was clearly younger than Diogo, though the two were about the same height. But the similarities ended there - while Trent had the smooth face of youth, Diogo's face was lined and scarred, his eyes dark with malice. The contrast between the two was striking, making it all the more clear that Trent was in over his head.
Diogo raised his foot and drove it into Trent's midsection with a devastating punt kick. Trent let out a pained grunt as the air was driven from his lungs. "Give me the necklace," Diogo snarled, his voice edged with a shrill note of madness. Trent groaned and shook his head, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Come and take it from me," he challenged, but the defiance in his voice was undercut by a note of fear.
Diogo planted one last, brutal stomp on Trent's chest before reaching down to grab the necklace. As his hand closed around the pendant, a sudden burst of energy shot from it, sending him flying backward. He landed hard on the ground, his head and neck aching. The elixirium had saved his life, but he was left feeling weak and disoriented. Trent lay there on the floor, dazed and unable to move.
Slowly and painfully, Diogo pulled himself to his feet, using a nearby table for support. He picked up a metal rod and, trembling with exhaustion, stumbled towards Trent. As he raised the rod above his head, ready to strike, Trent crossed his thumbs and pressed the thumbholes together. A sudden wave of blue energy erupted from his hands, blowing Diogo across the room. He landed hard against the wall and crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
John Wales rushed over to where Trent lay on the floor, checking to make sure he was all right. As he untied the surveillance operator, he turned to face Trent again, only to be surprised by the young man's question. "Are you okay, Mr. John?"
"I should be the one asking you that," John said, his eyes widening as he noticed something odd about Trent. The young man's eyes were glowing a bright blue, and there was a strange energy surrounding him.
John took a closer look at Trent, recognition dawning on his face. "You're one of the students who came for the tour, aren't you? The one who asked about the Norman 3.0, right?"
Trent nodded, still looking a bit dazed.
"That's incredible," John thought. "This kid was able to control the X necklace and even managed to grow without any negative side effects, all thanks to the Norman 3.0."
"What should we do with him?" Trent asked, gesturing towards Diogo's unconscious body.
John Wales slowly walked towards Diogo, knelt down and examined the young man, a look of surprise crossing his face. "He's dead," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion.
Trent and the surveillance operator were both taken aback by John's pronouncement. They had never seen anyone die before, let alone someone who had seemed so full of life only moments before.
Trent's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what had happened. How could Diogo have died when he was supposed to be indestructible from the effects of the elixirium? Was it possible that the chemical had worn off, or had something else gone wrong? The questions swirled in his mind, unanswered.
.
.
In a matter of minutes, Trent, along with all the other students and John Wales, found themselves in a room distinct from Room 312. The suit was no longer adorning Trent's body as he received treatment for his shoulder. Diogo and his men's lifeless bodies were already concealed under white cloth. Meanwhile, the police and reporters bombarded them with numerous questions about the incident.
"Thank you so much, Mr. John," said Mrs. Madris of Maverick Central High. "It was quite a wild visit, but the students certainly had an experience they'll never forget."
John Wales nodded, and his gaze shifted to Trent. "Before you all go," he said, "Trent, could I speak with you for a moment?"
Trent nodded, and the two of them stepped aside to speak in private. Mrs. Madris ushered the rest of the group out of the facility, leaving Trent alone with John Wales.
John Wales gently touched Trent's injured shoulder. "How is your shoulder?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
Trent gave a slight nod, but John wasn't sure if the boy meant "yes, it's feeling better" or "no, it's not."
Regardless, he didn't dwell on the matter, and instead got straight to the point. "I'm so sorry about the incident with the Norman 3.0," he said, "but can you please tell me exactly what happened?"
Trent looked into John's eyes, and slowly began to recount the events that had happened.
John listened in disbelief as Trent recounted the events that had taken place in the lab. The goons had burst in and demanded the X necklace, but Trent had refused to hand it over. One of the goons had grabbed him by his underwear and flung him toward the Norman 3.0.
"Can you change me back?" Trent asked, his voice trembling with hope. John felt a pang of sympathy as he looked into Trent's eyes. But he knew the truth - there was no way to reverse the effects of the Norman 3.0.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," John said gently. "But I can run some tests, if you'd like. I want to learn more about what happened to you."
Trent nodded, though his expression remained one of despair. John could only imagine how the boy must be feeling.
.
.
After the tests were completed, John and Trent emerged from the lab and walked out the facility they walked toward Mrs. Madris and the other students. As they approached, Barbara saw the look of dejection on Trent's face. "What happened?" she asked. "Could he change you back?"
Trent shook his head. "No," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "But I'm okay. Really."
But Barbara could see that something was bothering him, and she wondered what it was.
"You look completely different, Trent," Sydney exclaimed.
Rebecca cut in, a bit more matter-of-factly. "It's pretty obvious. Just look at his muscular build, his broad shoulders, his strong chest and arms. He's a completely different person from before. I mean, he used to be such a shorty but judging from his current stance he could be 6 fits tall"
Everyone stared at Rebecca in surprise, astounded by the accuracy and frankness of her description. John Wales walked over to Mrs. Madris. "I have to tell you," he said. "The tests showed that Trent's transformation is permanent. He can't go back to the way he was before."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Madris asked, her voice shaking. She didn't know what to think, but she knew she had to stay strong for her students. "Can you explain?"
"Of course," John said. "Trent's DNA isn't normal "