The station was in shock as news quickly circled about the mysterious killer ending his killing spree and the death of Dr. Rut.
Dr. Rut's laboratory went live on TV hours after his death to announce some important news.
A reporter asked, "Now that the killings seem to have come to an end, will the public be safe again? Or will they still fear the killer may return?"
Dr. Rut's son, Jay, spoke up. "My father had always wanted to help humanity, and I hope his research helps in finding a way to do so. Also, I believe my father knew his work would go unnoticed by most people, but he hoped others would benefit from it someday. He did not want the fame or recognition. He just wanted to give back."
"So who will take over the laboratory now?" Another reporter asked.
"I will take over from where my father stopped."
***
After the interview, Lux stayed back at the station for a while, talking with Chloe about the case.
"There is one thing bothering me, though," Chloe said. "If this man is the real deal, then why kill himself? Why not just disappear?"
"Maybe because he didn't get what he wanted." Lux suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you hear him say 'thank you everyone' right before he killed himself? Maybe he wanted to thank his audience and tell them he appreciated their support and that they were part of his motivation for doing what he did."
Chloe looked at Lux like he was crazy. "You're right! That must've been it."
She stood up and headed out of the room. "We better catch whoever killed David before this gets even messier." She laughed.
***
It wasn't long until Lux received a text from Chloe asking if he was free.
"Sure. Where do you need me?"
"Can you meet me at my house?" She sent a picture of her home address.
"Okay, I'll be there shortly."
Lux arrived at Chloe's home. After getting out of his car, he noticed the front door was open.
"Chloe, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, sure, come in." Chloe opened the door wide.
"Chess?" She gestured toward the living room as she walked into the room to bring out a chess board.
Lux followed Chloe into the room and sat down.
"Chess huh? This should be fun." Lux thought as he looked at the pieces.
"First move?" Chloe offered.
"Yes, please," Lux said.
They played the first few games, which Lux won, and then Chloe won. Then Lux lost. Finally, Chloe beat Lux, and the match ended.
"Nice game, Lux. You're pretty good at chess."Chloe smiled.
"Thanks," Lux said.
"Hey, can we talk for a minute?"
"Of course. What's wrong?"
"Have you seen the news yet?" She asked.
"Not yet."
"Jay is conducting a series of experiments; apparently he is using inmates on death row."
"Yeah, I heard."
"He has been experimenting on them without any anesthesia."
Lux shook his head. "I didn't hear that one."
"I know. He said that the subjects are dying anyway, and he believes that by giving them a chance to experience life outside of prison, they might be able to find redemption."
"But how could he possibly know that?" Lux wondered.
"According to reports, he told them they would receive eternal life after their death." Chloe sighed.
"Is he actually telling the truth?"
Chloe shrugged. "I don't think anyone knows for sure. But either way, it sounds like something straight out of science fiction."
Lux nodded. "And it seems to be working too. In the last report I saw, three men who were scheduled to be executed escaped execution after volunteering for the experiment."
Chloe shuddered. "Oh no..."
"Why do you sound scared?" Lux asked.
"I'm not scared exactly. I guess it makes me sad to see such a bright mind being used for this."
"I agree."
"How did you learn about all this?" Chloe asked.
"Well, I am currently working on another murder investigation."
"Another murder case?"
"Yep."
"Do you have any leads?" Chloe asked excitedly.
"Unfortunately, no. But I found out that Dr. Rut's laboratory was involved somehow."
"Are you going to look into his lab again?" Chloe asked eagerly.
"Yeah, that's why I'm here." He shook his head, letting his curtain bangs fall in place. "Let's go do what we always do."
*********
Jay motioned for the man to be strapped to the chair.
"Hold still now; you're going to feel some pressure," Jay warned.
The man squirmed but held still.
"That's good," Jay said. "Now, let's try this."
As Jay adjusted the straps, he looked over at the other two people observing the procedure.
They wore masks over their faces and were holding medical instruments.
One of the masked individuals took out a needle. It appeared to be a hypodermic needle.
"This will numb your arm," Jay explained.
"What is this thing?" The man asked nervously.
"This is an IV drip," Jay answered. "In a few moments, it will inject a small amount of ketamine into your bloodstream. We want to make sure that you don't feel anything while we conduct our tests."
The man gulped. "I don't want to die."
Jay turned back to the patient. "You can choose to back out now."
"No!" The man shouted. "It's too late! Please don't kill me."
"Relax," Jay replied. "We aren't killing you. All we are doing is giving you a second chance at life."
"Please..." the man begged.
"All right, hold on just a bit longer. Let me adjust these straps."
Jay put his hands under the man's arms and pushed him down against the table. He pulled up the straps and tightened them around the man's torso.
"There, all set," Jay announced.
"Okay, let's begin." Jay picked up a scalpel from the tray next to him.
All we need you to do is keep calm. Just that." He raised it high above his head. "Open wide."
The man screamed.