MTH 407, Dept. E22 – Cambridge University
Thursday, September 21st, 2034 | 3:20 PM
"Alright, class, let's test those brains. Who's got an answer for this one?"
Mr. Kayode, our biophysics professor, flipped through his ancient textbook—where he got it from, God knows.
"A particle moves in a straight line, position given by s(t) = at + bt³. Find its speed at t. Any takers?"
Silence.
"Steve?"
"Nah, bruv. Too early for this."
"Megan?"
"Don't even start, Jamal."
"Scott?"
"Me brain's on vacation, don't even mention me name."
"Guess that leaves you, Jal."
"Me? Oh, come on, guys—"
"You're the brightest, just do a lil' barley up-down and around, you'll figure it out," Scott teased.
Before I could argue, Mr. Kayode's voice cut through the hall.
"Hey! You three at the back. Since you can't keep your mouths shut, why don't you enlighten the class?"
"Shit, you've done it now," Steve muttered.
Dragged to the front, we stood there, frozen. Maggie and Michelle waved from their seats—safe from our fate.
"You've got this," Maggie mouthed.
Michelle just shook her head.
"That's what I thought," Mr. Kayode scoffed. "Back to your seats. And shut it."
The bell rang.
"Take the equation as homework. I want answers Monday."
We were about to leave when a thought hit us.
Where the hell was Eliana?
In a crew as tight-knit as ours, her absence felt wrong.
Two hours of searching later, we spotted her storming out of Binary Biotech Labs. She tripped on the pavement, books and files flying everywhere. She barked angrily.
"Arrg!"
"Hey, there she is!" Maggie said, nodding towards her.
Eliana had just had a disappointing meeting with Dr. Jeremy Steward, her usual enthusiasm dampened by his dismissive tone. He rejected her theories on biomathematics, refusing to consider the possibility of life emerging from a catastrophic event—the Evolutionary concept of life originating from the 'Big Bang.' He was a Christian and believed that life had been created by someone.
"I mean, that sounds logical and all, but I dunno… I mean, where's this guy? Where does he live? What has he been doing while the humans he created turned their home into a shitshow? It'll only be a matter of time before we start looking for a new planet to live on… lol, just kidding. It won't get that bad. We'll find a way somehow. We always find a way. We must… I hope we do.
Though Eliana didn't share the details with me, her frustration was palpable, and I sensed a newfound determination in her to find someone who would support our research.
"I can't believe Dr. Steward won't help us; he didn't even listen to me,"
She blurted out, slamming her notebook shut in frustration.
"Arrg!"
She screamed again.
"Well, love, maybe it's a sign that we should reconsider this whole thing,"
Scott said, shifting uncomfortably under a rather terrifying stare from Eliana.
"No way,"
Maggie interjected.
"We've come too far to give up now,"
Michelle spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.
"But how are we going to continue without Dr. Steward's expertise?"
I felt the weight of responsibility on my shoulders, so I had to say something.
"We need to find someone else who can help us."
Eliana's eyes suddenly lit up with determination.
"What about The Maverick Alchemist?"
"The who?"
Steven asked, his brow furrowed.
"He's a retired scientist who's not afraid to push boundaries,"
Eliana explained, a wicked smirk spreading across her lips.
"I've heard rumors about his experiments, he might be willing to assist us."
Maggie nodded, a mischievous grin on her face as she added,
"I like the sound of him already."
"But how do we find him?"
Michelle asked.
I took a deep breath before adding,
"We'll start by asking around. Someone must know where he lives."
Eliana smiled, her confidence returning.
"Let's do it. We'll show Dr. Steward that we don't need him to make our project a success,"
She added.
After days of research on The Maverick Alchemist, we finally got his location and headed out to find him at midnight.
Our Meg-lev car's brakes screeched, cutting through the silence of the night. The headlights slowly turned off, revealing the eerie darkness around us.
"Alright, this is it,"
Eliana said, tightening her backpack.
Our flashlights clicked on in unison.
"Let's do this!"
We steadily walked toward a run-down mansion on the outskirts of town, avoiding the front gates, of course.
A crow cawed in the distance, sending a shiver down my spine.
Scott leaned over and whispered in my ear, his Irish accent thick with nerves.
"Oi, this fella sounds a bit dodgy, doesn't he? Are we sure we want to go through with this?"
"Keep it together, Scott,"
Eliana said, giving him a withering glance.
I tried to reassure him, but my voice trembled slightly.
"We've come this far, Scott. We can't back down now."
Michelle, who had been silent until now, spoke up in a soft, hesitant voice.
"Guys, I'm not so sure about this. It's kind of scary, don't you think?"
Her introverted nature was apparent in her tone.
"And Michelle, I know it's daunting, but we need to be brave if we want to achieve our goals." Eliana reassures.
Michelle rolled her eyes at Eliana's response. Seems they had a thing going.
What would we do without Eliana?
Nodding, we all stepped inside the foyer, the dim lights revealing dusty, broken windows and odd bubbling contraptions lining the walls.
"Are we really doing this? This guy is supposed to be crazy."
I whispered to Eliana as we approached the door.
"Crazy or not, he's our best chance of getting the answers we need," she replied, her voice steady. "We have to take the risk."
"But what if something goes wrong?
We don't know what we're dealing with here."
Steven chimed in, his face pale in the Moonlight.
"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs,"
Maggie said, a wry smile on her lips.
Just as we were about to continue arguing, a voice rang out from unseen speakers deep inside the building. It hemmed calmly before speaking.
"you shouldn't be out so late kids, didn't Mama tell you not to stay past your bedtime?"
It called, the sound echoing through the night.
We froze, exchanging nervous glances. This was it. The 'Maverick alchemist' he was indeed an odd-ball and he was here, somewhere.
"There ain't no turning back now people"
Steven said in a deep voiced whisper.
I stared at the creepy old manor and couldn't believe we were really doing this.
Our search for answers had led us here, to this run-down house on the outskirts of town.
I was nervous as hell, but I knew we couldn't turn back now.
Eliana walked beside me, looking as determined as ever. How wasn't she scared? She believed in our experiment 100%, and I had to admit, her confidence was contagious. But I couldn't shake the feeling that we might be crossing a line.
As we approached the door, I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves. 'What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?' I thought. But there was no turning back now. We were about to meet the so-called 'mad scientist,' and who knew what would happen next?
Eliana echoed back in response
"My name is Eliana Halladay, molecular biologist student Cambridge university, er…we're working on a school project and we need your assistance, sir."
"Cambridge students this time of year, well I'll be damned, hurry in"
The voice continued.
We didn't touch the door, it just swung open. It shrieked steadily before hitting the walls behind them echoing down the hall. We were damn spooked this time for sure. Eliana's confidence dropped immediately. It was so evident that my hands slowly vibrated.
We all shared nervous glances terrified but excited with his response.
We all moved in an orderly fashion, walking past old but exotic paintings and relics as we walked through the hall.
"Turn right"
The voice continued, leading us deeper into the building. I couldn't help but chuckle watching Scott vibrate like he was in a freezer. He tried to hide it but it was palpable. As we went deeper we approached a strangely modern door. I mean no disrespect but this place was like a hunted castle. Wasn't expecting to see something this intriguing. The handle was the first thing that caught my eye. Every other passage and doors we past were dusty and ancient. But this door; it was surprisingly fresh and clean, made from smooth, polished steel that glistened in the dim light. The edges were sharp, showing that the Maverick Alchemist was a man who didn't play no games when it came to details.
There was a small window on it, but it was cloudy, keeping the Alchemist's secrets under wraps. Still, I could see a bit of light peeking through, telling me that there was some high-tech gear waiting for me on the other side.
Eliana stood behind me gesturing I go in first. Seeing her shaken, rattled me a bit. After her I was next in line, so I had no choice . I took the lead.
Grabbing the handle it was cool to the touch, and had the Maverick Alchemist's personal logo stamped on it. That little touch told me that this Alchemist was serious about his craft, and had put in years of blood, sweat, and tears to build this place.
As I wrapped my hand around the handle, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of excitement.
The door swung open revealing an elevator. The arrows on it pointed downwards. My little excitement suddenly dampened with terror. We were on the ground floor. The doors slowly slid open, no one touched them. Everything in this building screamed 'get out of here', but we were too far deep inside that turning back without this voice directing us would be chaos. We stood behind them nervous and terrified.
The Speakers flickered back to life, the voice a bit more menacing than before.
"Go in!"
It kept on with the directions.
Steven couldn't hold it in anymore, he was losing his shit.
"Nah, I ain't going in there brah, no way!" he muttered.
The voice rang again, this time both menacing and commanding.
"Go in. Kids."
We stepped in the elevator, our hearts pounding in our chest as the doors slid back shut. We stood there for about three minutes, no one said anything till Scott blurted out in anguish
"I told y'all we shouldn't have come here we.." before he could continue, we felt a landing sensation beneath our feet. The elevator beeped.
As the doors slowly slid open, I was hit with a wave of awe that knocked me back on my heels. Everyone else was intrigued, but unanimously gestured I go in first.
The room was a wonderland of science and technology, like nothing I'd ever seen before. Gleaming machines hummed and whirred, and bright lights danced across the walls, illuminating the Alchemist's life's work.
My eyes darted around the room, trying to take it all in. There were vials of colorful liquids bubbling away, robotic arms working by themselves moving with precision. Holographic displays showing complex equations and formulas. The air was thick with the smell of chemicals and electricity, a heady mix that made my heart race.
Everyone else admired in awe trying to take it all in when a man suddenly emerged from a shadowed corner deep in the lab. He steadily moved towards us levitating on a hover board kind of device. As he moved closer, our feet froze where we stood. Our terror was perceivable even from a mile away.
He abruptly stopped a few meters from where Elina stood.
"Miss Halladey I suppose" He said staring her dead in the eye. I hated the way he looked at her but he looked menacingly distinguished and it seemed my balls froze too. I couldn't utter a word.
His gaze shifted, giving each of us a quick half-second glance, as if taking a headcount. Straightening his posture, he squared his shoulders before speaking.
"Welcome, students," he said cheerfully.
He stood before us, appearing to be in his late 40s or early 50s, dressed in a sharp black tuxedo overlaid with a pristine white lab coat, his logo neatly embroidered on the pocket. He was nothing like I had imagined—far from looking crazy, he resembled a distinguished Irish gentleman. The goggles perched on his head, however, clashed with his polished image, though they matched the lab coat perfectly.
"Dang, Maverick Alchemist, you ain't playing around," I muttered, letting out a low whistle of appreciation.
My eyes drifted back to the lab, scanning in amazement. I stood there, awestruck by the sheer amount of work and precision that had gone into this masterpiece.
But my mini exhibition of scientific wonders was abruptly cut short when he barked, "Hey, don't touch that! And that—take your hands off those, please!"
He lowered his tone, almost as if trying to sound polite.
"These are highly sophisticated, and I don't know… a little bit dangerous. So keep those hands to yourselves, for your own good, I suppose."
It felt more like a warning than advice, if you ask me.
"Grumpy much," Maggie muttered, just loud enough to hear.
He smirked slightly, though I could tell he wasn't thrilled. The way he carried himself—elegant and composed—contrasted with the faint wrinkles on his hands, which told me he wasn't new to this kind of work.
Still wearing his lab coat, it was clear he'd been busy. But with a nickname like "The Maverick Alchemist" and all the rumors surrounding him, I couldn't help but wonder: What's he really been up to?
"So they still call me Maverick, do they?" he said in a low tone, clearly indicating he'd caught my earlier comment.
"Alright, lads. Let's talk in my office," he continued abruptly, his tone shifting as he gestured toward the next room.