We followed him down a set of steps that seemed to spiral endlessly downward.
How deep was this building? I wondered as the air grew cooler with each step.
Finally, he opened a door that resembled the one covering the elevator, the smooth steel surface glinting under the dim lighting. He stepped aside and gestured for us to enter.
The room we walked into wasn't as mesmerizing as the lab, but it still carried an air of mystery and precision.
"Have a seat," he said, his voice calm but firm.
He pointed toward an empty area—and, to my surprise, five chairs suddenly appeared, sliding into position as if summoned by his words. I could've sworn there was nothing there when we walked in.
We hesitated for a moment before sitting down. As soon as we did, the chairs began to glide toward him, closing the space between us with eerie precision.
He gestured for us to begin.
We exchanged nervous glances, silently deciding who would speak first.
Eliana finally took a deep breath and started speaking. She carried the conversation with her usual confidence, explaining our project and the challenges we were facing.
The rest of us played backup, chiming in only when needed, though we couldn't help but feel out of place under his intense gaze.
She started off cautiously, giving only slight details about our experiment as planned. We agreed to keep most of the juicy content under wraps, just enough to pique his interest without exposing everything. But as she went on, her confidence grew—and so did her openness. Bit by bit, she spilled more information than we'd intended.
The Maverick Alchemist remained silent, his expression unreadable as she spoke. He leaned back slightly, his eyes fixed on Eliana, absorbing every word.
A few minutes into what had essentially become a lecture, he interrupted her with a response none of us expected.
"Coffee, anyone?"
We froze, exchanging yet another round of nervous glances. Intrigued and slightly confused, we hesitated for a moment before nodding in unison.
The tables in the room shifted suddenly, their surfaces coming alive with a mesmerizing display. Diamond-shaped patterns moved in a sequence that seemed random yet oddly hypnotic. I couldn't help but stare, feeling a little dizzy as the shapes flowed like liquid under the surface.
My shock deepened as a sleek, modern coffee maker emerged seamlessly from the titanium steel table. Alongside it, mugs adorned with the Maverick Alchemist's logo appeared, each spinning gracefully in a precise circumference as the machine filled them with hot, milk-infused coffee. To top it off, the Alchemist's logo was intricately designed in the foam of each mug.
Everyone else gulped down their coffee in seconds, but I held mine, still mesmerized by the never-ending wonders of this lab. As I slowly brought the mug to my lips, the Maverick Alchemist's words froze me in place.
"Particle acceleration to enhance biomolecular augmentation?" he said with a mysterious grin.
"Absolutely!" Eliana replied, her voice brimming with excitement. "By leveraging particle acceleration, we can crack the code of biomolecular augmentation and unlock new possibilities for evolutionary science. We're talking about re-evolutionizing the field of genetics—creating life forms capable of adapting to any environment and pushing the boundaries of human potential. It's a game-changer, sir, and we're on the cusp of something incredible."
Her enthusiasm was so contagious that I didn't even notice the smirk spreading across my face. I found myself nodding in agreement, swept up by her passion.
She carried the conversation effortlessly, and in that moment, it was clear we had achieved the first phase of our mission: finding a sponsor.
The Maverick Alchemist leaned back, his grin deepening as he nodded. "Well, you've got my attention."
He agreed to support our experiment, offering both the financial backing and encouragement we desperately needed. With his help, we were finally ready to take the next step.
He didn't want to get involved directly due to his reputation; he'd been working under the radar for years and wasn't ready to step back into the spotlight. However, he mentioned he'd love to fully immerse himself in our experiment if the circumstances were different.
Instead, he let us go with a warning:
"Experimenting with biomolecular augmentation can be unstable and extremely dangerous. Stick to the formulas and calculations I gave you, and try not to go overboard. Good luck changing— or should I say, advancing— the world. I'm rooting for you all."
We went on our way, heads swollen with confidence, knowing fully well that our project would be a success— or so we thought.
Now that we had all the equipment, we began sorting through specimens.
We started with the humble Rattus norvegicus, the Wistar rat.
It was a solid specimen, and things were going great, but it had limitations. Its genetic structure made it fragile and unstable when exposed to particle acceleration.
We lost a few of them during the testing phase. Who am I kidding? We lost all of them. Good Lord, those poor things. God rest their souls.
The Wistar rat couldn't do the job, so we began searching for stronger, more versatile specimens.
We went on and on, experimenting, searching for the right specimen, but they all died horribly.
This was our 45th attempt, and still, the same outcome.
Frustration and guilt were evident in our eyes.
With all attempts to find a stronger specimen failing miserably, we turned to genetic mutation. We crossbred as many of the different specimens we deemed compatible, altering various life forms in an effort to create our own specimen capable of doing the job.
The results of this phase of our experiment were not pretty. We did horrible things to those poor creatures, and we didn't stop there.
We went on, adding components from other life forms— like secretion from the Dracunculus giganteus (the Giant Dragon Worm), roots of the Rafflesia arnoldii, commonly known as the corpse lily, and many other questionable combinations.
God, we could burn in hell for this.
I can still perceive the choking smell of rotten flesh from the Arnoldii.
Some mutations went horribly, horribly wrong, while others, like the adaptation of the Wistar rat and the Albanian tarantula, were something of a success, so we went with them.
We began the augmentation procedures, and after 36 failed attempts, we were all losing our cool.
We stood there, like deer in headlights, staring at the lifeless body of the newly confirmed dead Genomorph 06X— our most prized mutation.
A breathless silence pervaded the laboratory, the eerie sound of the flattened heart rate signal from the electrocardiogram echoing in our ears. It kept our feet frozen in place.
My eyes scanned the lab, meeting Eliana's gaze. I almost got lost in her ocean-blue eyes when I noticed them widening in horror. Before I could wrap my head around what was happening, my eyes snapped away from hers as Michelle's high-pitched scream pierced the air. It nearly shattered my eardrums.
Her scream redirected my focus to the supposed dead 'Genomorph,' which suddenly dashed right through its glass compartment, having somehow regained consciousness. It transfigured before our eyes in the blink of an eye, into an abomination that surpassed even the darkest reaches of my imagination. I knew right then and there that we were in some deep shit.
I was nearly paralyzed by terror, but managed to scream out Stephen's name before the mutated monstrosity lunged toward him, tearing through his flesh in a blinding flash.
"Stephen, move!!!"
I cried out, breaking free from my frozen state as I raced toward my friend.
The creature's fangs had already found their mark, and in a second attempt, it drew even more blood.
Stephen's scream reverberated through the lab a second time, filling the air with a haunting echo of despair. I could feel my brother's anguish as blood gushed uncontrollably from his left arm.
Seeing the creature feast on my brother's body ignited a burst of adrenaline, fueling my limbs with the strength of ten men.
I dashed between Stephen and the Genomorph, wrestling with the scaly, disgusting-looking beast in a desperate tug of war.
I went head-on with this devil, holding it down with the last ounce of strength left in me, just moments before I felt its bony claw sink deep into my skin.
I let out a rage-filled wail of anguish as I yelled,
"Power up the NBCR now!"
With each fraction of a second, its razor-sharp claws dug deeper, tearing through my skin. I could see my flesh, exposed and raw, as the cut sliced through to the muscle underneath.
My hands were slipping. The Genomorph's hide, slick with my blood.
"Someone, please!"
I whispered desperately, my grip weakening as my hands slowly slipped from the creature's body.
My vision blurred as I sat there in a pool of my own blood, helplessly watching the beast bound from my body. It charged toward Eliana like a bull in the Coliseum.
A few moments before impact, nanites ignited from the Nano-Bionic Chain Reactor (NBCR), creating a dazzling maelstrom of energy.
The NBCR glowed in a shimmering shroud of blue light, obscuring the final sight of the beast.
It roared in pain, but its roar was slowly drowned out by the crackling noise of the nanites swirling around its body.
I sat there, mesmerized by the pulsating aura of pure energy that had just saved our lives.
I laid on the floor, still losing blood, as Michelle rushed past me toward Stephen with the first-aid kit.
My focus drifted upward to the ceiling, trying to get my mind off the horrors we'd just witnessed. I watched the panel patterns, astounded by the geometric layers of each cell board.
I tried counting each layer, following where it overlapped with the next, meditating on the view. Slowly, I closed my eyes as if preparing to meet my maker, when I felt someone tower over me. She shielded me from the harsh light of the German bulbs that decorated the lab.
Her signature smirk made her mischievously attractive for some reason.
My gaze shifted from her captivating smile to her eyes—her ocean-blue eyes.
If there was somewhere I wanted to get lost, it would be in Eliana's eyes. Her irises glittered like sunlight on the ocean at midday, shimmering like clear crystals. I wondered how someone could be so beautiful.
Eliana, a stunning Latino-American woman with dark skin glowing like polished mahogany, stood around 5'7", with curves in all the right places, her physique almost otherworldly.
Her complexion, slightly darkened by the sun and pampered with the finest moisturizers, added to her allure.
Damn, I was awestruck by her beauty that I forgot to breathe.
I jolted back to reality when her husky, feminine voice broke the silence.
"Still not dead yet?"
She said with a sly smile playing on her lips.
My eyes followed her downward as she knelt, gently applying ointment to my wounds.
Her hands were cool to the touch, and every time they caressed my skin, a shiver ran down my spine. She filled the cut with enough gauze to stop the bleeding, added a few extra chemicals, and sealed my torn skin with bandages.
She dressed my wounds with such grace that I couldn't help but study her movements as her hands worked wonders on my body.
For a moment, I forgot the excruciating pain I felt and found myself lost in the rhythm of her movements and the warmth of her presence.
In those few minutes, my mind wandered to places I couldn't explain.
I was soon brought back to reality as our gazes collided. We stood frozen for almost half a minute, and I could swear I saw a glimmer of tenderness in her eyes. Those few moments felt like I was living an entire lifetime with her, and I didn't want it to end. I wished my lips could've said everything my eyes were trying to convey.
Seconds into the stare, her eyes drifted away, and she straightened her back, as if suddenly snapped from a trance.
I felt an emotional sting as her hands detached from my body, accompanied by a clenched fist. All the pain from my wounds surged back in a sudden flash.
I watched, still in pain, as she gathered up her supplies, the air between us crackling with tension. She broke the silence with,
"How are you feeling?"
I replied clumsily,
"I'm... I'm okay."
As she turned away, I noticed a brief twitch at the corner of her mouth.
A faint trace of a smile? I wasn't sure, but it felt like a glimmer of warmth in the coldness of her gaze.
"I'm okay,"
I said more firmly, watching her gather the last of her supplies.
She stiffened slightly, her shoulders tightening.
"Good,"
She replied assertively, her voice almost wistful, picking up the last of her things before leaving abruptly.
My wounds were dressed, but I still couldn't move freely. So I stayed there alone, watching her take a sharp turn down the corridor leading to the convenience.
With my view now obstructed by the corridor wall, my gaze shifted back to the lab, landing on Stephen.
I noticed the silly guy trying to hold in a giggle, signaling that he noticed me ogling Eliana all the way down the corridor.
Honestly, I was slightly embarrassed that I was caught, but I was glad he was the only one who noticed. So I calmly yelled,
"Get over here and help me up, fool."
With an awkward smile playing on my lips.
With a pained grimace, Steven hauled himself over and supported me as I sat up.
"Eliana's a tough one, bro. You sure you can handle her?"
"I dunno, man... ahh, careful."
"The Geno gave you the digs, man."
"You don't look so good yourself."
"You'll be leaping for days, bruv."
"No kidding."
We both chuckled, holding in tremendous pain, when it hit us.
Where the hell was Scott?