I waited in the lobby, nervously tapping my fingers against my forearms as the Ink Spots' 'The Gypsy' played over the speakers. I was about to commit myself to being a test subject for Dr. Yi Suchong's new Plasmid, 'Electro Bolt'. Sure, I loved to mess around with almost anything that concerns machines, but using myself as an electrical conduit was taking it a bit too far. I was just about to rescind my offer to participate, when Dimitri suddenly appeared in front of me. The Russian-American smiled at me, his calm yet cold grey gaze looking at me. The man was a relatively unknown scientist, mainly working on Bio-Mechanics, such as the newly released 'Big Daddie'.
"Mark," he began with that light Russian accent, "Please tell me you are not actually go to Splice yourself?" The man shifted his left arm, which was hidden from view under his sterile white lab coat. He was called a 'Purist', which was a person who chose not to Splice themselves at all.
I nodded, knowing that Dimitri disapproved greatly with my decision, "Yeah, one of the first," I gulped silently. And as if it was a godsend, a random announcement squawked over the speakers.
"A Rapture Reminder! Please keep a safe distance away from the Little Sisters. They are helping us, to help you!" the eerily calm male voice said.
Dimitri nodded, true tiredness etched onto his face, ""Hmm, I see... Vell, I suppose I should vish you good luck. Oh, before I forget," he crouched down to eye level, "Suchong is a sneaky bastard. Don't be vrangled into anything that you don't vant to . . ." he spoke in a hoarse whisper. And with that, he vanished without a trace. I shivered lightly; I was always freaked out by that weird habit of his. Then, Bobby Darin's 'Beyond the Sea' ironically began to play, and my nerves were settled.
Then I saw him: Yi Suchong standing at the double doorway with a sickly kind of smile on his scarred lips. "Are you ready, Mister Hadleigh?" he spoke with a specific, as if patronizing me, like talking to a child. In his right hand was a clipboard, literally stuffed with papers, and in the other was... what was it? A rounded glass bottle that was filled with a sort of disgusting red substance; ADAM, maybe? I stood up and nodded with anticipation and followed the doctor down the long-winded hallway, sleek with white porcelain along the walls. I began to wonder about this aesthetic feel when I heard a shrill scream behind a closed door. Above the doorway read a sign 'Testing for Aggressor Irritant'.
"Hey doc," I finally spoke as I chewed harshly on my lower lip, "Will this, uh... modification hurt much?" my eyes obviously looking at the doorway.
Suchong chuckled as he continued down the hall, "I would not know. You are first applicant for new Plasmid," he replied. This froze me directly in my tracks, my face clear with shock. My mind began to wander about, images of blood and gore filling my head until I was stopped by the "friendly" scientist.
"Right through here, Mister Hadleigh," he said, motioning towards the door that read 'Testing for Electro Bolt'. As I walked in, my vision began to become cloudy and dull. My fingers rubbed my eyelids, feeling myself grow drowsy. Suchong's voice then drawled behind me as I fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
"Relax Mark. Let your dreams take you..."