Apartment Building Explodes; 129 Dead

The large, bold lettering at the top of the page was all he could make out in the absence of his usual thick glasses, now crushed amidst multiple tons of concrete.

It didn't matter. He knew the rest. The rescue team had found him, a veritable mess of blood and chemical burns, yet despite being closer to the blast than anyone else, he was also the only one to survive it. There was certainly a logical explanation, but for once he didn't care.

He had killed them.

He had gathered all his friends in his private laboratory on the sixth floor. He'd had an idea and wanted their input. None of them saw it coming. They couldn't have; they hadn't seen the calculations.

He had killed them.

The inaugural experiment. One experiment, gone so horribly wrong. He could have shown them his calculations; they would have caught his mistake. He could have been more careful, in so many ways. He could have just stuck to the quiet, peaceful life of a fisherman...

He had killed them.

Why had he taken up science? Science...it had found him, young and free, and swept him up in its passion.

And now his passion had killed his friends.

And still it called to him, beckoning him with its vitality, its thrill, its sense of unending possibility...

He didn't hear the door creak open, nor the steady footfalls moving toward him. He didn't look up at the sound of a crisp, assured voice clearing its throat.

"Here." Slowly, he raised his head and squinted at the gray-and-teal blob to his side, which seemed to be holding something out. "I've obtained your prescription information. Not going to get anywhere if you can't see."

Warily, he reached out and took the proffered eyewear. The blob became a man in his thirties wearing standard lab gear, with a strange logo on the chest pocket.

"You can walk, correct?" He managed a nod. "Come with me."

Wincing, he swung his legs over the side and stood up. The strange man regarded him impassively. "My name is 062," he began, "and I'm here to discuss your future."

"That's your...name?" he asked, confused.

"Yes," said 062 tersely, and began to make his way down the hall. Raising an eyebrow, he followed.

"Your experiment was no third-grade volcano trick. You have determined where your error lay, correct?"

"What do you know about my experiment?" he demanded.

"I know many things," replied 062, unfazed. "My superior has taken an interest in you. Your work could prove invaluable to us. We are the source of all of Gaia's scientific development, and we could use a mind like yours."

Now he was really growing suspicious, albeit intrigued. "Who are you?"

"I am LabTech 062," he stated. "I am here on behalf of G Corp, the top-quality, top-secret corporation responsible for many facets of life as you know it. And Mr. Gambino thinks you may have what it takes to join our team and see it all from the inside."

He had stopped in his tracks. "Surely you don't mean Johnny K. Gambino?"

062 turned his head, making eye contact. "The very same."

"And he wants me? But...but I just killed an entire building's worth of people! Why would you trust me? I could mix something wrong and blow up your lab too. I could set fire to the entire surrounding area with one mishandled test tube. I could use the wrong solution at the wrong time and start a zombie invasion! Science is too dangerous. I want no part of it anymore."

"You can't just throw away talent like yours," 062 said harshly. "You can never truly stop, and you don't want to." His voice softening to its usual businesslike tone, 062 turned around fully and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We need you. You have the brains. You have the passion."

He lowered his head. It was true; despite recent events, he was still passionate about his science. It was not something that could just be taken away. Perhaps if he could direct it toward the greater good, though...he could make up for his mistakes. If he threw himself into his work...maybe he could find peace. Maybe he could make it up to his friends somehow...

He took a deep breath. "I'm in."

062's expression shifted for the first time into a satisfied half-smile. "Welcome to G Corp, LabTech 247."