There was something about the scientists that made Bob uneasy. Whenever he could steer clear of those white coat wearing sadist, he would. His job had forced him to interact with the scientists whenever he brought the subjects for their testing. The interaction would be brief and therefore wouldn't upset Bob too much. Being called into a meeting with said scientist however was not something Bob was looking forward to.
Hydra had offered Bob a lot of opportunities to profit on the side. The dead pool, rookie testing, 'union' dues, and the stealling of some very interesting information. He worked every angle, because things didn't last forever. Bob had to get when the getting was good and those that didn't were suckers. So, when his immediate supervisor stated that the scientists wanted to speak to him, Bob thought that perhaps that his side businesses had been figured out. It unnerved him, since he was very aware of what the mad doctors were capable of committing.
Bob made the same walk down the halls as he had when walking their subjects to their 'tests.' There was a sense of dread that filled him and he made a turn to head to the conference room. Bob knew he could run, flee, get the hell out of dodge - but, that would just make it appear as if he did something wrong. If he played his cards right, Bob could come out of this smelling like roses. He had been so careful about all of his endeavors. His contact with the US government had too much to lose if he was found out about sharing information. The gambling would get him demoted at most. The fraudulent union he created may get him into a little hot water, but nothing he couldn't handle. Just as long as they didn't know he was selling company secrets, Bob would be just fine.
Taking his seat across from the five scientists, Bob kept his poker face on point. To his surprise, the scientists wanted to talk to Bob about their recent experiment and the reminding subjects. It turned out that it was a partial success. The sadist doctors stated that their serum was altering their surviving subjects DNA, providing them with special abilities. Different subjects reacted differently to their serum. Some received super strength, others the increased agility - basically, those that could survive what it took to create the mutation, became super beings.
Bob was confused. Why were they explaining their finding to him? He was just a drone. He did their will, without question, and he was paid. Bob wasn't an ideas guy. He wasn't a supervisor. He wasn't even on the 'need to know' basis. He was given orders and he fulfilled them. So, the mad scientists telling him the details of his plans were very confusing to him. It must have been written all over his face, because that's when the lead scientists, Dr. Blok, decided to explain it all. "Bob, we are explaining this all to you because we would like to give you a few more responsibilities other than escorting our subjects to testing."
"What type of additional responsibilities?" Bob asked, leading forward, intrigued.
Dr. Blok presented several folders, all labeled by subject, while saying, "Well, one of the additional responsibilities we would like you to take on is to stay present during the training."
Bob, who enjoyed how much down time he had between transporting subjects, was sad to hear that he may need to actually start working for his pay check. But he knew that with additional duties meant additional pay. So, he continued to listen to Dr. Blok's prepared speech of his new duties.
"You wouldn't have to be in the lab during that time, but we would need you right outside the door. The reason for this is because we would need you to terminate any of the subjects that are no longer controllable."
Bob perked up a little bit. Terminating subjects would definitely be considered hazard pay. The hazard pay was the gold standard of the pay scale at Hydra. This was one of those huge opportunities that Bob was waiting for. He eagerly listened to Dr. Blok speak more and more about his new responsibilities.
"Obvious," Dr. Blok stated, "if you are responsible for terminating the subjects, you will need to know how." He pushed the folders across the table towards Bob and continued. "Due to the different reactions to the serum, each subject has their own sets of strengths and weakness. In these folders, you will have all the information you would need to terminate any of our remaining subjects. Of course, we expect you to follow the specific protocol listed for each subject."
Bob picked up the folders. He noticed that some of the folders were much thicker than the others. One of the thickest folders belong to Subject Chloe. Bob wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad thing, but if definitely intrigued him. He could only guess what the folder said what Chloe's special abilities were. The ability to have a positive outlook on life when things couldn't possibly be worse? To have a smile that can light up the darkest of rooms? To continue to be selfless and constantly ask about how Bob was doing, even though he was leading her to be tortured?
Bob was taken out of his thoughts by Dr. Blok asking him, "Are these responsibilities something you would be willing to take on?"
"Yes. I look forward to this new challenge." Bob stated with confidence.
Dr. Blok stated, "Excellent. Please read over those files carefully. We will have training for you starting next week."
As Dr. Blok stood up, Bob took that as his queue that the meeting was over, and to stood as well. He shook each doctor's hand as it was presented to him, took the folders, and headed towards the exit.
Just as Bob was reaching the door, Dr. Blok then said, "Oh and Bob?"
Bob stopped, turned to Dr. Blok, who was addressing him, and asked "Yes?"
"You will find that Subject Charlie should be the odds on favorite in the dead pool now. If I were you, I would keep things interesting." Dr. Blok paused as he watched the realization wash over Bob's face before continuing, "We know about the dead pool, Bob. The only reason we haven't stopped it is because it is harmless gambling that surprisingly boosts morale around here. No need to worry."
Bob nodded and headed out the door. He didn't care that they knew about the dead pool, he was more concerned about the contains within the files he was given. There was no doubt that the information was valuable in the right hands. Bob was excited; things were looking up for him. He had information; he had access, now all Bob needed was a plan.
