I felt bad man... If you want to wait for the official release of Chapter 2 on the complete version (Around the end of the month), then DON'T READ THIS! But honestly, I feel like I've been taking too much time, so I'll post the separated segments first. The full chapter on the official version will have a recap and everything, just for your information.
6: Swallowed by Desperation
Returning to work was nothing more than a daily routine for the majority of hard-working adults.
However, for Herman Robern, the most important decision of his life needed to be made, and he couldn't shake the thought of it, like a man trying to extricate himself from a cobweb, long after the spider had abandoned it. The night he entered his laboratory at the Detroit headquarters of Herman Industries, the stakes were high. Would he succeed in the serum's development? Or, would he fail and lose everything that generated from his hard work?
The air that night felt cold and stiff, and gave goosebumps all over. The laboratory was void of sound and felt like an empty box. When Herman powered the lights on, it revealed everything in sight one by one — professional equipment was scattered about, and to somebody who didn't know better, they'd think they were torture devices. The entire building was divided into three sections: one reserved for the construction of props and tools, one kept for scientific demonstrations, and one secured for business related things. At the bottom of the complex was a large facility where the first two sections were located. The high-rise building was used for business purposes only — this is where the last section was found.
At the time, nothing seemed out-of-the-ordinary, and one could only imagine the horror which was about to unfold in the second section.
The room — the one in which the very incident took place — resembled a parking garage with a ceiling that extended many feet up in the air, and had ceramic tiles in place of worn asphalt. Everything was contained in one giant space, and nothing was separated into different rooms — the same applied to the first section (though the business area was the complete opposite) — thus everything felt empty and abandoned.
Inside, Herman begins to prepare the serum for it's first human trial. The equipment — which doesn't sit very far away — has been waiting for this exact day. Years after it's been built, collecting dust and acting as nothing but a prop, it would finally be put to use. Of course, it would've been used many years ago, but thankfully, Herman's assistant, Doctor Drew Carson, noticed something wrong with the serum, and they both decided to go "back to formula." This involved reworking the entire chemical composition, just to play it safe. After doing it over, they experimented with the strength enhancers using spiders, and the project carried on from there.
Speaking of Dr. Carson, Herman's currently waiting for his arrival, and it's not until five minutes later when the latter finally arrives. The sound of a heavy glass door swinging open alarms him, and he turns towards the noise to see who it is — it's none other than his loyal assistant. Worry is plastered all over his face, and Herman couldn't help but share part of it.
"Hello Dr. Carson." Herman greets. "Glad to see you actually came, I was almost expecting you not to after what you said earlier today." He approaches his assistant and they shake hands, feeling each other's raging heartbeat through their fingertips as nervous blood courses through their veins. "How's your night been?"
"Could've been better… I had to come, Mr. Robern, but I just wanted some kind of relaxing night!" Dr. Carson says, breaking their handshake. He stares at the floor. "You know... boss' orders. Nothing I can do about that."
Herman finds the opportunity to crack a joke. "Really? Who's that?" He emits a half-suppressed chuckle at the idea of his wisecrack before moving on. "Tell me, and I'll find him so I can kick his ass."
To his dismay, Dr. Carson doesn't laugh at all, and fails to recognize the gist of the joke.
"You..?" he awkwardly says, not seeing anything funny about his boss' witty remark. Herman rolls his eyes.
"I was messing around, don't you get the joke? I'm your boss." Herman replies, laughing a few times again. The sound echoes throughout the room, and it bounces around their heads like a silver bullet — it was void of emotion, and one peep filled the room with a creepy form of vibrancy. "Trying to make light in a stressful situation."
He watches as Dr. Carson's worried expression turns a light shade of anger.
"How can I be happy?" Dr. Carson shakes his head in disdain, and puffs in anger. "You ignored all my calls. Do you understand how frustrating that is?! Especially when we're getting ready for something like this! Did you even check your phone?!"
Herman shakes his head 'no,' and hesitantly keeps his eyes fixed on Dr. Carson, his head tilted and distanced and his eyebrow arched — a reaction to his assistant's sudden outburst. Dr. Carson's face is drained of its red shade.
"Sorry... this is just stressful. Something terrible can happen, but you're pretending like everything is sunshine and rainbows." He makes an attempt to reason with his boss. "This is very dangerous. You need to take that into consideration. I get that a lot is on the line, but going to these extreme lengths is just too risky! We don't even have medical staff on the premises!"
"Don't be a coward." Herman says, typing on the computer used to monitor the experiment's data. To the left sits all the test equipment — a daunting appearance to anyone who knew what was to come. "Risks are a recurring element in laboratory science, and in this case it's absolutely necessary."
Despite the confidence that was in Herman's tone, he was doing his best not to stutter his words, because in reality, he was scared — scared like a little boy in line for an intimidating roller coaster.
Dr. Carson, annoyed with his boss' stubbornness, makes another attempt to steer him away from his plan. "I've looked at the data before coming here, and it just doesn't justify this test."
Herman gives him a confused glare, and quirks a brow, questioning his assistant.
"Don't understand what I'm getting at?"
His boss nods his head.
"There is not enough data, and that's my point. We can't make this jump! We can only predict what will happen next, we can't be sure that something won't go wrong."
"Oh please!" Herman says. "This is our greatest work. Years of countless work-loaded days... just to flush them down the toilet?! I won't let that fly past my radar. We're jumping straight to human trials because it's the last resort. Why should I risk losing the contract again? Might as well fight a risk with a risk."
Sweat droplets start to form on his left temple, and he wipes them away. Their voices continue to echo throughout the facility, and Herman fears that someone would hear them, ruining his plan of action. He was too desperate — he couldn't just give up years of work and accept defeat. It would be the nail on the coffin.
"Just please! Don't... do... it..." Dr. Carson pleads, fearing the worst.
The room goes silent. For once, Herman cycles through the alternatives, looking for a path that carries a smaller risk. However, they offer nothing but droughts of safe mindedness — even if they extend the contract again, tension between the government and Herman Industries would reach its utmost breaking point. Herman, set on his course of action, gets in his assistant's face.
"Here me out, Drew. This is the only way of keeping the business alive. If we wait any longer, the contract will be cancelled and Herman Industries will crumble. We lose the company, where do we go? We don't have enough time to rebuild. I have a family, you have a family. Can't you just hedge your bets… for once?" Dr. Carson sighs, and takes a moment to contemplate his decision. Seeing his assistant finally consider his idea makes a haze of optimism appear in Herman's eyes.
After a brief period of silence, Dr. Carson reaches his settlement. "Fine…" he reluctantly says. "I'll do it for your sake. But... only on the condition that, if anything bad happens, it's not my responsibility."
"That's fine with me." Herman says, starting up the experiment recorder. He felt relieved, yet also doubtful — but he does his best to hide it. "I'm going to need help with a few things while I boot everything up, then I'll give you the upper hand."
Once the recording application fully loads, a heart rate monitor appears at the top left corner of the screen, along with a diagram of the human body right under it. On the bodily figure, there are red points on different parts of the body. To the right, there are multiple progress bars indicating the different strength levels: agility, visual ability, power, coordination, endurance, stamina and accuracy. If these bars went up, it would mean that the user's physical skills were being enhanced. Leaving the station, Herman gathers multiple tablet-shaped discs with wires fixed onto each of them.
"Dr. Carson! I need your help!" His assistant turns around. "Wheel the platform out of the glass chamber." He points at the set of equipment to the left. "Once it comes to a standstill, hook these wires to the device underneath. That way we can monitor the strength increases in each physical skill."
He follows Herman's orders, and consults the use of a control panel built onto the iron framing of the glass chamber. With the push of a few buttons, the motorized platform starts to roll out into the open. The mechanisms whir as the metal surface moves from its initial position, rotating until it becomes a level surface. The metal platform subsequently rolls itself out of the chamber. Once the motorized wheels come to a halt, Dr. Carson starts to wire each of the discs to a large device underneath the platform, sticking each wire into a jack.
"When you're done with that, unlock the case with the serum. Grab one of the cylinders, remove the lid, then screw it into the holder attached to the platform." The holder that Herman is referring to has a needle at the end, so the test subject can receive a dose of the serum once they're strapped in. "Make sure not to spill a single drop of the serum." Herman directs, unbuttoning his orange office shirt which used to be concealed by a laboratory coat. "Actually, before you take that up, can you hand me the discs? Don't unplug them though."
Herman shuffles through a drawer in a nearby desk and pulls out a medical kit, a plastic container painted with a mix of red and white designs, held shut by two locks. He rests it on the desktop and undoes the locks. Inside the kit there's a mess of medical supplies, ranging from gauze to sterile gloves. Out of the bunch, he picks out surgical tape and returns to Dr. Carson.
"Alright, I'm ready. Give them over here," Herman orders, putting his hand out, expecting to receive the discs. There's now a small distance between them and the equipment, but not far enough for the discs' wires to snap or unplug. "Just give them one by one since I have to put each of them into their own designated place."
His assistant hands him the first disc. They're required to be placed according to the red dots on the diagram of the human body, as depicted on the computer next to Herman. He jabs the first one into the area of his left upper chest, slightly wincing from the slight pinch. Since the small disc can't keep it's position independently, he secures it with some of the surgical tape from the medical kit. The process gets repeated — one disc on the upper right chest and two above each eyebrow.
"Thank you Dr. Carson. Now please prepare the serum, I'll unlock the case for you," Herman says.
He unlocks a metal chamber with a keypad. The sides unfold while the top remains stationary, and it exposes four tubes filled with a viscous green substance — the current version of the super soldier serum. Dr. Carson removes one of the glass cylinders from the mount.
"I should get back to the platform. I'm surprised these wires haven't snapped, you must have wired them real good."
He strums one of the wires like a guitar string, and it emits a tense sound, in such a way that screams a breaking point — the distance between him and the platform was causing the disc's wires to stretch to its utmost limit. After returning to the testing equipment, he leans on the metal platform, resting his right palm on the ferric surface. His heart was racing. Though he was confident in his work, there was no previous testing data to build upon, and that sent paralyzing waves of doubt through his body. He felt like he was reaching his breaking point, as though he was tense like the wires once were — he was at the pinnacle of anxiety.
"Mr. Robern..." Dr. Carson calls out, approaching the platform his boss was leaning on. "Can you please lie down while I prepare the serum? It's time to put the most important part into action..."
Herman's blood goes cold — all the pent-up stress had finally caught up to him. For the first time since his arrival, he fails to contain his fear. He climbs onto the platform — his movements plagued with frequent jitters — while his assistant unscrews the glass tube's lid. He pulls the holder back to avoid spillage and twists the liquid-filled cylinder into place. After everything is tightened and secured, he snaps the holder back to its original position. Now, the liquid-filled tube leads to a hypodermic needle.
"Lay back, I'll c-c... close the restraints." Dr. Carson says, his tone starting to sound jittery and uneasy — he had also slipped from the tip of the iceberg, reaching his utmost breaking point.
He buckles Herman with heavy metal restraints, and once they lock in place, they emit a sound like a heavy-weight door being slammed. Herman lays on the platform, the cold ferric surface pressing against the bare skin on his back, sending waves of physical shock through his body.
Being completely restrained, Herman's heartbeat rages faster, knowing that his fate had been sealed — yet it still remains unknown to him.
"S.. st-star..." Herman tries to speak, but his voice drifts off in a stuttering mess.
Did he really want to do this? His thoughts were flooded with doubt, and his anxiety clawed at his stomach like a rabid animal. There wasn't another option though, and if he didn't go through with this, his life would ultimately go to the shits. Dr. Carson sends a confused look Herman's way, and it delivers — they lock gazes for a moment, both men stricken with a flurry of worry and fear. But then, something snapped. Now he wanted to do it.
"Start the sequence."
Dr. Carson, still unsure, gives Herman an uneasy look. "For the last time, before we go through with this, are you absolutely sure... this is what you want to do?"
Herman slowly nods at Dr. Carson, and he nods back, a small sign of the respect he had for his boss — and a possible final farewell. Dr. Carson, now standing at the computer that monitors the experiment, enters a few commands into the device. Herman feels a sudden jolt, and the motorized platform starts moving into the glass chamber.
He can only stare as Herman is pulled into the cramped confines of the enclosure. It is not much bigger than a telephone booth and can easily make the average Joe feel claustrophobic. The distraught CEO takes a deep breath as the platform comes to a standstill, now sitting upright, anticipating pain to sharply arrive any moment. The holder starts towards Herman, and its needle pierces itself into his neck, like a cook plunging a thermometer into a piece of meat. He cringes at the sudden pain, and his assistant can't help but flinch at the unpleasant sight. His nerves nearly snap as he watches the viscous substance enter Herman's body, occasionally shifting his view to the progress bars on the computer. Slowly and steadily, each bar starts to fill, while Herman looks rather uncomfortable; almost afraid. The pounding beat of his heart starts to pulsate under his fingertips. They were only moments away from reaching a conclusion.
"Everything is going as expected... so far." Dr. Carson thinks, giving Herman a shaky thumbs up.
As the last of the serum is emptied from the glass cylinder, Dr. Carson worries about the possibility of an adverse outcome. Meanwhile, Herman's fear has skyrocketed. He felt confident in his work, so why was he so scared? Years of continuous labor, sleepless nights...he should be right, yet terror had been stabbing his heart while dread clawed at his stomach. He was practically being attacked by a wall of emotions and thoughts which hit him in a blur, and, amid the emotional chaos, he had started to sweat aggressively. His assistant took note.
"Herman! Give me a sign you're okay!" Dr. Carson — worried for his boss' well-being — demands, snapping Herman away from his thoughts. Complying to his assistant's orders, Herman unsteadily nods his head, each movement jittery and trembly.
"O-okay!" Dr. Carson falters. He returns his gaze to the computer, and squints at the screen. "Looks like we're doing good so far... If the computer deems this experiment a success, we're all set."
The moment those words left his mouth, the progress bars completely filled up and the computer started beeping violently. Dr. Carson types in a few things, concentrating on the luminous screen. Herman believes that something has gone seriously wrong, and he crashes into another wall of emotions. However, elation is plastered all over Dr. Carson's face, seemingly spawned by something on the computer.
"I-I.. can't believe it. Herman, it was a... success!" Dr. Carson exclaims, watching as Herman's expression lightens up. "We actually did it!"
Herman was lost for words. Was it really a...success? Maybe the serum got the better of him and he died in an eternal cycle of dreams. Or, maybe it was causing him to have hallucinations. It felt too good to be true.
"Get me out of here, please. Now that we know it works, we'll do a public demonstration... another day," he mutters. "As long as we get it done in the next.. four days."
"Okay, that's fine, but first, we need to take the effects off you — you're not equipped to handle them, so we need to get rid of it fast. I'll be right back!"
Dr. Carson runs off to another station, occasionally turning his head around to keep an eye on Herman.
"Stay right there!"
Dr. Carson later returns with another glass cylinder, this time full of a yellow viscous substance. It had been designed to reverse the effects of the performance enhancing serum: upon receiving a dose, any of the enhanced traits would slowly diminish, and they'd be gone within a few minutes. The process would be simple: he would remove the empty cylinder and replace it with the 'cure,' then restart the same sequence to administer it safely. Dr. Carson types a command into the computer and the glass chamber opens, evoking two heavy plates of glass and metal to move apart in heavy and powerful harmony. Herman watches as his assistant removes the empty tube from its holder, preparing to swap it with the new liquid-filled glass tube. Normal, right? Everything's going to plan.
No — not to Herman. Something feels off. His thoughts become agitated, and a strange notion starts to overpower him — he could almost picture a balloon of boiling-hot blood growing beneath every inch of his skin, and there was only one way to satisfy it.
However, it went right over his head. He had no understanding of what was happening at the time.
Dr. Carson starts to unscrew the lid of the antidote. Seeing this sent unease down Herman's spine. He didn't know why, but it felt like someone had flicked a switch inside of him, and that very switch was pumping air into a balloon which sloshed with scorching hot blood, and it wouldn't stop expanding. Almost as if he'd given into his inner demons, Herman begins to grow furious that his assistant, who was adamant to finish this with him, was about to kill a part of him. He completely changes, turning into something much more terrifying — scarier than anything you could find out of a child's detrimental nightmare.
Pop.
"Would you—"
Dr. Carson tries to speak, but gets interrupted after something grabs hold of his wrist, stopping him from securing the liquid-filled tube into the holder. He immediately recognizes his boss' hand. Herman's grip is so strong, he can feel his bones stress under the pressure. The tight squeeze causes Dr. Carson to drop the tube on the floor, and it shatters into pieces.
"Herman, what the hell are you doing?!"
Dr. Carson stares at Herman with a glare that's imbued with horror. His facial features — which were previously those of any ordinary man — now resemble those of someone with extreme anger. His motions and breathing habits are irregular, matching those of a rabid animal — he hyperventilated acutely and convulsed with every slight movement.
But what had struck Drew Carson the most on that very night was Herman's eyes — they'd become a glowing yellow, with a single black line in the middle, appearing completely unnatural, as if they'd come straight out of a nightmare. Herman stares at him with a piercing gaze that reaches the vicious beating of his fragile heart. The locks snap and the clamps swing loose as he effortlessly breaks free of the metal restraints. Dr. Carson uses his best efforts to escape Herman's grip, but all his attempts are in vain. He can only watch in horror as the madman approaches him. Whoever that was, it wasn't Herman... that was someone else. He was just normal a second ago!
With his assistant at his mercy, Herman mutters a phrase in a wicked, menacing tone. "It did work perfectly as intended."
And with that, a monster had escaped into the streets of Detroit, leaving two lives shattered forever...
The sheer horror, which scarred the lives of the most unsuspecting that fateful night, would continue with a lone boy who laid within the still depths of the darkness, clawing at his bedsheets in the wake of a nightmare.
Thanks for the support guys. It means so much to me :)