#9 Making a Monster
"I wanted to thank you for seeing me Mr. Knox, or do you mind if I call you Orso?"
Sitting in an orange and white high back chair, a balding man in his mid 50s and wearing a blue-grey suit answered, "'Orso' is fine Miss Amara."
Across from him in a large white chair, a young blonde woman in a red top and skirt with a black belt sat at her office desk. She smiled sweetly and replied, "Please, call me 'Liv' Orso. There's no need for such formalities. Afterall, we do more than look for investors here at Sycorax, we see that their futures are cared for as well."
Orso Knox laughed slightly in agreement as he gazed around the fancy office of the advanced biotech company. He stared at the white carpeted floor before glancing at the shelves of humanitarian awards the 23-year-old had impressively managed to accrue. The lime-green windows that lined the room were distractingly bright, but the tank filled with coral, seaweed and exotic fish was the biggest eyecatcher. "It was a bit unorthodox inviting me on such short notice, but I had an availability and I have been looking to invest or give back as it were. I know Sycorax has an impressive résumé, but I haven't quite decided yet if I'm being honest; I have a meeting scheduled with Krei Tech tomorrow actually and who knows, I may see stock potential in both," the middle-aged man admitted.
A flash of anger, and perhaps ferocity, came over Liv's eyes but Orso didn't seem to notice. "I understand. This is a big decision and you don't want to rush into it. So, what have you hear about my little company?" she inquired strategically.
"I had read about the vaccine work you've done as well as some gene therapies you've managed to patent and the donations to schools like SFIT; your involvement in producing better drought-resistant crops was also impressive. Sycorax truly has done some next level research," Orso informed her.
Hearing him say that, the blonde woman saw an opening to potentially get her hooks in him more and at a more lucrative price. "Thank you Orso. We do try to make a better world for all." She then paused as she switched to a more alluring tone. "Now tell me, what would make things better for you? Everyone needs something and we believe in doing everything we can to get it for them."
The balding man blinked and fell silent for a moment as he was caught off guard by the question. "Uh, well…what exactly do you have in mind?" he asked, feeling slightly apprehensive and curious at the same time.
Liv maintained a pleasant smile and answered, "It varies from person to person. Some may want a little help restoring vitality while others desire something they never had. I personally feel we can always work towards a better version of ourselves, and doing it through Sycorax can help bring real change for others too." Orso was still silent as he contemplated if there was anything he really wanted of this nature; after all, he could just make a donation to their charity work.
Seeing him in debate, the CEO knew he still needed more convincing. She also knew that he'd give more if he had a bigger stake in it or even better, if he was dependent on her. Liv proceeded to try and entice him some more into her web. "I can see you're still hesitant on what we offer here, so would a demonstration perhaps help?" she suggested innocently.
The suited man snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Liv speak. "A demonstration?"
She nodded yes as she pushed a button on her desk. "Chris, would you mind coming in here please?" Five seconds later, the doors behind them slid open as a fit man in his mid 20s entered and wearing a seafoam-green shirt with jeans.
"What may I help you with Liv?" he questioned with undying loyalty.
"I was hoping you could show Orso here some of the work we've done to improve the lives of those that invest with us," the blonde woman requested as she gave a subtle nod.
"Gladly," Chris replied with a charming smile. He proceeded to do a series of flips and spins throughout the office, calculating each point to avoid hitting anything. The young man then landed into a single-handstand before doing a few pushups in that position. Once he was upright again, Liv tossed an empty cup and several pens his direction where he caught each item with lightning-fast reflexes. For his final act, he freed up his hands as he held onto a chair and managed to punch a hole clear through the back of it.
Orso stared wide-eyed at the display that had transpired, astonished (and off putted) as such almost unnatural prowess. "Well, that certainly was impressive, and you said this was your doing?" he questioned, admittedly starting to feel more apprehensive.
Liv smiled confidently and smoothly said, "I can do more than that if you want something different, and all it takes…is this." She proceeded to pull an envelope out of her desk and handed it to the wealthy man. He took it and his eyes went wide again as he saw the price she was asking as well as the procedure itself.
That's a lot of zeroes, and what's this about an implant? he warily thought. "You uh…certainly have an interesting process here. I thought it would be something a little less…invasive. This also seems rather…out there in terms of augmentation. I'm just not sure this sort of thing is right for me," he cautiously stated before giving a small, nervous laugh.
Looks like he's not going to bite. Damn. I came on too strong or he clearly lacks the ambition to go for it. I'll have to adjust my plan of attack next time. This could also be a problem if he spreads this around to the other elites; their money would help immensely or worse yet, he'll report this to someone. So, I guess I'll need to keep him from talking, Liv strategically plotted while showing nothing on the surface. She then made a saddened expression before replying, "I understand Orso. It's up to the individual on what they want and should never feel pressured to make a decision. Would you still be interested in helping when it comes time for charity work?"
"Yes. I uh, believe in that aspect I can help. I might be able to have something for you in time for the gala in a few days. I'm sorry, but I can't invest more I'm afraid," he apologetically answered as he got up to leave.
"Please. Any help is always appreciated. Let me at least give you the briefest of tours as I walk you out," the blonde woman offered as she discretely got her phone out. She typed a quick command for Chris that read: Get GES #8+DMSO patch. Make contact with Knox.
Her assistant proceeded swiftly with her plan although he didn't know to what goal Liv was going for; after all, the item she wanted was one of the prototype modification experiments before they finalized it in implant form. Taking the express route to Sub-Level 9 yielded a dark, foreboding lab full of expensive equipment, live experiments and containment cells for if something dangerous was made. Chris ran up and around some of the specimen pods as he found the right freezer marked "Biohazard." Inside, he found the appropriate petri dish containing a thin membrane-like patch. He took it out of the freezer along with a pair of tweezers lying on the adjacent table before rushing back upstairs as fast as he could.
During this time, Liv escorted Orso through Sycorax as slowly as possible without arousing suspicion. She knew he was unlikely to change his mind, but she needed to buy time for Chris. To do this, she mainly focused on pointing out the building's advanced labs and integration of nature into the design. They finally managed to make it to the set of steps leading to the front doors when Chris smoothly appeared next to them, showing no signs that he had been running.
"I'm sorry we couldn't sell you on Sycorax today, but it was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Knox," the handsome young man told the older man as he extended his hand to shake. Orso was slightly apprehensive (for fear his hand might be crushed), but still shook Chris's hand out of politeness. It felt a little cold, but he disregarded it as nothing important. He then turned back to Liv and said, "I'll uh, I guess see you at the SFIT gala then. Take care." The balding man still looked nervous as he proceeded to leave down through the sliding doors and walk to his car; he was completely unaware that after he left, Chris removed a circular film from his palm with the tweezers he grabbed and placing it back in the petri dish. He then turned to Liv and inquired, "You know I live to serve you, but why did you want me to infect him with this? Without an interface program, it'll…"
"It'll spread unchecked and do whatever it wants to the host's cells. This could be very interesting to see, especially since #8 works fast," the blonde woman interrupted with a cold smile. She then gestured for Chris to follow her back to the office for some privacy. Once secured inside, she finally continued her justification. "It appears that I'll have to rethink my tactics. Not every rich person wants what I'm selling. I'll still scrape what I can from them, but to make the real cash flow, I need a different focus group," she said with a devilish look as an idea formed in her head.
"Like who?" Chris asked as he stepped closer to her.
"Someone who doesn't care about the cost, only the benefits; someone who will want the power I can offer them," she answered with a smirk.
"Already have some people in mind?"
"Yes, I do. But first, we'll have to wait and see how the Orso problem turns out. He'll either be dead from the results or he'll be unable to tell what I can do here; either way, we keep on working," she finished as she sat down at her desk to plan her next move. She also had to prepare for her visit to SFIT tomorrow.
Once he left Sycorax, Orso Knox managed to drive home without any trouble, although his right hand did admittedly feel a little itchy. Throughout his drive, his mind was still puzzling over the meeting. The fact that she's able to do something like this is unsettling; something tells me this sort of thing hasn't gotten medical clearance either. Should I tell this to someone? But aside from the portfolio she gave me, what proof do I really have and how much do I really want to be involved? All these questions and thoughts were going through his head as he got to his place and tried to decompress before he'd have to get ready for dinner at the Frederickson's.
The middle-aged man was starting to feel hot, so he removed his jacket and turned on the A/C. He then went into his study so as to be present for his office hours in case a student had some questions for him. Inside, the room had an elegant rug on the floor, various books on the shelves, a portrait of Shakespeare, and a mirror as the standout features. He took a seat at his oval-shaped desk and flipped through some paper before he started to feel a headache coming on. Orso blinked a few times and put his hand to his forehead in an effort to make it go away. When he removed his hand, he stared at it in confusion as he saw it had a dark, circular mark on the palm. As he was about to touch it, a searing pain emanated from it as the sensation began to spread up his arm and throughout his body. Orso knocked over his chair as he doubled over on the floor in pain. He felt as if every bone was breaking as the pain continued to intensify and his mind felt like it was on fire.
The wealthy man was overcome with impulses of confusion, anger and hunger, making him want to lash out and causing him to knock over everything in his study as he attempted to stand. He then caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and horrified, instinctively smashed it with a fist he no longer recognized. Even as his eyes throbbed in pain, he could see his hands had become larger, darker and had claws. Another wave of pain coursing through his head made him fall to the floor again and by grabbing it in an effort to make it stop, only served to frighten him more as he felt its shape and confirming what he saw in the mirror. His shirt and pants began to stretch and rip while his body mutated further. Though all the change and pain were making it extremely difficult, he was still able to maintain some fleeting lucid thoughts. Help. Must get help.
He barely managed to drag himself on all fours out of his study as his body struggled to fit through. Orso then pulled himself along the hallway, knocking over the petite table and potted plant as he entered the kitchen. He tried to focus on leaving, but his still changing form demanded sustenance and his mind wasn't strong enough to resist; like an animal, he ripped the refrigerator door off and began devouring everything he could from the sliced meat, raw eggs, vegetables, and fruit. When he was done, his now savage maw dripped with saliva and bits of food as another wave of pain signaled he had given his mutation renewed strength. He roared as his body writhed and his clothes became tattered shreds that fell to the floor. Orso grabbed his now monstrous, dinosaur-like head again as the increased stimuli overwhelmed his mind and he felt no rhythm or reason but to just charge straight through the back door, leaving a noticeable hole. He panted as he laid on the freshly cut grass before finally succumbing to exhaustion and losing consciousness. Since his small yard was fenced in and he had a few trees planted, he went about unseen despite the loud snoring he gave off.
The mutated man slept there for several hours until it was twilight, covering the area in dark, elongated shadows. He was still reeling with the ache in his head as he tried to hold on to his humanity, which was a struggle as his thoughts were a jumble and each was fighting for attention.
Sycorax. Responsible. Dinner. Frederickson. Help.
Orso's mind in its new state fixated on these threads of lucidity, but was unable to connect every aspect of relevance to these thoughts. He snorted as he finally opened his eyes, which were now gigantic and yellow. Every sense was heightened as he heard the cars driving by, smelled the cooking food in his neighbor's house and could see his mutated hand extremely well despite the growing darkness; however, none of this was pleasurable to him as all he desired was to be normal again. Orso tried to get up, but collapsed almost immediately from his altered limbs still being sore and uncoordinated. He tried a few more times as he persevered to move again. After the fifth try, he finally managed to walk on all fours and once he took a look at himself, growled in disgust at his new body. He saw his transmogrified form was dark brown with darker patches dotted throughout and a decent sized tail to go with his clawed, jointed extremities. The mutant's mouth had become quite large with sharp, menacing teeth inside as well as he had a stubby snout and patches of hair to add to the big bulbous shape that was his head.
Orso's mind returned its attention to the task at hand as he tried to focus on leaving. He backed himself up and after getting a running start, leaped over the fence to the sidewalk on the other side. No one was standing there, but the car driving by startled him from both the noise and light, causing him to jump again across the street and into the bushes. He gripped his head again in pain as he attempted to pull his thoughts to some semblance of order.
Sycorax. Bad. Tell. Plans. Frederickson.
With his target held in his mind, he proceeded to run as best as he could through bushes, shadowy areas and backyards in an effort to avoid all the stimuli that caused him trouble; unfortunately, his jumble of thoughts still couldn't maintain the correct details of what he needed to convey, so he would draw upon his other experience with Sycorax instead of his most recent one.
Chris had arrived less than an hour after Orso Knox left as he was ordered to see how their "experiment" had gone. He knocked first and after getting no answer, used his strength to push the door open, breaking the lock in the process. Once inside, he could see the knocked over items in the hallway as he walked further inward, peering into the destroyed study and letting out a small "hmmm." He then went into the kitchen to find the place littered with food remnants and a messed-up refrigerator. The most noticeable feature was the giant hole leading outside, where bits of rubble were leading to a large impression in the grass. Chris curiously stared at it as he pulled out his phone to make a call.
"Hello Di. I just thought you'd want to know the GES#8 appears to have produced some…interesting results to say the least."
After the events at the SFIT gala, Orso Knox groggily awoke to find himself in a large, metal containment cell. He snorted as he wobbly got up on all fours to gauge his body's condition.
"Awake are we?"
He rapidly turned his head to find Liv Amara standing 10ft away. The mutated man roared as he charged at her, only to hit the cell's secured door and making Liv smirk in her feeling of superiority.
"Oh calm down Orso. I may have done this to you, but we're going to fix you too…or you'll die trying," she coldly told him.
"Witch," Orso growled with considerable effort.
"Come now, there's no need for name calling," Liv calmly retorted as she turned away to see Chris over by the central computer. Her assistant stood faithfully, waiting for her to return before asking, "So, are we really going to cure him? Won't he talk?"
The woman going by Liv smiled deviously and replied, "The way I see it, this is an opportunity. Although trying to cure him may dip into our research fund, if we succeed, just imagine the influx of investors we'll get wanting to see what other miracles we can perform; in any case, we have the alternative of we did the best we could to save him but he succumbed to his mutation and it proved fatal. We can continue to work on selecting investors for the exclusive project while we're at it too." Chris now smiled in satisfaction as the two continued to work in the creepy, dark lab.
All the while, Orso settled back down as he leered at the two outside his cage and growled again. Seeing the blonde woman had helped him to focus his mind and collect some of his thoughts, but he still didn't feel 100% there. He didn't know how long he'd be trapped here or what other horrible things he'd be subjected too, but he refused to let himself sink into madness. He'd do everything he could to at least keep his humanity and not let the outside reflect what was inside.
NOTES
Poor Orso Knox. :( Since we saw Orso charge at "Liv" at the SFIT Gala in "Big Problem," that made it seem HIGHLY likely she was the one that did it to him. I also enjoyed the detail that "Sycrorax" was the name of a character in "The Tempest," so that was Orso's way of trying to tell people who did this to him but it more than likely got jumbled in his mutated mind. It really did break my heart though when we see him in "Prey Date" because he had been that way for like over 3 month and because he managed to save Hiro twice from dying, meaning he had been working to keep his humanity while his body was getting worse. :( This would also indicate that he more than likely wouldn't want Diane's mutating chip and got forced into this monstrous form.
The next story will show some of what Globby was up to while he was a fugitive. ^_^