Chapter 15: Introduction, Mr. Edwin Alva
A few hours later, as Serena was filling out her release forms, there was a knock on the door to her hospital room.
" Come in." Serena called.
At her announcement, all eyes turned to the door as it opened to reveal non other then Edwin Alva of Alva Industries... But something was off about him... He seemed almost afraid of being turned away before he had a chance to explain what he wanted... Serena noticed the unease in the room and the Sparks of hatred were so thick, she could almost see it... What could this man have done to warrant such hostility from her new friends and family, she couldn't help but wonder?
" Um... Could you all please give me a few minutes with my guest?" Serena addressed everyone else, " I'll be fine."
"Serena, this guy is awfully shady..." Virgil warned, " Not too long ago, he was Kidnapping bang babies and trying to drain their powers for his own use! Not to mention, he's the one that created the bang baby gas that started the big bang two years ago!"
"You still hold him responsible for something that happened two years ago?" Serena asked, shaking her head, " No matter what a person does, everyone deserves a chance at forgiveness..."
Virgil and the others sighed in shame as they quietly filed filed out of the room, leaving the two occupants to speak in private...
" Thank you for seeing me, young lady... My name is Edwin Alva... I own Alva Industries here in the city of Dekota..." Mr. Alva began.
" It's nice to meet you... I'm Serena..." Serena said, extending her hand.
They shook hands and sat in silence for a few moments before Mr. Alva began speaking again...
" Let me begin by explaining why everyone hates me... I was never a very nice person... The things I created in my warehouses and labs are only a means to enrich myself... I never even showed any care to my own son... My work was more important to me... So I understand if you don't want to help me or hear me out..." Mr. Alva said sadly.
Serena's heart ached for the man in front of her, the pain and regret for his actions was evident in his strained and tired voice...
"Go on, Mr. Alva..." Serena said soothingly.
" When I created the bang baby gas, I didn't know what it would do... I didn't care, to be honest... All I knew was that it would cause severe pain on contact... That's what it was created for... Biological warfare... I had planned on selling it to the army and would make a hefty profit on it... I had it stashed in one of my many warehouses down by the docks two years ago when the big bang happened... All the gangs in Dekota were planning on a gang war when the police got involved..." Mr. Alva said, as began to Pace nervously back and forth, " The idiots blindly began shooting from the helicopters and ended causing the warehouse with the gas in it to explode... The police couldn't care less about the poor souls affected since most of them were gangbangers, they just casually put they're masks on and called the ambulances... The mutations were horrible, so many people screaming in terrible pain! I had no idea that gas could have such terrible effects... Since that day, I've been doing everything in my power to find a safe way to dispose of it... My conscience so ridden with guilt, I ignored my son more then ever in my efforts to dispose of the horrible gas... My son wound up lashing out at me by stealing some of the gas! I began to panic, I begged him to stay away from the gas, I tried to tell him how horrible the pain would be should the gas touch him... He told me that power was all I cared about and that he would do whatever it took to make me proud of him... He said the gas that I created would make him the most powerful being in the world, then I would have a son worth being proud of... But of all the magnificent powers the gas gave to most of the other bang babies, my son got the worst end of the deal... I watched helplessly as he exposed himself to too much of the gas and he screamed as his body went through a multitude of painful mutations... Tears were streaming down my face as he turned back to normal for a split second and called me 'daddy' with so much fear and pain that it broke my heart... I was powerless to save my son as he turned to stone before my very eyes..."
"Oh... Mr. Alva! I'm so sorry!" Serena said as her loving instincts kicked in and she placed her arms around him.
It broke her heart to see the father greiving so heavily over the loss of his son...
" I've tried so hard to find a cure for the gas... But nothing has worked so far... I had lost hope..." Mr. Alva said sadly, " Until you came along that is..."
" What do you mean?! What can I do?!" Serena gasped.
" I saw you on the news! I saw your I credible healing ability! I understand that you have no memory of how to use your special power, but all I ask is that you try! Please! I need your help to save my son!" Mr. Ava said desperately...
" Of course... I will do whatever I can..." Serena said kindly.