CHAPTER 44:
"A Problematic Issue"
Drake was hauled down a corridor to a what looked like a medical testing chamber with a large observation window. Then he was carried into the room, and dropped by the large Spaniard, quite harshly, who then left quickly, shutting the door behind him. There was no chance of an escape.
"Ow," Drake said, feeling his ankle, as he lay on the floor. The hydromorphone must be wearing off, he thought.
Minute doses of the drug relieved mild cases of pain. With more severe cases, a higher dose was required. He must have been given a higher doses a while ago, so it was just beginning to wear down now. However, a person had to be careful not to overuse or overdose as it could also subject the user to addiction and even cardiac arrest, eventually death, on a continuously abusive case.
He lifted himself up gently, and hobbled slightly, making his way to a wall to lean on.
He attempted to put pressure on his bandaged left ankle, and it seemed okay for the most part, but it was the psychological effects of the break that weighed on his mind. That, and his two broken fingers. KGBeast did a lot of damage to him. He felt his ribs, they were bruised, but he didn't feel any were broken.
The air smelled recirculated and it was filled with cleanser. The chamber he was in looked very clean as if it had just been done so. There were three padded white walls and a one-way glass observation mirror. He couldn't see out, but others could see in. Apart from a straight-jacket, he felt he had just been put into a room for mental patients.
"What's the meaning of this?" It was a demand, not a question.
Seconds past, then a voice came over a speaker in the chambers. It was Dr. Helfern. "I would think it obvious, Timothy Drake. I told you, I needed a suitable test subject, and you were chosen because your DNA markers closely compared to that of Bane's. You are the perfect candidate to undertake this experiment, and with luck, be the first to survive its trials."
Dread filled Drake's mind. "Are you going to turn me into some awful monster like your father, Doctor Death?"
"I do so dislike that name, it implies a negative conniption that he wanted to kill people," Dr. Helfern said. "As I see it, he wished to help people who suffered from bone related diseases. Instead, he turned himself into a hideous individual that eventually ended him. My father was a brilliant man. I discovered some of his notes and I found his miscalculation. For save of a single misstep in one equation, he would now be the leading scientist in bone research."
"So, why…No, I think a better question is: For what purpose does this experiment serve?"
The observation glass now blinked transparent, Drake could now see his captors. For a moment, he could sympathize with how the residents at Arkham Asylum felt, imprisoned in their cells. No one liked their freedom restricted. But they were criminals, he was not. There was a distinct difference between the two.
"You're here for my reasons," a new voice emerged, and suddenly Bane stepped out from behind a wall, his large form came into view. "I appreciate you volunteering for this experiment and your sacrifice will not be in vain. From what I've been told, you hold the best chance, and the highest percentage, for it to be a success."
Drake grit his teeth angrily and pounded a fist against the wall. "I never agreed to be your test rat! Let me go, right now!"
Bane laughed largely. "Oh, no, little one—and I call you that because despite your physical prowess, you are no match for my girth—you will help me solve my problem. You have no say in the matter. I need to overcome an issue with the Venom Drug. The drug helps extort my muscles to extraordinary proportions to fight against my enemies, mainly Batman. But the counter-agents to combat the toxins have begun to become ineffective to me. So, you are to test Dr. Helfern's newest formula, and become my saviour."
Bane laughed again. Apparently the mere thought was amusing to him.
He continued, "I have used the Venom Drug in moderation over the years, even though I knew it was becoming poison to me. But I had to take the risk. The toxins were building up in my system, so I had to stop using it. When I found Dr. Helfern, he was willing to help with a solution, and his expertise were just what I needed. Twelve people have died in these experiments, but none of them had what you have, so I'm told. Your DNA is perfect for the tests. So, the Venom Drug will be injected into you."
Drake gasped shocked. "But…you'll kill me!"
"That will depend on you," this from Dr. Helfern. "Along with genetic modifiers to increase your recovery process, after I learned you were a suitable fit for my experiments, I also added to the mix the counter-agents. They needed time to circulate through your system before the Venom Drug could be used. The counter-agents by themselves are harmless to the body. Think of them as anti-bodies. If I wasn't disbarred for unsavoury practises, I would market them for the cure to the common cold." He looked at a watch on his right wrist. "I've given them enough time to work their way through your system, so now it's about time see the result."
Harley walked around Bane and then the door to the chambers opened. She walked in holding what looked to be a dart-gun. The door closed behind her. "Take'm off, hot stuff," she said, indicting Drake's speedos. "Trust me, with this stuff, you don't want to wear anything restrictive when the drug fully takes effect. I've seen some of Dr. Helfern's experiments. And, whoa—it ain't pretty!"
Drake couldn't go far, he had already near backed himself into a corner. He eyed the dart-gun. He shook his head. "No, I don't want to strip in front of you. It's not right. I already feel apprehensive as it is, underdressed as I am here."
"You aint got nuthin' I haven't seen, sugar. I'm now in official-mode. Maybe we can play later, if you survive. Now, take'm off!"
Drake swallowed nervously, but he did what he was told. Yet, he covered himself with his broken-fingered hand as he handed over his speedos to Harley. She then took them and slipped them into a pocket in her jester costume. It reminded Drake of part of a romantic movie plot where someone took away a souvenir after a lover's night encounter.
"Maybe I'll give these back to you? Maybe not? I have a nice collect of men's underwear, kind of a hobby of mine. Don't judge me!" She then seemed to giggle giddily. "When I saw you in those shackles and chains, I got excited. I've seen a few movies like that and I wouldn't mind seeing Nightwing in similar binds. I can just see it, him shackled to a bed, and me hovered over him, and us about to get freaky…" She then stopped herself. "Never mind, or I'll get myself excited. Let's just get things started."
Harley took a few steps back and then fired the dart-gun.
The dart struck Drake in the left thigh, the sudden weakness forced him to lose his balance and drop to one knee. Harley then bolted out of the chamber and slammed the door behind her. She joined Bane and Dr. Helfern behind the glass.
Drake saw them all standing there as if in anticipation of seeing something spectacular. He didn't know what to expect himself.
Then he felt it—like a boom!
Every muscle in his body began to tighten like they were being squeezed in cellophane tape, flexing without restraint. His eyes bulged when it felt like he was experiencing a mild heart attack. He slapped a hand to his chest and could feel his heart rate increase, his heart pounding, his blood pressure going into influx. Sweat began to drip off him in buckets.
He clenched his teeth as he felt the surge, and he screamed silently, the pain intense.
Then it felt like that wrapping burst.
His muscle fibres began to rip and tear away from their tendons, stretched by invisible forces. His veins bulged under his skin like snakes wanting to escape their entrapment. Protein derivatives began to multiply at a tremendous rate, suddenly clustering, and reforming en masse into larger areas, building harder and bulkier sections of tissue. His entire body felt like it was on fire and his muscles about to explode, enlarged to that of a body builder within moments without the timely effort it took to build naturally.
Then it happened more rapidly, and every ounce of muscle on him began grow exponentially to extraordinary proportions—as the Venom Drug began to take full effect.
It felt totally unnatural and insane.
He snarled, and stood on his feet, and shouted like a vicious, rabid animal, wanting it to stop.
x x x
On the other side of the observation glass, the trio looked upon the experiment with both intrigue and shock.
Dr. Helfern mentioned Tim Drake was lasting longer than any of the other test subjects and his new muscle mass seemed to be holding steady, although after the drug wore off, his muscles would shrink and revert back to normal.
Without a steady stream of the drug, it wouldn't last.
"Oh, my, god," Harley said. She pressed her hands against the glass and her eyes widened with absolute admiration. "Oh…that'll be fun to play with. It looks like your drug is making everything grow, Dr. Helfern. And I do mean everything!"
Bane looked at Dr. Helfern, who seemed a little embarrassed. He fixed his glasses as if it was an intracity or nervousness.
"Congratulations on the success of the new formula, Doctor," he said. "It seems to be holding better than the rest of your other test subjects. But what am I looking at? Why is this happening?"
Dr. Helfern cleared his throat, as he saw Tim Drake's muscles continue to bulge. The thick observation glass masked much of the interior sound, but the teen was seen roaring out screams of discomfort and pain. Anyone but Bane could handle the continuous usage of the Venom Drug, but someone who was just exposed to it would feel sheer pain by its effects.
"Yes, well, I had to use drug to get the desired effects, to cancel out much of the toxins," he said. "I needed a suitable stimulate to generate muscle growth after the elimination of an element in the original formula that created heavy toxicity. So, I used something that was already readily available on the market and that has proven to be most effective—Viagra."
Harley laughed. "Oh, that's so rich!"
As the drug began to wear off, Drake dropped to his knees, and everything began to revert back to normal, including the part that Harley had taken great interest in. Tim Drake then collapsed face first to the floor, obviously completely exhausted.
There as a small computer screen on the wall just outside the chambers and it displaced Tim Drake's readings. Dr. Helfern agreed with them and determined things looked promising. And seeing Tim Drake was still alive, it was a success.
"Apart from that one issue, things look excellent." The large man who brought to the chamber Drake re-emerged. He had left the moment Drake was deposited inside. "Take the hero back to his room and make sure he remains there," Dr. Helfern ordered. "More tests will need to be conducted, but I believe the formula for the new Venom Drug has high potential." He turned to Bane. "You won't experience the same embarrassment, I assure you," he then said.
"I would hope not," Bane said determinately, then walked away.
The large man entered the chambers and then took Tim Drake away.
Harley watched the man pick up and hold Drake by the same bear hug method he had carried him here with, with Drake's dignity hanging down in full view. It had, unfortunately in her eyes, reverted back to normal size. But it was still a sight to behold. The vision of its engrossment was still vivid in her mind and it would be there for quite a long time.
"Mind the kickstand, my good man," she said. "It'll be a shame if anything happened to that beautiful specimen."
x x x
She was one of four Quinceañera's that Senior Bane had hired to help with the chores within his complex in the heart of El Patio de los Demons. In English, it meant: The Devil's Playground. But it was basically a place where everyone served Bane's needs.
Just recently, she had taken plates of food to feed the master, and before that, she had helped clean a strange padded room that was covered in blood, with vomit and diarrhetic fecal matter. Her orders were that the room had to be completely sanitized. She only heard in passing about the doctor, who was also Bane's personal physician, conducting human experiments inside the chamber, but the horror was too much to think about, and she put it out of her mind. So far, twelve people had died. It was terrible.
She left to conduct her assigned cleaning duties, and ventured out from the room that she shared with the three others, after a moment's break, when she was halted in her tracks, and was pushed back against the wall by a young lady in red and black clown attire, escorting a larger man, coming down the hall. The large burly man was carrying a younger naked man, with severely damp, black hair.
She was shocked by the sight at first, but when they passed, and she got a more thorough glance, she was then more shocked when she saw who they were carrying, and gasped quietly to herself.
She didn't speak his name, but she knew who he was.
Oh, Senior Timothy…
To be continued...
