The Darkhold
Chapter V
Affliction
The weary doctor looked up through the specially tinted windows of his laboratory. The sun was setting and the twinge of twilight was breaking. Michael Morbius rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. He had been working now for almost three days straight without rest. He sat down and tilted his head back.
"I don't know how long I can keep stalling them" Morbius thought to himself.
The lab was indeed the most sophisticated one he had ever worked in. In all his years as a Hematologist, he'd never had this much access to such an advanced array of equipment. He had hoped that this would yield a solution to a most dire of predicaments. But so far it had not…and he was becoming frustrated. One the other hand his bloodsucking backers were starting to show impatience. Morbius had brokered a deal with the devil and if he didn't deliver, he'd be damned.
The clanging of metal came from nearby, which startled Morbius from his thought. He went over to the source of the noise and folded his arms.
"Not you too, Willa" said Morbius.
The little winged rodent, scampered about in it's enclosure. Occasionally making the signature squealing that bats are known for. Morbius clasped the bars of the cage and sighed.
"Soon little one, soon I'll find a cure." said Morbius.
He soon felt faint and had to sit again. The doctor began to tremble slightly and he reached into his pocket. He drew out a small container of pills and swallowed two.
"Feeling a little under the weather are we doctor…" came a voice from the door of the lab.
Morbius turns around quickly to notice Neron Ares standing at the door.
"No of course not, I just needed to some time to catch my breath." said Morbius.
"Catch your breath, you're a scientist doctor not a track star." said Ares.
"Quite right…" said Morbius as he stood.
Loosing balance, Morbius stumbled and out of his pocket rolled out the vile of pills. Ares looks down as notices the vile, he picks it up to examine it's contents.
"I would hardly call these over the counter Dr. Morbius." says Ares.
"They are of no concern, just routine medication…" says Morbius.
"Of course…the council has asked me to speak with you regarding your progress. They are becoming restless so to speak. You promised us results, but so far all we've witnessed are excuses." says Ares.
"You must understand, what you and your kind ask will take time…" says Morbius.
"Time is something we don't have doctor, we need results!" shouts Ares.
"You asked me to find elements that will safe guard vampires from genetic vulnerabilities that have existed in your kind's DNA for centuries. Work like this cannot be rushed! Now if you would kindly step out, I will resume work." says Morbius.
"Of course, there could be another reason why your stalling. The Vampire Nation has held up it's part of the bargain doctor, yet you have failed to produce fruit on your end. Tell me Morbius, could you have some ulterior motive for working with us?" questions Ares.
"I have no such ulterior motive as you suspect." says Morbius.
"Yet your demands are quite suspect. Most Sapiens would ask for selfish indulgences such as money or fame in exchange for their services. But you only asked for the most advanced in blood analyzing equipment. One has to ask themselves doctor, what is in it for you?" asks Ares.
Morbius is silent and looks away.
Ares raises the bottle of pills "Could it have something to do with these?" asks Ares as he holds up the bottle.
Morbius just buries his head in his hands in shame. He than sits and looks up at Ares.
"Leukopenia, isn't that right doctor. You've been suffering from the disease ever since the age of fourteen. It's probably why you became a Hematologist in the first place. You never intended on delivering your miracle immunizations did you. You thought you could promise the Vampire Nation and the moon and deliver a rock. Once you found the cure to your own ailment you were gonna split , isn't that right Morbius!" shouted Ares.
"I would have delivered, but my problems were a little more immediate to me!" shouted Morbius.
Ares grabs Morbius by the neck "You listen to me you pathetic diseased Sapien, I could snap your neck like a twig and all your problems will dissappear!"
"Wait…you see her, Willa is the answer to all both our problems!" Morbius chokes out.
Ares releases Morbius to let him explain. Morbius rubs his neck and angrily looks up at Ares.
"Desomodus Rotundus…the common vampire bat. In my experiments to find a cure I found a certain blood enzyme in their physiology that make them immune to all Human blood diseases. I isolated that enzyme and managed to create a serum that would allow the bat to pass on this immunity to a number of other species through direct contact." says Morbius.
"Make your point Morbius, my patience grows thin." says Ares.
"If this proves to be as effective as I think it will, than this creature could hold the genetic immunities for your kind as well. I have been slowly subjecting Willa to radaiation treatments via this small Recombinator Emitter. It will allow her body to mass produce the enzyme in question. " says Morbius.
"So that little rodent is radioactive?" asks Ares.
"Essentially yes." says Morbius.
"Suppose I don't believe you?" says Ares.
"It is the truth, I swear it!" shouts Morbius.
"You're a very bad liar doctor, I wonder what the House of Erebus would think about this…hahahahahahaha." laughs Ares maniacally.
Ares turns to walk away, when Morbius becomes furious. He knows that if Ares were to inform on him, his dreams of a cure would be over. He looks around a grabs a heavy glass jar and charges towards the unsuspecting Ares. He smashes the jar on the back of the vampire's skull and Ares tumbles to the floor. Only knocked out for a second Ares quickly rises to the astonished Morbius. Ares wipes the back of his head, which is drenched in blood and licks his hand.
"Will you Sapiens ever learn?" he asks.
A split second later he smashes his fist into Morbius's face, which sends the doctor flying back. Ares leaps onto the stricken doctor, lifts him over his head and hurls Morbius into a table. Several viles of chemicals spill onto the doctor as he screams in agony. He desperately tries to get to the door, but is stopped cold by Ares who steps on his hand, breaking several bones. Morbius yells pian and Ares looks down sadistically.
"Checkout time doctor" says Ares as he bears his knife like fangs.
Acting quick Morbius plunges a glass shard into Ares's leg. The Pureblood recoils in pain and Morbius tries to get to his feet. Ares kicks the doctor in the stomach and slams him against the bat cage. He pins Morbius by the wrists, whole Willa flaps and squeaks wildly. The bat starts to bite Morbius's hands in rapid succession. The doctor yells out and in a surge of unknown strength, pushes Ares off. In a panic Morbius runs towards the window. He looks at his wounded hand than back at Ares, who is rapidly advancing. With no other options, Morbius crashes through the window to the streets below.
Ares runs over to the window and looks down, his fangs glinting in the moonlight "Good riddance."