The Reign of the Death-Defying Scientist

The Standoff

“How can I help you?”I asked the tall man in front of me.

“Simon, you are a known figure around these areas. A person dedicated to cure people off their illnesses and make them feel better than ever. I must admire your selflessness.”

He brings forth the mysterious man.

“Have you met this person before?” said the guard as if already knowing the answer. I decide to play dumb till proven otherwise.

“Can’t recall. I meet a lot of people and it’s possible I have.”

“Well, he is a thief. He took something that belongs to The Prince and we are here to collect it.”

“Awesome, good job catching that rascal. But I am unable to see where I come in”, I said with some bravado this time.

He takes a more serious look. “The thing is, he doesn’t have that specific “thing” on him when we caught him. After some….”convincing”, he confessed he dropped it when he bumped into a random passerby, who happened to be you.”

“And you are sure of that because…?”

“Because he described you in, surprisingly, quite a lot of detail. Sounds like too big of a coincidence.”

“It is”, I responded and immediately regretted it, because as it turned out, his patience had run thin.

“I am going to be blunt and I expect an honest answer from you Mr. Nightingale. Do you, or do you not have the canister?”

Before I can speak he interrupts me.

“It would be a real shame if we had to search you and found out you lied to us. The thief confirmed it was you, so please, make it easier for all of us.” he said while putting on a smile full of spite.

This is really a tight spot for me. I really don’t want to give up something like this, and the fact that I am being coerced to hand it in only makes me want to keep it more. But, who knows what on earth he might do to me, or to anybody around here, out of pure sadism. And getting physical is out of the table; he probably could knock me unconscious with a single punch given his huge stature. It hurts me to admit it, but it’s something I randomly found. It’s not worth it for me to fight to the death for it. My life will continue normally once I give it back, right?

I sigh defeated and grab the item from the inside of my coat to present it. I open it and pull out the glass vials to show to the bully in front of me.

“I suppose you must mean these.”

He was brimming with relief to the mere sight of it. He nods in agreement and gets closer to take it.

“At least”, I said while bringing the canister closer to me, “Tell me what these are about.”

“That’s classified. Now hand it over!” said the now pissed guard while taking a more decisive step forward. I backstep and pull out the vials.

“It would be a pity if, let’s say, I happened to drop them, wouldn’t it? I don’t care what you will do to them, especially since I am in no negotiating position, but I am just dying to know. The sooner you tell me, the faster you’ll have them.”

He stands about 2 meters away from me, staring at me, fuming. If looks could kill, I would be dead a dozen of times. He takes a big breath before he continues to satisfy my request.

“In case you haven’t noticed, those oversized chimps are superior battle-wise. Even wounded, in a matter of minutes they are at peak performance again. Their numbers dwindle down only if you completely kill them off or wound them significantly; they are disgustingly good at rejuvenation. The research team believes it has something to do with their blood and that’s what you’re holding on the blue glass container. But it’s not just your average Xeno’s blood. This, comes from the biggest and most intimidating one, which they call “The Absolute”. It has been reported only in the last battle here in the States, and every attempt to take it off first has failed. It has been theorized it CAN control time, so it should be able to plan every confrontation perfectly. This canister contains the results of people trying to understand, emulate, and integrate such a feat to our side. The red one is just human blood that has been modified to be more compatible with the Xeno’s.”

I stand speechless. This is amazing news. I can’t help but cheer ask for more, but something really smells awful here.

“That’s extraordinary, but where did…”his Majesty”… get this? There are no labs that can pull such a thing off around here. Moreover, you would need info from the frontlines, and here is much far from it.”

“Let’s just say we borrowed it to have a look at it.”, he replied calmly this time.

“You mean you killed everyone in the whole team, you monster! Everyone who has ever loved you was wrong! Any reason that dictator wants the serum is an ill-intended reason”. The mysterious man spoke up and seems to be vexed from what he heard. The person with a shotgun behind him gave him a whack with it to the head so hard, he fell to the ground, and then told him to shut up.

“So, after that” he continues, “You can keep the metal exterior, but…Give. Me. The. Vials.”

I take a look at the beaten up person laying and he is still burning with rage as he picks himself back up. I can see no other option but to obey him. I sigh and extend the arm holding them across for him to take them.

Unable to bear this, the recently knocked person gets up swiftly and determined, punching the man behind him in the face, disarming him and gets a hold of the weapon. It happened so fast, none could act in a way to prevent it. Whose bright idea was to not bind his hands or not pay much attention to him?

I turn my head to look at what just happened. Much to my surprise, instead of pointing that thing against the guy that caught him and was about to get back what he almost died stealing, he is pointing the shotgun at me. The resolution in him was made clear when he pulled the trigger and a spray of bullets came flying at me. Not having any time at all to react, I feel a force pushing me back after hearing the two vials I was holding burst. Immediately, the now released fluids cover my face and torso, seeping into the wounds that this “polite” person just created. It burns and I am screaming in agony. I can feel the pain getting deeper and deeper into the body tissues and shortly, I feel nothing, while the conscience lingers for a few more seconds.

“Why? Why did this happen? Where did I go wrong?” These and many more unanswered questions fill my mind while I am still trying to grasp the situation. And then, everything starts turning black. Suddenly, I can feel my body again, and this time, minus the pain and agony. Something is odd. Instead, I feel warm and cozy. And I think I hear… cars? I open my eyes lighting fast and I realize I am tucked in my bed, safe and sound. No bullet holes and everything is right as rain. “What… the f**k?