SCIENCE FICTION | WEB NOVEL | WEIRD SCIENCE
Sacrifices on the Altar of Science, Chapter 5 — Rebirth
Marc survived his metamorphosis, but as he breaks out of his confinements, Maddy is unsure if the man she knew is still the same.
Note to readers: This is a serial fiction story. You can find all previous chapters in my readers’ guide.
Maddy looked at the fractured glass. Lines grew in a star-shaped pattern from the point where Marc’s pale hand had hit the reinforced glass. Some remaining liquid in the capsule started leaking through the cracks.
At that moment, she realised she hadn’t taken any precautions. Of course, her formula and the capsule had improved a lot since the disaster with test subject C-23, and Marc wouldn’t hurt her, but there was the possibility that Marc wasn’t in there anymore. Her love had blinded her to that risk.
With a loud bang, the pale hand slammed against the glass again. Maddy heard the faint sound of fracturing glass and saw the star-shaped pattern grow. Then, Marc struck again, this time with his fist. The glass shattered at the point of impact.
The test results were remarkable, exciting, and far beyond C-23. But the weapons and tranquilisers for emergencies were also far beyond her reach. If she ran for her office now, she could probably reach them in time. Meanwhile, the now bloodied hand started clearing the remaining glass out of the frame.
“Marc, babe?! Can you hear me?” Maddy tried to sound calm and comforting, but she heard her voice trembling, “You might feel very confused, but you have to remain calm….”
He answered with a primeval scream that chilled her to the bones. Maybe this was Marc. Perhaps it wasn’t. No matter what, he seemed damn furious. She ran for her office when he started climbing out of the capsule through the empty window frame. Although she didn’t stop to look back, she could hear him coming after her.
She dashed into her office, grabbing the door handle and using her momentum to slam the door shut. When Maddy reached her desk seconds later, she hit the panic button. The reinforced doors locked just in time before something slammed into the door, causing the heavy doors to rattle. Marc had already caught up with her.
After she had activated the panic system, the arsenal doors opened automatically, but Maddy still had to unlock them. Of course, she couldn’t find the keys in her pockets. While the loud noises behind her suggested that the heavy steel doors to her office wouldn’t last forever, the small steel doors in front of her were an indomitable obstacle between her and the weapons inside.
Maddy finally found the keys and jammed them into the lock. At the same time, the doors behind her gave in, and one of them fell to the floor completely unhinged. She flung the doors to the weapon locker open and grabbed the first gun in sight. Maddy spun around, but Marc was already there and grabbed the gun with one bloody hand.
“Incredible,” she whispered.
Not only was his speed beyond expectation, but his hand, injured from breaking the glass, had already stopped bleeding. Now, she also saw Marc post-metamorphosis for the first time.
He was completely pale and hairless like the previous test subjects. His original features were still recognisable, though. His previously muscular build was now so highly defined that it would make Chris Hemsworth jealous. She met his gaze and realised his compassionate puppy eyes were gone. He glared at her through narrowed, angry eyes.
“Marc, you have to remain calm,” she whispered, “Follow my voice, babe.”
Sadly, the results weren’t what she had hoped for. Marc grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the wall.
“The sun is really low, big guy!”
S**t, she thought, if it works with the Hulk, maybe it works with Marc too. It didn’t work either. Instead, she felt his grip tighten, and panic grew as her oxygen supply was interrupted.
A soft purring drew her attention, and she saw a small grey shape dart toward them. “Great. Newton, that feline scoundrel, arrived to savour my shameful final moments. Instead, the scruffy cat nuzzled against Marc’s leg, purring and looking up to him.
As if hypnotised by the cat’s affectionate sounds, Marc loosened his grip and shook his head as if trying to clear the fog hanging over his mind. He looked down at the cat, and his features softened. When he looked at her again, the compassion had returned to his eyes, accompanied by confusion and anger.
“Maddy? W-what’s happening? What the f**k have you done to me?”
“Babe, I missed you. Everything will be fine.”
Gently, Maddy touched Marc’s cheek and leaned against him. She looked into his eyes while she tiptoed to kiss him. Still afraid of his newfound strength, he pushed her away carefully.
“How can you say that?” he asked angrily, “You turned me into a monster!”
“A monster?!” Maddy stepped back from Marc, placing her hands on her hips, “Don’t you see that I turned you into something better? Stronger? Smarter?”
“So, after all, I was never good enough?” the sadness in Marc’s voice and his ignorance irritated her.
“A teacher punching far under his waistline? Please! Seems to me, after all, that your love and support are not as unconditional as you promised!”
His primeval scream was so vicious that she dodged into the next room. Luckily for her, he didn’t go after her. Either she was out of his imminent reach, or he retained sufficient self-control — another improvement from C-23. Instead, Marc picked up her massive metal desk with her computer screen and papers still on it and flung it through her office window, sending it down 74 floors to the street below.
With excitement, Maddy witnessed the change of his pale skin to a dark menacing red during his outburst. His reactions showed he had adapted more abilities than only superior strength. After Marc was done wreaking havoc in her laboratory, he stood there lost, confused and panting before grabbing a lab coat and running away. Immediately, Maddy grabbed the nearest papers to write down the mental notes she had made.
“Well, babe,” she whispered, “I call that a f**king improvement.”
A big thank you to Kathy K for feedback on my near-final draft. The ending is much stronger and more meaningful now!
After all this drama, you might need something happy and bubbly. Why not chill a bit with this brilliant tale by Bradan Writes Stories?
💯 Story Challenge (35/100)
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