We were led into a small viewing room. The lights were already dimmed, and the projector cast a bright white glow onto the screen on the far end. Set up in front of the screen were three chairs. Dr. Duguard motioned for us to take a seat, then settled down next to the projector controls.
The whole time Elizabeth never left her side.
“While the majority of the research done at Yamada Labs is medical, we do, on occasion, take on some more... historical projects.” Dr. Duguard’s voice was flat, clinical. “One such project was examining a set of remains found at a construction site on the south side of Chicago.”
She clicked a button, and a video began to play on the screen in front of us.
As the grainy image came into focus I heard Ashtyn gasp.
“What... what is that?” Her voice was a harsh whisper.
“We were hoping you could tell us.” Dr. Duguard never took her eyes off the image on the screen.
The video was rough, but the figure, still partially buried, was clear enough to make out. The body was oddly shaped. The torso was long, the shoulders broad. The creature’s arms seemed to come to sharp points instead of hands. The face had no eyes. Just a wide, toothy mouth, stretched open in what I could only describe as a painful scream.
“What do you think it is, Doctor?” I glanced over my shoulder at Dr. Duguard and Elizabeth.
“At first we thought it was a fossilized reptile, maybe even something prehistoric. Upon further testing though we found no reptilian DNA.” She hit another button, and the image on the screen froze. “To be honest, the chemical make up of this creature is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Except for one thing...”
“Which was?” I looked back at the screen.
“There were traces of human DNA in the samples.” Nomi’s voice grew tighter. She was heading into an area outside of her comfort zone. “The human DNA was corrupted, though. It seems that this creature was not born, but created through exposure.”
“Or possession.” Ashtyn’s eyes were glued to the screen.
“Excuse me?” Dr. Duguard’s voice seemed to drip with scorn at the word possession.
“Possession is not just the act of a spirit taking control of another host. It’s the spirit melding itself with the host. They become one being.” Ashtyn mimicked the doctor’s flat tone. “In most cases the host body is left only mildly changed. Increased flexibility, dehydration of the skin, discoloration of the eyes. The host still appears to be human. This... This is something more extreme.”
“Dr. Duguard, why exactly did you contact us? This thing is obviously dead. We specialize in creatures that are a bit more lively.” I motioned my hand towards the frozen image on the screen.
She clicked another button. The video changed. The camera was in a lab now, and the creature was laid out on a sterile, metal table. Three researches, clad in scrubs and face masks, moved around the body. I could see their mouths moving under the face masks, but it was obvious the audio had been removed.
One of the researchers held a bone saw in their hands. I could see the blade spinning as it was lowered towards the twisted, horrifying monster on the table.
The second the blade touched the creatures skin, a cloud of dust exploded into the air. Not even the face masks seemed to be able to keep the researchers from inhaling it.
The one standing closest to the camera, a young man from the looks of it, began to shake. Before my very eyes I saw his body begin to change.
It appeared that his bones were breaking, snapping under the skin. His eyes seemed to vanish from his face as his flesh swallowed them. His teeth fell from his mouth as fangs painfully pushed themselves through his gums. The change seemed to happen within a matter of minutes.
The video paused.
“Lively enough for you?” Dr. Duguard was smiling.
“An airborne possession?” Kurt looked horrified. “This lab has control over a demonic super virus?”
“Yes.” Dr. Duguard tapped a button, and the lights in the room came on. “Obviously, this virus has major potential for us. The army would kill for something this potent. Only problem is, there is no controlling it, or the creatures it creates.”
“So you want us to... what? Find a way to turn this... stuff into the ultimate weapon?” I could feel my rage growing. This was not what I signed up for.
“Hardly.” Dr. Duguard looked annoyed.
“We... we want to reverse it.” Elizabeth’s voice barely registered. Hell, I had almost forgotten she was in the room.
“Dr. Malone.” Dr. Duguard sent her a withering stare.
“Is that true?” Ashtyn was on her feet, arms crossed. She was on the defensive.
“Yes.” Dr. Duguard sighed. “This... this was not the last infection. We attempted a few more... tests.”
“Human?” Kurt was pitch white.
“Yes.” Dr. Duguard held up her hand, silencing us before we could argue with her. “Illegally, I know. Usually something of this caliber can bend the law, but... our tests backfired. This virus is extremely contagious, and the creatures it creates are highly volatile, and very unstable. Most have died within a week of infection. A few survived longer. While they are alive sedation works for a short period, but once the effects wear off, well...”
“Then why not just destroy them all and brush it under the rug?” I locked eyes with Dr. Duguard. “Why bring in civilians to handle your mess?”
I could see the good doctor’s teeth grinding. I had struck a nerve.
“One of those... tests... was my brother.” For the first time her voice shook. “So, as you can see, I have some personal interest in this case.”
No comments:
Post a Comment