Cyborg 009 Fan Fiction ❯ Pygmalion ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

In the forests of Northern Maine, a large, placid lake was placed, surrounded by nothing but nature and what it had to offer. The surface was occasionally broken by insects, fish, or falling leaves that sent ripples outward, distorting the images that were reflected on its surface. Amidst the scenery something was... out of place, to say the least. A few meters away from the lake, concealed by the brush and various medium-sized pine trees, was a rather large metal dome. Its surface was smooth and silver, the top catching rays of sunlight that bounced off-ward into the eyes of two individuals, Madison and Dr. Farish.

Her eyes were transfixed on the dome, her right hand lifting up so her index finger curved over her chin and under her bottom lip in a pensive glare. She scanned it over, wanting, desperately, to believe that Dr. Farish did not wish for her to set foot in there. But alas, her better judgment, and common sense, I might add, got the better of her. Why else would Dr. Farish drive her to the middle of no where, where a house could not be seen for several miles no matter which direction you looked in?

She sighed, gazing at him questioningly.

"How do you suppose we get in there?"

As if to answer her question in the simplest way possible, he walked toward the dome, his fingers trailing down the sloping side until they came in contact with an area that raised slightly. He applied a little pressure, pushing the area inward to let out a hallow clang. The clang was followed by the foliage, which lay in a neat pile by her feat, shaking as if a tremor were happening in that one, secluded spot. The leaves were pushed aside with a spray of dirt and tiny pebbles, giving way to a control panel that shot upward from the ground and reached nearly to her hips.

Madison remained silent; though stepping away a few paces so she wouldn't remain in close proximity.

Seeing her hesitant stance, he turned around and walked toward the control panel, pushing a few buttons as if it were an ATM machine. When he was through, a whooshing noise, which sounded vaguely like someone opening a package that was vacuum-sealed, was heard. A door had opened directly in front of them, on the surface of the dome.

"Now, you're absolutely sure that you want to do this?"

He gazed skeptically at Madison, who had done nothing but waver since the trip to Northern Maine.

"Positive," she answered

"Well, follow me, then," he said after a short pause, motioning for her to come his way.

Green-tinted light flooded through the tiny door. The top of the dome was no more than six feet tall, give or take an inch or two, but the door itself was slightly larger than five feet, causing both Dr. Farish and Madison to duck on the way through. The light was low, barely strong enough to illuminate the surroundings. From what she could see, which was very little, the entire area was metal and rounded, with a small, vertical control panel plastered to the wall on the far right-hand side.

The control panel reminded her of a circuit breaker box. The kind that someone checks when the power goes off for no apparent reason. The front was locked, and Dr. Farish rummaged through his pocket that seemed to be filled with loose change, since, with every movement of his fingers, a light jingle would sound. He pulled out a small key, unlocked the door, and revealed a mess of wires and buttons. Madison peered over his shoulder, but soon decided it was too complex and looked away.

"You might feel a jump," Dr. Farish mentioned after several seconds of silence, causing her to wince a small amount. She was still quite nervous, and the slightest noise sent her fear skyrocketing.

As promised, a slight snap reverberated, the echo making it impossible to pinpoint which direction it came from. The noise was followed by a jolt that caused her feet to loose their balance, but she was unable to find anything to brace herself with. Stifling a gasp, she settled for leaning against the wall behind her. Her hands gripped at the wall with no prevail, and to her surprise, the jolt was quickly followed by the sensation of her body raising, but not lifting into the air completely. Somehow, this sensation was familiar, and after a few moments of processing what just happened, she came to a conclusion:

The dome was an elevator, and they were traveling underground.

* * * * *

Like many scientists of his caliber, Dr. Farish had a sidekick. A young, geeky kid in his twenties who had not the skills or attitude for leadership, but had brains nonetheless. The kind of kid who, in addition to the aforementioned, was also low on self-esteem and courage, leaving him obedient to anyone who gave an order, despite what rank the person who spat out commands held. He was not the ideal sidekick, but he did as told and understood the concepts behind the various experiments done in the underground base. For now, he was the best Dr. Farish could find.

This particular sidekick went by the name of Stuart, no last name given, for it was unimportant. He held a triangular beaker in one hand, the top plugged with a cork, a strange, pink and glowing liquid filling it halfway full. The other hand was grasping a thin vial, also plugged, which contained a fine, white powder.

He knew those two substances should never make contact with one another. Unless, of course, the desired outcome was a cloud of smoke with lethal side affects. He was simply sorting out the various containers in the underground compound, searching for a particular substance with a name he could never pronounce.

His fingers were lightly gripping the containers in fear of breaking the glass. He was well aware of the fact that the sides were thick, unbreakable by the human hands, if by anything at all. But still, there was that nagging doubt that kept prodding the back of his mind... Besides, he had done enough damage that day; there was no need to evoke the wrath of his superior a second time in the span of five hours.

His eyes, at the very thought of damage, shifted their gaze to the far left-hand corner. The debris had long since been removed, but some evidence was still visible of the disastrous occurrence that happened that day. The corner was black and covered in soot. The walls in that particular spot, that were once shining, silver metal, were melted somewhat, then hardened again to leave the surface distorted, with the occasional hole from a bubble caused by the immense heat.

He sighed, bowing his head slightly at the memory of Dr. Farish's face. How was it humanly possible to become such a shade of red?

The bang of a door opening rang through the large room, the emptiness of his surroundings increasing the volume ten fold. His surprise at the abrupt noise was displayed by the sound of glass rolling. He had dropped the two containers. Fear swept through his veins while he stooped to pick them up at a quick pace. Grabbing one in each hand, he wiped imaginary sweat from his brow while sighing in relief; they were not broken.

"Stuart, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Though his back was facing the origin of the voice, he knew who was addressing him. It was strange, how Dr. Farish suddenly seemed calm, his voice monotone for a change, not hitting those loud, shrill notes he usually screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, sir?"

He turned around sharply; saluting in a manner that made him look awkward. A few beads of sweat cascaded down his forehead, causing a few tufts of dark brown hair to stick to it. His glasses were resting over his large nose; the frames wide and black, making it look as if his eyes were twice their normal size. He fit the criteria of a geek, indeed.

However, his faltering face lit up when he saw the woman who stood by Dr. Farish. Could she possibly be the reason for his change in attitude? Curiosity swept over his features.

"Sir, who's your lady friend?"

He smiled brightly at Madison, who, in return, blushed lightly and lowered her head a little. Dr. Farish was unaware, however, for he was too busy glaring at Stuart with a look that would, literally, kill if it were possible for such a thing to happen. Stuart, ignoring the glance, bowed his head slightly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

"Dempster," Madison filled in, "Madison Dempster."

However, before a formal introduction was completed, Stuart was grabbed by the collar of his long, white coat, and dragged as gently as Dr. Farish could possibly drag someone, out of the room. Stuart made no protest, and only smiled throughout the whole ordeal.

"Come, Stuart, I must brief you on the situation..." Dr. Farish's echoing voice was heard as his body diminished from sight, traveling down a long hallway that lead to his office.

Madison, suddenly finding herself alone, gave a quick sweep of the area around her. It wasn't much, but it was neat and tidy. Her feet began to take a mind of their own, suddenly, and she walked a few paces forward, eyeing the contents on a near by desk. Beakers and vials were everywhere, it seemed, and each harbored a different liquid or substance with a label that only confused her.

However, as her eyes wandered from one object to the next, something in the corner caught her undivided attention. Built into the wall, somewhat covered by the shadows in the dimly lit room, were three tubes. She walked over to them, her feet, every time they came down, created a soft clang that filled the room. She gazed at them with a gaping expression; eyebrows raised a tad as she tried to make sense of what they could possibly be.

She brought her hand up absent-mindedly, wiping away at a film of a dust that covered what appeared to be some sort of label. With a quick horizontal movement, the dust settled to the ground in one large clump.

0014, it read.

The tube was cylinder in shape; the entire object made from some sort of plastic material. The only metal was in the form of a base that connected to the ground, and the various large wires that were inside, coiled on the floor of the interior. One large wire went from the very top of the cylinder and connected to the ceiling some odd yards away.

On the immediate right were the remaining two tubes. Her hand, once more, wiped away a film of dust that blocked lettering. 0015, 0016... what did they mean?

And then, as if she had met someone from her past, her face lit up with surprise, and she recollected a particular phrase spoken by Dr. Farish.

0014, 0015, 0016... the name of the Aids we've created. They were sent out a few weeks ago to track down the renegade cyborgs. They should, if all has gone well, and no mishaps have occurred, met up with them by now. However, they're not targeting the whole group. Instead, they've set their sights on two particular members, two of which are necessary for the renegade cyborgs to continue fighting. Yes, take down these two rebels, and the whole group will follow...