JACKIE:
“Initiating carrier B protocols.”
Alpha and Feraz gained on me.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with.” I threw fireballs as I sprinted, but they dodged my haphazard attacks. Underground Life Rite must have given Feraz extra strength and agility, while my pounding headache rendered me practically powerless. Was I strong enough to stay in the probability, let alone launch an offensive attack?
“Surrender, janitor, and I might go easy on you. Who am I kidding? It’ll give me great pleasure to torture you.”
My head reeled as Alpha and Feraz chased me through the complex. I shook the stars out of my vision and moved at top speed. I bolted toward the balcony overlooking the volcano so Firestorm and Beatrice could join the fight.
Feraz kicked my foot, causing me to trip and fall. My knee hit the floor, sending a jolt of pain coursing through my left leg. Not sure which hurt worse; my head or my knee.
While I was down, Alpha jammed a syringe into my neck. The pure Life Rite serum poured into my veins.
“Initiating carrier B protocols.” With needle drawn, Alpha was poised to take a sample of my already enriched blood. I didn’t need Life Rite to make my blood special, but Feraz didn’t know that.
I knocked the drone back with a roundhouse kick and took another jab at Feraz’s jaw. As they both recovered, I managed to get back up and throw a barrage of firepower at them.
Alpha spawned a shield, making him invincible. It scanned me again. “No DNA Identifier? detected.”
“How can that be?” Feraz asked, holding his jaw. “Who are you, janitor? What game are you playing?”
Alpha answered. “I cannot explain why her likeness is not in my extensive database.”
My head spun. With Alpha shielded, fighting was useless. So I ran like mad. The stakes were too high. If Alpha got a sample of my blood, I’d fail my mission. The timeline would fall under his redistribution program. The end was near, one way or another.
“I’m nobody. Not worth your time. Give up and leave me alone,” I cried.
“Never!” Feraz yelled. “I need a carrier, and you need to learn your lesson. I’m going to lock you in a cage and test on you like a lab rat.”
“We will capture her blood sample with seventy-six percent certainty,” Alpha added.
That statistic made the hair on my neck stand at attention. His intelligence was astonishing, and the odds were stacked against me.
I fled like my life depended on it because, well, it did. I threw a few fireballs to stop them from coming after me, but kept missing. Blood from my head wound seeped into my eyes. I was unable to heal myself while I fled and fought them off. Wanting to give up, but needing to keep going, I called for back up.
“Firestorm, I’m hurt and headed your way. Get ready for battle!”
“Jackie, whatever you do…” Firestorm started to say.
“Yeah, yeah. I know! Don’t let them get my blood!”
The mission was loud and clear, but Alpha and Feraz were still nipping at my heels. Feraz was fast and relentless in his pursuit. Alpha kept his needle poised…
The dose of Life Rite worked its way through my body, giving me an unexpected and much needed boost. I levitated and flew through the corridors with super sonic speed. Past my old kiln room, up the stairs, and through the south wing. We raced all the way to the top of Camp Claudi. I slammed into the door to the upper laboratory.
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I was almost home free, but the door was locked. Dead end. I pulled on it anyway, unsure what to do as Feraz and Alpha barreled down on me.
“Firestorm, help!”
I tried to swipe my finger in case my DNA Identifier? miraculously worked, but no luck. My identity clearly wasn’t in any database in this timeline.
“I’ve got you cornered, janitor. Time to clean up your mess.”
The last thing I saw was Feraz’s fist against my face. Then everything went black.
I woke up in a locked cage on the balcony overlooking the volcano. A dull pain plagued my head.
“No! This can’t be happening.”
I inspected the lock. No DNA Identifier? scanner. A single keyhole stood between me and my freedom.
I banged on the bars. “Hey, let me out of here, you creep.”
Feraz smirked from his seat at the lab table. “Oh goodie. The janitor is awake. You’re lucky to witness such a glorious occasion.”
“Glorious occasion? What might that be? Did you finally figure out how to fix your bootleg Life Rite serum?”
“What would a dusty janitor know about complex science?”
“Nothing, oh wise one.”
“Whatever, loser. Get ready to be my new guinea pig.”
Feraz filled a syringe with Life Rite, preparing a sample to mix with my blood.
I examined my skin for a pinprick. Did he already get my blood? I had to assume so…
“Firestorm, they got the eggs,” I whispered, hoping my trusty companion was near.
“They didn’t get your blood yet,” Firestorm replied in my mind’s eye. “The lure of caging a hostage distracted that psycho, but he’s making preparations. We’ve got to release you. My heart aches seeing you locked up.”
“No one deserves to be caged… They’ve seen my powers,” I admitted. “I had to use everything I’ve got to evade them, but it wasn’t enough. He hit me hard in the head, and… I tried my best.”
I touched my temple and found dry blood. The wound still hadn’t healed fully. It was a doozy.
“I’m stepping out of the shadows. Time to end this.”
Firestorm flew overhead and landed on the balcony railing. He let out a screech that made Feraz and I recoil. Thankfully, he was on my team.
“What the heck? Shoo… Get out of here.” Feraz waved his arms to get rid of Firestorm as if he were a pigeon.
Firestorm let out a mighty roar.
Feraz sneered. “Alpha, take it out.”
“I cannot harm a living creature,” Alpha explained.
“The law of robotics,” Feraz murmured. He opened a side panel and adjusted the drone’s critical programming.
I needed to change these pivotal moments, but the cage rendered me useless. I could only watch the probability unfold in front of me.
“Stop him, Firestorm!”
Firestorm leapt into action, spewing fire throughout the upper laboratory.
Feraz ducked behind his chair, terrified.
Alpha, now reprogrammed, shot back.
“Dad!” I called out, concerned the bullets would kill Firestorm.
“Don’t worry about me, Jackie.” He slammed Alpha against the wall with a swipe of his tail.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop it from coming back for more. The well-made drone rapid-fired a spray of bullets. One ricocheted off the cage’s bars. The others were absorbed by Firestorm and unleashed back onto Alpha in the form of fire power.
Feraz stomped his foot like a toddler having a tantrum.
“Great, now I have to wait to get the janitor’s blood sample. Forget it. I’m not going to wait for carrier B. If this is pure, one straight dose should be okay. A small taste now, the main course later.”
As Alpha and Firestorm fought each other blow for blow, Feraz injected himself with the pure Life Rite serum. His eyes rolled into the back of his head in ecstasy.
“Oh yeah. That’s the good stuff.”
“Watch out!” I called out, but it was too late.
Alpha shot Firestorm in the chest, ripping his thick skin open. Radioactive blood dripped onto the balcony.
Firestorm blew flames, but the drone avoided his attack by shielding himself.
“You okay, Firestorm?”
He grunted. “I’m not dead yet.”
Desperate to get out of my cage to help, I pummeled the lock with fireballs. The reinforced steel stayed intact. I reached my hands out and threw my fireballs into the battle. They had no impact since I was too far away.
Firestorm dodged another bullet and slashed Alpha with his talons.
Feraz’s body convulsed, as if having a seizure.
“Whoa, what’s happening to him?” I asked out loud to no-one in particular.
Feraz looked pale as a ghost. His veins glowed a yellowish-green. He looked at his luminous skin and vomited.
Alpha zipped away to avoid getting dirty, while also escaping Firestorm’s attack. The drone was next-level smart after getting the pure Life Rite serum, no doubt about that.
“What’s happening?” Feraz asked Alpha, sweating profusely. “Feels… strange… What’s happening to me?”
“A biological reaction to mixing your previous serum with the upgraded recipe is most probable,” the drone said matter-of-factly. “You now have both versions of Life Rite in your bloodstream. A deadly concoction your body may not be able to handle. Carrier B’s blood mixed in would have helped alleviate the unfortunate side effects. You should have waited for Carrier B protocols to be initiated.”
“Side effects?” Feraz’s eyeballs bulged, one bigger than the other. His skin chafed, revealing thick scales. He burst out of his button-up and mutated before my eyes! His form ebbed and flowed until it resembled… Words don’t do the grotesque nature justice. But I’ll do my best. Feraz turned into a Chinese-dragon-style leviathan phoenix creature with rough scaly skin, sharp claws, and an elongates jowl. Green saliva dripped from his pointed teeth. He looked hungry for blood.
I screamed from the safety of my cage. “Help Firestorm! He’s a monster! The future is being written.”
If there was an immortality serum, would you take it?
