The mansion belonging to the Doctor was located on an estate in California. Everything they needed for the mission was already taken care of, their flight and hotel reservations were handled by the organization.

  An hour was left before they had to depart for the party. Everyone gathered in the hotel suite, preparing themselves for it, all the equipments and gadgets were tested and vetted for the night. Aaron and Ciara, were dolled up as the picture perfect couple of the ball—their invitation was already set.

  She sucked in a breath, steadied herself and walked out of the bathroom—wearing a long purple sleeveless gown. It shimmered under the light, hugging her in all the right places. Just by the hem, it was divided by a long slit which stretched to a few inches above her thigh, highlighting the sensuality of the gown.

  She held her black purse tightly as the room fell silent as they halted, staring at her. Ciara's hair was tied up to a classy bun, a few ringlets fell to her face—framing it. With a touch of light makeup, she was alluring.

  Selina whistled, breaking the silence.

  "Whoa! Girl you look hot!" There was a huge grin on her face as she made that statement.

  Ciara simply smiled at her. The feeling of being self-conscious slowly engulfed her

  "Don't you think it is a bit much?".

  Selina waved the question off, "Oh please, it is perfect!”.

  Aaron was stunned! The belle before him was too much for him to take. . . His heart skipped a beat when she walked in, her beauty was something he couldn't bear to withhold. He gawked at her, his eyes trailed her body. She was an epitome of beauty.

  Jason nudged him on the elbow. He stared at him, confusion clouded his features.

  "Dude! You okay?" He asked.

  Aaron shook his head back to reality, "Yeah, I am!".

  He cleared his throat and focused more on his sleeves, putting on the cufflinks of his shirt as he struggled to get the image of her out of his mind.

  "Are we all clear on the plan?" Jason asked, fitting an earbud in his ear

  "Yeah!" Clara responded with a serious stone. She looked at Aaron, he shot her a nod, "Aaron and I will attend the ball, maybe dance for a little bit. . .once the party settles, he will sneak down to the basement when everyone is pretty much occupied".

  ". . .While I will get Dr Raymond's thumbprint from the glass of champagne he drinks or any glass he touches. After which, I will hand it over to Aaron just before he enters the basement" Selina stated her part of the mission.

  "Meanwhile I will be fooling around with Dr Raymond" Ciara continued. Aaron's jaw clenched, hearing her words. Anger bubbled within him, at the thought of seeing her with the scientist.

  ". . .Wearing the contact lens which will scan his eye when he doesn't notice and. . . I will send the information to Jason" Ciara pointed at the box Jason held.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "With the box, I will send the necessary information to Aaron. Using the other pair of lens, he will be able to unlock the door with the retinal scan and the thumbprint" Jason said finally.

  "Let's do this!" Aaron said with a smile.

  "Let's get that mutagen!" Ciara replied with a grin on her face.

  “Hopefully, the plan would go well!” Selina said softly as she exited the room.

  * * * * *

  Meanwhile, deep in the mansion’s underground lab, a far more sinister scene was unfolding.

  He paced the cold, sterile lab like a caged beast, his scarred face twisted in fury. Each breath was a growl, his eyes locked on the unconscious woman sprawled on the table. The sight of her calm, unmutated form gnawed at his patience, a stark reminder of his impending failure.

  Allison woke up a few days ago, not a single thing about her was different. She was still normal—not displaying signs of being mutated. It infuriated him knowing that she was a failed trial. The boss would not be pleased if he found out about this and he. . .he would receive the boss's wrath.

  "Why hasn't it worked yet?" He yelled angrily. His voice resonated the walls of the lab.

  Dr Raymond signed, he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had no explanation why, the only thing that may be certain to him was something that seemed rather impossible.

  "I think she is immune to the mutagen!" He said calmly, voicing his last opinion on the matter.

  Perplexion etched the scarred man's features. ‘Immune!’ The word sounded foreign to his ears

  "Is that possible?" He asked, approaching him.

  Dr Raymond shrugged "Yeah it might, it depends on the gene of the person" he paused, pondering more on the subject, ". . . and right now, the mutagen has no effect on her, which is actually amazing, I mean. . ." A smile spread across his lips. He discovered something incredible. All he needed was more tests to explore the subject further.

  "Enough!" the scarred man yelled. The smile he once had faded at the sound of his voice.

  "We have to get rid of her! If the CIA ever gets a hold of her. They might be able to find a cure for the mutagen and the boss will be really mad." He stated, running his hand down his face in exasperation. This was not what he needed at the moment. Time was not on their side.

  "We can't get rid of her now!” He retorted, “I am hosting a charity ball upstairs and I can't afford them to see a dead woman in my mansion" He voiced out his concern.

  The thought of a dead woman being in his mansion, terrified him. He couldn't afford to have a stain in his reputation. His hands were already dirty working with the shady people because of his research. He cannot imagine what would happen once it gets out to the public.

  The scarred man grew quiet for a while, thinking of ways to solve the situation they were in.

  "Fine! We will get rid of her immediately after the party," He stated sternly. His piercing gaze sent shivers down the scientist's spine.

  Dr Raymond gulped nervously. The man was terrifying.

  "Okay, I am good with that." Dr Raymond replied in a calm tone. The wheels in his head spun, brainstorming ways to save her. His research had to continue and she was his ticket to take it to the next level.

  "I will order some of my men to keep watch, just in case!" The scarred man spoke, walked towards the stairs that led to the exit.

  Dr Raymond let out a breath he held. He terrified him, he often wondered how he was still alive whenever he heard his frightening voice or his scarred face which could terrify the devil himself.

  He made his way towards the unconscious Allison. With steady hands, he carried her. Situated at the far end of a lab was an inbuilt cell. He unlocked the door and placed her in the cell. He walked out of the cell, each step he took felt heavy to his feet. His hands trembled as he locked Allison away, knowing she was merely a pawn in his relentless pursuit of discovery. With each passing minute with them, he felt his humanity flicker as he delved more into their world. He left the lab with a heavy heart knowing that things are escalating more than he would be able to handle.