Post by Monika on Nov 5, 2010 21:43:37 GMT -5
Vale Medical Research Institute
November 5, 2010
6:45 PM
November 5, 2010
6:45 PM
"Sir! Sir!" The voice of what sounded like a frail, timid young man rang throughout the halls of the Vale Medical Research Institute building, the home of both the Valeshroud Medical Institution and the Biological Research Institution, two of Vale's most notable organizations. With two very large and powerful groups under one roof, there was always a medical experiment or biological research going on. November 5th just happened to host the latter...
BZZT! BZZT BZZZZZZZT!
"What do you want, Genesia? Can't you see I'm busy?" A gruff, harsh voice snapped. It was the voice of Jonathan Ashwell, Chief Researcher at the institute. He had been staring at one of a hundred dome shaped glass chambers all lined up against the far right wall of the institute; the only characteristic distinguishing that particular chamber was its contents. Within the chamber was a strange black gaseous substance, a dozen wires and a few electrodes; the substance flashed briefly and a loud "BZZT" sound could be heard each time electric current passed through the chamber.
"Sir...Should we...should we be doing this? That mist is a...l-living organism, sir." came the soft whisper of a voice of Maxwell "Max" Genesia, a tall, thin, lanky scientist and assistant researcher at the VMRI, interning to get his Master's in Biology.
"For Pete's sake, Max, don't start this again! I'm in no mood!" Jonathan, a rather smug and overbearing man, grumpily strode over to Max and slammed his hands down on Max's shoulders. "Look, Max, this research will provide an important link between us and the outside world. If I play my cards right, this research could bring in billions of dollars in funding for the Institute! There's a million other ETBs (extra terrestrial biologists) out there dying to work for the Vemree, so I won't hesitate to fire you! Now stop your bellyaching and fetch me coffee or something."
True indeed, the gaseous life form that swirled around in the tube before them had come back with one of NASA's unmanned space shuttles, and each of the top research institutions in the world was taking a turn examining it. No one had any idea where the gas came from; the shuttle in question had gone through the solar system and beyond, so it was possible for it to have come from the atmosphere of planets both known and unknown. What the people did know, however, was that the first institute or person to crack the secret behind the organism was destined for eternal fame and fortune. Jonathan was determined to get this by any means necessary, much to Max's chagrin.
"B-but sir! Th-that mist creature could v-very well be sentient! Y-you could be hurting it with th-this high voltage!" Max pleaded, his voice breaking as he came close to tears.
"Damn it, Max, have you been smoking or something? Sentient life? In gaseous form? From outer space? Did you get your degree from a damn community college? Maybe if the stupid thing was sentient, it would have said something by now! Bwahahahahahaha!" Jonathan burst into an uproarious fit of laughter, far too amused by his own sense of humor and Maxwell's degradation.
"B-but sir-
"No buts, Intern!" Jonathan stopped laughing immediately and checked his watch. "Seven o'clock. It's closing time." Jonathan reached into his labcoat pocket and pulled out a set of keys, jingling them for a little bit before tossing them at Max, hitting him in the head. Perhaps accidentally. Probably not. "I'll leave clean up to you while you think about your behavior today, kid. Maybe Mr. Gas over there can talk to you to keep you company! Ahahahahahahaha!"
"But sir, please-
It was too late. Jonathan had already laughed himself straight out of the building and into his car, leaving Max alone to clean up the entire facility.
"W-What a dumb j-jerk..." Max walked over to the chamber, in front of which was a control panel with a variety of colored buttons and switches. Max pushed a large red on on the far right and immediately the electricity stopped coursing through the chamber.
"C-can't believe him...S-such a mean scientist..." Max muttered, grabbing a broom from a nearby storage closet to begin his sweeping adventure.
"Thank you...for saving me..."
"Yea, no problem...Sometimes I don't understand what goes through Dr. Ashw-Wait a second? W-who was that?" Max turned around anxiously to discover the source of the voice.
"The...chamber..."
"W-What?" Max cautiously approached the large glass chamber in which the black mist was swirling around. "Th-this glass tube? No, no...You're not really talking to me, are you?" Max choked out some nervous laughter, hoping to wake up from this strange dream soon.
"Tele...pathically..."
"Y-you mean...You're talking to me...in my head? H-how? W-why? A-am I imagining this?" Max stuttered, wiping a bucket of sweat from his forehead.
"You are not...imagining things...I am indeed...in your head. I am a...Bioshade..."
"A-a Bioshade? W-what's that? A-are you sure I'm not dreaming?" Max was in disbelief at the prospect of being talked to in his head, even moreso since it was being done by some sort of gas.
"I come from...a race of advanced organisms...known as the Bioshades...We were once...solid beings from a far off planet...a planet with no water...no other creatures...hardly anything."
"I...I'm imagining this. M-maybe I was smoking something?" Max shook his head.
"Eventually...we evolved to a point where we could survive...without the need of food...water...or even light..."
"A p-planet of beings that can survive without light energy? Th-that goes against everything I learned in college...I really am dreaming." Max pinched himself harshly on the forearm. "No. I am definitely awake. B-but in that case, th-that means what you're saying is true...How did you get here?"
"With this new evolution...came a curse...to maintain our forms without needing energy...we were reduced to the kind of state you see before you...Very fragile, barely cohesive. When some unknown spacecraft passed by our planet's atmosphere...I was stripped from my brethren and rode upon the ship until I came to...this planet..."
"Th-that's tragic! I...I truly am sorry!" Max replied with the utmost sincerity; he was like a PETA member taken to ridiculous extremes when it came to small lifeforms like this. "Why are you just now starting to talk?"
"As...wise as the Bioshades are...and as long as we have existed...we are not omniscient...It took me a while to pick up the English language...I had to go through over 100 universities to learn what I know now...Regardless, I doubt the other scientists would have listened anyway...You seem...different."
"I-I get told that a lot..." Max sighed, reflecting on dark parts of his childhood and young adulthood when he was tormented for being too timid, too caring, too different... "Well, now that I know that you truly are speaking to me...how are you speaking to me?
"We Bioshades...without a solid physical form...have learned to use our minds for everything...Without mouths, we cannot talk...We use telepathy...Without hands, we cannot touch...We use telekinesis...Without feet, we cannot walk...but as gaseous beings, levitation comes naturally. Ha, ha..."
"Teehee." Max smiled, genuinely happy. He had made his first new friend in what was probably a decade, and his first nonhuman friend in what was probably 20 something years.
"Forgive me...I have not grown accustomed to Earth courtesies...I cannot remember your name...Those electric shocks must have...drowned out the sound of it..."
"No, forgive me and my s-stupid boss for being such a bully! M-my name is Maxwell Genesia, b-but all my friends call me Max. Well, they would if I had any...usually only Dr. Ashwell calls me Max n-now, but that's more when he's angry than friendly..." Max sighed.
"Very well...Max...We can be...friends...right?"
"Of course! I thought you'd never ask!" Max extended his hand for a handshake before realizing that the Bioshade was not only handless, but still in a tube.
"As a friend...will you do me a favor?"
"W-what is it?"
"Can you...free me from this chamber? I cannot...take any more current...Each zap...damages my state...I am dissociating as we speak..."
Max froze at the request. On the one hand, if he freed the being, he knew that Ashwell would have his head, among other things. On the other hand, if he didn't free the being...it was likely to perish.
"I'm...I'm not going to let my first friend in 10 years die! Not today! Forgive me, Dr. Ashwell..." Without further thought, Max slammed his hand down on an even larger red button on the chamber's control panel, causing the dome to retract and allowing the gas to float freely.
"Thank...you...friend..."
"N-No problem..." Max said, his heart beating. 'Maybe I can flee town before the Doc gets back?' he surmised. "I-I just realized...I didn't get your name? W-what is it?" Max asked.
"I am...without a name...We Bioshades stopped using them after we lost our solid forms...Each of us has a specific mental wavelength and frequency that can be read through telepathy...That is how we identify each other..."
"Wow! That's amazing! Telepathy instead of names? And Dr. Ashwell thinks he knows everything! M-Maybe you could show me how to do that telepathy thing someday so I can get rid of my name!" Max joked.
"Maybe...I can..."
"Huh? W-what do you mean? I was just-
"As I mentioned earlier...I am dissociating into...many different subatomic particles due to the...electric current. At this rate...my mental strength alone will not be enough to hold my components together...I will soon...perish..."
"N-no! I shut the current off! You're free! Y-you can't die yet!" Max pleaded, coming close to tears again.
"That is why...I need your help..."
"Y-yes, sure! Anything to keep my only friend around!"
"If I could...unite with a solid living organism...such as yourself...your solid state could keep my own organic molecules together...In turn, I could...share with you my power...Telepathy...telekinesis...levitation..."
"U-unite? L-like...s-sharing a body?" Max shivered at the thought.
"Something of the sort...but on a deeper level...sharing of the body, mind, conscience...We could be one...organism. But, do not think I am...forcing this upon you...It was just a...suggestion..."
"N-no, wait!" 'If I do this...I won't be a human anymore...but it's the only way to save him...'
"I can...see your thoughts...Fear not...You will still be very much...human like. You will be even more than human, Max...A human being with mental abilities beyond belief...You could use them to...get back at your tormentors...all those who ridiculed you in the past...all who ridicule you in the present...all those who will ridicule you in the future...Please..."
'H-how did he know...? Can he see that far into my mind? W-well, if he can sympathize with me, and he is my only friend...I have no other choice.' Max concluded. "W-what do I have to do...?" he asked.
"Just...come...closer..."
"A-alright...Here goes." Shutting his eyes and slowing his breathing, Max slowly walked into the swirling mass of molecules that made up the gaseous organism. Before he could even say "IT'S MORPHIN' TIME", the black mist wormed its way up his fingertips, past his arms, up his shoulders, down his chest and stomach, past his legs and all the way down to his toenails. Max now looked as if he were wearing some sort of almost skintight black suit.
"I...Is the process complete? H-have we merged? W-will you be able to survive now?"
"Yes...Thank you very much...Friend..."
"A-anytime! Although, h-hopefully this merger thing doesn't have to happen more than once. Haha...S-so, now that we've combined...Should we have a new name? W-we are technically two organisms in one now...I-I really couldn't go on being Max now..."
"If that is your wish...As I said before...I do not use naming conventions...What do you propose we call ourselves?"
"Hmm..." Max looked at his left arm. It was now a very dark black color and looked as if it were covered in some loose spandex like material. He touched the arm with his right index finger and, interestingly enough, the black cloak seemed to dissipate back into gaseous form for a split second. He had finally figured out their new moniker.
"Umbra!" Max declared proudly.
"Um...bra...?"
"Yes! It is the Latin word for 'shadow'. I think it suits us to a 't'!" Max exclaimed, overly happy with this whole name creation business. "D-do you like it? I-I can change it if-
"No...It...does suit us. Henceforth, let us be called...Umbra..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vale Medical Research Institute Parking Lot
November 5, 2010
7:35 PM
November 5, 2010
7:35 PM
Jonathan Ashwell was still laughing away in his car as he had been for a good twenty minutes when he noticed something amiss. He was in the parking lot of the VMRI and, to his surprise, all of the lights were still on.
"What the hell? I thought I told that boy to shut the place down for the night! UGH!" Jonathan jumped out of his broken down SUV and slammed the door, almost shattering the window in the process. "Damn interns, always causing one problem or another..." he quickly strode up to the entrance of the institute and tried opening the door. It was locked. He then proceeded to pound on the door.
"Boy! Max, let me inside before I...Damn it, I'm about to break into this place! On the count of 3! 1...2..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vale Medical Research Institute
November 5, 2010
7:40 PM
November 5, 2010
7:40 PM
"Wow! I can lock doors from afar? That is absolutely marvelous!" Max shouted, jumping up and down giddily.
"It is but one of many abilities I can share with you...'
"3!" With a loud crashing noise, Jonathan broke down the door to the VMRI and nearly yelped at what he saw. "Boy, what the hell have you done to yourself? Fall into a bucket or black paint or something? And what the...No...NO!" Jonathan quickly turned to the tube in which the Bioshade organism had once been stored. He saw that the tube had been opened and nothing was in it any longer. "Boy, you didn't...YOU DIDN'T JUST LET MY TICKET TO BILLIONAIRELAND ESCAPE, DID YOU!?" Jonathan shouted, walking over quickly to Max to hear his explanation quickly.
"S-sir, please! You don't understand! Th-the creature was-" Max began, but it was to no avail.
"DAMN IT, BOY! If I told you once, I told you a million times! Don't go getting attached to these friggin specimens! You've just cost me...and this entire institute...BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS OF DOLLARS! THAT'S AN ENTIRE SAGAN'S WORTH OF DOLLARS, DAMN IT!" Jonathan shouted, his face turning as red as a strawberry fused with an apple dipped in blood.
"B-but sir-
"NO MORE GOD DAMN BUTS! I WARNED YOU, BOY! MAX, YOU'RE FIRED! Now get the hell out of my sight! By the time I'm through with your evaluation, you won't even get to touch another test tube again! Now GO!" Steam was practically coming out of Jonathan's ears now, and his anger itself was heating the temperature up to ridiculous heats.
"N-no...You can't fire Max..."
"Huh? When the hell did you start referring to yourself in the third person? And why the hell can't I fire you?"
"Because...There is no longer any Max..."
"Boy, what the hell are you talking about!? I'll get you sent to a new institute, one where they deal with psycho patients like you."
"There is only...UMBRA!" The black substance rose from Max's shoulders and around his face, covering his entire body. A patch of an even darker shade of black (if that's even possible) appeared in a visor like shape where Max's eyes originally were.
"W-What the hell? Max, what in the world is-
"Fool! No longer will you torment me with your vicious remarks and snide comments! No longer will I have to fetch your coffee or morning newspaper...I am Umbra now, and I am in control! Ahahahaha!" Umbra shouted, a curved white outline appearing in the shape of a sinister grin where Max's mouth originally was.
"B-Boy, do I need to-" Before Jonathan could finish the sentence, he was thrown onto the base of the Bioshade's former chamber, as if by some invisible force. The glass dome seemed to seal itself back on tightly, trapping Jonathan inside. "B-boy, get me out of here! What in the world are-
"Sorry, Ashwell. Can't hear you behind all that glass! Looks like it's your turn to be experimented on!" Umbra laughed, able to hear him just fine. Umbra pointed at one of the levers on the control panel. It was the lever that controlled the level of electric current being transferred through the dome, and the lever was quickly moving upward, causing the voltage to do the same. Deadly bolts of electricity were now coursing through the dome and, consequently, through Jonathan.
"M-Max, what the hell are you - OW! T-tryin' to do to me - OWIEZ! Y-You could seriously hurt me, or worse! YOWZA!" Jonathan yelled and squirmed as he made several futile attempts to dodge the electric bolts.
"Funny how concerned you are on the other side of the dome, isn't it?" Umbra spat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have psychic powers to test! I think I'll leave you for now...Maybe a good shock to your system will teach you respect for other organisms. Or maybe it will kill you first? Who knows! I hypothesize the latter...Be a darling and prove it for me, will you? Have fun! Ahahahahahaha!" Umbra yelled, and without even looking back at Dr. Ashwell, Umbra levitated into the air and outside the building, leaving Jonathan to his fate.
