Prologue (3)

There was a pin drop of silence in the room as everyone's attention was redirected towards me. "First, I would like to thank the RG group for inviting me to this wonderful convention full of pragmatic-minded individuals." There was brief applause coming from the left side of the auditorium. I continued, "I am sure all of you in here right now probably know the superficial details as to why you are here. You are here because you want to see this scientific revolution that is in my pocket right now. If you are not here for that, then I think you strolled into the wrong auditorium in the middle of nowhere." Some chuckles resounded throughout the crowd. I assumed they also were surprised when they found that the location could only be traced out by G.P.S coordinates. "Anyway, let's continue. As a human race, we have chosen technology over evolution. Ever since we made the wheel and decided to roll with it, our future had been decided for us. We dwell on new-found discoveries in the fields of computers and A.I., but we tend to forget how the human race has regressed in the last millennium. Technology exists to assist mankind, not become our caretaker. So now, I will present to you the fruits of the research that I sacrificed my life for." I take my hand and reach into my breast pocket. I feel the little pills in the bottle rattling as I take them out. I place my index finger on the top of the bottle and my hand on the bottom. Then, I took the pills out of my pocket and present them in the room. Everyone's eyes were glued to the little, translucent orange bottle which contained pills that were half an inch long. A string of murmurs cascaded throughout the crowd. They didn't seem convinced.

Edward, who was at my side this entire time, walked close until he could whisper in my ear, "Perhaps you should give them an example or a demonstration." My face tinged with a little red. Of course, they wouldn't believe me! I'm just a nobody compared to all the other accomplished people in the room.

"I am very sorry everyone; it seems as though I have not thought this entire thing through." I lowered the bottle of pills and proceeded to remove the lid. *POP* the sound echoed throughout the eerily silent room. "In a couple of seconds, I will be ingesting one of the pills inside this bottle. Each pill contains a different branch of evolution. For example, I will be ingesting the strength pill to show you a very physical demonstration as that will make more of an impact. Each time a pill is ingested, the targeted area of the body that will be enhanced will slowly evolve." I slide two of my fingers into the bottle and grasp a blue and white colored pill between them. I, then, take the pill. "The pill's effects will take a short minute to merge with your body, so in that time frame, I will explain. The more pills you take over a certain period of time, the more you as a human become evolved. The pill that I am taking now will enhance my strength by inflating my muscles to their upper limits. But, if I had taken them for years on end, my muscles would have changed and mutated to become something stronger. The same goes for your eyes, ears, tongue, and the ability to touch. They will all mutate within your own lifetime. Now, of course, I do not have the full data on which types of people can have the most benefit, or if there are any drastic side effects because the drug has only existed for less than a year." I could feel my muscles pulsing and growing bigger. In a matter of seconds, my arms and legs will be exposed as they will explode out of my slim-fit suit. "Now, behold my creation!" As soon as those words left my mouth, an instantaneous burst of power surged forth. All the faces in the room had their mouths agape as they looked at a man with overblown muscles in the arm and leg region. I walked forward and jumped. 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet, 35 feet is where I began to fall. As I am coming down I grab one of the heavy theater spotlights that lined the ceiling. The floor cracked with a boom as I settled myself down. I, then, continued to lift the theater light up and down to show the audience the immense strength. I checked the digital clock on the far right side of the auditorium and saw that I only had about five seconds left. I placed the theater light behind me and sat on the floor. After the five seconds elapsed, the power that I once felt drained out of my body. My muscles began to deflate, and exhaustion overran my body. "These are the fruits of my research...though they do take a toll on the body and mind, these effects can be minimized with further experiments."

The audience gazed at a man in ripped sleeves and pants. They were shocked beyond what words could describe. Edward ran over with a chair and helped me up. I sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. "You did it!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah." I let out a rare smile.

Edward took the stage from there, "Now that we have all seen that wonderful demonstration, would anyone like to ask some question?"

A man with a gruff voice picked up his microphone, "If I do invest, how long do you think it would take to make a fully marketable product?"

I let out a chuckle, "I have everything set, all I need is the resources. An approximate time: maybe in four to five months since I still have to conduct all the experiments." The man with the gruff voice seemed to be satisfied with the answer, so he sat back down. After he asked his question, the ice was broken.

"Do you think the product can be mass-produced without any difficulties?"

"Will you think of selling your idea?"

"How much money do you think you need to conduct the trials?"

"How much money do you want to work for me?"

"Are you interested in running your own lab?"

A myriad of questions was shoveled onto me, but I answered them patiently. After the questions seemed to be dying down, I spoke up, "My dear patrons, I would like to gift each one of you a single pill. Please, look below your seats." Rustling and grunting noises filled the space. "Everyone should be able to find a white and red pill. This is the pill designed to enhance your vision." Some individuals were hesitant in taking the pill. "I assure you that nothing is laced with them. If you wish, you can make one of your bodyguards ingest it if you would like. The only thing, for those of you that already may have taken it, would feel is a slight sensation of nausea in your head. That is just your eyes getting a little stronger. In about a minute you will be able to see beyond the usual twenty-feet in much detail." I scan the room to see if anyone is still hesitant to take it, but I see no one. They all had taken it, and they seemed to be eager with the results.

Edward also swallows the pill and begins to say something, "Now, I am sure that everyone here has had their fair share of questioning," everyone agreed, "So, I would like to let Mr. Grey here have a few closing words." He passed the microphone back to me. I didn't really need it, but it was for formalities.

I took the microphone off of him and reached into my pocket to pull out a small device that looked like a remote. It had three buttons. "I would like to conclude this fine convention by thanking all the individuals that came. Now, before you all go, I have one last surprise for you." Everyone looked back at me, sitting themselves down. "I will generously give you all exactly two options." They all had peculiar expressions. "The first option is," I maintained a calm expression, "eighty-five percent of your assets under my name in your will." As soon as I said that, holographic displays of each person's will appeared in front of them. Holographs were not the highest of quality when it came to public use, but when working with the top one percent, they are always the newest since many of their lives revolve around the medium of a hologram.

Naturally, people were outraged, "Do you know who I am?!"

To which I answered, "Yes, absolutely. You are the sole heir to the six hundred and thirty-six billion-dollar fortune that your late father left behind after he scammed sixteen million people throughout his life." The young man sat back in his seat and put his hands over his head.

Other threats and pleas rang out through the crowd, "Do you know what I could do to you?!"

"I have a family; you can't do this!"

"I'll have you hanging from a noose the moment I get my hands on you!!!"

After a couple of minutes, an old man with a long ashen beard stepped up, "We won't do what you want! I heard that you had a second option, but I am not willing to take that one either; it would probably be worse than the current one," a couple of people around him shook their heads in agreement, "So, I will say it again you will prostrate yourself and beg for forgiveness! We will never do what you want!"

I exhaled into the microphone, and the auditorium became deathly silent. The only sounds that could be heard were a couple of breaths shivering, but the majority were holding their own breath. I lifted my face towards the crowd and maintained a cold expression. Then, my lips began to curve upward, slowly. My eyebrows began to furrow. My face, once in a cool demeanor, turned into that of a devil. I brought the microphone closer to my mouth and inhaled. "Then die."