The First Of Many [Ch. 7]

Sahara Therapeutics Research Facility

April 3, 2003

"Cross!" Dr. Wilde, a friend and fellow scientist like Matthew, shouted as he turned around to face Matthew. "We're losing him!"

Matthew was standing with his back facing Dr. Wilde with a microphone in his hand to explain to the board members up in the booth, overlooking his lab. The C.E.O of Sahara Therapeutics was also present with a security detail.

"Do something Matthew," the CEO said into her microphone. "Now!"

"Dr. Cross," Dr. Wilde said, "he's going to die. We need to induce him with the serum."

Matthew set the microphone back on the stand on the podium. He fluffed his lab coat, then reached into his forward coat pocket to take out blue latex gloves and his mask. He put the mask on first, followed by putting on the gloves.

Glancing up at the booth, he made brief eye contact with the CEO. Her stance was firm, and her arms were crossed. She eyed him without blinking, breathing fiercely.

Just as he looked away, he heard a single bang on the glass window to the booth. He looked back up and saw his wife and daughter Addison and Megan. They'd come to witness him make history.

"You've got this daddy!" Megan said, her high-pitched voice just faintly heard. Under his mask, he'd smiled. Raising the mask to cover his nose, he turned around.

"Dr. Wilde, fetch a bottle, please and thank you," Matthew said as he pointed over to Dr. Wilde.

"Yes Doctor," he responded to Matthew.

Rushing over to a small fridge under Matthew's work desk, he opened the door. Leaning over, he reached into it to grab a bottle from the top rack. Leaning back up, he then ran back over to Matthew. He'd tossed the bottle over to Matthew.

Putting it down onto the cart with a metal tray, he grabbed a syringe. Flicking the syringe a few times, he held the bottle in one hand. In his right was the syringe.

"Cross!" The C.E.O's voice said over the intercom. "What are you doing? What's in the bottle, Cross! Answer me!"

"Answer you, I shall not," Matthew mumbled under his breath as he extracted the right amount that he needed. Flicking it once more, he rushed over to the operating table.

Dr. Wilde put his mask back on, and so did Dr. Franklin; another scientist assisting Matthew. He slipped his gloves back onto his hands, then adjusted his mask.

Placing two fingers on the subject's neck, he noticed a weak pulse. Looking up and across the table at Matthew.

"Hurry," Dr. Franklin demanded, "heart rate dropping!"

Matthew lifted the subject's right arm. Lowering the syringe, he forced the needle into the upper arm.

Thereafter, he induced the serum into the subject's bloodstream. It's now only a matter of time before it kicks in.

Spending almost three years developing the serum, this was the first time he's tested the experiment on a living soul. If successful, it would be a breakthrough for the medical industry. There's a 50/50 chance it could work, and a chance it could fail. What started off as just a vision, was now possibly about to become reality.

Setting the syringe back down on the cart, on the tray, he held his breath and waited. Pulling back his coat sleeve, he watched the two hands tick on his watch, mentally counting down from thirty seconds.

"29. 28. 27. 26," Matthew mumbled under his breath.

"Heart rate climbing," Dr. Franklin announced, keeping his fingers on the subject's neck. "Correction: heart rate stabilizing, heart beat normal."

"Good."

In the booth, the board was furious. Confused as to what's going on, they started asking questions.

Down in the lab, Matthew walked back over to the podium where the mic was. He turned the mic on, tapping it three times.

"One more for good measure," he said as he tapped on the mic again. The feedback made everyone cover their ears. He smiled as he looked over at Allison and Megan. He waved.

"Can everyone hear me?" He asked as he looked up at everyone in the booth.

"Something's wrong," Dr. Wilde mumbled under his breath. Dr. Franklin heard him and looked up and over at him.

"Checking vitals," Dr. Franklin mumbled as she briefly glanced over at Matthew as he continued to debrief the board and CEO.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Matthew began explaining as he turned around to look back at his two fellow scientists.

He had heard them say something was wrong. He'd turned around to mutter something to them that no one up in the booth would be able to hear. He didn't cover up the microphone. Mistake!

Matthew turned around to clarify that the situation was under control and there was nothing to be worried about.

"Standby," Matthew said as he shut the microphone off again. He rushed back over to the operating table.

Upon adjusting the light hanging over the table and the patient, he could see that something wasn't right.

"The fuck?" He questioned as he set his hand down over her heart to check for a beat. "Elevated, beating fast."

The subject began seizing and shaking violently. Everyone in the booth stood up in shock as they watched this experiment go wrong.

Something was beginning to move under the skin of the subject as she seized. Both Drs. Wilde and Franklin stepped back as they witnessed the skin starting to tear the subject open near her hips and down the center of her torso. Two appendages grew out of where the skin had ripped apart like cutting paper.

Blood splattered as more skin was ripped and stretched from the tear down the middle torso. Matthew was in awe as he did the same as Drs. Wilde and Franklin.

"Go!" Matthew said, "get outta here!"

Wilde and Franklin both bolted for the door. Allison and Megan were standing alone in the booth as everyone else fled when the experiment fell out of control.

The subject now has six arms, three on each side of her body. She sat up, which revealed to Matthew how big she'd grown from his serum.

"Sound the alarm!" Matthew shouted just as Wilde and Franklin made it to the doors that would take them out of the lab and into the hallway.

The subject had grown three feet, towering over him. He's the ant, and it was the boot. As it got up and turned to get off the table, it looked directly to where Matthew was standing; frozen in place.

The red emergency lights began flashing, being accompanied by the loud, blaring alarm.

"All personnel. Evacuate the facility," a male automated voice announced, "all personnel must evacuate. This is not a drill. This is not a drill! All personnel. Evacuate the facility," the announcement continued on an endless, repeated loop.

Matthew couldn't take his eyes off of what he'd just created. Not scared. Fascinated.

"My serum did this?" He asked himself. "My serum—-did this?" he repeated as he looked up at the beast standing before him.

Addison and Megan had abandoned the booth just like the others did. Matthew hadn't noticed this yet, but he will any minute now.

The creature huffed and puffed, breathing like any other thing would. It stood there, almost as if it were waiting for something to happen. Or something to be said.

Keeping his eyes fixed on this creature, he slowly approached it with his hands up. It stomped its feet as he got closer to it. For the most part, it remained "calm."

"You—-need a name," Matthew muttered as he stopped approaching it when it roared.

ROAR!

"Easy there, girl, easy," he mumbled.

"Daddy!" Megan shouted from the stairs leading up to the booth.

Matthew turned around. His eyes dilated and wide open. When the beast heard Megan's voice it let out a long, outrageously loud roar. It then charged towards Megan, with its arms swinging frantically.

She stood there, screaming. As it neared the stairs, it ran into other tables and desks that were in its way. It smashed right through them effortlessly.

"Megan!" Matthew shouted. "Run, baby, run!"

Matthew didn't know what to do. There were no guns in the lab or anywhere else in the facility. Shooting to kill wasn't an option. But Matthew had another idea up his sleeve.

"Armsy!" Matthew shouted. "STOP!"

The creature stopped running and stood in place. Addison came running into the room, shouting and yelling at Megan for running off. Megan ran back into the room, running over to her mother on the other side.

Addison and Megan hugged as they both shared one last glance down at Matthew. He couldn't hear what Addison said to him, but he read her mouth.

"Goodbye Matthew," Addison mouthed.

Present Day

20 Years Later

"That's a made-up story?" Alexander asked, "Addison and Megan were killed in a car accident in '02."

"Twenty years have come and gone," Jackson explained, "every moment, every memory, every second. Everything he did–,"

"You remember?" Rane asked as she leaned slightly forward in her chair. It creaked.

"I have his memories, his thoughts, his–"

"Everything," Rane interrupted.

"Yes, exactly."

"Part of being a clone to the original. The Matthew you're investigating is long gone–died when the navy bombed the island."

"You're wrong," Rane said, "he was shot and killed by a marine in his lab."

Alexander raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. He was curious about how she knew so much about the death of the original Matthew.

"How'd you know that?" Alexander asked as he continued looking over at her with a fixed gaze.

"Research," she answered with a shrug and chuckle. He squinted his eyes at her.

"Right," Alex said as he put his pen down on top of his notepad. He looked away from her and focused his attention back on Jackson.

SNAP!

That sound came from outside. Everyone watched as a branch fell from the tree above the house. The branch was full of leaves, now resting outside on the deck by the rope.

"Fucking hell?" Rane said.

Jackson looked over at her. She looked back over at him. She could tell he was spooked, but why?

Suddenly, Stitches dropped down from the roof. Swinging into the house, he stretched his arm out at Jackson, picking him up by the neck. Jackson began kicking his feet and trying to pull Stitches fingers away from his neck. He continued to struggle to free himself.

Alexander and Rane slowly got up from their chairs. But doing so, made them creak. Stitches looked over at them; only this time something was different about him.

With his other arm, he stretched it out to pick up the katana in the corner. He picked it up and retracted his arm, now wielding a weapon that could do serious damage.

"Not so fast," Stitches said.