I decided to build two casket-sized chambers. Before I started, I studied Dr. Brian David Banner's work on gamma radiation. I don't know why I decided to study gamma radiation when I already knew about electromagnetic radiation.
I have to admit, that bastard was crazy, but his ideas were solid. He was just too obsessed with them.
I felt like he was possessed.
He was trying to make humans immune to sickness and cancer, but he kept failing. His obsession drove him to a mental hospital. He even experimented on his kid and killed his wife because of it.
I built the chambers successfully. My family wasn't even surprised when I brought a chunk of metal into the basement. They're probably used to me bringing random things home.
It took me the whole day to build them. Yes, I built both in a single day.
I realized something… I probably need a van or a hearse to move them to a different location.
Then it hit me: I built radiation chambers, but there's no way to control how much Vita-Rays I can trigger externally.
Ahh, I'll build that tomorrow.
«Sir, you need to look at this.»
"What is it?"
«Apparently, there's a Skrull visiting a woman at the hospital.»
"What does that have to do with me?"
«I guess nothing. I just thought you should know. :(»
"Wait, are you feeling dejected?"
«NO! It's just your imagination.»
"Okay. How do you know that a Skrull is visiting someone at the hospital? I'm pretty sure a Skrull looks like a human."
«I used thermal vision, NIR, and multispectral imaging to view through the hospital cameras. Skrulls have slightly different biology. They're like humans. Same biology, different race. Their wavelengths are slightly different from normal humans.»
"Okay… so why should I care about a Skrull visiting someone? The Skrull is just living their life."
«Because I think the Skrull is planning to take the human's lifestyle.»
"Oh shit… what makes you think that?"
«Because the human has a congenital heart defect.»
"Oh. What's her name?"
«Dr. Priscilla Davis.»
"Never heard of her."
«She's a doctor in Manhattan, born with CHD.»
"Okay… so you're just going to try to help people who are unfortunate."
«No.»
"Then why?"
«I don't need a reason. She's a good doctor and a good person.»
"Let's start developing a cure then."
«On it, sir.»
I started developing a cure for CHD. I didn't care what type it was. I just focused on creating a cure.
I used Promethium and Cavorite in the process. Apparently, demons are resistant to most things and probably immune to human diseases, especially CHD.
It took me three days to develop it, mainly because I still had school and spent time with Maria during that period.
I named it the Genetic Serum.
It doesn't enhance the body or make it immune to all diseases. I can't do that yet. What it does is reset the body to its "factory settings," which means healthy.
If someone is born blind, the serum restores their sight.
If someone has cancer before Stage 4, it eliminates it. If it's Stage 4, there's an 80% chance of death because the serum accelerates the spread.
If someone can't feel their limbs, it restores sensation, but it can't regenerate lost limbs.
As long as something is wrong and no limbs are missing, the serum fixes it.
The day after I finished developing it, Friday, I took my mom's car and drove toward New York. It's supposed to be a 12-hour drive.
My mother got mad at me for not buying my own car. Then she said I should get my own house. I don't know why she brought it up, but I'm not moving.
"For a millionaire, you're pretty petty. You live with your mother and use her car," she said.
"That's how you stay a millionaire," I replied.
She wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words, so she just shouted at me.
I drove toward the hospital where the doctor worked. By the time I got there, it was lunchtime.
I only drove for about three hours, give or take. I was speeding the entire time.
SPACE handled the speed cameras and traffic lights. It even manipulated the speed guns used by traffic cops.
Any time I entered a building with cameras, SPACE edited me out of the footage.
I spotted the doctor sitting outside at the hospital cafeteria, talking to another woman. They were having lunch.
"If you're going to… can you please look after them?" the African-American woman said. I already knew she was Dr. Priscilla Davis. The other woman had to be the Skrull.
"Of course. I'll stay in touch with them," the Skrull replied.
"If possible, don't forget those three things," Priscilla said. "Promise me, set me at sea, look after them, and don't hurt the person you love."
"Okay," the Skrull said.
It was easy to hear them from a distance. SPACE could isolate and analyze speech patterns.
I walked over, sat at their table without greeting them, and started eating their food.
They both stared at me in shock.
"This is good. Really fucking good," I said while eating. "Who made this?"
"I did. Excuse me, who are you?" Priscilla asked, clearly expecting an answer. The Skrull looked at me the same way.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Felix. Nice to meet me," I said, continuing to eat. "Are you going to finish this?"
They just stared at me, basically giving silent permission to keep eating.
"Can I add a fourth one to what you were talking about?" I said, looking at both of them after finishing the food.
"What are you talking about?" the Skrull asked, staring at me. Wait… I don't even know if she's a she or a he.
"Number four. It's confidential," I said. "Relax, I'll tell you. It's just confidential to others, okay?"
"Can you tell me what you're doing here?" Priscilla asked.
"Oh, that? I'll tell you before I leave," I replied, then looked at the Skrull. "Number four: live your life to the fullest."
I paused for a second.
"Oh, I never asked your name. What's your name?" I asked.
"My name is Sharon," she said, watching me carefully.
"What's your real name… Skrull?" I said, my tone turning serious.
She tensed instantly. Priscilla flinched too.
"M-my name is Verra," she stuttered.
"No need to be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you. Hell, I'm incapable of hurting you," I said calmly, then turned to Priscilla.
"Dr. Priscilla Davis, to answer your question, I'm here to hire you at Oseong Corporation."
Priscilla was shocked, not that I was hiring her, but that I knew her name.
"How do you know me?" she asked, looking at me.
"Details, schmetails. I just know," I said to them. No way I was explaining the details... that would make me look like a criminal. "So, what do you say?"
"If you know about me, then you probably know about my problem," she said, looking down.
"Oh, are you talking about your congenital heart defect? I know about it," I said, like it was no big deal.
"You do! So you know I'm about to die, right?" she said, surprised.
"Oh, that. The reason I came here is to give you a cure. I wasn't planning to hire you," I said, which shocked them. I muttered to myself, "Man, I better eat something after this."
"Wait, wait… are you serious?" Priscilla asked.
"What's the catch?" Verra asked, looking at me.
"No catch. Though I don't know what side effects the cure might bring," I said, thinking for a moment. I had only theorized it, simulated the cure, but not actually tested it.
The hologram can't show side effects unless they've been recorded the first time. This is a new serum, so SPACE can't know what hasn't been recorded, though it can speculate.
«I did say there's no serum that's 100% safe.»
I just nodded.
Priscilla discussed something with Verra. I could hear it but didn't care. They argued, and I agreed with Verra: "Some unknown kid shows up and wants to use you as a lab rat."
'From any angle, she was right. I was about to give an untested serum to someone I barely knew who was about to die. But from my point of view… it was exactly how it looked. Damn. Am I the villain, or is SPACE the villain?'
«I'm just following you, sir.»
I wanted to shout, "It was your idea to begin with!" but held it in.
"Will you give me the cure if I accept the job?" she asked anxiously.
"No," I said. Then I continued, "You get the cure no matter what, because I'm going to inject you with it right now."
"Seriously!" Verra said, surprised. "What's going to happen if you give her the cure?"
"Well… she'll go into cardiac arrest after I inject the serum, with a brief period of death before resuscitation kicks in," I said calmly.
"WHAT? SHE'LL DIE!" Verra exclaimed, shocked. Likely it was only us on this side.
"Clinical death... you mean clinical death, right?" Priscilla asked, looking at me.
"Yeah. It's a resuscitation to restart cardiac function," I said.
"What?" Verra asked, confused.
"It's like rebooting a system. As an analogy for a child… yeah, it's like cleaning a dirty toy," I said to Verra, trying to mimic a child's voice.
"Okay, I got it when you said 'system,'" she said, irritation in her voice.
Priscilla said she was ready to take the serum. I told her to lie down on the nearby grass. Verra stood close, watching.
I took the Genetic Serum from my jacket—not a suit jacket, more like a hoodie. I like to dress casual.
I injected the serum into her veins. Five seconds later, Priscilla went into cardiac arrest.
She lay completely still, not breathing or moving. After fifteen seconds, she had a pulse. I checked her through my smart glasses. I didn't need to hold her hand or check her neck.
«It's a success, sir.»
She no longer had CHD. I asked her a few questions after she woke up, and she said she felt fine. I told her she didn't need to worry about the job offer.
"Can I ask you something? Why did you offer me a job if you weren't expecting me to accept it?" Priscilla asked.
I thought for a moment before answering. "To help you, I guess."
"To help me? You already helped me," Priscilla said, surprised by my answer.
"Oh, giving you the serum was my obligation in the first place. Offering you a job is just another way to help both of you, I guess," I said, thinking it through. 'I acted like Nick Fury before; now I'm acting like Xavier. What's happening to me?'
«Inferiority complex, sir.»
"Shut up."
Priscilla and Verra looked at me strangely when I said that.
"What do you mean, offering a job was a way to help both of us?" Verra asked.
"Didn't you ask her to continue your lifestyle or something? I don't know what, and I don't care," I said. They both paused, then seemed to realize something.
We talked a bit more, and they said they'd reach out after making a decision. They asked for my business card, but I didn't have one. I always thought they were unnecessary. Now I'm reconsidering that.
I'll make some when I get back.
I left the hospital and decided to find the nearest Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's. I found a McDonald's, but then remembered that the Rock 'n' Roll theme is only in Chicago.
They should probably rebuild that place. It's getting old.
Before I went inside, I bumped into someone at the door and apologized without even looking at who it was.
I stood at the counter and looked at the menu. Someone came up to take my order.
"Greetings, customer. May I take your order?" he said.
"Okay. I'll have one Big Mac, one Quarter Pounder with Cheese, three Filet-O-Fish, one order of fries, and a 500 ml Coca-Cola," I said.
"Okay, sir. You'll need to wait a few moments," the guy replied. He was African-American and had a beard.
«Sir, let me tell you something.»
I didn't say anything and waited for SPACE to continue. I didn't want to look weird, so I just nodded slightly.
«He's not human.»
I looked at the guy again. He seemed familiar, like I'd seen him somewhere before, maybe in a movie, like the guy from Godzilla x Kong, but more depressed, like life had drained him.
Oh shit… I just remembered who he is.
Phastos.