Prologs

            Down the microscopic lens hid an alien world waiting to be discovered. “Eureka,” after years of research, the answer to a question asked a million times has finally been solved. This microscopic strand that wills the mind, a bottomless pit of information, to infinite conclusions never thought to ask now no longer represented a theory, but a reality. “There you are.” A young scientist whispered to himself. His eyes explored his discovery through the lenses as he observed, questioned, and praised. What endless possibilities you will bring me.

            Cataloging his every move, he took a sample of the gene and began to explore the root of its core. Monkeys rattled their cages as they were given their daily meals. Caleb, our young scientist, leisurely roamed the lab, picking the right subject to test his theory. A calm, but cautious, chimp ate its banana while observing the others. He slowly cuffed the chimp by its neck and brought it to his station. “Come along boy,” he spoke to it, “Let’s play a game of trial and error.”

            Unknown to his colleagues, he was beginning an impossible experiment. Testing his theory ambitiously, he documented his procedures, formulas and trials. He injected his test subjects with chemicals not yet tested by any federal lab, known by that matter. Caleb was embarking on a whole new expedition no other scientist would never dare. The experiment was considered inhumane. If others discovered his agenda, he would lose his fundings or worse his license. Secretly, he experimented with the animals provided by the lab.

            Prolog Entry: Day 5. He wrote. M10 has been injected with strand H and has shown similar symptoms to that of M5. Both share hair loss, discoloration of the skin and an unusual increase in appetite for rotten spoils. No sign of breakthrough. He continued his research, formula after formula, prototype after prototype; his quest for the answer kept him proceeding even throughout the dead ends. Countless animals fell to their death, all in the name of science. Yet another falls.

            Days turned to weeks as Caleb feverishly worked to find the right formula to make his theory possible. Close he could almost taste it, Caleb found a light at the end of the tunnel. He took his new formula and conjured a new chemical to inject his subject. Unfortunately, the new formula he’d thought would work failed. The monkey died horribly, slamming its head intensively; trying to end its own misery. Defeated and frustrated, Caleb pondered in his chair in the dark brainstorming yet another formula.

            His patience was running thin, but he was still determined. His infinite source of intelligence kept his mind active with ideas, questions and solutions. He would not give up so easily, especially now that he found his answer. No one had a clue as to what he was up to. A cure to all illness was the only lie everyone bought. The truth of the matter is he was on a mission to prove his theory correct; to find the gene that gave him his power. Now that he had found his gene, the next step was to incorporate the gene to a new host; but how? The strand rejected every subject. Distant he became with his colleagues as his research took him to depths he never dreamed of.

            Prolog Entry: Day 20. M24 has been injected with strand 347-H. Subject developed signs of fatigue, a possible small allergic reaction and flu like symptoms. For the most part, subject has shown some improvement, better than the previous two. He stopped as he observed the monkey. It sat gasping for air while others swung around. I’ve modified the strand with extra concentrated steroid hormones. I predict the subject might undergo a seizure or fall into a heavy comatose killer flu, too which, in some sense, I might keep this one alive.

            Weeks later, under constant observations, the test monkey did not die but instead became sick as he predicted. The other monkeys kept their distance for the infected subject radiated illness and toxics. Caleb took his experiment to its own cage and there, he kept a closer eye on its development. Prolog Entry: Day 37. M24 has fallen into a severe illness, nearly died but has improved. Subject is now swinging from vines, climbing faster than normal and its intelligence keeps improving. He took a look at his experiment. Have I come to the solution?

            At last, it seemed, Caleb had come to a conclusion. Countless months of sneaking around, lying to whoever crossed his path; hiding his true mission. The lives of many defenseless animals he took in the name of science now came down to one single monkey who managed to survive. It wasn’t long before his superiors began to question his hibernation. “Mr. Barnett, what a pleasure.” His superior began as he made his way inside Caleb's peculiar lab. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything what with you being locked away for months end. Productive, No less.”

            “No, not at all Doctor,” Caleb replied. “Come, sit.”

            “Rumor has it you’re on the hunt to find a cure for all cures. Sight restoration, limb rejuvenation, permanent remedies for hair loss, ear canal surgery procedures for hearing loss, memory loss. It seemed too good to be true so I thought I’d come by and check it out for myself.”

            “That’s the goal.” He answered. “But I’m not completely done. See,” in the midst of Caleb’s excitement of reaching his conclusion to his experimental quest, he had forgotten to keep his secret a secret, “I’ve been testing the monkeys lately and I’ve managed to keep one alive.”

            “You managed to keep what alive?” His superior repeated, shocked and bewildered. “What do you mean you managed to keep one alive? I don’t recall me signing you authorizations to use the animals in sector three. You don't have clearance for this.” The more he authorized, the more Caleb realized the trouble he had put himself in. “As your superior, I’m authorizing a cease and desist of this lab. You’re finished!”
            “But you don’t understand.” Caleb objected. “I’ve come so far to stop now. My research is almost complete! I can give you immortality if you just let me stay.” Caleb begged but was left ignored. He lied, said anything to keep them from stripping him of his license. Security confiscated his equipment. Scandal shocked the laboratory halls as rumor spread of his inhumane experiments. Dead carcasses of deformed monkeys, or what looked like dead animals, were wrapped and sent to the infirmary to be disposed of.

            Before he knew it, Caleb was kicked out into the streets. He was banished from the Science Exploratory, his only lab and home. Stripped of his license and left with nothing but his personal prologs, he were to provide his own equipment if he were to continue on his research. His once active lab now stood empty. The once Barnett Laboratory now read, “Doctor Asylum, home of the freak show,” as a reminder of his unspeakable experiments. Defeated but determined, Caleb moved back home with his family to finish what he started.

            Distant and short tempered, Caleb placed one rule for his family to obey. If ever he was needed and the only place to find him was the basement now turned lab they were not to disturb him, under any circumstances. “I don’t ever want to be disturbed,” he proclaimed the first day at dinner. “It cuts my train of thought.” Days, even weeks, he would spend locked in the basement, developing a new, better formula to test his theory. It wasn’t long before he began to seek subjects to test on. He started low then made his way up the chain.

            When the rats failed, the family dog was next in line to fall victim to his inhumane experiments. The poor dog became deformed, monstrous, and died weeks later. Soon, another fell to his sickening injections. By then, his quest had taken him over the edge and down a demented path. He wanted human subjects for it was the only reasonable conclusion that could prove his theory right. He was, after all, experimenting on the human gene, desperately finding a formula to surpass its full potential.

            Then, it dawned on him. Testing on human subjects would in fact produce a better outcome rather than on animals. He wanted two subjects to test this theory, two who share similar DNA traits. Two particular subjects came into mind as his plot thickened. Two brothers would then enter a world full of madness devised by a courageous scientist. The two brothers entered the lab where God dare not look, an underground basement of horror suited for the perfect mad man.

            Stacks of rotting, deformed, flesh stood exposed in one corner, behind a plastic curtain. The boys wondered into the table where delicious but toxic liquids stood, inviting a sip or two. A labeled skull warned them not to taste its refreshing waters. On display, behind thick glass, stood stray animals each suffering from their own demented hell. Some had missing hair; others had swollen eyes while some hung from its socket. The oldest couldn’t bare the sight while the other intensively observed.

            “Now remember boys,” Caleb began, “I’m not trying to hurt you in anyway; I simply want to bring out the best in you. All I ask is that you keep this between us, okay. If anyone were to find out about our little trial and error, I won’t be able to awaken your gifts. Your powers will be lost forever, never to return, do you understand?” He looked at them square in the eye as the two blindly agreed to whatever monstrosity he could do on to them.

            Once everything was set and done; his new formula he conducted over the past week was ready for inserting. Prolog Entry: Day 60. Subject V1 and V2 have been injected with strand 3.47-H. Both subjects are predicted to fall under a tremendous illness, but with the new formula, they might revive quicker than expected. He watched the two infected brothers play in the fields, wondrously flying through the air imagining a better world. He only hoped his new formula proved his theory correct; not thinking of the dangers he had put the brothers under.

            As predicted, the boys fell ill. Their mother came to him one night, tearful and full of panic. Loudly and rapidly, she knocked in his basement door pleading for his aid. “They must stay with me in the lab, May.” He informed her. She objected. “These boys mean the world to me!” He replied. “I will do everything in my power to restore them back to health, I promise.” And so, the lab became the boy’s new home. It wasn’t until they began to show signs of improvement, though, when they realized where they had been.

            Prolog Entry: Day 89. Both subjects seem to be in a coma like state but their brain activity is still very much active. Their will is strong but their state is fragile. It’s as if something’s keeping them alive. Breathing levels are normal. Brain functions are high, though V2 emits more activity than V1. I must confess, their state of illness should have reduced weeks ago. Slowly, it seems, their illness keeps increasing while their heart monitor slows. I’ve come to two conclusions; they’re either still in the weak state or they are slowly dying.

            Caleb feared his second conclusion was far more accurate than his first. Weeks turned to months and still the boys remained the same. The boys underwent strange unique stages of death, all curiously enticing his mind. Their mother grew impatient. “They’ve been under your control for some time now and still they have not improved. What kind of supervision are you installing on the children? You’ve had them for weeks, what have you accomplished since then?” She didn’t want to face the type of productivity he accomplished behind closed doors, but her motherhood instinct urged her to question everything.

            “I can assure you, they are in good hands.” Caleb replied.

            “I want to see them.” She demanded instantly. “I want to see my children, now!” No one, other than the two boys and himself, had ever stepped inside his laboratory. Caleb grew concerned. He didn’t want her to see the fragile state her sons were in because of him. Desperately, he tried to convince her he had everything under control. All attempts failed as she made her way to his underground basement. She was about to enter a world she could not stomach all at once. “Caleb,” she said as she discovered her two sons wired to a machine, “What have you done to our children?”

            Yet again, his attempts for the answer were stifled by the realization his wife had stumbled upon. First came denial. She didn’t want to accept the fact that her husband had been experimenting on their two children for selfish, inhumane reasons. Then came anger. She slapped him as hard as she could. She wanted to unleash all her frustration onto him for the pain he had caused their family. And lastly, she came to a realization. No more would she allow him to treat their children like mere subjects.

            Standing beside his desk, she skimmed through his journal. With each page came pouring regrets. The months of research, months of unspeakable deformity of experiments caused by one man’s quest to find an answer, were too fictitious to be true. “They aren’t just test subject, Caleb.” She began. “They are your children! How could you have done this to us, to them?”

            The next day, Caleb found a yellow folder on the table. Divorce papers filed by May for irreconcilable differences were placed before him, awaiting his signature. He would not let her take them away from him, especially now that the boys were showing signs of improvement. In the mist of all the drama, Caleb had found a ray of hope. Through the case hearings and meetings, Caleb continued his work for he had now come to a conclusion.

            Prolog Entry: Day 120. Both subjects have made an improvement. They are now up and walking. Let the data commence. The following week, as the house became empty, Caleb observed the kids every day closely and attentively. He wrote every detail, suspicion and hypothesis. Separately, he worked on the kids examining what traits they have gained through the past months. A lot has happened since, he added, Though V1 and V2 seem to acquire different skills.

            In his observations, Caleb came to find V1 had gained a queer skill in strength and agility. By the second day, he was lifting objects two times his own weight. He is able to withstand any amount of pressure and almost instantly shatter any type of concrete to bits. His strength is that of a mother’s will to protect her young, in a sense, invincible. He lifts 50 pounds of weight like if it were a feather. It’s come to the point where the strength of his legs allow him to jump at extremely high altitudes, higher than average; almost as if he were flying. He later wrote.

            His next focus was V2, the youngest of his experiment. Strength, it seemed, did not manifest on V2. It was but a far more precious skill V2 possessed, an unimaginable curiosity for the unknown. By the next day, V2 was solving algebraic equations Harvard students studied. No greater test kept him from solving the equation. I showed him a theory and instantly came to the conclusion it took me to solve months ago, he wrote, astonished.

            Unfortunately, his time with the kids had come to an end. As the divorce settlement came to a resolution, the family he kept his distance from now dealt the separation a broken family face. The two children were stuck choosing between mother and father. One instinctively chose his mother for he could not bear the sight of the senile man. He could not look him in the eye and respectfully call him his father. The other proudly chose his father for he provided what his mother could not, and that was answers. He was hungry to learn of the world he had awakened from.

            The family went their separate ways, only to meet on holidays at certain times. The brothers grew apart, distant if you may. They treated each other, not as brothers, but as strangers who meet every now and then. The brotherhood they once shared was now lost over the years that followed. As the brothers grew, so did their views of the world. Their goals and dreams would then shape their future.

            One brother grew to see the world full of hope with believes of a better today. Through the rough stages in life, he devoted his power to help those he loved; later those in need as the world became selfish with rage. The other brother grew with means of lunacy, mania and villainy . His father, known for his demented skills, helped mold the prefect villain. Together, their ingenious intelligence would bring forth a dark world where hope is lost and madness takes its course with no remorse. It is one, evidently, that will forever be immortalized as the king of all villainy.