Even Heroes Bleed

Prologue - The Advanced

Dr. Timothy Harold was accustomed to keeping odd hours in his line of work. The doctors, nurses, and scientists that worked in his lab had also grown used to calls in the middle of the night, being called into work for various and strange reasons. The Imperium Institute was home to the most advanced medical research in the world, and the development of the scientific discovery had no set hours.

Harold had felt a calling to medicine at a young age. He had always been a small child and sickly after contracting measles as a toddler. His mother didn't trust the government and trusted vaccines even less. When he was admitted to the hospital, unresponsive and covered in red, itchy spots, she blamed the doctors for making him worse. Thankfully, the 104 fever didn't cause any lasting brain damage.

In fact, Harold was exceptionally smart. That was one reason the US military recruited him when he was still in high school. He began college at 15 and bypassed all of his peers, going straight into the Department of Defense's medical research program.

It wasn't long before he headed his own department with 20 employees, ranging from chemical engineers to biochemists. Their goal was to discover what had happened over a hundred years ago during The Great Advancement.

The only thing that was clear was that a celestial event had occurred. In 1908, a meteor hit a small town, Los Achotes, in a remote part of South America, between Mexico and Guatemala. The town was completely destroyed, and the effects of the blast were felt in every direction. It took years for the town and surrounding areas to rebuild.

While they picked up the pieces of their lives, they and the rest of the world had no idea this one catastrophic event would jumpstart a mass evolution in the human race.

The first Advanced human was born in Tapachula only three years later. A healthy 7-lb baby girl named Ximena Maria Torres was born to two loving parents. She showed no signs of her superhuman abilities until she was six months old and attacked by the neighbor's dog. The young girl's skin was so strong that the dog's teeth broke on impact. After that, Advanced children were born all over the world.

It was a slow trickle. There was a birth every few years and then every few months. Then, it stopped for several years and would start back up. These children were highly protected by their parents and by their government.

It wasn't long before countries started creating special training camps, molding these Advanced beings into weapons. That was where Harold's research came into play. He was tasked with discovering the secret of what made an Advanced human what they were.

The first Advanced child born in the US was a boy. Damon Prince was everything the US government wanted him to be. He was a white male with a head full of beautiful brown hair and large blue eyes. His father was a police officer and his mother a dutiful wife. In 1914, when Damon was born, WWI had just begun, and America needed something to hope for.

Damon became their mascot for what was to come. He was taken under the government's wing when both of his parents perished in an earthquake, one that some speculated he caused himself. This was the beginning of a growing fear of advanced beings, a fear that Timothy shared.

For years, he gave his time and life to the US government, believing his research was to put an end to an oncoming war. If these other countries weaponized their Advanced beings, they would destroy the world. He believed he could break down the DNA and find a cure for what was plaguing humanity.

When Harold discovered they wanted to use his research to create their own army, he took his work and fled. He didn't want to help the US join the war, which had been ending since the First World War. Even in times of peace, a dark cloud hung over the country.

When Harold left the government, he knew they continued his work. His old partner, Eric McAdams, was still there. It took him some time, but eventually, he returned to the US under a new identity and created the Imperium Institute.

Most of the scientists there agreed with Harold. They wanted to stop the wars and help bring an end to the Advanced. Many of the other scientists and doctors had no idea what their true purpose was, and they never would.

As Harold was finishing up his latest attempt at the formula, he felt the vibrations of his phone. He saw it was the second in command at the Institute calling and answered immediately.

"Hello, Dr. Vinn," he said as he scribbled a few notes on his paper.

Dr. Vinn's voice was shaky. "Sir, I'm sorry to call you in. We have an Advanced Who is killing people, and there is nothing I can do to stop him."

"Send in Selene," Dr. Harold sighed. "How bad?"

"So far, 25," Dr. Vinn told him. "Are you doing another test tonight?"

"I am," he said. "We have a soldier that is being flown in. He was wounded nearly 12 hours ago. The doctors believe he isn't going to make it, so if this doesn't work, he won't be any worse off."

"I hate this is the way it has to be," Dr. Vinn sounded defeated.

"What we are doing here is important work," Dr. Harold reminded his colleague. "Remember that."

"Yes, Doctor," he said and then hung up.

Dr. Harold set his phone on the counter and took a deep breath. It was always a gamble to continue with the tests, but he hoped that this time it would be different. He had finally perfected the formula after over 30 years of hard work. He was close, and if this soldier didn't make it, he would make sure to find the one who would.

Harold turned back to the work table. He pushed his chair back, stood up, and stretched. He grabbed his coat from the coat rack and pulled his keys from his pocket. The clock behind him read 1:59 a.m.

As he got into his car, his phone rang again. He sighed, answering the call. "This better be important."

"Hello, Harold," a deep voice said. "I have something important that you should see."

"Dr. Xing," he said, surprised. "Is everything alright?"

"Better than alright," he said. "Meet me in an hour at the airport. Is your facility ready?"

"What?" Harold asked, and the weary tone crept back into his voice. "Why? Yes, I mean, but why are you asking? We aren't expecting the soldier for another 2 hours..."

"We arrived early," he said in a clipped voice. "See you in an hour. I hope your staff is prepared."

"Of course, but..." Harold said, but the call ended.

Harold gripped the phone tightly in his hands. This was the moment he had been waiting for so why did he feel so troubled?