Behind The Mask

Chapter 1: Resurrection

Where am I?

Looking around, I see many papers with intricate diagrams on them. Chemicals in test tubes with carefully measured quantities decorate the tables. Machines fill the room from one end to another. Most of these machines are around me. I conclude that this room here is a laboratory of some kind.

Having had enough of merely observing, I attempt to move. Only to find some wires keeping me in place, in a strange solution. Now that I properly look, my entire body seems suspended in this solution. It's as if I were weightless, almost as if I were... swimming? What is swimming? My thoughts instinctively jumped to this, yet I have no idea what it is. I attempt to move through the solution but it's a futile effort – the wires hold me in place and upon closer observation, glass surrounds me.

Why am I here?

Is this a prison? Am I being punished? What have I done? None of this makes sense. The more I think, the more I... the more I feel pain. It's as if... I shouldn't think. I should just... follow. I need to get attention. Draw someone here. The only way is to bang on this glass. I do so. For 5 minutes. And no one comes. I suppose I'll have to wait.

Although I would prefer to explore this laboratory in circumstances that don't involve me being trapped in a giant fish tank, I don't have that luxury. So I make do and see what I can focus on this lab. The machines all seem incredibly advanced. Yet... that shouldn't be. Machines like this shouldn't exist. They can't. They all seem out of place... but why? Why do I think they're out of place? This is all perfectly normal.

There's that pain again. Blistering away as if to guide me backwards. Instead of dwelling on the machines, I instead look at the papers. The diagrams are all very detailed and detail processes that I can't quite see. I pick out a few choice words.

"Subject A" I read out aloud. There are some other words after but they are illegible from here.

Is that me? Am I a subject in some experiment? I want to feel angry, I want to feel sorrow but most of all... I just want to cry. Yet I can't. Like with my curiosity, anger, sadness, fear – all of these just fade away. As if I don't need to feel them. Because... Because they are useless. No! Emotions are what make us human! Unless... I'm not a human. Once again, these thoughts are pushed down by that searing pain.

"Code name – Masked Man."

Masked Man. Certainly quite the ominous name. Whoever came up with this project certainly had a rather sick sense of humour. But 'Masked Man' is only a code name. Which begs the question – Who am I?

"Subject will... several enhancements... the first human chimera."

Enhancements? So I'm going to modified, like some sort of robot? I am a human, not some action figure to be given accessories! But what if... I'm not? No, I must be human. Assuming that I am this subject they speak of, than I must be human, because these papers call me 'the first human chimera'. I have no idea what a chimera is though. The word itself seems foreign. No, almost alien to me. Saying it feels me with unease.

Unless, a chimera is a robot. Yes, this makes sense. What if I am just a robot that looks like a human? For once, my curiosity isn't punished, in fact my 'brain', if that is the correct term, seems to be guiding me towards this conclusion. But then, why was I created? Why do I need to look like a human? The first human chimera... will I be successful? Will I achieve my purpose?

My continuous thoughts cause much grief however, so I stop, for my health and due to the anti think program, as I have called it, kicking in. Despite this epiphany, my predicament remains the same – stuck inside this container. I furiously bash the glass in more and more. Not even a dent. I wait to see if anyone heard.

But no one came.

I suppose the glass, solution and walls all muffle the sounds I make. Maybe this is all a test, to see if I can get out. Another experiment. I may be a robot, but I'm still angry. I just want to break free of this. I see the machines around me. Some are connected to this glass tube. If I were to destroy them, I might be able to get out. But how?

And that's when it comes to me. A 'memory', you could call it. I remember something large and imposing with many teeth. Metal armour and a cybernetic eye. A chimera. I went up against it. I was scared and angry. I wanted to make it feel pain, pain like it made me feel. But what pain did it cause me? My 'memory' is incomplete on this, I guess. I wanted to make it feel pain. So I called down justice from above. Justice? Is killing justice? It hurt me... but does that mean I should hurt it?

Lightning. Lightning from the sky. It responded to my fear and anger. Maybe... maybe it will do so now. I concentrate all my emotions, my fear, my anger, my curiosity, my sadness, all of it onto the machines and glass around me. Everything became clear, as if I have achieved perfection. I maintained my focus and saw the lightning, lightning rushing through my mind. And then..

"PK Thunder!" I shout.

I shouldn't have done that.

It was almost as if a bomb had exploded right then and there. Glass lay around me in numerous shards, the solution spilling everywhere and the machines were unidentifiable. What power was this? How do I have it? It's frightening in a way, I only meant to break one of the machines and I ended up blowing up the entire room...

Unfortunately, I have little time to dwell on this power as I now realise why I was in that solution - I'm incredibly weak otherwise. I was recovering, I assume and was probably at low power. Combined with that attack... I start to lose consciousness.

Thankfully for me, someone definitely did hear me trying to get out now. In fact, everyone in this laboratory did.

"He's broken free!"

"How? That glass is reinforced!"

"I don't know! It looks like he blasted the place! Get the doctor here now!"

As I look up, I swear I can see pigs. I must be hallucinating. I can feel myself being pulled up and although I try to resist, I'm far too weak to do so.

Before I completely lose consciousness, I remember one last thing. That chimera I saw? I fought against it.

And I lost.