A knock on the door made Dr. Wolfe's anger build. He was overtired, had been working with sleepless nights and was so close to a breakthrough that the idea of dealing with another human being's problems made steam ooze from his ears.
The door handle creaked. "Dr. Wolfe?"
He let out a long breath of air and told himself to be calm. When he turned, he found Jamison at the door.
"What is it?" he asked through his teeth.
"Sir, Dr. Hosking is here to see you. She says her team has discovered the substance's origin."
Dr. Wolfe's eyes sprung wide open and he whirled, instantly interested. "Bring them in, now!"
He turned back to the brightly lit operating table where tubes were running down around his feet and the body of a young girl lay asleep. He looked down at her with longing. He wanted so badly for this experiment to be a success. And with the added bonus of pure Ravenadium, he was confident it would be.
Footsteps approached him and he turned to see Dr. Hosking and her two associates that he didn't care to learn the names of. Dr. Hosking held a tablet out to Dr. Wolfe with graphs and maps.
"Dr. Wolfe, we were able to match the rock-type with a specific area in Cuba, as described by you, and we came up with only one possible mountain." She leaned forward and enlarged the screen. "This one. It's outside La Marca Del Portillo, and according to our research it is twenty miles wide. Not only that, but it's a volcano."
"A volcano?" Dr. Wolfe rubbed the gray whiskers on his chin. "Well, that makes sense."
"How we get into the volcano and find samples remains a mystery. It'd take a team of volcanologists days to find a safe entry."
"I'll take care of that," said Dr. Wolfe. He needed someone who knew the mountain to be their guide. That was another part of his plan. "Would you like to know what I have come up with?"
"Yes," said Dr. Hosking. She and the other two scientists stared warily down at the girl lying on the table.
"The research that was collected by the Agents, written by our late friend and associate Dr. Rosenthal, proved that when combined with a particular chemical, the power of Ravenadium alters DNA, giving a person whatever ability is in relation to the conjoining chemical. For example, one dose of Ravenadium plus a liquid solution of, say, titanium, could create an ability to transform oneself into an entirely metallic physique, impenetrable and undefeatable."
"Kind of like Colossus?" said one of the scientists.
Dr. Wolfe turned himself toward the man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, and gave him a curious look.
"I beg your pardon?"
The scientist looked suddenly terrified. "You know ... Colossus? From the X-men comics? He has-"
"What's your name?"
"S-Simon, Simon Carter, sir."
Dr. Wolfe nodded thoughtfully, enjoying watching the color drain out of Simon's face.
"Dr. Carter, do you understand what this substance will mean for my company, for my future experiments?"
"Well," Simon pointed to the body of the girl. "If you have Ravenadium, w-which you do ... all you have to do is invent a formula that will combine a specific chemical and the power of Ravenadium – being mindful of the effects it will have on the body and other factors ... and you'll have yourself a brand new, genetically enhanced human with powers."
Dr. Wolfe bent over the body of the girl and turned her head toward him very gently. She was fast asleep, still dirty from living in the Death Caves. The side of her face was burnt from the doctor's experiments with Hunter's powers. The other mutants called her Caitlin.
"What it means, Dr. Carter, is that I do not need to search the globe for children with superpowers. I always chose children because their bodies change so rapidly at such a young age and it's easier to see the growth of their cells. But now ... I no longer need those with abilities, and I no longer need humans with which to experiment. I can create my own."
The three scientists looked at him in horror.
Dr. Wolfe leaned over Caitlin's body and very gently whispered her name.
Caitlin's eyelashes fluttered. The heart rate monitor started to pick up pace. And after a few seconds, the young girl opened her eyes.
"Dr. Wolfe," she said.
"Hello my dear," he smiled. "How are you feeling?"
Her eyes roamed the room. "I feel ... dizzy."
"What can you hear?"
Caitlin's eyes rested on his, staring at him in a familiar manner. She was reading his mind, his soul, just as Fearne had.
"I hear your thoughts," she said.
From behind him, Dr. Hosking gasped.
"What are my thoughts saying, Caitlin?"
Caitlin frowned, focusing with calm fascination. "You're thinking of Fearne."
For the first time since he handed Alpha the syringe filled with poison, Dr. Wolfe felt as if the guilt had been lifted from his shoulders. He had succeeded. He had created a brand new Fearne.
"Yes, sweet child," he murmured and ran a hand down her bumpy, scarred skin. "You're absolutely right." Dr. Wolfe turned back to his associates with a large grin on his face. "In order to create more genetically enhanced children, I'm going to need a large supply of Ravenadium. That is why I decided to join with the Chinese Embassy, so that while they are trying to gain control of the USA's nuclear weaponry system and the entire country through the White House, distracting the media and the FBI from scouring the globe for my whereabouts, I will be taking a little trip to Cuba."
"Dr. Wolfe, what if the Chinese are successful?"
He let out a low chuckle. "We do not need to worry about that. Dr. Hosking, what is more terrifying than an enemy who wants to unleash war on your country and have the means to do so?"
She shrugged, as did her co-workers.
"It's someone who can stop them," he said. "Jack is more powerful than ever. And once I have my hands on enough Ravenadium to create my own army, the Chinese, the Americans, even the little band of superheroes all over the news cannot stop me. I will be the most powerful man on the planet, and nobody will ever see me coming."
The three scientists gazed at him in awe.
"What do you want us to do?"
He tapped the metal table with his long fingernails. "I will need a volunteer to come with me to Cuba to extract the samples. I need my Agents prepped to travel with me as well, and I need a team to assist the Chinese soldiers with their mission. Have they found the new location of the President?"
"Yes sir," said Dr. Hosking. "We overheard the Korean hackers say that the President is hiding out in an abandoned army base in Louisiana. They've set up an emergency bunker for terrorist attacks such as this, figuring we have the means to break apart the White House. They thought their network was secure, but using Marcus's security system, the techs belonging to the Korean team hacked into it and discovered the location."
"We heard all this from them," added the other scientist.
"Very nice," said Dr. Wolfe. "You three would make excellent undercover agents if you weren't geniuses."
Simon's goofy face lit up, but Dr. Hosking never accepted any compliments. Her expression did not change.
"Dr. Wolfe?" asked Caitlin.
He turned to her, instantly worried. "Yes? Are you alright?"
"I was just wondering ... how can I hear her thoughts?"
Dr. Wolfe looked at Dr. Hosking, who pursed her lips as if she could stop Caitlin from reading her mind.
"It is a combination of a beautiful young girl's blood and a very precious substance called Ravenadium."
"No," she frowned at Dr. Hosking. "Not her voice."
"Whose voice do you mean?"
Caitlin grinned. "The voice of the girl you call Fearne."