The Man with the Mechanical Arms
Cid slowly forced his eyes open. When his vision adjusted, he quickly realized that he was strapped to a chair in the middle of a warehouse. His sluggish responses and the needle in his arm led to the realization that he was being drugged. He tried to reach for the needle, but the shackles that kept him tied to the chair prevented that.
Where am I? He asked himself as he slowly looked around. My neck feels sore... Scratch that... My entire body feels sore, he mused as he recalled the events that got him in his current predicament.
"That's right, I got blown up," he mumbled aloud.
"So you are awake?" A figure asked from the shadows.
Cid watched as the figure emerged. He was a middle-aged, Asian man with close-cut jet black hair. His slightly rotund belly was hidden behind an impeccable black suit with a white shirt and black tie.
"My name is Hidate Hiragazawa. Do you know why you are here?" he asked Cid.
It was at that moment that Cid realized that his mask had been removed. He could feel the terror seeping in as he realized that the so-called most dangerous crime boss in Crystal Springs now knew his face.
"But you already know my name, don't you, Iblis?" Hiragazawa continued as he slowly approached Cid. "That's what my sources are calling you. I must admit, I was highly disappointed to find out that the 'orange and black superhero' is just a kid. A gifted kid, yes, probably neohuman, but a kid nonetheless."
Cid watched as several more figures emerged from the shadows and blocked all the exits.
"Do you know what happens to people who mess with my business, Iblis?" Hiragazawa asked as he unsheathed a katana.
Cid found himself unable to respond, the drugs making it increasingly difficult to move anything.
"Of course you don't understand. Well I'm going to show you now," he said as he raised the katana above his head, with the blade facing downwards.
Cid saw his life flash before his eyes as the blade descended down upon his head. He commented on how he had never kissed a girl, how he hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to his parents, how he had gotten himself killed on the first week of the job. King... I'm sorry, he mumbled in his head.
But as he was finishing his goodbyes, the blade stopped centimeters from his face. He looked up at the katana, which had been stopped by a metal hand, which was attached to a cable than ran high into the darkened ceiling.
"Wagner!" Hiragazawa shouted as he let go of the sword and screamed at the end of the cable above him. Cid watched as the metal hand released the katana and retreated to the ceiling.
Another figure emerged from the darkened roof, landing on the ground with enough force to place a small crater in the flooring. As the dust settled, Cid noticed that it was a bald Caucasian man of average height and build. However, Cid quickly noticed that both of his arms had replaced at the elbow with somewhat large mechanical contraptions that resembled arms with barrels wrapped around them.
"What is the meaning of this, Wagner?" Hiragazawa bellowed. The men blocking the exits began to close on the man who had descended from the ceiling.
"I have a better idea," Dr. Wagner declared.
"You will pay for your insolence, Wagner!" Hiragazawa shouted.
"I have interest in the boy," Wagner continued. Cid noticed for the first time that the man spoke with a thick German accent. "You will give him to me, or I stop helping your son."
Hiragazawa immediately relented, something that shocked and scared Cid. He remembered how Ronnie mentioned that Jason was in fact this man's son. Cid didn't know why, but he suddenly wondered how this Mr. Wagner was 'helping' Jason.
He watched as Hiragazawa picked his sword off of the ground and sheathed it. "Fine. He's yours," he announced as he motioned for his men to leave, leaving Cid alone with Wagner.
"I have great interest in you, Cideion Rodgers," Wagner whispered in Cid's ear as the heavy metal door closed behind Hiragazawa and his goons.
Cid could feel his face instinctively forming an expression of horror. This man knows my name! I'm as good as dead, he told himself as he looked up at the doctor.
"I am the man formerly known as Dr. Benjamin Wagner, though now I go by a different name. You may call me Broadside," the man explained.
Cid did his best to stifle a laugh. "Broadside? That's a stupid name," he said flippantly, trying to pretend he possessed more courage than he really did.
He watched as both of the man's hands began to transform, taking the shape of two small cannons. Wagner turned and held both arms out in front him.
An orb of green light appeared in each cannon. Cid's smile faded as green energy erupted from Wagner's arms, easily blowing a hole in the side of the warehouse.
"It is a name with, significance, Mr. Rodgers," Dr. Wagner explained.
"That's not my name. You must have the wrong guy," Cid suggested nervously.
"Your name is Cideion Amadeus Rodgers. Of that much is certain," Wagner explained, not buying Cid's ruse for one second. "You want to know how I know your name? I will answer that question at a later time. For now, I need you to sleep."
Wagner's cannons transformed back into hands and he turned the dial on the machine that was pumping drugs into Cid's veins.
At that moment, Cid's world started spinning and fading to black.
Ω
He found himself forcing his eyes open for what felt like the second time in five minutes. He quickly took note of the fact that he was floating in a green liquid that felt more like a gas.
"He's coming back online," a female voice announced.
"Speed the process. I need to speak to him," a male voice commanded. Cid immediately recognized the male voice as Dr. Wagner's.
Broadside, he remembered.
"Understood. I'm releasing the stimulant now. Patient will reach full consciousness in ten seconds," the female voice declared.
"Excellent."
Cid felt energy flowing into his veins. He felt strong and alert, but the green 'liquigas' still made it very difficult to move anything.
Dr. Wagner walked up to the glass and placed a hand on it. Cid could now see the doctor's face.
"Nod if you can hear me, Mr. Rodgers," Wagner commanded.
Cid nodded his head in response.
"Do you know why you are here?"
Cid shook his head.
"Of course not... You don't even know who I am."
Cid shook his head again.
"That wasn't a question, Cideion," Dr. Wagner stated. "I guess, to make a long story short, you can call me your father."
Cid felt incensed. I have a father! Who the h*** do you think you are! He shouted in his head, though he found his mouth unable to form his words.
Dr. Wagner chuckled and raised his hand. "Do not fret. I'm not your biological father. However, I am the reason that you are what you are today," he declared.
Cid felt his face instinctively form a puzzled expression.
"I can tell you that I was quite surprised to find that it was you under that mask. I never conceived in a million years that you would survive the operation, much less become a superhero," he stated.
"What did you do to me?" Cid tried to ask, but the words came out as a jumbled mess of incoherentness.
Dr. Wagner, however, seemed to understand the gibberish perfectly. "It was quite simple, really. I needed a test subject, and only one person on the planet had the requisite DNA makeup to perform the test. That person was you!" Dr. Wagner declared, pointing to Cid.
"You probably wonder how I knew this. Well, you see, I used to work with Arlena Rodgers at the science lab. You can say that I did the dirty work while she presented all the research."
Ω
Sixteen years earlier...
Our business was the business of human evolution. I've performed countless experiments in attempts to create the next stage of human evolution. However, your mother was less than pleased when she discovered exactly how I was making my impressive discoveries.
"These are innocent people! How could you do this to them?" Arlena shouted.
"It's for the sake of humanity, Arlena! I do this for the sake of mankind!" I stated, determined to convince her that my path was right.
"But this is wrong, Benjamin... These people, you've destroyed their lives..." she stated. The pain on her face was unmistakable. I couldn't tell why, but she was placing a few people's lives over the sake of science.
This was not the Arlena Rodgers I was accustomed to, so I decided to play my trump card. "Don't act like you've suddenly grown a conscious Arlena. Need I remind you of your own transgressions? Besides, I've made a marvelous discovery," I announced.
It was at that moment that I saw the scientist in her return to the surface. "What is this discovery, Dr. Wagner?" she asked me.
"It's with the blood samples you gave me. The ones from your son," I told her.
She took my words as if she had been bitten by a snake. "You leave my son out of this," she demanded, and the turned to leave.
I chased after her. I knew that this experiment could change the world. I had to have her consent. "Think about it, Arlena. Your son could be the first genetically engineered Neohuman!" I declared. I made sure to leave out the part where you were most likely going to die, as I knew that would do no good.
She wheeled around and looked me in the eyes with an expression of fury that I had never seen before. "I said, you leave my son out of this!" she shouted.
With that, Arlena Rodgers, and my one chance at scientific immortality, walked out of the door.
Ω
Present Day...
"However, I wasn't about to let some stubborn woman rob me of my one chance, so I had to take certain countermeasures," Dr. Wagner explained.
Cid felt his heart drop as realization began to set in.
"I knew that Arlena would never willingly release you, so I figured the only way that I would acquire my specimen was if I eliminated her and removed you from her custody. I must admit, the entire ordeal was a little bloodier than expected, but those yakuza goons got the job done, (surprisingly)."
Cid felt his blood begin to boil. This man... he killed my parents! He told himself. He slammed his fist into the glass, his ability to move shocking everyone who witnessed the event.
The blow placed a small crack in the glass.
"Sir, the subject has ruptured the stasis chamber," the female voice stated.
"That would be his enhanced strength," Dr. Wagner suggested.
"Murderer!" Cid shouted, banging a second fist on the glass. This time, a sizeable crack appeared in the stasis chamber.
"Sir, the chamber is failing. The subject will break free at this rate," the female voice declared.
"So increase the sedative," Dr. Wagner commanded.
"The machine is failing, doctor! There's nothing I can do!"
"I see. Take your leave, Amelia," Dr. Wagner stated. Cid watched as a figure, presumably Amelia, rushed out of the room.
"Truly magnificent, Mr. Rodgers," Dr. Wagner remarked as Cid began to break free of his confines. "You have not disappointed," he continued, pushing a large red button on the console and leaving the room.
Cid broke free of the chamber to discover that Dr. Wagner had initiated the alarm sequence. He could already hear guards approaching from down the hall.
Wasting no time, he leapt from the chamber and darted out of the door. He had one thing on his mind, finding Benjamin Wagner, and making him pay.
As he exited the lab, he almost ran right into a group of guards. "There he is, get him!" one of the guards shouted. Cid jumped over the crowd and continued running down the hallway.
As he turned a corner, he ran into another group of guards, armed with guns this time. They wasted no time blasting away at Cid, who turned and ran back in the other direction, avoiding laser bolts the entire time.
Where are you?! He shouted in his head as he fled from the attacking guards. He winced as a bolt caught him on his shoulder as he turned the corner.
He then decided that survival was more important than chasing after Dr. Wagner. He knew the man's face and name. He could find him at a later date.
He began looking for escape routes. Unfortunately, his training from King told him that the hallways with the most guards would lead to the exits.
He dashed down the hallway with more guards than what would be considered effective in it. They seemed completely unnerved by the fact that he was charging at them, and Cid leapt over them without them firing a single shot. However, once he landed, they quickly realized that he was running from them and began firing their guns, which were amazingly inaccurate.
He ran around the corner as the mother of all laser bolts blasted the wall behind him, pausing to look at the opening, which led outside into the wilderness.
He didn't have a choice in the matter. He ran for it and felt his guts sink as he realized that his 'exit' was five stories off the ground. He screamed as he plummeted to the forest below.
Branches tore at his bare skin as he fell through the trees. Gaining control of his senses, he effortlessly landed on the forest floor and started running. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he had to get far away from that lab.
He shouted with elation as he rediscovered just how fast he could run. The driving rain pelted his face as he jumped from tree to tree. He surprised himself when he cleared a very wide creek and landed on the other side with room to spare.
He continued running. He ran until his momentum carried him right into the middle of a highway. He screamed and jumped in the air as a car careened inches past his feet at breakneck speed.
He returned to the side of the road and looked both ways. "I have no idea where I am," he told himself. Just when he decided that he would have to choose a direction and go, a black Crown Victoria pulled up in front of him.
The door opened, and King threw a towel at him.
"Get in," he commanded.
Cid didn't have to be told twice. He grabbed the towel and jumped in the car. He shut the door behind him and the black Crown Vic sped into the night.
"How'd you find me?" he asked as he rested his head against the door.
"The suit has a locator chip. Once you escaped, I pinpointed your location and met you here."
"I think I have some information that you might find interesting," Cid mumbled as King exited off the highway.
"Save it for when we get home," King commanded.
Ω
"So he's the one who did it?" King asked. "I can't say I'm surprised. He was at the top of my suspects list."
"You knew him?"
"There isn't a person in the science community here in this city who doesn't know who Benjamin Wagner is. He's the very definition of a sociopath."
"I have to find him," Cid declared.
"Revenge will bring no peace, Cid."
"He knows more about me than I do, King. I have to find him."
"But you still plan to kill him, Cid. I know that look."
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I won't know until I figure everything out," Cid stated."
"Well we know where his lab is."
"We do?" Cid asked, a confused look on his face.
"You left the suit. It's still in the lab. It's how I found you."
"I'm going back," Cid declared, rising from the table.
"Look who's the headstrong one," King remarked with a chuckle.
"I have the spare suit. I'll go find the other one, and then I'll find Wagner."
"Not tonight you won't. Give me the spare and let me make some changes to it first. You can go tomorrow after school."
Cid glared back at him.
"You know that you're in no condition to go back to that place," King remarked. "A rational state is an-"
"-Effective state. I know the saying," Cid finished. "You win. We'll do it tomorrow," he continued, making his way to his bedroom.
Cid... If only you knew everything, King remarked as he stared blankly into his tea.
Ω
Cid heard his phone ringing as soon as he entered his room. He checked the screen and saw that it was Celine.
"Cid! Where have you been? Ronnie and I have been trying to reach you all day!" she shouted frantically.
"Relax, Celine. I was working," Cid explained, surprised at how easy it was to come up with a lie.
"You're always working nowadays, Cid. Just don't turn into another King on us, okay?"
"He's not that bad of a guy," Cid said, now surprised at the fact that he was defending King. A first, he was sure.
"Sure he isn't," Celine replied sarcastically.
"I live with him. He's not that bad," he repeated, staring at the picture on his dresser.
"Well, if you say so. Can you just do Ronnie and me a favor and let us know when he kidnaps you so we don't think you're dead or something?"
"Sure thing Celine," Cid stated, although he himself had no idea when he was going to get kidnapped by King or something worse.
"Okay. Thank you," Celine replied, clearly relieved.
"No probs."
"I'm going to go now. We do have school in the morning," Celine declared.
"Yeah... we do."
"Goodnight Cid."
"Goodnight Celine."
He threw himself on his bed. One week at the job and he had already been a millisecond from being killed. He had only been gone for less than 24 hours, but it felt like 24 days. He rolled over and stared at his window and wondered if he was cut out for this sort of thing.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep...
TO BE CONTINUED
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