Her eyes were still transfixed on the bright neon substance before her as Dr. Burke spoke. She was just in awe but didn't let it show. Then it occurred to her...
"Wait. Your little lab rat mentioned that the substance was 'tampered' with beforehand... You mixed it with some of the mutations already used on me since birth- didn't you?!" She said in a demanding tone.
He knew she couldn't be fooled; one of her skills was that she could read people perfectly, she's never been wrong yet.
"Well, technically yes. But he also mentioned that it's highly toxic... Meaning it can only be used by individuals with the rare blood type- and one whose body has already been both exposed and adapted to such harsh chemicals and mutations before-hand, that means you. Katastrophis." Dr. Burke said with an arched brow.
She turned her attention to him now, with only the test tube of neon green as a source of light on their faces.
"Is that why I feel a strange connection to it, Doctor."
"Yes!"
"But why? It clearly doesn't have that much of the already existing mutations used on me before in it, if not at all! Doesn't matter what little 'tampering' you did to it. That's pure toxic mutation inside that test tube and you know it!"
She yelled at him pointing her finger in his face, making him flinch.
"Yes! Okay! Your right! It is basically just the pure form of it's previous substance state-but it was tampered with! Just enough to the lowest possible configuration to be able to be put safely into your body without it having to much of a serious... 'side effect'."
He said urgently. Trying to convince her with reassurance before losing his potential 'test subject'.
She backed off a bit as he said this, but never eased her intense gaze with her eyebrows furrowed. She was still on edge and uncomfortable of this whole situation and was about to walk out but she couldn't. She needed to know why this foreign substance had such a strange hold over her. She never had any being or force have control over her like this, besides of course when she was an infant and being injected over and over throughout her life of experiment mutations and being obedient to her trainers and mentor. But this- This was different. She wasn't just going to walk away from this. She couldn't.
"Alright. But that still doesn't explain why it makes me feel so, off around it." She said putting her hands on her hips turning side ways while eyeing up the test tube in his hand.
"That's why we need you to join the program so we can find out more about this substance and what it can truly do... Not only for you, but for the other individuals who follow in your footsteps and survive what you have been through. Then they go onto this. If they make it that far that is..."
She turned her head slowly to look at him with her hands still on her hips. With a full on death glare as her eyes widened a bit with her jaw clenched. Which he noticed but he held his anxious stare back at her with a hint of threat in it. Trying to challenge her back but it was wavering.
When he said that she just felt her blood boil as it ran through her face and body with rage and almost a cold feeling, it was a confusing sensation. She was offended that he even mentioned the potential deaths of future soldiers like a threat. Just because he wants to play mad scientist and see if his toxic concoction 'might' work without killing the test subject first? The fact that he was threatening her to join just because if she didn't he would have to find other 'alternatives' to experiment on.
Which they both knew that any body who didn't have her rare blood type and years and years of injections of genetic mutations and adaptions along with intense training on top of that... Wouldn't last a single injection of that substance.
And that made her go into a raged defense mode. The thought of other soldiers thinking they'll help the nation, when actually they'll be tricked into becoming nothing more than test subjects that will never get up from the lab table once they laid on it... No.
She wasn't going to let that happen. Even if he was threatening her with the well being of other comrades. She knew that either way, whether it was going to be her or one of the other few like her which is very little, or a regular young soldier that would have no idea that it was just a death sentence... Dr. Burke was going to get what he wanted, and he knew it.
"Are you threatening me by attempting to use the lives of soldiers that haven't had one single ounce of mutation done to them to experiment on if I don't agree to join your program?! Knowing full and well that they wouldn't survive it?!" She stalked towards him slowly with her hands balled up into fists at her sides now. Her jaw was clenched as her eyes narrowed to the point where she felt like they could slit through his skull.
He held his ground and straightened up. Putting both hands behind his back like a proper butler; with a mild smirk on his face that she was ready to smack off.
"That's one way to look at it. I'm merely stating the facts of what could happen and what will happen to certain individuals. Despite whatever decision you choose to make." He said in a calm and threatening tone, holding his posture as he looked at her with a cocky facial expression.
" knew I never liked him." She thought to herself.
She was up in his face now almost at eye level with him. Glaring with her wintery ice blue eyes down into his mature and aged dark brown eyes, with sinister plans behind them.
She was a few inches taller than him but with her armor on made it even more intimidating. She was easily 6' 5" and Dr Burke was naturally about 5' 9". Since she had experienced the most extensive and invasive physical augmentations, starting augmentation at early pubescent age increased her physical mass and height by adult age. Along with any others that had experiments and augmentations done on them at a young age had similar heights, but males were usually taller being around 7 feet tall or even taller.
She was about ready to grab him by the throat and slam him against the wall. But she knew she'd up in a serious predicament knowing doctor Burke had high authority and was a head 'honcho' of the military science department and was the one responsible for creating the genetic mutations that made her what she is today... Along with the other few who were 'lucky' enough to be mutated as well. That's right, she did her research on him.
She knew she had to restrain herself and she knew what she had to do.
So she took a deep breath and with every fiber in her being she swallowed her pride and said-
"Where do we start."
Characters/ translations:
-Dr burke: Head scientist, MAD scientist, Head honcho of the science department'.
The picture below is reference of what he looks like.
-Katastrophis: Main character. Her name is rooted from the word- "Catastrophic" which means: "involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering."
She earned her name due to the amount of damage and pain she inflicted upon others during training and on her enemies during battle. You'll get to know what she looks like later on more so.
Special shout out to dannybowtie and wilddasies who gave feedback and encouragement to keep going. Thanks guys!
Disclaimers:
Don't own the pictures used I just edit them a bit to fit the story.
The cover of the book was created by me. The images within the cover are not mine. Don't use the cover without permission.
Anyways enjoy and see you in the next chapter!