In the next scene. we see darren walking the streets at night. he wears a hoodie with the hood up covering his face. we can see that he's looking at something on his phone. its instructions which read. "get into the alley behind the burhex building and wait there. DO NOT draw any attention to yourself at all or you will be withdrawn from being a volunteer." darren puts his phone away and looks left and right as he crosses theroad toward the burhex building. he does as he is told and walks into the alley he looks around seeing nothing of note except a pipe dripping water and the sound of scurrying rats on the pavement. "whats taking these guys so long?" darren says impatiently darren hears a sound behind him and he quickly turns around to see what it was only to see it was a stray cat. darren caught of guard raises an eyebrow when suddenly someone puts a bag over his head and knocks him out. darren wakes up. the bag still over his head. still disoriented it takes him a while to get his bearings. he can feel that his hands are handcuffed and he can hear the rumble of an engine. "hey! where are you taking me!" he recieves no ansrew it wasnt until a few moments later when the vehicle seemingly comes to a stop he is dragged out of the vehicle and is forced to walk with whoever is holding him captive. he hears the open of a door suddenly the bag is removed from his face when he see's two men in white tactical gear with a stylized B on the chest of they're suits they wear mask that comepletely cover Their faces. "sorry about that kid. we had to protect the location of this place, follow us." darren looks around the place and see's people in lab coats various doors that head to god knows where the sterile white of the place made it almost difficult to navigate the facility he is led by the guards into one of the doors and is sat down in an empty room with nothing but a chair and and a desk. derren sits down and the guards leave but shortly after a woman with long blue hair with a cold look on her face steps in. she wears a suit that a buisness woman would deep black of the dress pants and shirt made her look someone intimidating along with the faint glow in those deep blue eyes of hers. the woman walks up to darren and lays a paper on the table "sign this NDA." she said bluntly darren hesitates "can i atleast know where i am?" "listen kid this is a top secret facility and we dont have time to explain every little detail of this place. you called the number and was told just enough about what was gonna happen. so if you want powers or not its either you get and leave. or you sign the NDA." darren is a little surprised but does it anyways taking the pen from the woman and signing the NDA. "come with me kid we dont have time to waste." darren is led into another room with some weird machinery he doesnt recodnize along with more people who look like researchers in lab coats "Ah darren was it? " one of them says walking up to him "its great to have you hear. as you must already know we are trying to find out how to activate powers within humans. and you my boy are the only one who called the number on that slip werent you?" "I...guess?" the reshear looks towards what seems to me a vat of some kind that human could fit in. "right then son. we need you to step in to that vat there. and just so you know. there is no backing out now. we have come to far to delay this any longer." as the researcher siad that burhex guards armed with guns step into the room darren knows he has no choice but to do as he is told. he walks up to the vat and steps in. the door to it automatically closes. the blue haired lady turns to the researcher "are sure it'll work this time? I'm not dumping anymore bodies for you docter. especially a teenagers." "oh stop being so pessimistic we are sure that our tests have not been in vain. this will be our first success!" "oh it better be if i get blamed by the boss for your failure i'll kill you myself." with that the blue haired woman steps back coldly. the other researchers work the console to the vat and a strange purple gas begins to fill the vat. darren looks clearly confused and worried but he calms himself "that little shit eli has powers and i just know it. im gonna beat him at his own game. or even better. just get rid of him i will not be replaced. ever." darren smirks as the vat completely fills the vat darren begins feeling strange almost heavier. his skin looks like its almost starting to crack. he suddenly begins to scream "whats happening?!" the blue haired woman asks "Its working is whats happening. whatever you do Do not let him out of that chamber!" he orders his fellow researchers darrens screams become louder as his voice gets lower as gas in the vat completely obscures his figure "LET ME OUT IT HURTS SO BAD LET ME OUT!" his screams are ignore when suddenly a fist bangs on the glass but something was strange his fist seemed look like it was made of stone. when suddenly darren punches the glass over and over the glass cracks and eventually shatters alarms begin to blair and researchers bleed darren steps out of the vat his body comepletely turned into stone and his head nearly touching the ceiling he was huge and towering he laughs he voice low,deep and gravely "It worked! i've got powers now i can beat that little shits ass!" suddenly the head researcher speaks as he lays on the ground the lab around him in ruins "he's magnificent! the experiment was a success!" suddenly darren grabs him and throws him into a wall blood splatter against the wall and he died instantly the blue haired woman still with that cold look quickly gets up and grabs her pistol shooting at darren multiple times but he only laughs "are you blind im completely stone what do think bullets are gonna do?!" he tries to grab her but she dodges out of the way and escapes darren is displeased but pays it no mind "whatever. i've got better shit to do" he rushes through the wall of the lab kill the guards that were out side he rams through the large metal door of the facility and flees into the night the blue haired woman walks through the ruins of the door and calls someone on her phone "we have a loose asset boss." the other person on the line speaks "let it be. the heroes will take care of it. but next time do your fucking job and make sure this never happens again ecco" the voice was distorted making the original voice of the other person unrecognizable "yes sir...my deepest apologies." ecco hangs up the call and and walks off into the night
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.