The A.R.EX. Origin

by Angelo Facchin

  “Now, you see that I’m clearly half a foot under Mr. Rivers, which is about the height of the other reptile. The goal of this mask is to imitate Mr. Rivers’ mouth movements, but it looks like this is a mask. The facial expressions of the reptile is very fluid and what you would expect from Mr. Rivers. Then, you have the problem of the cost of such an elaborate costume. A hoax would amount to some thousands of dollars. This other reptile is real. Thank you for your time.”

  Rodgers took off the mask and stepped off the media podium. He felt Arex tapping him on the shoulder.

  “I didn’t like that little stunt you pulled back there.”

  “I’m sorry, but I had to make that demonstration.”

  “You could’ve done that without involving me. You already put enough unwanted attention on me, then I stand beside you like I was in on your idea. I felt sick having to stand and watch while you humiliated me like that. Didn’t you feel like you had enough with an artist’s sketch that you had to show off this stupid mask?”

  “Alright, it’s true that we needed to do something with the mask. The special effects company that made it also made the entire suit for us, even though we didn’t ask them to. The result was a huge bill, so we felt that we had to get enough out of this mask that we could.”

  “Why don’t you just return the suit?”

  “After all the work they did? They painstakingly crafted this suit from scratch. They even gave the tail some movement. Then, we’ll have to auction it off, so we’ll never see that money again.”

  “Well, if you want to get mileage off this suit, then I’ve got an idea for you.”

  With that, Arex stepped in front of the microphone, stopping everyone in the media from leaving.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention, please.”

  The crowd gathered tight together, ready to pounce on Arex’s every words. Rodgers and his colleagues stood there, frozen, dreading what was about to happen next.

  “I am not happy with the way that the FBI has handled the investigation, and I didn’t appreciate the way they’ve treated me, not as a suspect, nor as a friend. I was especially insulted at Mr. Rodger’s demonstration just now. I felt humiliated and disrespected, and all of this happened because they are now stuck with a really expensive suit that was made purely by accident. They had to pay for it, and subsequently, the taxpayers have paid for it, and for it to de used like this is an insult to everyone involved, even the suspect in this investigation.”

  Here it comes

  “I propose that the FBI can get all the use out of this suit they could ever want and more. Since the whole thing would probably fit Corey Rodgers pretty well, I suggest that he wear it, in public, at work, every single day, until the criminal is caught. Maybe this should give him a little insight into how it’s like to be a reptile. Maybe, he’ll also treat me better as a friend.”

  And I’m never going to live this down.

  The crowd then turned to Rodgers, expecting a retort, which didn’t come. He now found himself having to agree to this arrangement. If he didn’t wear the suit, he would be mired in a media scandal that would affect the entire Criminal Investigation Division, which could lead to an early retirement and the loss of his credibility as a person. Once he wore the costume, he knew there would be no dignity involved for him. There would be people constantly calling the FBI with bogus tips by people who would crank call them with his own whereabouts, claiming he was the perpetrator. This wasn’t going to make the investigation any easier.

  Chapter 10

  July 11, 2:03 p.m.

  Troy, New York

  With the press conference behind her, Mika got back to work interviewing the remaining scientists who had worked on the A.R.EX. project before BIOGENCORP was disbanded. This time, she was to meet Kevin Spencer, one of the researchers present during Arex’s creation.

  It was still a theory that the reptile thief had an accomplice who was hiding him during most days. Spencer was the only scientist present during both the July’s failed test and the successful one in October. The other scientist that had been there during the failed test and survived had requested a transfer to the Forensics Department. For some reason, Spencer had stuck with Sandlak’s idea until the end and was thought of as less than cooperative during his interrogation years ago. It was suspicious, but Mika needed more information than what Reeves had provided.

  Spencer received her cordially, and gave her the sense that he wasn’t exactly the most warm-hearted of people.

  “Thank you for having me here. It’s very busy back at our field office, and we can’t bring our people of interest in, even if they’re not suspects.”

  “I don’t know what you’re doing here. I already told everything my lawyer let me tell you.”

  “We now need everything you know, top to bottom, without a lawyer present. Please start from the beginning so we don’t get confused. How did you get yourself involved in that project?”

  “Okay. Well, I guess that the beginning for me would be when I was first hired at BIOGENCORP. The company had barely started and I was starting at Forensics.”

  “Was this before Mark Reeves bought the company with Dr. Sandlak?”

  “That’s right, and the company was a mess. Even we didn’t take our own work that seriously. I’d be lying if I thought the atmosphere back then was anything other than relaxed, and that’s a euphemism. We even had wild parties during our hours, I mean there were days when we wasted all of our time, padding our time clocks, even drinking on the job.”

  “In other words, the office was like a college campus.”

  “Worse. At least in college, I studied when I needed to. We would we swamped for work and most of us would still find ways to goof off.”

  “Reeves and Sandlak changed all that.”

  “Definitely. They brought us order and we gave them results. Before them, there were no department heads. Nobody answered to anybody. All the work we got, every deadline we were faced with felt like a drag. Nobody felt like working. We were whipped by a huge salary cut, and measures were taken to ensure that we concentrated primarily on our work. That’s why we had security guards patrolling around and security cameras monitoring our every move. It had nothing to do with keeping our secrets or preventing robbery, and least not at first. Those measures were taken to keep us in check. If you think that seems harsh, then maybe I haven’t conveyed how bad things got before they took over the company.”

  “You made everything clear to me, but what really interests us is the test made in July of 1998. Can you tell me about that?” Mika asked.

  “I can tell you that we were ill-prepared and it cost people their lives. What happened was that Sam Berry, the fake general, decided he would pay us a visit behind Reeves’ back. He told us personally that if he didn’t see any results within the next month, he would pull his sponsorship, which was paying for basically 65 percent of the company. It was a wonder he didn’t request to be a partner. It seems obvious now, but back then, we were legitimately afraid of this guy, whom we thought was a three-star general. We went ahead of schedule, bypassing testing the formula when combined to an anaesthetic. Then… well, you know what happened after that.”

  “I still don’t understand how you hadn’t tested the added effects of an anaesthetic on the formula. What had you been doing the previous two years?”

  “Setting up shop. We had to invent and create the Mind Shifter, create the formula, hire more people and expand, make more money by doing research and forensic analysis. It’s not like we were twiddling our thumbs, but Berry thought we weren’t making enough progress. He specifically asked for at least fifteen soldiers by the end of 1998. You should have been there and seen the look on Patrick’s face when we told him in the hospital that most of the team was dead, and most of the equipment destroyed. I think that’s when he snapped. He stopped caring about life in general, even his own. The project was everything to him, so he took great steps to ensure that it would go
on.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Well, I didn’t witness it, but he told me that he met with Berry, smacked him across the face, then showed off his not-so-healed scars. Apparently, he yelled at him and demanded the guy pay to replace all the lost equipment and find more people to work on the project. He also had Berry cover up the whole thing with the authorities. I swear, that guy had infinitely deep pockets, it was ridiculous.”

  “Reeves’ explanation was pretty graphic, but you were there during that first test. What exactly happened?”

  “Well, we had our test subject strapped down a little loose to a table and plugged him in so we could monitor his vital signs. We didn’t tell him what was going to happen, instead we lied and said he was going to help us test a new kind of steroid. We told him to tell us what he felt at every step of the way. He said he felt some tingling at first, like he was being tickled in the ribs. But then, he started feeling this sharp pain in his stomach. He started screaming, telling us to stop. Patrick took it as a cue to begin erasing his memories. He activated the Mind Shifter. At first, the guy seemed to calm down. The transformation was going well. Then, when the transformation was complete, we decided it was safe to release him. It was a terrible mistake, to say the very least. The subject was lying there waiting for us to release him, and then he went berserk. We tried to run, but he ran after us and pushed us aside. He started thrashing about angrily, knocking us down, tearing the computers apart. It was a disaster. The last thing I remember, was being pinned to a corner and then feeling a sharp pain in my head. I was unconscious for at least a day or so. When I woke up, at first I couldn’t remember what happened. That blow to the head gave me a concussion.”

  “But for some reason, you decided to stay on this project. You could have asked for a transfer.”

  “Well, in truth, I stayed for the money. The guy who was going to supervise the second team during multiple transformations was dead, so I had to take that role. I know it’s wrong to say this, but the project’s overhaul and the new, lower paid staff, was beneficial to me on a financial level. I had a family back then, and I wanted them to be provided for.”

  “Would you get the salary you were paid there doing any kind of other job?”

  “Probably not one I would qualify for.”

  “There’s still a piece missing. What about the subject? What happened to him after he went berserk and killed all of those people?”

  “I would guess that he was sedated and cremated during the cover-up. Remember, none of this made the headlines because the emergency crews hadn’t contacted the media.”

  “Did you or anybody other than Patrick Sandlak have the knowledge or access to the formula? We need to know whether one of you might be this other reptile we’re looking for.”

  “I can’t help you there. Patrick kept the secret closely guarded. He would never allow anyone near the formula or know anything about it, other than its effects.”

  “Well, thank you for your time.”

  Mika was even more suspicious of Spencer when she left his house. He seemed enamoured with the A.R.EX. project as if it was his own brainchild. He couldn’t have transformed himself, but he was still a likely suspect as an accomplice for the reptile.

  * * *

  New York City

  It wasn’t easy to remain hidden in New York City when one had to remain hidden so as to not bring about any unwanted attention. The FBI were busy interviewing his friend and several other people, so it was imperative that he be hidden in that alleyway until he would be picked up.

  Normally, he would have been sleeping by now, but now he had to keep an eye out for anyone who would see him and simply keep away from human contact. All he had to do was stay awake and out of trouble.

  He was hidden underneath several cardboard boxes, wearing a trench coat with a hat and a scarf. The heat from the sun was beating down on him so badly, his mouth was drying up. He was so thirsty. He was also very restless from sitting there. He hoped he would last there until sunset.

  The worst part of his current situation was the fact that he had three homeless people less than then twenty feet away from him. Ever since he was exposed to these people, they sickened him to his core. All they did with their life, was begging in the streets. Not once did they ever think of getting themselves a job or even finding a decent place to live. They were freeloaders, each and every one of them. It didn’t take him very long to learn how to stamp them out. He hoped that he could get them to leave the streets and do something with their lives. Hopefully, there would soon be nobody left on the streets begging.

  He felt the need to get back home and get some sleep. From his hiding spot, he could see all the humans walking across, leading their daily lives without a care in the world. Why did he have to keep himself a secret?

  Chapter 11

  July 11, 3:03 p.m.

  Janiece Ryder’s apartment

  Janiece was still chuckling when she, Jason, and Arex got back to her apartment. She still couldn’t believe the face Corey Rodgers made at the conference when he saw Arex go into his tirade.

  “I still can’t believe that you managed to pull that off.”

  “I can’t believe I did that to a friend,” Arex replied.

  She sighed at that. Arex had this unique ability to let his conscience talk for him. It was always nagging at him whenever he would do something he felt was spiteful. It was one thing to see him when he was full of confidence, having a good time, and revelling in his existence, it was quite another thing to see him fighting with his moral compass over nothing, and it would leave him sulking and depressed. Arex was the only person she knew who would feel bad about getting angry and apologize for it while having already received one. It was a testament to his mental age, something she just couldn’t get over. Right after the press conference ended, Arex went to Rodgers and humbly apologized to him, something Janiece found to be pretty funny.

  “Look, you can’t get depressed over getting angry. Rodgers got what he deserved. He humiliated you in front of the media, and you’re here feeling bad because you got back at him?”

  “Yeah. This can’t make their investigation any easier. They need to find this guy and I just went put so much more pressure on them, something they didn’t need. It wasn’t fair for me to do that.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for. You don’t have to be sorry for standing up for yourself, because that’s what you did.”

  “Well, I guess you’re right. It was fun to see his face when I suggested he wear the suit in public all the time. Actually, it’ll be a good way for him to see what my life is like.”

  “Well, it’s not the same thing. He’ll be wearing a suit he can take off. You don’t have that ability. You have to stay like this all the time.”

  “That’s true. Everybody will always be able to tell that there’s a human being under there. I’m still struggling to prove there’s a person under here.”

  Even though five years had past, Arex still had problems with people being afraid of him, especially those whom he’d meet for the first time. Janiece could only imagine his point of view while walking down the street, or getting groceries. The worst part of it, was that most people really did seem to want to know him, since he became this instantly recognizable figure. People had lined up for a chance to become a tenant since he bought the apartment building he know lived in. The same thing happened when he would advertise for his Aikido classes. However, upon meeting Arex, those people’s enthusiasm would instantly dry up when they would realize that he was scary to look at in person.

  “It’s been five years now. You have nothing left to prove. If people out there still can’t look at you without doing a double take, then maybe they’re not worth knowing. It just goes to prove how shallow and cowardly they are.”

  “You know, I like how you turn your inner lawyer on, Ryder…”

  Arex suddenly gasped, and put a hand to his mouth like he had made a terrible mistake.

>   “Janiece… I’m sorry… really, I didn’t mean to…”

  Janiece smiled. She had told Arex years ago that she didn’t appreciate people calling her distinctly by her last name, unless it was in a formal, professional manner. Daisy Carter was the only one who knew how to call her that without seeing her being offended. Between best friends, last name calling was just playful banter. It was clear that Arex did not want to have her relive the memory of Daisy’s murder. However, in this case, it didn’t bother her. In fact, she enjoyed that little moment very much.

  “It’s okay. You know, when you say it, it sounds natural.”

  She stepped closer to him, pulled his head down, and kissed him on the cheek.

  “I’ll make it even between us and call you Alex from now on. It’s not like your last name can be used the same way.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  With that, Arex left the apartment. Janiece wasn’t certain, but she felt like she had just taken the first step towards a romantic relationship.

  Chapter 12

  Saturday, July 12, 11:06 a.m.

  New York Society Library

  Jason was hoping to get a better copy of The Silmarillion. He discovered that the one he had borrowed had been written into by someone who was probably taking notes for a class. To make matters worse, several pages were missing, rendering the book unreadable. At the same time, he wanted to check up on the latest releases for the fantasy genre, something he forgot to do for the past couple of months.

  He got to the receptionist, and handed the book over.

  “I’m sorry, but when I looked at the book, I saw these notes, and several pages are missing, especially in the beginning.”

  “I see. I’m sorry, but this is the only copy we have. Now we’ll have to order another one. This is going to create a waiting list.”

  “Then I want to reserve it right away.”

  “Alright. Give me your name and phone number, and I will register it on the database.”