by B.V. Bayly
Chapter Twenty
The back of Adin’s head blazed with pain. He pushed himself up, trying to ignore the dizziness. Carefully, he eased his fingers through the sticky tufts of his hair. The sharp pain in his head spiked, as the tips of his fingers touched a gash crusted with clotted blood. Nausea hit him and he crumpled. The room spun so fast he threw up on the floor in front of him. His lungs heaved as he prayed for the feeling to pass, but it remained. Inch by inch, he slowly crawled towards the kitchen. The tight ball of his stomach seemed to bounce with each movement.
“You’re a mess.” Dr. Cymru sighed. He stood up and took Adin ‘s arm, helping him up to the kitchen island.
Adin shoved him back, gripping the sleek marble of the island. “Don’t touch me!”
“Adin.” Dr. Cymru took a deep breath. “At least take these.” He set a pill bottle in front of him.
Adin read the name of the drug on the side of pill bottle. “How do I know these are even real?”
“Adin, quit being so dramatic.” Cymru exhaled. “I’m trying to help.”
Adin popped the top of the pill bottle and poured them across the black marble counter top. He put two into his mouth, grinding them with his teeth. The horrible taste sent shivers through his body and he fought back the urge to throw up again. He crawled along the island and plopped down into one of the stools. Thirty seconds later, the medical marvels kicked in, and the pain and nausea disappeared. “Why are you even here?”
Dr. Cymru stared at the ground, refusing to look Adin in the eyes. “I’m sorry for what had to happen, but we have to take drastic measures to keep them under control.”
“Under control?” Adin was furious. “You could have talked to him - reasoned with him! You put a gun to my head!”
“Yes.” Dr. Cymru looked at him. “The definition of drastic.” He took the stool across from Adin. “Ore users are dangerous! Gabriel has already lost control once and killed two people! Fear is a safer emotion for them than anger.”
Adin stayed silent. Damn him.
“You want to see the footage of the two paramedic’s Gabriel incinerated?” Dr. Cymru slammed his palm down on the counter. “Ore users are deadly.”
“So, you capture them. For what?” Adin was tired of the lies. “Our safety?”
“Partially, yes.” Dr. Cymru took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “But we also study them.”
“Study them?” Adin wasn’t surprised.
“Their abilities.” Dr. Cymru put his glasses back on and stood up from the table. “What they are, what they’re becoming. It’s the next step in our evolution. We need to unlock that secret. Find out why they are the way they are. Why the rest of us aren’t. Your father was working on that same research just before he died.”
Adin didn’t know whether or not to believe him. Dr. Cymru had always been honest before - maybe it really had been a charade to keep Gabriel from losing control. Who knows?
“Adin, it’s imperative you find your brother and bring him to me. While your brother is still connected to a piece of ore, he is extremely dangerous. You need to help us find him.” Dr. Cymru crossed his arms. “Do that and everything goes back to normal.”
“And what about Gabriel?” Adin didn’t even want to consider it. “What will you do to him?”
“I have several reports on removal of the ore. It’s complex, but in time we will get Gabriel back to normal and put this all behind us. We’ve done it successfully with the green and blue ores.” Dr. Cymru walked into the den and picked up a briefcase. He set it down on the island and opened it, holding up a blue Cube. “You can see the report for yourself if you want.”
“Gabriel’s is white.” Adin was still angry. “Ever worked with that?”
Dr. Cymru was dumbfounded. “The white ore?” His eyes narrowed.
“Yes.” Adin stared at the Cube. “How long have you known about this?”
“Since the beginning,” Dr. Cymru took a deep breath. “We made them. At least, most of them.”
“What?”
“Come on now. I expect more from you, Adin. Our research into the ore is more extensive than anyone else's in the world. You didn’t really think we would miss something so critical? You must have heard the rumors about human experimentation; you must have known some of them to be true.” Dr Cymru shrugged. “While it is against company policy now, that wasn’t always the case.”
“You put the ore in people.” Adin’s mouth hung open. “Why would you even conceive of that?”
“Look at you – acting just like your father did! We sometimes must put aside what our feelings of right or wrong to discover truth. Your father failed to do so and wasted so much of his time looking for alternatives. Listen to me.” Dr. Cymru’s stare froze Adin in his place. “What’s done is done. Leave the past alone and consider the future. You want your brother back? Your life back? Then help us find Gabriel. Don’t make the same mistakes your father did, Adin. I want you with us.”
“My father.” Dr. Cymru’s words hit home. “What really happened to him?” He glared at his mentor. “Tell me the truth!” He slammed his fist down on the counter.
“Bring me your brother.” Dr. Cymru didn’t blink.
“No.”
Dr. Cymru was clearly angry. “Adin. He’s too dangerous. Most ore users are extremely volatile. A simple emotion can trigger the ore. You need to trust me.”
After what had happened at the ranch, he could see how Gabriel could be dangerous, but it was still his brother. “No. I’ll find him and I’ll help him. You stay the hell away from him.”
“You disappoint me, Adin.” Dr. Cymru shook his head. “After everything I’ve done for you. I never asked for anything in return, not once.”
“I’m not helping you.” Adin held his ground.
“Fine.” Dr. Cymru fiddled with something in his briefcase. “But one way or another I’ll find him. In the meantime,” he pulled out a dart gun and fired it directly into Adin's chest, “I’m sorry, but they want you. I wish this wasn’t the case. I never wanted you involved.”
Everything slowed. Adin’s vision blurred. He tumbled backwards off the stool, holding his chest where the dart had hit him. The room spun and this time, he couldn’t stop it. Everything went black.
Adin awoke in a long, ominous-looking hallway with doors spaced about ten feet apart along both sides of the walls. A small window was cut into each one. He hesitated, confused. He tried to move, but his arms and legs where strapped down to a steel table, tilted upright so he was almost standing. “Hello?” He spoke quietly at the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind. “Who’s there?” He twisted to try and see, fighting against the restraints.
“Not our standard lab, but I assure you that what goes on down here is of the greatest importance.” Dr. Cymru put a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place. “I want to warn you before we go any further. There are – practices – that will seem chaotic and unnecessary, but they yield impressive amounts of information that we need to further develop our knowledge of the ore. Like the old saying goes, ‘do not judge a book by its cover’. I don’t want it to be this way, Adin.” Dr. Cymru circled to the front of him. “I meant, what I said before. I think of you as a son. Please, reconsider your answer. Let me explain what is really happening in the world.”
He looked Dr. Cymru in the eyes. “Go to hell!”
Dr. Cymru sighed and ignored the comment. “Before your father’s untimely death, we were working on some projects that, to this day, we cannot complete. The research we needed disappeared with your father. We don’t know if the systems were tampered with or what exactly happened. The point is, we are running out of time and need to find a breakthrough soon.” Dr. Cymru cleared his throat. “Adin, I believe that you can help us succeed. I believe a large key to the ore lies within you – in your DNA. There was more to your father and the ore than most people knew.”
My DNA? Like Gabriel. The pit of his stomach churned as the wo
rds came out of Dr. Cymru’s mouth, but at the same time he yearned to know more.
Dr. Cymru halted outside the first door in the hallway. “Your father struggled with what we did in these labs. He failed to understand the importance of what we were doing. Sometimes, sacrifice is the only way we can solve our mysteries. I want you to put away your emotions and understand the why before you judge.” He waved a guard to wheel Adin up to the small window.
Adin’s jaw fell open. Three men, two women and four children lay strapped to gurneys with tubes running from them to a large clear, communal container. Red liquid flowed through the tubes. Inside the container were dull, jagged chunks of what looked like faintly colored glass. The glass slowly pulsed.
A firm hand pressed down on his shoulder, holding him in place.
Dr. Cymru’s voice whispered into his ear. “Such a precious thing, blood. It replenishes our bodies with oxygen and nutrients, removes toxins, balances pH, regulates body temperature, and protects us from damage and disease. It took us years to realize the connection with the ore and human blood. The more blood the ore has access to, the faster it recharges.”
“Those people –” He gritted his teeth.
“They feel no pain. There’s no need for pity. This is science at its purest form. The truth we need lies in this room.” Dr. Cymru’s passionate words were convincing, but Adin’s gut churned. “Our world is starving. Starving for energy to keep the lights on, keep us fed, keep our water clean, and keep us warm. The basic things we need to survive. Despite all of our advancements in solar, wind, and bio-energy, and other new efficient methods being found each year, we consume more and more energy. Those who control that limited energy will survive. The ore is renewable, but we need more from it. If we can’t expand the capability of the ore – get more energy from it and find better ways to recharge it – then we will simply use it up. Like everything else we have found.”
Adin swallowed hard, pushing the lump in his throat down into his stomach. “I don’t understand. The ore was supposed to solve the problem. Provide free energy for everyone. It was supposed to be unlimited.”
“It does solve the problem, but this is how we recharge it. It’s barbaric, I know, but we don’t have a choice. Sacrificing the few for the many is the balancing act we do every day. The ore is our future. And this is why we must find out as much as we can about ore users. So we can stop this practice.” Dr. Cymru let go of Adin’s shoulder and leaned against the wall beside him. “They would be immune to this kind of death. A single ore user charges ten times this amount of ore in half of the time. We need to know why if we are going to survive and keep civilization going.”
“This isn’t right.” Adin’s eyes were locked on the face of one child.
“What do you suggest? We turn everything off? Impossible. They would never allow it.”
“They?”
“Those in control. I am not my own master, a decision I regret to this day. I wish it was different, but we needed people in power so that we could push TERA the way that we did.” Dr. Cymru frowned.
“But there must be other ways.” Adin couldn’t take his eyes off of them.
“Perhaps. But this is the quickest. In the end, when we save humanity, all will be forgiven. We will be heroes. Saviors!”
He was torn. Dr. Cymru made sense. Many discoveries in the past were made at the expense of human life. Science celebrated these moments, praising them as leaps forward for mankind. But it was wrong. Those people in there had had lives – they had families. Did those families know where their loved ones were? Did they know the truth?
“It’s time.” Dr. Cymru made a motion and Adin was twisted away from the window.
“Stop! What’s going on?” Adin panicked, struggling against the straps.
“There was nothing I could do.” Dr. Cymru stared at the ground. “Without Gabriel - you are the next closest match.”
“What are you talking about?” His heart beat wildly in his chest as he struggled against the restraints holding him. “Why is Gabriel so special?”
“Your brother is quite unique. I’ve never seen anyone merge with the ore and not suffer from some residual effects. Not only did he do it naturally, but he did it with the white ore - something we thought was worthless. Most of my experiments augmenting people with ore have failed – the mind simply fractures and they lose control. But Gabriel – he has no side effects – he’s a perfect specimen. I can only assume you possess that same unique quality. Your brother will be mine shortly – they’ve already left to collect him. Your father refused to give me what I needed, he refused any experiments, no matter how small. He was the key. He could have changed everything.” Dr. Cymru shook his head. “But now, with you and Gabriel, I can fix that. We can recover what your father took away from us.”
“You son of a bitch! I trusted you!” Adin spit at him.
Dr. Cymru stepped towards him, ignoring the spatter of saliva on his coat. “And still you should. I promise you will be fine.” He took Adin’s head in his hands. “Listen to me! This experiment, it won’t kill you. Think of what we will learn – what you will be capable of!”
“Why?” Adin slumped in the men’s grip. Defeated.
“Because this is the next step of our evolution. If we all could merge with the ore, we would be able to fix everything. Imagine everyone with the power of the ore at their fingertips. No more protection from it needed. We could harness it freely, bend it to our will. Recharge it with just a touch. We would be able to reshape our world.” Dr. Cymru stroked his face. “I know you don’t want to trust me, but you’re just going to have to. When we’re done, you will be like a god.”
A sharp pain bit the back of his neck and everything went black.
