Perfect Storm

Chapter 7

(A/N: I'm sorry guys, I was out of town and out of wifi range for a few days, so to make up for it, I'll be posting two chapters tonight, Hope you like them!

        -S)

            I sat with Ben across from me, and arranged the x-ray.

           “If we’re going to identify the source of the mutation, we need to isolate you inconulant DNA so we can isolate your genomes.” I told him.

            “What?” he asked, looking to Sue.

            “We need to do a physical to see what got zapped,” she said.

            “Oh,” he said, nodding. “Why didn’t you just say that?”

            “I wanted to sound smart,” I said, smiling.

            “Guys,” Reed said, gesturing us over. He pointed at the screen. His insides were completely solid.

            “How in the…?” I said, and we all looked at him in shock.

            “How bad is it?” he asked, worried. “You know, I used to smoke.”

            “Your internal organs are all solid rock, yet are somehow still functioning like a normal body. It shouldn’t be possible,” Reed said, and I scribbled it down on my clipboard. 

            We did a whole physical, the best part coming when we checked his reflexes. I took a normal plexor (reflex hammer) to check him. Nothing.

            “Anything,” I said, hitting his knee harder.

            “Nope,” he said.

            I frowned at Reed. “We’re going to need something heavier.”

            “I’ll go grab the hammer,” he said, handing Sue the clipboard.

            He came back, holding the hammer. “Okay,” he said, and hit where Ben’s patellar ligament should be. We didn’t move the chair, and he kicked it into the world map on the cat walk.

            “Write that down,” Reed and I told Sue.

             ***

            A few days later we tested Johnny, having finished the testing chamber for his tests.

            “Okay, Johnny, turn it up,” I said.

            “You got it,” he said, and on the thermal monitor, we could see him holding up his hand, and starting there, this whole body lit on fire.

            “He’s heating up from his core,” Reed murmured.

            “His vitals are completely normal,” I told him, writing both comments down.

            We watched as his temperature went up to into the 2000 K range.

            “He’s hotter than we anticipated,” Reed said.

            “Okay, Johnny, we need you to back it down,” I said over the coms. Sue came over by me.

            “I can go hotter,” he shouted.

            “Johnny, just back it down,” Sue said, and I looked back at the temperature screen to see that he was getting hotter, not cooler. He was nearly at Super Nova. Too hot for the extinguisher foam.