Defining Mankind

Part 5: Retaliation

Yami sits locked in a training room, under constant observation as his powers behave rampantly.

"Riley what's going on with him, I thought he was able to control his power." Jay, Riley, and Fiona watch the cameras in the training room.

"When they used the catalyst Yami's body didn't reject it, instead it triggered a mutation. The ice keeping his bone in place was the base of that mutation that then spread to his entire body, that mutation mixed with his unstable emotional state is causing his power to be erratic." Riley goes through a list of theories and observations.

"How bad is it? He's the only one that could get Abbie and if he can't do it she's going to die."

"Well it's impossible to tell, his body temperature is absolute zero which shouldn't even be possible. Touching him would guarantee you lose your hand, whatever is going on with him he's on the line of what was thought to be possible by modern science."

"Fiona, how's the search for Abbie? The moment we find her we need to send Yami."

"All I know is they're keeping her deep in the city, I can't figure out where though."

"Does Yami know anything else that could help?"

"All he mentioned was a grad student that took over his case, other than that no."

"Fiona, check the university for any suspicious activity. Riley fix Yami, I don't want him going nuclear."

Fiona and Riley run out of the room, leaving Jay standing there watching Yami with worried eyes. Yami sits on the far edge of the room, the floor around him covered in a pure white ice. Lee, of all people, walks into the room wearing a hypothermal protective suit and approaches Yami, only able to get fifty feet away from him before it gets too cold.

"Yami, you need to get yourself under control. I know it's hard but you need to understand how much power you're outputting right now. Where I'm standing it's two hundred below, your body has no heat energy right now. The fact you are alive should be by all accounts impossible, but at this rate we can't get you out of here when we find Abbie. I know you blame yourself but they went there because you two were together, they were hoping that you would go feral and kill everyone there and they ran off with Abbie. Instead they made you stronger, but you can't save her unless you stop this outburst."

"Lee this is me holding back, I can feel the power my body wants to let out and I don't know what else to do. I'm trying to stay calm but how can I when this is what I do when I hold back? I'm scared man, I just want to save her and instead I'm stuck here because otherwise I'm gonna accidentally kill anyone who can see me."

"Yami, I have an idea but I need your permission to go through with it. We replicated the serum they injected you with, if we inject you again it should subdue your power enough for you to go onto your mission but the side effects are unknown."

"I don't care, let's do it. Give me the serum, and if it's possible make it not freeze."

"Good luck Yami, Fiona is following a lead right now so you may get your chance soon. I'll get working on a way to keep that serum from freezing."

"Thanks Lee, I'll bring Abbie back no matter what."

Lee leaves the room, Yami goes back to being alone and focusing on holding his power in. It feels like days go by before Lee returns with a vial of the purple serum.

"Yami, you gotta drink this and hopefully it doesn't kill you. I had to radiate the liquid to the point it heats itself, so ingesting it would kill a normal person. Obviously you are not normal in the slightest, so I think you'll be fine." Lee throws the vial over to Yami.