The Ape: Genesis

Prologue

Moscow, Russia (2007)

On a chilly winter morning, inside the secure room of the abandoned Lechit Laboratory, five scientists eagerly anticipated the arrival of their leader. And then, he showed up. Braylon Hart, a tough man from Texas on a mission in Moscow, strutted into the room, exuding an air of power.

"Good morning, sir!" greeted the other scientists.

Braylon nodded and commanded,

"Grab the Refiner serum and fetch my test subjects."

Dmitri, the head lab caretaker, prepared a dose, housing an unconscious rat and a baby snake together in a cage. They were the guinea pigs for the experiment.

Braylon explained,
"So, this serum works by transferring traits from organism X to organism Y. When we inject it into X, things will get wild as X will go berserk and sink its fangs into Y. Once X kicks the bucket, Y will inherit its abilities. Watch and learn, folks. Dmitri, go ahead and inject it."

Dmitri administered the serum to the snake. Within eighteen seconds, the baby snake grew agitated, hissing loudly, and then it noticed the motionless rat. In a flash, the snake slithered towards the rat and sank its teeth into its flesh. Just as Braylon had predicted, the snake fell lifeless to the ground. Two minutes of silence followed. Suddenly, the rat woke up, its teeth sprouting fangs. Braylon rejoiced while the other scientists watched in horror. However, the rat began attacking the cage, exhibiting unparalleled strength, surpassing all other rats in the world at that moment. With its newfound power, it broke free from the cage, darting around the room.

"Shoot it, Dmitri, you damn fool!" Braylon screamed in frustration.

Dmitri drew his pistol and shot the rat in the head. The other scientists started berating Braylon.

"You're meddling with nature!" exclaimed one scientist.
"This is madness, we must destroy this serum!" added another.

"Quiet down, you Soviet idiots!" Braylon shouted.

He continued,
"This invention can change the world! But we must keep it a secret. I know you Soviet fools love to gossip, but if I hear that—"

"Me? A fool? You'll discover who the real weakling is when you're behind bars!" interrupted one of the scientists, who then made a dash for the exit.

The scientist ran and ran until a shotgun blast echoed through the air. The scientist's head shattered into pieces. Braylon grinned maliciously. Inspired by the fallen scientist's revolt, the other scientists turned against Braylon and Dmitri. They shot Dmitri with his own pistol, ending his life, and confined Braylon to a cell, releasing toxic gases inside.

Braylon coughed and pleaded,
"Why? Why are you doing this? We were on the brink of changing the world..."

The scientists left him there to meet his fate. Braylon tried futilely to break the glass with a screwdriver, but to no avail. However, that was when Braylon noticed a dead vampire bat lying in a corner of the cell. He crawled toward the lifeless bat, carrying a closed test tube of the Refiner and a syringe in his pocket. Injecting the Refiner into the dead bat, he had no idea if it would work on deceased organisms. Gasping for breath, he was dying but clung to hope for a miracle.

"Bite me, come on, damn it, bite me!" he desperately shouted.
Then he succumbed to the gas, losing consciousness.

For a span of eighteen seconds, both he and the bat remained motionless until the bat's eyes fluttered open. It took flight, swooping down to sink its teeth into Braylon's finger. Silence persisted. Braylon regained consciousness, coughing and writhing in pain. However, his roar sounded unlike anything human—it resonated like that of a mighty lion. Fangs sprouted from his teeth, and his bone structure began to transform. During his seizure, guards arrived and shot him in the head. Braylon ceased moving. The guards smirked in triumph, only to witness Braylon standing there, exuding menace. One guard grabbed a submachine gun and fired at Braylon, but none of the shots found their mark. Braylon dodged the bullets with an astonishing speed that left the guards bewildered.

"Weak. So pathetic." Braylon sneered.

One of the guards hurled a nearby scalpel at Braylon, but if he could dodge bullets, evading a scalpel was child's play. He caught it, snapped it in half, and launched each piece at the guards, piercing their skulls and felling them.

More guards approached, prompting Braylon to realize that continuing his killing spree would lead to the Refiner being outlawed. He hastily gathered as many test tubes filled with the serum as possible, stowing them in a bag, and fled to the countryside, skillfully evading bullets along the way.

Seattle, United States (2015)

"You got the stuff ready?" the oyabun asked.
"Yep, all set," replied Howard.

Howard Griefer, a renowned billionaire from the US, was rumored to have amassed his wealth through fish import and export. Little did people know the true source of his riches. His wife, Rehoboth Griefer, an esteemed scientist, concocted illegal drugs and steroids for various criminal organizations, while Howard handled the marketing.

This time, Rehoboth had created a drug called Zton. When ingested, it could dramatically enhance a person's physical and mental abilities to an extraordinary level.

"Watch what Zton can do," said Howard.

He swallowed a few pills, then promptly smashed a hole through a nearby brick wall.

"This is insane! How much?" questioned the boss.
"40 grand," Howard replied.

They struck a deal. As the boss was about to depart, a police officer appeared at the room's entrance.

"What the hell, Howard? Did you set me up?" the boss shouted.
"Meet Carlos. He's a puppy with a badge," Howard explained.

Carlos Rodriguez, a struggling policeman, was coerced into working for Howard and assisting him in his illicit activities.

"He's harmless. You can go on your way," Howard assured.

The boss left. As soon as the sound of tires faded, Howard slapped Carlos across the cheek.

"Why the hell did you arrive so early?!" Howard shouted.
"I'm sorry, sir. I thought the meeting was over," Carlos apologized.

Howard stared intensely into Carlos's eyes for ten seconds, then forcefully slammed his face onto a desk. Blood streamed from Carlos's nose as he groaned in pain.

"Sign this paper, you idiot," Howard demanded.

Howard handed Carlos a document to sign. Carlos took a moment to rub his eyes, then read the paper:

"I, Carlos Rodriguez, agree to work for Howard Griefer and aid him in all his activities, no matter what. Failure to do so will result in the murder of my family in front of my own eyes."

"No way. I won't sign that," Carlos protested.
"Suit yourself, Mr. Rodriguez," Howard responded.

With a snap of his fingers, two thugs entered the room, wheeling in a wheelchair carrying Carlos's old mother. Carlos rushed to her side, gripping her hand tightly. She wept, but they silenced her with tape.

"You either sign this or I sign your mother's fate," Howard threatened.

Driven by desperation to save his mother, Carlos reluctantly signed the paper. Tears streamed down his face, his trembling hand gripping the pen. They took his mother away.

"Don't worry, your mother will be safely transported back to Spain. Now, be a good boy and get the hell out of here," Howard commanded.

Howard spat on Carlos's windshield and raced off in his sports car.