The Formula

Chapter 2

He bits and pieces came flooded back to him. Pain in his skull, aches over his body and a strange chemical stench. Lastly, vision.

Felix looked around, groggily studying his surroundings. He lay slightly inclined on his back, with his hands fastened by strapped to a stainless steel table. Computers and glass monitors filled the countertops ahead of him, with blinding lights above. Two more tables were to his right, and another to his left. When he lifted his head, he saw that the far wall was entirely glass. Shadowed figures stood on the other side, moving slightly.

Felix struggled against the restraints, but to no avail. He screamed and screamed until he voice was raw, but his laments went unheeded.

He nearly began sobbing, but he stopped himself, letting his emotions instead to turn anger.

A door at the far end opened up and a group walked in, all wearing pearly-white lab coats and facemasks. Despite their doctor-like appearance, each one also wore a ballistic vest under their garbs, with the telltale dark glint of pistols at their hips.

"What is this?" Felix hollered at them. "Where the hell am I?"

They ignored him, and set about instead typing on computers and whispering among one another.

Again he tried. "Hey! What the hell is going on?! ANSWER ME!"

One of them, a woman, stared in his direction. She nodded towards the others and approached him, though kept her distance.

"Adam Bracket, am I right?"

"Felix!" he screamed, "my name is Felix! Adam Bracket is dead!"

She placed a hand on his wrist, but he only thrashed more.

"Felix," she said softly, "we understand your confusion, but remain calm. You're part of something special now." She looked back to her fellow scientists. "We're giving you a remarkable gift."

"Let. Me. Go."

"It's too late for that, Felix. I think I like your new name better, by the way. It suits your purpose." She began to pace around him, running her hand along his arm and across his chest. She stopped by his head and whispered into his ear. "You are our Phoenix. Help us rise from the ashes."

"You're all insane," he growled.

She frowned and reached for something hanging from the ceiling. A collar? She placed it around his neck and tightened it.

"Are we ready?" the scientist called to the others. One of them walked up and handed her a hypodermic needle, which she gripped with both hands, as if it was something sacred.

She turned around and Felix lifted his head to see one of the scientists holding a video recorder.

"Trial one-hundred-eighty-two," she said in monotonous tone to the camera. "Subject Adam Bracket."

"That's not my name!" Felix hollered at the top of his lungs. The scientist cut him off with a backhand across his face. He gasp and she drew away, her face screwed up in frustration.

"Silence, you moron!" She straightened her lab coat and held up the needle to the view of the camera. After clearing her throat, she spoke again. "Trial one-hundred-eighty two. Serum version three-hundred-six. Previous attempts with version three-hundred-four hopeful. After some computational adjustments, the chemical balance seems correct. This is our best chance yet."

"Chance for what?" Felix hissed.

The scientist turned her head and raised a brow. Felix winced, expecting to be struck again, but she only smiled at him. "I already told you, Felix. A chance to rise from the ashes." She wrapped a tourniquet around his arm. "Now stay still, I can't imagine how bad it would be to have this needle break in your arm."