Taren looked tense as they navigate the hallway going to the president's office of Yotta Corp. He kept little distance between himself and Emily, ready to protect the girl from any harm, if there was any.
"Hi," she greeted.
"Ms. Martin," the secretary smiled at her. "He's waiting for you. Do come in," she knocked before opening the glass door, politely leading them inside.
The office looked different, nothing seemed to match from the old office Emily was once familiar with. Her father's second home was gone, turned into someone else's property.
Taren sniffed, eyes locked on Wilson. His jaw was hard, as if restraining himself.
"I'm glad you came," Wilson muttered.
Emily figured that she should start the introduction. "This is Wilson- "
"I know you," Taren suddenly said.
None of them moved. The air was getting thick and the walls seemed closing in on them.
"You do?" the president asked in utter curiosity.
"Yes," he answered and cocked his head to the left, reading him.
"That's good, I think," Wilson replied.
"We're ready to hear your side of story," Emily chimed in.
The man unbuttoned his suit, letting his stomach breathe. He gestured for them to follow him, leading them to the conference room.
The projector was already on, a video on paused could be seen on the huge wall in front of them. Wilson took the remote control and dimmed the lights as they all settled on their seats to watch the video.
Then he pressed the play button.
Everything went black for a second. The camera zoomed in at the guy but it became blurry.
"Name?" someone asked. That was Sebastian's voice.
"Alphonse."
"Nationality?"
"Italian."
The camera was adjusted then, providing a good look at the guy.
That was Taren.
"And you agree to the terms and conditions?" Sebastian asked.
Alphonse nodded his head. "Yes, sir."
"Let's proceed then."
Alphonse lied down on the white bed. Sebastian shoved a needle at Taren, instantly putting him to sleep. The room went quiet but the silence didn't last long.
The video shifted from another clip, showing Alphonse's worst condition.
"Day twenty-nine, ten-oh-four. I increase the dosage of the virus to double," Sebastian said, documenting his experiment. "The microchip is ready for the implant."
Taren touched his shoulder where the microchip had been implanted. Yes, it wasn't a wolf's bite. It's a scar from a surgery.
"I... I don't understand," Taren whispered.
Wilson paused the video. "Which part?"
He looked at the man. "All of it."
"I thought he'd been bitten," Emily said, trying to find sense to what was happening.
Wilson let out a laugh, shaking his head. "We're not in some Marvel world, are we?" He turned to Taren, face deadly serious. "A deal had been made between Sebastian and the Green Empire six years ago. They wanted to maximize the use of nano technology. It's the kind of technology that can make superhuman years from now because it interacts at the molecular level. It was just a new research back then, theories and assumptions, but the capability of this technology will take the new generations far beyond what any human can ever imagine. But Sebastian was so advanced that he proceeded with human experimentation right away, not bothering with what might be the consequences of his actions."
"Sebastian saved me from the virus," Taren insisted.
Wilson shook his head. "He wanted you and the virus to get along just fine. This is the Lycanthropy project documentation," he tossed the brown envelope on the table, a word 'classified' stamped right across it.
It was Emily's time to shake her head, uncertainty in her eyes. "Lycanthropy. So what, he's gonna turn to a werewolf or something? I thought we're not in the Marvel world."
"No, he's not going to turn into a werewolf," he answered. "But he could kill like a beast. The chip in his system was programmed and designed for him to kill."
"I don't think so," she replied with a raised eyebrow. "I'm still alive, as you can see."
"That means something's wrong with him." Wilson said. "That means the experimentation didn't succeed."
"Just because he's not strolling around the park killing each person that passed by him doesn't mean the experimentation had gone wrong! My dad might have changed his mind and just make Taren as human as possible."
"Who are you trying to convince, Emily?" he asked, puzzled. "You or me?"
"Why can't I remember a damn thing?" Taren finally spoke, breaking in their banter. "Why did he have to hide me?"
Silence dawned on them for a brief moment.
"The virus might have erased your memories. A side effect, maybe. And you're a danger. We don't know on the long run how the materials in your body will change you. My theory is that you're fighting the virus from corrupting your system and that's the reason why you're more human now. But once the virus completely kicked in, you're nothing but a complication."
Taren felt light-headed. He felt utterly sick.
He was a complication. A danger.
He suddenly found himself in the bottom sea of horror, a nightmare he wasn't sure he could escape. Everything he thought was right became wrong, the up was suddenly down, and the truth he once knew turned into the biggest lie.
Taren stood up, his eyes hardened at the betrayal and treachery.
"Let's go home, Emily."
Wilson looked at him, trying to read his thoughts and actions.
Emily rose to her feet as she trailed behind the guy she knew she should protect.
BINABASA MO ANG
Under the Moonshine
Werewolf[COMPLETE] Sometimes, life offers you a story worth keeping. When Emily decided to keep Taren for his own safety, she never expected her life to alter. Keeping him safe is her first priority. It looks like a simple task. But it turns out that keepin...
