The Two

Chapter 4: Peter

Peter, along with the other students within twenty feet of the explosion were launched away from it. Papers flew everywhere and the fire alarm and sprinklers were activated, multiplying the chaos.

The explosion had torn the lockers within a ten foot radius to pieces and Peter had been launched through his locker into a classroom, toppling desks and the students occupying them.

Peter lay among the now warped desks, smoking and covered in drywall as the students and teacher in the classroom ran out the door and joined the riot in the halls.

It was then that Peter noticed the searing pain of what was likely a broken arm, a couple of broken ribs, and the rod of twisted metal from a desk on which Peter was impaled.

The screams and general disorder that pervaded the school suddenly became very distant and Peter passed out.

Peter woke up floating in a warm liquid and in total darkness.

He felt for the wound in his chest but felt nothing. His arm was similarly repaired.

He extended his arm upward and felt a hard plastic casing to the dark chamber. He guessed it was about eight feet long and four feet wide in a cylinder shape.

Light poured into the chamber as the top was opened.

Peter squinted and was lifted out of the fluid and onto a table. His eyes adjusted and he saw a woman standing over him. She had grey streaks in her hair and some wrinkles but seemed relatively young, somewhere in her forties probably. She was wearing a black lab coat with a white top hat logo with 'Chapeau Corp' written around the band of the hat.

"Where am I?" Peter tried to ask but all that came out was a guttural zombie noise and a gallon of saliva.

"Try not to talk," the woman said. "The Fluid packs one bitch of a punch."

Once Peter possessed the ability, he lifted up his head and looked at himself. Other than the blue goo that covered him, he was completely naked.

"'Ere am I?" He slurred.

"You're in the Chapeau Corporation," the woman said. "Research and development."

"Oo're you?"

"I'm Doctor Ramirez," she said. "Head of medical research."

Peter scraped some goo off of his chest and showed it to Doctor Ramirez. "What's this?"

"That's my baby," she said. "I call it the Fluid. It's a cocktail of chemicals that interfere with tumor suppressor genes which promotes regeneration along with a few other things that make sure it doesn't go too far.

"Why am I here?" Peter asked.

"You were injured pretty heavily," Doctor Ramirez said. "I was told that you're important but other than that I have no idea."

She picked up a hose and began spraying the Fluid off of Peter's body. It dissolved quickly and she draped a towel over him to dry.

"How long was I in there?" Peter asked.

"Three days. The bulk of which was for your massive chest wound."

She handed Peter some clothes. A black jumpsuit with the logo from the lab coat on the breast and a white t-shirt. He dressed quickly and sat back on the already dry table.

"So when do I leave?" Peter asked.

Ramirez turned around, holding a syringe full of a red liquid.

"You don't" she said, expertly poking the syringe into Peter's arm and pushing down on the plunger.

"Wha?" Peter tried to ask as the world blurred and his weight tripled and then everything went black.