TNG: Iblis, the First Hero

Episode 24: Exhumation

Exhumation

            Cid opened the door to the lower lab, sneaking in via the exit that he had always used to return, since the main entrance had been partially destroyed when the building was attacked.  He surveyed the lab itself.  Most of the machinery seemed to be intact.  The only things that appeared to be damaged were the things that fell off of shelves and tables as the building was rocked.

            He walked over to the machine that maintained the suit and was pleasantly surprised to the see that it had suffered no damage at all.  He placed the suit into the machine and closed the hatch.

            He walked over to the main computer and turned it on.  Hundreds of pictures and diagrams immediately appeared across the screen.  He stared in confusion at the various documents.

            “This was a lot easier when King was doing the computer thing and I was doing the hero thing,” he muttered to himself. 

            It was at that moment that Cid noticed a small red folder in the corner of the screen, labeled “In case of emergency”.  He tried to open the folder, but quickly noticed that it was password protected. 

            Suddenly, another window appeared on the monitor.  The figure in the window was none other than King himself.  Cid was surprised when the figured began to speak, however.

            “Hello Cid… If you are reading this than I am either dead or close to death.  I created this folder in the event that you plan to continue our work in my absence, one that would only appear on the desktop in the event that my heart rate fell to dangerous levels.  Inside you will find instructions for the use of all the various instruments in the lab.  There is also information that I feel is pertinent to you finding answers to your questions.  I was planning on telling you myself, but it is probably impossible now.  The password to this folder is the first name of the man you are named after.  Good luck in your future endeavors,” the virtual King stated.  The video then abruptly ended.

            Cid began to think.  He wasn’t named after anyone that he knew of.  His name, Cideion, was a portmanteau of Sidney and Gideon, modified to Cid and Deion for added uniqueness.  His middle name was Amadeus and it came from…

            He smiled as the light went on and typed in “wolfgang” on the screen.  The folder immediately turned green as a box containing more files appeared on the screen.  Cid opened the first file, a video. 

            This time it was his mother that appeared on the screen.

            “Hello Cideion.  If you are seeing this, then I am already dead,” the virtual Mrs. Rodgers declared.  Cid wondered if seeing videos of dead or nearly dead people was going to be a recurring trend. 

            The video continued.  “I wanted to tell you this because I cannot stand to imagine the future I am leaving you to.  You deserve to be prepared for what is coming,” Mrs. Rodgers stated.  “I have been a terrible mother and a terrible person Cid.  I’m not asking for forgiveness.  I am beyond that.  I’m asking you to understand why I did the things I did and to be the one to undo the wrong that I have done.  I have no right to ask this of you, but you are all I have left in the world,” she continued. 

            “I feel like I should begin with Benjamin Wagner.  He is a dangerous, cruel, sadistic man, and he used to be my partner.”  Cid’s eyebrows raised as the words slowly processed in his brain.  “We worked together for two decades in perfect harmony.  I needed his ability to completely detach and focus on the science, and he needed my ability to connect to the subjects, and together we did terrible things.  I wanted to say I did it for the good of mankind, but I’d be lying to us both if I said that.  I had a god complex, a desire to create the perfect human.  And I was willing to sell my soul to Wagner and his methods to do it.  We allied with the Yakuza and used their resources to capture, experiment on, and ultimately expend countless innocent lives.  It was only when our greatest discovery was made that I realized the error of my ways.  We had discovered a serum that would enhance the physiology of a human with an inactive X gene.  We retrieved blood samples to test the serum on, but our funding gradually dwindled until the samples stopped coming in.  At this point, we turned to ourselves and those closest to us.  In a moment of weakness and desperation, I submitted a sample of your blood for testing.  Miraculously, your blood accepted the sample and mutated into something truly amazing.  It was then that I realized that you were far more special than I could have imagined, and it was at this moment I realized that Benjamin Wagner would kill me and your father for a chance to test the serum on you if it came to that, and with our Yakuza connections, it would not be difficult for him.  He immediately requested that you be brought in for testing, but I had seen what we had done to our other “subjects”.  I refused and I quit… to put it frank.  Now I am here, recording this video because he will come after us.  He will come after you…”