Peter Pan The Killer

Chapter 28: Peter Pan's Trigger

It was a little past nine when Pauline left. Gwen switched on her laptop. The screen gave her dark bedroom an ominous blue glow. She flicked out the name card she received from Pauline from her pocket. The monitor light illuminated the faded words on the crumpled card.

The Neverland Bioengineering Foundation.

Was it a coincidence that the name of the foundation was related to none other than the tale of Peter Pan? She thought not. Her mind was trying to make connections, but how could a research facility have connections with Peter Pan? Bracing herself she keyed in the words into her search engine. Strangely enough, the main website of the facility had been taken down. All that was left related to the foundation were news articles. Most of them dating back to ten years ago. She opened up a few on several tabs.

The main articles that popped up painted the foundation in a bad name. Authorities have charged the foundation for numerous crimes and was forced to shut down ten years ago. The biotechnology facility was caught carrying out illegal animal testings for their drugs and machines. Some articles had even mentioned alleged human testing.

The research facility was located on an island off the coast of Northumberland, secluded and perfect for illegal research activities. The foundation had also been charged for illegal drug dealing and imports, and the blackmailing of countless companies and individuals who have crossed their paths. Their sponsors were equally charged for funding their research.

That was fine and all, but what frustrated her was that while ransacking the research facilities, the authorities only successfully collected half of their research documents. The other half were transported to unknown locations or destroyed. Most of the files remained under confidential status. It took a lot of digging for Gwen to find an old article of an interview conducted long before the research foundation was charged for crimes.

The interview was with one of the scientists involved in what he calls the biggest project of the foundation.

Dr. Louis Young asserts that the research underway would change the world as we know it. The groundbreaking isomer of a drug rapamycin and protein-building compounds, have brought about the exciting successes of The Neverland Bioengineering Foundation.

'It has been proven that our current formulae significantly reduces the signs of protein degradation and senescent cells, hence bringing about the increase in life span' Dr. Young says.

'The plan is to not only use this method as an anti-aging mechanism. We have conducted several experiments and found that this method also boosts our immune system and causes an increase in healing rate by 4%,' he continues.

Over eight private companies have funded the project, with hopes to see an amazing development in medicine and human health.

'Neverland is the term we use, as it is the perfect analogy of a world with people who never age, and live long lives. It is what we strive to achieve with our pharmaceutical developments,' Dr.Young explains.

The Neverland Bioengineering Foundation has plenty in store for us in the coming years, we sure hope to see their research bring about a wonderful change.

Gwen furrowed her brows as she read the article. An anti-aging drug? She had yet to figure out if this connected with Peter Pan. She smacked her palm on her forehead in realisation.

Peter Pan... The boy who never grows up. Anti-aging serum. It was so far-fetched and science fiction-like, but then again, it was a possibility.

She slapped her laptop shut when she heard the window creak open. Peter Pan had come just as the night sunk into midnight. This time, as if none of the events of the past days had occurred, he was smiling, his signature notorious smile.

"Busy, Wendy?" he asked as he landed into her room. Knowing full well the tricks up his sleeve, Gwen knew she had to keep him distracted before he hypnotised her to fall into another toxic nightmare.

"How do you come into my apartment? It's on the fourth floor? And how the bloody hell do you unlock my window from the outside?" she asked, still sitting by her desk.

Peter Pan chuckled, "So many questions..." he said stalking closer to her.

"This time I think I might just reveal my tricks," he continued. Gwen narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"First things first, I'm actually Spiderman, so I crawled up the building." Gwen rolled her eyes.

"To think you would actually answer me," she muttered in annoyance. He laughed again.

"Second, your window was never locked," he said with a wink, placing his hand on her chair's backrest. Gwen was confused, "What do you mean? I lock it each time..." He only shrugged in response.

Gwen noticed his gaze flit away from hers, nonchalantly scanning her desk, until his eyes fell on the crumpled name card. As if a switched had been flicked, he stilled. His eyes were trained onto the card. Gwen saw his expression shift.

It was empty at first, then confused. He looked like he was trying to figure out where he had seen it. His grip tightened on her chair as his fingers landed on her laptop. Gwen pressed her laptop down, stopping him from opening it. He turned to give her a terrifying warning glare, his eyes ablaze. Her hold faltered and in that split second the monitor was up, displaying the interview article along with a big image of Dr. Young with the interviewer.

It was then that he snapped.

His reaction was unexpected. She saw his eyes clench shut, and his one hand moved to clutch his head. He grunted in pain. His released his grip on her backrest and stumbled back. Gwen was quick to stand and grip his hand. He did not resist; his other hand still clutched his head as if he was experiencing a severe headache. He opened his eyes. Gwen noticed the hand she held was trembling. For the first time, his eyes were coated with raw fear.

"Peter..." Gwen mumbled, as he let out a strangled sound. She tugged him down, and they both dropped to sit on the ground against the wall.

He was still shaking. If she wanted confirmation that he was connected to this bioengineering foundation, this was it. However, she did not ask him questions. He feared them. She saw his vulnerability, a side she had only caught glimpses of. Whatever connections he had, it was not good.

It made her once again, turn down towards the strange path, one which wanted to know his side of the story. She entwined her fingers in his to stop them from trembling. The warmth of her hand seeped into his, she felt his tensed body loosen ever so slightly. She glanced at his face. He looked deep in thought, unaware of his surroundings. His eyes were trained on the image of Dr. Young. She could see fear and hatred in his eyes.

He hated many people. Every single one of them broke him. She tightened her hold on his fingers.

Just like Anna.

He only then snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards her. He looked too tired to protest. Gwen did not return his gaze, hoping it would give him the personal space he needed, conveying the 'I saw nothing, just act like I'm not here' message.

And so he did.

They sat there, leaning against the wall, hands entwined, until Gwen fell asleep on his shoulder and the first rays of dawn peeked into the room. Gwen did not know when he left, but she knew for the first time; it was after the shadows had disappeared.

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A/N: A little behind schedule for this update. Sorry!
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