LEGACY ─ marvel

XXV. Universal Cure

Chapter Twenty-Five
Analiese

I'm in the break room getting a water bottle when Dr. Fai bursts in, telling me that he needs my assistance. That can't mean anything good, and as much as I want to object, I follow him, surprised when he leads me to a new part of the building, to a room that's behind a security locked door.

Dr. Fai swipes his card in the key slot, and when the door swings open and he ushers me inside, I feel my breath catch in my chest. This room is a lab like the one I've been working in, but there's one big difference: this lab has quite a few cages in it, with people imprisoned inside. There's seven cages in total, five of them have people inside that I don't recognize, but the other two I recognize all too well. It's Soroya and Alex. The five other people are just hand cuffed, but Soroya and Alex are bound by heavy chains and have muzzles attached to their faces. Both of them set eyes on me but don't say anything, I don't either, I need to play this cool. If I lash out at Dr. Fai then I'll be in one of these cages and I won't be able to help any of them. I have to stay calm, though this task proves to be near impossible.

Dr. Fai notices me staring at Soroya and Alex and laughs, saying: "A beautiful sight isn't it? I know you have wanted those two dead for over two decades."

Of course he doesn't know that my relationship with Soroya has changed, why would he? But I can play this to my advantage. He trusted my anger and rage towards Soroya enough to let me in this room. If I ever want to get back in I'll have to play along, so I nod. "A beautiful sight indeed."

When Dr. Fai turns his back to me to get some supplies ready I place a finger over my lips then I tap on my wrist, trying to convey the message for both of them to be quiet and wait. They seem to get it, she and Alex both nod their heads. When Dr. Fai turns back to me he gestures for me to come see what he's working on. I do as he asks, finding several blood samples on the lab table, as well as dozens of paper's with different formulas written on them.

"After you created the serum to take away the shapeshifting serum in Hale's victims I got to thinking. This enhanced problem is getting out of control, with Hale's wrath and my brother currently fighting against the ridiculous F.E.P, it's clear we have to do something, but war is not how we will win this fight. We need to take away their powers, all of them, that way they won't be a threat anymore."

Jesus Christ. "You'd have to get blood samples from every enhanced person on the planet in order to do that."

Dr. Fai's smile spreads. "Not necessarily. I examined the blood of the Roberts siblings and I think their blood combined with yours can be the key to a universal cure."

I glance over my shoulder at Soroya, who has a tear streaming down her face, agony written over every inch of her face. It takes all my willpower not to attack Dr. Fai right this second. "What makes you think that?"

"Their blood is designed to change and alter. The stem cells in their serum allow their DNA to become that of any animal on the planet, and with some alternations, I think it could do the same for people. I need some samples of your blood to test the theory. If this works, Dr. Remington, we can finally have peace."

Peace. I'm sick of people thinking taking people's rights and freedom away is peace. That's exactly what HYDRA thought. In Emma Becker's lab, there were cages just like this, filled with innocent people who were taken from their families, their homes, their lives. I used to take blood samples from people in those cages, I used to experiment on them, watch them suffer, watch them die, and I didn't care. I was just like Theodore Fai, probably worse. I refuse to stand by and watch someone make the mistakes I did, or worse, make those mistakes again. I have to play this right though, so I nod to Dr. Fai, getting the needle ready for the sample myself.