*Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep*
The heart monitor is the only sound in this white world I live in. The same padded white walls. The same rough leather straps holding me to this damned bed. The same single blinding white light hanging above my head. And the same beeps of the heart monitor. Letting the scientists know I'm still alive.
My name is William. William Von Ruthven. Apparently the 'Von Ruthven' part came from when my mom married some rich guy from Europe but I never got to ask. My parents ditched me when I was young, and I have been bouncing from foster home to foster home ever since. In my 17 years of life I have never had a place to truly call home.
'That's enough with the pity party'
Snapping myself back into reality and back to my current situation I've gotten myself in. Since I was young I've always found myself in trouble, and it really started getting bad when I got into coding and hacking when I was 11. My only personal belonging being a laptop that I got by chance. And by chance I mean I stole it. Anyway I always loved electronics and how they worked. Understanding them and manipulating them was the only game I enjoyed. I even made some money off it on the side. However I learned first hand some things shouldn't be meddled with.
It was a normal day, for the most part. I was heading home from school when I got an anonymous email on my private account. Not my usual commission email but my actual email. With a single request,
'I need access through a firewall. My team will worry about data retrieval and hiding traceability. The commission is for $10,000. $5,000 upfront, $5,000 when the jobs done.'
-XXX
'10K for a firewall job?! I could do that faster than my homework!'
I should have been skeptical. How did they know my actual email? Who's asking? But 10k is 10k, so of course I accepted. In the following days I worked day and night on breaking through that damned firewall. I thought it would be easy, fun even, I hack into government main frames for fun but this, this was something else. No matter what way I attacked it, it wouldn't budge.
Then 5 days after I got the commission I finally cracked it. But before I sent over the necessary access and authorization codes. I was curious, what the hell were these guys looking for? Normally this violates customer confidentiality but I felt I deserved this much at least. Closing the message to the buyer I clicked on the link and entered the rabbit hole.
What I found was hyper-advanced nanotechnology framework and designs. Words I didn't even understand and phrases that didn't make sense together flooded my screen. Interestingly enough they almost looked like scientific documents and research papers…
'Weird hobbies but who am I to judge?'
Shrugging and closing the window, I sent the links to the buyer and sealed the deal.
Seeing the amount of money flood my account almost knocked me off my feet. I almost jumped for joy except I'm more interested in why that random research documents had such tight security. It's 2089, nanotech isn't new in anyway. But it seemed like someone was trying very hard to hide what they found.
'Not my problem. I'm rich!'
Sending myself to bed and laying down. My mind keeps wandering back to what I saw. The 100's if not 1000's of separate documents. All the codes and everything still fresh on my mind keeping me up. I almost reopened the file a few times but decided against it. Whatever was happening it wasn't for me to keep dabbling in.
Finally closing my eyes and forcing myself to go to sleep. My mind drifted from thought to thought, the science behind the technology, the uses, but eventually I drifted off into a deep sleep…
And when I woke up I was here. Strapped down to a operating table, with a single woman in a lab coat that would come in every now and again. But otherwise nothing. No communication when I talk to her, no response to my movements or cursing, no answer to my questions of my whereabouts. Nothing.
I've been trying to keep time in my head. But the only thing I know is that nurse in a lab coat comes three times a 'day'.
'Damnit I don't even know if a day has passed.'
I started to close my eyes when I finally heard a new sound.
"Subject NE-CVK066 is ready for enhancement. Begin operation immediately."
'Huh? Are they talking about me?' My question answered itself as 4 new scientists walked in. With one holding some kind of container, and the rest pushing in carts full of tools. I began to say something but the nurse cut me off.
"Delivering anesthesic and sedative. Subject will be under in 3… 2…"
The more she talked the harder it got to hear her, and I felt my consciousness fading.
'Damnit not again. Wish I could have done something productive with my life…'
Then I was out once more.
—
"…log: 29. Subject NE-CVK066, designation: "Vampire" has shown complete physical stability after enhancement. The system has been successfully integrated with his structure. End log."
Then the door closed. I finally let out a sigh of relief but even that hurt like hell. My whole body felt.. wrong. But especially my muscles and teeth. My body hurt but felt foreign at the same time. As if something fundamental to being human had been replaced with something.. colder. I went to move my arm against my restraints but quickly discovered i couldn't move my body. From head to toe it's as if I've been paralyzed.
'What the fuck. So they knock me out, mess with my body, and now I can't move?'
Struggling to remain calm, the door swung open. And the same 4 scientists entered with the nurse again.
"Subject NE-CVK066 has most remarkable recovery abilities. It appears we will need more anesthesia. Dr. Venti, would you be willing to go and retrieve it? Today we would like to test some other functions on 066."
The young nurse I've been seeing nods and quietly exits.
As she was leaving though, I noticed her mumble something after touching her ear.
'Maybe her ear aches. My everything aches so you have my sympathy.'
Surrounded by the scientists again I was starting to come to terms with it really. Maybe they'll fuck up and I'll just die. Not my ideal way to go out but I don't feel like I have too much control of that.
My mind began to drift again, a trauma response my body created. But before my consciousness slipped I heard something. It didn't make sense but I heard footsteps. Lots of footsteps.
'Wait. Why can I hear that?'
Suddenly all the lights cut off. And the sounds of an emergency alarm started going off.
It felt so loud that my head would split in two, but I tried to focus on what's infront of me. The scientists started scrambling and yelling to eachother, but in the chaos I saw a metallic glint. Time seemed to dilate as a bullet ripped though the scientists skull. Then the next, then the next. Until there was only the sound of the alarm.
'Shit, shit, shit, shit. Move dumbass this is your chance! Move move move!'
Trying my best to get my body to do something. Anything. I finally heard something happening, the whirring sound of a machine starting inside me. First in my chest, then throughout my whole body. Suddenly I could move. A little too well actually. I ripped through my restraints and flew forward with too much momentum and crashed into the wall.
"Ow.. fuck what the hell?" Standing up my body felt supercharged. Every motion I made felt so different. As if I was relearning how to move.
'Okay, okay, so crazy scientists abducted you and now your Steve Rodger's? Doubt it.'
However I could feel it. My body was something else now, something better. Clenching and unclenching my fist, and doing some light hops I could feel the strength resonating beneath my skin.
I was so absorbed in examining how my bodies changed that I didn't notice someone enter the room. Nor did I notice when they walked behind me. It wasn't until their gun was pressed against the back of my head that I noticed. I went to move but a voice came from behind me.
"Don't move. Under DCR code of law and conduct you'll need to come with us. Please don't make this difficult."
'Shit!'
I moved to run, stupid? Yeah but there was no way in hell I was going to just let myself get taken by God knows who again. Before I could take two steps I heard a sigh from behind me. Then I was unconscious again.