For the last two years, my life had a strange rhythm. I had trained under my great-grandmother in the wilds, a regimen so grueling it made my time as an entrepreneur seem like a vacation. Yet, from my secluded mountaintop, I was building an empire. My company's worth had soared to a billion dollars.
Part of that growth was thanks to a shrewd acquisition. My parents' lab, the one where they were developing a groundbreaking healing medicine, was acquired by Oscorp. When Oscorp deemed their old equipment lacking, they decided to upgrade the lab, bringing in a man named Curtis Connors to head the project. I seized the opportunity and bought their old equipment for a pittance.
For the past two years my parents moved into a new bigger house near our old neighbourhood and got used to the new lab, the medicine developed was fascinating, a genuine breakthrough. In theory, it could accelerate natural healing by 15-25 times. But it had its flaws. A severe side effect was a dangerous spike in body temperature, so high that a patient would need a cold environment to survive.
It also required a massive influx of nutrients to prevent the body from consuming itself. My parents were diligently working on fixing these side effects, but we had yet to test it on humans. I had kept all information about their experiments on a private server, not wanting to attract the wrong kind of attention.
After over two years, I had returned to my grandmother's house for a week before booking a flight back to New York.
On October 1st, 2007, Uncle Raghu accompanied me to the UAE where I boarded another flight for New York, my parents picked me up at the airport. As I settled into the car, my father's voice broke the silence.
"So, you finally decided to come back? What were you doing?" he asked, a playful smirk on his face.
"Becoming your boss," I replied smugly. "I own the lab you work at."
My father's smirk vanished, replaced by an agitated expression. "You own nothing, boy. The lab is under my mother's name!"
"I'm still your boss," I countered, putting on my most arrogant tone.
"Nope," he shot back, a flash of victory in his eyes. "You've got no official position. My current boss is my dad. Hell, even Raghu can be my superior, but I don't see your name anywhere."
"Who do you think is behind the business, then?" I retorted.
"It might be true that it was all you," he conceded, "but until your name is on the papers, you've got nothing on me. I am still your father. So, I am The Boss."
Damn! I cursed the legal system in my mind, but I still had one ace up my sleeve. "We shall see when you apply for the next funding."
His face paled instantly. "No, you wouldn't!" he pleaded.
"Ohoho, I certainly will."
My mom, sensing the conversation was escalating, cut in. "Okay, cut it out, you two. So, what were you actually doing apart from that?"
"I was sent to train under Great-Grandmother," I said, a subtle tremor in my voice.
My father went rigid. He let out a shaky sigh that came from the depths of his soul. "Ugh..."
"You've been there, haven't you, father?" I asked, a newfound empathy for his experience.
"Yes," he said, his voice shivering. "When I was 15. I ran away after enduring over a year and never went back."
"It can't be that simple!"
"Well, after that, I certainly never complained about my studies to my mother. It's partially the reason I loved my studies," he confessed, a look of haunted humor on his face.
Amidst our talking, we reached home.
I spent the next two days easing myself back into the city atmosphere, doing my morning training and reading company reports.
On the third evening, I decided to go for a run. The cool autumn air of New York was a welcome change. I followed a familiar route, the rhythmic pounding of my feet a soothing counterpoint to the quiet of the suburban streets. About a mile from my house, a stark, black silhouette against the fading daylight caught my eye. It was a burnt-down house, its windows gaping like hollow eyes and its roof caved in. I remembered hearing about the tragedy on the news—a family of five supposedly perished in a gas explosion.
A wave of sadness washed over me, but just as I was about to jog past, a faint sound, like a muffled whimper, reached my ears. Curiosity overruling caution, I followed the sound toward the back of the house. What I saw made my blood run cold.
In the backyard, a small girl, no older than four or five, was huddled on the ground, her clothes and skin covered in a layer of soot and dust. She was sobbing, her tiny body shaking with fear. Standing over her were a few boys who looked to be my age, their faces twisted with a cruel delight. In their hands, they held black devices that I recognized instantly from my future memories: tasers.
Where did they even get those? The thought flashed through my mind, replaced by a surge of pure adrenaline.
My training kicked in. I didn't think; I acted. I sprinted toward the girl, my heart hammering against my ribs. Just as the boys raised their weapons, I threw myself in front of her, shielding her with my back. I felt the sharp, metallic prongs of the tasers pierce my skin. A jolt of agonizing current shot through me, and my world exploded in a searing, white-hot pain. Every muscle in my body seized, and my head felt like it would burst open.
I almost passed out. But the training, the years of pushing my body to its absolute limit, held me together. The pain was immense, but my mind found an anchor in the sheer force of my will. I focused on the faces of the bullies, their shock turning to fear as they realized their weapons weren't working. My vision blurred at the edges, but I didn't care. I steadied myself and let out a roar, a sound that was more primal rage than human.
"SCRAM!!!"
The boys recoiled, dropping their tasers and scrambling backward as if they had just seen a ghost. My glare, now carrying a ghost of my past-life's weight and present-life's fury, was enough to send them running. I watched as they disappeared around the corner, their frantic footsteps fading into the distance.
The moment they were out of sight, my body, having held on by a thread, gave out completely. The world spun, and a deep, heavy darkness pulled me under. The last thing I heard was the small girl's terrified whimper as I lost consciousness.