A mysterious figure knocked on the door of an apartment with a sign that read:
'Dr. Animo.'
A monkey mask hid his face, its grin that of a mischievous monkey ready to play a prank, while black gloves and a trench coat completed the ensemble, making him look like a specter from a mythological nightmare, plotting some mischievous scheme.
Receiving no answer, the figure removed one glove, revealing a black metallic hand with blue stripes, before casually unlocking the front door.
Inside, the mysterious figure immediately heard several animal sounds. Looking around, various clusters of cages with a collection of animals in them were placed everywhere.
There were birds, reptiles, and mammals of all sorts.
As the mysterious figure continued to wander in silence, he eventually found the dedicated doctor, known as Doctor Animo, who had been working with one of the cages—the one containing a bullfrog.
When the stranger walked into the light behind him, Doctor Animo startled, halted his experiments, and immediately demanded, "Who are you? How did you get in?"
In his fifties, Dr. Animo was 165 centimeters in height, with long white hair. Since he had locked himself indoors for five years, his skin and formerly brown hair turned pale from overwork and lack of exposure to sunlight.
He wore a gray shirt with a brown vest, cargo pants, black fingerless gloves, and boots.
Dr. Animo had once been a respected and promising researcher in veterinary science, He desired to rebuild animal DNA to create super-animals.
But his career was cut short when it was discovered he was performing twisted genetic experiments on animals.
And that incident nearly drove him crazy.
He had hoped his research would win him the Verities Award, a prestigious honor in veterinary science. However, due to the unethical nature of his research, he was disqualified—pushing him further into madness.
Finally, he went into hiding five years ago, determined to perfect his research and prove everyone wrong.
"Apologies. I knocked, but the door was open, so I entered," the mysterious figure said with subtle voice modulation.
"Clearly, no one told you that an unlocked door isn't an invitation to enter," Animo said while shaking his head for forgetting to lock the front door, not really interested in why the man was masked or why his voice didn't sound normal. "Now get out! You're disturbing me."
As the unhinged doctor was about to go back to his animals and completely ignore the visitor, the monkey-masked man reached for his attention once again.
"Dr. Aloysius James Animo… I've come to make you an offer. Believe me, I'm not here to get your goat," the mysterious man said suddenly. "I'm from an organization that welcomes someone with your particular set of skills."
"Not here to get my goat, you say..." Dr. Animo Pondered for a while. "Interesting choice of... words." He said, before returning the bullfrog to its cage. "You must be an animal lover like me."
"They do fascinate me, like most living beings do." The mysterious man replied with a nod of his head. "I'm a firm believer that life… no matter the adversity it faces, it always finds a way."
Dr. Animo gave him a wide smile. "Apologies for my previous rudeness. I'm so often interrupted that I can occasionally lose control. And I must say, it's been a while since I last spoke with another man of science. Please, elaborate further on your offer."
"I will be straight with you Doc, my organization is beyond puzzled as to how someone with your resume of achievements has escaped its radar for so long." the masked man said, retrieving a phone from his coat and handing it to the doctor.
"Our offer is to provide you with the necessary funds and facilities to aid you in your research, in return you will sign a first-look contract with us. Of course, you will still receive all the accolades and admiration a genius of your caliber deserves, but we will be expecting you to present every idea of yours to us first."
"Do I look like someone who needs backing?" Dr. Animo asked, this time with less aggressiveness in his voice. "You see, I'm nothing if not resourceful and crafty."
"But that's exactly the point of my visit." The mysterious man stated. "Alone by yourself, you've already gone this far. Just imagine what new discoveries you might accomplish with the best equipment that even money cannot buy and with a steady supply of test subjects. Besides…" The mysterious man grabbed another thing from his trench coat's pocket. "Consider this a sign of good faith."
Dr. Animo widened his eyes in surprise at the site of a gold-colored glass flask award. "It is… it is the…"
"The very same Verities Award trophy that should've been yours." The mysterious man replied as he handed it to the shocked doctor.
"My organization has the necessary connections for not only acquiring this trophy for you but also cleaning everything regarding your sudden disqualification five years ago."
"I-I…" The Doctor muttered as the years he spent isolated perfecting his work seemingly returned to him. "I thank you for this, it means a great deal to me."
"Don't mention it. And please, just call me Mister Monkey." The mysterious figure replied as he moved to leave the place.
"You should be receiving a more formal invitation through that phone I gave you. If for some reason you still end up deciding to not work with us, I still wish you farewell Doc." The man stopped.
"Oh, and don't worry about your rent, the last six months have already been paid. Consider it one last incentive, We are really interested in doing business with you."
As he was left alone, the mad scientist with delusions of grandeur finally stopped to consider his current situation and for the first time decided that it was time to change.
He had potential for much more and it was finally time that others came to realize it as well.
He had been discredited, disgraced, and tossed aside. Everything that he had up to that moment accomplished and worked so hard for was passed off as he was thrown off.
But years later, he not only gained an ally, but he could also gain everything he lost and more. All his achievements would be acknowledged, he would regain his credibility.
"Mister monkey, huh? What an intriguing individual." Dr. Animo said, in one of his brief moments of feeling sentimental, not understanding why he felt that he could trust an unknown person.
That night, he received a call from the organization.
After discussing equipment and facilities, it was decided: that a new lab would be ready in three months. For now, he'd work in a temporary location.
Having reached an agreement Dr. Animo began packing the things he would need for working elsewhere.
He placed some sort of helmet on his suitcase that looked like it was made from a pasta strainer and other parts. It had two antennae-like protrusions on it and a strap on the bottom of it.
Dr. Animo also placed some sort of strap that would go over his vest with some sort of dial at the strap that connected it.
"My Transmodulator!" Animo remarked to himself. "Phase number one creates and accelerates mutations at the genetic level." he mused with a grin. "I can't wait to test its limits... and reach phase two."
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Hey there! Thanks for reading my work! I hope this chapter is to your liking. Sorry if you expected more details. Also sorry if you felt it was still too much detail.
If these chapters are a mess of grammatical errors, please point it out and I will try to fix it.
Thanks as always for your time, hope you have a fantastic day and please stay safe.