Frederick had come to know the crimson-eyed man as Luke Sanguine. On Damien's signal, Luke appeared to stand in the four corners of the room simultaneously.
He was moving across the room so fast that it seemed he was in four different places at the same time.
At first, he thought it was something in the drugs the doctor had injected into his IV messing with his head, but he'd quickly dismissed that notion when Luke began to hoist up the bed on which he lay.
He'd agreed to Damien's terms, and shortly after, he was moved out of the hospital.
" Where are you taking me?" Frederick asked as they wheeled him out of the hospital.
" Somewhere where we will be able to cure you."
The van in which he was being transported arrived at a remote facility that the McAllister Foundation operated. Damien and Luke escorted him as the scientists led him to the huge underground chamber.
In the underground, several huge tanks stood spanning from the ground to the ceiling of the underground chamber.
" Lord Damien, it's a pleasure to have you here, sir."
"The pleasure is all mine, Dr Manfred. Frederick, I believe you're already acquainted with Dr Manfred." Damien said with a smile. Frederick slowly shook his head. " No wonder you were hellbent on me accepting your proposition."
Dr Manfred turned out to be the old doctor from the hospital.
" Dr Manfred is the head scientist of the McAllister Foundation. Our scientists, under his leadership, have developed a unique substance that we believe can cure your condition. They've dubbed it Nexus fluid." Damien explained.
" Dr Manfred, if you would."
"Nexus fluid is something that we developed by diluting a special crystal from a dimension we call the Dark world or Tenebris. The fluid has special alchemical and medicinal properties that, theoretically speaking, should be able to rejuvenate your body's cells, make them more tenacious, thus boosting your immune system beyond what's humanly possible, and cleanse your body's systems of the malfunction, the cancer, that's slowly killing you.
Frederick grinned.
" Honestly, doc, this all sounds like straight out of a fairy tale, but I'll play along for now.
What do I have to do?"
" Nothing, except for staying alive, at this point anyway ." Dr Manfred said with a grin.
" The suit you'll be wearing will allow us to monitor your vital signs. Once that's done, we'll place you into one of the tanks and fill it with Nexus fluid. We estimate the whole process should take around six hours, and you should be as good as new. "
Frederick slowly shook his head. He contemplated the things he was hearing.
"Honestly, it seems the whole world has gone mad, but since that's the case, I might as well go cuckoo with it too. I'll be in your capable hands, doc. Do what you have to do."
Frederick was wheeled into one of several compartments that housed the enormous tanks.
Two nurses entered and helped him out of the wheelchair.
"Now, now, ladies, be gentle with me," Frederick said with a quirky grin. Inwardly, Frederick was a little scared. He had never heard of this kind of treatment before. And Damien has also mentioned something about the recovery depending on him.
" Shit, shit, shit,"
The nurses helped him out of his hospital gown. The cancer had ravaged his body relentlessly. He had grown thinner; he could literally see some of his ribs poking out. The nurses stripped him and helped him don a slim-fitting body suit.
" Not bad if I do say so myself."
Dr Manfred entered the chamber with Luke.
" What's next, doc? "
" Once we put you in the Nexus chamber and you're exposed to the fluid, your body's metabolism will skyrocket. Think of it as a war, your body's normal cells versus the rogue cancerous cells."
The doctor explained
" In this case, the Nexus fluid is your body's ally and will eliminate the threat. Your body's cells that have been competing with the cancerous cells in your body will suddenly have no competitor, and your body will need to repair itself. Once we're sure all the cancerous cells have been dealt with, we'll reattach you to an IV and infuse you with vital nutrients that your body will need after such a long and arduous battle. We'll lower you back into the Nexus fluid to accelerate the healing process, and you should be as good as new."
Silence filled the room. Frederick studied the doctor for a while.
After what felt like an eternity, Frederick asked.
"So how long do you estimate the whole procedure will take?"
" From our current data, we estimate roughly six hours."
"Alright then, let's do it."
One of the nurses wheeled him up the ramp on which the tank stood.
" The fancy suit you're wearing will help monitor your life signs, heartbeat, temperature, and observe the effect of the Nexus fluid on your body. It's also quite elastic, so it should endure any changes your body undergoes."
Dr Manfred pressed a button, and the ground reverberated beneath them.
" Earthquake?"
"No," The nurse turned his wheelchair around. The glass sides of the tank were slowly descending into the ground.
The orderly wheeled him onto the cushioned platform and gently lay him down. He didn't flinch as the nurse attached IV tubes to both of his arms.
"We will start pumping the nutrients in through the tubes once your body is cleared of cancerous cells."
The ground shook as the glass chamber rose once more.
Frederick could almost hear his heart pumping thunderously in his chest.
" Frederick, I'll be exiting the chamber now so that I can closely monitor your vital signs. Luke here will keep you company throughout the procedure."
Luke offered him a small smile and continued to stand nonchalantly with his arms crossed behind his back.
A sparkling, crystalline liquid with a dark tint bubbled up from the soft platform of the chamber. It slowly rose until it reached his neck.
" Wait, how am I supposed to.."
The fluid covered him completely. He reflexively held his breath as he floated around in the liquid. He lightly tapped against the glass chamber while pointing to his nose and chest.
" Oh, right, you can breathe. Don't worry, the Nexus fluid will not drown you. Just try to breathe, you'll see," Luke said calmly.
Frederick slowly tried to inhale, and to his amazement, the fluid didn't choke him as he had expected. It was a strange experience. The fluid seeped into his nose and mouth, but he wasn't drowning.
Luke chuckled slightly, with amusement written all over his face, then went to take a seat next to the wall.
Frederick could feel the fluid slowly seeping into his body through the pores of his skin. After some time, his body began to tremble, subtly at first, then more violently. The spasms were erratic and agonizing. He opened his mouth in a soundless scream as his body convulsed for what felt like an eternity. He could feel subtle movements within him. It felt like countless insects were crawling across his skin. A red mass began to ooze out of every pore of his skin; it came out of his skin, his mouth, his nose, and his eyes. The agony was excruciating. The nexus fluid now had a slightly reddish tinge to it.
His eyes widened as he realized the water was returning to its crystalline colour. Luke stood up and suddenly materialized in front of the tank.
"What you're seeing are the remnants of the cancer that was slowly killing you," He gently explained.
"It's insidious, really. The Nexus fluid is cannibalizing it whilst augmenting your body, changing its structure to be able to withstand it and any other kind of disease. The shrapnel should also be taken care of now. You could say you're now immune to cancer." Luke said with a grin.
Frederick's mouth opened in shock.
"Does this mean I'm cured?" He silently thought.
" Oh, brace yourself, your body may be healed, but the entire process means you're quite famished, though you may not know it. They'll be feeding you now."
Frederick gasped as twin hypodermic needles pierced in arms from within the suit, and another shimmering fluid slowly flowed into his body.
Suddenly, he felt more alive than he'd been in years; his muscles surged beneath his skin, and he felt his bones lengthen, becoming stronger. His spine arched sharply as he gained a few more inches. The shock of the sudden change made him pass out. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Luke's smiling face, his eyes glowing with ethereal light in the dimly lit chamber.
"Where am I? What happened?"
Frederick slowly stirred; he found himself lying in a bed in a white gown. His eyes widened as the memories of the last few hours resurfaced in his mind.
He quickly sat up, glancing at his muscular arm. He reflexively flexed his fingers, feeling as though he could crush rock with his bare hands. The door opened and Dr Manfred entered with Luke closely following behind him.
" You're finally awake," The doctor said with a smile.
" How do you feel?"
Frederick's eyes brimmed with vitality.
" Like a new man. For the first time in what feels like an eternity, I truly feel alive. Listen, doc, I'm truly grateful to you. You were right. It's thanks to you that I'm alive right now."
He got off the bed and stood up, lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. He dropped down and did a few push-ups, then transitioned to a planche hold.
" Careful now, don't do anything reckless, you're still human, you're just feeling the effects of having spent a prolonged period of time in the Nexus fluid."
Frederick got up with a frown.
"So what was all that talk about making me superhuman about?"
" Patience, Frederick," Luke said, stepping forward. Frederick was a hardened veteran, but he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Luke's lips curled into a sinister smile. " That's where I come in."