[2009 – October]
"Forcefully awaken mutant potential … ", Emma repeated quietly, her crystal gaze becoming thoughtful as I could see the gears in her head turning.
I wasn't sure what exactly she was thinking about but she certainly wasn't having some sort of moral epiphany.
I could only guess that she thought that being able to awaken the latent abilities in mutants, that had not yet come to light naturally, would be of great benefit to her pursuit of power and influence as she could bolster her forces quickly through such a method.
Personally, I was unfazed in the face of these human experimentations, there was no anger born out of some sort of moral outrage in my heart. I had much more worthwhile things to do than to be offended and angered by everyone that maliciously harmed others for their own gain.
Death and suffering were part of the 'cycle', as were life and joy, and I had no intention of trying to interfere with the natural way of the world even if these experiments seemed inhuman and vile, just so that I could tell myself that I had done 'good'.
I had no plans to pose as a judge and executioner in some senseless attempt to do 'justice'.
Naturally, that was only the case as long as those I cared about weren't affected.
I had no problems reaping life if it served to protect those that I considered my family.
In this case, my interest was drawn to the new unfamiliar presence because I also felt something else from him that was much more special than the fact that his mutant abilities had been awakened through the injection of a drug.
Pondering for a moment as I kept my gaze directed in the distance, my Farsight allowed me to see what would otherwise be hidden from my eyes due to distance and clay bricks, steel, and concrete.
Addressing Emma, I said: "I will be back in a moment."
Not waiting for her answer, I dispersed my physical into black smoke as I tore open the path to the Darkforce Dimension and fused into it like a drop of water returning to the sea, before reappearing in front of a rundown-looking warehouse somewhere near the East River, my body reforming with but a thought.
A ripple of formless and imperceptible energy surrounded my figure like a cloak as I simply walked forward and ignored the solid brick wall, my body shifting into a different layer of space through an ethereal barrier.
The insides of the rather large building stood in stark contrast to the outside, which made it clear that the facade was purposefully kept in a dilapidated state to throw off curious eyes.
There were a few people going about their business in a rather disciplined manner, making me understand that this was not just a group of opportunists. Still, they were just humans so they had no way to take note of my presence if I didn't allow it, as I used my ethereal barrier to shield myself from their perception and the surveillance system.
My senses sharpened as I released them from their suppressed state, a myriad of different noises, smells, and tastes being transmitted to my brain through my nervous system as I analyzed my surroundings for a second.
…
Sharp bitter sweat and chemicals.
"Subject seven shows promise. Convulsions are nearly gone, vitals are within acceptable range."
"Subjects three, eight, eleven, and seventeen failed to adapt to the drug and died as a consequence of a neural overload … "
Coppery blood. Decay. Death.
"How many new test subjects did you manage to acquire?"
"Seven, Sir."
"Hmm … Get another five in two days, we have orders to speed up the research. Tell Dr. Marshall that I want results. Dismissed."
"Understood. Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
Clear machine oil, gunpowder, cold sterilized metal.
"NghH!"
"Argh-!"
Heavy breathing, muffled screams.
…
Engaging my Body Supremacy again a few moments later, my physical perceptions turned into something more human again as my thoughts moved, the information and different impressions processed in just an instant.
Shadows flickering in my eyes, I understood that this was a small secret Hydra base through the pieces of conversations that I had picked up. It seemed that they were kidnapping people to use as test subjects for their experiments.
They were by far not the only ones to do something like this so I wasn't too surprised, even though I hadn't expected to come into contact with Hydra so soon.
Setting aside those thoughts, I moved forward, passing through reinforced walls without any problems until I reached a large room with several beds to which people were strapped.
Most of them seemed unconscious, though some were awake and moaning in discomfort and pain.
Still, not a ripple appeared in my heart as I was unaffected by their suffering.
It wasn't that I didn't feel empathy for them, because I did. It was just that empathy alone was not enough to incite me to help them. If it was, I would long since have banished all crime in the city.
Following my senses, I approached a bed on which a middle-aged Asian man lay and I could feel the budding Darkforce emerging in his body, slowly corroding his mind and soul even while he was sedated.
Even as a mutant, it was impossible for a normal mortal to withstand the corrosive nature of Darkforce.
Though I could also sense a tenacious and pure source of 'living light' in his body that dauntlessly defended part of his mind, countering the Darkforce perfectly.
Without a doubt, this was Lightforce, a force of energy that represented the perfect counterpart of Darkforce. I had vaguely sensed the presence of this force the moment that the man had awakened his connection to my realm, which was why I was here.
Curious, my Extrasensory Perception focused on the emerging Lightforce for a few moments before I exerted a bit of mental strength to force reality to bend to my will through an ethereal barrier and drew out a trace of Lighforce from the man, capturing it in my palm.
I knew that only by understanding one's weaknesses could one overcome them. And while Lightforce didn't really fall into the category of 'weaknesses' since my shielding powers could immunize me to its influence, I still understood that it would be beneficial to take a good look at this 'living light'.
Looking at the trace light that hovered above my palm, enveloped by one of my shields, I moved it into the Darkforce Dimension without deactivating the shield so that I could examine this energy force more closely at a later date.
Following this, I once again looked at the man's face which was not particularly memorable.
Still, even with the incomplete understanding that I had of the different comic book timelines, I remembered that there was only one man that could control both Lightforce and Darkforce, even combining the two to become a unique existence.
I was sure that I was looking at the man that would be known as Mister Negative.