A man in a decontamination suit stood over a petrie dish, watching through a microscope as a virus rapidly took over a human tissue sample.
All about the lab behind him, several men and women in similar suits did similar activities.
The room was sterile, just as he had designed. He was afterall, the team lead in this group of scientists. With his groundbreaking research into viruses, diseases and genetics. He had become the single most important individual in regards to their experiments under the lands of Stolzenburg ,Germany.
' hm... it's taken but it's still too much for human cells to take successfully ' Cole P evergreen, the lead of this base, watched as a blood red cell quickly latched onto a sample of human blood, an quite quickly devoured, assimilated and replicated the blood cells.
He swiped the dish away and stored it in a locked chamber, before turning away and moving to the next scientist to observe their work.
" Ser ... " Veronica , a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped to the side, allowing him to look at her work.
" Hm ... the mold is growing at a steady rate... prepare for human cell interaction, see if you can't get them to interact symbiotically " He gave the go ahead for the woman to continue before moving on.
One by one, he moved through the lab, keeping a keen eye on the only entrance to the base, whilst looking over a man extracting a viral sample from what appeared to be a sample.
" Remind me ... what day is it ... I've been holed up here too long " Cole turned to a young man at his side, whom was currently sealing the flower away now that he had extracted what they sought.
"April thirtieth ... ser " Cole paused, squinting slightly as his shielded face remained hidden.
" I see ... continue on " With that, he turned away and leisurely made his way back to his station, beginning to reach through and grab the paperwork stored within, placing every piece of paper into a neat stack. He then reached for a singular photo which contained a photo of the team members, and the soldiers stationed around the base.
He grabbed the petrie dish containing the red and black cells, placing it next to the papers as he began to pack everything away.
Behind him, the group of scientists continued their work without noticing his actions.
' Hm ... ' He looked over his shoulders, in the distance, through the decontamination chamber, he could hear hurried footsteps followed by many more behind. ' I see ... it's cleanup time I suppose '
His hand snaked out as the only door to the chamber blew open as the youngest of their group rushed in without even wearing his suit.
" The Fuhrer... He's dead " Frederick barged into the room, the door sliding shut behind him as a group of soldiers entered the chamber of the otherside. " The military, they're gunning down everyone, they want us to prepare to disembark "
' So there is plans for us to continue 'Cole mused as the scientists about took a whole five seconds to understand before turning and beginning to pack their own things.
His hand snaked around a gas line, and with a gentle squeeze, tore a small crack in the like as it began to leak fumes into the air at a slow rate. He then placed his petrie dish right next to the line before going along with the others and packing their stuff just as the soldiers exploded into the room, barking orders for them to pack up and get ready to leave.
" Inside " Cole instructed his team as he held open a attache case, where the scientists placed their research materials, the flower and the extracted sample, the mold and several others along with papers within before he sealed it.
" We leave now " Cole announced, as he handcuffed the case and the materials within to his own arm. The soldiers giving him a respectful nod as they pressed a button that opened both doors of the decontamination shower, allowing them to walk straight out.
With two soldiers following behind him, Cole gave a final glance back at the stack of papers and photo he had left, the petrie dish and the gas leak, before chuckling softly and officially following after his team.
They made their way through the base, up an elevator shaft and to the surface level, watching as soldiers gunned down the non essential residents and test subjects enmasse, all the while they were escorted through and out the front doors of the base, until ...
" Hm .. halt " His voice carried across the snow covered tundra, as the soldiers paused as he stood at the entrance to the laboratory.
His group did the same, turning to him curiously as the soldiers clutched their guns.
" Ser ... " A soldier came up to see what the issue was.
As he did so, had Cole been wearing anything else other than his full body hazmat suit. They would have noticed his hair rapidly turn from blonde to a deep crimson. His brown eyes turning to vibrant blue and his skin colour shifting to a near pale sheet of white.
" There has been a breach " Under the suit, his face changed shape, as what looked like many hundreds of fine tendrils slithered over his body, his jawline strengthening, his nose shrinking to a fine button nose.
Before the scientists could even reacts, the ground rumbled and a gout of flames suddenly exploded from within the base, spewing into the air and swallowing the soldiers and scientists entirely. It wasn't enough to kill them, but certainly was enough to render them immobile as the snow turned black with soot.
As the goat of flame died down, groans of the survivors echoing. A single figure moved within the smoke flowing about.
" Ahh ... " Bits of his hazmat suit fell away as he peeled them off with deft fingers. Sizzling and black skin visibly and rapidly healed itself until it returned to its regular paleness. His skull, which had been burnt away, his hair and flesh melted until nothing but burnt patches remain, rapidly reassembled. As his hair follicles regrew, gumless lips healed over and eyelids opened and shut twice as a low sigh escaped his lips.
" I was never really one for nazi's and their scientists " Cole hissed, a different voice escaping his lips compared to what they had heard earlier as he simply stepped across the burnt grounds towards the group of fallen scientists.
His hazmat suit still somewhat clung to his body, fused somewhat to his flesh he hadn't bothered healing yet.
" Hello veronica " Cole stood over the woman whose unfocussed eyes slowly turned to face him, watching as he leant down and placed a gentle hand through the tears in his suit, gently touching her exposed flesh.
" Ser ... " She recognised him thanks to the briefcase, but his face ... was anything but. The man she knew had been a man of German descent, not this ... stranger with a different face. " What ... happened "
" I have been a liar to you ... " He whispered as he pushed his fingers deeper into the wound until his fingers met fresh blood despite the German woman's gasps and small cries of pain. " I'm not from here ... but that's not for you to worry about anymore "
A singular gasp escaped the woman as suddenly, the hand on her bosum turned from flesh to red and black tendrils that sudden pierced her entire body. And in a single second, devoured her whole body as she exploded into black and red mist, the tendrils turning her into biomass that was absorbed into his body in less than a second.
" Ah..." His male voice cracked and became lighter, his red hair lengthening and turning blonde, his masculine face softening and eyes turning a shade of grey, until finally... Where Cole stood, he now stood as an exact copy of Veronica.
" Ah ... my apologies ser " He tested her mannerisms before moving to Frederick. " I really am ... I did like you lot, but you're worth more to me ... as one with me ... now "
He raised his leg and stamped down on Fredericks face, crushing the man's head before he too exploded into a plume of biomass that was sucked into him, until he too finally turned into Frederick.
" Come on guys, don't be so sad " They watched, terrified yet unable to move as the thing that had been Cole moved over their group one by one, consuming and becoming their teammembers one by one until he finally consumed the last. Until finally, after consuming the scientists and soldiers to the last, he turned back into the redhaired, twenty one year old looking individual known as Cole. Standing nude in the cold, he turned back to the base as he raised his arm towards the blown open front door.
' Hm ... let's just ' He reared his arm back before slinging it forward. His arm turned black and crimson as it morphed into tentacles that overlaped themselves, and speared into the base, tearing into every room... every crevice and every body. Only when he was satisfied everything he needed destroyed was infact, did the tendrils suddenly lurch back until they turned into his regular arm.
" well ... no time like the present, lovely working with you lot " He clapped his hands a singular time, as from his skin morphed a thick jacket and cargo pants, boots forming over his feet as he raised the hoodie constructed from his own biomass over his head to shield himself from the biting cold.
" Lets go ... " He reached down and grabbed the miraculously unharmed attache case, lifted it and simply stepped into the treeline... vanishing into the wilderness long before any sort of investigative team military or otherwise would come looking. Finding no bodies, finding no researchnaterials, just a miraculously abandoned base with it'd entire personnel and test subjects just... gone.
...
1 WEEK LATER
...
' Germany should be signing their terms of unconditional surrender as of ' He looked at a watch on his right arm, tilting his head from side to side. ' Five hours ago '
His lips puckered as he leant back in the recliner, hand straying to the attache case on the passenger seat next to him as the military aircraft he was on flew 10000 feet in the air.
The plane he was on was one of the last to travel from Germany to great Britain for the war, which was why he personally selected it after tweaking the laughably easily doctored passenger list, creating a new fake persona and presenting it to the officials who were more than happy to accept him on board.
As for how he knew this was one of the last military aircraft to leave Germany during this front of the war, well he was a transmigrator of course. With a not so small amount of knowledge and a formidable memory.
' Cole ' As was his original name in his old home, when he went to sleep in his lab, whilst researching a new virus found in a subterranean labyrinth, he miraculously found himself transported to ... this... place.
Specifically the 1940s infact, where after a scuffle with the local military attempting to identify him, found he was no longer ... him ... per se.
When a man he was forced to kill suddenly exploded into biomass and absorbed into him. He gained their memories, their identity, their skills and their knowledge. He gained their body to use as a skin and their biomass only made him stronger. And out of scientific curiosity more than anything else, he used that man's identity and his own knowledge to quickly gain a position of value within the local military which just happened to be the nazi regime.
He played ball, but never agreed to or participated in their ... acts. Instead they gave him free reign to do what he wanted, when he suggested the desire to research virus's and genetics ... they gave him a lab hidden away and a team to do as he wanted.
He did what he could to save people without outing himself, but his focus what was going on with his own body. And so under the guise of viral research, had the team investigate just whatever it was that was in him could do.
And it was alarming. It could absorb any foreign biomass, organic, and non organic and replicate it perfectly. It could be viral if he wantedbto spread it, It could alter its own genome and genetic structure to create new sequences, allowing it to modify itself instantly on the fly. It could alter RNA to force latent Junk DNA to be repurposed and altered many times over and over ... endless evolution.
' Endless evolution ... the final purpose of all life on earth ' Cole chewed his lips as he tapped the briefcase, full of discoveries the nazis had made and brought to him in the hopes of assisting his research.
' A flower from Africa... and a fungal sample from Romania... these didn't exist back home ... I'm sure of it ' He squinted in thought ad his finger rapped the case absent-mindedly. His next plan , investigate the strange discrepancies in time that he was suspicious of and identify the threat they posed to him, and then plan accordingly.
And so he hoped to go to great Britain and re-establish himself, seeing as nobody knew of him, he planned to continue on now that his research into his own body had successfully concluded ... and the evidence was destroyed.... he was, for all intents and purposes ... a ghost in the machine.
He watched the airport approach, where several military aircraft were landing and important individuals were being offloaded and brought back into the country.
' Alright ... here we go ' The plane lowered to the tarmac, shuddering slightly as others taken by the regime as prisoners , POW's, of which one he was pretending to be, were shuttled off the plane and onto the runway below, where lines of soldiers were ready to meet them and begin identifying them.
He stood in line, carrying a rucksack and several other belongings with the attache case, as he came up to a sergeant manning one of the lines.
" Welcome back soldier " The sergeant spoke tersely, his sunken cheeks amd bags under his eyes speaking volumes of just what he had been through in the war.
" Good to be back sergeant " Cole shook the sergeant's hand as the superior quickly processed his return papers, writing on the ledger his name and paperwork as the chaos made it easy for him to pretend to be one such soldier returning.
And when that was done, he was allowed onto a Jeep, and driven to be processed and allowed ' back' into the country.
As his paperwork was being finished, ready to be inserted into the general documents of the populous, having successfully returned to be a POW, the soldier standing behind the desk to which he stood looked up at him and asked.
" Before you go, where should we send you, our duties include providing assistance for our returning brothers, especially those ... less fortunate " Afterall, according to them, Cole was an orphan before joining the fight against the Nazi's before he was captured and imprisoned. With no family or background, this was by far the simplest and easiest way to break into Britain without simply consuming someone. Which none of these young men around him deserved.
" University ... I want to study " He whispered softly, with the soldier giving him a sympathetic look and a silent nod.
" Here ... your pay ... if you're able to go to the orphanage they'll most likely have your wartime pay sorted away for when you return... there will be several CRU facilities around to help if you ever feel like it, welcome home soldier " Cole took the paper and exchanged a salute with the man, giving a half heart and tired smile inresponse before finally being allowed to leave the military depot ... and into larger Britain.
" Oh ... before you go, there's a grant for those returning for housing and education, please check in to sign yourself up, I think it'll be quite beneficial for you if you want to go to university... " The young man, whom looked like he'd never seen a day of war in his life, looked at Cole with the same stare one would give a lost dog.
" Thank you "
....
Weeks later- Univeristy of London
....
Approaching the university and getting himself acquainted with the staff at the front desk that was responsible for on boarding him and many others that had taken the chance for re-education, Cole was shuttled through the large campus with a member of the student union guiding him through the campus.
Given accommodation within the Campbell house featured on campus for students staying on grounds, where he stored his case and few other belongings, he took the time to familiarise himself with the building before reporting to the student union for his timetable.
" Here is the medical sciences buildings, there are four buildings together which you will spend most of your days going between " A young man with brown hair and brown eyes and a thin build gestured to the building he would be spending the vast majority of his time within. " Please follow me "
....
" As you are late to term, professor Penrose is about to start his lecture, please make sure your text books are well maintained and looked after, destruction of school property is strictly forbidden, I won't bore you with the rest of the details, please if you need any further details don't hesitate to reach out to the board ... good day " Cole blinked at the rapid dismissal and fleeing of the young man, whom had barely shown him the campus before making himself scarce.
' Huh ... ball of sunshine that one ... anyway ' Cols turned to the door leading to the theatre where his eugenics teacher would he starting, a legendary figure in the future named Lionel Penrose . Studying the name on the door, Cole smirked slightly as a small plan formed in his mind, as he reached forward and pushed the doors to the classroom open.
Stepping inside with a long stride and a near unapologetic gait, looking at the aspiring Penrose with shrewd eyes.
" You there .. " Penrose turned mid speech to the new arrival, looking the young man up and down.
' Another one ... ' Over and over there would be students unsatisfied with their previous classes and would try their hand in a new field, of which these students he was less than enthused about. He had little time for students that wasted his time... especially one that couldn't show up to class ontime.
" Yes professor " Cole paused, tilted his head to the side slightly, eyes dancing over the crowd of students that looked between him and the professor.
" What do you think is the lead reason one may experience the mental ... deficiency " Lionel penrose hated such a term, the very fact he had to teach eugenics of all things scathed him to no end, but as the chair for the program, he could easily guide its direction... and he planned to do just that. " Known as Schizophrenia "
" There is no definitive reason for a person to develop schizophrenia, but a colluded affect of genetics, brain chemistry and environmental factors are a possible reason for the traits of schizophrenia to activate ... " Cole rattled off his knowledge of the questioned topic, giving Penrose a slow blink as he answered. " There are several genetic markers in the brain that lead to developments of such a neurological disease, such as over working synaptic pruning... there are also over several hundred genetic variations to be listed that may in combination lead to the onset of Schizophrenia, of which I am aware of and can list off of by one and their combinations, but I'm afraid that may ... go over class time... I could write a paper and submit it to you after class professor if that is acceptable " Cole inclined his head apologetically with a sincere smile.
" Your name... and what reason are you late today " Penrose now gave Cole a long hard stare, squinting slightly as he studied the redhaired youth whom didn't look to he any older than nineteen. ' Hm ... an interesting way of thinking '
" Cole evergreen professor, I just enrolled in class today as I recently came back from Germany as a prisoner of war... I thought it be prudent to continue my education ... " Cole approached and gave a note to Penrose, whom took the note, unfolded it and read it over slowly.
" I see ... verywell, from what I see you have a splendid foundation to work upon, however I will require that paper you so generously offered... so I may verify your claims ... " Penrose, half curious about the validity of the students suggestions wished to go over what this young man had suggested, afterall there were many leads and suggestions to follow through with, what's one more.
" Of course professor, it will be ready by the end of class " Cole shook the professors hand before Lionel inclined his head, adjusted his glasses and turned to the rest of the students. " Edward raise your hand "
A young man halfway up the bleachers rose his hand, with brown hair and dark grey eyes, his skin tone was a palid white customary to those that lived in Britain, yet there seemed to be a hint of German heritage within him from what Cole could see.
" There , take a seat beside young Ashford make sure not to disturb the class " Lionel allowed Cole to rise between the steps of rows the students sat between, before He settled himself next to the young heir Ashford.
" Greetings " Cole extended his hand as he sat down, and the curious Ashford shook it with a raised brow. " Well met "
It was then that Ashford noticed Cole only had a basic note taking book on him rather than the course books they were required to study. ' poor chap '
" If you require my textbook I am more than happy to oblige your borrowing it " Ashford half lifted his textbook, ready to hand it over for Cole to take.
" Oh ... no need, I already know everything in the book, it's rather basic actually, I'm just here to be credited with the course " Cole opened his papers and used the penic in hand to begin listing the markers and their make-up that would lead to developing schizophrenia.
" Oh ... " Ashford found it Laughable at best, but as he lifted his chin to gaze at the papers Cole was drafting, he felt his mouth go dry. A list of markers with numbers and placements were listed in long combinations with the chances of inducing schizophrenia with tabs referring to other listed markers that in combination raised chances significantly.
" Whats twenty two q eleven point two " Ashford asked, picking out what seemed to be one of the larger risks for schizophrenia.
" Oh... " Cole looked at the numbers present. " It's a small part of chromosome twenty two that if damaged, leads to the deletion syndrome of its number which causes several immune deficiencies, heart issues, brain issues,physical deformaties... there's a list really... but it also causes a forty percent rise of developing a rare variant of schizophrenia ... as I said ... there's alot "
" So it wasn't just hot air you were sprouting " As unbelievable as it was, if what Cole was saying was true, ' Then maybe he doesn't need the test book '
Ashfords hands rose to his textbook as he flicked it open. " Where might I find this ... chromosome twenty two defect "
" Oh ... you won't " Cole shrugged, hand scratching at the page under his hands as he continued to list markers. " Not in there anyway "
" And why not ... if there's a book I need to get in order " Ashford stopped as Cole ripped out another piece of paper and began to write down several enzymes, pieces of machinery and processes needed to discover a process of genetic markers mapping known as FISH , that wouldn't be pioneered for another fifty years. " What are you ... "
"It's because it hasn't been ... discovered yet ... Here ... this is the exact process needed to do so ... this allows one to treat and make single stranded DNA strands, allows for a flurescent probe in the DNA to be applied and bound to a specific target. Congratulations , ser Ashford... if you present that paper right there " Cole slapped it down before Ashford who looked at the paper with slowly widening eyes. " To the professor, I'm sure you'll graduate and be given your own lab by days end... "
Hearing that, Ashfords mouth dried, as his hands shook, eyes slowly glossing over the paper before he slowly turned his eyes to the paper Cole was writing within even looming at the page, instead Cole was simply staring at him ... blinking slowly like he hadn't just become the biggest curiosity in this building in Ashfords eyes.
" I ... think I'll leave it to you " Ashford wasn't one to coast off of others success, and so he slid the paper back to Cole, but didn't dare break gaze with the kist of numbers of letters still be written down upon page and page along with their explanations.
By the time the class ended, with students funnelling out, Cole came up to the professors desk with a whole stack of papers in hand, and at the top, the method of FISH used to identify most of these markers. All the whole Ashford simply stared at the back of Cole's head, mulling over several thoughts in his head.
" Here you are professor... I'm sure it'll he quite... enlightening " Cole smiled and placed the thick lot of papers onto the professors desk who didn't even look up from his desk.
" Leave it here, I will go over it when I have time " With that Cole simply inclined his head, wish the professor well and left. Only then did Ashford rise and make his way down to the professor.
" Professor, if I may, may I be prese t while you go over evergreens writing " The brown haired young man wanted to see the teachers reaction, wanting to verify if any of what Cole told him held precedence.
" Verywell take a seat, it'll be some time, be quiet until I'm ready to do so " Ashford took a seat in the front row, flipping open his textbook and beginning self study.
It wasn't until half an hour later where Ashford was watching Lionel, whom finally picked up the first paper, and watched the professor freeze entirely.
' Interesting ' He watched Lionel mumble under his breath for several seconds as he began to sift through the pages of documents, all of which featured lists and lists of genetic markers and research results the likes of which he had never seen so detailed.
And then suddenly, Lionel rose violently, sending his chair back violently as it skidded, all but scooping up the pages in his hands and making a brisk stride towards the doors.
" Professor ... " Edward called out to Lionel , whom froze at the door as if he had forgotten Ashfords presence.
" Oh .. young Edward, you wouldn't happen to know where evergreen is currently studying would you, I.. have ... I need to talk to him about something important " Lionel shuffled slightly, visibly itching to get going.
" I do believe I recall where he said he would be currently... he should still be there, I'll take you to him " Now with his curiosity peaked several fold, he rose with his books and took the lead with the professor barely paying attention to anything other than the pages in his hands.
' Most curious indeed ... ' They rounded a courtyard within the central mass of the medical science buildings, where he saw Cole simply leaning against a tree and staring at the skies.
He watched all hesitation leave the professor as the man all but ran at Cole as soon as he spotted the boy. Near visibly begging him to go with him to verify his claims.
" If you wouldn't mind, may I accompany you professor ... evergreen " The professor suddenly turned with wild eyes after verifying with Cole.
" Yes my boy, this is a day of discovery, with your name backing us ... we're about to make history" Lionel all but dragged Cole away into campus, whilst Ashford blinked at the delirious state of the man he had watched be poised and respected since the day he met him.
' Most curious '
....
CHAPTER COMPLETE
...
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