Lord Shadow

EARTH TWO

A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE SILVER BULLET PROGRAM SUCCESSFULLY ACTIVATED

3 AM

The ringing tone woke me up from my sleep. Slowly I open my eye and rub my forehead. For a few days now, I’ve been experiencing a fever.

Grabbing my right side of the bed, I finally grasp my phone. Looking at the number on the screen, I was shocked.

It was Dr Sasha.

Why would she call me in the middle of the night?

I have a bad premonition about this but nonetheless I pick it up. The moment even before I have the chance to say hello, I was shocked.

Because I heard the screams on the phone and I could hear even explosion. The sounds wake all of my senses as I urge Sasha to speak.

‘Sir, it was a failure. It backfired. Something was wrong with the serum’ the voice was trembling and full of fear.

I could even hear the sobs on the background.

I have heard many tone of voice. And fear is the most common tone of voice I hear when people are dealing with me.

And the tone that Sasha was speaking with him…is fear. Pure and absolute fear.

‘What is it? Tell me what happened.’

‘The Silver… B..u..llet Project, Subject I009 was terminated’

‘What?!! How did this happen?’

‘This morning his reading was normal when suddenly at midnight he went into a berserk state and destroyed the facility and break out from the facility.’

‘But, how can it be terminated?’ Sasha was hesitant to answer but then she answers. First she clams down her breathing and then she summarized the events.

‘Hyperion stops his rampage in the New York Park. A few buildings were destroyed and Subject I009 was terminated as the last resort. The Subject was wearing the uniform of the US army when he was in berserk state so the military is taking a lot of heat from the other countries right now for developing a monster like that.’

Then she waited as Alexander is also shocked and startled.

I close my eyes as I am trying to think.

‘Hide all the files and the vials of the serum.’ This is the only course of action that I could think of to lessen the heat.

Sasha was silent for a while before she said.

‘That’s the thing. All the files and the serum disappeared.’

‘How can that be?’

‘We don’t know. But after the Subject was rampaging and we were trying to contain the situations at the other facilities, we discovered every file we have and every serum we have has disappeared.’

Alex was silent for a while and then he get up from his bed.

‘Send me the footage. I will review it in a moment.’

‘Ok.’ Then they drop the call.

***

KING HOTEL

Alex sighed and then went to the shower. Letting the water washes over him and rejuvenating his body.

Then finished showering he went out, put on some light clothes and then went to his computer and open it.

Then looking at his cloud data project there is a new file added by Sasha.

He opened the file of one of the surveillance recording. First he looks at the transformation of the soldiers into an unrecognizable blue monster. Then Alex looks at the facility surveillance camera.

He then sees something that intrigues him. A coiling electricity.

But he saw it after he slowed the scene to the maximum slowest speed the camera could take and only then he could see something….or someone was there, taking all the vials and the files in a blink of an eyes.

In a flash, all of his files and vials of serum disappeared like it was never there. And then seeing it he was shocked.

Because he once sees this thing before. He has seen this kind of freak phenomenon before. Sees this kind of act before.

Almost similar but different. Then he clicked his tongue and said.

‘A speedster.’

‘Is it him?’ He asks himself but then he shakes his head. It is not him. The Red Speedster is an enemy of Hyperion and was banished from this Earth.

Their battle in the plains of Mongolia has left a weird phenomenon happening around the craters where there will be some portals appearing out of nowhere.

Time also seems to be affected there.

However a few days after the battle Dr Chandra from India manages to create what Alex like to call The Portal Annihilator which closes or more accurately bombed the breaches of other Earths to this Earth.

Alex has always believed there is a connection between Dr Chandra and Hyperion. The only thing he doesn’t have is proof.

Then…another speedster. A speedster that the world doesn’t know about. A speedster that he doesn’t know.

And what he doesn’t know…means there is another variable that he can’t control.

A variable he can’t control means it will be hard for him to make a plan without worrying over this variable.

What Alex was seeing is…..a dot of black lightning.

If this was viewed in some other camera they might not caught this abnormality but Alexander King surveillance camera and security is one of the most advanced in the world.

He could see that bolt of dark lightning and he concluded this…that the perpetrator of this incident is a speedster.

But…..is this speedster an ally of Hyperion?

Or is he someone I can make use of? But before Alex could ponder a bit more, suddenly he could hear a knocking sound.

But it was not coming from the door. Since the door is far away from the bed and everybody knows better than to disturb his sleep.

Then he realizes it was coming from the glass pane. Alex lives in a penthouse high on the hotel.

But hearing a knock from the glass panes means someone was knocking form the outside. And Alex knew only one thing that could do such things.

Alex walked to the glass panes and there he is, waiting for him, floating like an Olympian, looking at him with those impassive eyes, judging him.

Even though the pane was supposed to obstruct other people seeing, but in front of those eyes, it was nothing. He could clearly see Alex as clear as day.

Alex face contorted and then he yelled.

‘IT WAS YOU, WASN’T IT!!!’

Hyperion looks at Alex, not saying anything, passive like a God.

Alex collects back his calmness, staring back at the eyes of this invincible warrior from other Earth and then he said

‘Did you come to gloat? Come to see me in failure? Did you think I would stop? You….are the greatest threat to humanity.’

Hyperion still did not say anything. Only looking at him, almost a pitiful expression on his face.

Alex hated that face. Hated that eyes that seems to be able to see through everything….almost like he could peer through his soul.

He hated it.

‘They might see you as their savior right now….but one day they will see your true color. A beast that they can’t control. Even now, there are people in the Capitol that has begun seeing you as a threat. You keep interfering on this Earth without reason. People in power…..fear you. And that fear will one day spread. You are a storm waiting to happen.’

Hyperion closes his eyes but then he opens it back.

‘Alexander King’ He said calmly.

Even though he was outside and they were separated by the glass pane that is even able to block gunshot and was soundproof, Alexander could still hear his voice almost like he was beside him, talking to his ears.

‘I have been patient with you. I have been merciful to you. All of your plans and plots and scheme have always been foiled by me. I thought that if you suffer that many failures you would stop. It is true…that you are quiet an obstinate guy. I underestimated your obsession’

‘I AM NOT OBSESSED WITH YOU!!’ Alexander yelled. Hyperion did not respond. Then looking at Alexander his eyes was glowing.

‘You will not want me as your enemy. Your worries are not unfounded….but believe me when I said…your world is not what I’m after. I did not come here to become your overlord. Or to be worshiped. I did what I did because I need to do it. I will keep saving people. And if you got in my way…..I will destroy you. This is my last warning’

Hearing this Alexander was shocked. Then Hyperion continued

‘I am not some savior. Or a demon. Or some kind of paragon of virtue of truth and justice. I have nothing to do with your earth. One day, I will leave this earth and I don’t need you making it harder for me to leave. I am not your enemy, Alexander King. The reason why I’m telling you this is because….what you have been attempting to do, using my blood to create a weapon of war against me will instead bring more trouble to your earth than my existence. Do you think I do not kill? Do you think I’m not incapable of killing? I’m not a hero…King. Neither are you. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. This crusade is not about me. It is not about ridding the world its greatest threat. This is about you….killing a God. You put me in a pedestal and you fear me. Because…you don’t know what I am….and you never will. I will say this for the last time. Don’t…do it again. Or…. there will be war.’

Then saying what he needed to say, Hyperion flies away and disappeared in a matter of seconds.

Alexander just looks at the disappearing figure of Hyperion and in his eyes there is only a determination. Determination to see this to the end.

***