Chapter 10 - 10 - Escape (Part 1)

After the carnage and fear-inducing mayhem, in a corner furthest away from the glass wall, the sounds of bones breaking, and the munching of flesh could be heard. The devoid of light and the destroyed equipment made sure that Dr. Frida couldn't get any visuals from the room. Still, through the microphones planted deeper into the ceiling, she could listen in as the monstrous entity that took control over Lucien's body was still digesting the body of the guards.

Although most of the scientific apparatus has been turned into rubble, there were still a few sensors active that kept providing an invaluable stream of data to the doctor woman's screen.

Despite being the horrific show that went down right in front of her eyes, she wasn't shocked, she hasn't experienced any trepidation. On the contrary, she was elated, she was brimming with delight.

"This…" She muttered as she kept reading the numbers flowing through his screen, almost at the point of unable to believe her very eyes. "This is… groundbreaking! Historic! Whatever is inside 03, is the key I need to complete my research! We need to investigate, I need to dig down to the source!" She lamented.

From the readings, it was clear that someone or most likely something took control of the boy's body. Lucien was merely a host to an organism, a parasite, or maybe a virus… Whatever it was, it was powerful, most likely alien…

The abilities it showcased were out of this world. To say that it was supernatural would be an understatement.

"That rapid regenerative trait... It was capable of mending not just the skin tissue, but even the flesh. It could alter the muscle mass, probably to the cellular level… And that speed! He was basically flashing throughout the room at lightning speeds! He was even faster than 02…" She kept muttering, as her eyes further examined the monitor.

She grabbed her chin, gently squeezing it. Her brows furrowed, as she continued to process the events.

"I can't be certain but from the numbers, it can probably be safely stated that all of his attributes have spiked. Not just the speed, but his strength seemed to have received a massive burst. After all, he easily shredded both guards to pieces… However, that could also be attributed to those strange claws he grew from his left arm… The reinforced kevlar was like butter against a hot knife… Hmm…"

Trying to think back to the transformation, revelation suddenly hit him, she exclaimed.

"That black substance, that strange fluid! It must be the source! Right before he transformed, the veins turned to the very same color, and they seemed to carry something, coalescing towards the mutilated stump! That must be it! I need a sample from that!"

Sure, that she found the root cause of the change, the strange alien organism inhabiting with the boy, she reached for the pockets in her lab coat. She wanted to call up Mr. Jacobson, the Director, and Founder, her boss, and inform him about everything that happened.

However, before she could do so, suddenly red lights lit up in the dark and now-silent room. At the same time, the sirens in the facility started to wind up blustering blaring sounds of a critical threat throughout the facility.

A moment later, the very phone she was searching for began to ring in the lower right pocket of her lab coat. Quickly grabbing it, she pushed on the green 'Accept Call' button.

As soon as she did so, a loud yell came from the other side. The voice of an angry man could be heard, if not for the continuous, deafening sounds of sirens, outside the room as well.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, WOMAN?!"

Instantly recognizing the voice even as the caller was stated as 'Unknown' the usually haughty tone of Dr. Frida, turned docile, subservient.

"Ehrm, Mr. Jacobson, sir. May I ask, what is happening? I was conducting an experiment when-"

Before she could finish, the man on the other side, Mr. Jacobson cut her off.

"Don't even try to lie to me! I know you enough to understand your methods. Since your research was critical to our plans, I didn't bother with your little torture chamber down there. I allowed you to play with your 'little toys', the subjects you gathered from various places of the world… But now… You have gone too far!"

Confused about what he was talking about, the bespectacled woman gazed over to the screen once again, and immediately turned silent, realizing the reason for his calling. The previously endless inflow of data halted, the sensors couldn't pick up anything from the room.

Just to have no doubts about what could have happened, the metal doors in the room were wide open, deep claw marks showing the signs as they were forcefully pried apart.

The subject, the key to her research, the boy, Lucien Shaw, or probably the entity that was still controlling him has escaped from the room.

"What the… How?!?!" She muttered, forgetting that she was still on call with her boss on the other end of the line.

"Ah, you have just realized?! What the hell!! YOUR EXPERIMENT HAS ESCAPED, WREAKING HAVOC IN THE FACILITY! He hasn't left the facility yet, our men are currently engaged with him."

Realizing what his words meant, Dr. Frida's face paled. For the first time, shock and trepidation appeared, replacing her usual smug outlook. Stuttering, she immediately yelled into the phone.

"N-NO! Don't kill the subject! Sir! We need him to-" However just like previously she was cut short.

"I. DO NOT. CARE! That... 'thing' or the 'subject' as you are calling it, will be put down. He is too dangerous, you clearly can't control him. Also, just to confirm, what happened to the guards stationed outside his room?!"

"Sir... don't kill him! We need him for the res-" Dr. Frida tried again, only for the line to be cut off mid-way her sentence. Clearly, the Director wasn't interested in what she had to say, he was adamant in resolving the situation in the most effective way possible.

Dr. Frida was in a state of panic right now. She was uncertain of what she should be doing. She had to do something, she couldn't let her lifetime of research go to waste, but at the same time she couldn't go against the guards, they wouldn't listen to him. After all, they were the Director's private elite force.

'What to do… what to do…' Stressed out, she wrecked her brain trying to come up with a solution. She had to save 03, he was hers, and hers alone! She needed him, or to be more precise, what was inside of him!

She glanced over the screen where the data was flowing restlessly just a few moments ago. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. A solution dawned on her, a method that will most likely severe her ties and relationship with the Director and the Facility… However, that didn't matter. This would ultimately ensure the safety of the boy, even if he were to escape as a result of that.

Still, that would still give her a chance to meet him later and gather that much-needed sample…

With the decision made, she picked up her trusty tablet from the desk, and turned to leave her office…

---

A few moments ago, back in the demolished, dark lab room…

Long since finished with his 'meal', Lucien's body had successfully absolved all the mass into his body, regenerating all the suffered damage, minus his lost right arm. If one would take a look at his new look, he or she would be surprised to see that the boy's previously thin body was now slightly taller and healthier. A few pounds of muscle have been formed, giving him a lean, toned look.

After his restoration and enhancements, Lucien had easily managed to escape the room he was forced to reside in by tearing up the metal doors where the guards came in just a few minutes ago. He ran through the facility at blurring speeds like an animal, on all fours, in search of an exit. In his wake he rampaged, slaughtering all the frantic guards in his wake with relative ease as he flashed from corner to corner unobstructed. With every dispatched guard, Lucien's viral appendage, which was in place of his lost right frontal limb assimilated its victims with haste, wasting no time as the guards took every opportunity to fire upon him. Their orders which they received from the director directly was to stop this menace at all costs. They did not need to pull any punches, the order was simple: Kill on Sight.

Even then, most of their attempts ended with futility as the entity controlling Lucien's body evaded most of the incoming artillery.

Closing in on his exact location, Lucien could be seen running along the walls of one of the many facility halls. Approaching a group of guards crouched behind a small barricade they formed from some laboratory equipment, they fired their rifles as soon as the monster entered their sights. A heavy spray of bullets was launched from multiple weapons simultaneously at Lucien whilst he drew closer.

One of the guards separated from the group and went on one knee, throwing a massive cannon-like device over his shoulder, aiming at the rapidly moving Lucien through the self-targeting scope of the device.

Lucien noticed this and abruptly increased his acceleration to dispatch the newest threat before he could fire this newly emerged weapon, jumping through the air at alarming speeds towards him. However, despite his greatly enhanced agility, he was too late; the guard managed to fire the shouldered weapon, allowing a large projectile to escape from the now steaming muzzle of the cylindrical-shaped weapon. The projectile spiraled through the air as it swiftly closed the gap between the monstrous entity that was Lucien and the guard itself.

Caught in a disadvantageous situation as he was still in the air, within moments the large projectile slammed into his body with extreme force, prompting an explosion that almost encompassed the entire hallway.

The blustering blast blew Lucien's body back into the opposite end of the corridor from the barricaded guards, heavily denting the steel-lined walls of the facility on impact.. Witnessing the projectile making contact, the guard tossed the large device to the side as it was only a single-fire weapon and pulled out his firearm.