Chapter 32

April 1st, 1723. Father has been chosen as the new Grandmaster. With his first act, he forbade me from studying magic on the shite excuse that since I was Grandmaster’s disciple, my magic is corrupt. He also married me off to Kiru Sangsanoy, a boy from one of the seven great Mage families. Handed me over to another, as if that would keep me in line. He's also placed me under supervision, to ensure I did not try to escape. Did he think I’d sit back and allow him to do this to me? Father must not know anything about me, at all. I’ve given up trying to please him, the first change I get I'm leaving this place.

January 1st, 1730. It's been five years since I left Albacore city, leaving my husband and my father behind. For five years I've immersed myself into the element of fire, doing this has allowed me to become more intimate with the element. But today I’ve made a shocking discovery. Only a small sliver of magic resides on our planet. When absorbing energy from the world energy diagram, part of it is drawn from the magic energy on this world, the rest comes from the NetherRealm. I’ve managed to establish a link with the NetherRealm, with this link my magical power has progressed by leaps and bounds. I’m finally as strong as the inquisitors.

December 9th, 1801. I’ve decided to do it. I’ve been struggling with it for decades now but today, I’ve finally summoned up the courage. I will enter the NetherRealm, and explore that other world. Each time I absorb world energy, I feel that essence that seeps from the NetherRealm call to me, I feel drawn to it. I’ll be taking a step no other human has taken before. To return to the world we’ve separated from centuries ago… I’m excited to find out what exists on the other side.

…

“Patient number three eighty-seven is prepped father.” A blue-haired man said respectfully.

He was standing before a tall white man with a pin-striped suit. “What did I tell you about calling me father at the lab?” Mendell said looking at his son. When his son remained quiet, Mendell continued. “Here, you’re not my son, you’re just John, the scientist. Do you understand?”

“Yes Doctor Mendell.”

“Good.”

Mendell looked down at the patient before him. “This one was a success as well.”

Johnathan flinched when he heard that. “But fa—Doctor Mendell, this is the president’s daughter.” He said with a voice full of alarm.

“So?” Mendell looked over at his son. “Here she is just another experiment.”

Mendell walked past his son who stood there, eyes glued to the young girl lying on the table. Father has no boundaries. How can he experiment on someone as high-profiled as this? Johnathan thought to himself.

Mendell entered a room with another patient strapped on a table. When Mendell saw this patient, he couldn’t help but reveal a smile. “Ah, it’s refreshing to see another Doctor in the house.” Mendell chuckled.

“Let me go you sick son of a bitch!” Jody yelled.

“Tsk, tsk. You should know better than to cuss. I’m disappointed in you Jody.” Mendell said looking over the file he had on Jody.

Jody struggled against the binds but it was futile. The bonds strapping him to the table proved too strong, even for his super-human strength. After a few minutes of struggling he ran out of steam. Jody relaxed against the table and accepted his fate.

“Aw, Jody… don’t tell me you’ve given up?”

“You’re sick.” Jody said while staring up at the blinding over-head light. “Experimenting on weak, helpless victims. There’s a special place in hell for your kind.”

Jody had tears running down his eyes as his mind began to think about all the experiments he’s been through. Now that he was back here again, he knew his life would be bleak. He made a resolution right then and there. The first change I get, I’m going to kill myself.

There was no escaping Dr. Mendell. Somehow when that little kid had saved him, he believed he was safe. That he’d finally escaped the blue-haired kid. But it took only a day for the blue-haired kid to find him. Jody knew, somehow they had some sort of tracker planted inside him. It wouldn’t have been difficult considering all the times he’s been opened up.

“If I’m going to hell you’ll be right there alongside me.”

Jody snorted in disbelief.

“Oh? Who was it that hunted down other prisoners for us to experiment on?” Mendell said.

“That was different. I was forced.” Jody replied lamely.

“You always make yourself out to be the victim. Tell me Jody, how did you end up in Black Watch Asylum?”

Jody closed his mouth, refusing to answer. “TELL ME!” Mendell slapped a metal tray. The sound was so loud it made Jody flinch.

“Tell me Jody, why did you kill your mother?” Mendell said calmly.

“It wasn’t like that! She was dying of terminal lung cancer…” More tears dripped out of Jody’s eyes. “She wanted to die, she begged the doctors to euthanize her but they would not do it, even though they all knew she would be living in pain until the cancer took her life. She begged me to kill her, with tears coming down her face, she begged. I refused at first, but when the doctors said she would live for half a year longer I knew I had to do something.”

Mendell smiled. “That is a touching story… if that was all that happened you probably would’ve gone un-noticed. But you didn’t stop there did you?”

Jody remained quiet. “DID YOU?!” Mendell repeated.

“My mother shared a room with another cancer patient. She saw what I did to my mother and begged me to do the same to her. I gave her what she wanted.”

“Her, and six other patients. Is that correct?” Mendell chuckled.

“They were all in pain! If the doctors weren’t so goddam worried about their licenses, and empathized with their patients, then I wouldn’t have had to do what I did.”

“Oh bullshit.” Mendell walked forward and put his finger on Jody’s cheek. “Admit it,” he ran his finger on Jody’s cheek, up to his forehead, “You enjoyed taking life. You took your mother’s life and decided you liked the power, so you took the lives of seven other patients.”

“Fuck you!” Jody spat.

“It’s a shame you had to cross me Jody. My first successful experiment. When I released you, I thought you’d become something I could mold, turns out you were just as worthless as the others.” Mendell sighed.

“I’ll miss our little talks, out of all my patients you were certainly the most interesting. A psychopath who believed he was human. Hah!”

He looked over at one of the many scientists that worked for him. “You may begin.”

…

“Do you see?”

Johnathan stood, rooted in place. He was looking through a one way-mirror at his father speaking with Jody.

“Do you see what kind of person he is? How can you think we’re the good guys?” Elli voiced from behind him.

Johnathan was getting annoyed, but a part of him agreed. Father always said this was for the good of mankind, but the way he looked in there. He seemed to be enjoying the torment he brought on Jody.

Normally his father was very cold when dealing with the patients, not revealing a single emotion. But for Jody, that seemed to change, for some reason he revealed a side of him Johnathan had never seen from his father.

“We have to do something to stop him Johnny… we’re the goddam monsters. How can you not see that?”

“Shut up!” He turned around, glaring at his sister.

Suddenly he felt something slide into his stomach. He looked down and saw his sister’s hand wielding the blade that was embedded in him. He looked up at his sister, confusion written across his face.

“Your un-conditional love for father is pathetic. Let’s see if he feels the same way about you.” She slid the knife to the side, cutting his stomach open before pushing Johnathan to the side where he fell on the floor.

Elli went to the controls and began fiddling around with the buttons. Suddenly alarms began to sound, the noises blaring throughout the whole laboratory.

Elli looked down at her brother who was curled in the fetal position, hands applying pressure to the knife wound. “Father will come here to assess the situation. When he does he has two options: Either he can save your life, or he can chase his experiments and prisoners. I wonder which one he’ll choose?”

Johnathan lie there, writhing in pain as his sister stepped over his body. Even though his body was altered to be super-human, there were some things that just couldn’t be altered. Internal organs were one such example.

As his vision began to cloud he thought he saw his father arrive. “F-father… choose me father…please…I-I don’t want to die.” Was all he could say before darkness claimed him.

Mendell looked down at his son, then he looked at the monitors and saw his daughter escaping with the prisoners. A flash of anger went through him. “Foolish girl.” He snarled.

He wanted to go after them, but doing so meant sacrificing his son. A wound to the gut was a very complicated injury, one he trusted with no other doctor. He bent down to inspect his son. When he saw the savage wound he knew what happened. Elli didn’t just stab her brother, she dragged the knife across his belly.

“Savage bitch!” Mendell cursed. Who cares if the prisoners escape to the surface, they’re still within a prison. Yes, I can still catch them eventually. First I’ll deal with Johnathan, and then I’ll deal with Elli.

Mendell stood up to go gather the supplies needed for his son’s recovery. But when he glanced at one of the screens he noticed the President’s daughter being looked over by another scientist. Mendell had a thought. He went over to a red button placed below the monitor.

“You,” Mendell waited until the scientist looked up into the camera. When he did, Mendell continued, “When you’ve finished downloading the memory fragments into Andrea, equip her with the radar and send her after our escaped prisoners. No questions, just do it.”

“Yes s—“ Mendell let go of the red button before the scientist could finish.

You think it’ll be that easy to get away? You might be able to hide, but what will you do when the patients you’ve released are hunted down one by one? Mendell was angry at his daughter’s betrayal but a part of him was hurt by it.

Everything he’d done, his whole life’s work, was for the betterment of mankind. His discoveries were regarded as miracles; he was breaking through roadblocks that have stumped even the greatest scientists. The world leaders regarded him as someone vital, recognizing his value to the progression of the human race. With just a phone call he could cause wars, or end them.

Why couldn’t his daughter understand he was doing god’s work? Evolving the human species to become something better, something greater. Mendell shook his head, he didn’t know why she turned on him, but he knew this wouldn’t go without severe discipline. She’s too young to understand the work I’m doing here. One day she will, until then I’ll make sure she falls in line, whether she likes it or not.

He brought Johnathan to another room and began working on him. As he connected flesh back together his mind drifted back to Jody. A contemplative look overcame him as his hands worked effortlessly on his son. Once he was finished, he left the room and went back to the monitor.

Pressing the red button, he spoke: “Send Andrea to the surgery room. Also, send patient three eighty-seven there as well. Prep them both for surgery.”

Elli had rescued the prisoners and experiments that were sent back to their holding cells. Those still in the labs were separated from those in the holding cells. Mendell didn’t care though, all that mattered to him were the two successful experiments: Patient three eighty-seven, Jody, and the President’s daughter, Andrea.