Post by Toad on Jul 10, 2006 17:55:43 GMT -5
0-men
The soon to be comic
By:
Mackenzie Caswell ( Toad)
0men Part I
The man stepped out into the flickering light of the computer monitor on the other side of the room. As he walked towards it a face hidden in shadow came into view on the computer screen.
“Hoffman I hope you have good news. I have put a lot of money into this, it better not be a waste.” The man’s voice came out of the speakers hooked up to the screen his head was on. “Well I don’t know if I can call it rejecting the formula or not,” the man named Hoffman said. “What do u mean?” “Well the subjects are changing into monsters, horrible, sickening creatures.” The man said to the computer in a very hurried manner. “Well that is to be expected, that is your job to see what is happening to the creators and fix the problems in your formula.”
“Yes sir I know but think that I have come up with the answer.” “Then elucidate for me.” “I believe that it isn’t a problem with the formula, but a problem with the test subjects. I believe that there has to be a the correct structure to the D.N.A. to support the formula and spark the right biological transformation.” Hoffman said. “And you have a solution?” “Yes I have found a rare blood type that dose posses the correct structure, but it is so rare I have found very few people who posses it and most are no longer living any longer.”
“This isn’t good news you know that right.” The man on the screen said in a growingly angry tone. “Well u didn’t let me finish, I have found one person in the entire country with this blood type,” “Then why haven’t you started working with him?” “He isn’t the kind of person I think you would want to have as a symbol for our project sir.” “Excuse me? I didn’t ask for your opinion I told u to get this young man and pump him full of your super solider formula, and until you see result, or I will pull more then just your funding.” And with that the computer screen shut down and Hoffman was left standing there in the dark.
Feeling around the desk in front of him he found the intercom and pressed the button. “Yes sir?” “Send a team to keep an eye on the subject I have been looking into, and I mean now.” “Yes sir right away sir.” The voice on the other side of the intercom said. "Sam Howell will be mine and soon i will have my payment." Hoffman said as he turned and left the room.
0men part II
Meanwhile, in downtown New York city a young man known by many by the name Sam Howell but known by more as 0men, a graffiti artist without fear.
As this young man walked through alleys and back streets, he found a wall untouched by artists and pollution alike. “Perfect,” He though “ no ‘vote for...’ signs, no pieces. This spot is mine.” He thought to himself with a smile.
Three minutes later, the entire wall as high as you could reach was gleaming with wet paint. “My new master-piece.” He said with a proud smile, as he walked farther down and out of the alley. And down the street he jumps on the bus head over the bridge to queens.
As Sam opened the door to his house, his father was there waiting. “ What have I told you, if you’re not in after midnight, don’t come home at all!” His father shouted more then said.” so what, you kicking’ me out?” “ Yes, get out! “ At this Sam was pushed out the door and it was slammed behind him.
“ d**n it!” He said as he got up, walked around the side of the house until he was in the back yard. Jumping up to the top of the decks roof he then opens the window to his bedroom. As he climbed in he looked through his closet. “ There it is,” he said as he reached for the backpack he had packed back when his father started acting like this. “ I don’t know what his problem is.” Sam said to himself as he jumped back down into his back yard and headed for his hang out on the other side of queens.
Once there, 0men walked around the back of the old broken down warehouse and slipped under door that was stuck a few feet over the ground. As he got up he came face to face with a man in a suit. “ wow crap man, that’s not cool wait who are you?”
“ My name isn’t important, all you need to know is I work for a man who would like to met you.” the man said as Sam dusted himself off. “ Oh yeah and why is that?” “ He would rather tell you that in person.” the man said as he eyed the punk in front of him.
“ Well sorry, I’m not interested with out knowing why.” he said, as he walked past him into the area clearly cleaned up, which had a table, chairs, and a couch. “ Well, I’m sure the police would love to know the hide out of one of the cities most notorious graffiti ‘artist’.” he said as he looked around at all the discarded paint cans and such scattered around the room.
“ You blackmailing me?” Sam said sitting bolt up right. “ sure lets call it that.” the man said with a smile. “ Fine take me to this guy, what’s his name anyway?” Sam said reluctantly. “ Hoffman, just call him Hoffman.”
0men Part III
As they left the warehouse, 0men noticed the limo that was parked outside.
“ Get in.” the man, said. “ Sir, yes sir.” 0men said with a salute. “ What’s your name anyway?” he asked once inside the car. “ None of your concern.” “Oh, don’t be like that. If our friend ship is goin’ any where we gotta learn to get along.” 0men said with a grin. “ We aren’t friends.” The man said with a very stern face.
“ Ouch! That hurt. Why do u have to be like that.” 0men said. “ It’s the best part of this job and I’ll enjoy it when I get to.” “ Fine psft see if you get a second date.” 0men said rolling his eyes.
Minutes later. As the car pulled up in front of a large building 0men had seen many times but never thought about what was inside. “ Go in you’ll find where your way.” The man said pushing 0men out of the car. “ See you around sweet cheeks.” He said as he walked into the building.
He went inside and all he could see was a desk at the far end of the room. As He walked up to it he saw there wasn’t anyone sitting at it. “ TOP FLOOR!” a loud voice came out of an intercom on the desk. “ OK,” He thought as he started walking towards the elevator on the wall to the right.
“ This is pretty messed, what dose this guy want? If he knows who I am, why not just call the cops on me? I don’t think I have ever tagged this place. What ever, if this guy thinks he can just black mail me I got a reality check for him.” He thought as the elevator started to move down. “What? I pushed the top floor, why is this thing going down?”
As the elevator continued to move down he saw the floors he was passing. One had just a long hallway with bared doors lining it, the next had a large room full of what looked like jungle gym equipment. Then as he moved further and further down the floors he saw stranger and stranger things, one was completely covered in flames with one man in the center of them “ Holy Crap!” he said as he reached for the emergency phone on the wall of the elevator. “ Yes? Hello? There’s a huge fire on the over the floors!” the he heard someone laugh and say newbie on the other end and heard the line go dead. “ What the hell is this place?” He asked no one in general.
the next floor he noticed was completely dark not a thing to be seen then suddenly there was a huge bang and a figure could be seen in the light coming from the elevator. The figure didn’t look like anything he had ever seen in real life it had long ears and eye like eyes, it was hunched over and on its haunches, with a long tail ending with a 6 inch claw. The creature stared at 0men for the seconds he was in view, 0men just stared back not believing his eyes.
Soon the elevator reached the end of its decent. As the doors opened and the cold air hit him in the face, he slowly peeked out of the elevator and once he saw there were no creates and the room looked safe he stepped out.
He walked into the dark room not able to see anything farther then the boundary the light from the elevator was making. He came to the edge and was able to step into the darkness when a voice said “I would stop if I were you.” And at this the whole room was light and 0men could see he was about to fall down a large shaft leading farther down then he could see.
Then he realized that someone had just warned him and he spun around and saw a man standing there. He had a bald head and a black trench coat. And his cleanliness made 0men look over himself in his ripped jeans, sweatshirt and pushed back hair.
“ Mr. Howell, its nice to meet you.” The man said “ Yeah wish I could say the same but I don’t know the reason I’m hear so.” 0men said looking around the room now that he could see it.
There was a large computer monitor on the wall to the far left in front of a large desk. “ Please follow me.” The man said.
As they began walking towards the desk, 0men was the first to talk. “ So that fire upstairs was no big deal?” “ Oh yes don’t bother yourself with that.” “ Ok, so what about that creator a few floors up? He was in a room fully of messed, and ripped up equipment that ok to?” “ Oh yes please don’t bother yourself.”
When they got the desk, 0men was told to sit. As he did the man walked around to the back of the desk and sat in a large chair. “ Would you like to know why you are here?” “ Yes.” 0men said “ Well my name is Hoffman. I am a scientist, I have been given the task to find a way to understand human DNA better.” As Hoffman said this 0men just stared. “ What?” he asked.
“ I’m trying to make stronger humans. I’m trying to find a way to give humans the chance to life longer stronger lives, cure millions diseases. Make life better for humanity.” “ And...” 0men asked wondering where in the world this was going. “ I need you to be a test subject.” 0men’s jaw dropped when he heard this. “ WHAT?” “ Exactly what I said I need you because your blood work has a very rare component, I believe that this would break open my research and of course, you would be greatly rewarded for your help.”
0men could believe what he was hearing this guy wanted him to let him screw around with his DNA, and what for, to get rich? “ What’s would be in this for me?” “ Ah I see I’m goin to like working with you.” Hoffman said with a smile. “ Hey I didn’t say I’m on board yet.”
“ Oh I know but you will be, I’m prepared to offer you 5 million dollars, just for you to take a few injections and let us record the results.” ‘ 5 Million?! Are your screwing with me?” 0men said not believing his own ears.” I never mess around when comes to money.”
“ And all I would have to do it get a shot and what stay here a few days?” “ Yes that’s right.”
0men couldn’t believe this he would be set, no more sleeping in a factory, no more working. But was it worth it?
“ Sign me up.” 0men said after a few minutes of silence. “ Very good. We will begin right away” As they got up and headed towards the elevator Hoffman was smiling to himself. “ I have everything in place this kid will make me rich.”
0men Part IV
The next thing 0men knew, he awoke in a bed in one the cells he had seen on the floor full of bared doors.
“ Where am I?” He asked. There was no reply. He slowly sat up and thought back to the last thing he could remember. “ Get up kid.” A voice said from across the hallway. “ You!” 0men said looking at the man he had seen in a suit. “ Yeah me I’m one of his experiments to.” The man said.
“ What do u mean?” 0men asked. “ Well he told you hell be letting you go right? Well that’s a crock. You’re here till they run out of uses for you, I’m sorry I had to bring you.” The man said looking truly sorry. “ So what I’m not getting out?” Sam asked beginning to worry. ” Yea that’s right. Look they call me Radium, round here. Ill help u get the hang of things.”
“ Thanks. But I still don’t get it what did he do to me? My hands feel like they are on fire or something.” 0men said flexing his fingers into a fist then back. “ Oh so the stuff did work on you, we kinda had some bets going on you.” He said with a chuckle. “ What stuff? What do you mean?” Well the stuff is what ever they put in all of us trying to make us one of their “super solders” but not all of us turned out like you did.”
0men was still in shock and didn’t even hear himself say “ What do you mean? Who’s else is there?” 0men asked as he got up and walked to the bars keeping him from leaving. He looks out and could see a bunch of cells with arms sticking out from behind the bars. He could see some kind of glowing instead of bars for some of the cells. “ Well, as you can see, Hoffman and who ever he works for have been at this along time I was one of the first.”
“ Really what did ‘the stuff’ do to you?” oh you don’t want to see that.” Radium said with a grin. “ Yes I do.” “ Ok.” He got up from the bed in his cell and started shaking, then to 0mens amazement was engulfed in a yellowish green flame. “ WOW!” 0men said as he watched the man stopped shacking and returned to normal. “ What can the others do?“ 0men asked with a look of amazement still on his face.
“ Well not everyone has powers like me some just have physical mutations like Troll, he said he saw you.” That monster?” “ HEY! None of us can control what we are. Don’t you dare try and mock one of us for what that crazy @#$% turned us into.” Radium said with his eyes blazing green fire.
“ I’m sorry I didn’t know. But how do I find out what I can do?” 0men said. “ I don’t think I have one of those physical things.” he said looking over himself realizing he was wearing just a pair of pants like those u would see in a hospital.
A siren sounded and 0men could hear bars rattling open far down the hall. “ What’s that?” he said looking to the man across the hall. “ Testing time.” He said giving him a look that said keep close.
As his door opened he stepped out and couldn’t believe some of the creatures he saw. There was a man that looking like a shark, a man covered in burns, a blob that could barley be called a person but it did have a form to it, and there a few men down was the man Radium had called Troll.
As they started to move towards the far end of the hall, 0men asked Radium “what’s happening?” “ They always do this. Trying to see if our powers or abilities have changed or gotten better.” He said as they kept walking.
“ Better?” 0men asked confused. “ they want us to be as strong and controllable as possible, they work us to break us then sell us as weapons.” “ Right.” 0men said as he thought this over and over.
0men soon found himself in that room full of workout equipment that he had seen from the elevator when it hit him. “ Hey Radium, how long have I been here?” “ Radium thought for a moment then said “ I think its been a week.” 0men was shocked he couldn’t believe he had been there for a week, how could he not remember it. “ Was I out the whole time?” “ Well the whole time your were in your cage.” He said when a man in a radiation suit called him over while another one called him over to the other side.
“ your code name will be 0men since you already go by it,” the man said through a screen on the mask. “ Now. Show me what you can do.”
0men part V
Minutes later, 0men found himself being ran through an obstacle course. But he was amazed at how fast he was dodging the things that were being thrown at him.
Then he was made to do a long jump and he couldn’t believe it when he jumped farther then ten feet without even trying when he did try however, he jumped and hit the wall cross the entire room which he was told was close to 150 feet.
Then they made him lay on a bench with a bar over it connected to computer looking things. “ Now this will record how much weight u can stand. Just hold the bar and keep it up as long as u can.” After a few minutes of nothing happening, 0men asked “when is this going to start doing anything?” The man looking at him right in the eye said” it has been running since I told you. Its just got up to 500 lbs. “ WHAT!?” was all 0men could say. All the while the scientist looking people that were following him around were writing feverishly.
Hours later, they were all walked back into there cells and the bars slammed shut behind them. “ So, you tired at all?” Radium asked. “ Not really and I have been doing all this crazy stuff all day, but I cant help wondering is that all I can do? I mean u have that fiery thing u can do I want something like that.”
“ Well mine didn’t manifest till a few months after it might be the same for you.” Radium said as he laid down on his bed. “ Get some sleep.” He said as 0men was laying down in his own cell. “ Are we going to die here?” 0men asked to the man across the hall.
“ It wouldn’t be the first deaths in here.” “Why doesn’t anyone escape, I mean so many of us have like powers and crap.” “ because were more then seven stories below ground.” “ Oh ok, but still couldn’t u like do your fire thing like straight up and out.”
“ I don’t know its just the last ones I have seen trying to escape didn’t make it and were killed in front of all of us they were given a large dose of the stuff we were all given they practically exploded.”
“ Are u serious, they always do public punishment?” “ Yes and its almost always death. They aren’t big into letting people off with warnings.”
0men thought about this as he drifted off into a worrisome sleep.
0men part VI
Six years later, 0men wakes up to an all to familiar room and an even more siren.
“ Is troll still pissed that I broke his record on the track the last week?” 0men asks his long time mentor. “ You can tell by the looks he’s giving you.” “That’s why I’m not looking.” They talked as they continued through to the “Gym”.
As 0men made his way to the weights, He was flung forwards from a push behind him. As he got up he could see that it was troll. “ What the hell, you have to stop this. Our fight is with these nerds in lab coats.” “ I don’t give a @#$%. You not tops here I am.” Troll said as he made to punch 0men in the gut.
” Yea just cause you think you the king of the freaks don’t make you.” He said as he caught the punch and throw him across the room into some equipment. “ you son of a...” Troll said as he lunged at 0men. As the fought the scientists ran but then stopped and started writing down things as they watched.
Soon Troll got in a strike with his tail and stabbed it into 0mens back. “ AHH!” he screamed. With the enormous pain, he had to close his eyes as they started burning then his whole body started aching with heat and burning.
The people around him were freaking out but he couldn’t understand why. As the pain spread further up his whole body he could feel his brain pounding and he finally got his eyes open he could see nothing but a purple glow. “ Troll, What did you do to me?!” when he started to calm down a bit he was able to see through the glow to what was happening beyond the glowing.
All the scientists now were behind a blast wall watching through a window in the wall. All the other experiments were running for cover and some were trying to pull Troll’s tail out of 0mens back. Troll was out cold and his tail was still stuck in 0mens back and as the thought about it the tail started moving around in his back. He could feel it moving from side to side and twisting its way out.
As he felt it finally come out, it wasn’t the others trying to pull it out who had gotten it. As he thought about it more it moved into view, it was glowing just as 0men he was moving it with his mind and as he did it glowed that same purple glow. He turned his attention to a larger piece of machinery and heard the tail fall to the floor.
As the focused he could feel the weight of the machinery, but not physically. He felt it in his mind and as he kept concentrating his mind was more powerful and it lifted up. Amazed he found he could control it completely moving it around in the air and he finally decided to try something more fun. He concentrated and saw it fly through the air and smashed through the wall across the room.
“ HAHA!” 0men yelled. “ I do have a power. This is awesome!” he said. He walked over to the scientists still writing feverishly. As he moved closer the started to turn and run. He had stopped glowing but his hands and he could tell his eyes were also blazing.
“ I don’t think so” 0men said as they started running away from him. He used his newly found powers to hold them in place. “ I know this information goes to Hoffman himself, so give him this message. If I see him again, ill kill him for what he has done to me.”
At this he throw the lot of them into a wall and ran the other way. As he ran he keep his eyes open for anything that would lead him to the control room. He knew there had to be a room that controlled all the doors to this place and if he could find it he would not only find a way out of this hell. But he could find a way to free every last one of his fellow prisoners.
As he ran he saw up ahead of him Troll. “ You still looking to get your ass kicked kid?” he said” not now man I’m trying to free all of us.” “ Bull! Your just trying to get more glory. Its not good enough for you to be better then all of us but you have to have our freedom to hold over our heads the rest of our lives.” “ Move of ill move you.” Was all 0men said before Troll lunged at him, but 0men caught him in mid air and blasted him away with a beam that shot out from the glow. “ Holy crap.” He said looking at his own hands.
As he moved farther he finally saw a sign directing him to the floor above him. “ d**n. Now I have to find an eleva.. Wait” He said pointing straight up, let out a blast of energy, smashing through the ceiling. He jumped through the hole and started following the signs.
He found it after having to fight off several guards and blasting down 2 auto-gun turrets. “ Wow someone doesn’t want us up here.” He thought after entering the room and locking the door. After looking over the computer controls. “ Looks like I need to us all my computer expertise on this one.” And at that blasted it to bits. With a smile on his face he heard the distant sound of the doors opening.
Knowing he had just done what he set out to do. He fired right up as hard as he could and jumped to the top of the hole. Feeling that he would have been amazed to know that he shot up what must have been 10 stories top, when this all started, he ran to the door and smashed it and jumped up to the roof tops. Knowing he was a free man.
The soon to be comic
By:
Mackenzie Caswell ( Toad)
0men Part I
The man stepped out into the flickering light of the computer monitor on the other side of the room. As he walked towards it a face hidden in shadow came into view on the computer screen.
“Hoffman I hope you have good news. I have put a lot of money into this, it better not be a waste.” The man’s voice came out of the speakers hooked up to the screen his head was on. “Well I don’t know if I can call it rejecting the formula or not,” the man named Hoffman said. “What do u mean?” “Well the subjects are changing into monsters, horrible, sickening creatures.” The man said to the computer in a very hurried manner. “Well that is to be expected, that is your job to see what is happening to the creators and fix the problems in your formula.”
“Yes sir I know but think that I have come up with the answer.” “Then elucidate for me.” “I believe that it isn’t a problem with the formula, but a problem with the test subjects. I believe that there has to be a the correct structure to the D.N.A. to support the formula and spark the right biological transformation.” Hoffman said. “And you have a solution?” “Yes I have found a rare blood type that dose posses the correct structure, but it is so rare I have found very few people who posses it and most are no longer living any longer.”
“This isn’t good news you know that right.” The man on the screen said in a growingly angry tone. “Well u didn’t let me finish, I have found one person in the entire country with this blood type,” “Then why haven’t you started working with him?” “He isn’t the kind of person I think you would want to have as a symbol for our project sir.” “Excuse me? I didn’t ask for your opinion I told u to get this young man and pump him full of your super solider formula, and until you see result, or I will pull more then just your funding.” And with that the computer screen shut down and Hoffman was left standing there in the dark.
Feeling around the desk in front of him he found the intercom and pressed the button. “Yes sir?” “Send a team to keep an eye on the subject I have been looking into, and I mean now.” “Yes sir right away sir.” The voice on the other side of the intercom said. "Sam Howell will be mine and soon i will have my payment." Hoffman said as he turned and left the room.
0men part II
Meanwhile, in downtown New York city a young man known by many by the name Sam Howell but known by more as 0men, a graffiti artist without fear.
As this young man walked through alleys and back streets, he found a wall untouched by artists and pollution alike. “Perfect,” He though “ no ‘vote for...’ signs, no pieces. This spot is mine.” He thought to himself with a smile.
Three minutes later, the entire wall as high as you could reach was gleaming with wet paint. “My new master-piece.” He said with a proud smile, as he walked farther down and out of the alley. And down the street he jumps on the bus head over the bridge to queens.
As Sam opened the door to his house, his father was there waiting. “ What have I told you, if you’re not in after midnight, don’t come home at all!” His father shouted more then said.” so what, you kicking’ me out?” “ Yes, get out! “ At this Sam was pushed out the door and it was slammed behind him.
“ d**n it!” He said as he got up, walked around the side of the house until he was in the back yard. Jumping up to the top of the decks roof he then opens the window to his bedroom. As he climbed in he looked through his closet. “ There it is,” he said as he reached for the backpack he had packed back when his father started acting like this. “ I don’t know what his problem is.” Sam said to himself as he jumped back down into his back yard and headed for his hang out on the other side of queens.
Once there, 0men walked around the back of the old broken down warehouse and slipped under door that was stuck a few feet over the ground. As he got up he came face to face with a man in a suit. “ wow crap man, that’s not cool wait who are you?”
“ My name isn’t important, all you need to know is I work for a man who would like to met you.” the man said as Sam dusted himself off. “ Oh yeah and why is that?” “ He would rather tell you that in person.” the man said as he eyed the punk in front of him.
“ Well sorry, I’m not interested with out knowing why.” he said, as he walked past him into the area clearly cleaned up, which had a table, chairs, and a couch. “ Well, I’m sure the police would love to know the hide out of one of the cities most notorious graffiti ‘artist’.” he said as he looked around at all the discarded paint cans and such scattered around the room.
“ You blackmailing me?” Sam said sitting bolt up right. “ sure lets call it that.” the man said with a smile. “ Fine take me to this guy, what’s his name anyway?” Sam said reluctantly. “ Hoffman, just call him Hoffman.”
0men Part III
As they left the warehouse, 0men noticed the limo that was parked outside.
“ Get in.” the man, said. “ Sir, yes sir.” 0men said with a salute. “ What’s your name anyway?” he asked once inside the car. “ None of your concern.” “Oh, don’t be like that. If our friend ship is goin’ any where we gotta learn to get along.” 0men said with a grin. “ We aren’t friends.” The man said with a very stern face.
“ Ouch! That hurt. Why do u have to be like that.” 0men said. “ It’s the best part of this job and I’ll enjoy it when I get to.” “ Fine psft see if you get a second date.” 0men said rolling his eyes.
Minutes later. As the car pulled up in front of a large building 0men had seen many times but never thought about what was inside. “ Go in you’ll find where your way.” The man said pushing 0men out of the car. “ See you around sweet cheeks.” He said as he walked into the building.
He went inside and all he could see was a desk at the far end of the room. As He walked up to it he saw there wasn’t anyone sitting at it. “ TOP FLOOR!” a loud voice came out of an intercom on the desk. “ OK,” He thought as he started walking towards the elevator on the wall to the right.
“ This is pretty messed, what dose this guy want? If he knows who I am, why not just call the cops on me? I don’t think I have ever tagged this place. What ever, if this guy thinks he can just black mail me I got a reality check for him.” He thought as the elevator started to move down. “What? I pushed the top floor, why is this thing going down?”
As the elevator continued to move down he saw the floors he was passing. One had just a long hallway with bared doors lining it, the next had a large room full of what looked like jungle gym equipment. Then as he moved further and further down the floors he saw stranger and stranger things, one was completely covered in flames with one man in the center of them “ Holy Crap!” he said as he reached for the emergency phone on the wall of the elevator. “ Yes? Hello? There’s a huge fire on the over the floors!” the he heard someone laugh and say newbie on the other end and heard the line go dead. “ What the hell is this place?” He asked no one in general.
the next floor he noticed was completely dark not a thing to be seen then suddenly there was a huge bang and a figure could be seen in the light coming from the elevator. The figure didn’t look like anything he had ever seen in real life it had long ears and eye like eyes, it was hunched over and on its haunches, with a long tail ending with a 6 inch claw. The creature stared at 0men for the seconds he was in view, 0men just stared back not believing his eyes.
Soon the elevator reached the end of its decent. As the doors opened and the cold air hit him in the face, he slowly peeked out of the elevator and once he saw there were no creates and the room looked safe he stepped out.
He walked into the dark room not able to see anything farther then the boundary the light from the elevator was making. He came to the edge and was able to step into the darkness when a voice said “I would stop if I were you.” And at this the whole room was light and 0men could see he was about to fall down a large shaft leading farther down then he could see.
Then he realized that someone had just warned him and he spun around and saw a man standing there. He had a bald head and a black trench coat. And his cleanliness made 0men look over himself in his ripped jeans, sweatshirt and pushed back hair.
“ Mr. Howell, its nice to meet you.” The man said “ Yeah wish I could say the same but I don’t know the reason I’m hear so.” 0men said looking around the room now that he could see it.
There was a large computer monitor on the wall to the far left in front of a large desk. “ Please follow me.” The man said.
As they began walking towards the desk, 0men was the first to talk. “ So that fire upstairs was no big deal?” “ Oh yes don’t bother yourself with that.” “ Ok, so what about that creator a few floors up? He was in a room fully of messed, and ripped up equipment that ok to?” “ Oh yes please don’t bother yourself.”
When they got the desk, 0men was told to sit. As he did the man walked around to the back of the desk and sat in a large chair. “ Would you like to know why you are here?” “ Yes.” 0men said “ Well my name is Hoffman. I am a scientist, I have been given the task to find a way to understand human DNA better.” As Hoffman said this 0men just stared. “ What?” he asked.
“ I’m trying to make stronger humans. I’m trying to find a way to give humans the chance to life longer stronger lives, cure millions diseases. Make life better for humanity.” “ And...” 0men asked wondering where in the world this was going. “ I need you to be a test subject.” 0men’s jaw dropped when he heard this. “ WHAT?” “ Exactly what I said I need you because your blood work has a very rare component, I believe that this would break open my research and of course, you would be greatly rewarded for your help.”
0men could believe what he was hearing this guy wanted him to let him screw around with his DNA, and what for, to get rich? “ What’s would be in this for me?” “ Ah I see I’m goin to like working with you.” Hoffman said with a smile. “ Hey I didn’t say I’m on board yet.”
“ Oh I know but you will be, I’m prepared to offer you 5 million dollars, just for you to take a few injections and let us record the results.” ‘ 5 Million?! Are your screwing with me?” 0men said not believing his own ears.” I never mess around when comes to money.”
“ And all I would have to do it get a shot and what stay here a few days?” “ Yes that’s right.”
0men couldn’t believe this he would be set, no more sleeping in a factory, no more working. But was it worth it?
“ Sign me up.” 0men said after a few minutes of silence. “ Very good. We will begin right away” As they got up and headed towards the elevator Hoffman was smiling to himself. “ I have everything in place this kid will make me rich.”
0men Part IV
The next thing 0men knew, he awoke in a bed in one the cells he had seen on the floor full of bared doors.
“ Where am I?” He asked. There was no reply. He slowly sat up and thought back to the last thing he could remember. “ Get up kid.” A voice said from across the hallway. “ You!” 0men said looking at the man he had seen in a suit. “ Yeah me I’m one of his experiments to.” The man said.
“ What do u mean?” 0men asked. “ Well he told you hell be letting you go right? Well that’s a crock. You’re here till they run out of uses for you, I’m sorry I had to bring you.” The man said looking truly sorry. “ So what I’m not getting out?” Sam asked beginning to worry. ” Yea that’s right. Look they call me Radium, round here. Ill help u get the hang of things.”
“ Thanks. But I still don’t get it what did he do to me? My hands feel like they are on fire or something.” 0men said flexing his fingers into a fist then back. “ Oh so the stuff did work on you, we kinda had some bets going on you.” He said with a chuckle. “ What stuff? What do you mean?” Well the stuff is what ever they put in all of us trying to make us one of their “super solders” but not all of us turned out like you did.”
0men was still in shock and didn’t even hear himself say “ What do you mean? Who’s else is there?” 0men asked as he got up and walked to the bars keeping him from leaving. He looks out and could see a bunch of cells with arms sticking out from behind the bars. He could see some kind of glowing instead of bars for some of the cells. “ Well, as you can see, Hoffman and who ever he works for have been at this along time I was one of the first.”
“ Really what did ‘the stuff’ do to you?” oh you don’t want to see that.” Radium said with a grin. “ Yes I do.” “ Ok.” He got up from the bed in his cell and started shaking, then to 0mens amazement was engulfed in a yellowish green flame. “ WOW!” 0men said as he watched the man stopped shacking and returned to normal. “ What can the others do?“ 0men asked with a look of amazement still on his face.
“ Well not everyone has powers like me some just have physical mutations like Troll, he said he saw you.” That monster?” “ HEY! None of us can control what we are. Don’t you dare try and mock one of us for what that crazy @#$% turned us into.” Radium said with his eyes blazing green fire.
“ I’m sorry I didn’t know. But how do I find out what I can do?” 0men said. “ I don’t think I have one of those physical things.” he said looking over himself realizing he was wearing just a pair of pants like those u would see in a hospital.
A siren sounded and 0men could hear bars rattling open far down the hall. “ What’s that?” he said looking to the man across the hall. “ Testing time.” He said giving him a look that said keep close.
As his door opened he stepped out and couldn’t believe some of the creatures he saw. There was a man that looking like a shark, a man covered in burns, a blob that could barley be called a person but it did have a form to it, and there a few men down was the man Radium had called Troll.
As they started to move towards the far end of the hall, 0men asked Radium “what’s happening?” “ They always do this. Trying to see if our powers or abilities have changed or gotten better.” He said as they kept walking.
“ Better?” 0men asked confused. “ they want us to be as strong and controllable as possible, they work us to break us then sell us as weapons.” “ Right.” 0men said as he thought this over and over.
0men soon found himself in that room full of workout equipment that he had seen from the elevator when it hit him. “ Hey Radium, how long have I been here?” “ Radium thought for a moment then said “ I think its been a week.” 0men was shocked he couldn’t believe he had been there for a week, how could he not remember it. “ Was I out the whole time?” “ Well the whole time your were in your cage.” He said when a man in a radiation suit called him over while another one called him over to the other side.
“ your code name will be 0men since you already go by it,” the man said through a screen on the mask. “ Now. Show me what you can do.”
0men part V
Minutes later, 0men found himself being ran through an obstacle course. But he was amazed at how fast he was dodging the things that were being thrown at him.
Then he was made to do a long jump and he couldn’t believe it when he jumped farther then ten feet without even trying when he did try however, he jumped and hit the wall cross the entire room which he was told was close to 150 feet.
Then they made him lay on a bench with a bar over it connected to computer looking things. “ Now this will record how much weight u can stand. Just hold the bar and keep it up as long as u can.” After a few minutes of nothing happening, 0men asked “when is this going to start doing anything?” The man looking at him right in the eye said” it has been running since I told you. Its just got up to 500 lbs. “ WHAT!?” was all 0men could say. All the while the scientist looking people that were following him around were writing feverishly.
Hours later, they were all walked back into there cells and the bars slammed shut behind them. “ So, you tired at all?” Radium asked. “ Not really and I have been doing all this crazy stuff all day, but I cant help wondering is that all I can do? I mean u have that fiery thing u can do I want something like that.”
“ Well mine didn’t manifest till a few months after it might be the same for you.” Radium said as he laid down on his bed. “ Get some sleep.” He said as 0men was laying down in his own cell. “ Are we going to die here?” 0men asked to the man across the hall.
“ It wouldn’t be the first deaths in here.” “Why doesn’t anyone escape, I mean so many of us have like powers and crap.” “ because were more then seven stories below ground.” “ Oh ok, but still couldn’t u like do your fire thing like straight up and out.”
“ I don’t know its just the last ones I have seen trying to escape didn’t make it and were killed in front of all of us they were given a large dose of the stuff we were all given they practically exploded.”
“ Are u serious, they always do public punishment?” “ Yes and its almost always death. They aren’t big into letting people off with warnings.”
0men thought about this as he drifted off into a worrisome sleep.
0men part VI
Six years later, 0men wakes up to an all to familiar room and an even more siren.
“ Is troll still pissed that I broke his record on the track the last week?” 0men asks his long time mentor. “ You can tell by the looks he’s giving you.” “That’s why I’m not looking.” They talked as they continued through to the “Gym”.
As 0men made his way to the weights, He was flung forwards from a push behind him. As he got up he could see that it was troll. “ What the hell, you have to stop this. Our fight is with these nerds in lab coats.” “ I don’t give a @#$%. You not tops here I am.” Troll said as he made to punch 0men in the gut.
” Yea just cause you think you the king of the freaks don’t make you.” He said as he caught the punch and throw him across the room into some equipment. “ you son of a...” Troll said as he lunged at 0men. As the fought the scientists ran but then stopped and started writing down things as they watched.
Soon Troll got in a strike with his tail and stabbed it into 0mens back. “ AHH!” he screamed. With the enormous pain, he had to close his eyes as they started burning then his whole body started aching with heat and burning.
The people around him were freaking out but he couldn’t understand why. As the pain spread further up his whole body he could feel his brain pounding and he finally got his eyes open he could see nothing but a purple glow. “ Troll, What did you do to me?!” when he started to calm down a bit he was able to see through the glow to what was happening beyond the glowing.
All the scientists now were behind a blast wall watching through a window in the wall. All the other experiments were running for cover and some were trying to pull Troll’s tail out of 0mens back. Troll was out cold and his tail was still stuck in 0mens back and as the thought about it the tail started moving around in his back. He could feel it moving from side to side and twisting its way out.
As he felt it finally come out, it wasn’t the others trying to pull it out who had gotten it. As he thought about it more it moved into view, it was glowing just as 0men he was moving it with his mind and as he did it glowed that same purple glow. He turned his attention to a larger piece of machinery and heard the tail fall to the floor.
As the focused he could feel the weight of the machinery, but not physically. He felt it in his mind and as he kept concentrating his mind was more powerful and it lifted up. Amazed he found he could control it completely moving it around in the air and he finally decided to try something more fun. He concentrated and saw it fly through the air and smashed through the wall across the room.
“ HAHA!” 0men yelled. “ I do have a power. This is awesome!” he said. He walked over to the scientists still writing feverishly. As he moved closer the started to turn and run. He had stopped glowing but his hands and he could tell his eyes were also blazing.
“ I don’t think so” 0men said as they started running away from him. He used his newly found powers to hold them in place. “ I know this information goes to Hoffman himself, so give him this message. If I see him again, ill kill him for what he has done to me.”
At this he throw the lot of them into a wall and ran the other way. As he ran he keep his eyes open for anything that would lead him to the control room. He knew there had to be a room that controlled all the doors to this place and if he could find it he would not only find a way out of this hell. But he could find a way to free every last one of his fellow prisoners.
As he ran he saw up ahead of him Troll. “ You still looking to get your ass kicked kid?” he said” not now man I’m trying to free all of us.” “ Bull! Your just trying to get more glory. Its not good enough for you to be better then all of us but you have to have our freedom to hold over our heads the rest of our lives.” “ Move of ill move you.” Was all 0men said before Troll lunged at him, but 0men caught him in mid air and blasted him away with a beam that shot out from the glow. “ Holy crap.” He said looking at his own hands.
As he moved farther he finally saw a sign directing him to the floor above him. “ d**n. Now I have to find an eleva.. Wait” He said pointing straight up, let out a blast of energy, smashing through the ceiling. He jumped through the hole and started following the signs.
He found it after having to fight off several guards and blasting down 2 auto-gun turrets. “ Wow someone doesn’t want us up here.” He thought after entering the room and locking the door. After looking over the computer controls. “ Looks like I need to us all my computer expertise on this one.” And at that blasted it to bits. With a smile on his face he heard the distant sound of the doors opening.
Knowing he had just done what he set out to do. He fired right up as hard as he could and jumped to the top of the hole. Feeling that he would have been amazed to know that he shot up what must have been 10 stories top, when this all started, he ran to the door and smashed it and jumped up to the roof tops. Knowing he was a free man.
