LIGHTNOVELONLINE 11: Purple Blood
Before starting this chapter, I want to thank those who donated to me on ko-fi. I truly didn't expect so much support even without receiving anything in return.
I am deeply grateful to you guys:
dumniezo
Chris
Peke
I'm putting the names as they appear on ko-fi because I don't want to make a mistake.
If I manage to write more chapters than those I have published, I hope to be able to send you an advanced chapter, although I'm not sure when that will be, probably when I have less work.
Finally, if anyone wonders what I did with those donations, originally I thought of saving it to meet my ko-fi goal, to get a new PC.
But sometimes there are more important things.
I will soon be an uncle, and I decided, now that I know the baby's gender, to buy some things for him.
He will be born this month, probably in a week or two, I'm not sure of the date, I'm nervous and I hope everything goes well.
With that said, I leave you with this new chapter in which the plot moves forward a little more.
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11: Purple Blood
High atop a building, an extremely secure laboratory was situated, with scientific personnel bustling about, attending to their tasks.
In the central area, a middle-aged man gazed at the screens in front of him. Simulation after simulation ran in real-time, each one encountering failure after failure.
The DNA helix chain of the human genome decomposed and reassembled every second, attempting to combine with different genomes.
The man sighed and glanced at his left hand, or where his left hand should have been. Instead, all he saw was a stump and phantom pain coursing through his body.
He could almost feel it, as if it were still there.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice how the atmosphere in the laboratory changed, and how the other assistants and lower-ranking scientists began to move away from his immediate area.
Firm and stoic steps approached where he stood, and Dr. Curt Connors snapped out of his trance, turning around. Severe green eyes met his, and he couldn't help but swallow nervously.
"How are the advancements coming along?" Norman Osborn's voice resonated throughout the laboratory, irritation clear in it. His tall, stoic figure provided a stark contrast to the man in front of him, who had unconsciously hunched over in his mere presence.
"The genome combination has shown significant progress, sir. In a few months, we should be able to commence trials with primates" Dr. Curt Connors spoke with a slight touch of nervousness, his fingers on his one hand tightly gripping his white coat.
But what he said wasn't what Norman wanted to hear.
"I don't have months! This project has been in the lab for over twenty years! I need results, the board needs results, the military needs results. We can't continue without anything to show!" The voice rose, breaking a subtle pretense of calm and revealing Norman's clear irritation and anger. Dr. Connors stepped back with a look of concern on his face.
"Sir, if we rush the process, the chances of failure will increase drastically. We can't guarantee satisfactory results that way" Dr. Connors responded, his voice tinged with apprehension.
Norman looked at him thoughtfully before smiling.
"But don't we already have successful test subjects? Those damn spiders have been gathering dust for too long. Use them. I don't care if they die. I want to know how they managed to survive the process" At the mention of the spiders, Dr. Connors spoke quickly, forgetting his apprehension towards the man who was his boss.
"Sir, those spiders are the best result we've had in years. We can't experiment with them carelessly" he said quickly, with clear concern.
Norman's face quickly transformed into one of anger upon hearing this.
"I don't care! Didn't you hear me?! We don't have time. Either those spiders serve a purpose, or they're thrown away! There's no other option!" Norman waved his hand, his anger becoming more evident.
It was now or never. With Stark off the grid and the military desperate for better "weapons," the pressure had increased. They wouldn't accept any more delays.
"I want you to start the genetic recombination with the second most successful genome type. The chances of their bodies adapting and stabilizing the lizard's regenerative factor are the highest. If it works, we can try more aggressive procedures. If not... then they die" he said, with a tone of finality, the anger briefly dissipating and being replaced by concern. He glanced at Dr. Connors with a severe look before leaving.
Watching his back as he walked away, Dr. Connors couldn't help but sigh. He looked at the stump of his arm and pondered what he should do. He gritted his teeth; he couldn't hesitate anymore. Norman was right; there was no time left. If he didn't succeed soon, his research would be canceled, there would be no more funding, and his only hope would vanish.
If he wanted to regain what he once lost, he would have to take risks, even if it meant stepping over others.
"I'm sorry, Richard..."
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"So with all the evidence on the table, I think it's more than obvious, Defiant is an alien!" Chloe exclaimed, causing Carol to glance at her sideways as she closed her locker. Her body language didn't make it obvious, but there was a slight tremor at the mention of an alien.
If she had been the same as a few weeks ago, her grip on the locker door would have tightened enough to deform the metal. Fortunately, she wasn't the same; her control over her strength had increased enough to prevent an accident like that, even if she was taken by surprise.
"Your evidence is absurd. Just because it's biologically impossible for humans to achieve such feats doesn't mean Defiant isn't human. He could simply be an outlier, some sort of mutant, or a government experiment" Carol retorted.
Chloe clicked her tongue and quickly countered, "Well, I don't think a gene mutation would make you bulletproof. Mostly, it would probably just leave you bald or with an extra arm, but it won't make you fly or lift cars. Defiant is something... different. He looks human on the outside, but I'm sure he's hiding something more. Call it journalistic intuition"
Carol raised an eyebrow, about to enumerate the various occasions where Chloe's "journalistic intuition" had been wrong before, but something interrupted her.
"What are you looking at, freak?!" The angry voice of a teenager flooded the hallway, causing all eyes to turn in his direction.
Not far from Carol and Chloe, a 17-year-old boy with blond hair and an athletic build cornered a smaller, hunched-over boy.
The hunched-over boy had oily, messy black hair, and his glasses and acne didn't help his appearance.
In contrast, both boys were like night and day, and under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have crossed paths.
"Oh, crap, Greg's bothering Whitney!" a boy commented, quickly pulling out his phone, hoping for a spectacle to film.
Whitney approached Greg, looked him in the eyes, and grabbed the collar of his shirt, lifting Greg a few centimeters off the ground.
"Listen, weirdo, stop staring at my girlfriend, understand? I know you've been watching her secretly. I won't tell you twice, stop looking at her or I'll kick your ass" Whitney threatened.
Greg trembled, looked directly into Whitney's eyes, and for a brief moment, a spark of defiance ignited within him. But as quickly as it came, it extinguished. He lowered his gaze and nodded tremulously.
"Y-yes."
Whitney clicked his tongue and walked away with heavy steps. From a nearby spot, his girlfriend, Lana Lang, watched with some relief in her eyes.
Greg straightened his clothes, looked around, and seeing everyone staring at him, quickly picked up his backpack and ran off.
Chloe watched him go and clicked her tongue.
"He deserves it. He's a pretty weird guy who's always staring at Lana. Kinda creepy if you ask me" she remarked.
Carol nodded absentmindedly, not paying much attention. Greg or Whitney, their dispute was irrelevant to her, and she really didn't care at all. She had better things to do.
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"One step is the prelude to a second step"
His father always said this, and Daniel had to admit that he was quite right.
With his new machine up and running and his ability to use Element V in different ways, he began to make progress in other aspects.
He had never imagined he would become a "scientist" someday. Of course, he still had much to learn, but the path was clear.
He looked at the small square device in his hand.
It was simple, something he had created mainly for his new "friend."
It was a sound device that emitted a special frequency, one that couldn't be heard by normal ears.
But could be by his.
"It should be able to be heard anywhere in the world." He needed to do more tests, but it was functional—a way to ask for his help clearly and directly.
A way to call him no matter where he was in the world.
"I should probably make one for Carol too"
Apart from this device, he had started a new project.
He looked at the almost endless chain of code displayed on one of the largest screens he had.
It was still in its infancy, still needed work, but once it was ready, it would serve as one of his best supports.
Creating an artificial intelligence was certainly complicated.
But he wasn't doing that, not yet. The more correct name for now would be virtual intelligence.
Not as advanced as artificial intelligence, but close enough.
"Overwatch, I think that's a good name. What do you think, do you like it?" There was a beep and a blue light illuminated.
"I'll take that as a yes"
He just hoped it wouldn't turn into Skynet or something like that. It would really be a pain in the ass.
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"And with an astonishing display of his abilities, the hero Defiant has saved the day once again"
the images on the television displayed with surprising quality.
In the presidential suite of a luxurious five-star hotel, a man took a sip from his glass, savoring the taste of high-quality wine as he narrowed his eyes.
"Surprising, isn't it? So much power, abilities never seen before! All in the hands of one person, and what does he do with it? Play the good guy, rescuing cats from trees and helping people" he clicked his tongue.
"Such power should be wielded by someone better, someone who can make proper use of it, don't you think?" The man glanced towards his lap, where two women—one who appeared to be no more than 18 years old and another who seemed to be nearing her 40s—nodded obediently.
Their lifeless eyes looked at him as their heads moved in unison on his lap.
"You two are really similar, like mother like daughter, I suppose. Your daughter lacks some experience, but that can be fixed" the man took another sip and glanced back at the television, a smile forming on his lips as a plan began to take shape in his mind.
"If such power should only be controlled by one person, it should be me"
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Flying through the skies was relaxing. The sun was beginning to set, and soon it would be night. Daniel started his last patrol of the day before returning to his farm.
Patrolling the nearby cities was straightforward. This time, he decided to ignore New York to some extent. Daredevil was there, and although matt couldn't do everything he could, he trusted that he could maintain a certain level of order that other places might not have.
Although it was probably too much to ask for him to handle the entire city alone.
"I should give it a few rounds there from time to time."
With those thoughts, he began to head towards Metropolis, the city of tomorrow.
Certainly, it was incredible, but like all other cities, crime and accidents still existed in it.
He closed his eyes and began to extend his hearing. Maybe his control over his sense of hearing wasn't as fine or precise as Matt's, but it was strong enough to detect obvious things.
Police sirens, the sound of gunfire, cries for help.
In a matter of moments, a cacophony of events reached his ears.
"Alright, let's do this" It was time to work.
Within minutes, the streets of Metropolis began to be cleaned up, crimes stopped, accidents avoided, people saved.
Daniel did a careful job as always and let his presence in the city be noticed. Part of his goal as a hero was to inspire, after all.
They needed to know he was there to help them, to save them.
And who knows, maybe another "special" person would decide to find him.
Daniel didn't know that his wishes would soon come true, but not in the way he expected.
His gaze swept over the buildings of Metropolis, his ears attentive to any calls for help.
While flying, his eyes caught something in the distance. His gaze focused, and he could see a young woman about 18 years old dangerously close to the edge of a building, about to fall to her death.
A suicide? Without hesitation, he turned in the air and accelerated. The distance of hundreds of meters easily closed as his body stopped in front of the woman, ready to convince her to change her mind.
He had never done anything like this before, but he supposed there was always a first time.
He looked at her directly, but what he saw made him stop the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
Her eyes, there was no light in them. It was like looking at a corpse. But even so, he could see something more there... fear?
Daniel's bewilderment was interrupted by a new voice, a man who approached from the door leading to the stairs.
"You're fascinating, standing there simply floating in the air as if gravity didn't exist. So much power hidden in one body. Come on, let me see you better" the man said.
Daniel slowly turned his gaze, his eyes meeting an arrogant face, and his pupils dilated slightly.
That face, he remembered that face. He looked back at the girl, examining her carefully this time, noticing things he had overlooked before.
To his nose, an extremely disgusting smell came.
The smug smile on the man's face faded slightly when his command wasn't obeyed. His voice sounded again, this time with more force.
"Come to me!"
But what he hoped for didn't happen. Daniel completely ignored him and looked at the girl. The fear deep in her eyes slowly disappeared, and he could see something else blooming within her.
That was hope.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you earlier" he apologized sincerely. Whatever happened to this girl, whatever she experienced, he should have stopped it earlier.
Upon hearing his words, the smile on the man's face disappeared completely. For the first time in his life, panic began to brew inside him. His body turned, ready to go through the door he had come from and leave.
Daniel saw this happen in slow motion out of the corner of his eye, watching his actions like a tiger observing a deer trying to run with a broken leg.
Before he could take a step towards the door, Daniel was already in front of him, his hand gripping his neck tightly and lifting his body easily.
"It's okay, Kevin. You and I need to have a talk" Daniel said, seeing panic and fear fill his eyes. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.
For the monster in front of him, for the man who would be known as Killgrave, mercy was not something Daniel was willing to give.
For this man, there was only one thing he could offer.
The girl had already fallen unconscious, Daniel had swiftly knocked her out, her body carefully laid away from the edge of the building. He wanted to ensure she was okay, but if he truly wanted to save her, he first had to deal with the root of the problem.
Kevin Thompson writhed, Defiant's grip was like being squeezed between immovable steel bars. He couldn't speak, only strange noises and gurgles escaped his mouth.
Daniel rose into the air and soon flew beyond Metropolis, within minutes reaching a lifeless clearing deep in the woods.
He released his grip, and the man in his hand fell a good two meters, his back hitting the ground with force.
"Ugh!"
Kevin coughed and writhed on the ground, cold sweat dripping down his face. He looked up and saw Defiant standing there in the air, staring at him as if he were trash.
He recoiled, crawling on the ground. His plan had spectacularly failed. In his twisted mind, what should have happened was clear: once Defiant was in front of him, he should have bowed before him like everyone else.
He should have become his puppet.
His arrogance had blinded him. He hadn't even considered for a moment the possibility that his powers might not work at all.
And that was his biggest mistake.
"You could have hidden, you know? Kept your head down, lived away from the big cities. It wouldn't have lasted forever, of course. Sooner or later, I would have found you. But you could have delayed it longer"
Daniel landed softly and approached Kevin, looking at him—scared, trembling. He was pathetic.
"W-what do you want to do?"
He even stuttered.
"But your arrogance blinded you. You saw my power, what I'm capable of, and you wanted it, didn't you? You wanted it to be yours, like everything else" Daniel shook his head.
"Just my luck, or your misfortune, I suppose. It doesn't matter. I have only one question for you"
He approached and looked at him seriously.
"Do you know Jessica Jones?"
Kevin blinked, confusion evident in his eyes. That was enough for Daniel. A small smile formed on his face, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Kevin didn't know who Jessica Jones was or why Defiant was asking about her, but before he could say anything, he felt the hand return to his neck. The grip was tighter, and he could hardly breathe.
"When I decided to be a hero, I knew it wouldn't be half-hearted. I committed to doing whatever it takes to make the world safer, to protect humanity. I knew there would be tough decisions, decisions most people wouldn't agree with" Daniel looked at the now dark sky and sighed.
Why was he saying all this?
He looked at his free hand; his fingers trembled. No, his whole body trembled slightly.
His lips, they felt dry.
"I must do whatever is necessary, no matter what."
There was no other way. Kevin, no, Killgrave, there was no prison where he could be safely put, no way to convict him according to human laws. He was too dangerous.
He couldn't remain free, and he couldn't be reliably locked away.
"I guess I'm telling you all this as a way to convince myself, how ridiculous" he knew what he had to do, so why doubt?
Perhaps, as if sensing his imminent fate, Kevin began to struggle harder, trying to escape, to free himself, but any attempt was futile.
Daniel watched his futile struggle. Should he do it quickly? Just tighten a little harder and end this.
But, remembering that girl, the marks on her body, that disgusting smell on her, those dead eyes.
Maybe it was too vengeful, unheroic, and unethical.
But he didn't want to make it easy; he didn't deserve it to be easy.
He looked at the starry sky, and an idea came to his mind.
Slowly, he began to rise into the sky, 100 meters, a thousand meters, two thousand meters, five thousand meters.
Gradually, he ascended into the air, the oxygen slowly thinning as the altitude increased.
The struggles became more intense, more desperate. He kicked and punched, but it was all futile.
He tried to breathe, but it became increasingly difficult. His face began to redden, and soon a bluish hue began to mix among his cheeks.
Six thousand meters, seven thousand meters, eight thousand meters.
Any struggle ceased. His body shook with spasms that soon began to subside.
The blue and red mingled as the oxygen completely left his body.
Daniel looked at him, looked directly into his eyes. He saw the fear, the desperation, he saw the horror.
He saw the light extinguish, leaving only emptiness.
When it was all over, he looked at the body in front of him and couldn't help but speak.
"Now you truly are a Purple Man..."
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Deep space, above the orbit of Mars.
Daniel released his grip and watched as the body plummeted rapidly towards the red planet.
The truth was, his series of actions had been improvised, and it wasn't until it was all over that he realized he had a body to dispose of.
Even if he was willing to do whatever it took, that didn't mean the general public would be on his side.
At least not now.
So there was a body he had to dispose of, and what better way to hide something than by doing it where no human could find it? So he decided to make his first space trip, which was actually a bit boring.
Locating Mars was easy; he could see it from Earth thanks to his new enhanced vision. The path was also easy; just keep going forward until you reach it.
The journey didn't take long, although Mars was far away, he simply had to keep accelerating.
He hoped the body would disintegrate on the way, but surprisingly, enough of it remained for the journey not to be in vain.
He watched as Mars' gravity began to attract the remains, and atmospheric friction burned them.
In no time, nothing was left but ashes scattered across the rocky planet, lost among its sands.
Daniel looked at his hand, the same hand he had used to finish Killgrave.
It still trembled. He clenched his fist tightly; there was no time for regrets, not anymore. He could only move forward; his decision had already been made.
Without looking back, he began to drift away, heading back towards Earth.
Unnoticed by him, a hooded figure watched him with hidden curiosity from among the rocks of Mars.
A strangely shaped white hand stretched out and touched the sand, where small fragments of black ash lay.
Once more, the figure looked towards the distant sky, red eyes gazing in the direction of Earth.
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NOTE:
The plot progresses, albeit slowly. There's much to write and little time to do it. I promised another chapter by mid or end of the month, and I think I made it in time. I'm not sure if there will be another one before the month ends, but I hope so.
Comments, suggestions, and opinions are all welcome.
If you want to support me, you can toss me a dollar on my Ko-fi at /emmapress. I'd greatly appreciate it. I hope to reach my goal before the year ends! I'm already at 3%, so only another 97% to go! Yey!