Dr. Worthington enjoys a hand massage while he has a loud conversation on his cellphone. The manicurist doesn’t seem to mind and he focuses on doing all the things that normally leads to a big tip.
“He was a good choice, he reconstituted with extraordinary abilities that won’t kill him this time…”
Worthington is the only customer in the nail salon. Adam sits silently in a nearby chair and Manuel wanders the front of the salon. Worthington’s words seem to fill the entire room.
“Then figure out a way to stabilize the conversion…this isn’t like anything we’ve made before, apparently Dr. Eakran cooked it up around the same time we were developing the bacteria, and our soon to be new friend Yuri James only recently put it out on the streets, not realizing what it was. Dr. Earkran was trying to replicate the effects of the bacteria chemically, so don’t think of it as a genetic mutation. Focus on the brain and thyroid, I bet he flooded the thyroid with something that is causing rapid growth that is physically unsustainable. All he needs is a switch, the file on Gertude is a good example to model after…then call me when it’s done.”
He ends the call and then looks to Adam who had been listening to his half of the conversation. Manuel is looking out of the long front window of the salon onto the parking lot that is busy with people going to and from a nearby grocery store.
“He’ll be fine, don’t you worry. He was the least damaged from contact with the glowing, blue compound that Dr. Eakran made. I’m confident he’ll make a very powerful commander of armies soon enough. It’s lucky we even found him, but the COHH has real reach.”
Adam’s expression doesn’t change, but he lifts his bottom lip and his chin jumps in acknowledgement of having heard the words.
“Is Ms. Pham almost here?” Worthington asks and turns his attentions to the man manicuring his fingernails.
“She said that she would be here as soon as she could find Mr. James,” the man says without looking up from his work.
Worthington looks back to Adam.
“Five generals to lead a hundred monsters each into history, into the great unknown. We’ve got the magician and the powerful homosexual couple. If the man with the silver scar remains stubborn, we should have the powerful medium that Tin keeps going on about soon enough. If we fix this guy, we’ll have a shapeshifter. And you two have helped me perfect the leech, their abilities will be easily controlled and they will serve the COHH well.”
“Can I be one of the generals?” Adam asks, mostly to contribute to the conversation that Worthington is happy to have by himself.
“Oh Adam,” Worthington says. “You are a good man with a very strong mental constitution and you and your friend are very reliable security, but the generals have to be extraordinary. They have to be able to fight an army on their own in case the armies fail. Can you do that?”
“Manuel and I…” Adam starts, but then Manuel interrupts.
“I think it’s them,” Manuel says. He backs away from the entrance as a middle-aged asian woman and young black man enter.
“Chau and Yuri!” Worthington says excitedly as he stands to greet them. The manicurist leaves the room after Worthington gives him a wad of rolled bills.
The man and the woman stand quietly, staring at Worthington as Manuel and Adam stand behind him.
“It’s good to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you both…” he extends a hand as he talks and the man and woman stare at it, then at each other and then back to Worthington. He looks uneasy at Adam and Manuel.
“Can we discuss business?” he asks.
The man and woman don’t say a word but they each lift their hands that morph into long, metal blades. Manuel draws a shotgun and Adam has one pistol in each hand. Worthington slinks back behind them and watches them quietly. The man and woman swing their blades and Adam and Manuel fire rounds as they evade the blades that whiz through the air as the man and woman attack. Adam and Manuel are very good with their guns and they manage to shoot them multiple times, but the bullets seem to have no effect. There is no blood, just ragged holes in their clothes and flesh.
Worthington leaves the salon and stands on the sidewalk out front. The parking lot is unaffected by the chaos inside the salon and people, families, move casually about their business. He heads toward the black car that Manuel had used to drive them there and as he approaches it, he recognizes a young black man sitting on the hood.
“Your security busy?” Yuri asks with a smile.
“Mr. James? I’d hoped to speak with Ms. Pham…”
“I know what you hoped,” Yuri interrupts. “You get in, I should be able to make that happen.”
Worthington is hesitant without Adam and Manuel.
“You can go back inside if you want.” Yuri says.
Worthington looks back at the salon and he can see commotion inside. He nods at Yuri and then approaches the passenger side door.
Yuri smiles and shakes his head. He nods his head toward the back of the car.
“I’ll pop the trunk.” Yuri gets inside and hot wires the car and pops the trunk. He looks out the window at Worthington who is dumbfounded. “We ain’t got all day.”
Worthington stares at it for a moment and then climbs inside as Yuri gets out of the car. He stares down at Worthington when he is situated inside, and Yuri smiles as he slowly closes the trunk.
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