Chapter 1: The Origin --Part 2--:

          The door to Orlov’s office swung open. Igor stepped out quickly, his face tense, his steps hurried. Irina, waiting a few meters away, straightened up immediately.

Irina (frowning):

"Igor! Where are you going like that? What did he say?"

He didn’t answer. He kept walking fast, eyes fixed straight ahead. Irina sped up and walked beside him.

Irina (more firmly):

"Igor, answer me when I’m talking to you." He stopped abruptly. Stayed silent for a few seconds, then slowly turned his head toward her. His gaze was different filled with energy, but also tension.

Igor (in a calm tone):

"He agreed. He listened to me. He’s going to restart the experiment with subject 26-F."

Irina (surprised but cold):

"He really said that? He gave the order?"

Igor (nodding):

"Yes. He wants everything prepared immediately. And above all, the Council must not know. Not yet."

Irina (crossing her arms):

"Fine. I’ll alert the scientists in Room 4F."

Igor:

"And I’ll go see the technicians. Meet you in the observation room."

Irina (walking away):

"Don’t be late."

They parted, each with a mission to accomplish. Something massive had just been set in motion. Technical Room – Basement Level 4E.

Igor pushed open the metallic door of the technical room. Inside, electricians Nikolai Antonov, Vadim Petrov, and the young Pavel Grishin were working around an open wiring panel. The technician in charge of regulators, Ilya Morozov, was bent over a secondary generator.

Igor (directly upon entering):

"Gentlemen, stop everything. Dr. Orlov has given the green light. We’re restarting the experiment with subject 26-F. Prepare Room C, now."

They turned toward him, surprised.

Nikolai (frowning):

"You’re kidding? He’s restarting the operation?"

Igor:

"No. It’s official. Red protocol activated. Fields must be stable and power continuous."

Vadim (checking his tool):

"Last time, the coils almost blew. You really want us to rerun all this in a rush?"

Igor (calm but firm):

"Yes. And with zero errors. This time, we can’t fail."

Pavel (hesitant):

"Line C5 is too weak to handle full pressure. It won’t hold."

Igor:

"Then reroute through Line E2. Reinforce the relays. If it blows, we’re all dead."

Ilya (looking up from his panel):

"I can reactivate coil cooling. But I’ll need six or seven minutes."

Igor:

"Do it. All of you, together. And lock down the safety circuit. No stray waves in the room."

Nikolai exchanged a look with the others, then grabbed his gloves.

Nikolai:

"Alright. Let’s go. Pavel, to the transformers. Vadim, you’re with me on the conduits." Everyone got to work."

Igor watched them for a second, then left the room without a word.

Room 4F – Scientific Center.

Irina entered Room 4F, a round a central screen stood four scientists: Dr. Elena Sokolova, biochemistry specialist. Prof. Alexei Korotkov, neuroscience expert. Dr. Sergei Malinin, head of experimental data. Tatiana Volkova, behavioral analyst. They all stopped what they were doing as she arrived.

Irina (clear, composed):

"Dr. Orlov has confirmed. The experiment resumes. Subject 26-F. Red protocol."

Alexei (surprised):

"He wants to restart this now? Without warning?"

Irina:

"He saw the results. He made his decision. Prepare everything."

Elena:

"The serum hasn’t passed all the checks yet..."

Irina (cutting her off):

"Inject it on signal. Monitor the margins. Double-check if needed."

Sergei:

"And the Council? Are they aware?"

Irina (cold, firm):

"No. And they must not be. Not yet."

A brief, tense silence. The scientists exchanged anxious glances, but no one protested. Machines came back to life. Code lines scrolled. Tools clicked. Irina observed the room for a few seconds. Then, without another word, she turned and left just as Igor had moments before. The countdown had begun.

Observation Room – Room C.

All essential personnel were gathered behind the glass wall. Silence reigned, broken only by the beeping of monitors. Behind the reinforced glass, the containment dome pulsed with a bluish glow. Below, the test subject — 26-F — was strapped into his chair, entangled in cables, harnesses, sensors, metal. He suddenly lifted his head. His eyes, bloodshot and full of fear, stared at the blurry figures on the other side of the glass. And his voice rang out clear, desperate in perfect, French:

Subject 26-F (in tears):

"I beg you... let me out....... please......... Evel didn't want all this."

A faint murmur rippled through the observation room.

Irina (frowning, quietly):

"He… he said something. He’s speaking another language."

She turned to Orlov, puzzled.

Irina:

"Doctor… what did he say?"

Dr. Orlov, still standing near the glass, smiled slowly a cold, merciless smile. He stepped toward the central console and replied in a mock-solemn tone:

Dr. Orlov (ironically):

"He says he’s honored to be the test subject… who will revolutionize the world."

Then, he raised his hand, firm, and gave the order like a general on a battlefield:

Dr. Orlov (commanding):

"Enough games. Activate Phase 1."

A pause then, he snapped his fingers.

Dr. Orlov (rhythmic, relentless):

"One… two. One… two. One… two."

Operators jumped into action. Indicators turned red. The magnetic field tightened around the dome. Electric arcs slid along the conduits. The Z-3 serum was injected. Inside, the subject screamed.

Subject 26-F ( in an inhuman scream):

" HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ! "

His body arched violently. His veins glowed. Sensors crackled. Chains rattled. Blue particles began to float in the air.

Igor (shouting):

"He’s surging! Readings are off the charts!"

Nikolai Antonov:

"Safety thresholds are maxed out! If this keeps going..."

Dr. Orlov (cold):

"Let him suffer. He must go through this phase."

Irina clenched her fists. A shiver ran down her spine. The dome trembled slightly. Machines, saturated with data, blinked all over the room, at the heart of the device, subject 26-F was still alive gasping, convulsing, but conscious. His eyes, once pitch-black, now glowed with intense, almost phosphorescent blue. Silence fell briefly.

Vadim Petrov (stunned):

"End of Phase 1… Protocol stabilized."

Dr. Orlov stepped forward slowly, hands behind his back. He observed the subject like an artist admiring his work in progress.

Dr. Orlov (without looking at Igor):

"Tell me, Igor… do you know the difference between a scientist… and an ordinary person?"

Igor (confused):

"No, Doctor." Orlov turned to him, eyes sparkling with restrained excitement.

Dr. Orlov (intensely):

"It’s willpower."

He moved closer, placing his hands on the console, eyes locked on the suffering subject.

Dr. Orlov (growing louder):

"The will to understand. The will to transcend limits. The will to not back down, even in the face of horror."

Dr. Orlov (shouting, exultant):

"With will, we can move mountains! With will, we can create the unimaginable!" And with a snap of his fingers:

Dr. Orlov (command tone):

"Begin Phase 2. One, two. One, two. One, two."

The operators obeyed in near-religious silence. Red lights replaced the blue. The electromagnetic field intensified drastically. The subject screamed again, this time with a deeper, more animalistic pain.

Subject 26-F (in French, screaming):

«STOP! STOP IT I »

Static crackled. The smell of burning metal filled the room. Circuits overloaded, readings skyrocketed.

Dr. Orlov (smiling, almost praying):

"Let us pray, dear brothers… pray the Lord hears our prayers."

The lights flickered. The subject screamed on his raw, broken voice echoing across the chamber.

Pavel Grishin (trembling):

"Phase Two… full success… Data is stable…"

Suddenly, calm returned. Abrupt, total. One scientist, silent until now Professor Alexei Korotkov slowly raised his eyes. He stared at Orlov. His pupils were dilated as if he had seen something.

Prof. Korotkov (quietly):

"Now… Phase Three…"

Orlov turned to him. And smiled. The hum of generators filled the room. All eyes were tense. Irina gripped the safety rail. Igor kept his gaze on the monitors. Dr. Orlov stood tall in the center, hands clasped behind his back.

Dr. Orlov (clear, cold):

"Begin Phase Three. One, two. One, two. One, two."

Operators obeyed immediately. Red symbols lit up on the console. Tension rose. Inside the dome, subject 26-F moved. Slowly at first. His head tilted left then, right. His eyes glowed even brighter, pulsing. He wasn’t screaming. No sound came from his mouth. But his movements grew more erratic. His arms convulsed against the chains. His chest rose at an abnormal rhythm. Then, with a violent jerk, his head snapped back.

Igor (surprised):

"He’s not vocalizing anymore… He’s resisting…"

Irina:

"Look at his eyes…"

Dr. Orlov (suddenly, screaming with excitement):

"Yes! Yes! YES! That’s it! That’s what we’ve been waiting for! Keep going! We’re almost there!"

His skin melted slowly, drop after drop, like hot wax on a living candle. Viscous shreds fell from his face, revealing the pulse, red and shiny bare muscles. The flesh stuck to the metal table, standing out with each movement, with a sticky, almost obscene noise. His eyes, first injected with blood, had started to boil in their orbit. A white, milky liquid, escaped in burning nets, flowing along his cheeks like acid tears. Then they had melted. Completely. There were only two black cavities, smoking, gnawed from the inside, but he still saw. Or rather, he felt what surrounded him. His mouth was wide open, but no cry came out. His half dissolved tongue hung limply, stuck to his throat by coagulated blood filaments. His breath was irregular, jerky, as if he was trying to escape from this ruined body. His twisted fingers scraped the chair weakly, leaving streaks of flesh melted behind them. His chest was still lifting slowly and in the last spasms of his muscles, he tried to whisper a word. But his throat was just a charred flesh tunnel. No sound came out. It was not a death. It was hell maintained alive by cables. Machines went haywire. Values shot beyond limits. Warning lights flashed red. Then Everything stopped. A heavy silence fell over the room. Lights returned to normal. The subject was still. His head had slumped forward. His eyes were closed.

Ilya Morozov (nervous voice):

"Phase Three… completed."

Igor (worried):

"Is… is he alive?"

Scientists rushed to the neurological monitors. Dr. Malinin typed rapidly on the keyboard.

Dr. Sergei Malinin:

"Checking vitals… heart rate… brain activity…"

A steady beep appeared on the screen.

Dr. Sergei Malinin (breathless):

"He… he’s alive. Still alive." 

A murmur rippled through the room. Irina raised her eyes slightly, stunned. Igor stood frozen.

Dr. Orlov (quietly, eyes gleaming):

"He made it… through all three phases."

He placed a hand on the glass, mesmerized.

Dr. Orlov (smiling):

"He’s no longer just a test subject… This is… the beginning of a beautiful story."