Vengeful Spirit

Pain.

Exquisite in its cleanliness. The purest form.

The pain racks through Maxwell, hurts him, tears at his very soul.

It was them who did this and now Maxwell is here in his cell with the pain. But they will pay.

They come to Maxwell, and they hurt him some more, but there is little they can do now that will stop his plan. He will escape and then the world will pay for Maxwell's pain.

* * *

The darkness in the cell hid the monstrosity that crouched at the back. Guards stood to either side of the door. The white-coated young man moved towards it carrying a clipboard. He looked at each guard and the door was opened for him.

* * *

Look.

He has arrived - Jack, Maxwell's first target. But Maxwell cannot get him now; he can deal out the pain.

What happened to the other? Where was Janus? She helped Maxwell. She was his friend, his only friend. It was her turn, where was she?

* * *

"Maxwell? Maxwell!" Jack called out, but the bundle of crouching clothing did not respond.

The lights burst on as he tapped the button on the remote. The bundle responded with an inhuman scream and shrank back, pulling the blankets and other pieces over its head to hide from the bright lights that hurt.

"Maxwell, it's time for your booster."

* * *

The pain of the light, burning Maxwell's eyes. Help. Must get away. Why was Jack here? Where was Janus? Why with the drugs again, the ones that stop Maxwell moving.

* * *

"Where is Janus?" The hissing voice emerged from the bundle.

"Oh, Janus. She has been, erm... removed from the project. I am now the project leader and will be overseeing your 'treatment'."

The bundle seemed to pause at this news, contemplating what it meant. "So Janus will no longer be helping me?"

"I'm afraid she can no longer help you, Maxwell. I, however, can - if you can help me in return."

"You want to run more of your experiments, don't you? You want to cut me and probe me again."

"It's all in the name of science, Maxwell. We only want to know what went wrong with you so we can put it right."

"I don't believe you." The bundle seemed to increase in height as it became more agitated, although the voice remained a low hiss.

"Now come, Maxwell, you know Project Atlas was supposed to make you a new man. We need to know where it went wrong for you."

"You mean this." The clothes shed away and Maxwell drew himself up to his full height, towering at least two feet above Jack. The thick, armoured skin a light brown colour. The giant hands ending with long wicked claws. "You did this to me. I know it was you, I remember that. You took my memories away."

Jack backed towards the door, his hand moving to the remote. "Calm down, Maxwell, you know what happens when you get like this."

"I don't care, Jack. I wish that you would die," Maxwell lunged forward but before he could reach Jack the electricity coursed through him, causing the Pain. The collar he wore flashed light as Jack's finger pushed the pain button.

"I told you not to get agitated," Jack was bending down to talk into Maxwell's ear as he lay on the floor in agony. "You know, I don't enjoy this."

"Neither... do... I..." Maxwell managed before returning to his writhing.

Jack watched impassively as the pain wracked Maxwell. Then, suddenly, Maxwell, stopped reacting and stood. Jack stabbed the pain button again and again; why wasn't it working?

"Wait!" was all Jack could manage before he found he could make no more sound. Reaching up, he felt the warm sticky life fluid pouring from his freshly torn-out throat. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before falling forward to the floor, dead.

Maxwell reached up to the collar around his neck and pulled and pulled, the talons tucked beneath it. It snapped eventually and with Jack's voice Maxwell said, "You can let me out now."

The guards were in no way ready for the attack and neither even reached their guns before the first was eviscerated cleanly and the second had his head snapped back, shattering his spine. Maxwell was out of his cell.

* * *

Zach had been sleeping when he heard the screams. They still didn't trust him enough to allow him free run of the base. He opened the door carefully to exit his 'apartment' only to find a horrific scene. The guards who normally stood outside his room were lying literally in pieces. Zach drew a gun from one of their holsters and moved down the corridor through the swathe of violence.

It was not hard to spot where whatever had done this had gone; the destruction was random in its action but was in a very definite direction. Dead guards and scientists, most of them unrecognisable by Zach, lay strewn around the corridors where the thing had passed. What the hell had gone on here?

The destruction finished at the end of a corridor where one of the bullet proof windows had been smashed out. Looking out carefully, Zach could make out a dark shape about ten stories down. It seemed to be clinging to the outside of the building and climbing downwards. He fired off a few shots but it did not seem to be long before it had reached the bottom and run off into the night.

What in the hell had that been? Zach moved back down the corridor to find out.

Paul Taylor, 25/07/01

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