The Forbidden Trilogy(255)

Dollinger continued to stare at his vial. "Steele, I don't know about this."

"I do." Gregor put the vial back in its box and closed it. "It's insane. You want to give a weapon to the poor people of this world. Understand, I have nothing against them. Those of you who know me, know that I have struggled to rise from a low place myself. I remember the good people that helped me, but I also remember the scum, those who threw away their lives and abused those of others. Leave them in the dirt where they belong." He spit through his lips to emphasize his point.

Steele ground his teeth. He'd feared they wouldn't understand. "You are just like the corrupt men of which I speak, Gregor. You've grown cozy in your position, fearful of change."

The old Russian shrugged. "Change is not always good."

Dollinger put his vial down as well. "Revealing paranormals may not be wise. People will rise up, like you said, and it won't end well. I mean, you're talking about starting a war."

"With no army," added Gregor.

Steele smiled at that. He pushed a button on his table, and turned in his chair. The wall behind him opened up, revealing a balcony, showing one side of the facility. He stood and walked toward it.

The others, out of curiosity, followed. Their eyes widened in shock as they witnessed what lay below.

"I think things will end well, indeed." Steele gestured to his army. "Meet my Grunts. I have hundreds of them, all genetically engineered and at my command. They are unstoppable."

At their head stood Grunt-1 dressed in red armor. Steele telepathically commanded them to cheer, and they immediately began a low war chant.

Gregor once again disrespected him by spitting at his work. "You are mad. These are beasts. I will not be a part of this."

Steele sighed and turned to face the businessmen, and the camera. "Do all of you agree with Gregor?"

Too scared to speak, to man-up to what was right, they backed away.

Steele shrugged. "Then perhaps I am mad."

He injected the serum into his arm and collapsed to his knees, a high filling him, his muscles straining, his veins pulsing. Pain filled his body, cut at him like tiny razors lined with poison. His muscles grew, stretching his skin, ripping parts of his suit as he tore his way into a new body—a bigger, stronger, more powerful body. Bigger even than Beleth. Energy flowed into him, easing the pain, fading it into nothing. A small price for such a great reward.

Silence filled the room and the Russian gasped. "What have you done to yourself?"

Steele looked at his hands, which were redder than usual, pulsing with blood and energy. "Evolved."

He lifted his hand and, with invisible threads of power, threw Gregor across the room and pinned him to the wall. The world would be watching, and would now see true power.

Everyone froze as Steele walked forward, getting used to his new body. With a mere thought, he floated off the ground and hovered forward, looking at each of the men. "You will join me." He looked at the camera. "You will all join me!"

Then he roared, holding his hands out, and pushed everyone at once against a wall, as if they were no more than cotton balls. He twisted his finger and focused, and ice flooded their bloodstream, freezing them from the inside out, until they were encased in ice. The pain drove them mad. They screamed and begged for release, but with another flick he froze their mouths shut.

They would join him, indeed. He landed back on the ground and walked out of the room, levitating the camera with his powers so that it trailed after him, to document the new world order he was about to create.

He entered a dark cold room and observed his daughter, sitting tied to a chair and bruised up. Force had been required to keep her in line. She'd been troublesome, but no longer. He now had the power to take complete control of her.

Power burned in him and he entered Sam's mind, tearing through the veil of her thoughts and memories like cutting through a heavy canvas wet with rain. She screamed through the duct tape on her mouth, and he relished the pain that rushed through her. She fought him, using her mental powers to ram against the walls he'd built around his own mind, to counter his efforts.

It shouldn't be this hard. He had the power now, but he needed her baby's power, and only she could provide that. He ripped at her mind again, shredding through fragile thoughts, this time like silk in the wind.

Again, she got the upper hand and crashed through his wall, leaving a hollow, sick feeling in its place. Pain filled him, and he dropped to his knees and held his head. He didn't want her in his secrets, knowing his thoughts, so he kept tearing.

Piece by piece he cut through her defenses. She squirmed as he rearranged her memories and reprogrammed her mind. He had to use many of his own memories, trying not to sacrifice vital knowledge in the process. He wouldn't have done this for just anyone, but she was the one. She was worth it.