15. The Protégé

The protégé stood outside of the lab and checked their phone. They had been looking at their phone about once an hour over the last few days. The message they waited for just wouldn't arrive.
"What the hell is taking so long you stupid cow, I saw you make contact with your mark," they said aloud before pocketing their phone and hitting the buzzer.
"You're late," The Doctor's bored sounding voice said through the intercom.
The door unlocked with a metallic click and the door opened. The lab was only a lab on the inside. The outside of the building looked like an ugly red brick house with boarded up windows. The boards were for show only, since there was only brick behind them. The front door looked like a normal white wooden door until you touched it. The metal was smooth and cool against skin. The door knob itself was the intercom buzzer.
The Protégé walked into the empty hallway and approached the elevator at the rear wall. They rode down to the first basement level and stepped out into the actual lab. Metal tables and file cabinets cluttered the room. In the rear left corner The Doctor sat at his computer and stared at a dna strand while writing in a spiral notebook.
"Has the job been completed yet?" He asked over his shoulder, not taking the time to turn around.
"I cannot confirm that at this time," The protégé said as they walked up behind The Doctor's chair.
When The Protégé said no, The Doctor dropped the pen he was writing with and turned around in his black office chair.
"And why can't you?" He asked, his pale hands folded across his lap.
"My contact hasn't confirmed completion of the task," they answered, nervousness creeping into their voice.
Wrinkles appeared around The Doctor's blue eyes as he narrowed them and rubbed his temples.
"You do realize what's at stake here right? Or do you need to be reminded?" He asked and stuck a strand of graying, brown hair behind his ear.
"No, I promise it will be completed," they said without hesitation.
"Good, because the last specimen isn't yielding the desired results. I'm afraid it's about time to reset her and send her back. I would hate to have to do the same to you, Especially with the university’s annual tournament coming up. I’m sure a capable follower, with actual powers will be easy to find in just a few weeks, " he said. His tone was so cold it sounded as if he was talking to a stranger, not his most loyal follower. The person he himself had deemed his protégé.
The Protégé thought about what life would be like if they were reset. They would have to go back to their normal humdrum life. No more super powers, even though they were only temporary powers, they were better than none.
“I will make sure the task is completed before our next meeting,” The Protege said, hoping that would buy them more time.
“You mean before the next time I summon you. Please don't make the mistake of thinking this is a partnership, you work for me, remember that!” The Doctor said and turned his back on them.
They waited silently while The Doctor continued writing.
“Go down and pick up your next, and possibly last dosage,” he said and waved them off.
The Protege left the room and walked back to the elevator, checking their phone again just in case.
“What the fuck is taking so long Rayne?” they said aloud, their voice full of anxiety.
They took the elevator to the second basement. When they stepped off this time they were in a room full of medical equipment. Monitor beeps were the only sound that disturbed the sterile silence.
“So you were another failure?” they said to the comatose girl lying in the bed in front of them.
Mariah looked peaceful as she rested. The medically induced coma she was in had taken its toll on her body though. Her once bright red hair was dull and brittle. Her skin was pale from the lack of light. She had tubes coming out of her mouth as well as attached to her arms and legs. The Protege almost felt sorry for the girl. Her only real mistake was trusting the wrong person. Trusting them. There was a dark irony there, the first friend she made being the person that kidnapped her. She was a quiet, solitary girl. That’s what made her a good target, popular people caused problems.
“At least you got to assist in the future, you should be proud,” they said and patted Mariah’s left cheek.
They couldn’t be sure, but they swore the girl shuddered at their touch. They had to be imagining that. She was so doped up that a nuclear bomb could go off next to her and she wouldn’t react. They walked over to a metal table and opened a small container that resembled a toolbox. It was full of orange pill bottles with white caps. Each bottle contained exactly 7 pills. They picked up one that was full of blue, ovular pills with the bear paw emblem next to the hurricane emblem on them, the same symbol they wore on their pendant.
“Hello, little beauties,” they said as they held the bottle up and gave it a gentle shake.
They pocketed the bottle and started to close the container again. Before they closed it they stared at the dozens of bottles and considered taking a second one. There’s no way he would notice right? They thought just before they closed the container. It was better to be safe than sorry and getting greedy could only lead to something bad. They headed back up the elevator and left sleeping Mariah alone with her machines.
“You can go,” The Doctor said, dismissing them without another glance.
They left the lab without another word. When they exited the building their phone buzzed with a text message.
“Not yet,” was all the text from Rayne said.
They called her, not wanting to waste time texting.
“Hello,” Rayne answered, she was whispering.
“Why haven’t you completed the task yet?” they asked, not trying to hide how annoyed they were.
“The right time just hasn’t presented itself,” she said, still whispering.
“Get it done today!” they said and hung up.
They growled and stuck their phone back in their pocket as they headed back to the university. She was taking too long, it was time to pay her a visit and remind her who she worked for.

Chapter end