Experiment

The mysterious man's hideout was a stereotypical mad scientist's lair. Complete with flickering lights, discarded lab equipment, and a lingering smell of burnt chemicals. The man removed his mask, revealing a face marred with burn scars. His visage was disturbing, but his eyes held an intense fascination that Ethan found far more unsettling.

"I have a problem, Ethan," he began, his voice echoing around the grimy laboratory. "A problem that even Alternative Physics cannot solve. A wound that cannot heal." He gestured at his disfigured face. "I acquired this while developing a new energy source. An error in calculation... and the experiment blew up in my face. Literally."

Ethan's eyes narrowed. He was cautious but curious. The man didn't seem to care about his reaction and continued his monologue.

"The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; only transferred or changed from one form to another. But what if we could create energy? What if we could break this rule?" He paused, studying Ethan's reaction.

The mysterious man revealed his sinister intentions. "You, Ethan, are my new test subject." He proceeded to inject Ethan with a strange, glowing liquid. Ethan's scream echoed around the grimy room as his skin instantly blistered, and his fingertips swelled and burst like overfilled balloons.

"Enough," the man declared, his crazed laughter filling the room. He administered another injection, a serum filled with sparkling, emerald fluid. As if by magic, Ethan's skin began to heal, the blisters receding, and his fingertips reforming.

"You see, Ethan," the man continued, his eyes gleaming in the dim light of the laboratory. "With the power of Alternative Physics, we could become more than human. We could become Gods!"

***

Ethan's body lay on the cold, hard floor of the laboratory. His skin was marred by blisters, each an agonizing testament to the injections he had endured. Days had passed in a blur. He had no food, no water, no contact with the outside world. The strange liquid continued to be administered, each dose sending new waves of torment through his body.

Ethan's mind started to fray at the edges. He began to talk to himself, his words echoing hollowly around the sterile room. The silence of the lab was broken only by his low mutterings and the occasional mirthless laughter of the man with the burn-scarred face.

His spirit was weakening, but he clung to his sanity, reminding himself of his name, his purpose, his determination to escape. He forced himself to recall the fundamentals of his knowledge, the theories of Alternative Physics and its potential. He was a scientist, a survivor, and he would not let this madman break him.

His thoughts were his only companion, and Ethan started a silent dialogue within his mind, questioning, analyzing, seeking a way out of this torment. He needed a plan, a means to outsmart his captor and escape this lab. As he teetered on the brink of despair, Ethan found a glimmer of hope in his situation. He might be a guinea pig, but he was also an observer, a scholar. And if there was a way to beat this man, he would find it.

The mad scientist entered the room, a twisted smile on his burn-scarred face. "You're quite a unique specimen, Ethan," he mocked, leaning over the young man's battered body. His voice was disturbingly cheerful, completely at odds with the cruel reality of their situation.

"Most of our subjects succumb by the tenth injection," he mused aloud, circling Ethan like a predator around its prey. "But you... You've reached your ninetieth. A rare feat indeed."

The scientist's laughter echoed eerily in the cold room, the sound bouncing off the metallic surfaces and into Ethan's throbbing ears. With a grand flourish, the scientist unveiled a cake that he had brought with him. It was a grotesque mockery of a celebration, but Ethan was too weak to protest.

The scientist lit a single candle in the middle of the cake, its flame flickering in the gloomy room. He began to sing "Happy Birthday" in a derisively jovial tone, his gaze never leaving Ethan.

Ethan watched him through half-lidded eyes, his mind running a thousand miles an hour. There was something deeply unsettling about the scene, the scientist's joyous song contrasting starkly against the pain coursing through his veins. Yet he clung onto consciousness, knowing he had to stay awake, stay aware.

The scientist's cruelty seemed to know no bounds, but Ethan was determined. He would survive, and one way or another, he would find a way to escape this hell.

"Look at you... surviving through the ninetieth injection." The mad scientist said, his voice filled with glee. "You truly are a fascinating specimen, Ethan."

His voice was grating to Ethan's ears, but he remained silent, his eyes seething with determination.

"Tell me, how does it feel to be on the brink of death, yet unable to succumb?" The scientist continued his torment.

Ethan mustered all his strength and replied, "It feels... enlightening."

The scientist was taken aback for a moment before he burst into laughter. "Enlightening? Now that's a first."

Ethan continued, "Yes, because every time you inject that poison into me, I'm learning more about you... more about your twisted experiments. And sooner or later, I will find a way to end this."

The mad scientist's laughter died down as he stared at Ethan with a puzzled expression. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

Ethan replied, "That's for me to know... and for you to find out."

For the first time, uncertainty flickered in the mad scientist's eyes as he looked at Ethan. He had underestimated his captive, and now he was left wondering what Ethan was truly capable of.

Ethan gritted his teeth, his mind racing. This was his moment, his one opportunity to turn the tables. He would have to be precise, calculating, and most importantly, lucky.

"Sir," Ethan spoke, making sure his voice was barely above a whisper. The mad scientist looked at him, eyebrow raised in curiosity. Ethan continued, "Before you continue, may I ask for a glass of that liquid? I'd... like to have a toast. A toast for making it to the ninetieth injection."

The mad scientist eyed Ethan for a moment before chuckling. "A toast, huh? Well, aren't you interesting. Very well, a toast it is."

He reached over to the table next to him and poured some of the liquid into a small glass. He then handed it over to Ethan. "Be sure to drink every drop. I wouldn't want you to miss out on the energy boost."

Ethan held the glass in his hands, his heart pounding in his chest. This was it. His only chance. He lifted the glass towards the mad scientist in a toast and then downed the liquid in one gulp.

Immediately, Ethan could feel the energy coursing through his body. But this was not the kind of energy he had felt before. This was different. This was power.

Ethan looked at the system's hologram in front of his eyes. It showed that his body was now absorbing the liquid. His blood levels were stabilizing, and his physical strength was increasing rapidly.

"Thank you," Ethan muttered to the stunned scientist, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "For underestimating me."