Chapter 115

Over the next few days, Carlisle put his plan into motion. Through back channels, he reached out to one of Mercer's aides, offering a potential solution to one of the government's biggest concerns: how to control Malik. Carlisle proposed a cutting-edge method of genetic suppression, a way to potentially deactivate Malik's powers without physically harming him.

The offer was too tempting for Mercer to ignore. Though skeptical, the colonel couldn't afford to overlook such a proposal, especially given how difficult it had been to keep Malik subdued. Carlisle's reputation as a brilliant but controversial scientist played in his favor—Mercer needed results, and Carlisle could deliver.

A meeting was arranged in the shadowy confines of a secure military base, far from prying eyes. Carlisle entered the conference room with the confidence of a man who knew he was about to seize an opportunity of a lifetime. Sitting across from him was Colonel Mercer, a middle-aged man with a stern face and piercing eyes.

"Dr. Carlisle," Mercer greeted him with a nod, but there was no warmth in his voice. "I've reviewed your proposal. It's... ambitious."

"Ambitious, yes," Carlisle replied smoothly. "But achievable. If you want to control Malik, to truly understand his abilities and prevent them from being a threat, my method is the best way forward."

Mercer's eyes narrowed. "What's in it for you, Doctor? You're not exactly known for playing well with others."

Carlisle chuckled. "I won't deny my reputation precedes me. But I'm not here for personal gain, Colonel. I'm here because this is the next step in human evolution. Don't you want to be on the front lines of something extraordinary? To be the man who helped bring humanity into a new era?"

Mercer's expression remained stoic, but Carlisle could see the gears turning in his head. The colonel wasn't a man swayed by flattery, but Carlisle's appeal to his sense of duty and legacy was starting to chip away at his reservations.

"We've been able to keep him subdued so far," Mercer said, leaning forward. "But if what you're saying is true, if you can actually suppress his abilities, you'll have to prove it."

Carlisle nodded. "I understand. Give me access to Malik. Let me run the tests, and I'll show you that it can be done."

There was a long pause as Mercer considered the offer. Finally, he gave a single nod.

"You'll get your chance, Dr. Carlisle. But if you fail, you won't get another."

---

Getting into the holding blocks where Malik was being kept had been easier than Carlisle expected. Once Mercer had approved his proposal, the doors to the facility opened, albeit with tight restrictions. Armed guards escorted him into the high-security wing, where Malik was being held in a heavily fortified cell. The air was cold, sterile, and filled with the hum of security systems monitoring every inch of the place.

As Carlisle approached the reinforced observation window, his heart pounded with excitement. This was it. The culmination of his life's obsession stood right in front of him. Behind the glass, Malik was strapped to a metal chair, his once-powerful body weakened from months of sedation and containment. His eyes, half-lidded, blinked slowly as if trying to stay awake.

Carlisle's fingers twitched with anticipation. This was no longer just an experiment—it was history in the making. He had secured his place in the future, and Malik was the key to everything.

Over the next few days, Carlisle was allowed to run his tests, closely monitored by Mercer's team. He worked tirelessly, gathering samples of Malik's blood, studying his cellular structure, and analyzing the energy signatures that allowed him to control metal. The work was grueling, but Carlisle reveled in it. He had never felt more alive.

But something nagged at the back of his mind. As brilliant as he was, he couldn't help but notice that Malik's abilities seemed... different than what he had expected. It wasn't just raw power—it was something deeper, something more intrinsic to Malik's biology than he had anticipated.

As he delved deeper into his research, Carlisle began to suspect that Malik wasn't the end of this phenomenon. There were others out there, possibly dormant, waiting for their abilities to manifest. The idea thrilled and terrified him in equal measure.

One evening, as he sat in his lab reviewing his data, Carlisle's mind wandered back to Mercer's words: If you fail, you won't get another chance. But Carlisle wasn't concerned about failure. He was already thinking about the future, about what would happen when more people like Malik emerged. The government would need him, and he would be ready.

His thoughts drifted to Alex, another figure he had heard whispers about through his network of contacts. Carlisle didn't know much about him, but his name had come up more than once in connection to online discussions about intelligence and breakthroughs in the mediation world.

"Who are you, Stargazer?" Carlisle muttered to himself. He made a mental note to dig deeper into this mysterious figure. If Malik was just the beginning, then Stargazer might be the next piece of the puzzle.