Corrupted Soul

Nancy schooled her expression before stepping out of the lift and indicating for me to follow her. My thoughts became a little turbulent. It was not typical of me not to be clearheaded, especially with regard to people.

I was only confident about being in these random, albeit forced, adventures where my life and death were uncertain because I was never involved in the story. To me, the outcome was none of my business. 

I did it for the plot. 

I was never a true part of the plot. 

I was someone who read stories.

Sometimes, I documented the stories, but I always tried to be as separate as possible from core engagement with the characters. Once I became embroiled in the tale, I would not be objective.

It frightened me because I could not deny that there was something about Kyle that seemed to reflect me and resonate with me. It was almost like I was seeing myself through parallel mirrors… 

There were infinite reflections every time I looked at him.

Like we were endless… Timeless… 

It sickened me to my stomach. 

I wondered if Kyle is who I would have become if I had persisted in my goals as a scientist. It was like he was another me. If I believed in souls as people often did, I would think that Kyle's soul was the other piece of mine. 

It was just a different version of me. 

It made my stomach churn. 

It made me afraid. 

So, as Nurse Nancy knocked on the door of an office, I did the only thing I could do to protect myself. I reverted to who I was…

I needed to be that person again.

After getting free from the Kingmaker, I decided to live a good life free from the madness of the big picture. I did not have to question every little lie I heard on the news or stare in the eyes of dangerous people, trying to figure out their motives. 

I took everything at face value and accepted things as presented, receiving people's feelings as intended.

As a result, I had unintentionally become affectively empathetic, making me vulnerable to other people's feelings. 

That had to be it.

I had to believe that the only reason I was affected by Kyle, a mad scientist, was because of affective empathy. 

Compassionate empathy did not belong to an observer, and I could not win against my kidnapper with that mentality. I had to let go of the normal human feelings, the weakness, before they got me killed.

I was not normal.

I could not afford to be normal.

So, I shut it down and engaged my cognitive empathy alone as I did with the Kingmaker. 

This way, I could understand without caring, and perhaps, I would escape unscathed once again.

It was better this way. 

The door lock disengaged a moment after the soft knock. Nancy glanced at me for a moment before opening the door. She stood aside like a guard and indicated for me to enter ahead of her. 

When I entered the office, I felt a sense of déjà vu. 

Once again, I was ushered into the office of a powerful man by a stiff woman whose motivations, beliefs and intentions were unclear. Perhaps, both Mother Superior and Nurse Nancy were cogs in a system.

But again, they probably truly believed in the cause of their masters.

Like Mother Superior, Nancy did not stay after presenting me to her boss with a simple 'here she is, Sir'. The man was standing at a ceiling-to-floor window, looking at the almost desert landscape around the building. 

I confirmed my suspicions about where I was due to the scene that indicated a subtropical climate without the lushness of the tropics. Moreover, with this new information, I understood that the research facility was deep underground in a seemingly normal office building. 

When the man at the window turned, I immediately recognised him.

I felt a slight chill because I could not imagine why such a person would be interested in me. I could not imagine that there was anything he did not know. 

It was the Alchemist.

I promise that the recognition was not because of my conspiracy theories. This man is well known as one of the leading minds in innovation. Even those who do not know of him have used at least one of his innovations. 

But I have to admit he is one of the few people who have given me the ick despite not having done anything wrong per se. 

It was strange because I consider myself quite open-minded.

He has done a lot for the world and contributed exceptionally to the advancement of technology. But I could not shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with him. I could only call it a sixth sense. 

After all, I do believe that I do have superior senses when it comes to people and their personalities.

If I could describe the feeling I felt when I looked into his eyes, it was something akin to being covered by dirty motor oil. It was nothing like what I sensed about the Mad King, the Pawn or even the Kingmaker. 

It felt like there was something actively wrong with him. 

Like he had a corrupted soul…

There was definitely humanity within him, but it was tainted by something that could not be fixed. Or rather, he embraced the taint. I would even go as far as to say that he seemed proud of the person he was.

The reason I dubbed him the Alchemist was not only because of his innovative genius, but also because his work and that ick reminded me of an anime character who thought they could sew the lives of humans and animals together, but created abominations. 

Now that I had seen his research facility, I was certain that I was right. 

Suddenly, I felt my mind pause. 

A weird, but clear, thought came to me.

What if I was wrong? What if Kyle's lab was not an evil, clandestine lab, just a secret one? After all, a man like the Alchemist would not be willing to take a risk that he could not account for, especially in the place where he carried out his main business.

After all, fertility technology was controversial but not illegal. 

Moreover, the Alchemist was a proponent and investor in all types of technology. Therefore, no one would bat an eye at the existence of a research facility such as the one in the basement. 

He could even claim that he was protecting the innovations in his lab if any problems were to arise. But I was also certain of what I said to Kyle. The Alchemist had no respect for human life or the patience to let complex research flow naturally. 

There was something afoot in this operation.

Or as the adage goes, I smelled a rat.