The Crimson Phoenix

An idea and a disaster.

It was already nine o’clock on a Friday morning and Leo still wasn’t up from bed, because he had slept very late the previous night. Molly wondered why he wasn’t up yet and decided to check on him.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She knocked on his door but got no response from him.

“Leo, wake up, breakfast is ready.” She knocked on the door again, leaning in this time to listen in, but still no response. Not waiting any longer, she pushed the door open and was a bit startled by the scene in front of her. Lying on the bed, was a sleeping Leo with books scattered around him on the bed. His laptop was still on and at the side, doing a slideshow of pictures since it hadn’t been used for a while. Leo was snoring heavily with saliva drooling from the side of his mouth.

She walked closer to the bed. She picked up a book and studied it, “General understanding of quantum physics.” She said as flipped through the pages and then turned to the bed, and scanned the other books on it with her eyes. ‘Understanding Advanced Mechanics, Circuit creation, Electrical flow, Theory of Relativity, God’s Equation…’

“This kid is one of a kind” She couldn’t help but blurt out under her breath, sighing, she dropped the book and tapped him on his leg.

“Leo!” Molly shouted and tapped his feet. Leo jolted awake in an instant, startling the middle-aged lady. “Whoa! Slow down Leo.” She stated, the startled look was still on her face. “What happened?” She asked curiously.

“It’s nothing aunt,” Leo said, sitting up on the bed and stretching himself and yawning at the same time, “It’s just a nightmare” he added, looking up at her. Leo had actually dreamt about a snake biting him on the feet, the same place his aunt tapped.

“Want to talk about it?” She offered.

“Nah, don’t worry about it, it’s nothing serious.” He waved his hand. He really didn’t want to tell his aunt because his dreams were usually very abstract and embarrassing.

Seeing that he was stressed out, Molly decided to probe him. “I can see you’ve been busy.” She said, picking up one of the books.

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to learn everything I can on mechanics,” he replied, hopping down from his bed and started packing the scattered books on my bed.

“To an extent of going quantum?” she asked with a raised brow. He sighed

“Well, I don’t just want to be a mechanic, I want to be more than that.” He explained.

“But you’ve got more than enough time for that. First, you’ve gotta finish high school, then you can learn the rest in college…” She paused, then she gave him a suspicious look, “unless you don’t plan on going to college.”

“That’s a discussion for another year.” He muttered as he finalized his packing.

She sighed, “Well, that’s up to you. I came to tell you that breakfast is ready”. She started and then turned to leave. Leo suddenly thought of something and he called out to his aunt.

“Wait…” Molly stopped and turned to look at Leo, “Do you happen to have a place like a junkyard around here or something?“ He inquired. Molly put a finger on her chin and thought for a moment.

“There is one but it’s a little bit far from here. Why do you ask?” She probed.

“I might need some materials for a project of mine,” Leo revealed.

“ Project? What kind of project?” Molly asked. Her ears were yearning to listen to what Leo had to say.

“Dammit, Looks like I’ll have to explain after all,” Leo cursed under his breath and took the time to explain, “I build things, things that I think of and imagine. Back at home, my friends and I actually built a turbo engine skateboard. We named it the jet board…” He recounted the events to his aunt and she was surprised. She knew that he usually helped his dad with the mechanic work but she didn’t know that he had decided to kick things up a couple of notches … okay maybe more than a couple.

“Well… I can help you with the materials but what do you want to work on now?” she inquired.

The project Leo had in mind now was actually a bit more dangerous than the last… actually, it’s very much more dangerous than the last one. It involves a life and death situation. Of course, he wouldn’t tell her that.

“Well, that’s classified.” Leo said with a grin. Molly folded her arms and gawked at him with an expressionless face.

“Speak.” She demanded.

“ I…” he hesitated. He was afraid that she might refuse his request. She was still looking at him and it made him feel uncomfortable. “I’m planning to create a lightning current absorber.” He gathered every courage he had left to utter those words. Molly stared at him for a while before bursting into laughter.

“What’s so funny?“ Leo asked with a raised eyebrow

“You’re joking right? “ Molly asked, still laughing. ‘Does all this look like I’m joking to you?’ Leo thought to himself but didn’t dare say it out loud. He just stared at her.

“So let me get this straight, you want to build the one thing… that scientists, who have spent their entire lives conducting experiments, haven’t been able to build? Are you out of your mind?!“ She yelled. Conducting an experiment that big was highly dangerous and could get Leo and he could get killed if he wasn’t careful enough.

“I know it sounds weird and dangerous. That’s why I’ve been trying to get as much information I can get to build this thing.” He tried to convince her.

“Leo, there are three things you have to watch out for when doing something like this…” she advised, then she started to use her fingers to enumerate her points, “First, you need a machine with enough insulation to keep the machine from exploding. Second, you need to be able to separate the charges but that will be the least of your problems because an ordinary charge separator wouldn’t work with the high amount of voltage that would bombard the separator which will then leave us to the final problem of not having a place to store that huge amount of energy. You’ll need an enormous amount of an electrolyte or battery to take the charge in without exploding and we both know that there’s no way you’re getting that…” She explained.

“Well I believe that I can solve the first two problems in the future but I’m not sure about the third problem. I’ll have to consult some people on that aspect.” Leo concluded. Molly gave him a look of disdain.

“Look I don’t have time for this. Clean up and come get your breakfast. I’m gonna be late for work” Her mind was made up, she turned and left the room. Leo sighed and looked around him. Seeing the things he had to do.

“It’s gonna be a long day,” He said to himself as he carried the books to the nearby table. He grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom, he would worry about convincing Molly later.

Leo got downstairs and ate his breakfast. Molly took Kate to school and went to work while William also went to work so he was the only one left at home. William decided to give him a spare key because Leo already told him that he wouldn’t be staying at home.

He wanted to go to the county library he went to when he was touring the county the previous day. Don’t take Leo for a bookworm, as a matter of fact, he hates books… school textbooks to be exact. He loves novels but he couldn’t achieve his goals without reading school books so he had no choice but to read. He decided to stay at home for two hours to text his friends–especially Tracy and Mason, and play a few games so as to clear his mind before he departed.

Leo left the house at twelve o’clock in the afternoon for the library. He could’ve skated to the library but he shelved the idea. He wanted to walk and feel the ground with his very own legs. He reached the County’s library and saw the receptionist who he met the previous day.

“Good afternoon.” Leo greeted.

“Good afternoon, how’re you doing?” The receptionist replied ithout taking his eyes off his book. He was reading a romantic novel. He had brown hair and black eyes and looked like he was in his mid thirties. He wore a pair of glasses and he was handsome but intimidating.

“I’m as good as I can be.” Leo replied and was about to head upstairs to the science section when the receptionist called him back.

“That reminds me. I didn’t catch your name the last time we met.” He said as he took out a pen from his chest pocket. He wanted to fill in an attendance for Leo. This was the Library’s policy.

“Oh okay.” Leo gave him his name and phone number and he also asked for the guy’s name which he said to be Jordan, before he went upstairs to the science section.

The County Library was extremely wide and looked very old. It could be mistaken for a museum at first sight but the inscription at the front of the building gave it off. It would’ve been converted into a museum but the Mayor decided against it and turned it into a library. The inside was beautiful and there were yellow bulbs around. The smell of the place was so refreshing, One would be tempted to actually live here. The building was huge and had four floors, each floor was had different categories of books. The first floor was for administrative purposes. There were other offices on that floor but Leo didn’t tour the first floor the previous day. The second floor was dedicated to the art sector. This floor had books like history, art, literature, etc. The third floor was for the science part. This was where Leo was headed. There were books on astrology, Medicine, geology, Mechanics, and so on. The fourth floor was for the political and economic section. It had books which based in those topics and aspects.

Leo took out a book on advanced mechanics to from the shelves and sat on a chair to read. It was the same subject as the one he had at home but it was written by different authors. When you read science books, you have to read from different authors in order to boost your understanding of a topic and also see things from different people‘s perspectives.

At this critical juncture, Leo had to be fully prepared before he begins building the Lightning Current absorber because the project wasn’t an ordinary one. Leo was fully immersed in his reading and didn’t get any distractions. He occasionally went out to get a snack and came back to read. When he realized that the time was twenty five minutes past four, He decided to take his leave. I got downstairs to the first floor, only to realize that it was Lisa, the girl who gave him a tour through the library the previous day, who was sitting behind the reception table this time. She looked like a teenager but she was actually twenty one years old. She wore a black blouse and a pair of cream colored trousers with red high-heels to match. She actually liked Leo despite just knowing him for a day and they got along pretty well the previous day.

“Hey there.” She shyly waved at Leo.

“Hi…” Leo greeted before asking. “Where’s Mr. Jordan?”.

“Oh he’s actually done with his shift. I’m taking his place now and I’ll be here until nine pm. Do you need anything?” She asked. Leo was actually confused.

“What time does your shift begin?” he asked curiously. Lisa smiled wholeheartedly.

“I usually have my shift at around 3:00pm but yesterday I came early. I was less busy so I decided to come to the library instead.” Lisa explained. It was then that Leo understood.

“I see. Well, I gotta get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Leo waved as he left the library. Lisa gave a pleading face.

“Aww, aren’t you going to stay here for a while and keep me company? It get really boring you know.” She begged. Leo laughed and shook his head.

“Sorry Lisa but I habve to go. I’ve been here for four hours and my aunt is going to be expecting me. I wish I could stay too.” Leo clarified. Hearing this, Lisa pretended that she felt sad but in reality, she was actually happy that Leo cared. She might be three years older than Leo, but she has little feelings for him. She smiled and bid him farewell.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Lisa said as she waved back. She watched Leo as he left. ‘ What a handsome guy. If I wasn’t older than him I’d date him’ She thought to herself before shelving the idea. ‘ What am I thinking, get it together.’ She told herself before getting back to work.

***********

Leo got to the house at around five minutes to five o’clock. He could’ve gotten home earlier but I chose not to by walking slowly. He finally got home and knocked.

Knock knock

Molly opened the door for him, “Hey, where’ve you been?” she asked.

“I was at the library” Leo replied. She looked unamused.

“Still bothering about that project? “ she probed as Leo walked inside. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk much. He is still trying to figure out a way to do the project without his aunt’s help. Thinking about how his aunt wouldn’t help him, this made him think of his dad. His dad would always help him with his ‘crazy’ projects no matter how absurd they may seem.

“I’m not letting this go… “ Leo said firmly, “If I don’t do it now I’ll do it later.” Molly was still surprised and confused as to why Leo really cares about this lightning absorbing machine and why he would go to any means to get it done.

“Why are you even bothered anyway? Why can’t you just live a normal life in peace?” She inquired.

Leo snapped. “I’ve just lost both of my parents in less than a year, how do you want me to live in peace.” He was angry but he suddenly realized that he shouldn’t have yelled at his aunt. Molly looked petrified, she wasn’t expecting that reaction from Leo.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Leo apologized. He then rubbed both hands on his face and sat on the couch.

“Leo…” Molly sat down and put her hands on his shoulder. “I know you’re still upset about losing both your parents, but you have to let the past be in the past.” She consoled. Leo was sad at that moment and he didn’t want to remember his father’s death at all. He’d been trying to find ways to get distracted. It’s one of the reasons why he’s been looking for something to build to keep his mind off things.

Molly sighed, “I guess it can’t be helped after all…” She said. Leo turned to look at her. There was confusion written all over his face. Molly smiled, “I brought some scrap metal from the Harry’s junkyard. They’re all in the garage.” When Leo heard that, he was happy but also confused.

“I don’t understand. What made you change your mind?” He asked.

Molly smiled, “When your father was alive, he always helped you with your ideas no matter how crazy or dangerous they are. I spoke to him back then and I asked him why he always helped you with such dangerous projects. He said it was because you have the tendency to change the world with your ideas and your heart. He’s dead now and I just feel like I have to fill in that spot for him.” She explained. Leo felt a huge sense of gratitude, he could almost see a halo on his aunt’s head. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He hugged her tightly as he was so happy. There were no words that could describe his happiness.

Kate came out from the her room and sat on my lap. “Uncle Leo, can you help me with my homework please?” She said as she jumped on the couch and handed Leo her text book. Leo smiled and guided her with theough her homework. She played with Leo’s face afterwards which he allowed her to do.

After a few minutes, Leo decided to go to the garage and see the materialgojis aunt got for him. Some were mostly scrap while others looked new. ‘Looks like Molly did a lot of shopping today’ he thought to himself as he rummaged through the materials. Afterwards, he clenched my knuckles, “Looks like Leonardo the Game King is back in action.” He blurted with enthusiasm.

***********

In a certain laboratory, over ten scientists in white lab coats and medical nose masks were fully immersed in their work. Dr. Cartel was putting a few test tubes containing an orange liquid into machine. This machine will turn the liquid into its gaseous form.

Inside this machine, was a chimpanzee. It was an adult chimpanzee and was looking curiously at the scientists with wide eyes, through the hard glass pane. The machine looked like a huge, white metal cube with a glass cube that is almost as large inside. It had some digital components by the sides. There were a few buttons and a condenser, as well as an evaporator around this machine. There was also a hatch, meant to contain the test tube. Dr. Cartel and a few scientists were watching the test run and another five of them were operating through the computers.

“Begin test run number 173.” Dr. Cartel commanded. The scientists behind the computers quickly got to work and operated the machine.

[TEST RUN SEQUENCE INITIATING]

The machine gave a low hum and the every component got to work. The computer then displayed two more messages.

[COMPOUND READY FOR DISPERSAL]

[INITIATE COMPOUND GAS DISPERSAL]

Dr. Cartel clicked on the yes button and the machine began to hum again. After a few seconds, an orange some began to come out from the outlets inside of the machine. The chimpanzee, seeing something this strange, began to panic and make a fuss. It kept jumping around and hitting the glass but the glass didn’t break, since it wasn’t actually an ordinary glass. The gas kept spreading until the whole interior of the glass was already covered in orange smoke. The chimpanzee which was making a fuss initially, could no longer be seen or heard.

All the scientists in the lab kept looking at the machine, hoping to see something. Here was silence for a while and everybody had their hearts in their throats. They were all curious and were kept in suspense.

Suddenly, the computer started to beep, giving out a warning.

[WARNING! ABNORMAL VITAL SIGNS DETECTED!]

All the scientist were shocked and a little afraid. All the tests they’d conducted before was a huge failure and led to the test specimens dying but this one gave out strange signs. This meant that they probably a few steps away from achieving their goal.

GRRRRRRROWWL!

A low growl was heard from inside of the machine and a large, dark figure rose up slowly. The whole interior was still covered in orange gas and the appearance of the figure couldn’t be seen, only it’s outline.

Crack!

The outline suddenly punched the glass pane. The tremendous force used, caused the safety glass to have a huge crack. This shouldn’t have happened, given that the glass was tempered glass but the outline was just to strong. Most of the scientists were already running off while some stayed to access the situation. Dr. Cartel quickly pulled in security measures and he called some uniformed men to take care of the situation.

These men were dressed in black military attire, wore gas masks and carried submachine guns loaded with tranquilizer bullets. There were seven of these men and they pointed their guns at the outline that kept punching the glass. They were all soldiers and were specially assigned to this project. The glass kept getting weak and was filled with cracks. One more punch from the monster and the whole thing would shatter.

BOOM!

The glass shattered and the outline walked out. It was ten feet tall and very huge and muscular. It was covered in brown fur and its eyes were blood red and were glowing. It looked basically like a muscular, giant chimpanzee and it was extremely dangerous. All the scientists including Dr. Cartel left the lab and only the uniformed men were left behind. More of the men came and there were a total of twenty soldiers there. One of the uniformed men was completely shocked and a bit scared. The giant chimpanzee bared its teeth and roared.

RAAAAAAAAARRRH!

The men wasted no time and started to fire their tranquilizers at it. The chimpanzee jumped around and dodged the bullets and it was extremely fast. One by one, it started killing the men and it went on a killing spree. Loud agonizing screams could be heard. The men couldn’t see much of the chimpanzee, as it kept changing direction with high speed and killing the men.

The were twelve men left alive and they all formed a circle around each other. The monster went past them and they all fired their guns, only to realize it was gone. It went past them again and they all fired again in the direction they thought they heard it but it was gone. These men, despite being soldiers were scared, this wasn’t something they’d dealt with before and this was a monster that was five times stronger than they are.

The giant chimpanzee suddenly charged head-on at them and they all scattered and fired with all their might. Deafening sounds of gunshots and screams could be heard and the situation was bad. One of the soldiers landed a hit on the chimpanzee and this slowed it down. This made it easier for the men and they all emptied their clips on the giant chimpanzee.

Its growls were weak, its eyelids were getting heavy and with a loud thus, it landed on its knees and collapsed to the ground. Its body was stabbed with different syringes from different directions on its body.

“Finally, we’ve brought it down.” The leader of the team sighed with great relief. The rest of the men who were alive also rejoiced. But one of them could not help but cower in fear.

“What the hell is this thing? It was able to kill and injure so many of us. It’s so fast and strong.” The man blurted with fear. The leader shook his head and sighed.