Page 13 of Bound by the Mad Scientist

“Uh, what the fuck, man?”

“It’s needed,” Kel said, strapping my arm to another of the bed’s limbs. At least I understood strapping my head down. Once he was done, I was spread-eagle like a starfish, with my starfish on full display.

“Why is this needed?”

“It just is,” Kel said, applying very cold… things all over my body. I couldn’t see them, but I saw the wires or tubes or whatever they were attached to in my peripheral vision.

“What are those things?” I asked.

“The interface. Okay, just sit tight. I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” I said, but he was already gone. “You have got to be fucking kidding me. Kelvin!”

What the fuck was I doing? Why was I naked, strapped down like some hostage about to get surgery in the basement of some abandoned building? I used to think I was smart. And while I did trust Kel, maybe I was a worse judge of character than I thought.

“Okay,” he said, startling me. I hadn’t heard him return. “This is going to pinch a little bit, but you’ve gotten shots before, right?”

“Whoa, whoa, you’re injecting me with something?”

“Yes. Is that okay? If not, I’ll untie you, and you can get dressed.” His face appeared above mine. “You’re not scared of needles, are you?”

“No. But what is it?”

He looked up and then back down at me. “It’s too much to explain right now, but it’s a primer, activator, and fuel source all in one.”

“Fuel source? For what?” He didn’t answer. “And I need that to fix my eyes?”

“Yup.”

“If I say no, I can’t get, or, or have, whatever the fuck this is?”

Kel nodded. “That’s right.”

“And you’re not going to tell me what you’re going to do to me?”

“I’m going to administer the activator, then the machine will scan your cells for deficiencies before correcting them.”

“Correct them how?”

He started undoing my wrist. “Look, we don’t have time for this. We can set up a meeting to discuss the mechanism of action and all the data, then come back some other time.”

That was the smart move. Get dressed and get the fuck out of that creepy building. One in the morning, half drunk, was not the time or place for serious science. But I had said I wanted to be in the room when discoveries were made, hadn’t I?

“No, stop. I’ll do it. But you swear this won’t, like, kill me or anything, right?”

His face lit up. “No, no, no. Quite the opposite. I’ve refined all of my father’s work. The process will be smoother, and the results should be greater.” Kel paused. “But this is experimental, Adrian. And permanent. Once I start the machine, I can’t stop it or undo it. Do you understand?”

“Will it fix my eyes?”

His messy hair glowed blue and green around his head. “More than that.”

More than that? What did that mean? Did it matter? “Yeah, I understand, man. I’m trusting you.”

“I know. And I’m trusting you too.” He finished rebinding my wrist. “This must remain top secret until it’s time to premiere it on the world stage and change science as we know it.”

That was… at least he seemed to believe it. And I had no reason to doubt him. But what did his dad go to jail for? Didn’t he say unregistered, or unethical human trials? How was that different from what he was—

“OW! Fuck, man, that hurt!” The needle was much bigger than I thought, and not in my arm or leg, but in my pelvis, right above my dick.