Dr. Stanley Reeves's Arc

Chapter 1 of 6

Dr. Stanley Reeves pressed the syringe against his forearm and pushed the plunger down. The experimental RNA sequence burned through his veins like fire. He wanted to survive what was coming—the end of everything. His eyes had already changed, turning the color of liquid mercury. He blinked and saw wavelengths of light that normal humans couldn't perceive. Patterns danced across his skin in ultraviolet bands. The laboratory around him hummed with refrigeration units and filtration systems. Nobody knew this place existed, buried deep where curious eyes wouldn't find it. Here he could work without interruption. Here he could remake himself into something that would outlast the apocalypse. His darling chirped from her cage in the corner, scales catching the fluorescent light. The monkey-lizard hybrid tilted her head and whispered sounds that almost formed words. Stanley walked over and stroked her scaled forehead with one finger. "Soon," he told her softly. "Soon I'll take what makes you special and put it inside me." She had survived when her forty-seven siblings had died. That made her precious. That made her the key. He would extract her genetic sequences within the week. After that, she would go into the incinerator. But for now, she was his most successful creation, and he needed her alive just a little longer. Stanley turned to the metal table where his drone sat waiting. The sleek machine held glass vials in its chassis, each one empty and ready. He needed samples from outside—water, bacterial cultures, anything that showed how the environment was changing. The governments ignored the signs, but he saw them clearly with his altered vision. The drone would collect the data he required. He programmed the flight path into the control panel and carried the machine to the sealed exit. The heavy door opened with a hiss. Stanley released the drone into the darkness beyond and watched its lights disappear. When it returned, he would have proof. When it returned, he would know exactly what adaptations his body needed next. The specimen chamber sat on the counter beside his extraction tools. Glass viewing ports lined its sides, and drainage slots kept the interior clean. He would need living creatures soon—frogs, salamanders, anything with genes that helped them survive in changing conditions. The chamber would keep them alive until he needed their DNA. Stanley walked back to his darling's cage and watched her yellow eyes track his movement. She chirped again, that half-word sound she made. He smiled at her. Every piece was coming together. The drone would bring environmental data. The chamber would hold fresh specimens. His darling would give him her survival code. And when the world ended, he would still be standing.