Yours Again (Dressler)

Minsk, the capitol city of Belarus, held firmly under the thumb of Rise controlled government. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, despite the groups mixed reputation. The country had never been more buzzing, never had it been a better place to be. It was a safe zone, not just for metas but for humans as well. Anyone who disagreed with how the world was run and who wanted progress was welcome in the countries shields. It was Lucius' vision, if only a small piece of it. He worked day and night to expand it, from The Sanctuary or from here, his office in the imperial palace.

"I don't care how much it will cost, get it done." Lucius said into the phone that sat at his desk, even as he madly shifted through information pouring over his computers monitor.

"Look, if we don't have a way to put down out of control metahumans in a fair and safe manner, we are no better then any other country out there. I don't want people taking up super heroics when the government can handle it without getting innocent people killed. Get the satellite launched, or your done." Lucius said, then hung up the phone with a slight bit of anger. No matter how calm he was, it always burned inside his chest, ready to escape. He took a break from the keyboard and rubbed his eyes, shutting down the monitor and pouring himself a drink. He was a busy man, with running a country, being a half decent father to children he wronged, and trying to further the goals of Rise. He hadn't even had any time to talk with one of the newer partners that joined up. Today was the day he found time. The door to Lucius' plush office swung open, a woman walking through.

"Sir, he's here." She said, a smile across her face.

"Send him in." Lucius responded, returning the woman's smile. She had been doing a marvelous job lately, he would need to give her a raise or something. After she left, it was now a waiting game. Any minute the Doctor would be coming through the door to his stone, yet somehow modern office. You had to admire Slavic design.  

He took a sip of his drink as he waited, his mind wondering a moment. He thumbed the locket in his pocket, then gripped it tightly and pulled it out. It was silver with a cyan jewel in the center. He opened it, as he made a habit of doing every so often, just to remind himself what he stood for.

I'm almost finished...... I can be yours again soon... The sound of the locket clasping shut echoed through the room, just as there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Oh happy day Dressler thought with glee as he soared on the prevailing winds towards Belarus. Today was the day, the the day that he finally met the commander of their not so little organization known as Rise. Early on he had been drawn in by their ideals, the evolution of man for a better world. IT was his ideals to T. Well there may have been some disagreement over WHAT constituted the evolution of man but that was no issue. These were bright minds and he knew that they would eventually see that he and his race were the butterfly formed from the metahuman cocoon. He even wanted most of them to join in his ranks, though he had yet to determine how exactly to evolve a person's genetics to those of his own breed. That was what experimentation was for though and he knew eventually he would find the answer.

But for now, there was business at hand. Diving towards the ground he'd shift from a pterosaur back to his human self, landing fluidly on the ground before Red's government headquarters. I'm must admire your style friend he spoke to himself as he entered the building, ushered in by a group of attendants. It was a monument he had built around himself to the superiority of their genetics and it was glorious. All who approached this place would know where they stood in the pecking order. Of course that was below them as the genetic refuse they were.

Guided through the building, Dressler was met by a smiling young woman. Human, he could smell the inferiority on her. I suppose servant labor is appropriate for your species he smugly thought as she directed him to Lucius' office. Approaching the door, he'd knock once. This was a colleague after all and respect had to be given to his time. Hearing the voice of Lucius, Dressler pushed open the doors, holding himself high with a confident stride.

Luscius I assume? he spoke, approaching the desk where he sat. It's a pleasure to meet you he said offering his hand.

When Lucius heard the name, Dr. Dressler, he didn't expect the man who he now looked at. A tall, handsome and young looking man of a tall stature. No, he didn't expect the sterotype of a crazy looking guy in a lab coat, but he did expect someone a bit older looking. Regardless, it wasn't like it mattered. A hand was extended and Lucius stood and shook it, his movements sharp and impeccably formal.

"The pleasure is all mine, as stock a phrase as that is." He smiled slightly as any friendly person would as he greeted the man, then sat back down. Now it was to the reading game. Lucius couldn't help but do it really, but so far the man was very hard to read. He did come up with a theory that the Doctor might have found a way to stay youthful, or perhaps augment his looks a bit. That was entirely speculation however.

"I can't say i thought you would be taller though, so it seems you will only have to deal with one clichéd line today." Lucius said, keeping things humorous before they plunged into anything more serious.

"Would you like a drink? I must warn you though, because of my condition it packs a bit more of a punch then usual." Lucius said, gesturing toward his bottle of Bourbon sitting on his desk. If the male accepted, Lucius would pour him a drink.

"So, Doctor, I'm curious. What do you have a doctorate in? From what i hear you are proficient in many fields, but where you get the honorific wasn't clear in my briefing." Lucius asked, getting the conversation rolling. It was always nice to start a conversation not too far from science, to showcase knowledge and see the other person's as well.

Somehow Dressler had expected the leader of Rise be taller. Archaic as it was, his imaginings were most likely based in a childlike mental illusion. In children, power and influence are associated with size. A person of small stature that is perceived as being strong to a child will also be perceived as being tall and large, even though they may be shorter than others. And here Dressler was falling for the same illusion. He silently scolded himself as he took the chair opposite the man.

Sitting there, watching the leader of his beloved organization, Dressler couldn't help but get prying eyes. Looking Lucius up and down once, he got a very clear and terrifying picture of the man's genes. He was a Frankenstein's monster of genetic tampering. Well perhaps not that bad but his genetic code had been altered more than once. A baseline formed in Dressler's mind and small smile crept its way on to his face. Lucius it seemed had not always had abilities. He was a metahuman from birth for sure but he had somehow forcefully activated his meta-gene. Further prying found his meta-gene spliced to genetic remnants of an oceanic micro-organism, red algae. What he was seeing was a beautiful masterpiece.

You sly dog Dressler thought, silently nodding as he took the glass offered to him. This man truly was deserving of his situation at the head of Rise. He had seen himself, a neanderthal among homo-sapiens, and forcefully evolved himself above his dead end birth. He was the visionary of the human race, one shining example in a sea of unworthy sludge. Of course, he was no highform, but he had elevated himself well above even many of his metahuman counterparts.

As Dressler rose the glass to his lips he took on the metabolism for alcohol of a Malaysian Tree Shrew. The little critter could take on lethal blood alcohol contents to a human and never even get drunk. Dressler had no intention of trying to drink Lucius under the table, in fact he hadn't had any intentions of drinking at all. Alcohol was one of those very human vices that he chose not to partake in, seeing it as bringing him somehow closer to the humans he so despised. However he was in the company of a current superior and it would be rude to refuse the offer. No the shrew genetics were simply to ensure that he felt no effects from the stiff drink, after all Lucius had professed its potency.

Downing the glass in quick and satisfied gulp, Dressler relaxed into his chair and turned his attention to the head of Rise. Asking about his degrees, interesting. He felt as though he was in some sort of interview. Leaning forward in his chair, Dressler would set his elbows on the desk and begin to speak, the pride of his accomplishments oozing out of his mouth.

That I am he responded. Thus far I have PhD's in zoology, genetics, genomics, cellular biology and molecular biology. The words rattled off his tongue in quick succession as though he'd been practicing this in front of a mirror and just waiting to spew it out to someone. Zoology, he began to inform Lucius was a late addition, not until after I discovered my genetic superiority.

Dressler head then tilted slightly, as though remembering something as he spoke. Speaking of genetic superiority, I can see what you've done to yourself. I have to say I'm impressed. Most humans don't realize how weak their species is until something like New York happens. Even then they only cower in fear and awe. He once more leaned back in his chair, a knowing smile stretched across his face. But not you. Obviously I don't know what you did exactly, but I can't argue with your results. Letting the last bit roll out Dressler's gaze was locked intently on Lucius, curious if his colleague would reveal his origins or keep them secret. In this world, all information was power.

This conversation seemed to be getting interesting right off the bat. There was a note about Dressler being able to detect a beings genes, but Lucius had no idea it was so quick and accurate, at least it seemed to be. Lucius was feeling conversational, knowledge was power but he didn't see anything he revealed here being used against him. That record had been broken several times now, not like it happening again would be anything but redundant. He was a scientist among a scientist, might as well gloat a little.

"Clearly with an ability like that your genetics aren't so bad themselves..... I never got a doctorate, just some masters degrees. I told myself it was because i wanted a wider range of knowledge, but secretly i think i just didn't like the sound of Dr. Lucius Alba." Lucius explained, not moving much from his position except for the occasional sip of his drink. It never really lasted, which was a shame. If he could he would likely drown his sorrow and constant rage with enough alcohol to kill him. He did consider himself more of a social drinker however.

"As for what i did to myself, you hit the nail on the head. You see, i have always considered humanity as not living up to their potential. I sought ways to improve both the race itself and their technology long before i got my abilities. But New York, that was my breaking point...." Lucius said, taking a larger gulp this time with a long sigh, perhaps signaling this was hard to talk about. But he powered through.

"I lost some people, one person in particular nearly, well, drove me to madness. If i would have implemented my research before..... If i would have done what i did after the fact sooner, she may very well have been alive now. It was just too risky.... I nearly died doing this to myself, and i don't know if she would have been so fortunate........... Anyway, it happened how it happened, and i'm better for it, this country is better for it. Next, maybe the world will be." Lucius said, seeming upset in the first bits but by the end that sly smile was back on his face. He had given a rough outline of his orgin, it was only natural to want to know the same from the person he just told.

"So, what about you? Everyone has a story....."

Dressler let out a light chuckle as Lucius told him about his reasoning for never getting a doctorate. Yes it was true that without many one's range of knowledge could be extremely limited. But it would be a mistake to think that simply the lack of a PhD was an indication of intelligence. Though he had never seen his colleague in action, from what Dressler had heard, his actions well spoke for the mind behind the man.

But that was not the point of interest at the moment. No, it was in his colleague's origin. As cliche as it was so many of their kind, beings beyond human, had defining origin stories and Lucius it seemed was no different. New York, the turning point of the attitude toward metahumans, had been a turning point of a different kind for him. Instead of running, he plunged himself headlong into greatness. The event it seemed however was not without unfortunate downsides for the man. Death, tragedy, ruin even madness, all were par for the course of the burgeoning genius stuck in the world below.

Have no regret friend Dressler assured him confidently. The madness and the tragedy are the fires that tempered you. As you said, without them, this great organization may never have come to be. Lucius though was not dwelling on that. Instead he wanted Dressler's origin, the fires that tempered him into the man he is. An eyebrow raised curiously on his face. His mind stunted for a moment. No one had ever asked him if he had an origin, where he had come from. Most who knew of this part of him were dead before they could ask, or locked away in one of his many underground "labs".

To tell you the truth he started, lacking the usual upright  proud demeanor that he seemed to exude. You're the first person to ask me where my beliefs originate. He would then lean his head down as if to think for a moment, rising again moments later and regaining his confident composure. I think that from the time I could form coherent thoughts I knew that there was something wrong with the world. And the more I was exposed to the world the more, hmmm, off balance it seemed. It wasn't until my first high school science class that I discovered just why I felt wrong. I came to the realization that the human race had at some point stopped evolving, and that I was stuck in a world fighting desperately against the raging current of natural selection. He was growing intense now, eyes widening ever so slowly and muscles tensing. We actually tolerate genetic defects, mental and physical disorders. Can you imagine? In the wild they'd never make it out of adolescence, but in the world of man, they may even be allowed the chance to breed. Its sickening, horrid unnatural abominations of the natural world! Growing ever more crazed Dressler's eyes began to go bloodshot, the anger at the fools of the world visibly welling within him. So I studied and devoted my entire life to finding a way to get us back on track, back to the way that nature intended. In a moment the rage seemed to cool back down, though never quite leaving. Then in the midst of my research, I discovered what I am. That discovery changed everything, I didn't need to improve the human race, I was their improvement, the evolution they had been suppressing for decades . A sigh escaped him as he finally settled back down. The rest of the world may be blind to what is coming. But you and I, and the rest of Rise, we see the world for what it is. They are the past and we are the future. Don't you agree? Pausing for a just a moment, his face like that of a cat spying a mouse. Which leads me to my next question, why exactly do you have humans working for you?

What an interesting man this was. Sure he was even more vague then Lucius about his 'origin', but the Rise head was an intuitive man. He understood all the Doctor said, even understanding the rage within him. That in the end is what initially drove him to science as well, even before his abilities. It was his core, that burning passion, the rage toward the wrong moves the world took in the name of miss guided morality.

"Such passion....... I do agree, always have..... We allow weakness into our society in the name of equality, but what humanity doesn't get is the world has never been a level playing field. Our genes, our existence, it is built a top the bones of lesser organisms, whether we like it or not. They'll call me cruel, a monster, a devil on earth, but I'm really just a messenger. A torch bringer of the new evolution." Lucius said, he could tell this man had very strong beliefs. He had to say exactly the right thing, good thing he tended to be able to do so based on one's personality. Red did believe all he had said, clearly, or he wouldn't be running Rise. The only difference was he had toned it down, for political purposes if not anything else. Then came the inevitable question. Lucius had thought about his response the entire conversation. It was tricky, touchy. He could knock it out of the park or greatly offend his guest. He took a sip of his drink, letting dead air fill the room for a good ten seconds as he stood, looking at a painting depicting Castle Transylvania with his back turned to the Doctor.

"I was human. I expect there was a time you had considered yourself such as well. We rose up and above what we were, we evolved. It's only logical we allow some of the elite amongest them to do the same. Just like there are some metahumans that i wouldn't consider suitable for my new world, there are humans with the potential to rise. The woman out there, the one you no doubt asked because of, she is no normal human. A child prodigy, a mind so far removed from the standard genius that her thought processes could only be understood right here, among us. She has been studying my energy and several other metagene produced powers to try to make an infinite power source for the entire country, she's brilliant. I do expect her to eventually become more physically superior, but in the mean time there is no reason we can't offer sanctuary and allow her to contribute to the cause. If she doesn't evolve, natural selection in our new world will take care of the issue. The fact is, if they have something to offer, they are useful. As soon as they cease to be useful, they will fade under the pressure of superiority." Lucius reasoned, turning around to face Dressler once again. He stood, resting arms on the chair he previously sat on.

"Rise isn't a metahuman or inhuman supremacy group, it's a group of elite individuals wanting to accelerate evolution. What makes them elite varies." Lucius finished, just as he emptied his cup and poured another. It wasn't like it had much of an effect, but he was so used to drinking when talking it seemed like something was missing without it.

Oh I like it very much Dressler hissed out at Lucius' comment about the origins of humans and the struggle they had collectively gone through to get where they are today. Then as he finished a quiet fell over the room, his superior turning his back to him to face a painting of an castle. It was tall and menacing, though beautiful in its own right. What was depicted was old human achievement, the labor and sweat of many men to build wonders. But the silence of course came after Dressler's question, about the humans in Lucius' own palace.

After some time the man finally began, speaking of his own and even Dressler's former humanity. For the Rise head this may have once been true, humanity forcefully risen, but Dressler was different. Though once he had considered himself human he knew now that it had always been false. The awakening of a metagene was not the genesis of one, simply its reveal to the creature who possessed it. Even that in his case was a fallacy. He possessed a metagene of sorts, though he knew it to be a mutation, its own special breed separated from the rest, the cream risen to the top.

Finally Lucius turned, more directly addressing his company. Dressler smiled as he finished, propping his hands on the desk as he stood.

I see what you're saying Lucius he began, intensity in his eyes.

But you are mistaken. Turning, Dressler began to pace the room, arms and hands moving to accent his speech.

By your logic, man should keep gifted chimps in the hopes that they one day evolve to meet the standards of mankind. Can you see it, gifted simians marching along with mankind as equals. It's absurd. His hair seemed almost to unfurl as he spoke.

It would be a freak show, a tourist attraction, people would herd around to see the gifted chimp and marvel at how human-like it was. Your human scientist is no different. He stopped, looking now directly at Lucius and flinging an arm in the direction of the hallway to indicated the woman who had escorted him in.

You know this to be true. No matter how brilliant she is she'll never meet the standards of even the most basic of super-intelligent metahumans. And if that is her main function, research, the sciences, would you and your country not be better served with that metahuman in her place? He went silent then, malicious intent dancing across his face as he approached the desk. His fingers drummed at his sides grasping at its hard top. Leaning forward now, he brought their faces closer together.

Better yet, why not make her that metahuman? The words danced off his tongue with childlike excitement. Pulling away from Lucius a bit, he continued.

What makes these people elite may differ but you can't deny that a metahuman at the same task blows her out of the water. Between you and I we have the capability to mold her into whatever form we could desire. If her role is the sciences, we enhance her brain, stimulate the neurons, make her as a efficient as a bee or an ant, working tirelessly and with great pleasure at a task she would then be hand crafted to perform. Bring in the rest of Rise and there is no limit to what we could do with the human population of this country alone. He stepped back, his arms raised and expanded, now almost shouting.

We are not mere men. The rules of the human world do not apply to you or I. Instead of waiting for a happy genetic accident, we can create it, make sure it takes the path of our choosing. Passion dripped off his words as he spoke. It would be clear to anyone watching that there were few things in this world more important to him than what he was speaking. Lowering his arms now, he adjusted his tie, and lowered his voice to more normal of a level but the joyful malice on his face never left.

I dare say its our responsibility as higher beings to do so. You want these people to exist in your perfect world, to rise. So lets make sure they do.

The Doctor made a good point. It was reminiscent of his old way of thinking. Lucius knew from having that mindset the holder could be incredibly passionate about it, and Dressler just proved it. Lucius listened, contemplating the words. Lucius didn't think he was mistaken, just misunderstood. He didn't say they were equals, he never said a metahuman wouldn't be better. He merely said certain humans should be given a chance to evolve. He finished his drink, a smile on his face as he set the glass down just as Dressler finished.

"Good Doctor, why do you think I formed Rise? I did it so we could unite, and as you say, make sure they evolve. I am one man, a brilliant man, but one none the less. That's why you're here, that's why the others are. We are putting our heads together to change all those exceptional chimps we have in storage into exceptional beings of a new age." Lucius said, not skipping a beat. He agreed with Dressler mostly, but the fact the mere presence of a human brought this much vigor out of him was insane. The reason Lucius was allowing the elite humans in was to one day make them better then even metahumans. They were his test subjects.

"I'm allowing the few humans that are here to be here because I'm working on making them better. Evolution on it's own is a slow process, it needs a little, well, kick. I'm accessing each personally, taking the best of humanity to turn them into something better then even me. Even metahumans will one day be inferior, so why just make her a metahuman when i can do more?" Lucius said, sitting down in his chair. He felt Dressler might have jumped on him without understanding the full story. He wasn't keeping them in hopes they would become better, he was keeping them while he did his work to make them become better.

"If the metagene does what it did to someone as ignorant and insufficent as The Phoenix, what could it and Rise's great minds do to the best base specimens the world has to offer?"