Five Years Ago...part A

All events were leading to this. Today would determine if humans could evolve further and it would define the pinnacle of Duke Priester's career.

He'd just left his apartment on his way to the Priester Labs in his Lambo, and while he drove he ruminated and reminisced.

When he'd first proposed his plans to the board who were also shareholders in the lab, they refuted him vehemently, telling him to abandon his public obsessions with psionics and pseudoscience.

But, he couldn't give in to their discouraging statements.

This was what he'd been fantasizing about for a very long time now. He couldn't just stop now because some old bastards cooped behind a desk did not have the courage to climb even higher in the evolution ladder.

However, even though he didn't hide the gradual implementation of his fantasy, he planned on carrying it out on a low key. And of course, for a thing like this, a model would be required.

And Duke Priester offered himself...

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After a few minutes, he finally arrived at the arena of his world-famous building. The Priester Labs.

This was where he was going to carry out this particular experiment.

As usual, once he alighted from his car, his escorts promptly rushed to him and positioned themselves behind him as he made his way into the Lab. As expected, although unusual, there were no press nor journalists in and around the property.

Duke had literally payed some authorities to make sure he did not set his eye upon a single camera lens just for today. And this was for obvious reasons.

Using the elevator, Duke and his escorts moved up to the highest floor of the Lab. Floor 407.

Just as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Duke saw all the board members awaiting his presence. This brought a frown on his face as he knew exactly what they were here for.

"If you're here to discourage me, I'd advice you to move your asses out of my office ASAP...but, you are welcomed to watch me change the world quietly at that corner over there." He pointed to the corner at the far left of his office as he walked in, knowing they would find his words extremely offensive.

"Or,' One of them, who was the oldest said. "We can offer our resignation letters and never return."

Duke raised his eyebrows at that. However, he wasn't surprised either. None of them would want to be associated with him if his experiment failed and led to massive destruction. They wouldn't want to be tangled in his yet-to-be-made 'mess.'

Regardless, he cared-less about that and neither did he intend to let them take credit for endorsing his experiment after it was a success when clearly, they didn't.

With a sigh, he spoke to them.

"You all look really determined to stop me...but did you really think threatening to resign would actually make me reconsider?"

Just as he said that, dismay appeared all over the faces of all board members. Duke had apparently seen through their plan, and he wasn't relenting.

Duke gave a sad chuckle. "You must think I'm a crazy fanatical psycho hellbent on destroying the world and you are the heros trying to save it—heck if you had a gun right now, you'd lay me down without a second thought."

The board members were angry and disappointed, but within them, they knew he was right.

In reality, there were other ways that probably would have been able to stop Duke from carrying out this experiment, like if they were able to convince his parents to make him quit. However, they'd thought this plan of theirs would actually work and save them the trouble.

But unfortunately, not only did it not work, it was going to backfire.

"If you have your resignation letters presently, you can drop them in the bin right next to the fireplace right there. And if you do not, don't fret. You are henceforth relieved of your board duties so you can go back to your shitty apartments and brood over what your self-righteous indignation has cost you." He said with a small wave of his hands.

"You can't do that! You have no right nor authority to do so!" One of the board members yelled, his heart racing.

If indeed they were sent out of this building, their whole lives would be ruined. They wouldn't be accepted anywhere else in the whole world and all the privileges they'd been enjoying would come to an abrupt, regrettable end.

Duke suddenly laughed. And it was a mocking one.

"Oh really?" He said and walked to his table, picked up his private GSM and phoned someone, while they watched. On the first ring, the call went through. "The board of directors...I want them out—all of them."

Then he dropped the call and faced them with a tranquil expression on his face.

"In the next two minutes, you'll be receiving a text message from my personal assistant. I believe that would clear your doubt." He said.

"Y-you can't be s-serious!" Another of the board members said, already jittery. "The Priester Labs has an important occasion coming up next week! You'll destroy everything and de-value all our hard work if you do this!"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong,' Duke said with a firm voice.

'If your memory serves you right, my Lab was doing very well even before you bunch of broke-ass losers came along. You all are irrelevant to me and the Priester Labs. Stop overestimating your value. That's exactly what has brought you into this very mess."

And just as he finished saying that, different notification sounds beeped simultaneously. The message of death and destruction was finally delivered after two minutes.

With shaky hands, they took out their phones and opened the messages. And there it was. The sack letter, signed and shining.

One of the board members who was already treating a mysterious high BP suddenly tumbled backwards upon reading this message. Luckily, another board member who was behind him was quick to catch him before he fell. Apparently, he'd gone unconscious.

Hate glistened in the eyes of all board members, but along with it was grief and sorrow; the fact being that they could do nothing to harm him directly.

"Let's go." The eldest board member said, and the board members began making their exit through the doorway.

He—the eldest board member—was the last to leave, and he left these words before that. "This action of yours will be your greatest regret...just you wait."

Of course, Duke was not afraid of such threats and paid no attention to it. But what he did put all his attention into, was the experiment he was going to be carrying out today.

Simply put, the very aim of his experiment was to try to harness Psionic energy and imprint it into his DNA, so it would be a part of him and it would be at his disposal.

He really didn't have a precise idea of what abilities or ability he exactly would possess if indeed it was successful, but if fairy tales and legends were anything to go by, there was a high chance that it would be something really amazing. After which he'd spread it to the whole world; but not for free.

All equipments and gadgets—all costing way more than your average millionaire could dare to afford—were already put in place and set for said experiment.

So right now, nothing was holding him back except himself.

"Let me be the model instead, Mr. Duke." One of the men who was part of the small team of Engineers and scientists he'd put together for this particular experiment, respectfully said despite knowing the danger it entailed.

Duke was touched, but he was determined to be the model. And so, as he entered into the test chamber so the experiment could commence, he said these words in reply.

"Don't be such a sissy. If shit goes sideways and I am no more, you must carry on with my vision."

The man sighed, muttered a quick prayer and then turned to the rest of the team.

"Begin!"