Chapter Seven: Cinder

"Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to lead you to the

other shore; into eternal darkness; into fire and into ice."

- Canto Three, "Dante's Inferno"

Konrad rolled out into the hallway, closing the door behind him, his mood foul.

Wheeling himself through the mansion halls, observing the various paintings that he passed by, he cast his eyes around, listening intently. His ear twitched as he passed a corridor; Spinal was still struggling to get out from his bindings upstairs to wreck some havoc.

He frowned. He should remind either Jurgen or Dieter to get some soundproofing equipment or walls constructed up in the attic. The little bastard was making a lot of noise and if left unattended it could spell problems.

Konrad wondered if the servants had heard the commotion.

'Speaking of which, where is everyone?'  he wondered.

The building seemed oddly empty.

Moving down a corridor lined with the ivory busts of his ancestors on either side, Konrad glanced upon each member of the Sabrewulf household. On his left was Wilhelm Von Sabrewulf, the first of the Konrad's lineage who received the title of Freiherr during the time of the Holy Roman Empire. Outside of his having been so along with the fact that he had participated in a war, quite possibly the Thirty Years' War, little else was known about him. In fact, much of the same could be said of the other men whose likenesses were depicted in ivory form. Jurgen and his father Max tried to make it a point for Konrad to recognize the achievements and greatness of these men, along with some of their faults, but the only thing Konrad felt toward them was bitterness.

Shifting his attention away from the busts, he ignored their staring eyes as he passed them by.

* * *

Once Konrad had gotten downstairs, he looked around suspiciously.

Nobody seemed to be around.

What the hell was going on?

"Hello?" he called.

He waited for a response.

"Hello?" he repeated.

Jurgen appeared from around the corner with a tray in hand.

"Ah, just in time, Herr Baron," he said. "I have your dinner prepared and was just about to put it onto the dining room table. Just give me a moment, sir. I'll be right with you."

Konrad waited as the man disappeared briefly, then reappeared to guide him in.

"Where is everyone?" Konrad asked.

"I gave the servants a day off," Jurgen said as he wheeled the aristocrat through a set of doors leading to the dining room. "I also cancelled your appointments with Dr. Gupte and Mr. Zhou so that you would get the chance to heal from your injuries."

Konrad winced as he recalled their last interaction. He felt ashamed of his behavior. He very nearly hurt the servant, the one person he counted and depended upon for years. While it was true that Dieter was a loyal friend, Jurgen was more than that; he was family. A brother. One who had seen Konrad at his worst, something that would have driven many away. And yet, despite everything, he continued to serve by his side with unparalleled patience and dedication.

"Thank you, Jurgen," he said as he wheeled to the table.

The servant bowed.

"I'm sorry," Konrad said quietly. "For my outburst, and for flinging part of the armrest at you."

The servant patted him on the shoulder.

"All forgiven, mein freund," Jurgen said. "Keine Ursache."

He then stared at the wheelchair, studying the broken section where the armrest used to be.

"I'll have to call someone to get a replacement for you later," he said. Grabbing the cloche, he lifted it up. "In the mean time, I want you to enjoy your dinner. It's been a trying time for everyone involved, so I made you something special."

Konrad's glanced down hungrily to the plate in front of him.

"Rouladan!" he said excitedly. "What about my diet?"

Jurgen shrugged as he poured a bottle of red wine into a glass.

"Well, I thought you deserve a day off," he replied.

Pulling his hood and scarf off, along with the sunglasses, Konrad took a forkful and closed his eyes in bliss at the taste.

"Delicious," he said.

Jurgen chuckled.

"You treat it as if you hadn't had it for years," he said.

"When you've eaten nothing but fish for a month, it's a welcome change," Konrad said as he kept eating. He glanced around curiously. "Are the guards still in place?"

"They are."

Konrad paused, then put down his fork.

"Lawrence resigned," he said as he picked up his glass.

"He did?" Jurgen said in surprise.

"Ja," Konrad said as he finished drinking. "Last night shook him up. He wants to become ordained."

"Ordained? As in the cloth?"

"Ja."

Jurgen shook his head. "That is a surprise," he said. "How did your meeting with Mr. Kellog go?"

Konrad frowned. "It went well, surprisingly," he said. "Apparently everyone loved the program and the direction that it's going."

The servant stared at him, taken aback. "They thought it was all part of the show as well?"

"They had."

"But what about Eagle?"

The aristocrat shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I...I told them that he went on vacation."

"Herr Baron!"

"Well what did you expect me to do?!" Konrad demanded. "What, just say "Oh by the way, David, everything you saw last night was real and now the boy is gravely injured in my home!?" Ja, I'm sure that would have gone well with the Board!"

"But Herr Baron, he has family!" Jurgen said. "They have a right to know about his condition and what happened!"

"And you don't think that this won't lead to a potential lawsuit?"

Jurgen opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.

"Thought so," Konrad said. "Now the Board are eager to not only renew the copyright, but they also want to make it even more of a monster mash to reach a broader audience and for potential merchandising."

"They want more monsters?!" Jurgen exclaimed. "I hope you had turned them down."

The aristocrat sat quietly still.

"Herr Baron," Jurgen said, "please tell me that you've decided against it."

Konrad sighed. "I told them that I would think it over." 

Jurgen gave him a disapproving look.

"Please don't look at me like that," Konrad said.

"Herr Baron, after what happened last night I would have expected you to shut it down."

"But this will be different!"

"How?" Jurgen demanded.

"Jurgen," Konrad said slowly, "I'm not letting that thing anywhere near my tournament, so please, don't worry. It's not going to be a repeat of last night. I'll just have someone do up some rubber suits like those old Japanese monster movies, or at the very least find someone that does special effects makeup."

"With all due respect, Herr Baron, you don't know a thing about running a production involving special effects," Jurgen said. "For God's sake, man, do you have any idea how much either costs, let alone the amount of manpower needed to operate some of the animatronics for these suits or the equipment needed for moving and maintaining these things?"

"Jurgen, please. I'm sure I can find a special effects company somewhere."

"In Germany?" Jurgen said doubtfully.

"Well, there's always Britain's Pinewood Studios," Konrad countered. "Or Hollywood. I'd imagine there must be some cheap special effects studio out there with a reasonable quote. I could always search the Internet and find someone."

"You cannot be serious."

"I am. Have you ever heard of...what's the word they use..." he muttered. "Cosplay? Yes, that's it! Cosplay."

The servant frowned. "I'm not familiar with that."

"Basically, people dress up as some sort of character or creature from a comic book, video game or television show. Some of the work done is quite remarkable."

Konrad pulled out his cellphone and typed the word into the search engine, then handed it to the servant.

"See?"

Jurgen studied the images on the phone.

"Some of them look good," he admitted. "How did you hear about this?"

"Dieter," Konrad said simply.

"Ah," the servant said in understanding as he handed the phone back.

"If that doesn't work out, the very worst I can do is have someone pick up stuff from a cheap Halloween store and just make my own creatures from whatever costume or latex appliance available," Konrad said. "There is one slight problem with that, though."

"And what's that?" Jurgen asked.

"If the result is of questionable quality, it'll make my presence particularly noticeable," Konrad replied.

The servant looked at him in confusion. "Why? How could it possibly-"

He stopped midsentence in realization.

"You are expecting to go onto the program like that?!" He exclaimed.

"Of course," Konrad replied.

"No, Herr Baron," Jurgen said in finality. "Absolutely not."

"Oh come on. It'll be fun!"

"No, no, NO!"

"Jurgen, please," Konrad pled. "I need this. It will give me something to do, otherwise, I'll go crazy."

The servant stared at him, then gave an exhausted sigh, relenting.

"Fine."

Konrad nodded, then resumed eating.

"I don't approve of this, Herr Konrad," he said. "It is an awful idea."

"It is," Konrad admitted as he took a forkful, "but it's the only and necessary one."

* * *

Once Konrad finished his supper, he put his hood, sunglasses and scarf back on, then wheeled his way into the hallway while Jurgen washed the dishes.

"Hey dog man!" An unpleasantly familiar voice called.

Giving an annoyed growl, he looked to his left and saw Ferris escorted by Dieter.

"What the hell is he still doing here?!" Konrad demanded quietly.

"It's hard to navigate around with him when servants are wandering about the place," Dieter said.

"And the guards outside."

"Won't be a problem," Dieter replied.

"Hey Fido," Ferris spoke up, "what's your story? You one of Ultratech's experiments or something?"

Dieter and Konrad were quiet for a moment.

"Part man, part dog," Ferris said thoughtfully. "Does that mean you're your own best friend?"

"Shut up, Ben," Dieter said.

Konrad's gloved hand tightened into a fist as that distinctive sneer made its way up his face.

"Know any tricks, boy?" he taunted.

"Ben, shut the fuck up!"

"Fetch? Roll over?" Ben continued. "I know! Play dead!"

As the mercenary mockingly laughed, Konrad snapped, lunging up from his wheelchair, grabbing the man by his hair and wrenching him violently from Dieter, pushing the bodyguard away as he towed Ferris down a flight of steps to the basement. Behind him, Dieter called out and was trying to catch up.

"Hey, hey!" Ferris said. "Where are you taking me?!

Konrad didn't answer as he descended the flight of stairs.

"Where the fuck are you taking me, man?!" the mercenary said as he struggled in his grip, trying to get away.

"You'll see, Mr. Ferris."

* * *

In the deepest part of the basement within Konrad's castle, one flight of stairs beneath the section where Gupte's lab and the dungeon was, a pair of massive automated security doors loomed ominously. On the wall next to the doors was a speaker with a button along with an electronic numeric pad. Shoving Ferris forward, Konrad slammed the mercenary's head into the wall. The man groaned dazedly as he slid down to the floor.

"Baron!"

Konrad didn't bother looking up as Dieter came up to him.

"Baron, what the hell are you playing at?!" the bodyguard demanded.

Konrad didn't answer as he typed in the numeric code.

"Don't you ignore me!"

"Enough is enough, Dieter," Konrad said as he then spoke into the receiver. "Baron Von Sabrewulf. DI-CXXX11."

Once vocal recognition was established, he pulled down his sunglasses as his retinas were scanned.

"What do you mean by that?!" Dieter demanded.

"It means I've had enough! I'm not going to be laughed at, not in my house! Not anymore!"

"And what do you hope to do with Ben?! Why have you brought him here?!"

Konrad didn't answer.

"Answer me!"

"Error - retinal scans do not match," an automated voice said from the speaker.

Konrad growled.

"Override code 4227833," he said.

"Override accepted," the automated voice said.

"Baron, please! Tell me!"

A slot opened. Pulling off his glove, he pressed his thumb onto the pad.

"Identity confirmed," the automated voice said from the speaker. "Welcome, Mr. Chairman."

"On your feet!" The aristocrat snarled as he picked Ferris up.

Dieter grabbed his wrist.

"Tell me what the fuck you are doing. Right. Now," the bodyguard demanded.

"I have a little job for Mr. Ferris," he said as he shoved the mercenary forward into a tight rectangular room that was ten feet long, ten feet high and twelve feet wide.

"Baron, for God's sake, just wait! Let me just get your wheelchair," Dieter said.

"Nein, Dieter," Konrad stated with certainty, "today's the day that I'm finally rid of that cursed chair! In a few moments, all my problems will be gone!"

Stepping into the room with Dieter, Konrad watched as Ferris nervously glanced around and at the large door at the end.

"What the fuck is this place?" Ferris demanded.

He jumped as the doors behind them sealed shut, practically leaping out from his skin as a thick cloud of vapor suddenly hissed loudly into the room from a series of vents that lined the walls and ceiling.

"What the fuck is going on?!" He said in alarm.

"Calm down, Mr. Ferris," Konrad said as Dieter grabbed hold of the mercenary's arm. "We're just being decontaminated."

A few seconds later, the vents stopped and the door opened. Inside was a massive room with various lab equipment, personnel and computer terminals surrounding a walk-in freezer at the center, a sturdy eight by twenty-four foot steel box with glass sides. Through the glass, Konrad saw a puddle on the floor of the freezer.

Taking notice of the three men as they entered the room, the staff turned in their direction. One man, a bald, cheerful, chubby cherubic-looking fellow with glasses and rosy cheeks approached.

"Baron Von Sabrewulf!" He said excitedly. "It's so good to see you, sir!"

"Good to see you as well, Dr. Rogers," Konrad nodded.

"It's been ages since you've been down here," Rogers said, then took notice of Ferris. "Who's this?"

"Dr. Rogers, meet Ben Ferris," Konrad held out an arm, gesturing to the latter. "Mr. Ferris is a guest."

The scientist glanced suspiciously at the man. "Why is he in handcuffs?"

"It's for protection, his and ours," Konrad explained. "Mr. Ferris is a person with a particularly violent disposition."

"Shouldn't you call the police?" Rogers asked nervously.

"Too right, Herr Doctor," the aristocrat replied as he eyed the freezer, "but I have a use for Mr. Ferris."

He folded his arms behind his back.

"So what's so special about this place?" Ferris asked. "What's with the box?"

Konrad grinned beneath his hood and scarf.

"You should feel honored to be here, Mr. Ferris," he said. "This is what started Ultratech down the road to success! Nobody else at the company knows about this except everyone around you."

Ferris gave him a confused look. "I don't get it."

"Several years ago," Konrad began, "I made a series of mistakes. Costly mistakes. I purchased a great number of artifacts and...services, all of which turned out to be useless. I tried my luck at casinos, where I drank to hide from my problems and gambled away in desperation to make a fortune back. I nearly ruined the company in my search of a cure, Mr. Ferris. I searched every corner of the world, and all I found were liars, lunatics and fucking idiots."

He began to walk toward the walk-in freezer.

"One such consultation took place in Nepal," he said, "where some little shitstain of a man tried to con me. Dejected, I strolled alone and just wandered aimlessly along the country."

He stopped just in front of the glass.

"One day, I found something."

Ferris scoffed. "And this is the big secret?" he said. "A puddle?"

"It is no mere puddle, Mr. Ferris," Konrad replied.

As the mercenary opened his mouth to respond, the puddle rippled, drawing everyone's attention to it.

"What the fuck?" Ferris said.

Konrad watched as the stream slowly enlarged itself, then ducked down suddenly back as a puddle.

"Whoa! Did you see that?!" Ferris said to Dieter. "What is that?"

"Shhh!" Konrad hissed in annoyance, then glanced back to the puddle.

"Oh come now, come now, mein freund," Konrad said gently, as he tapped the glass and used sign language as he spoke. "You don't need to be shy. Come out. There's someone here to meet you. Show him what you can do."

The aristocrat watched as the puddle expanded itself and molded itself into a variety of shapes. It started off with simple, singular one dimensional shapes on the ground such as a square, a rectangle, a circle and a triangle.

"Very nice," Konrad applauded and signed with his hands. "What else can you do?"

The puddle then divided itself, forming two triangles that circled around each other.

Ferris walked up to the box with his mouth open, his eyes fixed on the show before him while Dieter kept a firm hold on his arm.

"Wha..." he muttered. "Is this some sort of hologram?"

"Nein, nein, it's all real," Konrad said. He turned his attention back to the entity and moved his hands as he spoke. "Now, mein freund, why don't you really let yourself loose!"

The puddle continued dividing itself until whole clusters of shapes swirled and danced along the floor, their forms blending into one another, even through each other.

Once it was finished doing simple two dimensional shapes, it moved onto more three dimensional ones such as pyramids, cubes, cones, and spheres.

Clusters of pyramids circled around cylinders while prisms formed from spheres.

To Konrad, it was almost like watching a symphony in motion.

From these three dimensional shapes, more complex shapes and patterns started to emerge, from spiralling helixes to tetrahedrons to icosidodecahedrons to rhombic triacontahedrons to toroidal polyhedrons to small stellated dodecahedrons to great cubicuboctahedrons and other shapes that Konrad's never seen before.

The floor of the freezer now looked like a strange landscape or a bizarre multidimensional city complete with towers, growing more and more until from some of the polyhedrons organic and animalistic shapes started to emerge, a lot of which Konrad was certain never existed on Earth.

Various pieces, figures and shapes started to move, dance, swim and float around in the air, swirling naturally. It was almost like seeing something underwater.

From these figures, shapes and other pieces, it then formed other structures, what looked like a depiction of atoms, molecules and the like before going into more epic, elaborate and ambitious set pieces, including an incredible depiction of what could only be the Big Bang.

From there, constellations and solar systems emerged, followed by asteroids, black holes and more.

The performance was dizzying in its scope and scale, moving so fast that Konrad couldn't take any more.

"That's enough," he said and signed.

The images faltered, reverting back into tiny droplets that rained down onto the floor.

"That was lovely!" Konrad said and signed to the puddle as it reformed.

"What is this?" Ferris asked. "Is this...what is it...nanotechnology?"

"Nein, nein. Nanotechnology is nowhere near this complex," Konrad said. He then gestured to the entity in the room. "Show him."

The puddle slowly rose and molded itself into a tall humanoid shape that solidified before everyone. Standing at six-four with a heavily muscled body, the entity's torso and head were composed entirely of fresh snow that sparkled and glinted in the light of the freezer, the arms and legs composed of a mixture of rock and ice. White in color, the hands were huge and had a strange rubbery quality about them, with three digits and an opposable thumb on both, while the feet, though very humanoid in shape and structure, had only three toes on each foot. Devoid of either a mouth or nose, a pair of striking emerald eyes stared out from a featureless, jagged, cliff-face-like mound, while a collection of stalactite-like icicles formed a sort of beard at the bottom of its chin.

Ferris stared agape at the creature as it stared back, the entity whistling a high pitched noise before making a strange full-chested purring sound.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. That?" he said slowly.

"Homo Glacius," Dieter said.

Konrad winced as he heard the word uttered from the bodyguard's mouth.

"Homo Glacies," he corrected. "Latin for "ice man"."

"So what is it?" Ferris asked. "Is it one of your experiments or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Konrad said.

"Then how did you get it?"

"I told you, Mr. Ferris," he said patiently, "I found him in Nepal, near a Hindu shrine in the snow-covered mountains after he crash-landed."

"Crash-landed?!" Ferris repeated. "Wait a minute, are you saying that-"

"Ja, Mr. Ferris," Konrad said, giving a nod.

The mercenary stared at both the creature and Konrad in shock and disbelief.

"Where's his ship?" he asked.

"It's in a warehouse," Dr. Rogers said, "but it's not really a "ship" per se. If anything it's more of an elaborate...techno-organic shell to maneuver itself in space."

"Why did it crash?" Ferris asked. "Was it shot down?"

Konrad amusedly watched as the tough mercenary seemed to revert into an enthusiastic teenager.

'Like watching someone that just found out that Santa Claus is real,' he thought.

"Nein," he answered. "There were no signs of such. A working hypothesis that everyone seems to favor at the moment is that the creature came too close to our planet before eventually being pulled down by its gravity."

"But...how is it that no one knows about this?" Ferris asked.

"People had," Konrad said, "but with a little compensation, a few favors and some strings pulled here and there, it's amazing how easy it is to get people to keep quiet and cooperative with the right tools, resources and motivation. Since then, Nepal has considered me its friend and benefactor."

"How is it able to do all of that?"

Konrad shrugged. "We're still struggling to understand it ourselves," he admitted. "Some of us believe that the ice is in actuality some sort of "suit", but others believe that the creature is some sort of hive or conglomerate of microorganisms that sustain themselves with cold temperatures and water. Some believe that it's merely composed of a brain that telekinetically controls the elements around it. The truth is, no one knows."

"But can't you tell from its DNA?"

Konrad scoffed. "We've been trying for years, but the creature's genome is unlike anything on this planet, with structures and elements never seen before. We've barely decoded even a fraction of its DNA. For all intents and purposes, Homo Glacies is one of the most evolved creatures on the planet, if not the most evolved. Possibly even in the universe."

"Are there others like it?"

The aristocrat was quiet for a moment.

"Possibly," he replied.

"You haven't heard from them?"

Konrad shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," he said. "Even if they tried to, communication would have been impossible."

"But I saw you talk with that thing using sign language," Ferris said.

"Ja, but it doesn't have the physiological apparatus necessary for human communication," Konrad said.

The creature blinked as it watched them, whistling and humming.

"Those sounds you hear? Those are the extent to any sort of vocal communication. We tried using audio equipment to decode them and communicate with it, but our equipment isn't even powerful enough. Several of my best have tried deciphering it, but it's impossible. So, we had to teach it sign language, something that took us years to do, but even then, we still have problems communicating with it. Apparently the semantics of his language can have a multitude of meanings that not even human beings could understand."

Konrad watched as Homo Glacies tilted its head, blinking curiously at him.

"It sounds like your discovery of the big fella was a bust," Ferris said.

"On the contrary, Mr. Ferris," Konrad said. "While we haven't been able to learn much from Homo Glacies, we have had learned a great deal from its shell. You see it all around you. Were it not for him, we wouldn't have made such advances in technology."

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"In a sense, he is one of the fathers of Ultratech," he said.

"Alright," Ferris said. "Now the million-dollar question - where do I fit into this?"

Konrad smiled. "I'm glad you asked, Mr. Ferris," he said. "I have a job for you."

The mercenary looked at him interestedly. "Really?" he said. "What kind of job?"

Konrad was quiet for a moment.

"Dr. Rogers, would you kindly send some staff upstairs and get a gurney down here?"

"A gurney?" Rogers said confusedly. "But-"

"Now," Konrad commanded, his tone cold.

Rogers faltered, then nodded at some personnel.

Ferris nervously shifted. "So, uh, you didn't tell me what the job was," he said. "Are you gonna say anything?"

Konrad stared quietly at the creature in walk-in freezer.

"How about gettin' these cuffs off?"

"The cuffs are fine where they are."

After a few nervous minutes of waiting, the staff came back with a gurney, wheeling it close to the freezer.

Ferris eyed it anxiously, his skin pale and covered in sweat.

"Look, um..." he said. "If-if you let me go, I swear I'll tell no one about you, about any of this!"

Konrad stepped to the gurney. "Put it over there against the wall," he instructed, pointing to his right at a vacant space.

"Is this about what I said?"

Konrad looked over at him pointedly.

Ferris gave him a nervous smile.

"Stupid question," he said. "Of course it is. Listen, I-I was just fucking around. Really, that's all. My own momma and even Dieter know what a jokester I can be!"

He chuckled.

The aristocrat didn't laugh.

Ferris swallowed. "Listen," he said. "I've never said anything like this in my entire life, but..." 

He paused.

"...I will pay you your money back," he said finally. "Just let me go. Let me go, and I'll just walk away. You'll never see me again."

Konrad looked to Rogers. "Can you get a syringe, please?"

Rogers frowned. "Baron-"

"NOW!"

The outburst caused the man quickly search a cabinet.

"Dude, I will pay you whatever you want!" Ferris cried out in alarm. "Whatever your price is, just name it, okay?!"

Konrad whirled around to face him.

"Really?" he said.

"I'll do whatever you want, man! Anything!" Ferris exclaimed. "Just don't kill me!"

"I'm not going to kill you, Mr. Ferris," he said. "I'm going to do something nice for you. Even though you don't deserve it."

This made the mercenary relax slightly.

"You are?" he said uncertainly.

"Absolutely," the aristocrat replied.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Mr. Ferris," Konrad said straightly, "I'll come to the point - I loathe you. I cannot think of many that I absolutely despise, but given our brief interaction, I can honestly say that you make my list of most hated people."

The mercenary smirked. "What can I say?" he said. "I make an impression."

"And my impression of you is that you're a worthless piece of shit whose existence involves nothing but inflicting misery onto others," Konrad snarled. "You're nothing but a parasite, Mr. Ferris, one who gratifies himself by profiting off of the sufferings of those around you."

He looked to some of the researchers.

"Strap him to the gurney!" He ordered.

Konrad watched as the mercenary struggled in their grip as he was guided to to said-gurney.

"You said that you'll do anything for me, Mr. Ferris?" he queried rhetorically as he was strapped in. "Since you're in such a charitable mood, perhaps the only time in your life you've ever shown such altruism, I'm going to take you up on your offer. You are going to help me overcome my condition by participating in "Project Cinder"."

"Baron, stop this now!" Dieter said.

"Nein, Dieter," Konrad said.

"Baron, you're not thinking straight."

"Oh, but I am, Dieter!" Konrad said. "Somewhere in Homo Glacies' genetic code is the cure to my ailment. I'll finally be normal again!"

"Baron, I highly disapprove of this!" Rogers said.

"I don't give a damn what you think!" Konrad snarled. "Get a sample from the creature." 

"Baron, for God's sakes, stop and think about what you are doing!" Rogers pled. "Project Cinder isn't ready! We don't have the equipment necessary, including recording equipment."

"We don't need recording equipment," Konrad retorted. "Everything we need is right here."

"Baron, we don't have approvals to do testing of any sort! We haven't even done animal testing, man!"

"You want approval, you got it!" Konrad said. "Now get the goddamn sample!"

The doctor frowned as he walked away. Dieter stared angrily at the aristocrat.

"Baron-"

"I don't want to hear it, Dieter."

"There's no guarantee it will work," he said.

"Of course it does!" Konrad exclaimed. "You saw what the creature can do! Just imagine, Dieter! I can take on any form I want! I can finally be free from this damn place and walk the streets again a man and reclaim my life!"

"And what if it doesn't?" Dieter countered. "What if you end up killing him?"

"Then he'll have served his purpose and the world will be a better place," Konrad said.

The bodyguard glared at him as Rogers approached the struggling mercenary.

"You're not stickin' me! You're not stickin' me!" Ferris yelled.

The straps for his feet came loose, allowing him to lash out, kicking a researcher in the eye.

"CAN SOMEONE GET HIM UNDER CONTROL AND SHUT HIM UP PLEASE?!" Konrad yelled as other personnel grabbed Ferris' thrashing legs and tied them down.

"HELP ME! HELP ME!" Ferris screamed. "SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! HELP ME! HELP ME PLEASE!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, BARON, STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!" Dieter yelled.

Standing close to Ferris, Rogers glanced down apologetically to him as the other researchers held him down.

"Do it," Konrad ordered.

Leaning forward, Rogers inserted the hypodermic needle into Ferris' neck and injected its contents into him, causing the man to cry out. Once he finished, he withdrew the needle and stepped back along with the others.

Ferris lay there, trembling on the gurney.

"You bastards," he said.

"How long should it take effect?" Konrad asked.

Rogers shook his head. "It's hard to tell," he replied. "It could be minutes, maybe hours. Possibly even days. That's assuming it takes effect. If it doesn't it could either just float harmlessly through his system, or-"

"I feel hot," Ferris said. "I feel like I'm burning up! Oh God!"

Arching his back, he started to scream and writhe in agony as steam started to rise up from his body, his skin darkening as a secondary liquid "skin" started to form over him before bursting into flame.

"Oh mein gott, what have I done?" Konrad gasped, his eyes widening in horrible realization.

"GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS!" Dieter yelled.

Researchers frantically ran in every direction in search of one as the flame continued to consume Ferris' body, burning off his clothes, shoes, face and hair, along with the straps of the gurney. Konrad was sickened as he saw the man's features dissolve away before him, so much so that he had to turn away.

"Oh no you don't," the bodyguard said as he grabbed him by the chin and forced him to watch. "LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, BARON! LOOK!"

Ferris' once handsome face had now become a hideous jack-o'-lantern, his screams taking on an increasingly strange and horrible quality, like someone trying to speak underwater.

"WHERE ARE THE GODDAMN FIRE EXTINGUISHERS?!" Dieter yelled. "THE HELL'S TAKING SO LONG?! CAN'T ANYONE FUCKIN' SEE HE NEEDS HELP?!"

Finally, after a few minutes of struggling and screaming, he stopped.

Looking in his direction, Dieter shook his head as he let go of the Baron.

"Was this worth losing your soul over?" he asked before he turned away, running his hands worriedly over his mouth and chin.

A researcher ran up and was about to use the extinguisher when there came a groan from the gurney, something that caused everyone to pause and Dieter to whip around.

Konrad thought that Ferris had finally been put out of his misery, that the horror had mercifully ended.

When the mercenary slowly started to rise up from the gurney and stood up onto his feet, Konrad's hairs stood on end. 

Ferris' entire body was now completely covered in flame with a red aureola surrounding him, his head and face an orange featureless mass with a pair of red orbs that glowed like hot coals. 

The floor hissed as his featureless feet burned into the tiles, his breathing a harsh heaving that sounded like a furnace while embers shimmered and flaked off from his perpetually burning body, crackling and popping noisily.

As he straightened himself up, he studied his hands, arms and the rest of his body.

"Is there a mirror around here?" Ferris asked, his voice a simmering volcanic hiss.

Rogers swallowed, shaking his head.

"I'm-I'm afraid not," he replied.

Ferris took a step towards them, causing everyone to back away and put considerable distance between themselves and the fiery effigy as it made its way over to the walk-in freezer and stopped directly in front of the glass, pausing as it stared into the glass. Homo Glacies purred and hummed curiously at the apparition as it ran a hand over his own fiery visage.

"What...the..." he said.

Konrad nervously edged to the door.

Ferris turned in his direction, his coal-like eyes narrowing and burning with hate.

"YOU!" The mercenary said with a molten snarl as he pointed at him. "You did this to me!"

"Ben, calm down," Dieter said soothingly.

"Oh I'll calm down," Ferris said, his hands tightening into fists. "Right after I beat your boss to death!"

He took several steps toward Konrad, ready to swing.

"If you kill him, Ben, you'll lose any chance of a cure," the bodyguard said, causing the flaming creature to halt in its tracks.

"You have a cure for this?" he asked.

"We'll find one," Dieter promised. "The Baron will make sure that one is found for you."

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Ferris said acidly as he cracked his neck and his knuckles.

Everyone save for Dieter and the Baron edged to the door, several of them carrying boxes of files, papers and memory keys. Rogers opened the walk-in freezer and pulled out a plastic bottle, gesturing for Homo Glacies to get in. Complying, the creature transformed into a puddle and slid in. Sealing up the cap, Rogers hurriedly followed the other researchers to the door.

"Mr. Ferris, I assure you," Konrad spoke, "every effort will be made to restore you back to normal."

"Right," Ferris said, unconvinced, then tilted his head in mock forgetfulness. "What was it that you had said about me again?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Oh yeah," he smoldered. "You said that I was a worthless piece of shit. How could I forget a thing like that?"

"Mr. Ferris-"

"Time for talk's over, Lassie," Ferris said as he threateningly stepped toward him. "This is the part where the screaming begins."

"Okay, Ben, you win!" Dieter said, drawing the creature's attention. "Here's the cure."

Ferris stared at Dieter as the bodyguard raised up in one hand a hypodermic needle.

"You're lying," he said.

"I'm not," Dieter said. "Am I, Doc?"

"N-No," the cherubic man shakily replied.

"Give it to me," Ferris demanded.

"Not before you let the Baron go."

"I SAID GIVE IT TO ME!"

"Yeah?" Dieter taunted. "Come and get it, butt-fucker."

Ferris stormed angrily toward Dieter as the bodyguard back-tracked, waving the hypodermic needle around.

"RUN, BARON! RUN!"

Konrad bolted to the doorway as it opened, pushing in amongst the other researchers.

Once Ferris was three feet away, Dieter placed the hypodermic needle onto the floor and rolled it as far away from him as possible, then waited as the mercenary rushed past. Once he was a safe distance away from him, the bodyguard practically flew towards the decontamination chamber.

He was halfway there when Ferris gave a frightening rage-filled roar.

"DIETER!"

"SHUT THE DOOR!" Dieter yelled. "SHUT THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

Rogers tapped the console, the door slowly lowering overhead.

"We can't let that thing get to the decontamination chamber!" Rogers said. "If it does, its flames could mix with the Chlorine Dioxide and cause the whole place to explode!"

Konrad looked worriedly at him, then at the approaching entity.

"You!" He said to the researcher still holding the fire extinguisher. "Give that to me."

Nodding dumbly, the researcher held it out.

Grabbing it from him, Konrad grunted as he carried it in his arms, the nozzle ready in his hand.

Ducking down, Dieter slid into the decontamination chamber as Ferris followed angrily after him, barely six feet away as Konrad sprayed it with sodium bicarbonate. To his surprise, the mercenary staggered back with a loud scream as the aristocrat continued spraying him until the door closed.

Once it was sealed, gas poured into the room, then opened up at the other side.

"Will the doors hold him?" Konrad asked.

"It should," Rogers said. "They're shock and heatproof."

There came a loud bang from the door in front of them, causing everyone to recoil as Ferris angrily pounded away.

"BASTARDS!" He yelled. "LET ME OUT!"

"There's no way he can get out, can he?" Dieter asked worriedly.

"No," Rogers assured. "He should be sealed up in there. The door's the only way in or out."

"Good," Konrad replied.

"I'm afraid not, Baron," the scientist said gravely. "We still need to contain this. I'm also worried that it might be radioactive."

The aristocrat looked over at him, startled.

"Radioactive?" he repeated. "But how? Homo Glacies itself isn't radioactive, nor did we find any signs of radiation in its body."

"It isn't, but it's possible that perhaps the introduction of its genes into a human body may have triggered something, perhaps an isotope that may have been overlooked! Or maybe the introduction of these foreign genes have led to a mutation that resulted in their formation in the host body!"

"SCHEISSE!" Konrad yelled as he pounded a wall. "So we have to kill it."

"That's out of the question, Baron," Rogers said. "If it does harbor radioactive material in its body, killing it could cause that material to spill."

The aristocrat inhaled, then sighed as Ferris continued to pound into the door. "What do you propose I do?"

"First, we need to get a reading from a Geiger counter," Rogers said. "If there's any sign of radiation, we'll need to evacuate the entire area, any nearby towns or villages, get a HAZMAT cleanup crew immediately down here and make sure everyone here is given iodine tablets."

Konrad fists tightened. He was certain that he was drawing blood. If not, it was a miracle.

"We're also going to need to study him properly," Rogers continued. "Even if he doesn't emit radiation, he's a walking hazard. We don't know how long he'll be alive for in there, nor do we know what will happen if he passes on."

"What's the worst case scenario in the event that he does?" Konrad asked.

"A - he has a meltdown and contaminates all of Ravensburg and Germany, if not the entire continent as nuclear material is spread through the atmosphere, causing massive radiation poisoning. B - he goes supernova and takes out the entire planet. This is all hypothetical, though."

Dieter paled.

"There should be a Geiger counter upstairs," Rogers said. "I'll go get it."

Konrad watched as the fat cherub went to the side panel near the entrance and typed something before disappearing upstairs, the rouladan nervously shifting around uncomfortably in his stomach.

* * *

When Rogers came back, Konrad waited with bated breath as he raised up the Geiger counter. After a few, painfully long minutes had passed, the scientist shook his head.

"No signs of radiation," he said.

A collective sigh of relief flooded into the room.

"Thank God," Dieter said.

"Don't thank him just yet, Dieter," Konrad said. "We still need to deal with the flaming elephant in the room."

"We need to study him," Rogers said. "Just because I haven't detected anything now doesn't mean that he won't become radioactive or that they're not present."

"Which also brings back to us somehow containing him," Konrad said. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Perhaps a dry cask storage?"

Konrad frowned. "Nein, that won't do."

"We need something, Baron."

"I know that, but given the media presence at the front gate, I'm pretty sure the sight of a dry cask storage is going to raise a few eyebrows."

"You don't have to bring it here, Baron," Rogers said. "We could just transport Mr. Ferris to a nuclear power plant somewhere and have him sealed."

The aristocrat scoffed. "Just seal him in a plant somewhere," he said skeptically. "Before we get too carried away, let's examine the facts. The man's on fire."

"Uh, do you mind if I ask you fellas something?" Dieter queried.

"Go ahead."

"I'm no expert in science, but why not just seal him in that freezer? From his reaction to being sprayed by the Baron the cold affects him," Dieter pointed out.

Konrad looked to Rogers.

"Could that work?" he asked.

"In theory it could," Rogers said, "but we'll need to considerably reduce his temperature. But that's in theory. I don't know if the glass windows would be able to handle the heat, plus there's always the possibility that his system might build up a tolerance to it and double his body temperature."

The aristocrat frowned.

"One worry at a time, Herr Doctor," he said. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now let's focus on the situation at hand. Dieter, there should be some extra fire extinguishers upstairs along with some HAZMAT suits. They're fully insulated and fire-resistant. Take several of these people with you and get them. Move!"

"Yes sir," the bodyguard said.

* * *

Dieter grumbled as he finished putting on the headpiece, then turned around to face the four others that were similarly dressed.

"Christ I feel like a dork in this thing," he muttered as he studied the aluminized HAZMAT suit that he wore.

"It will keep you safe," Rogers assured as he finished making certain the suit was properly sealed.

"You better not be taking pictures of this, Baron," Dieter warned.

"I'm not."

"Good."

Picking up a fire extinguisher that was resting on the ground along with the other personnel, Dieter turned to face the door while everyone else including Rogers and the Baron backed out.

"Good luck, Dieter," Konrad said.

Giving a nod, he gestured to one of the researchers to tap into the console, then watched as the light slowly disappeared behind him as the doors sealed shut.

Dieter never had considered himself claustrophobic, but being inside the HAZMAT suit made him acutely aware of how oppressive and unnerving it can be. For one, the sound of his own breathing seemed to be amplified in his ears; despite the fact that he was breathing normally, to him it sounded deafening. Breathing in the suit felt like he was breathing through a very small and tight vent. Even more, the way the suit clung tightly around him made it feel as if it was some bizarre Medieval torture device that was designed to suffocate him.

'Think pleasant thoughts,'  he thought to himself. Puppies. Kittens. Puppies and kittens. The Baron dressed in that stupid Indian headdress.

Cracking a smile beneath his mask, he waited as gas poured in from the vents. On the other side of the door in front of him, Ben pounded and cussed furiously at him and the Baron in several different ways, a lot of it impressive even by Dieter's standards.

"Foul mouth he has," a researcher commented nervously.

"Yep," Dieter replied.

He glanced to the others.

"Okay fellas, get ready," he said as he held the fire extinguishers handle and nozzle in preparation. "The moment that door opens, blast him altogether."

After the decontamination finished, the vents stopped. Once the air cleared, the door opened, revealing Ben in all of his flaming glory.

"Hello, Ben," Dieter greeted.

The mercenary snarled as he lunged.

"NOW!" Dieter yelled as five extinguishers went off, causing Ben to scream and stagger back.

The bodyguard continued dousing the mercenary until the fiery "skin" faded away, revealing a blistering, shriveled up red and pink body with a bald head and a disgusting jack-o'-lantern face.

"Keep spraying!"

Ben raised his arms up defensively as the group continued their assault, screaming each time the cold touched his bare skin, backing away toward the freezer.

"You, get the freezer open!" Dieter said to a researcher to his left while he sprayed.

The bodyguard watched as the man nodded and headed over.

"Okay, fellas, let's get him inside."

The HAZMAT suit-clad men formed a circle around Ben, spraying him at intervals as they directed him to the freezer.

Spraying one long final burst sent the scalded mercenary directly into it.

Sealing it closed behind him, Dieter then directed the men to the burning gurney, along with the various places where Ben had stepped.

One of the researchers, a man named Patterson, took a reading with the Geiger counter. "It's all clear."

"Are you sure?" Dieter asked.

"Yeah."

"Thank fucking god," the bodyguard muttered as he took off the hood and mask, along with the rest of the suit, leaving it as a pile on the floor. Reaching into his pocket, he dialed the number for the Baron's cellphone.

"Yeah, it's clear," he said before hanging up.

Inside the freezer, Ben watched him, trembling and shivering furiously. Dieter ignored him as he went to the door leading to the decontamination chamber.

After a few minutes, the decontamination chamber opened.

"Ah, Dieter!" Konrad said, patting him on the shoulder. "Well done. Thank you, mein freund."

There came a slow, halting clap from behind the bodyguard.

Turning around, Dieter saw Ben clapping, staring at him.

"Yeah, bravo, Dieter," he said sarcastically. "Fuckin' bravo! You've successfully caught me. THAT'S quite a thing to pull off! Not even Interpol was able to do that! And now you have a new monster to complete the set."

Konrad sighed. "Mr. Ferris," he said. "Believe me when I say that I'm sorry."

The burned man chuckled darkly. "You're sorry?!" he said. "That's it?"

"Nein," Konrad said. "Listen, I know how you feel."

Ben scoffed. "How-how I feel?" he said incredulously.

"We're both afflicted with something we don't understand," Konrad said. "Neither of us asked to be what we are now...and both of us are looking for a way out. A cure."

"YOU MADE ME THIS WAY!" Ben roared as he pounded against the glass, each word punctuated by it. "YOU. MADE. ME. THIS. WAY!"

"I know I have," Konrad said as he looked guiltily down to the floor.

He stared angrily at the Baron. "You want to know what I feel? Pain. Constant, agonizing pain. All over my body. Every pore, every nerve, every time I breathe. Every time I move. No matter what position I'm in, it's all the same!"

"Is it better when you..."flame on", Ben?" Dieter asked.

Ferris glared at him. "No," he answered acerbically. "Not at all. When that happens, I can't feel anything."

Konrad flinched. "I'm.....I'm sorry for what has happened to you," he said. "I never thought that any of this would happen, believe me."

The burnt figure glared through the window.

"Well," he said, "the damage has already been done."

"Mr. Ferris, I promise you, I will do everything possible to make sure that a cure will be found for you."

"And how long will that take?" the mercenary demanded.

"I..." the aristocrat faltered. "I don't know."

"If it's going to take years, don't bother."

"Mr. Ferris, there's a lot that we don't know about your condition," Konrad said. "We don't know how long you'd be able to live for in that state."

"I don't care," Ferris said. "I'd rather die."

"Mr. Ferris-"

To the Baron's surprise and horror, the man started to weep.

"Please," he begged. "Just let me die already."

"I....I can't," Konrad said sadly. "You...you can't afford to die."

Upon hearing those words, Ben leaned his head against the glass, his voice quiet, "Why?"

"Because-" Konrad paused. "We don't know what will happen if you die."

The burnt man stared despondently to the floor.

"Mr. Ferris, I'm sorry. God, I am so sorry!"

"Ben, buddy," Dieter spoke. "Just hang in there. I promise you, everything will be alright. We'll do everything we can to make you comfortable, and I promise you that we'll restore you back to normal."

"You better hope not," the burnt effigy spoke lowly. "If that day comes, I promise you, Dieter, that I will make every waking hour of your life a living misery. I will cut you up into tiny little pieces and mail them across to every corner of the globe. You know what I'm going to do to your boss? I've never been a pet owner before, but I'm starting to fancy the idea more and more! When I get out, I'll make your boss my pet and be the shittiest owner possible! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU FAT HAIRY BITCH?!"

"Let's get out here, Dieter," Konrad said.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Ferris called. "Dieter? DIETER!"

As Konrad and Dieter headed to the door, Rogers approached.

"What about Homo Glacies?" he asked.

"I'll put in a requisition for an additional freezer," the Baron replied. "In the meantime, store him in the one upstairs."

"Yes sir," the researcher said. "One other thing, Baron."

He then leaned in close and spoke in an angry hushed voice, "Mindful of the fact that you are the CEO of Ultratech and how appreciative I am for this position, what you did was absolutely disgraceful!"

"Herr Doctor-"

"No you listen!" Rogers snapped quietly. "You put my researchers at risk, broke protocol and the law and compromised the integrity of my project. If you EVER do something like this again, I will report you to the Board and to the police. Do you understand?!"

Konrad sighed tiredly. "Ja."

"Good."

Departing from them, Rogers hurried back to help his colleagues.

"Come on, Dieter," Konrad said. "I've had enough of this place."

* * *

Stepping into the decontamination chamber, Konrad watched the bodyguard.

"You have something to say, Dieter?"

The bodyguard stared quietly to the door in front of them as the one behind closed.

"You're angry with me," Konrad said.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dieter said in a hushed tone. "I told you that I had it under control."

Konrad's shoulders sagged as gas poured in.

"I'm sorry, mein freund," he said.

"I don't care!" The bodyguard barked. "All you had to do was just shut up, keep it together and let us pass, but no! Someone else has to share in your misery!"

The aristocrat growled as the air cleared and the door opened.

"If you'd like to quit, go ahead," he said. "The exit's always open."

"I ain't quitting," the bodyguard said. "I just don't want to be around you at the moment."

Upon saying that, Dieter stormed up the stairs. A little while later, Konrad followed, his mind troubled.

Was he beyond saving?