****(POV)

"FUCK!" The man in the white lab coat flipped the entire table, sending documents flying all over the place. He had come back from a complete goose chase two weeks ago, and now this!

That's when came a small knock at the door with a student shyly entering. It was a young woman that was trying her best to get close to him recently. She understood his genius and wanted nothing more than to be like him.

But when she saw the current state of the room, she turned completely livid. What had happened?! It wouldn't have been such a big deal for anyone else, but it was different for The Doctor.

Ever since she had been here, she had never seen him have a mood swing. Even when he was doing a live dissection, he was as calm as ice.

"Sorry that you've had to see this, Sophia. Now, did you need help with something?" He murmured gently, no trace of his previous anger.

"Teacher, I just brought you some coffee. I also have more information on Gene Corp. It seems they have a new prisoner and—"

"I'm already aware. Still, good job. It seems I will need to head on another field trip."

She shuddered as he said that but couldn't help but show slight expectation. She knew what he meant by a field trip. The last one had caused a disaster in Metropolis-C. Every time she heard about it, her body would heat up in elation.

"Teacher, do you need me to prepare anything?" She asked, her eyes shining in trepidation.

He nodded, slowly scribbling a list of ingredients. She happily grabbed it: This would be another one to add to her collection. She would accomplish her task to perfection for sure!

Left alone in the room, he began to collect the scattered notes. He could see one that contained the very thing that had caused his fury. Josh Malum was right there in Metropolis-H, and Gene Corp was intent on keeping him alive.

On the one hand, they were torturing him with a nightmare. On the other, he would rather not count on someone else for his revenge. What if they didn't kill him in the end? It would be too late then.

The future would be such a hassle. He was a researcher at heart and also a teacher. This meant that he was a man that lived in the light. Oh, he was more than capable of scheming in the dark, but he had to keep a facade at least.

Now, he would have to go directly against Gene Corp. There lay the issue. Their members were numerous and hard to neutralize with drugs. They were the bane of a man like him.

Still, this didn't mean that he was helpless. No, he could easily raid their lair. He would need to fake his own death afterward. He could still teach too. He just needed to get himself a dummy.

He could already feel the headaches coming with securing funding. Most of his investors would have reservations about dealing with a dead man. He'd have to improvise in due time.

He finished his day as he normally did: Some tutoring, some research, and getting rid of a few annoying people. When Sophia returned, he got to work, creating the specific drugs he would need for this operation.

She followed him akin to a small puppy watching his every move with rapt attention. Truly she should have graduated years ago. She officially had a lowly teacher's assistant post. She was qualified enough to head her own research team but found more value in staying at his side.

From time to time, he would let her do some of the manipulations. At times she showed even more brains than he did, but her upbringing hindered her. Her mind had been poisoned since young, and she had trouble overcoming it: silly things about human lives having value and the need to do good.

Luckily she had changed a lot since meeting him. He still remembered fondly the first time she had experimented on a live cat. She found it hard, but she did not cry or show any remorse— even when the creature exploded with bits of it splattering all over her face.

He couldn't help but show a slight smile reminiscing and an even bigger smile when they were done with all the preparations.

"Teacher, should I accompany you?" She asked but already knew the answer.

"Maybe next time."

He left, slowly walking outside. Many entrances were leading to his lair, all of them part of the campus. The headmaster of the university had given him the green light to do whatever he wanted, for he knew the success of his university depended on it.

The man knew perfectly of his methods but would have denied it were someone to ask him. Well, this was how the world worked. Everyone expected others to put on a facade. People would always lie:

How was your day? The expected answer was good. Hey, this is a picture of my kids. They are cute, right? The expected answer was yes. You wouldn't be experimenting on living people, right? The expected answer was no.

He finally arrived at his destination. It was a huge building that sold costumes of all kinds for parties.

While many would love to buy werewolf costumes to mess with their friends, it didn't warrant the high rent in Metropolis-H, nor was it one supported by the MTA. It was obviously a failing business.

Freaks could be seen there daily, some looking VERY realistic. They were hiding in plain light, even using the rumors about Gene Corp for their advertisement. Most people were convinced they were nothing but wannabes.

To be fair, the MTA had 'raided' this place many times without any findings. He pushed the door open, disregarded everything, and headed to the back store.

"Hey, this area is off-limit!" Growled a man that was so hairy that he could have easily made a career out of selling hair growth serum.

"Hey there. Don't worry. I'm just passing by real quick." As he spoke, he released an invisible gas that quickly made its way toward its target. He used it casually, but it was a marvel in itself.

"Wait, you're The Doctor! I'll —" but the man froze. Talk about a useless guard dog. He happily went forward.

He knew about their defense protocols, he knew about how to get in, and he could daze low-level members for as long as his drugs stock lasted. He took out a small box from his chest pocket. It would allow him to get himself an access card.

Gene Corp used implants to recognize their members' identities. Normally this was extremely secure. Removing one from its host would render it useless. But, the item he had brought out was a small machine he had created that would simulate the target's vital signs.

A bit of flesh digging later, he was good to go. The rest of the process was a walk in an enemy base. He waltzed through with his head held high. He had recently sold them some valuable drugs, and he was The Doctor.

None of the lackeys even questioned his presence there. He even had the gall to ask for directions, "You there! Yes, ferret-looking man. I'm here to check on a patient. He's a guy called Josh Malum. He was taken prisoner in D-23."

The man quickly pointed him in the right direction. The Doctor hurried there, for it was only a matter of time until someone sent word to the Nightmare. His only saving grace was that their security system was relatively shitty against hijacked implants.

He soon reached the lab where his target was restrained. This was the key step of his plan, but he was prepared. The only ones that could stop him were the four commanders. He'd be done with this and out before they even heard of his visit.

He swaggered inside, and there he was. The man tied up on the chair trembling was the one that had killed his shitty brother. Some IV drip was keeping him alive. He slowly approached, disgusted with how low the man had fallen.

He was sweating, had blood all over himself, and he sometimes mumbled pitifully about getting 'her' back. He was but a scared little man confronted with his fears. That spoke volumes of how much of a failure Lenny had been to perish at his hand.

He took out a syringe and approached it from the IV bag. He always loved this style of execution. It was the power to transform the elixir of life into the elixir of death. It made him feel like a reaper, and he truly enjoyed it.

SLASH!

Spurt!

Just as he approached the needle, an axe drew a powerful arc before slicing his arm. Anyone else would have screamed in pain and terror, but The Doctor just clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"It ssseems we have a little rat here." A weird voice was heard next to him.

Godamnit! This guy was a commander! He reached into his pocket, taking out his trusty magical scalpel while throwing some powder that made a small fog appear.

He retreated, putting some distance between them. He had to buy enough time for his enemy to fall. Sadly, this one wasn't dumb. The monster followed right on his heels. What were his chances of winning in a straightforward fight? Zero.

He quickly calculated his many possibilities. Then he came to the conclusion that he would be unable to avoid his enemy's attacks. There was only one thing he could do. He fought valiantly, pushing his body beyond its limits to dodge.

All until he took an arm to the chest. It went from one side to the other, leaving a gaping hole. But, that also made the two of them get stuck together for an instant.

"Doessss it hurt?" The opponent sadistically asked.

But the Doctor wouldn't give up so easily. Without missing a beat, he drove his scalpel straight in the throat of his enemy, but only leaving a shallow wound.

He retreated hastily, with a life-threatening injury. The Doctor quickly consumed a healing item with his enemy drinking an antidote.

"You bitch! I'll fucking kill you!" The lizard screamed.

He grabbed him by the throat, tore his remaining arm, and began beating him with it as he bled everywhere. Then, he just threw it away.

"Any last words?" The scaly growled.

"3…2…1…—" The doctor counted with a bloodied smile.

With a thud, the lizardman fell to the ground, only his eyes still able to move. The Doctor was gravely injured, but he'd be able to recover. Getting his arms back would be another story, but he'd deal with this in due time.

"You seem confused. Do you really think an antidote works on my serious creations?"

Now, where the hell was his scalpel? His eyes ran across the room, finally noticing it. It had flown all the way to Josh's side. Good, he'd grab it with his mouth and finish the man real quick.

He had to hurry before things turned sour. He really couldn't afford any other complications…