The Trouble with Love Chapter 12
Dr. Matthew Reaver was a brilliant man. When Raymond Wong was selected for The Project, he was honoured.
When he found out what their goal was, he was proud. It was like responding to a call of duty to protect the country.
After seeing the tenth person go insane, Raymond feared he was going to go insane too. All tests subjects came
willingly to them. After a week in the lab, the subjects will then spend four weeks in Tijuana where their skills were
put to the test.
They all thought they were going to be special. They were faster, stronger, their stamina twice as much before they
joined the program, their sense of sight, smell and hearing have vastly improved.
“Is the Reaver blood ready?”
Raymond was shaken from his thoughts as Malcolm Sanders walked in. Raymond nodded his head as he pointed at
the test tubes neatly labelled on the far side of the bench.
“Who knew Dr Reaver would be successful in this endeavour?”
Raymond shrugged. He had to play the part. He had to hang on if he wants to see his plan succeed. “He’s not labelled a genius for nothing, Einstein doesn’t even compare to Dr. Reaver.”
Malcolm snorted as he nodded his head in agreement. Dr. Reaver was recruited by Lex Luthor during his self imposed
exile. During his time in experimenting with meteor rocks, Dr. Reaver managed to extract a small particle from two
meteor rocks, each molecule manipulated until he created the perfect recipe to help create the perfect soldier.
“Quite appropriate we name this Reaver Blood.” Malcolm said as he picked up the test tube and held it against the light.
The colour of red, it was actually a mixture of red and green rocks, and the chemical G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate that created Reaver Blood. Containing it was difficult, but they were eventually successful in doing it and implanting it in test subjects, sometimes willingly, sometimes without the subject’s knowledge.
“Do you have the report on Subject Alpha?”
“Yes, sir.” Raymond replied and hoped he wasn’t shaking. “Without access to Subject Alpha, I can only estimate on what stage the subject is going through based on our previous experiments.” He replied as he handed the report to Malcolm. “Subject Alpha should’ve experienced increase in almost all of the five senses.”
“Good.” Malcolm replied. The President would be pleased. “And by your estimation, when will the subject progress to stage 2?”
“Stage 2 should occur this week, depending on subject’s metabolism. The subject’s temper and attitude should be more aggressive, Subject Alpha will most likely experience sensitivity to light and sounds. By the end of next week, the subject should be in stage 3.” Raymond replied while he pretended to look at the reports on his desk.
The participants who succeed through the final stage were the ones that were harvested. The ones that receive the special mark, and the ones that found out too late the price they had to pay.
“Good job, doctor. The President will be proud.”
_*_
“So, how was your date with the lovely Miss Sullivan?”
“It was good; I’m going to see her tomorrow.” George replied as he ate a piece of steak. Monday night dinners with Barry at Volare became a tradition when they first became partners.
Barry looked at George impressed as he took a sip of beer. “Doesn’t bother you that Queen is always around?”
“Which one?” George asked with a smile as he popped a piece of potato in his mouth.
“The older one, though the little one could be a worry too.”
“Connor’s a sweet boy, probably looks up to Chloe as a mother figure,”
“And you’re cool with that?” Barry asked before he ate his steamed vegetables.
“I don’t mind Connor. Chloe seems really taken with him.” George replied honestly and Barry raised an eyebrow. “She also told me that Connor has been completely tight lipped about what happened at the museum. She’ll try to ask his dad if we can question him again.”
Barry just nodded and drank his beer before he spoke. “You have a problem with daddy Queen hanging in the shadows?”
George cleared his throat before he took a sip of beer. “I know they had a history together, I do know he’s not an issue. I don’t know what happened between him and Chloe but I think... I think he’s still interested in her,”
“Is she interested in him?”
“I don’t know.” George replied as he ate another bite of his steak.
Barry was about to impart a word of wisdom to his younger partner when he looked behind George in shock. He kicked his partner beneath the table and pointed behind with a nudge of his head.
George looked confused for a second until he turned around slowly and discreetly and saw what made his partner react that way. A few feet away from them were three men enjoying their food, one with a tattoo on his left arm, with a red dot in the middle, just the way Connor described it to them.
The three men laughed loudly as the tattooed man called for their bill. George and Barry returned to their food and watched as the men left the pub. They’ve both been to this pub long enough to know the owner had a camera inside as well as outside, and by tomorrow morning, they would have their first solid lead in the case.
Barry took his out his phone to speak with their captain as George watched the men climb into a white van parked outside and drive off.
In another part of Metropolis, AC followed the Oliver inside his penthouse, confused at the actions of the man before him.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Oliver ignored AC as they walked in the secret room and took off his hood. “I had to make a call, and I did it.”
“I can’t believe you pulled that stunt!” AC added furiously. “You’re not Superman!”
“I’m aware of that, but Superman wasn’t there to save your ass, I was!”
“That’s not what I meant!” AC snapped. “Bullets will bounce off him, it won’t bounce off you. What are we going to tell Connor if something happened to you?”
“Nothing happened to me!” Oliver practically shouted back at AC. “I’m fine.”
AC just took a deep breath as he tried to calm down. “I’m not being ungrateful, Oliver. It would’ve been difficult for me to get out of that situation, and the only reason I’m in one piece is because of you, but you have to be careful. What will happen to Connor if you didn’t move fast enough?”
The two of them stayed silent for a few seconds before Oliver spoke. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” AC asked carefully. Oliver’s been different for the last few days. He was more reckless, arrogant and short tempered. He didn’t know what was going on with him.
When he got no response, AC just sighed. “As long as you’re okay, Oliver. Just be careful. I’ll be in Tijuana until next Friday to check up on that camp.”
Oliver just nodded his head, and AC walked away. He closed his eyes as he tried to shut the noise from the city below them. The noise level wasn’t painful, but it was just loud. Like he was outside on the streets instead of the top floor, and the lights were blinding, even with his sunglasses on. He used the remote on the table to shut the lights and activated the window blinds. Oliver walked out of the secret room and sat on the sofa where he welcomed the darkness and the silence.
His phone beeped, and Oliver groaned as the subtle noise grated his ears. He looked at the screen and tossed the phone aside. Emil had been calling him all day, and Oliver had always been busy to take the call.
“I’ll call him tomorrow.” Oliver muttered to no one in particular as he basked in the silence. Connor was sleeping over with Jason, so he didn’t need to worry about his son seeing him in his Green Arrow outfit.
He closed his eyes, and his mind drifted to Chloe as she stood behind the counter at the Talon, laughing with George Dean as they talked over coffee. He wasn’t blind; he knew the detective was interested in Chloe. His heart seemed to palpitate as he continued to watch them, when the lights from a nearby apartment and the trigger of a car alarm became an assault to his senses.
The drive back to Metropolis seemed like a blur, literally. His bike sped away from Smallville to Metropolis, and the rush of the air against his skin, the feel of the engine beneath him made him feel invisible.
There was something different with him, but he’d seen Emil twice, and both reports have been negative. There was something changing in him, he could feel it, he just can’t figure out why Emil’s test wasn’t showing anything.
Oliver just shook his head as he relaxes his body on the sofa. “Tomorrow; I’ll call him tomorrow.”
****
And that’s it for today! Hope you guys enjoyed it, and no, no one will turn physically into a Reaver, and if you knew the origins of the Reaver, it might give you a clue on what happens in this story to the subjects. They won’t turn into what they are in Firefly/Serenity, and I pretty much took their origin and mashed it up for my purposes. When everything is revealed, I’ll explain more.
Until then, thank you again for reading and commenting, I appreciate all your thoughts! I on the other hand will be crossing my fingers that the Socceroos can win against Ghana. Currently watching South Korea vs Argentina. Hoping that South Korea wins...
Good luck to all your teams!
When he found out what their goal was, he was proud. It was like responding to a call of duty to protect the country.
After seeing the tenth person go insane, Raymond feared he was going to go insane too. All tests subjects came
willingly to them. After a week in the lab, the subjects will then spend four weeks in Tijuana where their skills were
put to the test.
They all thought they were going to be special. They were faster, stronger, their stamina twice as much before they
joined the program, their sense of sight, smell and hearing have vastly improved.
“Is the Reaver blood ready?”
Raymond was shaken from his thoughts as Malcolm Sanders walked in. Raymond nodded his head as he pointed at
the test tubes neatly labelled on the far side of the bench.
“Who knew Dr Reaver would be successful in this endeavour?”
Raymond shrugged. He had to play the part. He had to hang on if he wants to see his plan succeed. “He’s not labelled a genius for nothing, Einstein doesn’t even compare to Dr. Reaver.”
Malcolm snorted as he nodded his head in agreement. Dr. Reaver was recruited by Lex Luthor during his self imposed
exile. During his time in experimenting with meteor rocks, Dr. Reaver managed to extract a small particle from two
meteor rocks, each molecule manipulated until he created the perfect recipe to help create the perfect soldier.
“Quite appropriate we name this Reaver Blood.” Malcolm said as he picked up the test tube and held it against the light.
The colour of red, it was actually a mixture of red and green rocks, and the chemical G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate that created Reaver Blood. Containing it was difficult, but they were eventually successful in doing it and implanting it in test subjects, sometimes willingly, sometimes without the subject’s knowledge.
“Do you have the report on Subject Alpha?”
“Yes, sir.” Raymond replied and hoped he wasn’t shaking. “Without access to Subject Alpha, I can only estimate on what stage the subject is going through based on our previous experiments.” He replied as he handed the report to Malcolm. “Subject Alpha should’ve experienced increase in almost all of the five senses.”
“Good.” Malcolm replied. The President would be pleased. “And by your estimation, when will the subject progress to stage 2?”
“Stage 2 should occur this week, depending on subject’s metabolism. The subject’s temper and attitude should be more aggressive, Subject Alpha will most likely experience sensitivity to light and sounds. By the end of next week, the subject should be in stage 3.” Raymond replied while he pretended to look at the reports on his desk.
The participants who succeed through the final stage were the ones that were harvested. The ones that receive the special mark, and the ones that found out too late the price they had to pay.
“Good job, doctor. The President will be proud.”
_*_
“So, how was your date with the lovely Miss Sullivan?”
“It was good; I’m going to see her tomorrow.” George replied as he ate a piece of steak. Monday night dinners with Barry at Volare became a tradition when they first became partners.
Barry looked at George impressed as he took a sip of beer. “Doesn’t bother you that Queen is always around?”
“Which one?” George asked with a smile as he popped a piece of potato in his mouth.
“The older one, though the little one could be a worry too.”
“Connor’s a sweet boy, probably looks up to Chloe as a mother figure,”
“And you’re cool with that?” Barry asked before he ate his steamed vegetables.
“I don’t mind Connor. Chloe seems really taken with him.” George replied honestly and Barry raised an eyebrow. “She also told me that Connor has been completely tight lipped about what happened at the museum. She’ll try to ask his dad if we can question him again.”
Barry just nodded and drank his beer before he spoke. “You have a problem with daddy Queen hanging in the shadows?”
George cleared his throat before he took a sip of beer. “I know they had a history together, I do know he’s not an issue. I don’t know what happened between him and Chloe but I think... I think he’s still interested in her,”
“Is she interested in him?”
“I don’t know.” George replied as he ate another bite of his steak.
Barry was about to impart a word of wisdom to his younger partner when he looked behind George in shock. He kicked his partner beneath the table and pointed behind with a nudge of his head.
George looked confused for a second until he turned around slowly and discreetly and saw what made his partner react that way. A few feet away from them were three men enjoying their food, one with a tattoo on his left arm, with a red dot in the middle, just the way Connor described it to them.
The three men laughed loudly as the tattooed man called for their bill. George and Barry returned to their food and watched as the men left the pub. They’ve both been to this pub long enough to know the owner had a camera inside as well as outside, and by tomorrow morning, they would have their first solid lead in the case.
Barry took his out his phone to speak with their captain as George watched the men climb into a white van parked outside and drive off.
In another part of Metropolis, AC followed the Oliver inside his penthouse, confused at the actions of the man before him.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Oliver ignored AC as they walked in the secret room and took off his hood. “I had to make a call, and I did it.”
“I can’t believe you pulled that stunt!” AC added furiously. “You’re not Superman!”
“I’m aware of that, but Superman wasn’t there to save your ass, I was!”
“That’s not what I meant!” AC snapped. “Bullets will bounce off him, it won’t bounce off you. What are we going to tell Connor if something happened to you?”
“Nothing happened to me!” Oliver practically shouted back at AC. “I’m fine.”
AC just took a deep breath as he tried to calm down. “I’m not being ungrateful, Oliver. It would’ve been difficult for me to get out of that situation, and the only reason I’m in one piece is because of you, but you have to be careful. What will happen to Connor if you didn’t move fast enough?”
The two of them stayed silent for a few seconds before Oliver spoke. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” AC asked carefully. Oliver’s been different for the last few days. He was more reckless, arrogant and short tempered. He didn’t know what was going on with him.
When he got no response, AC just sighed. “As long as you’re okay, Oliver. Just be careful. I’ll be in Tijuana until next Friday to check up on that camp.”
Oliver just nodded his head, and AC walked away. He closed his eyes as he tried to shut the noise from the city below them. The noise level wasn’t painful, but it was just loud. Like he was outside on the streets instead of the top floor, and the lights were blinding, even with his sunglasses on. He used the remote on the table to shut the lights and activated the window blinds. Oliver walked out of the secret room and sat on the sofa where he welcomed the darkness and the silence.
His phone beeped, and Oliver groaned as the subtle noise grated his ears. He looked at the screen and tossed the phone aside. Emil had been calling him all day, and Oliver had always been busy to take the call.
“I’ll call him tomorrow.” Oliver muttered to no one in particular as he basked in the silence. Connor was sleeping over with Jason, so he didn’t need to worry about his son seeing him in his Green Arrow outfit.
He closed his eyes, and his mind drifted to Chloe as she stood behind the counter at the Talon, laughing with George Dean as they talked over coffee. He wasn’t blind; he knew the detective was interested in Chloe. His heart seemed to palpitate as he continued to watch them, when the lights from a nearby apartment and the trigger of a car alarm became an assault to his senses.
The drive back to Metropolis seemed like a blur, literally. His bike sped away from Smallville to Metropolis, and the rush of the air against his skin, the feel of the engine beneath him made him feel invisible.
There was something different with him, but he’d seen Emil twice, and both reports have been negative. There was something changing in him, he could feel it, he just can’t figure out why Emil’s test wasn’t showing anything.
Oliver just shook his head as he relaxes his body on the sofa. “Tomorrow; I’ll call him tomorrow.”
****
And that’s it for today! Hope you guys enjoyed it, and no, no one will turn physically into a Reaver, and if you knew the origins of the Reaver, it might give you a clue on what happens in this story to the subjects. They won’t turn into what they are in Firefly/Serenity, and I pretty much took their origin and mashed it up for my purposes. When everything is revealed, I’ll explain more.
Until then, thank you again for reading and commenting, I appreciate all your thoughts! I on the other hand will be crossing my fingers that the Socceroos can win against Ghana. Currently watching South Korea vs Argentina. Hoping that South Korea wins...
Good luck to all your teams!