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Commander Hamilton parked his jeep on the side of the road in front of the building that housed the nightclub John had attacked hours earlier. Lieutenant Ramirez and Sergeant Clipper were already waiting for him there.
After the traditional military salute to their commander, Lieutenant Ramirez presented his written report, which the commander immediately read. It was obvious, however, that the information he needed wasn't written on these papers filled with irrelevant technical jargon.
—"Can either of you tell me what the hell is going on in my city and why I only have half my unit.?"— The commander asked without looking at the lieutenant or the sergeant beside him..
After the military salute, Sergeant Clipper answered the question: —"It's because of the shooting stars, sir."— The commander wasn't entirely convinced, so he looked at the lieutenant, but instead of explaining, the lieutenant looked toward the street where a group of reporters were filming them.
—"Lieutenant, what's with those idiots across the street.?"— The commander asks, pointing to the group of reporters with their video cameras focused on the camera.
The lieutenant doesn't speak, he just looks at one of the cameramen.
The commander nods and orders the sergeant. —"Clipper." — The sergeant immediately salutes and replies.. —"Here, sir."—
—"Get all those idiots out of my sight, they're ruining my view."— The commander points to the trees behind the group.
A group of soldiers immediately approaches the reporters and pushes them away, while Sergeant Clipper shouts. — "Reporter who doesn't leave, arrest him and after beating him, file charges for obstruction.!"—
Once all the reporters were gone, the lieutenant finally sighs. —"I'm sorry, Commander, but I already have several complaints against me for abuse of power."— The commander laughs heartily at the lieutenant's terrible luck.
After his laughter subsides, Commander Hamilton asks Lieutenant Ramirez directly. —"What the hell is going on.?"—
—"Inside the building, there are 150 people, all crammed together in a kind of trance. 146 were inside the nightclub, 2 are security guards watching the door, and the other 2 are scavengers in the nearby streets.
Everyone has had their cash stolen. Several computers are missing from the club, and after an investigation, 5 cars are missing from the parking lot. We also received a 'wanted' flyer for an elderly man named John Doe, between 63 and 65 years old, who was seen entering this nightclub, but he wasn't among the robbery victims."—
The commander nods and rubs his chin. —"We have security cameras."— The lieutenant nods and continues his report: —"There are several videos, from different stores, but the old man and the cars don't appear in any of them."—
The commander isn't surprised and says. —"They vanished into thin air."—
The lieutenant shakes his head: —"We searched the street, the ground, and several sewers, but there's nothing. It seems whoever did this knew about a blind spot."—
—"Have you questioned any of those guys.?"— Pointing to the club's entrance, Lieutenant Ramirez nods: —"You only have to touch them a little and these guys will snap out of their trance, but none of them remember anything. We've done several tests: blood, urine, saliva, even a polygraph, and we found nothing. They're all telling the truth... they don't know anything."—
At a dead end, the commander prefers a different approach: —"What about the other soldiers? Where are they now.?"—
Both Lieutenant Ramirez and Sergeant Clipper rub their foreheads at the question: —"It's because of the meteor shower....Those meteorites that fell in the early morning seem to have different properties and can give abilities..."—
—"So the higher-ups want their piece of the pie too."— The commander remarks, placing both hands on his hips and shaking his head.
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This prompts both Sergeant Clipper and Lieutenant Ramirez to confirm. —"Not just them, everyone wants a piece of the pie. Besides, recent studies confirm the fall of 3,000 to 4,000 meteorites per minute over a three-hour period, from 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM. The same thing will be happening all over the world for the next six days."—
The two soldiers exchange glances, and one of them adds. —"At first, no one in the unit wanted to go, but after the first person with certain abilities thanks to the meteorite was announced... the rest is history, sir.."—
—"Everyone volunteered."— The Commander added, prompting both the Sergeant and the Lieutenant to confirm almost simultaneously and show a brochure sent to all units. "Special Forces with Super Abilities."
The most striking thing about the flyer was the $60,000 annual base salary. (Private F-1.) The figure could increase depending on skills and performance, not to mention housing, a car, medical service, tuition, and other benefits included such as loans, mortgages, etc.
—"Now that's a good bait."— The Commander said, pointing to the brochure in his hand.
Then he looked toward the building in front of them and added. —"Let's go see these guys. I want to leave early today and go look for some of those meteorites, and who knows, maybe I'll get lucky."— With that, Commander Hamilton walked toward the entrance of the club, followed by Lieutenant Ramirez and Sergeant Clipper.
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After the interrogation, John didn't want to leave any loose ends, but killing someone simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time wasn't a good idea.
So, John finished corrupting of him, thus gaining another 100 days of lifespan.
At this point, John already had a plan in mind. His first step was to avenge his family's cruelty, especially that of his children. Since he needed this place to find the right people, he had to wait and recruit as many volunteers as possible, which would add several hundred years to his lifespan. So, he decided to order some takeout.
—"Master, your food has arrived."— Said the man who had been guarding the place. Just a few minutes earlier, this was the same man who had cursed John simply for his disheveled and smelly appearance, but now, this same man was acting worse than the most loyal dog in history.
Like anyone else, John was surprised to see this kind of behavior and was so certain of his loyalty that if John were to order him to jump out the window right then and there, the man wouldn't hesitate for a second.
To be sure of this, John suddenly ordered. —"Bark."— The man immediately began barking like any other dog.
Not satisfied with this, John ordered him again. —"Sit."— The man literally obeyed and sat on the ground just a couple of meters away.
John continued giving the man simple commands while he ate, and to pass the time, he decided to watch some TV. The news story was about the meteor shower and how people had gone crazy.
In the news segment, a she reporter is interviewing random people on the street, and after seeing the girl, John has a brilliant idea and smiles.
But the problem is finding something that will actually make enough noise to make his former, despicable family take notice of him again.
Although going to each of his children's homes and engulfing them in red fog to turn them into his dogs isn't a bad idea, having that scum under his control wouldn't bring enough satisfaction in his revenge.
Turning his family members into dogs was immediately ruled out for John.
Out of ideas, John turns back to the man sitting obediently a few feet away. —"Give me your wallet."— John orders, holding out his hand. The man doesn't hesitate and immediately pulls out his wallet and hands it over.
This man's name is Kevin, and he only has $60 in cash, a driver's license, a debit card, a winning $10 lottery ticket, and a family photo.
Kevin's wife was a 40-year-old woman with obesity issues—the kind where her belly was bigger than her chest, she had a flat bottom and legs like spaghetti. The couple has three children, a boy and two girls, all adults and with the same physique as their mother.
John stared at the photo for several seconds and then looked up at Kevin. —"How did you end up marrying this.?"— John asked, pointing at the photo.
Kevin didn't answer and instead gave a somewhat awkward smile at the question.
—"I was in love, master. "— Kevin finally replied, adding. —"Elena has tried countless treatments, and they've all failed without exception."—
—"Obviously.."— John muttered under his breath before handing back the wallet along with the photograph.
Holding his wallet, Kevin casually asked. —"Sir, do you know of any kind of treatment for obesity.?"— John offered an apologetic smile, followed by a couple of shakes of his head. —"No, no..."— But before his third refusal, John paused, lost in thought.
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—"Oh, what..."— Before Kevin could finish speaking, John raised his hand, interrupting, and added. —"Wait, let me think of something."—
John pondered for several minutes, formulating a vague but effective idea that would bring him not only recognition and respect but also meteoric popularity within this superficial society.
The old man didn't take long to explain his idea to Kevin, who was astonished to hear about a plan and treatment for body contouring.
This plan involved using excess fat from their stomachs and transferring it to the areas they wished to augment.
The idea is feasible, but not viable, since it involves fat, not muscle. There's also the issue of stretching the skin on his abdomen. For John, body remodeling wasn't a serious problem; at most, he'd be a little tired from using his powers and controlling the red mist.
The problem lies in the timing of the body reconstruction and remodeling. Doing it too quickly would attract the attention of unsavory characters, since everyone wants a power and he's sure they wouldn't hesitate to kill him. But doing it too slowly, John won't have the impact he's looking for, and besides, he doesn't want to be doing this for the next 10 years.
After making a decision, John tells the security guard. —"Call your wife.."— Upon hearing this, Kevin jumps with excitement and immediately pulls out his cell phone, making the call.
Seeing a 6'3" athletic build acting like a child was hard to believe. While Kevin was talking to his wife, trying to get her to come to the club, John walked through the entire establishment, filling every corner with red mist.
An hour later, when John had barely filled a quarter of the club with red fog, Kevin entered with his wife. Apparently, the photo was about two years old, because the woman was much heavier than she appeared in the picture.
Kevin escorted his wife to where John was sitting. —"Sir, this is Elena, my wife."— He said, gesturing to the woman beside him. —"Elena, this is my sir."—
This exchange didn't go unnoticed by the woman, who immediately frowned, but kept her reaction to herself and simply smiled. —"Nice to meet you, sir."—
John nodded in response and, without wasting any time, enveloped the woman's entire body in a thick red fog.
This causes the woman to immediately panic and unleash a series of screams, cursing not only John but also Kevin.
—"Fuck you bastards.!"— Elena shouts with obvious disgust, and then adds with even more fury. —"Kevin, you son of a bitch, you damn impotent little prick.."—
This makes Kevin's face contort with anger. —"Shut up, you damn pig."—
The next few seconds were a back-and-forth of insults between Kevin and Elena, escalating in aggression, until suddenly the woman closes her mouth, ceasing her screams and plunging the place into complete silence.
John begins to work the red mist with his mind, penetrating every pore of Elena's skin, eliminating excess fluid and fat.
In his first test, the old man completely clears all the mist covering Elena's body, revealing a completely naked body; her dress, bra, and panties are lying at her feet.
The most striking thing about her body was the excess skin hanging from her abdomen, arms, neck, and legs; she looked like a wet cat.
—"Alright, let's begin."— With that, John snapped his fingers, and the mist began to form and regenerate layer upon layer of muscle, while shedding the excess skin.
Suddenly, Elena's face contorted, and when she could no longer bear the pain, she began to let out a series of terrifying screams, as if a pig were being slaughtered.
John had to stop the entire procedure because the woman's body began to tremble, and she was threatening to go into anaphylactic shock.
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With this problem solved, John understood that he couldn't rush the reconstruction procedure. The old man decided to do everything in layers, or sections, starting with one foot, calf, knee, and thigh, before moving on to the next. Although the pain continued to distort Elena's face, it was more bearable.
From beginning to end, John took 30 minutes for the entire procedure, including the removal of fluids and fat, reshaping, and muscle building.
Taking advantage of the situation, he reshaped Elena's body to his liking without asking, creating a faithful copy of the model Marissa Dubois, but with a cup-shaped bust.
—"It's done."— John commented, and immediately removed the mist covering Elena's body, leaving Kevin speechless.
—"My God, Elena, is that you.?"— Kevin asked, still incredulous at seeing such a sculpted body.
At first, Elena didn't understand the question, but just by looking at his arms and legs after so many years, by simply lowering her gaze, she immediately understood what her husband was talking about.
A couple of tears immediately ran down Elena's cheeks, and her first reaction was to hug John, forgetting Kevin, even though he didn't say anything about it.
John understood that this type of reaction was due to the fog controlling her mind and the corruption in her body.
Elena relegated her husband to third place and even her children were ahead of him, but they would always be behind John.
After the sudden, but warm, hug, John released Elena's naked and voluptuous body, preventing further complications for Kevin. —"Go look at whatever you want in those mirrors."— He said, pointing behind him.
Elena nodded and immediately headed towards one of the mirrors on the dance floor. Seconds later, Kevin followed his wife, letting the old man continue filling the club with mist.
The old man continued working for three more hours, preparing the red mist until everything was ready. When Elena left the club, Kevin escorted her to the door, offering only a brief, cold goodbye, as if bidding farewell to a disliked coworker.
Kevin's annoyance was palpable, though it didn't surprise John. He let out a long sigh and muttered. —"Everything has a price. There's no such thing as a free lunch."—
That night, everything unfolded as planned. John corrupted a total of 1,200 people, including all the staff and even the owner himself. Under the long-awaited meteor shower, John gained approximately 338 additional years of life, adding the 40 years from the previous day for a total of 378 extra years.
In the following days, John remained inside the club, recruiting as many people as possible, while the much-anticipated meteor shower lasted.
During those days, the couple's three children, and even Kevin himself, requested body remodeling. John didn't ask for any payment for this work, as the elderly man did it as an apology for ruining the entire family with his experiments.
Initially, for all those requesting body remodeling, John established certain rules with a fee of $250,000 that had to be paid before the procedure, with no room for negotiation.
Like any business, at first there were only one or two people per day, but as the days went by, the elderly man's popularity increased until he was performing 216 remodeling procedures per day.
Although he could more than double that number, John dedicated that free time to improving and reducing not only the pain but also the overall procedure time.
John was able to earn more money on his first day with this procedure than in all his years as a department store sales manager.
A few days after the first major meteor shower, things in cities and countries began to change. People with different kinds of abilities sprang up like weeds after the first shower in March.
According to initial studies, between 540,000 and 720,000 people with abilities appeared on the first day alone.
In the following days, more and more people came forward, but there were also those who remained in the shadows.
Perhaps out of fear, caution, or simply distrust of a society that is too temperamental.
You know how it goes: with the authorities and their fear of the unknown, today they cheer all your achievements, tomorrow you're wanted by the whole world.
On the other hand, John made a name for himself. Over time, the old man managed to amass more and more people under his mental control through the red mist.
As time passed, John became a renowned figure with a long waiting list, while on weekends the club provided a large number of loyal henchmen, as well as centuries of life.
Regarding his appearance, John chose the look of an elderly man with a gaunt body, about 82 years old, 1.65 meters tall, with white hair and wrinkled skin, more like a prune, but with certain modifications to his strength, speed, and stamina.
Then that long-awaited day arrived, and after a couple of knocks on the door of the makeshift office, the manager poked his head in and said to the old man: —"There's a woman who wants to see you. She says she's a reporter and needs to ask some questions for an interview."—
Upon hearing the guard, John raised an eyebrow, but his doubt was immediately replaced by a broad smile. —"What are you waiting for.? Tell him to come in."— John replied, still smiling at the manager.
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To be continue...remember, if you like this story, consider adding it to your library, that helps me to know that you are liking and I will give it more priority. ¥ $ ₤ ₯ € ₨ ₩..