2001 New York Harlem, May 3rd
The time after graduation grew and so did both Victor and Nora's relationship. What started as a bud soon grew as a vine branch between the two scientists. But like most relationships they had arguments.
Both colleges turned lovers were in a hospital room with Nora attached to a hospital bed. To her left was a monitor catching each heart beat as she awoke from her slumber finding Victor present pressing the offer they were given.
"No Victor we can't!" Nora screamed with assurance towards her now boyfriend. Who also looked far more presentable compared to when they first met.
Victor's outfit was the same but his tried malnourished physique took a change on the healthy side as well as his hair. Which was once unkept now seemed to be styled formally.
"Come now Nora. It will only be one. That is all." Victor spoke in the same assurance Nora showed. After graduation Simon approached the two giving them an even better lab that they could use for free with the payment of one modified CDD.
Nora refused the request but that's when it happened. Victor wanted to accept the job and lab but Nora argued and passed out from the stress. If only.
During Nora's episode Victor held her dearly while Simon called for an ambulance. Once the two were safely moved Simon frowned not from Victor or Nora, but on how he'd face mister Maroni without the CDD.
Once in the hospital Victor sat next to the unconscious Nora as the doctors filed inward. Surprising Victor and worrying him at the same time.
"Sir are you family?" The head doctor asked. A young man with black hair and eyes with a skin tone of Asian descent with a name tag over his right breast pocket as P. Young.
"No. She has none i'm her boyfriend is something wrong?" Dr. Young nervous looked to his fellow doctors who nodded their heads in an agreement.
Victor first confused was horrified with what the doctors found a new form of Cancer. One that hadn't been discovered likely induced due to excessive exposure within the lab. Specifically the cancerous cells.
Hearing this depressing news forced Victor into talking with Nora forgoing telling her knowing it wouldn't help him in the argument. Sadly inducing another argument between the two.
"Sorry sir but due to her stress levels we ask you to leave the room." Politely a nurse in her gown walked into the room shortly after all the doctors left as the heart monitor began beating and beeping like a drum.
Victor after a long talk with Nora walked out the room frustrated and left the entire building leaving Nora to herself. "I know you're there come out." Nora speaking calming after a breath addressed the next course of action addressing her next visitor.
From the shadows of the room a young woman in black with a red head of hair with an attractive physique walked through where Nora greeted with a small and a question "How's Yelena?"
Elsewhere Victor was now at the lab address Simon gave and walked in opening the doors not bothering with the disturbance of an appearance outside with the cracking paint and brick.
But inside was different everything from his original lab was there and more so. Two giant cylindrical pods stood with even more technology for development of the CDD.
But Victor wasn't focusing on that his focus was the love of his life. The only source of pure enjoyment he had besides his research. Victor walked to the first computer and plugged in a USB he saved his files on and began to work again for tireless nights and days coming to terms with a cure.
As the progress continued Nora waited for him in her hospital bed waiting in the silence of the heart monitor beeping and the occasional whispers of staff around her saying Victor wouldn't come back.
Yet Nora knew out of anyone she's ever met if Victor is met with a problem or promise he never abandons it no matter the cost. Soon more days turned into a month and then after five years of research comprised of these few months of Nora's admission into the hospital and their time in college Victor held it. A cure.
A vial the size of a finger containing a light blue liquid that seemed cool to the touch yet carried life within it. With this eureka Victor ran to his freezer contained the sample and ran to the hospital not stopping for a taxi but ran as his sweat left his body.
At his arrival his hair was disheveled with the sweat that steeped down his face and body drenching his clothes while his eyes regained their tired expressions.
Once inside something horrible took place Nora had gotten worse her hair was fully coming off in large patches but this didn't disturb Victor as he had made a hypothetical possibility both he and Nora thought impossible.
At the sight of him Nora could only smile in delight knowing what this meant, but didn't realize what took place next. "Nora…I didn't know how to react towards you at first. When we met I thought Simon wanted another way to monitor me without regarding our funds. Yet once you entered my life I can't help but thank him."
Victor took a momentary pause and looked at Nora now eye to eye from his own to her shinning Amber ones. "But now I knew the feeling I felt the moment we met and now I will tell you…" Victor at first nervous threw the thought away and reached into his pocket aid his lab coat he refrained from removing pulling out a small handheld box.
Nora seeing what this was placed her right hand to her face as she simply didn't expect this. Both parties locked eyes ignoring the sounds of the heart monitor beeping rapidly causing the nearby doctors to enter stumbling on a proposal in its works.
"Nora Morozova. Will you marry me?" Victor spoke with a gentle request like a snowflake waiting for the wind to carry him. "Yes!!" Nora squealed unusually her causing the one she loves to brighten his smile from sweet and gentle and brazen and proud.
To seal the deal Victor grabbed Nora's left petite hand compared to his own and then opened the ring box revealing a beautifully cut diamond that Victor had stored away for awhile.
Once the ring was on both parties sealed with a kiss and Victor out of the spur of the moment took Nora admitting her leave from the hospital to take her to the cure he had prepared.
Once out the newly wedded fiancés had hit the streets Victor had called a taxi not knowing the repercussions he had done.
Through the entourage of colors Victor spotted the iconic yellow and called for it by waving his hand out arming the drivers attention. To the curb the taxi unlocked its doors and Victor opened it to Nora who was still in a hospital gown making everyone stare.
But these two didn't care they were in love and that's all that mattered. After giving the address the taxi driver as the couple began talking about how to plan for the wedding up to the point of what entrees to be served.
Soon the drive which took nearly an hour felt like five minutes. Time Victor would save for a life time. Once parked Victor opened the door for Nora and then both entered the building unknown to them that their taxi driver made a phone call and spoke through its line "Package delivered sir."
With a click of the line the phone hung up and the taxi driver drove away trying not to imagine what would happen to the newly wedded fiancées.
Victor all too excited carried Nora as his princess bride opening the doors to his lab finding a surprising company to visit him. Four men one was Simon and accompanying him were men all in black and wore a fedora over their heads except for one who wore nothing for headwear yet he commanded respect from those around him and if it was t given fear was recompense.
"So Simon these are my scientists?" Maroni asked as he stared at both Nora and Victor. Who Victor placed Nora down unknowing to what's happening.
"Yes! Yes! Mister Maroni these are your scientists. Who've prepared your payment right? Victor?" Simon shaking coiled his hands together from fear of Maroni and looked to Victor for help as he was his only life line at the moment.
"Victor? What does he mean?" Nora still confused innocently looked to Nora and then back to Simon saying "I don't know what you're talking about." Simon and Maroni both showed emotions of varying colors.
Simon showed fear and felt the chill over his neck from Maroni's death stare as anger began to fuel him. "Search the place!" Maroni yelled and like a maestro his orchestra followed beginning to trash this lap searching for anything like the CDD.
Cubbies and drawers pulled out causing small test tubes, machines, and papers to be damaged some repairable others not. Victor seeing this wanted to stop them was stopped by Nora by a tug to his shoulder until one of Maroni's men made it to the freezer.
"Boss found something!" Called the grunt earning Maroni's attention who looked at Simon with but a glance before doing the unthinkable "you said you'd get me a gun not a glass bottle!" Bang!!
Gunfire straight from Maroni's very own hand pistol. The bullet landed cleanly into Simon's head causing the couple to panic not knowing true fear until now.
"Now tell me what this is!" Maroni pointed his gun towards Victor and Nora. Victor seeing the gun positioned himself in front of Nora protecting her but from the sudden gunshot Victor stood frozen.
Maroni growing impatient looked around seeing the huge pods in the room and grew a vile smile on his face. "Get in." With a flick of the gun between the two both Victor and Nora stood frozen again at the claim as this could mean death.
Maroni not having any sort of patience looked to his guards and back to them. With a message sent to them the grunts followed taking the couple away from each other and placing each in the own separate pod.
In both opening and closing these pods a seizing sound of squeezed air reverberated across the room. Once inside both began ramping on the glass container hoping to break it only for their hits to deal nothing to the pod itself.
Maroni satisfied looked around seeing the control panel and then back to the two and spoke with conviction as he pressed button's "You cross me, you pay in full—science project or not." With a click of a button liquid nitrogen began to fill the pod and the vents within helped spread it like wildfire.
Victor felt his body freeze his hair degrade from the frost his sight began to lose his blood solidified but Victor remained steadfast and prayed. 'Please no not! Her!'
And as if to some sort of prayer one of the vacuums within the pod broke bursting open releasing some if not most of the liquid nitrogen making Nora go into a sleep like hibernation. While Victor took the full brunt of it feeling the ice alter his very form.