The beginning of the end

Sometimes the world can change, some changes are made for the better of everyone. Others are for ones own personal gain. However the worst kinds of changes are the ones done with good intentions only for it to back fire horribly… in the year 2026 the first successful manned mission to mars was launched.

Obviously everyone was excited they had finally sent an actual person to the red planet, however this created a horrible domino effect… the Americans were the first to send a person to mars but they wouldn't be the last. Now every country, being threatened by the americans control of another planet, began sending their own crafts to mars. Alot of which failed for various reasons, some died on the planet, others were killed on the way there or the way back, some went insane in the cold darkness of space, and some never even left the atmosphere. However it wasent just the trip there that was troubling, it was the terrain of the little red planet, and the fact that a person would feel weightless means their bones would get weaker the longer they stayed, to the point where some who returned were almost crushed by earth's gravity, bones cracked and shattered under their own weight.

Humans aren't meant for other terrains or climates we aren't good at adapting quickly, however what we are good at is problem solving. And one amateur scientist named Clint redwood made it his goal to solve this problem. Clint had always had sort of a Frankenstein complex, it wasent that he was obsessed with cheating death, he was more obsessed with evolution and how he could use it to become… immortal.

Before all this whenever he would try to create a means to improve himself via testing on live subjects he was stopped and his progress was haulted since he wouldn't ask people if they wanted to be volunteers, he'd kidnap them. He had kidnapped over 150 victims and experimented on them, he was sent to prison for 30 years back in 1992.

However with an excuse that he was "helping humanity conquer mars and more!" He began to gain traction and some investors were interested. He proposed if he could create a virus like injection and modify it he could create a person that could withstand any climate or terrain, when asked to elaborate he said "mr.redwood you said a virus correct?" A reporter asked "well more or less, it's not exactly a virus. It just acts like one, targeting normal cells and modifying them then the normal cells modify the rest of the cells in the body until it's been completely changed." Clint said as he gave a smirk, the reported seemed confused "trust me no harm will come to the recipient in fact quite the contrary, they'll become… beautiful" Clint finished.

However with most people who try to play god, it never works out well in the end. Suddenly a new focus was thrown into the global mindset "if I can make it the furthest in space then I'll control everything" suddenly every nation wanted control of the heavens and that ment clints idea became more and more popular, he eventually had his own team of scientist working with him as well as an actual lab he could use to test on animals. 

Two decades later 

The year 2045 clint had worked 20 years of his life desperately trying to make his idea work when finally he had the first successful batch, while he was advised not to use it on a human subject immediately, he was blinded by greed. He gathered up 100 volunteers and began injecting them with the semi successful batches of what he called his "deus ex machina".

After the volunteers were injected clint waited for 1 minute for the deus ex machina to take effect. "Alright It should be in its neutral state now so there shouldn't be any changes" Clint stated as he looked on at his volunteers from behind a glass screen,

(clint redwood art by me~)

he slowly lowered the temperature in the room to -100 degrees Fahrenheit and almost immediately the volunteers bodies began to evolve to the cold, they stated they "didn't even feel the cold air surrounding them." Clint then raised his volunteers room to over 300 degrees Fahrenheit rapidly and their bodies evolved even faster to withstand the great heat. Clint let out a short exhale with a slight chuckle "I-I did it… I fucking did it.. Ha ha! Yes!" Clint soaked in his victory and returned the room to its neutral state "good job everyone with this well be living on mars in no time!".

However when clint returned the room to a normal temperature the deus ex machina began changing again "um clint sir the cells are still evolving, they aren't showing any signs of stopping…" one of the scientists said in a nervous tone "well if it gets out of hand hit the kill switch" Clint responded a few minutes have passed and the cells haven't stopped evolving "s-sir its still going" another scientist spoke "I thought I told you to hit that damn kill switch!" Clint said in a more angry tone. The scientists didn't respond "s-sir we've been hitting the kill switch but its evolving too fast, it's almost completely immune to the antibodies you designed" "well youd better stop it right now I cant have that shit on me I've got investors eating out of my fucking hand, if this experiment goes downhill it's on your *** not mine" clint shouted

as he began to panic inside. Some of the volunteers began to feel serious effects of the evolution occurring within them, they were hunched over and vomiting. "S-sir" "d-damnit get that kill team in there, if the antibodies won't kill those bastards a bullet will" clint said as he motioned for men In military grade armor to enter the room and kill the infected volunteers. One soldier got close to them "jesus what the hell happened to you?" He said as he looked at the mans mangled face, then the man lunged at the soldiers tearing and clawing at their armor.

All 100 of the volunteers attacked, the soldiers filled their bodies full of lead but it did nothing, their bullets were useless "d-damnit burn them! Burn them now press the button and burn them!" Clint yelled as he slammed his fist on a control panel, suddenly the room erupted with flames, smoke blocked everyone's view "sir! There were soldiers in there what the hell did you just do?!" A scientist yelled "I saved our sorry asses from those freaks" before clint could continue a body was thrown at the glass screen separating clints room from the volunteers, the glass shattered and the subjects lunged at the scientists clint tried to run but he tripped on a body and fell to the ground.

when he looked up one of his own creations was standing above him, clint realized what had happened his eyes widened, standing above him was a soldier, infected with his virus, "I-its infecting people… why" clint paused for a moment "I-it wasn't supposed to change the body in a neutral environment so why damn it!?!" Clint yelled as he slammed his fist on the ground, he looked up at the infected soldier standing above him he noticed his mouth opening, it opened wider and wider, it just never seemed to stop,"holy shit" clint said as he realised what was happening "I-its evolving to swallow me whole" Clint looked down as he accepted his fate, the soldiers mouth keep opening wider, its bones breaking then evolving to open wider and wider until it was fully unhinged like a snake, the soldier lunged at clint and it consumed him in one gulp. Everyone else working at the facility either suffered the same fate as clint or became infected. 

End

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