Evolution

Charlie’s eyes skim across the newspaper as he skips from one news article to the next.
They come to a rest on a tiny column which reads:

“MIT lab successfully synthesizes possible cancer fighting virus”

A hundred and fifty miles away, at the MIT Bioengineering and Biochemical Lab, a bright red light starts blinking above the door of a sealed chamber.


The virus is completely undetectable and untraceable. Originally developed to help battle cancer cells, it starts spreading from person to person though strangely enough, it initially has no visible effects on anyone.

That’s when the first reports start trickling in.

The virus affects only a few people, completely at random, slowly finding its way into the brain of the individual. It increases the release of endorphins in the body as well as boosting the production of adrenaline.
This cocktail of excessive hormones results in these individuals being on a constant rush all the time. Their hearts are always functioning at increased efficiency increasing their physical and
mental capabilities by over fifty percent.

Charlie is affected at an early age and only finds out when the side effects first start kicking him.

Because the same virus that enhances them physically and mentally, also takes over certain parts of the brain, shutting down their ability to reason logically and blurring the lines between imagination and reality. It also completely destroys the part of the brain associated with speech, rendering these people unable to speak.

These infected people start behaving very irrationally and illogically, showing little to no concern for their own or anyone else’s safety. It almost seems as if they all live together in an alternative reality, where they are all invincible and have nothing to fear.
This is obviously risky to themselves as well as to other people.


The President calls for a meeting between some of the brightest minds in the country, from the fields of Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Evolutionary Biology and Virology apart from his Military heads of chiefs.

A unanimous decision is reached to find these people, now referred to as ‘Mutes’ due to their inability to speak, round them up and keep tabs on them to help ensure the general safety of people.
An organization is put in place to find out more about the virus and help find a cure for the people afflicted.

This results in a huge uproar amongst the infected.
It is viewed as an attempt by the government to intrude in the life of its citizens and to control it.
The government views this uproar as an unlawful uprising and starts tightening its reins.
The Mutes, in response to this, split into two groups.

The first group, surprisingly led by Charlie’s childhood friend Ric, is extremely violent in nature, lashing out and hitting back at the government.
They are so convinced of their reality, they do not feel they need a cure.
Rather, they believe the people not affected by the virus are less special than themselves and are not fit to be a part of the new society.

A new society that they will now form.

The other group formed, however, is more peaceful in nature.
Charlie, having recently received Ph.D.s in Genetics, Biophysics and Psychology from Oxford and Pembroke at the astonishing age of eighteen, is the most prominent active member of this group, acting as an unofficial leader and strategist to most of their plans.
He attempts to convince the people trying to cure them of a peaceful future where the Mutes and uninfected humans can live together in harmony.
He is completely oblivious to the risks the Mutes pose to the people around them.

These two factions, thus formed, also stay at loggerheads with each other due to their conflicting beliefs, often resulting in both verbal and physical spars, which sometimes result in casualties from both sides, as well people unaffected by the virus.
The escalating violence forces the government to brand the Mutes as terrorists and proclaim war on both these factions.


And thus, Professor Charles Xavier is forced to lead his group of peaceful Mutes, called the X-Men, into the war that ensues.

James

James is an eight year old with a near perfect life.

He has a set of extremely caring, affectionate and loving parents. He has always lived a life of luxury and ease. He is extremely close to his parents and enjoys spending time with them, bonding over the tiniest of activities.

Every summer, the three of them take a week off to go on holiday.

One such trip, however, turns from a dream into a nightmare for little James.

They're on holiday in Switzerland. James and his father love skiing, this is their second trip to the Alps.

After a particularly long and tiring, though extremely satisfying day, the three are returning to their hotel in the car they've rented. Snow is pelting down on the roof of the car unrelentingly. His father is driving, while his mum is sitting beside him, playing navigator in the passenger seat.

None of them notice the oncoming set of headlights in the blizzard.

The truck pummels into the tiny car, pushing it off the road and almost off the edge..

“Jump James, jump!” yells his mother and James somehow manages to jump out of the backseat of the car, tumbling onto the road.

The very next moment, the car tips over and rolls off the edge of the road. James can do nothing but watch as the car falls off the cliff and explodes right before his eyes, taking with it the two people who mean the world to him.

A severely traumatized James returns to England, only to find that his parents never created a new will after he was born.

He loses everything.

He is soon transferred to a local orphanage.

The caretakers describe him as a quiet, secretive child with an overactive imagination and a penchant for getting into fights.

He shows a great level of loyalty to a particular group of kids.

These kids behave like the peacekeepers in the orphanage. They help in sorting out fights and resolving disputes. 

They’re led by a girl two years older than James, called Emily.

However, while these kids are only trying to maintain peace in the orphanage, James appears delusional as he claims he is making the world a safer place one ‘mission’ at a time.

James acts like a bodyguard to Em, to the extent of putting himself in harm’s way to defend her.

Nine years have passed since James first came to the orphanage.

He has now becoming increasingly violent and unstable.

He is bordering on depression and severe paranoia.

He thinks everyone is his enemy and trusts nobody anymore.

Ever since Em left the orphanage a year ago, having achieved majority at the age of eighteen, he has developed an extremely disturbing new habit of regularly consuming alcohol.

The caretakers are very worried.

They call a psychiatrist to have a session with James.

Now at an age of seventeen, he isn't at all like the other kids.

He drinks like an adult, pouring his drink out in finite, measured quantities.

Mixing and shaking his liquor like a seasoned drinker.

The psychiatrist sits James down in front of him.

James looks at the psychiatrist square in the eyes.

Unblinking.

Unflinching.

An unforgiving emptiness in his eyes that makes the old man extremely uneasy, forcing him to lower his gaze.

James sits there, not stirring an inch, daring him to make the first move.

The psychiatrist looks up at him.

“What is your name, son?”

He looks at the old man through icy eyes as he replies,

“The name's Bond, James Bond.”

Note: I know it wasn't humor, it wasn't even poetry, it was quite unlike anything I've ever written.

Do comment, I'd really like feedback on this post as I've got a new idea brewing around this style of writing.

Credits: Aditi, for the brainstorming behind the article.