Page 1 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
1
ELUHEED
"Let me tell you about the future of human evolution," Zhao said, raising his drink in a mock toast.
The mad scientist was so drunk that Eluheed doubted he could string words together into coherent sentences. Still, he worried about the barman overhearing what Zhao was about to say, and then there was the surveillance equipment in the bar, which he had no doubt was recording everything the patrons said.
"Perhaps you should retire to your room and rest," he suggested.
Zhao laughed. "I'll rest when I'm dead. Until then, I'm going to squeeze every moment of pleasure out of this miserable life, and talking with an intelligent man is a rare treat in this godforsaken place." He held up his drink to Eluheed. "Don't deny me this grace, Elias."
Apparently, the guy wasn't as inebriated as Eluheed had thought because he sounded quite lucid.
"I would never deny such a heartfelt request." He clinked his glass against the scientist's, the sound sharp in the quiet bar.
Zhao leaned in conspiratorially. "The thing nobody understands is that everything has a price. The universe requires balance, and to gain something, you need to sacrifice something else. You can't make an imbecile powerful and expect him to remain the same obedient little soldier he was before."
"The power goes to their heads?" Eluheed asked.
"Of course." Zhao laughed, the sound bitter. "Wouldn't you think that you were the king of the world if you were granted such advantages not only over your peers but also over your superiors?" He didn't wait for Eluheed to answer before continuing. "They become magnificent. Stronger, faster, even their little brains work better. You should see them in combat training. It's like watching the gods of war pummel each other. I bet the gladiators of Sparta weren't as entertaining."
Eluheed's hackles rose. "They sound incredibly dangerous. I'm sure Lord Navuh is very happy with your results."
"Oh, he is." Zhao took another long pull from his drink. "But here's the beautiful irony—their increased physical strength is only one side of the equation. Their minds become stronger and more resilient as well. On the one hand, it makes them even better killing machines, but on the other, they are no longer as easily controlled and manipulated."
Eluheed's hand tightened imperceptibly on his glass. "Isn't that good?"
"Depends on who is doing the manipulation." Zhao made a vague gesture near his temple. "Lord Navuh might find it more difficult to keep his dogs on their leashes."
The puzzle pieces fell into place, completing the picture Eluheed had been putting together since his arrival on the island. Lord Navuh used compulsion to control his subordinates. He'd tried it on Eluheed, but fortunately, Eluheed was resistant to the lord's mental manipulation. He was well aware that having this immunity was a strong advantage, and now he had learned that the enhanced soldiers might share the gift.
The difference was that Eluheed was not endangering anyone, while the same couldn't be said about Zhao's creations.
The realization sent ice through his veins.
"Is there anything you can do about that?" he asked. "Perhaps you could adjust your formulas to mitigate this side effect?"
"Adjust the formula?" Zhao's voice rose indignantly. "Do you have any idea how complex this is? I'm not mixing cocktails here." He gestured wildly, nearly knocking over his glass. "I'm rewriting genetic code in real-time and triggering evolutionary changes that should take millennia to develop naturally."
"Perhaps you need different subjects to work with? Thosewho are more obedient and loyal to start with should yield better results."
Zhao snorted. "Lord Navuh sends me his 'best-of-the-best.'" He made mocking air quotes. "The problem is that his best are half-wits, men selected for their fighting skills, not their intelligence. Is it any wonder that they become unstable?"
"Unstable in what way?" Eluheed was keeping his tone conversational, glancing at the bartender who was busy taking orders from a group of guards sitting in the back of the bar.
"Aside from tearing each other apart?" Zhao snorted and emptied the rest of his drink down his throat. "They develop a god complex. These muscle-bound idiots who couldn't solve a basic mathematical equation think that they are the equals of gods because they can punch through concrete."
A god complex coupled with enhanced strength and resistance to Navuh's mental control was a disaster in the making.
Navuh was creating an army of monsters that he might not be able to control.
"The intersection of physiology and psychology is fascinating," Eluheed murmured. "I'm a great believer in the mind-body connection."
"Exactly!" Zhao slapped the bar, delighted to find someone who seemed to understand. "The psychological changes are just as dramatic as the physical ones. Increased aggression,decreased impulse control, heightened sense of superiority—it's a potent cocktail."
"Have you told Lord Navuh about these complications?"
Zhao's expression darkened. "He calls them minor side effects and tells me to fix them, give them something to control their aggression while they are on the island. He thinks that as long as they behave while they are here, everything is fine, and that he can unleash them on his enemies or anyone else he wants to eliminate, and they will obediently do what they are told. He doesn't understand that these are fundamental changes to their brain chemistry, and that the same enhancements that make them perfect weapons also make them impossible to predict or control."
