Kehl tough choice: Part Five

It was a silent, furious retreat. Kehl swam as fast as his powerful tail could propel him, a blue-and-white blur in the dark ocean, heading in an unknown direction. He was a horrified passenger in his own body, still under the complete control of Kehl Senior after the bloody slaughter at the beach.

“Where are we going?” Kehl demanded mentally, his thoughts frantic.

Kehl Senior remained silent, his focus solely on their powerful, rhythmic propulsion through the water.

“Stop being silent!” Kehl’s panic began to curdle into anger. “I want to know everything! I don’t want to be a monster! Let everything go to hell! I’m not a murderer…”

A calm, almost pitying thought from Kehl Senior cut through his tirade. “Stop struggling, Kehl. You can’t escape your fate. You are destined to become this. Please… don’t fight it. The more you resist, the weaker you become, and the more you lose control…”

After what felt like an eternity, Kehl saw a huge, unnatural structure loom out of the depths—a skeletal silhouette of metal and concrete. Kehl Senior guided his body upwards, breaking the surface and landing with a heavy thud on a wide, algae-slicked concrete slab that served as a dock for the underwater facility.

The moment they were out of the water, Kehl raged, trying to reclaim his own muscles, to move his own limbs.

“Are you still fighting?” Kehl Senior’s voice resonated, a note of weary frustration in it. “You don’t believe me. You think you’re a monster, a killer. That’s not true! Let me explain everything!”

“Yeah, right, ” Kehl shot back, finally managing to move his own head, glaring at his surroundings. “And now you’re going to make excuses? Where did you bring me?”

“You don’t understand, ” Kehl Senior said, his tone softening into something more earnest. “You must always be Kehl. But if you want to know the truth, then here it is.” He paused, a profound sigh seeming to emanate from Kehl’s massive chest. “The one in your head… is the consciousness of a shark that lived centuries ago. My name was Alex. But to you, I am Kehl Senior.”

“My family, ” Alex began, his voice filled with a deep, ancient pride, “was the largest among all sharks. We were titans of the deep—the strongest, the heaviest. We had huge, powerful bellies and muscles that other creatures could only dream of. There were several of us. Me; Dave, my younger brother; and my sister, Monica.” A wave of affection and sorrow washed over Kehl. “My father was the biggest, weighing tons. When I was your age, Kehl… how can I put this… I was easily 400-500 kg. Ten times bigger than you are now. Dave was smaller, maybe 200 kg at most. And Monica…” The feeling of love was so sharp it was painful. ”…my little sister. The most beautiful, the most intelligent.”

“But nothing lasts forever, ” Alex’s voice turned grim, laced with a fear that felt centuries old. “A disease… an infection. It began to kill us, slowly and painfully. Our regeneration, the gift that made us nearly immortal, it didn’t help! Nothing helped!” He froze, Kehl’s body rigid with the memory. “First, my mother. Then Monica. My father. And I… I was the last one. The pain was unbearable. I will never forget it. It is a sad, terrible thing to watch a ferocious creature, a king of the ocean, die so helplessly. For centuries, we were impossible to defeat, thanks to our strength, our skills, our regeneration.”

“When you injected the serum, ” Alex continued, his voice regaining some strength, “I knew. The serum was synthesized from my DNA, my genes, from the fossilized bones your parents discovered. I knew you were worthy. I helped you! I amplified the serum’s effects!” His voice became a desperate plea. “Don’t reject this power, Kehl. Do it for me, for the memory of my family. So that I can feel what it’s like to be whole again. Just… tell yourself that you understand. You want this power, Kehl. I can feel it.”

Kehl was stunned into silence. The weight of Alex’s tragedy was immense. “I… I’m sorry, ” he finally managed, his own anger deflating. “Please, forgive me. I didn’t know. But you have to understand me, too. I’m just a regular guy, a scientist, a student. I wanted to live, study, enjoy life… but you’re all about power and strength and being in charge. You should have… I don’t know, found someone else.”

“What are you talking about?!” Alex retorted, incredulous. “You have enormous potential! I only want the best for you. And unlike your parents, I will never truly hurt you. If you want more muscles, a bigger, stronger belly, you only need to say the word, and I will make it so. But the more you resist me, the weaker you become. Your body, your muscles, even that magnificent belly will shrink. Don’t do it!”

Kehl sighed, the internal struggle far from over. “You’re right… in a way. But where are we?” He looked around at the decaying, abandoned structure.

“This, ” Alex said with a grim satisfaction, “is an abandoned research base. Or rather, one of your father’s secret laboratories. Yes, you don’t remember it, but I know a lot about you, Kehl.”

“So why did you bring me here?”

“To find out the truth…” Alex took full control again and walked into the darkness of the facility. Surprisingly, Kehl could see everything with perfect clarity.

“What is this? How can I see?”

“It’s normal shark vision, ” Alex explained. “You can see in the dark. You can even perceive the outlines of things through certain materials. Isn’t that cool?”

“Cool, ” Kehl admitted, as they went deeper into the lab. They entered a massive central hall filled with huge, shattered aquariums and broken, abandoned equipment.

“They likely didn’t understand what they were working on, ” Alex mused. “Or perhaps there was a leak. It’s possible this lab was meant to open but never did, due to… unforeseen circumstances.”

He walked deeper, stopping before a heavy airlock door with a faded sign: DANGEROUS — BIOHAZARD — LEVEL 5. With a contemptuous chuckle, Alex grabbed the wheel lock and, with a grunt of effort, ripped the entire door from its hinges and tossed it aside.

Inside were rows of metal crates. They looked ancient, yet strangely well-preserved. As Kehl stepped forward, his massive foot accidentally clipped the edge of a rusted box. It hissed, and a small panel on its side lit up.

A synthesized voice echoed in the silent chamber: “Poison extraction process… initiated.”

A viscous, bright green slime began to ooze from a nozzle on the crate.

Alex’s control faltered. Kehl’s eyes grew wide with a terror that was not his own. “No…” Alex whispered through Kehl’s lips. “No, no, no, not again. I can’t die again!” Memories of his dying family flashed before his eyes. Kehl’s body began to tremble, breathing heavily as he backed away, arms flailing.

A droplet of the green poison splashed onto the back of his hand.

Kehl howled, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony. The poison sizzled, eating through his sleek blue skin, muscle, and sinew. The pain was blinding. He screamed, clenching his teeth, clutching his melting hand.

“Hold on, my boy, hold on!” Alex’s voice was a panicked shout in his head. “It will pass! The regeneration will help!” But Alex himself was still lost in terror. Where did this poison come from? What were they doing here?

As if in answer, monitors around the lab flickered to life, one by one, playing security recordings.

On one screen, a younger Dr. Marcus Vortex addressed a group of men. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, things didn’t go according to plan. The project must be shut down, all underground operations destroyed.”

Another screen showed a scientist asking, “Control them? Are there any options?” Marcus’s face was cold. “We have something that can kill them. We’ll start with that.”

A third screen showed a personal video diary of Marcus. “These creatures have enormous potential. They are practically immortal, full of strength and mass. But there is one flaw…” A cold, satisfied smile touched his lips.

Then, the main monitor flared to life, showing Marcus’s face, current and clear. It was a direct message. “Kehl? Are you still there? Taking a stroll through my little amusement park?” he laughed. “I want to invite you to a private meeting. No tricks, no security. Your mother… she’s taken ill. She wants to see you.”

At that moment, Alex, still controlling Kehl’s body, jumped up and ran for the exit, clutching the wounded hand. “Faster! Into the water! Regeneration, come on! Everything will be fine, I won’t die again!”

Kehl plunged off the slab back into the water. The wound on his hand had burned almost to the bone. “No, come on, heal!” Alex pleaded. Miraculously, the flesh began to knit, new muscle fibers weaving together, fresh blue skin smoothly covering the horrific injury. Kehl sighed in relief.

But the video message had done its work. “I need to check on my mom, ” Kehl thought, his own will surging forward. “She’s sick, and she didn’t say anything.”

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” Alex roared. “Can’t you see?! Your father is trying to kill us! That poison… he recreated it! It’s impossible! Kehl, it’s a trap, 100%! Believe me one more time, please!”

“No, ” Kehl said, his resolve hardening. With those words, he seized control, his love and fear for his mother overriding everything else. He turned and rushed through the water, heading back towards the main Vortex Institute.

“KEHL, NO!” Alex shouted and growled, unable to take control back. “OBEY ME! YOU’RE RUINING EVERYTHING! YOU’LL LOSE IT ALL! YOU’LL BECOME WEAK AND HELPLESS AGAIN! GIVE ME YOUR BODY! IT’S A TRAP! IT’S NOT WORTH IT! DO YOU HEAR ME?! KEHL, THEY’RE LYING TO YOU, THEY’VE ALWAYS LIED! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?! I DON’T WANT TO DIE, NOT AGAIN! THINK ABOUT ME, EVERYTHING I’VE DONE, EVERYTHING FOR YOU! I’VE ALWAYS HELPED YOU, AND I’LL HELP YOU AGAIN!”

But Kehl didn’t listen, his powerful form cutting through the water at incredible speed, swimming blindly towards his father’s trap.