Deal Gone Bad

JP by Cindy and MDMan

Paris, France
Back Alley
In the evening

Quinn was about to dismiss the doctor when he spoke of issue of those with a certain issues of a male persuasion. He knew no one with those issues, and it definitely wasn’t Cronk. Not the way the girls at the bathhouse talked him up.

Then the doctor spoke of a side effect that those in leadership might want to their advantage. Just what was this side effect? If it brought arousal to those men with certain issues, did it give added strength and vigor to them too? If Quinn were to give this to all those working for him, would he have a troop of Cronks? Would it be deceptive? The men all appear to be their normal size, but have the strength and stamina of three? Many questions ran through Quinn’s mind.

Cronk was attempting to figure things too. Things of a different sort. He recognized the doctor’s face. Not the face per say, but rather the body language of the face. To Cronk, the doctor’s face looked like what Cronk’s face felt like when Cronk was trying to think things through, silently discussing with himself, attempting to process or understand something. Cronk was beginning not to trust the man.

“What kind of side effects?” Quinn asked.

"It increases strength, makes the subject more aggressive but still able to follow orders. A super human, if you will." Dr. Lamaire, glanced up at Cronk again. Something flickered behind his dark eyes then was gone. "An entire force of soldiers would turn into a force of super soldiers."

The doctor was extremely skilled at lying. The first thing was to have some truth to it. The subjects did turn into super humans. It was other things that might not be so accurate.

Cronk saw the look from the doctor. He tightened his lips, as Cronk had seen that look before. It was a look of desire. It was the same look that women often got when they realized that everything about Cronk was large. Cronk had to wonder what it was that the doctor desired. It couldn’t be the same as the women, could it? Maybe the doctor was hungry and they were keeping him from a meal. Cronk’s suspicions grew.

“Boss…,” Cronk began to say, before Quinn carried on the conversation.

“As you can see, Doctor Lemaire, I do have muscle.” Quinn noticed the doctor’s look as well. “Cronk here is quite a good guy! He’s more than a human could give me. He follows orders. In fact, if I were to give the word, he’d snap you in two within a moment.”

“Boss,” Cronk tried again, but Quinn continued.

“Still,” he offered, “if I could have more than one Cronk,” his eyebrows rose, “…I mean, not that Cronk isn’t enough. He’s like a son to me. But if I had more, there’s no telling what I could accomplish.”

Quinn thought for a few seconds, then inquired, “This side effect is permanent? I’d need to know this before I establish its worth.”

"Think bigger than yourself." The doctor stated. "Imagine what others would pay for such a serum."

He would be the perfect specimen. The perfect solider. The voice whispered

Dr. Lemaire's hand reached inside his coat pocket. Lightly his fingers played over the syringe which carried the elixir. Whatever Quinn was saying to him was lost somewhere in the myst of his mind.

The perfect specimen. Perfect race for it. He's the one. The voice grew louder and louder.

Unable to control it any longer, the doctor jumped up from the table, syringe in hand and ran straight towards Cronk.

“Boss!” Cronk exclaimed, still attempting to get Quinn’s attention. As the doctor jumped up from the table, Cronk saw the crazed look in his eyes. For the first time in his life, Cronk actually feared something. This person didn’t seem to regard Cronk’s size. There was no fear in him, which meant he was not all there. The doctor seemed to be as crazy as cat chasing it’s own tail, thinking it would eventually catch up and capture it. At least Cronk thought that was crazy.

As the doctor ran toward him, Cronk shouted, “Cronk don’t like!”

Quinn seeing the predicament, namely the syringe in the doctor’s hands, was suddenly concerned about these side effects. There was no one besides Doctor Lemaire who could speak for the so called elixir. The doctor had no data here for Quinn to peruse. Now, Quinn saw him as an eccentric mad scientist. How foolish of him to seek something scientific, instead of sticking to weapons.

Quinn quickly reacted by jumping in front of Cronk. Yes, Cronk was there to protect Quinn, but Quinn actually cared about the big guy. He wasn’t lying when he said he had considered Cronk as a son. His only son. What if the injection was fatal to the injected? Quinn reached with both hands to restrain the arm of the doctor carrying the syringe.

The doctor in his insanity, tried to force his way through Quinn who was trying to hold him back. Lemaire got his hand free and in one motion, injected the serum into Quinn instead.

Quinn’s arms dropped, the doctor backed up and stared at the syringe still sticking out of Quinn’s arm.

Quinn felt the needle of the syringe enter his arm. “Oh bullox!” Quinn impulsively said. “What’s wrong with you?” he screamed at the doctor.

Quinn pulled the syringe out of his arm. Hopefully, he didn’t take any of the serum into his arm. Glancing at the syringe, he noticed it was empty. All of it was injected.

“So now what?” Quinn inquired of the crazed doctor. “I become super human?”

The doctor remained silent. Cronk looked concerned, as Quinn’s arm began to redden. Now, it was Quinn’s turn to look concerned.

Quinn felt his throat swelling. Breathing became difficult. His mouth went dry, as he began to stream in sweat. He dropped to his knees, quickly weakening.

“Cronk!” Quinn grasped. “I’ve been poisoned!” Looking to the doctor, he demanded, “Give me the antidote!”

Cronk knelt by Quinn’s side. He had failed at his mission. Quinn was in distress and there was nothing Cronk could do.

Cronk pleaded, “Save him!”

Quinn looked up at the big orc, giving him one last order. “Take care of business, Cronk. I am proud of you, son.”

With those words, Quinn’s life expired in Cronk’s arms. Cronk couldn’t help but notice the word “son.” Quinn had truly considered the orc as a son. Cronk’s eyes Now turned from Quinn to the doctor. Where the was fear before, there was hatred now. No one in Cronk’s past had ever seen such hatred in Cronk’s eyes. He was only taking care of business before. Now, was different.

The doctor stood there for a moment watching the scene play out. He had killed people before but far more intentional than this.

There was something fascinating about the process of death. In the doctor's mind it always fascinated him what people said at the end of their lives.

Apparently, this batch had a flaw of some kind. If he could just study the body. ..

The look Cronk gave him - quickly brought the doctor back to his senses. Remembering the backdoor, Dr. Lemaire took off in the opposite direction from where Cronk was holding his now dead friend.

Cronk couldn’t let the body of his boss just lay there. He lifted Quinn, tossing his body over a shoulder. Powerful legs lifted Cronk with the dead weight.

Cronk began his pursuit. He could have probably caught the doctor, as his huge legs gave him a great stride. Carrying his boss, Cronk couldn’t keep up and soon loss sight of the doctor.

Cronk had followed the doctor through a trap door into tunnels underneath the city of Paris. It was extremely difficult for Cronk, as the tunnels where not built for a 7’ 9” orc. When Cronk came to an intersection that led three different ways, Cronk knew he had lost the doctor.

It was only then Cronk sat Quinn gently as he could against a wall. Cronk sat beside him.

“Cronk sorry, Boss,” he cried. “Cronk will find. Cronk will kill.”

Cronk looked at his boss, who was silent, with eyes staring straight ahead. Cronk turned, looking down the passageway at which Quinn’s eyes peered.

“Boss right,” Cronk responded. “Cronk go that way.”