Young james walked down the cobbled streets of Forandring Street, the ad he had ripped out of the local newspaper clutched tightly in his hand. Almost an adult already, James had worked as a barbers assistant for most his life, having never known his parents he was glad that the barber had taken him on. Lest he wind up in one of the mills where he would have probably been worked to death by now.
James had enjoyed his employment at the shop, and the barber was the kindest man he had ever met but recently they had fallen on hard times. Nowadays the only customers that trickled in were the few regulars. Money was getting harder to hang on to.
That's when James had seen the ad in the paper, seeing the chance to bring some money in, James didn't hesitate. He smiled to think of how proud the barber would be when he came home that night with hopefully enough hard earned money to help keep the business going a bit longer.
James moved to the side as a carriage rolled by. He passed 1312 "Gloria's meat pie shop". Ten feet later he stood in front of a small decrepit old building, the bricks were filthy with grime and the shingles were cracking, A faded sign proclaimed "Dr. Todd~ Medical Scientist"
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Beneath the high arched ceiling of the building's basement a man lowered his face so low to his parchment that his nose upset the ink as he wrote out the formula that was the culmination of twenty years of his life. Behind him, in the ominous darkness of the room hulking metal behemoths sat like waiting monsters.
A shrill whistle blew, waking the man from his frantic scribbles, he raised his head. It was the whistle he had attached to the bell at the front door. Someone was here.
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The heavy metal door swung open with a shrill creaking sound, James looked up to see a haggard young man- barely out of his thirties- his eyes were sunken and dark, his clothes were ragged and his hair was an untidy rats nest of dark curls. The barber had once read James the story of Frankenstein when he was younger. He supposed if there was a Doctor Frankenstein then this man would be his spitting image.
"What do you want then?" The man said, he spoke with an air of impatience.
James held up the crumpled ad, "sir, I found this in the paper I did, I was wonderin' if you'd 'av me."
As the man saw the ad his eyes widened and he immediately softened up, "Well why didn't you saw so, boy! Come in, come in! I am Dr. Todd"
Dr. Todd hurried James through the door and swung it shut with a loud metallic bang. Outside the street bustled about with people carrying on with their normal lives. Unaware of what lurked beneath the streets.
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As James was lead through the narrow hallway of the building he noticed how everything was dark and dingy, covered with cobwebs and dust. It was obvious Dr. Todd didn't spend much time cleaning or apparently doing anything in the rooms they passed through.
As they reached an even larger and stronger looking metal door James realized his host was still talking, "-cost me near two pound to get that ad but I suppose it was worth it. You look like the kind of strapping young lad I needed for this particular experiment..." A wide smile spread across the doctors face.
"So this'll just be a vaccine or somefin' you'll be testin' right, sir?" James asked uneasily.
The smile grew bigger, "Something like that." He said and with a flourish, he swung the heavy door open revealing narrow, wet stone steps that descended down into the earth.
"After you, dear lad."
James descended into the doctors basement and was immediately struck by the sheer size, it had to be as tall as the mill and almost as long. The entire interior
was lit by electric lamps that hummed in the still air, the enormous space was primarily occupied with a huge array of strange metal machines the likes of which
James had never seen.
There were Tesla coils, hydraulic pumps and other such apparatus, along one wall were tables absolutely crammed with chemicals, beakers, test tubes.
There were also a few type writers, and the rest of the space was filled with loose parchment.
"Blimey, this must 'av been expensive! Electricity! And typewriters could cost as much as a new 'ouse." James remarked a he reached the lower step.
"Your surprise is dull noted boy, all these machines are the remnants of what I once had at the university. Before I was so tragically removed by the ignoramus in
the board..." Dr. Todd' voice dripped venom as he mentioned his removal and the 'board'.
"But now to business, who are you? Tell me a little about yourself, boy."
James wrenched his eyes away from the machines, " Well my name is James, and I've worked as a barbers assistant all me life, that's why I'm 'ere actually. Business isn't going to well and I figured I could bring in a few quid to 'elp it along."
"My dear James, I promise you that not only will you bring in a tidy sum you will aid me in finding a cure for every disease known to mankind."
James gaped, "Really!? 'Ow do I do that?"
Dr. Todd gestured to a metal barbers chair fixed to the stone ground under a terrifying metallic machine, wires and tubes snaked out of it like seaweed of some
legendary sea creature and crystal tubes arched downward and pointed right where someone's head would be if the sat in the chair.
"Just sit right there, lad. You see I have devised a way to actually 'arness electricity through certain chemicals, This gives it a very unique quality."
"Unique... 'ow?" James said eyeing the scary looking machine over the chair, which he now noticed looked like it was attached to every single piece of equipment in the subterranean lab.
"Unique in that it can be used to actually change the human body in any way I see fit."
James sat in the chair, Dr. Todd fixed him in place with tight leather straps ("for safety purposes"). He then proceeded to ask a series of question: Age? 16, Height? about 6 foot, and so on. As James answered each question Dr. Todd would run around and fiddle with the equipment.
Finally it seemed he had tuned his machine just right, he stepped over to a large brass switch, "Ready to make history, James?"
James considered him, feeling the entire weight of the machine looming over his head, he gave a shaky nod."
"Right then." Dr. Todd smiled and threw the switch."