Chapter Forty: Aftereffects

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About two days later, one morning, Lynn was sorting through the students’ in-class quizzes. Most of them had passed, but Thompson’s score was less than satisfactory, so Lynn kept him behind. Peter Parker remained as well.

Of course, Peter had not failed. Lynn had kept him behind simply because he had handed in a blank sheet of paper, then used the excuse of going to the bathroom to slip away and fight crime in the streets.

“Um, Mr. Sidious, can I leave now?”

“Not so fast, Peter. Let me finish looking over the assignment you handed in.”

“There definitely won’t be any problems this time, I promise. The last time I handed in a blank sheet, I had something very important to take care of.”

“Oh? What important thing?”

“Don’t you know? There’s a gang of four criminals running around the streets lately. They’ve been robbing shops and banks every day.”

“And what does that have to do with you? Isn’t there a Spider-Man and the NYPD dealing with them? Hmm?

“Peter, I know someone at school has been making his own skintight suit and swinging around on the playground. Don’t go doing anything that stupid.”

The moment Lynn said this, Thompson, who had been scribbling away beside them, flushed crimson and buried his head in his test paper without daring to say a word.

“Hey, Mr. Sidious, there’s nothing wrong with admiring a hero. Doesn’t it prove that everyone loves Spider-Man? If you ask me, the school should set up a Spider-Man exhibit during the next field trip or something, so everyone can get to know him. After all, wasn’t it Spider-Man who helped us when that Lizard came to the school?”

“I agree with that.”

“Your agreement is irrelevant, Thompson. Finish your test now, or I’ll call your father.”

“Sorry, Mr. Sidious.”

Thompson, who had just been growing excited while discussing Spider-Man, wilted again. Ever since Lynn had appeared, the seemingly fearless captain of the football team had fallen into a complete slump. Yet he was always the most enthusiastic student in Lynn’s early-morning class.

“No problem. Your studies seem to be going well, Peter. Which university are you planning to attend?”

“University? I haven’t really thought about it. They all seem more or less the same to me. But Harry said he could have his father write me a letter of recommendation.”

“Ah, a recommendation from the chairman and chief executive of Osborn Industries. That would certainly carry a lot of weight.

“But I imagine it can’t be that simple. Let me guess—perhaps he wants you to work for Osborn Industries after graduation? Your dear friend might even be willing to give you a fairly good position.”

“How did you know? Mr. Sidious, honestly, I never expected Harry to think so highly of me… or to be willing to do so much for me.”

Lynn tossed Peter Parker’s test aside, walked over to Thompson, glanced at his paper, and sighed.

“Thompson, if you keep progressing at this rate, I’ll have to call your parents to the school the day after tomorrow.”

His words made Thompson widen his eyes and stare at his test. He took out his eraser and began revising his answers. Lynn tapped the desk, then waved his hand over several of the questions.

Afterward, he returned to his seat beside Peter Parker.

“Perhaps Harry isn’t simply helping you, Peter. Osborn Industries isn’t in very good shape right now. Its stock price has been falling steadily, though Stark Industries has fallen even more sharply.

“And haven’t you noticed what happened during the Blue Mist incident? Do you really think those Lizard-men were fake?”

Peter clearly had not expected Lynn to bring up that subject.

“I do think Osborn Industries isn’t exactly a good place, but if Harry invites me to join him, maybe we can change something from the inside. Perhaps then Osborn Industries won’t be quite so cold-blooded.”

“I see. So that’s how you view it? You and Harry really do have a good relationship.”

“Of course. We’re best friends.”

Thompson finally finished his test. Lynn snatched it from his hands, scanned it briefly, and then rapped him on the head.

“Sorry, Mr. Sidious. I really did try my best. This isn’t football—muscles can’t solve every problem. To be honest, I don’t even know why people use RNA to pass on genetic information.”

“In fact, it’s DNA, Flash,” Peter corrected him from nearby.

Flash shot him an annoyed look.

“All right, Parker, you can leave first. As for you, Thompson—although I’ve found another minor problem, you can go for now. The next class is about to begin.”

The moment Lynn finished speaking, Peter Parker bolted from the classroom, with Flash Thompson close behind.

Lynn gathered up both test papers and sat down in his chair. After organizing his materials for a while, he left the classroom.

The entire Midtown High School had been rebuilt, and the students had returned to class. But considering everything New York had endured over the past few days, there were noticeably fewer students coming to school.

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Now the students were chattering excitedly about various rumors.

“Did you hear? Some of the students who haven’t come to school seem to have contracted some strange illness.”

“Do they all live in Manhattan?”

“Apparently people in other places have been affected too. Staten Island, for example. I heard some of them have become allergic to sunlight…”

“Allergic to sunlight? You’re kidding.”

“I’m serious. I remember…”

As Lynn walked along, he could hear the students gossiping about vague, half-understood matters and discussing what had happened to their absent classmates.

It seemed to be a lingering consequence of the vampires’ actions. Their activity had grown increasingly frequent lately. Ignoring the restrictions they had once agreed upon, they had begun attacking passersby across New York with reckless abandon, and quite a number of New Yorkers had been affected.

Photophobia was merely one stage. Sooner or later, those people would transform into vampires.

“It seems the vampires really have lost their minds. They’re quietly declaring war on New York. I wonder how S.H.I.E.L.D. is responding to this.

“Someone must be as frantic as an ant on a hot griddle by now.”

Just as Lynn had expected, someone at S.H.I.E.L.D. was indeed frantic—but it was not Fury or Hill. It was Agent Coulson.

After all, Director Fury had assigned him to monitor and deal with the vampire problem, and the vampires’ recent frenzied attacks on innocent civilians were definitely beyond the scope of what he had anticipated.

“What is wrong with that bunch of vampires in New York? Why have they suddenly started ignoring the regulations they agreed upon with S.H.I.E.L.D. and begun acting recklessly?”

“Isn’t that convenient? Phil, you can tell Fury directly and have him send in a special-operations team to wipe out the vampires.

“To be honest, I thought making any kind of agreement with vampires was a bad idea from the beginning.”

“It isn’t that simple, May. Director Fury has wanted to drive the vampires out of New York—and even out of North America—more than once, but…”

“If you ask me, they should wipe out the congressmen who negotiated those treaties with the vampires as well. The agreements are absurd and laughable. Those politicians must have taken some kind of benefit.

“Just like the campaign donations handed over by lobbyists.”

“Don’t go saying things like that everywhere, May. We have no evidence.”

“Purges only require a list. Anti-corruption investigations are the ones that require evidence.”

Melinda May’s views were as radical as ever. Coulson, however, knew that Director Fury and Pierce had spent a long time negotiating before finally persuading Congress and the military to control the vampire population and prevent them from recklessly increasing their numbers.

“So? Coulson, have you come up with a solution? All the information we’ve been gathering these past two days won’t disappear into a black hole once it reaches Fury, will it?”

“It won’t. The vampires have clearly crossed the line this time. No matter how much pressure comes from above, S.H.I.E.L.D. will take action.”

“I’m not convinced.”

Just as May had said, Coulson himself had little confidence that this matter would produce any real results. Since entering the modern era, S.H.I.E.L.D. had shifted toward global peacekeeping and counterterrorism, but the results had been less than impressive. On the contrary, when faced with matters that so clearly endangered human and national security, the organization seemed far more constrained than before.

Coulson and May had both been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for a very long time, and they had felt this change deeply.

“We’ll take it one step at a time, May. We can’t simply do nothing.”

—

Lynn was driving back to the fried-chicken shop when the car radio began broadcasting a remarkably popular interview.

Kara and Connors could be heard through the speakers, while Betty’s voice came from the other side of the conversation.

“So, Dr. Goldman, are you certain that your gene-therapy device can help patients suffering from congenital genetic disorders, cancer, or acquired genetic diseases return to good health?”

“In theory, it is feasible. The clinical data is still somewhat limited, but at present, I believe the technology is already quite mature.”

Betty went on to ask several highly technical questions. She was an outstanding student herself, and, having prepared thoroughly, she went straight to the heart of the matter. Connors answered each question in turn, except for those involving core secrets.

Afterward, Betty turned her questions to Kara, asking about the technology’s commercial prospects.

“At present, we are recruiting volunteers on a wide scale to participate in and help improve this remarkable technology. Naturally, throughout the process, Knoss Charity Hospital will provide free medical care…”

As Lynn listened to the broadcast, Jessica finally recognized Kara’s voice.

“Lynn, is that Kara?”

“It is. Why? Didn’t you know she was managing Knoss Charity Hospital?”

“I thought you would have her avoid the public eye as much as possible. Her complexion is rather unusual, after all.”

“That complexion is Kara’s gift. Naturally, her talents should be put to the best possible use. In fact, if I had a second person capable of helping me handle things, I would rather have Kara focus on public-facing matters—meeting more government officials and corporate executives.”

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At Lynn’s words, Jessica nodded thoughtfully before speaking.

“And then use her powers to turn them into obedient puppets who are easy to manipulate, creating a monstrous power behind the scenes?”

“Controlling human beings doesn’t necessarily require supernatural abilities, Jess. Sometimes reliable benefits and carefully applied pressure are better suited to building long-term relationships.”

Betty’s interview seemed to be drawing to a close. She had not only introduced Knoss Charity Hospital’s gene-therapy technology in detail, but had also emphasized the hospital’s confidentiality and the fact that treatment would be completely free during the early experimental stage.

“One final question. Are you confident in your ability to protect your clients’ privacy?”

“Thus far, we have had no business dealings with any venture-capital firms. I can guarantee that Knoss Charity Hospital is one hundred percent independent and wholly committed to academic integrity. Our clients’ information and records are what we value most.”

The interview then entered its final moments. Betty began asking less important questions and chatting about everyday matters, easing the atmosphere as she brought the program to a close.

Lynn switched off the radio. The interview would clearly bring a great many new patients to the hospital, especially with New York’s vampires growing so restless lately.

—

After finishing work at the fried-chicken shop, Lynn sent the employees home once night had fallen. He and Jessica were wiping down the tables when he saw a small car pull up outside Knoss Charity Hospital.

A woman hurried out of the vehicle with a child in tow. When she saw that the fried-chicken shop was still lit, she quickly dragged the child toward it.

The bell above the door gave a clear, tinkling ring, and Lynn finally got a good look at the two of them.

The woman appeared terrified. The child, meanwhile, was deathly pale, without a trace of color in his face. The moment Lynn saw him, he knew what had happened.

“Can I get you anything? We haven’t closed yet.”

“Uh, n-no, thank you. My child can’t eat anything.”

“But I think you need some food to fill your stomach, ma’am. Jess, bring over the fried chicken we didn’t sell.”

“Sure thing!”

Jessica brought the fried chicken to the unfortunate mother. She sat down with her child in her arms, glanced around the shop, and began rummaging through her wallet.

“Don’t worry about it. It was going to be thrown away anyway. Consider it my treat.”

“Thank you.”

She seemed to have forgotten to thank God.

Before long, the child’s father entered as well. His expression was grim, dark circles deeply sunken beneath his eyes, and his hair was greasy and unkempt.

The family had clearly suffered some kind of devastating upheaval.

“You’re from Staten Island?”

“Is it that obvious?”

The man noticed his wife handing him—

“Things haven’t exactly been peaceful over there. The news has been talking about it constantly for the past two days.”

“‘Not peaceful’ doesn’t begin to describe it. To be honest, it’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”

The man then took a canteen from his pocket and handed it to his son. The boy’s weak expression instantly flushed with color, and he began drinking greedily from it.

Lynn caught the scent of blood inside.

“I assume you’ve come here for medical treatment?”

“Uh, we’re here to try our luck. We’ve already been deceived so many times while searching for a cure. We can only hope our luck is better this time…”

“Boss, what’s this hospital’s reputation like?”

“As far as I know—”

“This is the best hospital in all of East Midtown,” Jessica cut in.

“Jess is right. And I suggest that if you want him examined, you go upstairs now. After all…”

Lynn pointed toward the gloomy sky outside.

“He’s allergic to sunlight, isn’t he?”

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