Doctor Sentry turned with the needle and walked towards Stewart, "Series two for you dear. It should work just fine, but isn't as advanced." He checked her arm as she struggled, "I thought we've been through this already? Hold still."
Stewart continued to struggle, making it difficult for the Doctor to line up a vein. Sighing in frustration he mentally sent for the two goons by the door to hold Stewart down. Max intercepted the orders and changed them. Sentry seemed surprised when his two assistants tackled him to the ground, sending the syringe flying.
"What?" he cried out in alarm as he fell. "Stop this now." Max saw him emphasize his words with a strong mental push, which he changed to indicate they should continue to hold the man down.
Sentry's brow furrowed in anger and his whole body lit up like a halogen lamp. The two assistants dissolved where they were touching him, their bodies seemed to be absorbed into Sentry's own and he called out with his mind for more assistance as he got up. The remnants of the bodies of the two men who had jumped him fell off in pieces to lie in a disorganized pile at his feet. Sentry's clothing was as blood free and spotless as before.
"So, we have a comedian here then. Who is playing games with my men?" His eyes roamed the room and locked onto Max. "I choose you, Max. Your other friend here has incredible strength, the woman is both stronger and faster than normal, but you! You, my friend haven't shown your cards until now have you?"
The four men Sentry had summoned appeared in the doorway and charged the doctor, having had their orders changed by Max when they were called. These men were dressed for war, carrying pistols on their belts, along with knives and wearing military style fatigues. Sentry watched them for a moment as they charged and then sent out a burst of orders that blanketed the area. Not hundreds of orders, not even thousands, it looked to Max like millions. Max grabbed onto as many as he could, but when the burst was over the four zombies were approaching Stewart and holding her arm steady, not attacking the doctor like Max wanted. Somewhere in the world there were thousands of zombies who were on their way here to rend the doctor limb from limb. Max hoped they arrived soon.
"I knew I was right." Sentry said smugly. He bent over and picked up the syringe and approached Stewart's arm. "You can't order them yourself. Clever, but I am not your run of the mill second stage human anymore. I am a God." Sentry stabbed the needle into Stewart's vein and depressed the plunger. The zombies woodenly let go of her arm and approached Max.
"Stewart? Stewart, are you all right?" Max called.
"She's fine, or she will be, soon. Things will go quickly now, and soon I will have double agents to infect the few I choose to leave alive."
Max laughed, "We don't have medical training; we'll probably mess up the injections, even if you tell us what to do."
Sentry stopped and stared for a moment at Max, a slight grin on his face, "Max, I don't have any more of this." He raised the syringe, "And I don't think I could make more. You'll pass on the subjugation just like we do, via saliva, blood or other bodily fluids."
"What? You mean, we'll eat people?"
"I don't think you'll do it by choice, but I will be able to force the issue. And anyone you infect as well." Sentry plunged the needle into Max's arm.
The doctor pulled the needle out and casually tossed it into the sink over by the counter. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Tell me Max, can you affect verbal orders? Let's see shall we? Kenneth, go see what is going on in the warehouse." Max didn't see any mental emphasis on Sentry's words and Kenneth hastened out the door quickly.
Sentry nodded and said, "I see. Very interesting. I wonder why this is? Well, I won't have to wonder long will I? Soon I will be able to crawl around inside your head to my heart's content."
Bill was struggling on the gurney, trying to sit up against the massive webbed restraints holding him down. Sentry glanced at him, "There is one who won't give up. A shame, really. Aaron, if that one breaks free, shoot him."
The assistant he addressed pulled a pistol from his belt and stepped towards Bill.
Max felt the liquid spreading through his body, it felt like fire, like it was killing him, it hurt like the Hell his wife always warned him about. More gunshots sounded from outside and Sentry cocked his head and took in many data packets, but Max, distracted as he was, didn't intercept any of them. He could barely focus his eyes on Sentry.
The doctor nodded and probed against Max's mental defenses gently, "I think you are weakening. Very good." He moved over to Stewart, who was lying almost motionless on her gurney. Taking out a scalpel Sentry ran it across Stewart's arm, blood pooled on her skin, which Sentry brushed aside with one hand to reveal unblemished skin. "Amazing. Even faster than series one."
Sentry moved to Max's side and plunged the small blade into the flesh above the injection site. He pulled the knife down Max's arm and watched with interest as the precise cut healed over with a minuscule amount of blood loss. Looking Max in the eyes, he asked, "And you don't want to give this gift to your fellow humans? To not do so would be…criminal." Again Sentries thoughts pressed into Max's head, getting further in than they did before and causing Max to cringe backward.
"What? You want me to stay out of your mind? That's what you want isn't it?" Sentry asked.
"Fuck. You."
More gunfire came from nearby. The man named Kenneth came rushing back into the room.
"Doctor?" the man began.
"Yes, yes, I am still getting your information. I know the warehouse is experiencing some troubles. Maybe I shouldn't have knocked a hole in the wall between here and there after all. Well, Max, I am afraid there is another situation that I simply must go and clean up. We'll talk later. You're going to live forever now you know, so we'll have plenty of time to discuss things. I am on top of this new world order and you…you, are my chosen son to carry the word of my greatness to the people." Sentry cocked a thumb at Stewart, "She'll be my backup, my covert agent, as it were. After she knocks out a kid or two for me to study. Congratulations, Max, you're going to be a father, if you aren't already. I'm afraid it will all be invitro though, things are going too fast to do it the old fashioned way. I'll get what I need before you leave."
Sentry's voiced faded off as Max fell into a dazed state of semi-consciousness. It felt like the series three formula was eating away at his insides. Sentry gave Max's mind one last probe and was pleased to find it had almost fully collapsed and that he was able to rifle through it with no trouble at all. Pulling away from the memories, Sentry nodded at the men in the room with him, "Okay, Kenneth, Chad and Chris, you come with me and cover my back. Do not let anything happen to me. Aaron you stay here and watch the subjects."
Sentry left the room with his thugs in tow and turned right down the hall.
Several minutes went by and all the gunfire in the distance ceased, but the sounds of fighting and yelling did not. Bill continued to struggle against his bonds. One of the many loops of rope around his chest snapped, sounding like a fire cracker as it broke. Aaron raised his pistol. "I will shoot you if you break free." This caused Bill to slow down, but not entirely cease his struggling.
Max threw his head back against the gurney and screamed in agony. The guard looked his way and Bill flexed again, tearing off another of the many strands holding him down. The screams were not acting on Max's part, 'It is tearing me up inside.' The pain became a white rod of hurt coursing through his system. Stewart wasn't doing much better, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from screaming like Max.