Awakening - The Tigris Series Book 2

Chapter Twelve

"That's 10 percent." Howard Stark's voice rang through the room as he slowly turned a small black wheel at the control panel.

Rogers had been enclosed in the machine, propped upwards with only a small, brightly lit-up window at the top. The sound of the machines running hummed lowly, increasing in volume the more Stark turned the wheel. Anticipation was high in the air with everyone on their toes as they watched the scene, intently.

The fifteen year old girl clutched tightly to her father's forearm as she watched with her brows tightly furrowed together in worry. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Rogers. Like many others in the room with her, she prayed that the experiment would work, and that he would make it out okay.

"20 percent. 30. . ." Stark continued, snapping his attention back and forth from the small wheel, and the machine with Rogers tightly enclosed. "That's 40 percent."

Everyone's eyes were glued to the machine, despite the bright light that emitted from it becoming brighter and brighter. Doctor Erskine, who stood a few feet away from the machine, lifted his hand to cover his eyes from the bright light, squinting his eyes to try to keep watch of the scene.

"Vital signs are normal." one of the other doctors down by the series of control panels informed Stark, peering back at him through his dark goggles.

"That's 50 percent." Stark continued, turning to look back at the other doctors' panels through his own dark shades. "60. . . 70."

Just as the number left Stark's lips, a muffled scream of pain sounded from inside the machine. The sound caught everyone's attention, causing them to sit forward in their seats with widened eyes. Agent Carter left the room, walking to the upstairs railing to shout down at the doctors and scientists.

"Shut it down!" she exclaimed, gripping the railing tightly.

"Steven! Steven!" Erskine shouted, stepping up directly in front of the machine to try and see Rogers through the brightly lit window of the machine and knocking on it.

"Shut it down!" Agent Carter shouted again, staring down at them, intently.

Erskine barked a few orders at the scientists, quickly shuffling towards them as they got into their positions for an emergency evacuation of the project.

"No!" Rogers' voice yelled, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Don't! I can do this!"

Erskine looked from the machine, then back at Stark as they exchanged an uncertain look. Before anyone could say anything more, Stark moved back to the wheel, and resumed turning it, slowly.

"80. . . 90!" Stark shouted over the loud humming of the machine as the light became brighter and brighter, nearly blinding everyone. "That's 100 percent!"

Everyone watched with wide eyes, hearts pounding as they anxiously waited for the machine to finish. Sparks suddenly emitted from the panels and surrounding technologies, overloaded with energy and electricity. The girl gasped, covering her mouth in shock and worry as she watched the scene. Her grip on her father's arm tightened even more, tight enough for it to be painful; but, he didn't notice it. His full attention was on that brightly-lit machine, expecting the worst.

Suddenly, it all began to shut down and black-out. The humming noise faded away, slowly, and all became still as everyone anxiously and intently locked their gazes on the machine. There was a pause that seemed to last forever. People from up in the room behind the glass stood from their seats, getting as close as they could to the glass as their impatience grew. The girl had shifted her hands to rest on the glass, watching with wide, bright blue eyes as she waited for any signs of life.