The Resurrection

In a dim lit room sat Professor Jonathan making a note of his observations. A gurgling sound made by the chemical in a test tube disrupted the stark silence. Pushing the hair that fell on his face, he limped to the table on which the apparatus was neatly aligned. Sitting in the same posture for days had made his muscles sore and he winced as he stood leaning against the wall. With his gloved hands, he carefully held the test tube and placed a few drops of the chemical on the chip with the help of a pipette. Green colored flames filled the laboratory making him choke. He covered his nose and mouth with his hand and let out a muffled cough. His eyes watered and he felt a pricking sensation on his arms and legs. A few minutes later, he began to rub his skin fervently and felt like he was set ablaze. He rushed to the cabinet and rummaged it but there was no sign of water. His skin wrinkled and something made him twitch. Something old and deep. 

The locked and unused chamber of his heart was about to open, drifting him to the bygone days but he fought his emotions with every ounce of strength he could gather and stood still trying to focus on the series of events that were happening. A drop of the chemical resided on the chip like a dew drop on the petal. The chip shone like a pearl under the radiance of the sun. He carefully picked the chip and inserted it in a machine. A message beeped on the screen. "Successfully programmed" it read. His eyes twinkled and lips sinisterly curved upwards. He did it. Finally. After more than a decade. 

Holding the chip securely in his hand he walked to the table. The chip was inserted in a syringe, and he bent forwards and caught a better glimpse of the corpse that lay before him. "You are in for a surprise," he let out a ghoulish laughter and pierced the skin, followed by the muscle mass all the way to the subcutaneous tissue. He clicked the piston, and the chip was now embedded deep within the neck of the lifeless body. The ticking clock sent Jonathan's heart racing. Hours passed but nothing changed. He let out an exasperating sigh letting his breath settle like mist on the glass surface. Closing his eyes, he turned and was about to walk away when he felt something behind him move. Holding onto the flickering hope he turned and saw that the corpse sat upright. It was no longer a corpse. An alive and breathing human sat before him. A human who was hale and hearty. He had resurrected someone to life. 

"Eureka," he shrieked. He invented a superpower. When a concoction of chemicals came in contact with a sequence of DNA it had the capacity to bring a person back to life. The invention was a gift to humanity. No one would have to die. Never ever. No family would have to grieve the loss of a loved one. No parent would ever have to mourn the loss of their kid. This superpower put him on a pedestal equivalent to God. He was the Messiah. A savior of the mankind. He deserved to be awarded with the Nobel Prize. He would be remembered for years to come. His name would be etched in golden letters in the history.

He dwelled in the state of euphoria for hours and then let his creation, the man who had just taken a rebirth walk out of the laboratory. The next morning, the laboratory was thronged by the media. Everybody was eager to get a glimpse of Jonathan. Jonathan the God who lived among the humans. He walked out of the laboratory and was showered with praises. His chest was swollen with pride. The news about the superpower spread like wildfire. He was contacted by the top firms and pharmaceutical companies. They wanted to lay their hands on the formula. The formula behind the superpower. He was offered humungous sums of money, but he didn't seem to care.

Meanwhile away from all the hullabaloo, he was busy gifting the dead with rebirth. Grieving families worshipped him. The self-proclaimed God within him didn't allow him to rest. The suddenly acquired fame began to pose a threat to his life. A section of the population expressed concerns about mindlessly resurrecting people to life. The old leaves wither and fall paving way to new leaves. Everything beautiful comes to an end. So does life. That's the law of nature. One cannot disrupt the equilibrium in the society. Overpopulation would have a catastrophic effect. It is like a slow setting pandemic taking over the world. 

One morning, he got into his car and drove for a few miles. Thirty minutes later, he reached the destination. He got off the car and maneuvered through a series of tombstones. He finally stopped at a tombstone with the words Alice Jonathan engraved on it. A lone tear inadvertently escaped his eyes and trickled down his cheeks. He bent forwards and placed the flowers by its side. As he stood staring at the grave, he was transported to his days of yore. He had discovered a cure for a life-threatening medical condition and was a recipient of many laurels and accolades. But he was not able to stop his world from crashing before him. His daughter Alice was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. He consulted specialists from across the globe, tried every treatment available, travelled every nook and cranny of the country is search of the cure for the condition but in vain. His daughter had breathed her last at a tender age of ten.

He had developed an aversion towards life and science. He had vowed to abandon his passion 'science' the same way it hanged his family to dry. But his wife motivated him to do the exact opposite. She asked him to eradicate death from the world. "Make everyone immortal," she had said. Inspired by his wife's words, Jonathan locked himself in the laboratory for ten years and came up with the superpower that would obliterate death from the lives of all. After spending a few minutes by his daughter's side, he drove back to the laboratory. His wife had left a suit for him. A press meet was scheduled an hour later. He took a shower, shaved and looked presentable. He sat drowning in the memories of the times he had spent with his daughter when someone knocked on the door. He got up and opened the door.

A delivery boy stood in the doorway holding a package in his hands. He received the parcel, walked to the table and began to eat. He shoved a few bites down his throat while staring at his daughter's photograph that lay on the table all the time. "This is for you my dear. I'm going to name this drug after you," he whispered. He felt like his daughter was by his side looking at him endearingly.

An hour later, through the door left ajar, the reporters entered the laboratory. Jonathan lay on the floor with a white colored fluid oozing from the corner of his mouth. The police were informed. It was suggested that the death occurred because of the poison in the food. The super chip was missing. Who killed Jonathan? Was it the firms that tried to lay their hands on the chip or was it the extremist group who felt that Jonathan's invention was a curse on mankind? Questions were yet to be answered and mysteries were to be unraveled but Jonathan was gone, and his death was a loss to the mankind. His contribution to the world of science would be remembered for ages to come.

Three years later

"A thirty-year-old man brought back to life" read a news article. In some other part of the world, away from the eyes of all Jonathan's superpower was put to use. Or was it misused?