Hello there!
So, I know it's been a while since my last update, but since I'm still trying to finish a couple of chapters, I'll try doing what one of my reviewers asked me for: translating this fic to English.
I hope you enjoy it, and that you will forgive any misspelling on my behalf
Chapter 1: Free
Vandenberg Air Base, California, year 2012:
-Thank you for coming on such short notice, Dr. Kreinorck- said Professor Jules, a man dressed in a lab coat with short grey hair as he accompanied the other man, dressed in the same way, through the halls of the facility. Behind them, a group of four uniformed soldiers escorted them without saying a word.
-Don't mention it- commented the man named Kreinorck who, despite being around the same age as the other man, was bald. -When my superiors informed me that my presence in the Crusade Project was required, well... it's not like I could say no, right?
-True, true...-Jules commented, smiling a little.
The men who were then walking by the base were two eminent scientists of Gentek. It was one of the leading genetic and biological research companies in the world, as well as being the main collaborators of the Blackwatch Special Forces in the study of possible biological threats and the development of experimental weapons. It had been they who had developed, more than thirty years ago, the virus called Redlight, one of the first variant chains of the virus that was supposed to become a biological weapon of incalculable power. The initial tests in the town of Hope, Idaho, had led to the appearance of the next evolutionary step of the Redlight project: the discovery of Elisabeth Greene (codename: MOTHER), and her unborn child. While the rest of the inhabitants had died or been infected by the virus, Greene became a host of the virus, creating new strains of the virus almost unconsciously. Quickly, the Blackwatch captured Greene, locking her in one of her bases for the subsequent study of her blood, from which the new variant of the virus would be created: the Blacklight. While this was happening, Greene gave birth to a child.
The child, contrary to what was expected, did not seem to present physical or any type of deformity because of the virus, as had happened in the case of his mother and in all the previous hosts, nor did he seem to present any kind of rejection of any kind. Quite the opposite: it was as if the virus and the child were one. He was not an infected, nor was he a human. That child was ... something completely different. As a precaution, he was separated from the mother, and taken to a different base, where he received the code name PARIAH.
MOTHER was taken from one base to another, until finally confined in the main laboratory of the Gentek corporation building, where it would escape during the First Outbreak of the Blacklight virus. Finally, after having infected the vast majority of the city and trying to create an army of mutants, Greene found its end at the hands of another infected much like her, Alex Mercer, who defeated her and consumed her.
PARIAH, on the other hand, remained locked up for the next thirty-four years following his birth, oblivious to all these events. Without ever getting to know his mother or Mercer, PARIAH became the focus of study of the Crusade Project, a project whose sole objective was to study and understand the kind of being that child was, and discover how they could use it as a weapon. To date, none of the scientists who had participated in the project seemed to have had any successful result.
The root of the problem was that PARIAH was simply different from anything they had ever seen before. Although its core was human (leaving aside aspect and character), his abilities and general characteristics did not agree with those of an ordinary human, nor with those of an infected. It seemed to be something located halfway, and at the same time it seemed to be something ... "superior" to both. The more they learned from him, the more Gentek seemed to be convinced of the importance of completing the Crusade Project.
The pair of scientists finally reached a pair of thick double doors, guarded by another pair of guards, where Jules swiped a card through a scanner to open it.
-Curious- Kreinorck commented as the doors opened. -I thought that all Blackwatch facilities had biometric security.
-This is an old base, doctor- explained the other scientist, inviting him to enter. -Also, I believe that this is better. With Mercer running around eating our scientists and soldiers like chips, it's better that we go back to the old systems of keys and cards, instead of fingerprinting, scanning and too much complication.
-Never before the simplest answer had been the most successful- Kreinorck agreed, following his host.
The double doors gave way to a large laboratory, full of strange scientific devices of all kinds: test tubes, microscopes, computers, and other specialized equipment. Seated before these devices was a small army of scientists, who at the time seemed to be very busy working on the project in question. Two guards stood at the entrance and exit gates, standing firm at all times. On the other side of the room, a huge display cabinet sealed with steel plates caught the newcomer's attention.
-PARIAH is behind that?- asked, pointing to the huge steel slabs.
-Indeed, yes. One could say that it is his room.
-Isn't that much security a little bit excessive, Dr. Jules? I mean... Greene was pretty ... "passive", as long as no one approached.
-True, but this thing here is not MOTHER- the other man answered, checking some documents that one of the laboratory's researchers offered him when he saw him arrive-. This one here is more unruly than the other. One time he decided to hit the glass, and gave us one big scare. Since then, we put those plates, and now we only observe him through cameras, for security .- After writing down a couple of figures on the paper, he returned it to the researcher, and told his guest to follow him. Before, but, he asked Kreinorck to order his escort to remain at the door, since his presence in the laboratory would only disturb the rest of the staff. Kreinorck transmitted the order, and the soldiers obeyed without question.
The two scientists went through the laboratory, and arrived to one of the tables in front of the steel plates in which where verious monitors. In several of them you could see figures that represented the vital signs of the subject, in addition to their mental activity. In others you could see the interior of PARIAH's room, and it was in one of those that Dr. Kreinorck focused on.
-Is ... is that PARIAH?- Dr. Jules nodded, pressing a couple of buttons to zoom in on the image-. It seems…smaller... than I imagined.
The image on the monitor did not match what the scientist had expected to find. He had imagined PARIAH in two possible ways: as an older man with tubes stuck all over his body, or as a deformed body that looked nothing like a human. However, PARIAH was none of those things. The thing in the centre of the monitor looked like ... a child. A 7-9 years old boy, with white hair, but otherwise seemly normal. He wore a blue and grey containment suit, similar to what was used in asylums with difficult-to-control patients, only his seemed to be reinforced with many black belts and chains. Lying barefoot on a long operating table, and tied to it by more chains and straps, PARIAH seemed to be asleep.
-I did not know that the infected slept- Kreinorck commented.
-Oh, he's not sleeping. We believe that it is a state similar to a self-induced coma. It may not seem like it, but he is perfectly aware of his surroundings. Believe me, we know it well ...
Kreinorck continued to watch the monitor, not quite believing that he was as close to a being as he was. At first glance, it did not seem very dangerous. MOTHER, from the moment of his capture until the moment of his death, had been presenting a progressive degeneration both physical and mental that was almost palpable. With just a look, one could understand that it was a dangerous being. But that child ... almost looked like a normal child, "asleep" as he was in that place. Kreinorck noticed that, apart from the operating table, there was no more furniture in the room, and that the only decoration present in the immaculate white of its four walls were various bloodstains of different sizes and shapes that dotted its surface and that of the ground.
- And those blood marks?
-Well, I already told you that PARIAH is a little unruly- Jules joked. -Although he is almost thirty-four years old, his body and mind are still those of a child, and as such sometimes ... he responds poorly to our research.
-…poorly?- asked Kreinorck, raising an eyebrow and glancing at his companion, who only shrugged.
-Estimulation by electroshock, exposure to gases and narcotics, extractions of blood and tissues ... the standard procedure- The scientist replied. -He seems to have developed a certain tolerance to pain, as if I had normalized it, since he no longer gets angry as much as he did before when we first approached him. However, as I have already told you, it is like a child. He gets angry, picks up tantrums, and sometimes it takes a bit to control him.
-Care to explain?
-We tried to subdue him by force, but it did not work too well. He is simply too strong for that. We tried then to, say, educate him, but we did not get the results we were waiting for. He ate the educator that we hired in the first week of therapy.
-Ugh ...
-Yes, it was not nice to see. After that, we prefer to keep the distances with him, and piss him off as little as possible. We give him toys from time to time, and sometimes we read him stories on the speaker before he does what he does instead of sleeping, but we've only gotten that far.
-And have you not thought about, I do not know, reforming it in any way? Looking for a way to him to behave differently?- At that, Dr. Jules smiled at his partner, and put his hand on his shoulder.
- My dear Doctor Kreinorck ... I am afraid that you have become confused in regards to the role of PARIAH in this project. We do not try to "change it", nor do we try to make him join us. Honestly, we do not even care if he is happy or not. All we want is to find out how we can take advantage of his blood and abilities. Once we discover how to replicate the biological miracle that he is, it will no longer be of any use to us, and we will be able to get rid of it once and for all.
- I understand ... - Doctor Kreinorck sighed. When he saw him, Dr. Jules squeezed his shoulder in a sign of camaraderie.
-Don't be discouraged, my good doctor. You are not the first to get attached to the little monster, and I doubt you will be the last. Just remember one thing: that thing there ... - He said pointing to the monitor. - ... it's not a human child. It is a monster, OUR monster, and the only thing that matters is to comply with the orders of the chiefs. Undestood?
Kreinorck turned away from the monitor, facing Jules, who smiled at him with wicked kindness, and extended a hand in his direction.
-Welcome on board, Dr. Kreinorck- he said. Kreinorck looked at the other scientist's outstretched hand, and then looked into his eyes. Smiling in the same way, Kreinorck raised his hand to shake it, when suddenly his hand began to tremble, transfiguring as if made by numerous black and red tentacles, and became a long claw that pierced the surprised Dr. Jules through the stomach. Raising his claw at the shocked and horrified look of everyone present, Kreinorck made Jules' body raise and sink further into his claw, while he was gasping and spitting blood in large quantities.
-Shut up and die already, asshole- Kreinorck said with another voice, a cruel and feminine voice that clashed completely with the rest of his body. Throwing the claw to the side, Jules' body was propelled against the metal plate of the wall, falling to the ground heavily. Upon seeing it, the soldiers opened fire against that being, while this one turned towards the door and sent a sharp whistle. Immediately afterwards, the four soldiers who had accompanied them began to open fire on the defenders, quickly shooting them down without caring that they were also been shot. The terrified investigators, seeing the only exit blocked, tried to get as far away as possible from their assailants, pleading for their lives and screaming for help. - What are you waiting for? Consume them all- commanded Kreinorck with her woman's voice, causing the four soldiers to smile and pounce on the helpless scientists, tearing the flesh from their bodies between cries of pain and panic. While the carnage continued through the room, Kreinorck approached with calm step to where the body of Jules had fallen. As he progressed, his body was covered by the same tentacles as before, changing its shape to a totally different one. Instead of the bald forty-year-old who had been before, now that creature had the look of an elegant woman in her thirties, dressed in camouflage pants, a loose shirt, and combat boots. His long brown hair fell uncontrollably down his back, while his cruel green eyes stabbed with macabre rejoicing at the trembling figure of the other scientist.
-What ... * cof * ... what the hell are you? -managed to articulate the dying doctor Jules, before that woman grabbed him by the neck and lifted him effortlessly into the air.
-Something superior to you- the woman answered, smiling perversely. -I really thank you for explaining all those things to me, "my dear doctor", but ... - The woman's arm, still turned into a claw, went backwards, pointing with the end of it to the face of the terrified scientist. - ... I'm afraid I need the rest of the information. - And after saying that, it went through Jules' skull. Immediately, numerous tendrils came out of the woman's body, wrapping the corpse of the scientist and entering her body, fusing her flesh while the ground beneath her feet splashed with more and more blood. When it was over, there was nothing left from Dr. Jules. Satisfied, the woman explored a little through the memories of the late scientist, learning new things about PARIAH.
A memory came from the depths of his brain, a set of thoughts, ideas and sensations that had once belonged to the eminent scientist. Fascinated, the woman plunged completely into him:
"November 27, try .D (image of a tape recording and Jules talking to a microphone). Performing psychological tests in order to clarify the mentality of the test subject. Test 65
The first results extracted from the tests are inconclusive. While the subject seems to present the kind of results that can be expected in an infant (images of children playing), the tests also reveal certain unexpected patterns of behaviour. PARIAH (image of PARIAH playing with building blocks in his cell, when he was smaller) seems to present a mixture between the mentality of a child of his age (image of a smiling child) and that of a wild animal (image of a tiger showing the teeth), as the other 64 failed tests have shown (sounds of gunfire, screams and blood stains all over), possibly due to his continuous isolation and biological nature.
Separate note: the next tests and tests will be conducted remotely to avoid the loss of more human lives (images of investigators and soldiers killed or being transported on stretchers). Personal note: judging by the observed results, I strongly recommend avoiding all contact with the subject when he is confused or angry (image of PARIAH in his cell, screaming and cracking the glass of the camera). "
The woman left the memory, taking good note of what was learned. "So unruly, huh?"
-Everything ready around here- commented one of her soldiers, his uniform stained with blood. The woman saw that, indeed, her men had already finished devouring the rest of the scientists. Of the more than twenty men and women present in the room, there was only a huge puddle of blood left on the floor, on top of which were the four creatures that had hunted and devoured them.
-Well, then, let's get to it, shall we? - The woman happily proposed, pressing a red button on the desk. Little by little, the steel slabs began to ascend, revealing the crystal through which PARIAH could be seen lying innocently on his table. - ... let's have a talk with our "prince" - the woman said smiling broadly.
Kingdom of Tristain, Halkeginia, royal palace of Tristania:
- Are you sure you have everything ready, your majesty? - Asked, not for the first time, Cardinal Mazarin, an elderly man who wore clothes of a man of faith and a tall cap resting on his silver hair. The person he was talking to, Princess Henrietta of Tristain, was a young woman with purple hair and eyes as bright as aquamarines. She hid a sigh and tried that her tiredness, her nerves, and how fed up she was that he had asked the same thing for the sixth time that morning, it did not show in her voice.
- Yes, cardinal, I have everything I need. I'm sure it will not be necessary to review everything a fifth time-
- Even so, one can never be too cautious. After all, having the Princess perform the Familiar Summoning Ceremony is a very important event inside the palace, and everything must go perfectly. - "As if I needed to be reminded ...", she thought with boredom and weariness. The princess and him had been preparing for the ceremony for more than a week. The invocation circle, the guidelines to follow, the enchantment, the moment to cast the spell, ... Everything had been prepared in detail and reviewed a thousand and one times by all kinds of experts in the field, both to ensure the safety of the princess as her success. In spite of everything, Henrietta could not help feeling a little nervous.
The ceremony was a very important phase in the life of all Halkeginian nobles. Upon completing their most basic level of education in the arcane arts, all magicians performed a special ceremony in which they summoned a familair, a creature that supposedly complemented and reflected the interior and the value of the magician summoning it. This familiar would always live with the magician as his faithful servant and protector, helping him diligently in everything that the magician needed. Many magicians and nobles determined their future according to the familiar they summoned, as for example when a noble summon a tap or a manticore and decided to join the order of knights of the kingdom. It was considered that the value of the magician was reflected in the value of the familiar, and that was the main reason for Henrietta's nerves.
She was a princess loved by her people, she knew that well. She was truly concerned about their well-being, she fought tirelessly for their rights to be respected, and she never gave priority to nobles over commoners only because of the difference in status. Even so, she was weak. She knew it, her people knew it and, even worse, all the other countries knew it. Despite having an army of his own and numerous vassal houses that would not hesitate to run swiftly in the service of the crown, Henrietta knew that in case of war their chances of winning were not assured. She longed only for peace, but she knew too well that, often, one had to fight to get it and protect it. However, she did not seem them capable of achieving either. Inferior in number and armament, her country only possessed the advantage of magic, counting on the greatest number of wizards of Halkeginia. "The flower of Tristain", they called her. A beautiful rose without thorns which didn't had any actual utility but looking pretty. Just thinking about it riled her and filled her with frustration and anger.
It would not be enough to succeed. It would not be enough to summon just a normal familiar. If she was going to summon something, it had to be something impressive, something never seen before, something that proved once and for all that she was something more than a pretty face to accompany the crown with. She did not care if it was big, small, beautiful or scary. If it fulfilled its mission and allowed her to defend her kingdom, she did not care what it was. She could well summon a demon, and she would gladly give him her soul in exchange for his help.
... thinking about it, no demons, thank you. She did not even want to think about the scandal that would cause.
Taking a breath, Henrietta made her way through the castle courtyard, followed by Mazarin and her guards escort. The courtyard was surrounded by numerous guards and members of the firearms squadron, led by Agnes Chevalier de Milan, a young girl with golden, short hair and a perpetual expression of seriousness and determination in her face. In its centre was the huge invocation circle that the greatest magicians of the kingdom had drawn for the occasion, much larger and more complicated than normal. Through the sky flew some members of the squadron of knights, mounted on the backs of their faithful griffins, watching for any threat that might arise during the ceremony. Henrietta sighed when she saw all that deployment, which she though was unnecessary and rather exaggerated, of security forces.
-Something wrong, princess?-Agnes asked, seeing Henrietta sigh.
-Yes, my faithful Agnes, you could say that ... - she simply said, leaving a perplexed Agnes behind as she took a determined step toward the magic circle. She did not need any of that. Something simpler would have sufficed: a normal circle, a normal spell, not having all those people watching every stone in the castle. Surely everything was Mazarin's work. Normally, Henrietta did not object to the old cardinal watching over her safety, but there were times when even he went too far.
Lifting her sceptre, Henrietta prepared to begin the ceremony. At that moment, every guard present in the courtyard got silent, ready to intervene in the face of any threat to the life of the princess.
- I, Henrietta Enriqueta Anna Estuardo, princess of Tristain, send a supplication to the sacred founder Brimir, and implore his guidance and help in this task. That my sacred family, my brilliant knight of light ... - "For Brimir, why did I agree to cast such a long spell?", thought the princess to herself, while her lips continued to pronounce the long, complex and quite redundant in her opinion spell. He had rehearsed it so many times that she could say it almost without thinking, which left her enough room to worry about other things, such as what trying to guess what she was going to summon, how her people would react when they saw it and, above everything else, how her friend Louise would react when she saw it. As far as she knew, in the Academy they would perform the same ceremony in three days, and in about a week the Family Exhibition would be held, which would serve as an excuse to visit her after so many years. Henrietta could not wait to meet her childhood friend once again and catch up on everything that had happened to them in her absence. Also, they would be able to see their respective family members, and Henrietta was more than intended to leave her friend with her mouth open once she saw the impressive being she was going to call. While she was rambling, her prayer was progressively coming to an end, so the princess forced herself to refocus on what she was doing at the moment.-… and with the blessing of the five elements.- Henrietta pointed her staff at the centre of the magic circle, which shone brightly and caused the wind to blow with increasing force because of the great magic power accumulated. The moment of truth. -So, I'm ordering you, my destined familiar ... to appear!
A bright ray of light illuminated the entire courtyard, momentarily blinding everyone present.
Control center of the PARIAH project, moments before:
After pressing another button, a door on one side of the room opened silently, letting out a snort as if it had been pressurized. Smiling, the woman who had opened it went through it without hesitation. Before her, a long corridor opened that ended up in a door that connected it to PARIAH's cell. Before, however, another door stood between her and the hallway, indicating that she was in a decontamination chamber, just as the insulating suits hung on the side confirmed. She could easily tear down that door, but doing so could trigger the alarm, and they did not need to draw that kind of attention on them yet. So, the woman reluctantly put on one of the insulating suits, cautious about what kind of antiviral substances they would have in a place prepared to contain the possibly most dangerous infected on Earth. She preferred not to risk it.
After passing through the decontamination chamber, the woman began to move down the hall, impatient to meet the goal entrusted to her beloved master Mercer. After he had ordered her to search for PARIAH, she had spent many months following tenuous clues and trails, until finally she found a high-ranking military man who knew the exact location of the Crusade Project. After consuming him, it was a matter of following the trail until she found Dr. Kreinorck, who after being consumed became the perfect disguise to access the facilities of Blackwatch. So focused had they been on eliminating Mercer and Heller that they weren't able to conceive that several of Mercer's infected could escape the island to carry out the task of locating Greene's son. Finally, all those months of unsuccessful search had brought them there, one step away from completing their mission: taking PARIAH with Mercer.
However, the woman could not help but have her own plans for the little monster. After all, that child was a seemingly unlimited source of power. Imagine the possibilities, if she consumed it instead of her master! Surely, she would become something superior to Mercer, something much like a Goddess, and then she would be the absolute ruler of the world. Not Mercer, not Heller, only her. If she also consumed the four idiots who had accompanied her, no one would ever discover her betrayal until it was too late. Besides, from so far away, her master could not control her or learn anything about what happens there. The chances of her devouring him on his return to New York increased to almost 100%. She would be unstoppable!
The woman smiled, ecstatic. All her dreams and desires, within arms reach, literally waiting for her on the other side of the door. Nodding to his companions, who watched her progress from the control room, she waited for them to open the door, ignorant of the malicious intentions of the infected.
...
Silence. Absolute silence. Silence only broken by the sound of her own nervous breathing, augmented by the suit that covered her body. Removing it immediately, the woman only had eyes for one thing: PARIAH.
In the periphery of her vision, she saw the thick glass that separated her from her companions, who watched her expectantly. She was also aware of the multiple bloodstains in the room, blood that no one seemed to have taken the trouble to clean, and which pointed all the way to the centre of the room, where an operating table was located with her objective firmly attached to it, as if it were a Mayan altar. In silence, the woman began to surround the table, looking at every detail of the child's body. From the tip of his feet, to the last of his white hair, he seemed nothing more than an ordinary child, ignoring, of course, his singular pigmentation and the fact that he was tied to an operating table in the bowels of a secret base of the United States Army. Had she been human, that would have been everything the woman would have ever noticed.
But she was not a human. She was an Evolved, and that child was not normal or ordinary at all. She could ... feel it. That feeling of dominance, that instinctive terror before a stronger being ... it was like being in the presence of Alex Mercer, the Alpha, again. And he was not even awake. "How much ... power!", the woman thought, swallowing. Failing to imagine how powerful she would become once she absorbed it, the woman smiled nervously and approached to the end where PARIAH's head was.
Finally, the woman came to the table. The child's body, just inches from hers. She could hear his calm breathing, and noticed that, for some reason, he had his mouth covered with an iron gag. Accessing back to Jules's memories, the woman saw that on more than one occasion, PARIAH had tried to bite those who entered the room, and that he possessed a bite that could leave a dent in iron easily.
-You're one cute, little beast, aren't you?- said the woman softly and tenderly, stroking the PARIAH's pale face with the back of her hand, feeling small discharges on her skin as it came into contact with his. Suddenly, PARIAH opened his eyes, briefly startling the woman, who was aware that those wide-eyed eyes were staring at her more intensely than anyone had ever looked at her before in their life. It was as if he was reading her mind, his two red eyes with pupils torn like those of an animal. They were hypnotic, feral eyes, unfit for such a small body. The woman had to resist the temptation to take a step back, and tried to hide her fear by smiling warmly at PARIAH.
-Sorry, little one. Did I woke you up?-PARIAH did not move, concentrated as he was on observing her with both of his red eyes. The woman returned to caress PARIAH's cheek. - My name is Julie. Julie Stowll. And I came here to meet you. -Julie pressed playfully the tip of PARIAH's nose, in an attempt to make PARIAH realx. The look of apparent astonishment on his face changed to another one of confusion for an instant, while it continued fixed in Julie. -You see, I ... - she added, approaching him with whispering air-…I'm like you. I'm not human. And, right now ... -Julie, still caressing PARIAH's cheek, put her other hand on the other side of his head, whispering calmly- ... , I want you to sleep little longer. Quiet ... quiet ... - Julie tried to sing a soft lullaby to PARIAH, making use of her sweet velvety voice while trying to make PARIAH relax. Little by little, the song and the caresses of the young woman caused PARIAH to begin to close his eyes again, until he went back into his previous state similar to that of the dream. Julie continued singing and caressing him until she made sure that PARIAH was sound asleep.
"Jujuju, too easy ...", she thought to herself, looking with cruel pleasure at the unsuspecting child, and pressing her grip lightly on the head of PARIAH. "... bye, PARIAH". Determined not to give him a chance to fight back, Julie made use of all her strength to, in a single gesture, break PARIAH's neck, surprising the four Evolved who watched the scene from the monitor room. Quickly, numerous tentacles came out of Julie's body, quickly digging into the inert body of PARIAH, as she prematurely savoured her impending triumph over Mercer. "Yes, yes, with this ... I WILL BE INVINCIBLE!" She thought exalted, opening her arms and welcoming Greene's power. A power ... that did not come. Confused, Julie looked down. What was happening? Why could she not suck it? No ... not only was she not sucking it, but she was ... she was ...
-No ... nonononono, NOOOOAAAAAGGgghh ...!-she shouted, as Julie felt how her own tentacles turned against her, pulling her body towards PARIAH, instead of the other way around. Between cries of agony, Julie felt as her body was being torn apart and absorbed inside PARIAH, as her body was decomposing little by little and as her blood fell in spurts against the ground and against PARIAH, who was still lying on the table with his neck turned in an unnatural angle. After a few moments of screaming, Julie's reamins eventually decomposed into small tendrils and bloody tentacles that merged with those of PARIAH's body, silently plunging the room again. PARIAH's neck was back in place.
-What ... what the fuck just happened? - Asked one of the Evolved, horrified by what they just witnessed.
Before any of the other three could answer, PARIAH opened his eyes again. Twisting hard, he began to move on his table, trying to free himself from the tapes that held him. His legs kicked until, finally, they managed to wriggle out of the straps that held them down, and with both feet on the table, he began to pull upwards. Shocked by what happened, one of the Evolved tried to run away, but the doors of the base were solidly closed, too thick to be able to throw them to the ground with their powers.
-The card! SEEK THE FUCKING CARD! - He exclaimed hysterically as he hurried to register like a madman on the bloodied floor for any card that would allow them to flee from there.
-Jack, calm down at once!
- What are you doing, idiot? - Exclaimed another one of them, grabbing the elusive Evolved by the shoulder. -We have a mission to fulfil!
-FUCK THE MISSION !- he shrieked, freeing himself from his partner's grip.- Haven't you seen what he has done ?! If we do not leave now ...!
-Guys ... - Said weakly the last one, that had been left behind without knowing who to focus on: his teammates or PARIAH. Right then, with a final pull, PARIAH broke free from the tapes that kept him fixed to the operating table, claiming everyone's' attention. His arms were still tied to his body by that complex straitjacket reinforced with chains, and his metal gag had fallen to the floor with a crash, after which PARIAH opened and closed his mouth, standing on the table. Finally, Greene's son turned around, staring with his unnatural predator eyes at the frightened four evolved, without saying nothing.
The silence and tension lasted barely a minute, when suddenly PARIAH took a step towards them, causing them to instinctively gave another one backwards.
-Ooooh, fuck ... Here it comes!
-Don't worry, he can't go through the crystal. It's too thick for ... - With a jump, PARIAH launched himself against the glass, throwing a strong kick in the air that created a deep crack in it, causing the one closest to the crystal to back up. An alarm started to sound, while emergency lights began to flash and blink, alternately illuminating the laboratory with its reddish light. -SHIT! The slabs, lower the slabs! Jack, take care of the door, let no one come in. The others ... - PARIAH jumped again, throwing another kick in the exact same spot as the previous one, widening the cracks in the glass- ... with me.
Prepared for the fight, the four infected transformed their arms: two of them with blades, the one of the door with a whip, and the last with shattering arms. The infected one next to the crystal, who had claws, pressed the button that lowered the steel slabs with the elbow, but it was too late. Just as they were going down, PARIAH launched one last kick against the glass, crossing it completely and flying over the nearest infected person. Shocked, the infected watched as PARIAH landed in the middle of a cloud of crystals in the centre of the room, up on one of the laboratory work tables, before jumping back towards the infected who pressed the button. Seeing this one how PARIAh came to him, he launched a rapid upward stroke with his sharp appendages, trying to hit the helpless kid in the head. However, PAIRAH managed to stop the attack with his mouth, skilfully catching the sharp blade of the infected with his teeth. With his feet still looking up, PARIAH metamorphosed his right leg into a spear, and by bending his back in an arc, he threw his leg like the sting of a scorpion against the infected man's neck, piercing it from end to end. Twisting in the air, PARIAH finished cutting the head of his victim, who fell limp on the ground.
- NO, JONNATHAN ! Damn you, BASTARD! - exclaimed one of the infected, the other who owned the blades, jumping on PARIAH. Meanwhile, the one with the whip launched a swift attack from below on the young man, trying to impale him through the stomach.
- NO, IDIOTS, WAIT! -tried to say the one with the devastating fists, failing to stop his companions. Meanwhile, the doors of the laboratory were opened wide, while multiple armed soldiers bursted into the laboratory, opening fire on the infected. Covering himself of the bullets with his thick arm, the Evolved one was forced to go to intercept them, instead of supporting his companions.
Undeterred, PARIAH caught the sharp whip of the infected one with one foot, and leaning only on the other jumped up, dodging the attack of the infected blade. Quickly, PARIAH kicked with the foot that held the whip against the face of the nearest infected, nailing the partner's appendix to his eye. The pain distracted the infected enough for PARIAH to land on his two feet, and launch like a missile against his neck, holding him tightly with his sharp teeth and holding onto his shoulders and chest with his legs. Shaking him like a shark, PARIAH tore off his head and part of the neck of his second victim, quickly kicking the rest of the body against the wall. Still holding the severed head of the infected, PARIAH began to absorb it, while the Evolved of the whip watched in horror as PARIAH advanced towards him.
-Oh, fucking ... FUCK! - An explosion behind his back took him out of his state of momentary hysteria. Beside the door, his companion struggled to contain the Blackwatch troops, who had taken cover by the corridor and had decided to unleash the heavy artillery: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and even bazookas. It was clear that the possibility of sinking the facilities did not worry them as much as the fact that the infected could reach them.
-Jack, they're too much! - exclaimed the other infected. Although he was not weak precisely (his arms were already covered in the blood of others, specifically the jumbles of flesh and bone that now adorned the ground at his feet), the armament of those soldiers was not something to be taken lightly. Not for nothing were the guardians of PARIAH.- Let's swap! You finish the soldiers, and I will go for PARIAH!
-Are you crazy? Let's get out of here! This thing is going to ...!-Before he could say anything else, PARIAH ran straight towards him, surprising him because of his partner's distraction. Before he could do anything to prevent it, PARIAH bit him hard on the shoulder, lifting him in the air, and with a quick neck shake, he threw his body in the direction of the other Evolved. Seeing his companion come, the infected was able to duck just in time, so that the improvised viral missile flew over him, through the door and down the corridor, where the soldiers were waiting for him.
-Contact!-One of them exclaimed, opening fire on the infected named Jack before he could get to his feet.
- Grenades! Use the special explosives! - The assault on the infected was devastating. Making use of all his firepower, the Blackwatch riddled that being without giving him the opportunity to stand up, releasing next to him a couple of strange-looking grenades that, when exploded, released a red cloud that did not allow the unfortunate to breathe while he felt his eyes and skin burning. Before succumbing, but, he managed to launch a single horizontal cut, splitting in half several of the soldiers and wounding many others in the process. Finally, the battered body of the infected fell to the ground, where he received a couple more shots and a couple of grenades to finish him for good.
-JACK!-shouted the remaining infected. Although he had the intent of running to help his partner, the threat that represented PARIAH stopped him from going any further. Seeing that he could no longer save Jack, he decided to hit the exterior control panel of the door, causing it to close. Before the soldiers could reach it, the infected man returned to the laboratory, with the door closing firmly behind him. PARIAH, strangely enough, had remained standing in place. The infected man stared into his eyes.
-Let's get this over with…freak-he said, positioning himself with his huge fists in a combat stance. PARIAH remained in the same position, the alarm lights illuminating his impassive face at intervals. With a roar of defiance, the infected charged against PARIAH, who did not make the gesture of moving away. Just as the attacker launched his devastating attack on him, PARIAH crouched down. Quickly, the infected man threw the other fist down, with the intention of crushing PARIAH against the ground. However, the young Greene managed to avoid the attack with an upward flip. At the height of the jump, just as the infected tense was about to launch his third attack, PARIAH opened his mouth unusually, up to almost four times its normal capacity as it divided its lower jaw into three while showing three circular rows of sharp teeth that momentarily frightened the infected, stopping his attack.
"What the ...?" , were his last coherent thoughts, before PARIAH bit his whole head, up to his chest. The infected body twisted for a moment, while his arms struggled to free himself from his captor. However, PARIAH stopped his movements definitely when, with a final crunch, tore off his head with a single bite. Instead of swallowing it, PARIAH spit it to the side, letting it roll on the floor, while his mouth returned to its normal size.
PARIAH stared unblinkingly at the scene unfolding around him: the alarm ringing and the lights that dyed everything red, briefly disguising the blood spilled on the floor and walls, the mutilated bodies of the infected and the soldiers, the shattered tables and crushed lab material. With a calm step, PARIAH turned around, away from the door, his feet leaving small white tracks in the sea of blood they were walking through, with a slight CHAF, CHAF sound. Returning to the control panel, PARIAH jumped up onto the table, pressing the button that raised the steel slabs with his foot. After waiting patiently for them to rise, he again jumped through the hole he had previously opened, falling heavily into the pool of blood that had remained in the room, splashing his clothes lightly with the dark reddish liquid. Unperturbed about these events, PARIAH stretched again at his table, and after a little cracking of his neck, closed his eyes again.
He still was…*yawn*…a little sleepy.
So, amid the shrill sound of the alarm, and the unmistakable clamour of the boots of the approaching Blackwatch soldiers, PARIAH tried to go back to sleep, ignoring any other distraction.
Just as the lab doors reopened, a pale green orb of light enveloped PARIAH and the table, surprising the young Greene again. By the time the doors finally opened, the mysterious orb of light and PARIAH were no longer there, leaving behind only the empty operating table, and a few stunned soldiers who did not understand what the hell had happened in there.
Where the fuck was PARIAH?
Courtyard of the castle, just then:
The brightness of the magic circle began to diminish, allowing its disoriented observers to contemplate a faint silhouette that began to shape itself in the centre of that light. While Henrietta struggled to discern the look of her familiar, a strong smell suddenly assaulted her nostrils, forcing her to cover her face with her sleeve.
- By Brimir! What is that smell? - Mazarin exclaimed, imitating the princess. Agnes, who would recognize that smell anywhere, rushed to get to the princess.
-It's the smell of blood, your Highness ... lots of it- Agnes said, pulling out her pistol and standing between whatever that silhouette was and the princess. Getting in position, Agnes realized where the smell came from: a large pool of blood had formed around the magic circle, with its origin being the centre of it. Whether that blood was from the summoned familiar or not, that was something they couldn't tell. Whatever it was, she did not like it one bit.
Suddenly, the light faded, revealing to all of them the being that the magic of the princess had called before them. It was... a child. A boy with white hair and blue-gray clothes stained red, lying on his back in the middle of a large pool of blood. Seeing him, the first instinct of the princess was to run towards that child, fearing that all that blood was his. However, Agnes prevented her from getting any closer.
-No, princess!
-Let me go! That child could be injured! - exclaimed the princess, trying to free herself from the grip of her protector, who at that moment was struggling to move her away from the circle.
Suddenly, the boy opened his eyes, and jumped to his feet, gazing wide-eyed at everything that surrounded him and surprising all the guards present, who quickly drew their weapons, not knowing who or what that child could be. He, ignoring all the weapons and wands that were in those moments pointing to him, devoted himself to observe everything with wide eyes, looking in all directions as if he did not quite believe what he was seeing. After a quick glance at everything around him, his attention was suddenly focused on the sky above his head, with his eyes so wide that they seemed to be coming out of his orbits, and an expression of a mixture of astonishment and horror in the face. Trembling, the boy bent forward, falling to his knees in the pool of blood, with his head bowed, while little by little the guards and knights began to approach him with a cautious step. Henrietta could only contemplate with astonishment and some fear as that strange child hunched and trembled, without understanding what was happening to him.
Suddenly, the boy raised his head, throwing an unnatural scream into the air, a roar of terror so powerful that everyone felt it like an explosion of air, so strong that the windows of the castle trembled, and more than one was shattered by its intensity, the echo crossing the walls of the castle and attracting the attention of all citizens, who wondered surprised what creature could scream so loudly. The guards who did not manage to cover their ears in time felt as if their eardrums burst, and more than one fell unconscious to the ground, with blood coming out of their ears. Henrietta tried covering her ears to reduce the damage of that monstrous scream, but it was still too loud. That voice ... was deffenetily not human. It was like the cry of an animal, a scream as she had never heard before, a powerful scream that seemed to have no end.
The cry of her new familiar.
By Brimir ... what answered her summoning?
And, just like that, the first chapter has been fully translated.
Just a quick warning: as many of you can notice, English isn't my native language. I used Google Translator to do a quick translation of the fic, then revising it to correct any mistakes or parts that didn't make sense, but there still could be grammar mistakes or misunderstandings, so try to have that in mind if you want to review the chapter.
I hope you all enjoy it, and see you at the next chapter.
Chao Chao