A/N: Phew…right before my deadline! That was close! See my Code if you're wondering what I'm talking about. In other news, don't worry about the three OCs in this chapter: they're unimportant, and really only serve as plot devices, so they don't have names and will not feature in this story in a major role.

That's out of the way now, so please read and enjoy!


Providence HQ,
Ten seconds after the Spark

When Evan fell to the ground and started twitching, Hunter just assumed that the man'd been hit in the knee by a stray shot, and was rolling on the ground in pain. Or maybe a nerve had been clipped and he was convulsing as a reflex action. Whatever the cause of the strange European's collapse, it no doubt had a similarly mundane explanation behind it – certainly nothing to worry about in the middle of a fight.

Then Evan opened his mouth, and all of Hunter's other thoughts promptly flew out the window.

Those screams

Hunter remembered those screams well. How could he forget them, with his ears still ringing from the first time he'd heard them? The screams then, and every one since, had been as a knell in his ears, sounding the toll of his loss. Looming before him like an accusing spectre, Hunter saw dimly the flames that burned down his house, while the shrieks continued to echo in his ears…

Not being a very fanciful man, however, he refused point-blank to allow his mind to fade away into memories during the middle of a fight. Streams of adrenaline were coursing through his veins and, no matter how swamped by the emotions attached to that sound he was, he was fully aware that he was engaged in combat: where a careless slip could mean your life. Pushing aside his persistently lingering remembrances, all Hunter forced himself to receive from the noise for the moment was simple.

An EVO was forming, never mind that there were supposed to be none of them left alive. Hunter didn't know how or why, but one of those freaks was coming, timing be damned. He'd learnt a lot through his extensive study of EVO habits, and one of the common things he'd found among the rare instances when he was on hand when a human became…infected…was a crooning squall that began emanating from the victim's vocal cords. It varied from person to person, but it was an unmistakable indicator of an EVO's formation.

More than that: cruel experience had taught him that when the shrieking sang out, it was time to burn your bridges and prepare for some serious chaos.

The green-suited ninja had let his guard slip for a moment when he heard the terrible sound his prone partner was making, and Hunter seized his opportunity. He swung his rifle violently at the man, who appeared to be busy examining the screaming figure clawing at the floor (although the shades made it hard to tell). The impaled rifle, with a sword still stuck in the barrel, just missed Six, who had to throw himself bodily into the corner to escape.

While his adversary was thus preoccupied, Hunter managed to unpin Gatlocke and blaze around the corridor, hauling his partner along like a sack of potatoes. Then he was running for all he was worth away from Providence, away from Rex, and away from those screams.

As he ran, Hunter's mind worked furiously as he tested theories in his head. What could be causing EVOs to form? Didn't the science-guys tell us that the plague was over? Hunter wasn't usually a theoretical physicist, but everyone's mind was on the nanites following the recent events, so he permitted himself to hypothesize as he ran. As he mulled over such heavy topics, he double-checked his ammo and safety, in case any more freaks were on the prowl already.

Hurtling round a sharp corner, Hunter found himself in a dank, dimly lit room that appeared to be a dead end. Glancing frenetically about, he saw a few bikes lying in the corner haphazardly. A Providence garage. Perfect.

Scuttling over to one of the overturned bikes, he jacked into the system hastily while Gatlocke took some simple explosives out of his cape. Hunter pointed at the metal door impatiently while revving the engine excessively. Gatlocke nodded eagerly and strode forward with his equipment, always glad to blow stuff up.

A few explosions later and the flimsy titanium door was reduced to scrap metal. He revved the engine, and the two were soon racing away from Providence on the bike, headed towards the nearest city. Along the way, Gatlocke absent-mindedly pried the tracker out from under the hood and tossed it into a nearby lake they zoomed by.

As they blitzed through the countryside, Gatlocke seemed unusually silent – a development that was entirely fine with his stolid comrade. Hunter had plenty of thinking to do as well. After all, it seemed as though, contrary to popular belief, the accursed nanite infection had yet to be excised fully. If you want a job done right…

After a few further minutes of blissfully silent travel, the duo encountered a tremendous logjam of traffic that snarled its ugly way several miles out of the city limits. The chatter and noise was incredible, and the traffic jam was only exacerbated by the drivers who simply got out of the vehicles and decided that walking would be faster. Cars lay abandoned by the roadside, warning lights blinking pathetically as people fell abruptly back into their worst nightmare.

Dazed, confused human beings groped their way through the whirling turmoil, trying to get somewhere, anywhere, away from this confusion. Little knots of people slowly made their way about the place, searching for something that had the answers; Answers to questions people never wanted to have to ask again. Their collective cries rose to the sky; a mindless babble of human beings ripped away from their foundations and wheeling desperately about for a solid point. Relatives frantically phoned each other, trying to see who had 'turned' and who was safe; while everywhere families huddled around one another, seeking comfort in one another's presence.

Weaving through the honking, blaring vehicles that crisscrossed the road and dodging around the hordes of trudging pedestrians, Hunter soon made his way into the city. There was smoke rising from the downtown area, and the streets were covered in rubble of various sorts. The place looked like it had been hit by an earthquake, and the inhabitants were no better: wandering around in the melee, they crawled out of destroyed houses and collapsed buildings like displaced ants.

The city was just like it had been after the first Nanite Event. Martial law lay over the region, with matters rapidly descending into a simple struggle for survival against the old menace that had reared its ugly head once more. Walls imploded and windows shattered as the newly created EVOs went careening through the city, leaving mayhem and destruction in their wake.

An incredible feeling of déjà vu flowed through Hunter's body as he watched the whole catastrophe playing itself out before him like a broken record – EVOs were going on rampages again, and the humans were once again helpless in the face of such ungodly power.

Hunter found a dark alley that seemed relatively secluded from the general fracas, and wheeled into it. Sandwiched between two city blocks, it was your typical isolated dark street. There was the usual overflowing garbage heap in the background, dim light filtering through the exits on both sides, and the mandatory people that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, conveniently already occupying the aforementioned dark alley. The sound of the motorbike's engine reverberated loudly in the confined area, ringing in the pair's ears until Hunter cut the power.

After wheeling the bike to the dumpster and burying it as deep as possible in the pile of trash, Hunter and Gatlocke turned and stood staring at each other. They had both been aware that their alliance had been arranged solely for convenience, and now that they were free there was no need whatsoever for any continued amity between them. Harsh, but Hunter had learned the hard way that anyone could stab you in the back. Heck, he'd even stuck the knife himself in several people in the past.

I hope he isn't seriously considering killing me to tie up his loose ends and make sure he gets away safely. Lowering his center of gravity in preparation for combat, Hunter opened his mouth to speak; but Gatlocke cut him off. Seemingly oblivious to the tension hanging in the air, the bandit spoke with a swirl of his cape and a dramatic gesture.

Striking a noble pose, Gatlocke said, "It occurs to me that the time for our association seems perhaps to have concluded, however regrettable that may be. While the loot was good and the outcomes were optimal, I feel this is where we part ways. Though we had a good run, 'Gatlocke and the Kitty Cats' will now disband…forever."

The man looked at the general disorder surrounding them. Cars parked in the middle of the street, their drivers nowhere to be seen; while those who remained in their vehicles completely ignored traffic regulations, driving on sidewalks if it helped them move faster. Gatlocke took it all in, took in all the chaos and madness surrounding him, and smiled.

"I do believe that this city is in need of a good villain to terrorize it, and I'm the one to fill the vacancy! Me, Gatlocke the Great! The Grandiose! The…the…the Groovy! Gatlocke the Groovy has come, so bring out your valuables, then run for your lives!" Cue descent into maniacal laughter.

Hunter had tuned out Gatlocke's monologue halfway through, knowing that most of what the bandit said was complete slush. When his erstwhile partner's jabbering was little more than a faint buzzing in his ears, Hunter's attention was captivated by the shriek of a woman from the street. The cry of distress was followed by several animal snarls and howls that Hunter identified with little to no trouble. Gatlocke, however, looked towards the alley's exit, shrugged rather comfortably, and proceeded to walk off down the alley without another word, having concluded his speech and made his intentions clear.

Hunter's feet were glued to the ground however, and his heart was pounding. The blood was roaring through his ears, and the shouting and howling from the EVO around the corner did nothing to shift his body.

Those screams…

Though he'd never heard those particular screams before, within them he could hear an echo, a phantom moaning as a chill wind from his past blew down his spine. He felt a memory of agony, a specter that had been resurrected to haunt him once more.

His grip tightened on the butt of his weapon as he realized that right now, at this very moment, there was an EVO right around the corner. I'll kill the freak…

He vaguely became aware of Gatlocke speaking to him, and realized with a rush that the man appeared to be trying to make some sort of deal.

"What would you say if I offered you the chance to be part of the Dreadful Duo I have planned out, hmm? Does the proposition appeal to you? You could have the pick of the food, the shiniest weapons, the second-best car – obviously second best, because the best has to be mine – a relatively equal share of the money, shall we say, 60-40? Not a bad proposal, eh?"

Hunter mulled the prospect inside his head for roughly 2 milliseconds. Is he serious about this? Sorry buddy, I would just love to take you up on that, but I've got bigger fish to fry. He opened his mouth to emphatically decline, but Gatlocke broke in once more.

"Of course, you'll have to wear a kabuki mask – can't have a sidekick with no cool signature physical appearance. Lose the ski mask, find a kabuki mask…yes, I can see it now!" The lunatic made a wild gesture with his arms. "Gatlocke the Groovy and his Kabuki-ed Kicker of Side, Cain!

That settled it. I can't hang around the city, I've got to regroup and assess the global situation before I think of rampaging wildly with a maniac. I've never been the rampaging type, and I'm not going to start now. Besides…a kabuki mask? "Thanks, but no thanks," he said, shouldering his gun as he walked around the corner.

"I've got ghosts to put to rest."


Peeking around the edge of the building surreptitiously, Hunter surveyed the scene before him. The street he had emerged onto was brightly lit by the sun, and he had to shade his eyes a bit to take the scene in fully. Squinting his eyes against the sudden glare, he stepped into the street with his cannon at the ready when he saw what was going on.

On the other side of the street, a large, hulking EVO was looming over a man and his wife, both of whom were cowering against the remnants of a shattered concrete wall. It was a dark-bluish green color, and had eyes scattered on random parts of its body – the disgusting mutant. Its mouth was the predominant feature of its otherwise blank face, and stringy saliva dripped between the creature's pointed teeth as it advanced slowly on its trapped prey.

The man, a strapping specimen of humanity, was obviously terrified, but had still placed himself between the monster and his wife. He wore an orange construction jacket, and his arms were knotted and bulging with muscle. Still, in the face of this hideous strength he was confronted with, his eyes were bulging and his calloused hands were visibly shaking. The woman's face was white as chalk, and her hands were covering her mouth. They both looked as though they thoroughly expected to die.

Raising his massive cannon, Hunter cocked the hammer loudly, attracting the EVO's attention. Freezing in place, the beast turned slowly to face him head-on. A silence fell upon the street – the stillness before the storm. The couple had gone rigid, the monstrosity was sizing him up, and to Hunter time stood still.

He thought furiously, his eyes squinting behind his ski mask as his mind calculated risks and angles on the spur of the moment. He couldn't shoot the beast for fear of hitting the couple, but he needed to have a weapon trained on the thing before he could attack it. He aimed his gun with a well-practiced air, but as he looked through the scope he caught a glimpse of a smaller form crouching behind the couple. A child?

Hunter could barely make out the silhouette of a child – a young girl – cowering behind her mother's skirts, peering out at the nightmarish events transpiring before her. She was coated with a light dusting of concrete powder, and Hunter could barely make out her wide brown eyes soaking in the situation.

The spell was broken. Discounting Hunter as unimportant, the beast turned its attention back to the couple – no, trio – and took another menacing step forward towards them, mouth twisting in a cruel mockery of a grin. It raised its claws to attack, and the woman whimpered softly. Hunter prepared to take the shot, risks or no risks.

Suddenly, the burly father seemed to snap in the face of the threat posed to his family. With a maddened glint in his eyes and the tendons of his neck standing out, he charged towards the monster; sturdy feet pounding the concrete as he ate up the ground between him and his foe. Screaming incoherently, he drew a thick and corded arm back as he aimed a devastating blow at the creature that was menacing them all.

The force of the EVO's casual backhand knocked the man flying across the street, cart-wheeling through the air until he crashed jarringly into the base of a lamp post, where he lay immobile. His wife gave a wordless cry, and ran over to him. The little girl instinctively scampered after her mother, clutching her skirt hem for dear life. The EVO's head turned to follow the two, and it took a step towards the prone man.

In that moment, all the considerable rage and hatred that Hunter had towards the creature crystallized itself into a single action. He pulled the trigger.

The resulting blast knocked the EVO forcefully through the wall of the building, semi-collapsing it and half-burying it in the rubble. Hunter strode through the debris and smoke until he was standing in front of the EVO.

The creature was trapped, eyes half-lidded as it struggled to break free from the concrete that pinned it down. It managed to get one arm free, and was working on the other when Hunter lowered the barrel of his gun to its face. It froze completely, and looked at him with those unnatural eyes. Hunter grinned behind his mask.

"End of the line, freak." And then: squeeze went his finger, and boom went the cannon.


Hunter clambered back out of the murky dust cloud the fallen building has raised, into the sunlit street. His clothes were stained with an easily identifiable liquid, soaking into his clothes. Great. Shouldn't have been standing so close to it when I fired.

Looking up, he glanced at the three people clustered around the lamp pole. The man was still lying on his face, but all his limbs seemed to be working and he didn't seem to be paralyzed. His wife was fussing over him, but the girl…was looking straight at Hunter.

She shifted to hide herself behind her mother almost unconsciously, and Hunter sighed mentally. He was fully aware of what he looked like to these people – a rogue fighter, coming and killing things with reckless abandon, stained with blood and gore from his kills. Can't actually blame the kid. Hunter turned to go, but was halted by a rasping voice that called to him.

"Wait," the man called, struggling to lever himself onto his elbows. "I have…have to…say…. Thank you, sir, for doing what…for doing what I couldn't. What I was too weak to do. I can't…I…I just couldn't…" The man's voice trailed off as he passed a hand over his eyes. His body shook as he was overcome momentarily by his emotions, then he seemed to pull himself together. He locked eyes with Hunter, and spoke in a voice choked with emotion but fired up with new-found spirit.

"I'll follow you. I'll go with you anywhere, mister. You saved my family, my daughter, and I can never repay you. Never. Please, sir, I owe you my family's life. It's the least I could do."

Hunter looked at the man, pondering. Then he began walking towards the small group steadily, thinking as he approached.

Hmm…I could work with this. This is the chance for me to potentially restart my entire mission. Here I could found my army once more, and with the approval of the people behind me I could eradicate every nanite on the planet. I could finish my never-ending campaign at last…

Lost in his thoughts and stratagems, he still didn't fail to notice the young girl cringing as he walked forward. I could move on from the life of a fighter, and go do something else with my life…

Stopping near the group, Hunter squatted by the man's body. He remained silent for a few seconds, calculating what to say, then seemed to reach a decision. He unslung his pack, opened it, and removed one of the Providence rifles he'd stolen from the lockup.

"My name is Hunter Cain. One day, I may call upon all men to stand against the EVO threat. To make a stand against this plague that's consuming our community. Until that time, though…"

He pressed the standard Providence-issue rifle into the construction worker's hands. The man looked down uncomprehendingly.

"Defend yourself. Defend your family. Stand strong, and rely on no one but yourself when fighting this menace. We defend ourselves and those close to us from the EVOs: it's both our right and our privilege to do so. If Providence will not help us, we must turn to the strength within ourselves."

A light came into the man's eyes as a newfound hope was kindled within his breast, and he gripped the rifle with a newfound conviction. "When you call for men, Mr. Cain, I'll be at the front of the line." He scrabbled at his ruined clothes, producing a pen and paper from a tattered pocket and writing something down hastily.

"Here. My number. Anytime you need something, whatever, just call. Doesn't matter when, doesn't matter where, I'll come running."

Hunter took the paper and stood up, dusting himself off. He smiled down at the family.

"Good luck, my friends."

Three pairs of eyes followed the lone figure as he walked down the broken road, into the sunlight. Two of them were admiring and awestruck, but Hunter was ill at ease; for while the adults' eyes had reflected gratitude, the little girl's face held something else entirely.


Throughout the rest of the day, Hunter continued roving through the city, avoiding the scattered Providence forces but constantly taking down EVOs. He caught a glimpse or two of a ragtag group of minions that appeared to be looting some empty shops, and assumed that Gatlocke hadn't wasted any time.

Hunter hadn't wasted it either – he'd received several more undying vows of loyalty from various men (and a few women, too) that he'd saved from EVOs, and was seriously considering restarting his army and continuing his never-ending quest to rid the world of the freaks.

Having cleared the majority of the inhabitants out and taking down most of the major EVO threats facing the city, Hunter felt entitled to a little relaxation time. He walked over to a quiet corner and rested his head against the wall.

Hunter's brow furrowed. Even now, the nagging voices continued to resonate through his head. One image in particular refused to leave him alone, coming back to dog his mind over and over again, no matter how much he tried to relax. It was the first kill of the day, right when he'd saved that family of three and gotten that family's phone number.

The little girl with the dirt-streaked dress and shining eyes had looked at Hunter, the avenging angel of humanity bent upon revenge, not as a savior; or indeed with anything remotely resembling gratitude.

Rather, her eyes, those gelatinous globes of expression and beguiling beauty, had been holding…fear. Fear not of the threatening EVO, but rather of the equally menacing slayer of the EVO.

She had been afraid of him.

xxXxx


A/N: Soooooo…I re-watched Endgame Pt. 2, and I know that I've already mentioned NoFace in the Bug Jar being weird, but I just have to say it again. When did he escape? Wasn't he caught by that impenetrable force-field thing Rex (somehow) magicked out of the nanite extraction chamber? When did he go free? Am I missing something?

And another thing (the real reason for this rant): I looked up his appearance, and it turns out that 'NoFace-cured' was actually brown-skinned, with dark hair and the whole Hispanic shebang (google "no face cured gen rex" to see a better picture…than the one I just painted…with my words…terribly…yeah, just look it up).

Needless to say, Man of Action's pointless insert of an absolutely unnecessary two-and-a-half-second segment of video with the potential to derail my entire, much beloved, Evan-character…will be completely disregarded. Yup, I'm ignoring the canon and keeping Evan as a European, which is shocking even for me (I'm feeling an overpowering need to go to confession…which is strange, because I'm not Catholic…). Forgive me this once?

Also, the shrieking. I figured that Hunter, with all his research and whatnot, could tell fairly quickly when an EVO was forming, and I have noticed that a good deal of the noises EVOs in the cartoon make are ridiculously similar; so I thought to myself – hey, why not?

I have a lot of fun writing descriptions. I mean, who else do you know who calls eyes "gelatinous globes"? Seriously, I nearly scraped my own eyes when I wrote that phrase down, and yet I just couldn't get rid of it.

YellowAngela: Thanks, but I really wanted to make the scene a lot more impactful, if you know what I mean. Seriously, this part of the story is a big deal – nanites reactivating, and all that. I wanted to really squelch the audience with the scope of it, but I'm not sure I encapsulated it well enough. Anyway, thanks again for the review, and I'm glad the tedious setup hasn't bored you.

Guest/theWriterunknown: Wow, I got two reviews for one! Thanks for the praise, and I'm relieved you liked the chapter. Unfortunately, my update speed will probably be restricted to about this pace – I'm reaching the end of my pre-written chapters, which means I'll have to start writing them out again, which will probably take time. Glad you like it, though!

Lily: Yes, Bobo and his shenanigans…I suddenly feel like I need to write a short story to explain it all…that's next on my to-do list, I suppose. Anyway, sorry to disappoint, but the explanation is coming in the next chapter over, not this one. Sorry, but I love switching viewpoints frequently, so the next one will be Providence-centric and will carry a full explanation of things.

FloatingPizza: Wow. I think that's the longest review I've heard from you yet. Not that I'm complaining, mind. I'm extremely flattered by your high opinion of my writing style, so thanks for that! Yeah, without giving too much of the story away, I can safely say that…actually, I can't really say. Sorry, but I'm trying to keep the suspense going as long as possible. If you want to confirm your various 'headcanons', though, just drop me a PM and I'll happily give you a (short) outline of the possible team-ups. Again, thanks for your review! Update: Thanks for the proof-reading! The deadline apparently messed up my own skills, so thanks for being so detailed! Just a note - the Arnold Schwarzenegger guy is actually not my main OC, who shows up in the next Hunter-centric update. Sorry for the confusion. See the A/N at the top of the page.

Thereal13thfirewolf: Wow, a new reviewer! I haven't had one of those since…wow, Chapter 6, wasn't it? Thanks for leaving a message, and I hope the rest of the story lives up to your expectations.

Again, sorry this was so late guys, but I'm totally burning the midnight oil on this end. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews – they really keep me going! As a reward, please accept this poem of gratitude (I don't even know why I write these. Ah, tradition, thou hath foiled me)…

I'm bored to death of Math and Chem,
Yet forced to read and study them.
My parents do not let me write,
So please excuse my sorry plight.

xxXxx