A/N: Writing this chapter was…interesting, to say the least. Is it wrong to feel depressed over something you wrote on your own? Man…I need to write a humorous story…soon…This chapter really cut it close to the deadline, but I'm still proud of it.
Important aside: Kwon is not important to the story. At all. That statement sounds nonsensical now, at the beginning, but it makes sense at the end of the chapter.
There can be no true despair without hope.
-Bane, The Dark Knight Rises
One day, two hours and eleven minutes after the Spark,
Hong Kong
The form staggered haphazardly through the trash littering the street. With trembling legs and uneven breath, he forced his limbs to keep moving down the road. Looking out through hooded and shadowed eyes, he took in the bleak panorama surrounding him.
Hong Kong. The city was usually lit up brilliantly with countless headlights from flashing cars, or from the multi-paneled windows of the towering skyscrapers. The air would be filled with the crescendo of the cacophony caused by innumerable cars rushing past each other as the throbbing heart of the city beat even as the sun had gone down. There was no doubt about it; this was not the Hong Kong that he'd known all his life. Shouldn't be surprised, I guess, he thought morosely to himself. Everything else has gone down in flames; hardly unusual for the nightlife to have done the same.
The city had descended into relentless chaos after the resurgence of EVOs. With monsters roaming the streets once more, the usually bustling nightlife of the city was nowhere to be found. Plastic wrappers rustled gently along the tiled walkways as the citizens retreated to their homes for the night. Even the police refused to patrol their usual circuits, responding only to direct calls for help. Within moments of the sun's setting, the only people to be seen were either homeless bums hunting up a niche to shelter in…or the beings everyone was sheltering from.
Through this wasted remnant of a metropolis, the figure weaved crookedly down the damp alleys, clawing at his face and moaning quietly. He kept up a steady stream of plaintive whines under his breath, bumping into trash bins and brick walls with no concern whatsoever. A casual spectator would almost certainly have written him off as just another strung-out junkie, craving for his next fix.
Almost. Even the most cursory of once-overs, however, could snag some telling features that told of far more disturbing things taking place just below the surface. Things that weren't quite…normal.
For instance, just a glance could deduce that the hands clawing at the being's face were not your usual mundane assemblages of flesh and blood, but rather seemed to be rippling under the skin, almost like waves in the sea. Moreover, the ringing moans the creature was making were not the cries of a drunkard's ramblings. Had Hunter Cain been present, he would have immediately corrected the observer, pointing out the unique wail and keening undertones that lay in the sound.
But the most telling characteristic, the one that indisputably culled this specimen from the regular crop of late-night lurkers, was the aura emanating from his body. Rather than the typical attitude of jocularity and/or wariness to be found among most early morning revelers; this specimen had an attitude of sorrow and anguish to his step. The slump of his shoulders, the crook of his neck, the convulsions of his fingers, the heavy tread of his feet: the anguish he was emitting was almost palpable. A typical observer would have crossed to the other side of the street in a hurry, before crossing themselves for safety's sake.
Tilting his head back to look into the starry sky, he screamed; an ululating cry of tormented misery hurled to the frigid canopy far above him. Echoing off of the faceless buildings and frigid concrete, the echoes ricocheted off one another, merging and melding to form a hopeless wail of abandoned misery that bounced from the heavens.
In the shadows, a blue wolf started moving.
Kwon couldn't understand it. Just over a day ago, his life had been happy once more for the first time that he could remember for a long, long time. After over seven years of living in pure, unadulterated hell, he'd finally seen a faint glimmer of hope in the shadows.
My family had welcomed me back into the fold…
He couldn't count the number of times he'd dreamt of going home over the past seven years. The vision of his warm hearth and smiling parents had kept Kwon going through many a cold winter, when pickings were slim and he'd felt like simply giving up.
My old school buddies had finally gotten over their worries…
People he hadn't seen ever since he'd dropped out of school were coming up to him and asking, "Do you remember me? I'm that guy, the one who'd always…" It was a nice feeling; having people come up and talk to him willingly, without cringing in fear. They'd been planning on going bowling as a group that weekend, to do some 'catching up'.
The police had stopped chasing me…
The newspaperman had said that no charges were being pushed against EVOs who were forced into a life of crime by circumstances. After living on the run for a good deal of time, Kwon still felt a bit jumpy whenever he saw a police cruiser ride by. Although he could understand their motivations and reasons, he wasn't sure if he'd ever feel comfortable around a police officer again now that he'd been on the wrong end of their protective jurisdiction.
Nobody had called me a freak…
He was still getting used to being able to walk down the street without having mothers clutch their babies and burly men growl insults his direction. The lack of any negativity from people who saw his face was frankly staggering, and was almost intoxicating for a teenager who'd spent tremendous amounts of effort trying to hide his face in public.
There'd been no attempts on my life…
After skulking in the shadows watching his back every hour of the day, it was odd to find that there truly was nobody stalking him now; and that man holding the large knife was just making sushi, not trying to eradicate a "filthy EVO". He'd calmed down over the last few days, and had stopped jumping at every shadow, finally secure in the knowledge that there would be no crusaders for peace trying to kill him tonight.
I could stand to look at myself in a mirror…
After years of religiously avoiding anything vaguely resembling a mirror, he found it revelatory to no longer have to keep the vision of his own body from his eyes. For the first time in seven years, he could see his own face with no feeling of revulsion or disgust. It was an enjoyable experience, to be sure, and he'd spent over an hour in the bathroom, just studying his normal form. He could almost feel his protrusions, once so prominently placed upon his head, as phantasmic weights pulling his head down. He'd gotten into the habit of running a hand over his forehead once every few minutes, just to remind himself that it wasn't a dream, and that he really had been cured.
Everything had been going so well…
Kwon could still remember the euphoria that had overtaken him when the Blue Wave (they were calling it the Second Nanite Event, or the Worldwide Cure, apparently) had healed him – he was finally free! He had burst into his family's home, hugged his mother and father, called on all his old friends. It was like he'd never been away, and everyone seemed to welcome him back into the fold.
The government, in the joyous pandemonium that seemed to have engulfed the entire nation, had offered generous subsidies and scholarships to all and sundry who'd been cured. Colleges sent him letters, his parents told him to take all the time he needed, and he thought that he'd finally managed to claw his way from the smothering pit he'd tumbled into.
He held his head in his hands, staggering on down the alley. His head was aching fit to burst, and he was consciously avoiding reflective surfaces. He could feel his face, though. Feel the spikes bursting through his skin, and his epidermis hardening as the nanites took control again.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
It wasn't the first time the young man's life had taken a sudden turn for the worse. Seven years ago, before he'd ever heard of a 'nanite', he had led a fairly normal life. Gone to school regularly, studied religiously every night, strove to be top of his class. He'd had a circle of friends – maybe not the largest in school, but it was enough to satisfy his meagre desires. Things had been good.
Then came the change.
He could still see their faces. His parents, when he woke up that day, so many years ago. The shock and horror that had been imprinted on their features when they looked up and saw what he had turned into. He'd never forget their frozen faces when they looked upon their son. An EVO.
It had been bad at school, of course. At first, the teachers had let him stay in class as long as hire didn't do anything threatening, but the other students had started pointedly avoiding him. He sat alone at his bench while he ate his lunch. He walked home on his own, surrounded by smiling faces turned away from him.
It got worse with the news on TV – hordes of monsters taking over Kiev, martial law being enforced all through Europe, every government on the planet forming special ops team to handle special incidents: the world was slowly gearing itself for war against all EVOs. Kwon felt smaller and smaller in his class, ignored and shunned by the population at large. The overpowering fear of the unknown had entered the people, and it dominated every person who fell under it.
Eventually, he got the inevitable call to the headmaster's office. Trudging slowly from the class, he'd made his way to the head's room and sat down, already knowing what was going to happen. There really was only one course of action the school could take.
The principal had been very sorry. Everyone was, or said they were, at any rate. That was the best an EVO could expect, given the new setting of the planet. It's for the best, the man had said in a kindly tone of voice. I'm sure you understand.
Walking home from school for that last time, he remembered what he'd seen under everyone's faces. It was a pervasive effect, tainting everything: from the glance that a stranger passing him by gave him to his parents' smiles.
It was fear.
They were all afraid of the EVO, afraid of the freak. Whenever he stood up after a meal, everyone unconsciously tensed, before relaxing and laughing nervously. When he stretched his arms, people around him flinched away, as though he was going to lash out at any moment. When he entered a room, all the eyes swiveled in his direction and stayed there, watching his every movement for any sign of danger.
He put up with this treatment for several weeks, bearing with it in order to have a normal life. He finally gave up his efforts when his mother dropped the tea set with a shriek and a crash after he'd sneezed violently one evening, startling her witless. He moved out the next day.
He took to the streets, scrounging off of dumpsters to get by. Life was hard for a 14-year old in the underbelly of the city, but he'd learned fast. He'd managed to eke a pitiful existence out, studying tattered textbooks under streetlights at night while sleeping in a cardboard box through most of the day.
He wasn't alone. There was a small community of EVOs who'd stayed outside the gangs, living by themselves wherever they could find space. There was a mutual sense of commiseration between these stragglers, and they'd helped each other out whenever they could. One of the most prominent of the ragtag group was a four-man group of teenagers hanging out in an empty water tank in the South. They weren't the most social bunch, but their territory was generally considered to be "safe", and they'd taught a small boy who missed his parents how to pick a pocket, and where it was safe to sleep at night.
One day, almost seven years since he'd taken to the streets, he was scrounging through the gutters looking for a quick bite when he heard the new rumor that was making the rounds: Providence was under new management, and they were going to start sweeping the ghettos for any EVOs. He'd dismissed the story as mere fiction; until the survivors showed up to confirm the stories.
Those were rough days. No more lounging about peacefully at night: now, their nights were filled with frantically dodging starkly bright searchlights while weaving through convoys of troops. Catching a few winks whenever the opportunity presented itself, he'd managed to stay half a step ahead of his pursuers for two and a half weeks; until they'd brought out their latest weapons: the collars. All he saw was a narrow disc of white coming his way and circumscribing his neck, then everything went black.
He'd regained consciousness in prison. Locked behind iron bars, he waited each day out with uncertainty, twiddling his thumbs nervously while waiting for something to happen. He was shipped to Providence main base eventually, but even there things continued on the same dull path. Eventually, he became accustomed to the monotony of prison, chatting with his cellmates. They were an interesting crew, down in the depths of Providence. There was a man with a snake for a tongue, a girl whose screams could shatter glass, a nerdy guy who just wanted some kind of drink: EVOs of all sorts who'd been forced to live a life of crime. They had some interesting chats, all right.
Then, one day, while he was trying to get his neighbor to explain this Western concept of "milkshakes", a Blue Wave had swept through the block, burning Kwon's veins as he lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he found that, miraculously, his hope had been revived. He'd taken the first jet to Hong Kong and reunited with his family, overjoyed by the blessing that heaven had mysteriously decided to bestow upon him. He'd basked in the glorious hope of a future at last, and was fairly ecstatic by his sudden change in fortunes.
And now this crashing fall…
Why? Why? Why? WHY?
Shouting the question in his head, Kwon failed to notice the dead end alley. Rushing unseeingly, he crashed headlong into the concrete. Devoid of the flickering flame of hope, completely crushed by the bludgeonings of fate, he wept.
Lying in a limp heap at the base of the wall, Kwon curled up into the fetal position, whispering the same words over and over into the dark as the tears poured down his face.
"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?..." his voice trailed off as he lay on the ground. His shuddering sobs echoed through the empty alley.
Biowulf stood impassively on top of the building, looking down into the city streets. Breach was by his side, as they both took in the pitiful scene.
The lieutenant could hear every labored breath Kwon took. His sensors could pick up every whispered, agonized cry that escaped the boy's lips as he lay sobbing on the filthy ground. And every gasp, every word, was simply adding fire to the raging inferno of doubt that roiled within his metallic breast.
You did that, the maliciously leering voice in his head said. Every whimper, every tortured moment of that boys misery is all your fault, and, what's more, you know it. The great Biowulf, Pusher of Buttons, had brought yet another young man to the brink of despair through his own callous indifference.
Oh, we are proud, aren't we? You had the gall, the brazen audacity, to hold the scales of humanity's happiness in your claws, and you had the sheer temerity to tip it for the worse. Where did you get off, thinking that you could ruin this boy's life? Not just his life, but the life of every cured EVO on the planet that's suffering like this boy is right now. Remember them? All the smiling men and dancing women?
He squelched the voice in his head. Such thoughts would only undermine his determination and lower his efficiency. Right now, he had to focus on the task at hand – recruiting. With a sigh, the wolf-EVO straightened up. Breach shot a slanted glance at him from the corner of her eye.
"Want me to snatch him?" she asked, ready to launch a trans-dimensional portal at the huddled form below. Her hands glowed crimson as she clenched her fists, ready to send a hole in the fabric of space-time flying down.
Biowulf shook his head. This one would have to be handled carefully, with some finesse. He motioned to Breach to stay put. Then, his mind made up, he leaped down to the street below.
He landed with a clang in front of the boy. Kwon shook violently, then turned his bloodshot eyes to Biowulf, who remained in the shadows. Summoning his courage, the young EVO challenged the mysterious stranger cloaked by the darkness.
"What? What do you want?"
Biowulf remained silent, just out of the light cast by a nearby lamp. Kwon, a little annoyed by this person's recalcitrance, asked again, "What are you doing? You got a problem?"
Biowulf still said nothing. Kwon, finally irritated, got to his feet jerkily and turned to face the wolf-EVO, sneering quite frankly. "What? Whatcha looking at? Can I help you? Huh?"
Still nothing. "What's wrong?" Kwon asked, tilting his head back belligerently, displaying his prominent features and evident mutations. "Can't stop staring at the FREAK?" He formed his hands into fists, blood boiling in his veins as he advanced slowly. He'd had it. "You know what? I'm sick of all this, d–!"
Kwon's voice halted mid-sentence as the blue EVO took a step forward, falling under the halo of light cast by the streetlight. The inhuman form of the body…the claws…the red eyes…it was just too obvious what this character was.
"Y-You're an EVO? Bu-but…"
Biowulf's husky voice rasped out, interrupting the boy's stunned realization. "Who are you angry at?"
Kwon's mouth opened and closed a few times. His fists clenched, then relaxed as he slumped against the wall. His naturally passive nature reasserted itself as he answered, "I dunno. Everyone, I guess. It's just…I was so ready to be done with this, you know?"
He tilted his head back to look at the milky sky, cluttered with stars that twinkled with carefree abandon, so far above the troubles of mere mortals. He closed his eyes, sighing deeply.
"What did I do to get this? I never joined a gang. I didn't pick fights. I honored my parents. I was a good student. I'd never deserved this, but once it had gone I was OK with it, because I could put it all behind me, you know. A healthy learning experience, made me stronger: that knid of jazz. I was fine with that."
His eyes furrowed and his hands clenched convulsively as he continued his train of thought. "But now, after leaving for a few days, it's back. I'd just got my life back, after years living on the outside, and now I'm about to be tossed back to the gutter. I'm sick of it. Where do I go? What a guy like me supposed to do?"
Biowulf laid a heavy hand on the young EVO's shoulder. "I understand. You wish for a place to belong, a place where you can be what you are freely, without any worry of judgments or groundless attacks."
He gestured subtly to Breach, who opened a door-sized portal to Abysus in the alley. The red plasma hung suspended in the air, breaking the time-honored laws of physics flagrantly without a single qualm.
Kwon gaped at the portal open-mouthed, then looked at Biowulf. "That's…What is that?"
Biowulf pushed him towards it. "It's the gateway to more of our kind. It leads to our ruler, and the leader of all EVOs everywhere. It leads…home."
"Home…" Kwon let the unfamiliar and yet longed for syllables roll off of his tongue tentatively, almost as though he were a stranger to the concept. He turned his gaze back to the portal, which swirled and beckoned him seductively. Still he hesitated as the bonds to his old life held him back, even at the eleventh hour.
"My family? My friends? What about them?"
The blue wolf waved a hand. "I offer you a choice. You can remain here and keep suffering at the hands of the humans, beaten down by them as they strive to dominate your spirit. On the other hand, you could slip the chains that have shackled you down for so long and acknowledge your true nature: not as a human, but as an EVO."
"Acknowledge…my true nature?" Kwon was falling behind, but was oddly drawn to the prospect of leaving it all behind.
"You have a new family, now. Those of us who have been cast away from society, those of us who've had our futures stolen from us – we will forge our own futures!"
Kwon nodded and looked deep into the rift. A myriad of thoughts flew through his head, bickering and haggling as he tried to process the situation. He could feel the chains of home and hearth pulling him back to the dark streets, and yet the glowing portal spoke of freedom from condemnation; a place to belong.
He squared his shoulders as he came to a final decision.
"I'm in."
Biowulf patted Kwon's shoulder gently, before giving the kid a light push towards the portal. He gestured eloquently, and offered a last bit of encouragement to allay the subject's remaining worries.
"Go on, boy. A new life awaits you."
Kwon squared his shoulders, and, without a backward glance, strode through the flickering plasma.
Biowulf and Breach stood alone in the alley, backlit by the portal's luminescent glow. The wolf-EVO was wrestling with himself.
Offering the boy a helping hand after you'd cast him into the pit in the first place, eh? Truly devious.
The voice in his head was back, and with a vengeance. Biowulf defended his actions, telling himself that he had helped the boy. The humans were at fault, casting the EVO aside like an old glove, discarding him like yesterday's trash. It was the human's fault, not his! Besides, he was just following orders.
Of course, that's what the Nazis said when they butchered the Jews. I was just following orders, they said, with a shrug and a smirk. Of course, you're way out of their league. I mean, you've ruined the lives of billions of people. You put the Holocaust to shame with the push of one button! They can't touch you! You're on a different level! Bet you feel real proud of yourself, eh? Makes you feel all big and strong, hmm?
Biowulf blocked out the voice once more, ignoring himself studiously. Sacrifices had to be made in order to achieve utopia for EVOs everywhere; it was only natural to shove the weaker humans out of the way. There was no alternative path. These weak feelings of dissent and discord were simply passing sentiments, and would have to be ignored if he wanted to serve his Master as best he could.
Focusing his mind, Biowulf purged his mental space of all such unclean thoughts, reminding himself of his raison d'être. Silencing all niggling thoughts of weakness, he returned to the roof and took up his post next to Breach once more. Side by side, like sentinels over the creatures of the night, the mismatched pair watched the city. Waiting for the next tormented soul to wander along.
Somewhere out in the metropolis, a howl of utter agony and despair sounded out.
In the shadows, a blue wolf started moving.
A/N – So, Kwon is my Universe's version of the 'Hong Kong EVO', who was only seen once or twice. Look him on the wiki for some pictures and more background data. He's not important to the story, and simply serves as a medium for Biowulf to realize some of his darker musings, as well as the consequences of his own actions. He will probably never be mentioned again, and I made his character up completely.
Anyway, shout out if you caught the small reference to Fitzy Feakins, who has now joined the pantheon of characters I've included. I'm getting closer to catching them all. By the way – I don't know if anyone's noticed, but I'm feeling terrifically glum after writing this last chapter, so I thought I'd point it out – what happened to Serge? Rex cured every EVO, and Serge's water kingdom was kept alive solely EVOs, so…does that mean Serge is dead? I'd rather not think about things like that, so…moving on…
YellowAngela: It's nice to hear that I'm keeping the characters technically correct. Always a good thing. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked the ' science-y stuff'!
theWriterunknown: I shall strive to keep meeting your expectations. Thanks for the review, and the lavish application of flattery!
Lily: Praise of the highest calibre! Don't worry, I'm going to see this through till the end, with my bi-monthly updates forging ahead!
And now, a poem. Because I'm bored, it's late, I'm bored, and it's late.
As I, a sober chronicler,
Of kings, and wars, and all that stuff;
Do pen these lines of modern lore,
I find the going terr'bly rough.
xxXxx